Title: Ginny From the Block

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

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Chapter Four: Come on Ride that Train

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Location: Diagon Alley

London, England

Date: August 24th, 2003 (Sunday)

Time: 9 a.m.

"Am I ever going to get used to this time change crap?"

Ginny heard Dawn groaning from beside her and turned to grin at her best friend. "I'm sure you will eventually, but considering this is only your second day in the time zone..."

"Yeah, yeah...just don't expect me to be bright and chipper today." Dawn grumbled. "I feel like I have PMS or something. This sucks."

"If it makes you feel any better," Ginny told her amused. "I don't exactly feel bright and sunny myself, and I'm sure the other exchange students will feel just as bad."

Dawn smirked. "Yeah, I can't wait to see them. Stuck with the teachers all day getting supplies, and then getting flooed here, and then having to sit and wait for everyone else to get there? I'll bet they're just thrilled."

Ginny shrugged. "I doubt it will be that bad. Professor Snow said they would probably be showed to their dorms before we ever get there." Ginny saw Dawn frown and couldn't help but agree. She had wanted first peek at the dorms as well. Ginny knew that Professors Snow and Dumbledore had worked together to form a brand new tower for what would be simply called the Sunstone House and all the exchange students were anxious to see it. Thankfully, Professor Snow promised that Ginny and Dawn would be assigned as roommates again and that their room would be reserved for them since they wouldn't be there to pick it out.

"She is giving us a good room, right?" Dawn grumbled again.

"Of course." Ginny grinned. "We're her favorite students. Haven't you heard the Hawkthornes grumbling about how we always get special treatment? They always shut up when we come along, of course. I wonder why that is?"

Dawn snorted. "Couldn't have anything to do with you hexing Laney Simms last term, could it?"

"Or you kicking Chris Harley in the balls perhaps?" Ginny smirked back.

For most of the second half of the last year, Ginny and Dawn had spent all their free time making life for the Hawkthornes hell. It had been this fun little game they played. They paid back every little snide comment those slimy snakes sent their way the first half of the year in spades. By the end of the year the two groups had finally called a tentative truce of sorts...mostly because they were terrified of what Ginny and Dawn would pull next.

"Uh...and now we have to live with them!" Dawn growled. "I swear, they might not survive the year."

"We'll get through it." Ginny told her calmly. "We're all in this together now. All the exchange students are going to be considered one house. We're just going to have to accept that we're a team."

Both girls slowly made their way down the crowded streets of Diagon Alley with Ginny pointing out directions. Ginny nodded and greeted several people they passed and Dawn followed her lead. Finally, Ginny spotted 'Flourish and Blotts' up ahead and pushed on towards the door. The store was stuffed almost full as it always was at the beginning of a school term, but Ginny and Dawn managed to squeeze in anyway and started to look for anyone they recognized.

Ginny didn't immediately spot Ron, Harry, or Hermione so she began leading Dawn over to the books they would need for the year. They both started picking through them and checking prices. This was actually a fairly new thing for Ginny. She'd always had to buy old used books before or hope that one of her brothers already owned a copy. Thankfully working all last year and during the summer had saved up a nice little nest egg and her books were just the first thing she would get to buy with her own money. (She and Dawn both had wizarding currency as they'd traded in their money at Gringotts earlier.)

"Oh, that reminds me..." Dawn frowned while flipping through the pages of a Charms textbook. "What are we doing about Quidditch? Are we just not going to play this year? I wanted to try out!"

Ginny shrugged as she shoved a copy of Fifth Year Potions under her arm. "Professor Snow said she had a few ideas on that, but she never did tell me exactly what she decided. I guess we'll find out soon enough. She's only going to be at Hogwarts through tonight so she has to tell us everything before she leaves."

"Whatever." Dawn sighed as she put back the Charms book (it was for the wrong year) and grabbed a copy of the Potions book Ginny has just taken. "I just hope we're doing something because a year without Quidditch will suck."

Ginny just had to grin at that. This from the girl who used to hate the game with a burning passion from hell (Dawn's words not Ginny's). "But why ever not? I thought you..."

"Oh, shut up!" Dawn rolled her eyes and made her bad mood clear to anyone watching...and there were several people watching Dawn and Ginny at the moment. "I'd never even seen a match and from the description it sounded stupid. After I actually went to a game I completely changed my tune and you know it."

"Well, you won't go completely without, whatever they decide." Ginny assured her. "The Hogwart's houses play Quidditch too, and they're very competitive...just like Sunstone."

Finally finding the Charms book she was looking for, Dawn shoved it in her shopping basket and then turned to grin wildly at Ginny. "Yeah, but what's the fun without Hawkthorne to pull against? Besides, I want to watch you flying like hell towards the goals with two bludgers and a couple chasers and beaters after you. I swear, no one should be able to fly that fast."

"You do pretty good yourself." Ginny grinned back. "If we do play this year you'll make chaser for sure."

Dawn nodded and her smile widened. "Then we'll be working together again and the little Hawkthornes will probably piss their pants."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "If Buffy heard you using that language..."

