A/n: Hello all… well… one now… . Thank you for reading, and here, with only a one day delay, is chapter two! I hope that you like it, and that more people will come and R&R!

Learning to Fall

Chapter two

Can't have what won't have you

Ginny felt the barren wind tearing at her long flowing white dress. The twilight played tricks on her eyes, and she thought she saw him, he was standing at the foot of the hill atop which she stood. She tried to call out to him, but her words were lost in the wind. Oh, how she loved him, and yet she couldn't reach him, or warn him. Tears stung her eyes as she yelled, trying to warn of the pending doom that was looming nearer…

"Harry!" Ginny sat up in her bed, drenched in sweat and shaking. After a few moments, she finally realized where she was, and that it wasn't atop a hill, but at home in the burrow.

A groggy voice came from the adjacent bed, "Ginny?" It was Hermione. "Are you alright?"

"Shit," Ginny mumbled, then louder, "yes Hermione, it was just a dream. I'm fine" She held her breath, hoping Hermione had only heard shouting.

"MMM… Yes, but I thought you said something about Harry, you were tossing and turning before I went to sleep. Did you dream about Harry?" Hermione was sitting up now, and she had a sly grin on her face.

Ginny was caught.

"Err, no, I… Hermione, it was just a dream. Shouldn't you be sleeping? We have to wake up in…" Ginny glanced at her wall clock, " four hours, so we can get ready for the trip back to Hogwarts…"

It was no use. Hermione was on a role. "Ginny, it's ok to dream about Harry. He was the object of your affection for years." Hermione's eyes twinkled.

Ginny threw a pillow at her. "Oh, stuff it 'Mione. I wasn't having a romantic dream. I dreamed that a Hungarian Horntail Dragon was eating him, and I couldn't shout to warn him, because the wind was so strong. That's it! Honest! Stop looking at me like that!"

Hermione grinned. "Like what? I'm afraid I haven't a clue what you're talking about! But you know, I think that maybe, just maybe, old crushes… die hard!" Hermione laughed and dodged a pillow thrown at her head. "A bit touchy aren't you? Ha ha, ok, enough of that. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you; what's in that box over there? You know, the one that keeps shaking, and hissing. You've been awfully secretive about it."

Eager to change the subject from Harry, Ginny decided to spill. "It's a kneazle kitten. I've written to Dumbledore, and he gave me the 'O.K.' to get it. So, I just told mum I wanted money for being made prefect, so she wouldn't even know what I got. I didn't want to tell her, because, she swore she'd never let us bring another pet into the house, not after scabbers, and she is still suspicious about pigwidgean too." Ginny looked over at the small box, smiling slightly. "Do you want to see her? I've named her Bolt, because, well, look for yourself."

Ginny crossed the small room to the window where she opened the box, and pulled out an extremely tiny kitten out. She could have passed for a regular cat, except for her shocking amethyst eyes, and coloring. She was solid black, with a yellow stripe running from her nose to the tip of her overly bushy tail.

"Oh, isn't she darling… Crookshanks! NO!" Hermione leapt from her bed to grab at her own bandy legged cat. Once Crookshanks was securely out of the room, Hermione turned back to Ginny. "Sorry about that, I don't know what got into him.. Well, unless…" She trailed off looking at the small kitten almost fearfully.

"What?" Ginny demanded. "Unless what?"

"Well, Ginny, think about it. I mean, the only other animal Crookshanks has had a problem with was, well, scabbers, and look how that turned out. I mean, maybe—"

Ginny gaped at her. "Absolutely NOT! I checked it out. This kitten was born in the pet store in Diagon Alley. I anticipated this though, I purchased a book on Kneazles, and they drive real cats completely mad. I know, also that Crookshanks isn't a full cat either, he's got Kneazle in him. His tail shows it. But it's the cat blood in his veins that made him react like that. Not because my Kneazle is an Animagus!" Ginny nuzzled the small bundle of fur up to her neck, where it took a few swipes at her red hair.

Hermione laughed, then yawned broadly, stretching out on her bed. "Well, I think I might need that extra four hours of sleep after all. So, I'm back off to sleep. Have sweet dreams, don't worry, I won't tell Harry!" Hermione laughed, emphasizing Harry's name.

Ginny rolled her eyes, and put bolt back in her box. "Sleep tight, tomorrow is gonna be a long day." She put the lid on the box, and went back to bed, extinguishing her lights as she went.

Kings Cross Station……

"Ginny! Ron, Harry! Hermione! Come on, we mustn't be late! Hurry along! Ronald! Stop that!" Mrs.Weasley was in a right state trying to insure every one get to the train on time.

Every thing had been planned for weeks, but then that morning, plans had fallen through. The car that was issued to them by the Ministry, had quit working before they even got out of the drive. So, left with no other choice, the Weasleys (plus Hermione and Harry) had lugged their heavy school trunks all the way into a near by muggle town to catch the underground to King's Cross Station.

Now they were there, and it was nearly ten thirty, so Mrs. Weasley was a bit panicked.

They rushed past platforms 1-9 like a blur, at one point Ginny had ran into a muggle lady, causing her spill the large soda she was carrying, Ginny couldn't stop to help her, so she mumbled a quick 'sorry' and kept up with the rest.

