A/N: This is my first fic. So, it might be a little slow going to start, but please give me a chance. I'll take any constructive criticism. But hey, if you hate it, stop reading it, don't flame. Thanks for everyone who decides to read it! Oh yeah, and by the way, I don't own these characters, well except for Druella. Unfortunately JK beat us all to the punch.

Chapter 1: Do I have to go back?

Ginny woke up early that morning, not for excitement, but for dread, at a new year starting at Hogwarts. She was starting her sixth year, and knew that it was going to be quite a difficult year. The feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't really created by the dread of the exams and all the work she was going to be forced to do for the likes of Snape and McGonagall, but for the fact that she would again be subject to seeing Harry on a daily basis. This was not particularly a pleasant thought for her. She had escaped a summer of torture of seeing him, by spending the majority of the summer in Romania with her brother Charlie. This summer had been her most enjoyable as well as her last free summer, seeing that the next summer would be spent preparing for her last year, N.E.W.T.S. and hopefully putting out feelers for a job at the ministry.

Ginny had packed all of her belongings the night before so that she wouldn't have to worry in the morning. She took her time getting out of bed, making her way to her bathroom and getting a shower. She had already decided what she would be wearing to the station, a pair of low-rise faded jeans, flip-flops, and a white tank top. The weather was perfect for this outfit, and no robes until she was on the train to Hogwarts. She knew that Harry would be at the station, and that he would be draped all over his new girlfriend. But she still wanted to look decent; maybe she would steal his gaze, if only for a moment. She wasn't against maybe drawing someone else's attention either, not that there was anyone in particular, but any good-looking boy would do as long as he had half a brain.

Lazily brushing her hair, she could hear the rest of the house beginning to stir and knew Ron would be barging down the hall any minute now to round up the troops. He hadn't seen Hermione or Harry in about a month, and desperately wanted to get to the station. Hermione had spent the last month of the summer with her parents in the States visiting her Aunt, and had had very limited contact with Ron during that time. None of her family was magical at all and it was surprising at times of how powerful a witch she had become with her limited background. Ron and Hermione had begun dating at the beginning of their sixth year when Hermione had finally gotten tired of him beating around the bush. She had cornered him and planted a huge kiss on him, which was just what he needed to remedy his bumbling idiot routine whenever Hermione was within ten feet of him. They had been inseparable since then on and this was the longest they had been apart in over a year.

Ginny picked up her brush and other toiletries and headed back to her room for a final check of her trunk and bags. After securing everything in its' place and picking up her new kitten, Bailey, she made her way down to the kitchen.

"Good morning darling," Mrs. Weasley chirped happily as Ginny came around the corner. Ginny tried hard not to show the annoyance she was feeling towards her mother because of her cheerfulness. She always hated it when other people were in such a good mood when she was feeling rotten. She always figured that if she was going to be in a bad mood, then the rest of the world should as well. Scratching Bailey behind the ears, she plopped down at the end of the table waiting for breakfast to finish cooking. As she waited, she decided she might as well talk to her mom, seeing as she wouldn't see her face to face for quite a while.

"Mom, why do feelings have to be so difficult to deal with?" she asked tentatively. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Her mother turned around to look her in the eye. She knew that her mother could see right through her and would read exactly what she meant by looking in her eyes.

"Honey, I know it's difficult, but when you meet the right person, you'll know," she gave Ginny a weak smile and continued, "I know that you have strong feelings for Harry, but as much as I love him, he's a dufus! If he can't see what a wonderful girl you are, and would rather be dating that smug girl, Sally what's her face, then so be it. He doesn't deserve the likes of you anyways. Besides, he's too much a part of our family already, it just wouldn't be right!" Ginny gave her mom a slight smile, knowing that she meant well, but wasn't quite satisfied with that answer.

"Thanks mom, you always know the right thing to say to make me feel better," Ginny drawled. She knew that her mother knew that the answer didn't satisfy her, but that this was the end of the conversation. She sighed as she heard Ron running down the stairs dragging his trunk behind him, with Pigwidgeon tweeting overheard shrilly.

"Ginny! Where is your trunk? Why isn't it down here? Why aren't you ready to go?" Ron screamed impatiently as he stumbled down the stairs. "

"Ron, the express doesn't leave for two more hours!" Mrs. Weasley said through a laugh. She knew that Ron could hardly contain himself waiting until he would get to see Hermione again.