"Then she wouldn't be nice and on another continent like she's supposed to be at the moment." Dawn smirked.

Ginny sighed and shook her head. "I give up." Then she grinned again. "Oh, and if we don't get to play you can always just pull against Slytherin and cheer for Harry...and Ron if he makes the team."

"Slytherin..." Dawn mused. "Yep. Sound slimy and backstabbing just like the Hawkthornes. I don't think pulling against them will be a problem."

"Oh, they make the Hawkthornes look like little angels...let me assure you." Ginny snorted.

Dawn nodded. "Okay, but are we talking all white with wings angels or turns evil with a happy angels...cause sometimes I get confused."

"Ha ha ha." Ginny mockingly rolled her eyes at the lame joke. She and Dawn were constantly seeing who could make the lamest jokes and puns. It was like their little secret game. Dawn was currently in the lead by a mile. Ginny just hadn't been up on her puns lately.

"Slimy little gits, are they?" Dawn put on her best (and still slightly horrible) British accent.

"Just wait." Ginny smirked. "You'll be thanking god that it's the Hawkthornes we have to live with and not the Slytherins. They're smug, and evil, and arrogant, and evil, and repulsive, and...did I mention evil?"

"Lame." Dawn rolled her eyes at Ginny's attempt to even up their lame joke score. She reached out and grabbed a copy of the Charm's book she'd found and handed it to Ginny.

"Oh look...the littlest Weasel's found a brown-headed twin." A sneering familiar voice sounded from behind them.

Ginny rolled her eyes, took a deep breath. She knew he did have a point though. Today Ginny and Dawn were both wearing their hair the same way and wearing the same outfits from yesterday except Ginny was wearing her silver tank and blue jeans and Dawn was wearing her blue tank and silver jeans. When they'd come down the stairs together this morning they'd received several amused glances and more than a few twin cracks from Fred and George.

That didn't mean she could let the comment slide though. If she started letting them slide now, she'd never be able to stop. That was a pattern Ginny was never playing out again. She forced herself to turn and face the git. She was surprised however to find that she now had to look up quite a bit to see his face. He'd grown over the last year...and firmed up as well. Not that it matters, Ginny told herself forcefully, he's still a stupid, arrogant, disgusting git. "What do you want, Mal-Ferrot?"

"Oh nothing, really." Draco Malfoy mused as he looked both Ginny and Dawn over with cool gray eyes. "Just noticed a pair of new twins and then that one of them had Weasel hair." He reached out and picked up a strand of her hair that was streaked with blonde. "Or mostly Weasel hair. Couldn't stand reality anymore, Weasel?"

"Oh Puh-lease!" Dawn snorted from beside Ginny as she looked pointedly towards the strange boy's almost white hair. "Like that hair color didn't come out of a bottle."

Ginny couldn't help it. She snorted with laughter. She watched as Malfoy's eyes widened in shock at her reaction. That just made her snort some more. She shot Dawn an amused glance. "Uh...Dawn...it didn't. His dad's is just like it...only longer and much more creepy. And as his father is evil as all hell it's not surprising his hair's more creepy."

Dawn's eyes widened in shock. She reached out towards Malfoy's head and Ginny literally almost fell out at the look in Dawn's eyes and then Malfoy's when he realized what she was doing. "Really?" Dawn finally asked still shocked. "But...I mean...I've never seen real hair that color before." She grabbed a strand and yanked as if it might tell her whether it was real or not. Malfoy winced but still stared at them both in patent disbelief. "He's like Mini-Spike...with real hair!"

That was it. Ginny couldn't hold it back anymore. She just roared. She threw back her head and leaned back against the bookcase and laughed until she cried. She almost dropped her books she was laughing so hard. She vaguely felt someone removing them from her arms to solve that problem, but then she just laughed some more as she noticed it was Malfoy that grabbed them. Probably thought she'd drop them on his foot or something. He looked completely stunned at this turn of events.

Ginny felt a surge of wild glee and thought that maybe that would teach him not to mess with Ginny from the Block. That thought made her laugh yet again...

"Weasel, what the hell is the matter with you?" Malfoy demanded. "Did you get into some drugs at that damn school?"

"Yeah, Mal-Ferrot," Ginny smirked as she took her books back from him. "The I'm-not-taking-Ferrot's-bullsh*t-anymore drug. I'm thinking of slipping it to the whole school at tonight's welcome feast. Could be interesting that."

"Mal-Ferrot?" Dawn frowned and then a huge grin curved her lips. "This is the Ferrot? The Incredible Bouncing Ferrot? OH MY GOD!" She laughed hard and then looked to Malfoy. "Would you really mind if I did that to you again sometime? I know the spells and I've just been dying to try it out..."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh yes, she would." Ginny smirked. "So would I, by the way." She looked, with some difficulty, over Malfoy's shoulder and noticed Ron, Harry, and Mione frowning at them concerned and trying to make their way over. Knowing things could turn from hilarious to ugly if you put Ron and Malfoy together, Ginny decided to stop the disaster from happening. She grabbed Dawn's arm and started to pull her best friend with her away from Malfoy. "A lot of things can change in a year, Ferrot, and if you don't watch it you'll find out exactly how much."

