Year 2: Chapter 28

For the young second years the terms were flying by and before anybody noticed Christmas had come and gone. Everyone had returned home and for one young girl it was a terrible reminder of the year before.

The New Year had arrived and January had disappeared into February. Snow, which had fallen throughout the first month, began to melt. Quidditch matches were played and Gryffindor found themselves in the lead.

February left and behind it all the excitement of Valentine's Day as March showed itself to them all. The groups grew closer whilst further apart and as the boys tried to come up with ways to help Remus the girls were learning what it was like to become young adults.

It was the last day of March when Ginny came running into the dorm room with a stupid smile plastered all over her face.

"Guess what!"

She jumped onto Alice's bed and laid with her head over the edge of the side. The other's all looked at her as if she were mad. Lily was sitting on the floor with her back against Branwen's bed. Branwen was plating her long hair. Alice and Amanda were sitting on the same bed doing each other's nails.

"Well aren't you going to guess?"

Alice smiled at her friend

"Is there any point you're going to tell us anyway!"

Ginny giggled and looked around at them all.

"Alright, you know Michael Trenchwood!"

"Wait is he the third year Ravenclaw?"

"Yes Lily he is, well he just asked me out!"

Screams were heard from the room as Ginny jumped up and down on the bed. Her eyes were wide and the smile that took over her face was infectious. Lily and Branwen were quickly on the bed with the other three.

"Really. When? What did he say? What did you say?"

"Well…"

"Wait a minute."

They all looked at Amanda who was smiling.

"This calls for a snack food party. Bran shall we head to the kitchens and get some snacks first before we get ready for the story."

"But we've just had dinner!"

They all looked at Lily and Alice rolled her eyes at her friend before speaking.

"So we can have a girly night in and listen to all the gossip."

It was agreed and Branwen and Amanda headed down to the kitchens. They ran down and came to the painting on the fruit bowl. Branwen tickled the pear and the door opened. She stepped inside followed quickly by Amanda.

Instantly they were surrounded by a group of house elves waiting to serve them

"Miss Branwen Miss, what can we get for you?"

"I want a tub of multi-flavoured ice-cream with a freezing charm on so it doesn't melt, some cakes, chocolate chip cookies, marshmallows ummm…."

"Pizza and crisps and some chocolate if you have it. Oh and some butterbeers please."

The elves ran around finding the asked items and returned with them. Amanda held the large bag of crisps (A/N: Chips for you Americans) and marshmallows on top of the pizza box. Branwen smiled as she was handed the ice-cream and chocolate. Using her wand she levitated the butterbeers ahead of herself and they left for the dorm room.

Branwen ran through the common room and up the stairs but Amanda wasn't lucky enough.

"Dixon, where are you going we have a Quidditch meeting?"

"Oh, umm well I have to take the food up to the dorm room and I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Get back here!"

Amanda looked lost as she saw the rest of the team sitting there, it was relief that washed over her when Alice came down the stairs.

"Mand what's taking you so long? Ginny needs the marshmallows, she really needs them she can't concentrate otherwise."

"Dixon what's going on?"

"Well you see Ginny is failing Potions and its my best subject, she's really worried so I'm tutoring her. Tell you what have the meeting without me and Sirius or James will fill me in tomorrow."

She didn't wait and ran up the stairs with Alice. Giggling was heard from the room and they closed the door behind them laughing hard.

"What's so funny?"

Alice looked at Lily and smiled wide.

"If anyone asked, you're failing Potions okay Gin."

"What?"

"It was the only thing I could think of to get out of the Quidditch meeting, I'm tutoring you!"

They all laughed as the two new comers jumped onto the bed smiling. The food and drink spread out between them all giggling.

"Well come on Gin, we need details!"

Ginny looked at Alice eyes wide and then started her story.

"Well you know how I had a detention tonight straight after dinner with Malfoy, well so did Michael. We were there cutting the tails off the rats for the seventh years…"

"Why doesn't she just buy rat-tails its so more hygienic?"

The girls all looked at Alice and laughed, she had her nose scrunched up and it was easy to tell she was serious. Branwen picked up the cream from the last party they had had and squirted it at the girl.

"My cookie!"

Her cookie was indeed covered in cream and she looked at it as if it was one of the rat-tails Ginny had mentioned. Ginny smiled at her and leaned towards her taking a bite of her cookie.

"Yum!"

"That's sick Ginny, just like the rat-tails, but why doesn't she buy rat-tails already cut off?"

Amanda took pity and answered the question.

"That's because you can use rat-tails for shrinking potions, their eyes are important in the truth potion, then their stomach is used for those with bladder problems, the livers for the growth potion and the kidney's are used in a silencing potion. So it's cheaper to buy a whole rat and cut out the bits you need."

"How do you know that?"

"Because Potions is my best subject and plus I had to help remove all the parts of the rats when I get detention with her, or if she wants that whole Quality time with Lucius and me, I swear our family are weird. But Ginny's story."

They all looked back at Ginny who smiled sheepishly at them through a mouthful of marshmallows. Once she was able to speak again she started.

"Yeah anyway we started talking and he said I was cute. I was so blushing at this point and so was he. He asked me all these questions about myself like umm my family about Bill and Charlie. About subjects and you guys, and of course the whole prank war thing."

"But we haven't done anything for months."

Ginny, Alice and Amanda all smiled at Lily.

"What did you do?"

Alice spoke up in her girly sweet voice.

"We only put dragon dung in their underwear draws, nothing big."

They laughed as they ate more food and Ginny continued with her story.

"Yeah well anyway when we left the classroom he kissed me, I mean really kissed me, not a peck on the cheek like Mand gives Sirius…"

"What I do not kiss Sirius!"

Branwen chocked on her butterbeer at the way her friend looked so surprised.

"Yeah you do, you kiss him hello in the morning, and then before you go to bed at night. You just do it when you think we aren't looking."

"Wait you knew I do that?"

"Of course, it's not as if we're blind. We don't mind honestly just because we're not friends with him and the other boys its not as if we expect you not to talk to him, after all you've known him too long to throw away the friendship over a stupid prank."

Amanda's mouth fell open as Lily said this out of all the girls she hadn't expected Lily to be the one that would say that. After all she hated the boys but she couldn't help the smile as she hugged the girls.

"I'm so glad you're okay with this after all I've been scared to tell you."

"Are you and him, you know going out?"

"Me and Sirius. No way. Never, why do people keep asking me that. Oh and before you say it, nothing's happening between me and Frank."

Branwen closed her mouth she had been about to ask that question. They laughed some more as Ginny continued the story.

"He's a good kisser girls, really it was just wow! My first kiss guys! Anyway he asked me out then and of course I said yes and now…"

As one the other four jumped off the bed and started dancing,

"Ginny and Michael

Up a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love

Then comes marriage

Then comes a baby in a golden carriage"

Ginny playfully hit the girls with a pillow and a massive pillow fight took place. It was a fun night of catching up and things seemed perfect to the girls, if only these times could last forever.