"Well, I promised Hermione we would get there as early as we could," he said and continued quickly, "Do you think we could leave early?"

"I don't see why not. Ginny what do you think?" she said looking down at Ginny.

As Ginny stood up from the table, letting Bailey jump to the floor, she looked to Ron and said, "I guess that's fine. I'll just sit on the platform and twiddle my thumbs for an hour!" She turned and began to trudge up the stairs grumbling obscenities at her pansy brother. She was not looking forward to this at all, sitting around watching Hermione and Ron snog. It couldn't get much more disgusting then that. Next thing you know, Harry would show up and the three musketeers would be back together again, plus one extra, the new whore that was attached to Harry.

Ginny had not actually met Harry's new girlfriend, but despised her nonetheless. As much as she wanted to get over the feelings she had for Harry, they were like a plague and she just couldn't shake him. She actually felt that she hated him more then she loved him, but all he had to do was look at her or give her a smile, and she would be putty in his hands again. She was just going to have to suck it up, and put on a tough face. She was nobody's lapdog. She was nobody's bitch. She was going to make herself get over him if it was the last thing she did. Now all she had to do was devise some sort of plan to get that prat out of her thoughts.

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Getting to the station was exactly as she had imagined it. Ron was about to piss himself he was so excited. He could barely contain himself as the pulled up to the station. He flung the car door open before they came to a complete stop, jumped out, and hit the ground running as his mother yelled after him to be careful. Ginny just sat in the back seat sulking as her dad tried to find a place to park. Bailey was getting restless being in her carrier and was beginning to complain rather loudly about it. Once she got on the train she knew she could at least let Bailey wander around her compartment.

The three Weasley's made their way to the platform, discreetly pushing their way through the hidden barrier. The noise was overwhelming for it being over an hour before they were to leave the station, but I guess everyone else had the same idea as Ron. Ginny looked around, searching for anyone she could sit and talk with until time to leave. Unfortunately she wasn't able to find anyone that was worth spending more then three minutes talking to. Sighing deeply, she picked up her things and Bailey's carrier and made her way toward the train.

Leaving her trunk by the loading dock, she towards the back of the train hoping to find an empty compartment far away from all the noise. She stopped to say goodbye to her parents, giving both of them a hug, and promising that she would owl as soon as they got to school.

Luckily the first compartment she came to sat completely empty and seemed to be far enough way that most of the noise didn't make it in. After arranging her bags and closing the door she let Bailey out of her carrier and sat down in the seat next to the window. Leaning her head against the window she drifted off to sleep. Even though she had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, she had worn herself out mentally fretting over Harry and her feelings about him. As she napped, her brain fell silent for the first time in months.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Startled by the sudden movement of the train, Ginny jerked awake and slid out of her seat. Glancing around, she noticed she was still alone in the compartment and thanked Merlin that no one had seen her flop onto the floor. Bailey had curled herself around Ginny's foot, and being woken up by Ginny kicking her in the head didn't seem to be sitting well with her. Bailey made her way over to one of the empty seats, curled herself up sulkily, and stared at Ginny.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick you Bailey," she said in a pleading voice. But to no avail, Bailey just re-situated herself facing away from Ginny. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. It's not like she could have actually carried on a conversation with the kitten anyways. But at least it was another living being that actually wanted to be around her. Since she had gotten the feisty kitten at the beginning of the summer she had become rather attached to it. She had found the small kitten stuck in a tree one day while taking a walk. It had just started to sprinkle and little bit, and Ginny had decided to take a short cut through the forest behind her house. As she jogged down the path she heard a very faint mewing noise coming from a tree off the side of the path. She couldn't help but look for the source of this pitiful sounding noise. Once she had gotten up close to the tree, the kitten had started mewing helplessly. Ginny couldn't help but rescue the kitten and bring it home with her. The kitten had instantly taken a liking to her and became her shadow. All summer long Bailey had followed her around, and Ginny had become accustomed to her meowing all the time, always needing to be the center of attention.

Ginny looked up as a shy looking dark-haired girl pulled back the compartment door. The girl looked at her with a small smile, looking afraid to even speak. She looked as if she couldn't be more then twelve years old. She had short hair that seemed to spike out in the back, as if she had a thousand cowlicks, and large blue eyes.

"Hello," Ginny said kindly, "Would you like to have a seat?" The girl looked completely shocked that someone was actually being this nice to her. Ginny waved her in as she stood to grab Bailey off of the seat she was occupying.