"Ah, here we are. Go on, Ginny and Hermione first, that's right, now Ron, you and Harry, ok… well, I guess that leaves me," Mrs. Weasley casually strolled through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

On platform nine and three quarters, Ginny was shoving her trunk onto the train, to go look for a compartment for the four of them. After finding one, she stowed her trunk, and went back out to say her final farewell to her mother.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and hugged them all several times, warning them to be extremely careful in the coming year, as nothing was certain, then she looked sternly at Harry. "And, you! You had better practice your occlumency with Severus! If you know what's good for you! I don't want to hear otherwise, or you shall have to bear my wrath over Christmas!"

Instead of looking gloomy, as Mrs. Weasley had expected, Harry, on the contrary, looked gleeful.

"So does this mean that I have been invited to stay at the burrow for the holidays?" he wanted to know.

"What? Oh, of course Harry dear, your always welcome at the burrow! Don't be silly now!" The whistle on the train sounded, warning that it was about to depart. "Well, off you all go! Behave! And I'll see you all over Christmas!" She hugged them all once more, and shooed them onto the train, which had just started to move.

The countryside that the train passed was all wet and gray, storm clouds looming in the sky above. Harry had a million things flying through his mind. What would Voldemort try this year? Who would have to die? What would become of the D.A.? Who would be the next Defense teacher? What was Ginny thinking?

Harry looked across the compartment at Ginny. She was laughing at Ron, who'd just been covered with stinking liquid from their game of exploding snap. He allowed himself to stare at her for only a moment, before looking away. But in that moment, he felt on top of the world. He admired the way the overhead light played in her flaming hair, and the depth of her dark, brown eyes. But now he was looking at the country side again.

He couldn't stand himself when it came to her. She'd liked him for years, and he'd never given her the time, but now… now what? He spent hours longing to touch her silky hair, to hug her tight. What had changed? She changed, some how she wasn't just Ron's little sister any more. She'd… matured, and she acted different, too. When she'd liked him, she would run away, and act weird; but last year, things were different. She actually talked to him, and acted normal. He found himself enjoying her presence, and now that he wasn't so hung up on Cho Chang, he realized that he did feel rather strongly for Ginny.

But he stood no where in her heart, and that day that he'd fallen in her lap, he'd seen that. He'd held on to the hope all summer that maybe she still did like him, but she didn't. She probably hated him. And she had every right to. He'd probably hate himself too if he was her.

"Harry?"

He jumped. It was Ginny. "Huh? Oh, what?"

"Um, we asked if you wanted to play a game of exploding snap. Are you alright? You seem kind of… I don't know, 'out of it'" She was twirling a strand of hair on her index finger.

Harry watched her twirl that lock ofhair, then he blinked and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine Ginny. Ah, sure, I'll play."

Hermione smiled and cut in, "Great, you and Ron, against Ginny and I."

The four of them played exploding snap until the trolley arrived, then they stopped to eat lunch.

"So, Harry, how does it feel to lose to a couple of girls?" Hermione asked between bites of cauldron cake.

Harry shrugged and looked at Ron. "I feel fine, how 'bout you?"

"Mff? Ifmff firne foo!" Ron said thickly, as he shoved a meat pie into his large gaping mouth.

"Ron, that's disgusting!" Ginny groaned, biting into her own treat. "We can't even understand you!"

After a great gulp, Ron repeated: "I said: Me? I'm fine too."

When Ginny was finally stepping off the train in the Hogsmeade station, she smiled as she heard the familiar sound of Hagrid, the Hogwarts Game keeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, shouting, "Firs' years. This way please!" The familiarity of it was great. She needed the stability that Hogwarts offered her.

"Hello Ginny," a dreamy voice from behind her said, almost in a whisper. Ginny turned to see her fellow fourth year, Luna Lovegood, smiling at her, looking as she always did: ridiculous.

Ginny did, however, notice a change in Luna's clothing. Instead of her Hogwarts robes, she was wearing pin-striped trousers, and a lime green bowler hat.

"Oh, hello Luna, how was your summer? Er, and might I ask, what is with the new wardrobe?" Ginny smiled at her far-out friend warily.

"I'm trying to show compassion," Luna said, as dreamily as ever, "for Cornelius Fudge, who was obviously not just our Minister of magic, but he was the leader of the centaurs, and the sole inheritor of the earth. It is outrageous the way they kicked him out of office. I have the whole article about it in my trunk, if you'd like to read it."

"Er, no thanks Luna, I'm in a bit of a hurry. But maybe sometime I will. I have to go, I'll see you in the Great Hall!" Ginny smiled and rushed off, secretly rolling her eyes at how gullible Luna really was.

A/n: well, there you have it folks. Chapter two. While it wasn't as long as I'd initially hoped, it is still complete… sort of. I mean, every thing that I had planned to happen in this chapter has happened, but I am currently suffering from some ailment of the throat, so I just want to sleep. I kind of neglected the 'filler' stuff, so it is pretty to the point. I intend to post this Wednesday and may well have chapter three out by the end of this week. I really hope you all are enjoying my story. Ok. But thank you to every one who reviewed, and please continue to do so. Reviews rock my world. Here are my reactions to the reviews (I like to write back to the reviewers, so that you know I got the review, and that I care!)

To Evil Pillow: Thanks! Glad you liked it and here you go with another chapter!

Thanks again, Ciao!