"He's a Slytherin, right?" Dawn asked as she fought Ginny pulling her away. Ginny finally rolled her eyes and nodded. Dawn smiled widely back at Malfoy. "Well, Mini-Spike, I guess I should warn you that two new bada**es have come to Hogwarts...and you just had your first run-in with them." Ginny started pulling at her even harder now, but Dawn was determined to get in one last shot. "Been fun...till next time."

Leaving a still stunned Malfoy behind them, the two girls pushed their way through the crowd to meet the Gryffindor Trio halfway. Both of them laughed their heads off the whole way.

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Location: Hogwarts Express

Kings Cross Station, England

Date: August 24th, 2003 (Sunday)

Time: 12:55 a.m.

(*note to readers...I cannot remember what time the Hogwarts Express actually leaves so I'm just going with 1 p.m.*)

"I still want to know what he said." Ron glared at Ginny but she knew his anger wasn't directed at her at all. "I'll kill the slimy git if he starts bothering you, Gin. I really will. We just got you back and we're not going to let Mal-Ferrot run you off again."

"As if he could." Dawn snorted and met Ron's eyes calmly. "You obviously don't know your little sister as well as you think you do, Ronnikins. She put Mal-Ferrot down...we both did."

Ron looked confused to Ginny. "But...I mean...how?"

Dawn shrugged at him. "It's what we do. We're very good at it and we've had lots of practice. Hanging with my sister helps. She's a little big with the punning."

Ginny laughed lightly. "You're not wrong." She looked back to her protective older brother and her chest filled with warmth that he actually cared that much if Malfoy bothered her. "We're fine, Ron...honestly. Malfoy was just being Malfoy, and we gave him a little shock. I really don't think he's used to being stood up to like that."

"He did look a little stunned, Ron." Harry put in his two cents. "He didn't even sneer after them like he always does. He just stood there like..."

"A big git?" Dawn jumped in helpfully.

Harry laughed lightly and nodded. "Basically." He pushed open the door to their usual compartment and motioned everybody in.

Hermione was already seated and in her robes. She frowned at the rest of them. "You'd better go ahead and change now, everyone. You know how crowded it gets if you wait until we get close to Hogwarts."

Ginny shrugged. "Might as well." She looked to Dawn. "What about you?"

"Well," Dawn smirked. "Now that I've overcome the shock of walking through a wall to get to the train, I don't think changing clothes is going to be that big of an issue." She grabbed her backpack off her trunk and threw Ginny hers as well and both girls headed out of the compartment to find the bathrooms.

"They are rather close, aren't they?" Hermione commented lightly after they left.

"Ya think?" Ron snorted. "They're practically inseparable. You wouldn't believe all the stuff I know about that girl through Ginny's letters last year."

"I'm glad." Hermione told them suddenly and rather forcefully. Both Harry and Ron turned to look at her curiously at her tone. She just shrugged but remained completely serious. "She's found her place, Ron. She finally feels as if she fits, and it shows. She practically glows with happiness and self-confidence."

Ron shrugged to himself as he sat down next to Hermione and thought about that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, I know she glows and that she's changed and all...but I guess I never pieced that bit together before. She told me once that she'd found her Harry...that she'd found her perfect friend like I had Harry and you. I guess, I never really appreciated what that meant until I saw them together." He met Hermione's eyes now. "And I'm glad too."

Ten minutes later Ginny and Dawn returned. They got several raised eyebrows as they entered. Ginny frowned at the looks. "What?"

"Your robes..." Hermione began.

"OH..." Ginny cut her off nodding in understanding. "At Sunstone we're allowed house-specific robes. It's a boost in loyalty and pride in your house." Both Ginny and Dawn were wearing the Whitehorn robes. They were black just like most standard robes, but they had a mix of blue and silver trim and the Whitehorn house crest was stitched over the heart on the left side.

"That is NOT bloody fair!" Ron burst out angrily. "We have to wear the same black robes every year and look like every other student and you get to wear your houses'? How is that fair?"

"Ron..." Harry tried to calm him down. "They're just robes." Though Ginny could tell Harry wasn't happy with this development either.

Hermione broke in a bit more sincerely. "Really, Ron. Carrying on so about robes? You'd think you were a girl. You still get to wear your house colors underneath them."

"But you can't see them underneath them!" Ron growled. "And that isn't the only privilege they get either! I just haven't told you about them all!"

Now Harry and Hermione were looking interested despite themselves and Ginny just rolled her eyes because she had a feeling this was going to turn into a whining contest in a minute.

"Ten knuts says Harry yells 'no fair' at least once when he finds out we get weekends off grounds." Dawn whispered in Ginny's ear.

Ginny grinned back. "Twenty says Hermione at least purses her mouth and does that little huffing thing when she finds out we only have one other roommate."

Dawn winked. "You're on."

As the compartment fell back into a semi-peaceful silence half an hour later, Dawn slipped twenty knuts into Ginny's palm and Ginny promptly returned ten of them. Both girls hid grins as Hermione asked what they were doing.

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Jade Elise