"Hi, I'm Druella," the girl said quietly as she took a seat opposite Ginny. She fidgeted around with her bags trying not to make eye contact with Ginny. Finally, she stopped fidgeting, sat back, and let out a low sigh.

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny said looking directly at the girl, and without pausing asked, "What year are you?"

"I'm actually sixth year. I know I look young, most people assume that I'm about twelve or thirteen, but I'm actually already sixteen. I've lived in the states up until this summer, when my stupid dad decided he wanted to move over here to England." She looked up quickly, smiling slightly. "No offense or anything, it's a nice country and all, but I kind of stick out a bit," she said in a quick breath trying to back track.

"None taken. I would probably feel the same way if I had to move to another country too. Well, I'm a sixth year as well. I'm in Gryffindor, but only because my entire family has been in Gryffindor for as far back as I know. I'm the youngest of seven kids, all boys except for me!" Ginny said with a laugh.

The two girls chatted for a while until the trolley came by with drinks. They both decided to get some pumpkin juice and few sweets to munch on until they got to school. Ginny told Druella all about Hogwarts, giving her warnings about the professors and Filch, as well as some students to be careful of. Druella asked a lot of questions, and finally got around to asking about Harry Potter. Ginny had known this would probably happen, seeing as how the entire wizarding community, including other countries, knew about the boy who had lived. Ginny told her about Harry, and that he was best friends with her older brother Ron and that he was in Gryffindor as well. Druella seemed satisfied with this information and changed the subject to the different houses.

The girls had been so enthralled in their conversation that neither had noticed that they were almost to school. As the train began to jerk to a halt, they began to move around the compartment getting their stuff together to get off the train. Bailey was not too pleased about having to go back into her carrier, and caused quite a scene with all her howling and screeching. Finally Ginny was able to pin her legs together and get her inside the carrier. Bailey was quite luck that Ginny hadn't put a binding hex on her to keep her still.

Ginny and Druella waited for the crowd to disperse, and made their way down the aisle to the exit. They stepped off the train and headed toward the carriages. Druella seemed to be in shock, and stood staring at the horseless carriages. Ginny just assumed that they didn't have thestrals in the states, grabbed her sleeve, and pulled her onto the nearest one. Once inside, Druella stuck her head out the window to stare at the front of the carriages causing Ginny to laugh and pull her back into her seat.

"They're thestrals. They are kind of like horses in a sense, but they have wings, and they are only visible to people who have seen someone die and was old enough to actually comprehend it," she stated matter-of-factly. Ginny had always gotten top marks in Care of Magical Creatures, and had instantly become Hagrids favorite student, not that it was difficult to get on Hagrid's good side. All you had to do was act interested in whatever new creature he brought to class and be willing to help Hagrid demonstrate. Ginny had learned this during second year once she had gotten over her fear of being burned, stung, bite, or spit on. In all reality, Madam Pomfrey could easily mend any injury that one of these creatures could inflict. Ginny had also become a regular in the hospital wing, and was on very good terms with Madam Pomfrey.

Druella relaxed a little and leaned back in her seat, occasionally glancing out the window to check out the scenery. There was still a little bit of light as the sun made it's final descent behind the mountains lining the grounds of Hogwarts.

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As the carriages came to a stop in front of the castle, the older students quickly made their way inside. As the first years floated across the lake, making good time. The welcome feast would be starting in a just a few minutes, and from the looks of it, the majority of the students acted as if they hadn't been feed since the left two months ago. Ginny giggled to herself as she saw Ron dragging Hermione up the stairs towards the Great Hall. He was not one to miss any meal, that's for sure. Ginny pointed her brother out to Druella, and mentioned that Harry was the dark-haired boy walking beside him. Druella nodded, and kept walking. Ginny let out the breath she had been holding in anticipation of Druella's reaction to seeing the famous Harry Potter. Most people at Hogwarts had gotten over the shock of who he was, and he was no longer a celebrity, but anyone new to Hogwarts instantly became a card-carrying member of the Harry Potter fan club until the novelty wore off. Thankfully Druella didn't seem to be all that impressed, and Ginny felt a wave of relief pass over her. She felt as if she might have finally found someone to be friends with and hoped that Druella was sorted in Gryffindor.

As the students piled into the Great Hall rushing to their respective tables, Professor McGonagall pulled Druella aside.

