In case it might be confusing to some of you, this following chapter is written from Ginny's point of view. Enjoy!
Ginny couldn't sleep. She'd been up half the night worrying herself into madness, until she finally managed to get two, maybe three hours of rest. Now she was awake again and there was no way she could go back to sleep this time.
A million thoughts were running through her head as she made to slowly get up. Today, she would have to face the schoolmates who had so shamelessly given her up. So much about Gryffindor loyalty, eh? When good ol' McGonagall wanted them to point a finger, they willingly did so. Their own pretty asses came first, naturally.
Thoughts like this one and many more had plagued the redhead's mind through the whole summer. She had grown to be more bitter and cynical than any girl her age should be, which showed greatly in her attitude. Ginny simply couldn't bring herself to trust anyone anymore and developed a mechanism to keep people at arm's length. She just didn't care if they hated her for it.
Instead, her main focus through the summer had become Quidditch. She wasn't a bad student and she really excelled in some classes, but mostly, she was average. What she wasn't average at, though, was flying, and she made sure this summer that she crossed the line from good to amazing. The career of a professional Quidditch player appealed very much to her.
As the girl descended the stairs to get some breakfast, she could feel the dread in her guts. She hadn't even realised up till now how afraid she was of going back to school and facing her used-to-be friends. There was no helping it though, since she had to at least finish the sixth year before she could decide to quit Hogwarts. Resigned to her fate, she quickly ate a small breakfast as to not run into any other early risers before holing up in her room until it was time to go.
As usual, she and her mother had to use muggle means of transportation to get to King's Cross, just as well as they arrived on platform 9 3/4 only five minutes before eleven. Typical.
Molly suddenly burst into tears and hugged her daughter close to her breast, telling her to take care and that they all love her, no matter how mean she had been to them over the holidays. At that, Ginny felt a pang of regret. "I promise I'll take care, mom. Don't you worry," she awkwardly tried to console the weeping woman and then squeezed out of her embrace. "I really have to go now, though. Bye." With those words, she rushed to get on the train as the last calls for boarding resonated on the platform.
A sole minute later, they began to move. King's Cross disappeared from sight and was soon replaced by grassy fields, while Ginny was slowly moving down the hall, trying to find an empty compartment. The sinking feeling in her guts was now stronger than ever, intensifying with every familiar face she spotted on the crowded train. Those who recognised her as well mostly adopted shocked expressions upon seeing her.
She finally realised that there was no way she'd be able to find an empty compartment, so she opted for one that was occupied by two kids that looked like they were first years. If nothing else, she'd at least be able to intimidate them into leaving her alone. She couldn't exactly do that with older students, after all.
Getting out the headphones she kept in her pocket, she plugged them into her iPod and leaned her head on the window, completely ignoring the fearful looking pair that shared her compartment. If she even spared them a glance, she would have probably dissolved into laughter. The boy and girl were literally frozen in their spots.
The two first years forgot about her presence after a while and resumed their chat, although she couldn't hear it over the music in her ears. About two hours later, the trolley lady came knocking on their door. She pressed stop on her iPod and got up to buy a few sweets to sustain her on the journey. The old woman soon moved on and Ginny returned to her seat but decided against going back to music. Instead, she got a book from her trunk and made herself comfortable.
Reading about potions, hours simply flew by for the redhead. Besides Quidditch, it was what she was by far best at and the fact that Snape was a compete jerk just made it more challenging for her. Before she knew it, the train started slowing down and with growing dread the girl got up and exited the compartment. The corridors were full of students chatting excitedly while moving towards the exit and the redhead let her hair cover her face, trying to blend with the crowd. She had gotten used to solitude and the sight of so many people - especially people who she knew would judge her – unnerved her greatly.
The thick crowd moved with the speed of a snail, but she somehow managed to get off the train and onto the carriages without any incidents. The ride up to the castle, in comparison to the train journey, seemed to last forever in Ginny's perspective. The carriage she was in was shared with her by a small group of girls who looked to be a year or two younger than her and kept whispering and sending glances in her direction. Growing less anxious and more annoyed by the second, she at first scowled at them, but when it didn't work had to actually speak up. "Either you say whatever you're whispering about to my face or shut the hell up," she hissed at the one who looked like the leader of their little group. Startled, the blonde jumped a little, but quickly returned her a defiant stare. "You're Ginny Weasley. Your expulsion was all over the school last year. How did you manage to get back in?"
With a disgusted glance at the girl's robes, the redhead noticed the red and gold tie of Gryffindor. "None of your fucking business, goldilocks," she spat back at her and crossed her arms over her chest. After seeing the blonde's colours, she really didn't want her to have some more gossip material if she noticed that her tie was black. Apparently, she didn't belong to any House anymore. She hadn't thought about it before, but now the seed was planted.
When first years came to Hogwarts, their uniforms all looked the same, but when they were sorted, the clothes magically adopted the corresponding House's colours. When she put the robes on on the train, she didn't pay much attention to it, but now she was really curious. The redhead had, after all, been of the opinion the Headmaster would simply put her back in her vacated spot. The more she thought about it though, the more it seemed that would not be the case.
The foursome of meddling girls left her alone after that, although they of course didn't stop talking about her in hushed voices. She was just stepping through the majestic front doors of Hogwarts when a bony hand firmly grasped her shoulder. It was none other than professor McGonagall. "If you'd be so kind as to come with me, Miss Weasley." Without waiting for a reply, the dignified woman turned on her heels and walked off in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. After a few minutes of silence, they reached her office. "After you."
Ginny stepped into the room that looked exactly the same as she remembered it and patiently waited for McGonagall to tell her what was going on. Instead, her ex head of house motioned towards the desk where lay none other than the Sorting Hat. "Excuse me?" she politely enquired, but the older woman sighed in a manner that clearly depicted her annoyance. "You know how the process goes, Miss Weasley. Put the hat on and it will decide which House you belong to. You can be thankful that the Headmaster has given you the option to do this in private. I imagine you being sorted in front of the whole school would have been quite the scandal." The redhead shook herself out of the shock induced stupor and cautiously approached the hat. Here goes nothing... Gently gripping the fabric, she lifted the battered piece of cloth to her head and let go.
Well, well, isn't this a surprise. I thought I was done with you Weasleys for good, but I guess I was wrong. And not just another Weasley but one I had already sorted? My, my... Well, it's a relief to get to look inside the head of a witch with an actual intellect... Sorting first years can get quite tiring, you know? And I have a whole new batch to go over in a half an hour... Oh, excuse me Miss, I got slightly carried away. Let's see here, shall we? After that, a silence followed and Ginny was getting more anxious by the minute. What the hell was taking so long? Didn't it just have to shout Gryffindor and be done with it? Just as she was about to tell it to hurry up, the hat spoke again and her words died in her throat. I can't believe this, but it must be... "SLYTHERIN!"