Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and I own no other reference to anything else.

Author's Note: My thanks to voxenking for reviewing.


The Row

The sun flittered through the open window and reflected off small particles of dust floating in the air. The room was darker than usual in the early morning light and the small redhead that lay in bed was gazing up at the cracked ceiling. The clock on her bedside table read, "Time for breakfast," but she was in no hurry to get up. Ever since her first year, she hated waking up in the mornings.

Yes, when she was little she always looked forward to waking up, going outside to play, and then counting off one more day until she got to go to Hogwarts just like her big brothers. But now that she got there, she detested it.

She was the youngest Weasley, the baby, the small, fragile child that would break if you reached out and touched it. Oh, how she loathed the feeling of being breakable. Because she wasn't, she wouldn't mind talking about what happened in her first year. It was just that; in her first year.

Ginny reflected on the day before with a hazy look on her face. Her mother had come up the stairs and demanded that she come down and welcome Harry, but Ginny refused. Molly Weasley hadn't been at all pleased with her daughter's refusal and started shouting at her to be more polite. Ginny had merely blocked her out and finished up the last of her summer homework.

Now she had nothing to do and a boy she hated living in the same house as her. Her predicament was just peachy. She felt anger bubble up inside her as she thought of Harry. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, how could she ever have had a crush on him? How could she ever even have liked him? She didn't want to think about it so she dragged herself out of bed and over to her wardrobe.

The wardrobe was small and battered. It had been a hand-me-down from one of her brothers (though she wasn't sure which) and had a mirror connected to it. Ginny pulled out an overly large shirt and pair of jean Capri's. She quickly undressed and redressed into the clothes she had just got out. Sighing to herself and loosing the battle to hunger, she headed out of the sanctuary of her room and down to breakfast.

When she entered only Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still eating breakfast. Hermione and Ron seemed to be having another row and were glaring at each other fiercely. Ginny sat down quietly and took a clean plate from the stack on the counter. She piled pancakes onto her plate and drizzled some homemade syrup on top of them. She stuck her fork into her still steaming breakfast and started to eat.

She felt eyes on her the whole time she ate. She inwardly groaned as the irritation came forth once more. Did he have to stare at her like that? Ginny knew it was neither Ron, nor Hermione; they were too busy glowering at each other. Raising her eyes slowly, they locked on an intense green.

"Is there something you wanted, Harry?" Ginny asked keeping her voice monotone. He shook his head sluggishly and turned back to his own breakfast a bit reluctantly. She sighed wearily and began to eat her breakfast again.

Ginny heard a huffy sound come from next to her and noticed Hermione looking down intently at her plate. She looked closer and noticed that Hermione was indeed trying to hold back tears. Ginny glanced across the table at her brother and glared at him menacingly.

"What in heaven's name has Ron done this time?" Ginny muttered so low that she was sure nobody heard her, but Harry looked up at her yet again. She shook this off and grabbed onto Hermione's forearm, announcing that she and Hermione were going for a walk.

When the two of them were at a safe distance away from the magically held up home that no one would overhear them, Ginny sat down. Hermione began to sniffle and was attempting desperately to hide it. Finally, she just let it out and sat next to Ginny letting her tears fall.

"What has my stupid prat of a brother done this time, Hermione?" the younger girl asked as gently as she could. Hermione had been one of the few people to seek out Ginny as a friend and she was very grateful for the friends. Ginny was so thankful to the few people that she would do just about anything for them. So here she was, comforting her best friend because of something her thick brother did.

"Come on Hermione; don't cry because of that git," Ginny whispered. Hermione wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and looked up at Ginny at last.

"He-he said that I'm a stuck-up, know-it-all, snob and that I-I should date Malfoy because we're a match made in heaven. Oh Ginny, how could he?" Ginny looked at her friend. How could Ron say that? Okay, she knew Ron wasn't the brightest of sorts, but Malfoy dating any thing less than a pure-blood? And where did he get off saying that to Hermione? He knew that Malfoy had always made it a point to pick on Hermione about her background. So what was he thinking?

Hermione had told Ginny a while back that it really hurt to hear those things, even from Draco. It must really hurt to hear it from a best friend. Her sniffling, older friend was looking out over the large pond that all the Weasley children loved to swim in. Ginny thought about it a while and decided she was definitely going to get revenge for Hermione.

"Don't even think about it, Hermione. Let's go swimming and forget the idiotic boys." Hermione looked like she was considering this for a moment, and then gave a watery smile.

"Sure, but what are we going to do about our swimming suits? They're inside and I don't want to go anywhere near him." Ginny smiled mischievously and got to her feet quickly.

"Ginny, what are y-" Hermione never got to finish her question because she was pushed into the cool pond water. She came up sputtering and looked at Ginny who was about to jump in herself.

Laughing, they both splashed water at each other. When they were both thoroughly soaked, they dragged themselves back onto the bank. The two of them started shivering from the chilly air, but were in no hurry to go back inside.

"So, Ginny, I saw Harry staring at you all through breakfast." Ginny stopped laughing at once and looked with hatred at the ground. "Oh, come on Ginny. You can't hate him forever, can you?

Ginny didn't answer, but asked her own question, "What about you and Ron? I know you like him more than as a friend." She raised her eyes to stare at Hermione. The girl's face had turned a nice rosy color and she was wringing her hands.

"Don't change the subject," Hermione hissed at the petite redhead. Ginny's eyes flickered for an instant before she forced herself to calm down. Hermione was her friend and she was only looking out for her well being. "Why do you hate Harry so much, Ginny?" Hermione asked tiredly.

"I-" Ginny started, but a loud crack of thunder rumbled the ground beneath them. They both jumped up startled. "We need to head inside!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes wide as lightning flashed jaggedly through the air making everything light up. The sky let out buckets of water fall as the two ran as fast as they could back to the Burrow.

When they both got there and had slammed the door behind them, they were laughing with relief. The storm had come on fast and was only getting stronger. Ron and Harry were both in the kitchen and looked as if they had been in the middle of an important conversation when the girls had suddenly burst inside.

"Where have you two been?" Ron asked them as they began to stride out of the room. Hermione simply ignored him and continued walking, making sure to stomp up the stairs.

"No where, Ron. Not that you would care about us anyway," Ginny said stiffly as she too left to head up the stairs.

When they reached Ginny's room, Ginny walked over to sit on the window seat and Hermione flapped down onto the floor. Ginny stared quietly outside at the downpour; the lightning would slash across the sky every once in a while lighting up the woods. She and Hermione sat in a comfortable silence for a while until Hermione asked what was on her mind.

"Why does it seem at times, your room is colder than the rest of the Burrow?" Ginny's brow furrowed in concentration, trying to come up with a good explanation.

Not really knowing how to answer, she said, "I like it when it's cold." Hermione blinked, holding her tongue as a few minutes passed.

"What's so interesting outside?" Ginny looked back over her shoulder to gaze at her questioner.

"I love it when it rains." The other girl raised an eyebrow. "I mean, when it rains, it's like tears falling down from the heavens and cleansing the Earth from the havoc we, humans, reek. It's like the angels are crying for us and mourn for the bad things that happen." Hermione got up and sat down beside the younger girl.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I never really thought about that before. That's very deep of you, Ginny." Ginny nodded her head and then turned back to the falling raindrops.

"Say Hermione? What do you say we go and take revenge on the two prats downstairs?" The bookworm looked over at her friend and smiled.

"Okay," she replied, grinning rather roguishly.
Please review!