A/N: Hey yall. Welcome back to my story. Yes, I know that this chapter isn't up quite as quickly as I would have hoped, but its not even a week late. So I hope you can forgive me. Well, we closed on my new house yesterday, so now we're moving, but I should have the next chapter up before I move. Well, keep reviewing. I hope you all like this chapter.

Learning to fly

Chapter Three

Disgusting pigs of conformity

The Great Hall was alarmingly vacant when Ginny walked in. Instead of the loud, unbearable chatter of the summer events, there was merely a dull roar of sound, as nearly half of the students had neglected to return from the summer vacation. She had expected a few to be gone forever, and of course, some were victims of the greater cause, but she thought surely only about twenty or so wouldn't be there. Her mother seemed relieved to send it back, and what she'd seen of her father this summer (the ministry employees were gone nearly all summer, swamped with work), he seemed anxious of them being home alone with merely Molly there with them. Hogwarts was the safest place for them all, why couldn't every one else see that?

Looking around, she noted that most of the Gryffindors were there, and, of course, all of the Slytherins were, but the other two housed were greatly divided. Ginny sighed and sat between Parvati and Hermione. All that she could think about was how sad it all was. The ones, who hadn't died, were greatly increasing their chances on being a statistic.

"Hello Ginny."

She started at her name. Looking around, she identified the speaker.

"Oh, hello Dean. How are you?"

"Er, I'm fine thanks, but what I wanted to know is how are you? I mean, after... well you know…" He trailed off and looked skyward at the rumbling cloud strewn sky.

Ginny suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at his ignorance and smiled. "Oh, you mean, us breaking up? Oh yea, that was a week ago. I'm over it. Definitely. I thought about it, and now I see that you were right. You weren't nearly affectionate enough to satisfy me." She smiled sweetly.

"Oh. That's, did I say that? I hadn't meant to. What I meant was that... you, that we weren't close enough…" He sat down adjacently to her.

"Dean," Ginny shook her head in mock compunction. "Dean, Dean, Dean. Won't you ever learn? How could we be close, when you were so… so… ridiculous!" Ginny looked at him, enjoying every moment of her bitchiness. She watched him flounder, and it made her happy.

"Oh, I didn't realize. I didn't expect—"

"Expect what Dean? Let me guess. You expected me to be a mournful ninny over the loss of your," She looked him up and down mockingly, "greatness?" She snorted.

Dean stuttered. "I-. But, I—"

"Shhhh! Dumbledore is beginning his speech!" Ginny whispered, as the lights dimmed and Dumbledore stood.

It took her a moment to recognize the oddity of these actions. Where were the first years? Why was Dumbledore giving his start of term speech with out them? She listened.

"I know what you are all thinking." Dumbledore's voice covered them like a warm, familiar blanket. "Each of you are wondering why I am beginning my speech now. The fact is this; the majority of our first years are born of Muggle Heritage, and no nothing of Voldemorte, or his return." At the mention of Voldemorte's name, there was a sharp intake of breath around the hall. "We wish not to alarm them at their welcoming feast, so we shall not include them into our conversations of… Such things. At this time, I would like to commemorate a moment of silence for those we have lost to the ultimate war of good and evil. Abbot, Hannah." After saying her name, he paused for a moment of silence, as a picture of her smiling and laughing with her friends. There were shrieks of grief from the Hufflepuff table. "Johns, Rebecca (the same commemoration was shown to her as to Hannah), Chris and Cecile Regoil, and Professor Sibyl Trelawny." There were exchanged glances around the room, as the last picture floated, then faded away. "In our time of grief, we must always remember, that we will always lose some great individuals, but that is a sacrifice that we must be willing to make-" He continued, but Ginny wasn't listening.

Instead of feeling great anguish, she was feeling an immense pang of guilt, as a muggle song entitled 'Another one bites the dust', played relentlessly through her mind. And for the way she'd always treated poor Hannah. Ever since their first year, when she had outright proclaimed her disbelief in Harry's innocence, Ginny had basically hated her, probably because at that time, all she could see around Harry were stars and hearts.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the lights shining again at their ordinary splendor, as Professor McGonnagal, looking rather more tired than ever, led the first years down the middle of the Great hall, carrying the badgered old sorting hat in her arms. There were only about twelve or so of them all together, and they all looked terrified. Well, all but one girl who stood out above the rest.

The girl was tall and lanky, but she had the most courageous set to her jaw, that Ginny had ever seen. There was a familiar heir about her, too, but it couldn't be exactly placed. Ginny was so intent on the girl, that she barely even noticed that the sorting hat was singing, and she only just did catch the end of what it was singing.

So thee I warn with heavy heart

As our world falls apart

That thy be true to thine own self

To accomplish prosperity and health.

Divided as our school doth lay

Friendship must prevail and stay

So whip me on, with out ado

And I'll decide your house for you.

There was a deflated sort of applause following the last chord of the song, as every one stared at the hat. This was the second time it had issued a warning, but this time, it seemed much more important, now that everyone knew of the evil happenings in the world.

More terrified than ever at the hats warning, the first years were trembling in front of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall pulled out a small roll of parchment and began to call names.

"Creevey, Emily"

The confident girl walked forward, like it was nothing and whisked on the hat on like it was nothing. So that was the familiar bit about her. Looking now, Ginny noticed the sandy color of her hair, and her somewhat prominent ears, and noticed how much like her brothers she did look. What was weird though, was her confidence, her brothers were both whiny and wimpy. It was an odd sort of poetic justice dolled to their family.