"Druella, I am Professor McGonagall. I am the deputy headmistress, and head of the Gryffindor house. You will be sorted after the first-years are sorted. You may sit where you like until that time, but when I call your name, please come to the front of the hall," she said kindly to Druella.

Druella followed Ginny to the Gryffindor table, and sat quietly down beside her. She looked around, observing her surroundings and trying to get used to the grandeur of this new place. The school she had attended previously was nothing compared to this. There were not a lot of choices for schools of this type in the states, but she had gone to the best that was available. But still, on looks alone, Hogwarts was heads above her school. She figured she would get used to being in such a big place after she found her way around. She kept her finger crossed through out the sorting of the first-years and when her name was called, she made her way to the front of the hall silently repeating 'Gryffindor' under her breath.

"Students, I would like you all to welcome Druella Brooks. She has moved here from the states, and will be joining us as a sixth-year. Please make her feel welcome in whatever house she is sorted in to," Professor McGonagall said firmly. With that, she motioned for Druella to take a seat on the small stool.

Druella kept repeating her mantra of 'Gryffindor' with her fingers crossed inside her sleeves. The sorting hat began to speak to her in low tones. 'Hmmmm, well it seems that you are awfully set on being in Gryffindor. Is there a particular reason for this? Because I see that there are many qualities about you that would make you a good match for any of our houses. I will let this be your choice, but you will not be able to change your mind later on. As you wish,' the hat said to her, and without hesitation, yelled out, "Gryffindor," to the waiting students. Druella hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath the entire time, and felt a little light headed as she made her way back to her seat by beaming Ginny through the applause of the entire Gryffindor table.

Later that night, after the girls had gotten settled in their dorms, they sat in the common room celebrating the start of a new school year with the rest of the Gryffindor house. Ginny introduced Druella around to all of the students, and finally sat down in a chair off to the side. After Druella sat down, Ginny started talking quietly to her and filling her in on all of the gossip about each person.

"Well, Parvati has a twin in Ravenclaw, her name is Padma, and they both had a huge crush on my brother Ron last year," Ginny said quietly as she pointed Parvati out. "And Seamus, well, he is a bit of playboy. He's slept with nearly every girl in Hufflepuff, but all of the girls in Gryffindor know better then to mess with him, well that is, after he totally humiliated that mousy fifth-year over there. And Dean is a very nice guy, but he's not really dated much, so most people think that he might be into guys, not that there is anything wrong with that," she said quickly. "And over there, that's Hermione, she's a huge know-it-all and she's also my brother Ron's girlfriend. Her, Harry, and Ron have been friends since first-year and are basically inseparable. Everyone thought that she was in love with Harry, but as it turned out, she had a thing for redheads," she giggled. "And that," she pointed at Harry," is Harry Potter the boy who lived. He's quite a heartthrob around here and I admit that I had a crush on him before, but I'm through with that now. He's more like a brother to me then anything." Ginny said this, while not betraying her true feelings, that her heart felt like it was ripping in two. She knew that she couldn't get over him, and heal her wounds until she had let her heart break. Finally admitting, out loud to someone else that she was over him was the final straw that had been keeping her hope alive. It was good to let it go, it hurt, but she knew it was for the best.

After talking for two more hours, and giving Druella all the information she could think of about each student that was hanging out in the common room and some that weren't, they decided to head up to their room. Climbing into bed and settling down and they both fell asleep quickly.

Ginny was not so lucky as to have another dreamless sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, her subconscious torturing her with images of the man she knew she couldn't love any longer. In her dreams, Harry loved her, he reciprocated her feelings, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Her dreams were pleasant on the outside, but her mind was in turmoil as it fought against her subconscious wishes.

After spending the entire night in fitful sleep, she woke to the sun shining through the window onto her bed. She sleepily rubbed her eyes, stretched and kicked her comforter to the end of the bed. Unfortunately, Bailey had burrowed herself down into the feather comforter and ended up rolling off the end of the bed with the comforter still wrapped around her. As the kitten tried to find her way out of the tangles of sheets, the girls started giggling. It was a good way to start the first day of classes, with a good laugh. As Ginny laughed at the kitten, bits and pieces of her dreams from the night before popped into her head causing her to wince at the painful feelings that surfaced. She knew she would just have to push past those feelings; besides, it was just a dream, right? She knew it was just wishful thinking. Anyways, it was a whole new year, and with a new friend, she knew it was going to be a good one.