*

"Here's the info about your detention," Hermione said stiffly, as she handed Ginny a small slip of paper.

They were in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. Ron and Harry were in a deep discussion at the end of the table with Fred and George Weasley about Quidditch. Ginny was sitting on her own; Aurora had finished breakfast earlier and was supposedly in the library studying.

Hermione turned on her heel and walk away before Ginny had a chance to think of a good comeback. Ginny scowled at her and looked down at the paper. If possible, her face got darker and her scowl more pronounced as she read it.

Great, just great – now I'm stuck in detention with him too… As if running into him nearly everyday wasn't enough. And, to make matters worse, our detention is with Snape. This is all just great – just snazzy – perfect.

Ginny was sure that her mood wouldn't possibly get any worse. But she was wrong. As if on cue, Draco came sauntering past, smirking at her. She glared at him, but he remained indifferent, sneering at her as usual.

"So, Little Miss Kick-Everyone-In-The-Shins has to go to detention. How sad…" he hissed at her.

"As if you didn't – you little –"

"Oh, my dear little – girl, I suggest you keep your temper to yourself, lest you get another detention."

"Shut your trap, already."

"Well, seeing that we both have to put up with one another for an hour tonight, why not get to know each other a little better?" he asked her, an evil glint in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Ginny spat.

"Nothing – just want to talk."

"What is wrong with you?" Ginny said, shaking her head with disbelief.

"I just –"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ron said, spotting Draco talking to Ginny.

"I'm doing much better than you, Weasley. But, of course, you probably can't tell," he refuted.

"Get the hell out of here," Harry said through gritted teeth as he came up behind Ron.

"Fine then, I can tell if I'm not wanted. It isn't often it actually happens, but what can a person do when trying to reach the – ah – the less intelligent among us?" Draco said.

He turned around and walked away, but not until he had given each of the three a penetrating glare. Almost immediately, Ron rounded on Ginny. His eyes were blazing as he opened his mouth to speak, but Ginny was saved as the mail arrived.

As the owls soared above them, Ginny sank back in her seat, full of relief. She didn't know why her brother had changed so much over the summer. All she knew was that he and eventually, Harry – once Sirius gave him permission – had gone to Hermione's house over the summer, and all three of them had become slightly different.

She looked up at her brother as he caught his owl as it soared into his arms, with a letter clasped in its beak. Ron seemed very pleased about something as he read through the letter, which he then passed on to Harry, who also read it with a smile on his face. Ginny tried to slip out of the Great Hall while they were dwelling on whatever happy thoughts the letter had given them, but Ron was too quick for her.

"And where do you think you're going, Ginny?" Ron said, putting his hands on his hips in a way that made him look remarkably like Mrs. Weasley.

"It looks like Fred and George were right about you, Ron. Well, what do you know? We do have another perfect prefect in the family," she said to him.

Then she turned away too. She walked out of the Great Hall silently. She waited for Ron and Harry to walk up to her and yell at her again. She half-wanted them to do that, and to scold her and shout at her and embarrass her in front of the entire school. She wanted them to talk to her and ask her what was wrong with her and why she had been acting so different and so – well – bitchy.

But neither one of them made a move. They just stood there, watching her go out of the Hall. Neither one of them knew what to say, so they just finished their breakfast in silence. A few minutes later, however, Hermione came with a big smile on her face, and both Ron and Harry looked up at her, eager to tell her the good news that had come in the letter.

"Dumbledore said yes!" Ron said, thrusting the letter into her hard.

"I still don't know how you persuaded all of them to even think of something like that," Harry said, scratching his head.

"Well, I'm glad," Hermione said, flashing him a smile full of her shiny white teeth.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her and said slowly, "Are you glad that Dumbledore agreed or are you glad that I don't know what you two did to make him agree?"

Ron laughed and Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes. Harry was still slightly confused, but he didn't dwell on that much. Angelina Johnson was standing two feet away from the trio, waiting to speak to Harry.

"Uh, did you want something?" Harry said politely.

"The tryouts are today," she said simply.

"Tryouts – what tryouts?" he asked, innocently puzzled.

"Well, we have an open spot on the team. We don't have a Keeper. So we're holding tryouts to fill in that spot. We've had a full team ever since you joined four years ago, so we haven't needed one. But we do now," Angelina said.

Harry looked up at her. She was a seventh year this year, and he knew that Wood was the one who had asked her to take over as being Quidditch Captain after him. She was easily the most experienced on the team besides the Weasley twins, but everyone knew that neither one of them would ever accept leadership on their own. It was either both of them or neither one. Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, the other two Chasers, had only been on the team from their third year onward, so they had joined more or less along with Harry.

Angelina had agreed to be Captain, but Harry saw in her eyes that she was only doing it as a favor to the rest of the team. She didn't want to be Captain any more than she wanted to be a Slytherin.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Harry asked.

"You're a fifth year, and I know you're going to busy what with the OWLs and everything else, but I was just wondering if you could try and –"

"Round up everyone who's interested in being a Keeper?" he finished for her.

"Will you? I know second years are allowed to join the team, but being a Keeper needs a more advanced player, and someone who is a lot more accustomed to Hogwarts. So, I was thinking along the lines of a third year or a fourth year – maybe even another fifth year. What about that Weasley you're friends with? What's he like on a broom?" she asked.

"Well, let's just say the first time he tried to pick one up it hit him in the face…" Harry muttered.

"Well, what about the third year – his sister? Look, Harry, you're probably thinking I'm trying to be selective or biased or whatever the hell it is you're thinking, but I'm going by what I've seen. I joined the team in my second year, and that time, Charlie Weasley was the legend of Gryffindor Quidditch. He had been the Captain and the Seeker. But he had left five years before. But they say he was amazing.

"Now, look at Fred and George. They're the best Beaters any team's ever seen. Even Bill Weasley, he was a seventh year when I was a first year. He wasn't officially on the team but he was a reserve for a Chaser. And he kicked butt whenever he got a chance to play. He would've been a proper Chaser if he hadn't a prefect or Head Boy. He got caught up a bit much in his studies.

"Now, Harry, you tell me, do I have any reason to think that Ginny Weasley isn't the Keeper we're looking for? That family's got talent, Harry. And I'm not about to let it go if it's going to help us win."

"Okay, An – I mean, Johnson," Harry said – momentarily forgetting that it was customary to call the Captains by their last name, no matter how friendly you were with them. "I can't promise anything, though. I used to think she was a little docile, tongue-tied little girl, but it looks like that she's exactly the opposite. I look like the shy one, now."

"Well, you'd – oh, we've got to go. Class starts any minute now. If you don't get her, look for someone. I'm counting on you, Harry," she said, as she picked up her bag and walked off with Katie and Alicia, who had been waiting for her a few feet away.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked as Harry met up with them.

"How's your sister when it comes to Quidditch?" Harry asked slowly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ron said, ignoring the look Hermione was giving him.

"It means exactly what it sounds like. What've we got first?"

"We have Transfiguration. Come on, we're going to be late! I reckon McGonagall will be making an announcement about the dance today," Hermione said, pulling both of their arms.

"Dance – is that what the whole thing with Dumbledore was about? Since when have you two been interested in dancing? I never knew about this whole dance," Harry said.

"Oh, shut it, will you? I never knew one person to talk so much when they wanted to ask a simple question," Ron said, giving him a shove in the back.

"Ron, Harry, hurry up, already!"

"We're coming."

*

A/N: Okay, rather uneventful, I know, but this is just the beginning, so no need to worry! Please read and review!