After about five minutes, a long tear at the brim of the hat opened, and it shouted. "Slytherin!" There was a stone cold silence, in which the girl sauntered over to the table and sat right between Pansy and Draco, looking as smug as ever. Then the buzz of chatter started. How had a Creevey wound up in Slytherin?

Professor McGonagall's scathing look swept the hall, silencing everyone immediately. She cleared her throat and proceeded to call the names of the trembling eleven-year-olds.

Once the sorting had finished, Gryffindor had gotten six new students; McGonagall picked up the sorting hat and quickly left the hall, not looking back.

When the feast was finally over and all the students were stuffed with roasts and treacle tart, the Gryffindors proceeded up the grand staircase to level seven to the common room. When they got there, Harry yawned and said the password ("Othello"), and led everyone into the room.

"Alright, First years, gather around here. Now, come one, we haven't got all night! There. I am Harry Potter, and this is Hermione Granger," he indicated his bushy haired friend. "We are the sixth year prefects. Over there is Ginny Weasley, and Colin Creevey, the fifth year prefects; they will be the people who are primarily working with you, so if you have a question, ask them. Er, I guess that's it—" He pulled a piece of paper from his robes, and glanced over it.

"Hello you guys, as Harry has so eloquently put it, I am Ginny. I'm a fifth year prefect, and I am really excited about this coming year. It's going to be great. Um, now I need to know about all of you. So lets start with just your names tonight, and we'll take the year to figure it all out from there." Ginny smiled warmly at them all.

A small girl with curly blonde hair and a sallow look about her spoke up first. "I'm Eloise Crump."

"Hello Eloise. Welcome to Gryffindor." Ginny smiled.

One by one the first years stated their names. It was all going pretty well, until a little brown haired girl with perturbing eyes, and large ears, stepped forward and started saying a little chant.

When she finished chanting she smiled. "Hello. I'm Viola Lovegood. You may know my sister, Luna?"

Ginny smiled, and instantly understood. "Yes, I know Luna. What was that little, er, chant you did?"

"Oh, that? That was just a thing for luck, and so that the evil fairies don't steal my name. You know the old superstition. They're real you know, superstitions I mean. Some people reckon that they are just myth's, like my mother, that's what she thought, then one day, she saw a muggle ambulance, and didn't chant 'Grab your collar, don't you swaller, never catch the fever, hold your breath till you see a dog'. And the next day, she came down with some undetected parasite and died." Viola was staring wide-eyed at Ginny.

"Oh, I see. Well to each his own I suppose. Well, it's time for you all to retire to your beds. Jeremy, Cecil, the boy's dormitory is up there," she pointed at the door to the boys' dormitories. "Girls, yours' are up there, the first door on the right. Good night all of you." Ginny shooed all the first years away then sank into a couch.

"Wow, Gin, that was great. You really took charge." Hermione sat next to her, leafing through her new copy of Transfiguration for the Newts.

"Erm, thanks. I just figured some one had to be nice to them, not so formal" She glanced over at Harry with intent.

"What? I'm tired. And I get grumpy when I'm tired. Stop looking at me like that!" Harry sulked and sat in a chair. "Besides, what was up with Luna's sister? She is, can you believe it, more unusual than Luna!"

Ron made an indistinct noise in his throat as he clunked down next to Ginny. "Yea, she was." He stared into the fireplace, a weird expression on his face.

Ginny observed him for a moment, then, deciding that he probably didn't

Want to talk just now, and turned to Harry.

"She's not weird, she just, has different views than you. See, that's what's wrong with the wizarding world today. Every one thinks that you are a freak if you don't have exactly the same views as them. It's disgusting, and so immature! So what if Viola likes superstition? And, Harry, you should know better! You've spent your whole life trying to prove to your relatives that you're not just some freak—"

"Ginny! Calm down! I was just making a comment. Sheesh, sorry, I'll be more tactful next time." Harry smiled at her. She was so cute when she was mad… "Besides," He yawned loudly. " I'm off to bed now! Ron, you coming up?" Harry stood and headed towards the staircase.

"Huh?" Ron looked around. "Oh, yea, sure, sure, I'm coming. Night Ginny, 'Mione."

"Good night Ronald," Hermione said, not looking up at them from her book.

"Good night Ron, Good night Harry." Ginny bid them off, but still couldn't resist watching Harry's bum as he made his way up the stairs, until he was to high to see.

"Ginny, you've got drool on your sweater. Besides, if you keep staring like that, your eyes may fall out!" Hermione was looking at Ginny scandalously.

Ginny jumped and blinked. "Oh, Hermione, shut it. I wasn't staring. I was, I was, oh, I'm going to bed!" And with that, she practically ran out of the Common room from embarrassment.

A/n: well there it is. Hope you liked it. Please review. I don't have any time, cuz I just got involuntarily signed up to play a solo on my clarinet in a recital… TONIGHT grr. Go figure. But w/e. Thanks for reading. Hope to update soon.

Withered Quill: Yes, it does seem that people don't review like they used to! I will most definitely drop by your stories, and I should have you some reviews out by Saturday! I hope that you continue to read this story and enjoy it!

Evil-Pillow: Well, I'm sorry that you miss your braces, but it will be ok! I promise! I'm glad you like this story, please continue to read and review!

Krissygurl: Thanks, keep reading!

An lds dazed and confused: Thanks!

Nixtear: Thanks! I'm glad that you like it!

Well there you have it folks, I'm going to update again this Saturday! Please be on to enjoy it! Woot!

Luv yall!

Aimee