Clare

Ginny"s Diary

Chapter 7

Harry could hear a weird buzzing noise near his ears; rolling over, he realised it was his alarm clock. He had placed it under his pillows so that no one else could hear it. He sat up and fumbled around on the side cabinet for his glasses. He could still hear Ron snoring on the other side of the room; his alarm clock had clearly not woken him up. Harry shoved his newly found glasses on and fell out of bed, making a large bang—which disturbed the Weasleys from their sleep. Ron flew up from his pillows looking tired and scared. Quickly he glanced around the room; seeing Harry face-down on the floor with his blankets tangled around his legs, Ron relaxed visibly and began to laugh.

"Ruuun, sut oop," came Harry's muffled voice.

Harry quickly pushed himself up using his arms, his eyes shooting daggers at Ron. Ron shut up and began to get dressed. Harry did the same.

"Hey, we're going to need these, Ron," Harry whispered, throwing a backpack at Ron. "It's been made bigger on the inside, so you can fit all that you need in."

Ron nodded and began throwing things into the bag. "Don't empty your entire trunk, Harry, or Mum will think we're never returning," he told his best friend.

Once Harry and Ron finished packing, then went out to the landing. Hermione had just left her room with a backpack over her shoulders—no doubt filled with books, to judge by the sagging of her shoulders. They all waved at each other and Ron hugged Hermione. They glanced around and when they were sure that everyone was still in bed and Ginny's door was shut so she couldn't see them leaving, they ran down the stairs and into the living room.

Ginny sat up on the couch with a start. She had been there all night until she fell asleep. A loud bang had woken her up, telling her the others hadn't left yet. Now all she needed to do was wait for them to come downstairs and leave their note.

About ten minutes after she heard the bang, Ron, Harry, and Hermione ran into the living room—only to find a fully dressed Ginny with backpack and coat, ready and waiting for them.

"Ginny! what a-are you d-doing here?" Ron stuttered, clearly afraid of what Ginny might do to them.

"Waiting for you. I knew you'd try to sneak off in the middle of the night, just leaving us a measly note. Oh yeah, and thanks, Harry, for waking me up. I'm assuming you fell out of bed?" she asked, amused.

"What? How do you know it was me that fell out of bed and not Ron?" Harry asked. Does this girl know everything? he thought.

"Simple—Ron's never fallen out of bed. Well, not since he was about eleven. Oh yeah, and you have a black eye," Ginny told him, laughing a little.

Hermione looked at the side of Harry's face; sure enough, there was a black bruise around his eye. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the bruise, muttering a quick spell; his black eye vanished as if it had been rubbed out. Ginny looked like she was getting restive. She was also growing tired; Harry wondered whether, if they stayed here a bit longer, she might go to sleep and then they could slip out undetected.

"Harry James Potter, don't you dare think about it," Ginny said anger rising in her voice. Pulling her wand out of a pocket she, like Hermione, muttered a spell and a cup of coffee sat in her hands. Harry groaned; so much for his brilliant plan.

"Harry, Ron, we'd better get going. Mrs Weasley will be awake any second now," Hermione whispered urgently.

"I"m coming," Ginny said shortly.

"Gin, I don't know how to say this but…you're not." Ron told her. He was getting angry.

"I am, or I'll shout Mum," she threatened, whilst grabbing hold of Harry's tee-shirt.

"Why have you got Harry's tee-shirt?" Ron asked, confused.

"So he can't Apparate. Because if he does Apparate he'll end up talking me with him," she told her brother. Honestly, he can be really dim-witted sometimes, she thought.

"Come over here. Only you two. Ginny, stay put," Harry told the three. He put his backpack near Ginny and told the others to do the same.

The three of them huddled up, talking quietly. Ginny sat there waiting, getting more annoyed by the second.

"Okay, Ginny, you're staying here until the Hogwarts letters come. If the school is closing, send us an owl—but use Hedwig, she'll know where we are—and we'll come and get you if your mum says you can go," Harry told her.

"Harry. No, I want to come—please. Hogwarts letters are coming today. At least wait until tomorrow to leave." Ginny felt like punching Ron. He knew the letters were coming tomorrow—he just didn't want her going.

"Ron, Hermione. What do you think? Should we stay or should we go?" Harry asked his best friends.

"I suppose staying one more day won't do any harm," Hermione said, although her opinion may have been a bit biased. A bit of her wanted Ginny to go so she had a friend to talk to at night; the lads were okay sometimes, but you couldn't talk about what colour nail varnish to wear or what clothes suited you best. It was just too awkward.

"Fine. We'll stay tonight," Ron said. He was clearly annoyed.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went to their rooms to unpack again. They went downstairs and Hermione and Ginny put breakfast on whilst Harry and Ron set the table; no doubt the other Weasleys would be up soon.

Mrs Weasley was the first one up. She was shocked when she saw that the table was set and Hermione and Ginny were making breakfast.

"Thank you, dears," she managed weakly when Ginny put a plate in front of her. It had been years since she'd been able to eat a breakfast someone else had cooked.

The clock on the wall began to click and Arthur Weasley's hand moved from Work to Home.

"Hi, everyone," he said as he walked in the door.

He had been working for a week nonstop. He hadn't come home once. He sat down at the table just as Ginny laid down a plate for him as well. He ate his food quickly, hugged everyone in the room, then went off to bed.

"Your poor father has been working nonstop—he was even involved in trying to keep Hogwarts open," Mrs Weasley said. "I"m going to go upstairs and make sure he's okay. If your Hogwarts letter arrives, Ginny, read it and tell me if Hogwarts is staying open."

"We might as well go back to bed," Ron said. Harry agreed; he was really tired.

"Okay, then. Come on," Hermione said.

The four of them walked back up the stairs and into their own rooms. Harry and Ron sat there just talking for a bit, until Harry asked a question and Ron answered with a snore. Hermione sat in bed reading, and Ginny smiled the smile of the victorious as she slept.

They were all awoken by knocking on the door and Mrs Weasley's announcement that dinner was ready. They all met up the landing and smiled. Ginny ran downstairs and took a place at the table next to Harry and Hermione, whilst Ron sat next to Hermione and his father.

"Ginny dear, your Hogwarts letter has arrived," Mrs Weasley said, passing Ginny a sealed envelope.

Ginny ripped open the letter and began to read. An upset look spread across her face.

"Mum, they're closing Hogwarts. It says here it's because of You-Know-Who. They've been told that You-Know-Who will try to take over Hogwarts," Ginny told her mum.

"It's okay. I suppose I can always home-school you—what do you think, Arthur?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"No, that's okay," Ginny said hastily. "I mean, Mum, you missed your last year of school, and you're okay to do magic."

Ginny finished her dinner and went upstairs; Hermione followed her.

"I can go with you lot now," Ginny said, dancing around gleefully.

Hermione laughed.

"Ginny, Hermione, your dad and I are going to Bill's again. See you tomorrow. Floo us if anything happens," Mrs Weasley shouted up the stairs.

"Okay, Mum," Ginny shouted down the stairs. "Should we sleep in the boys' room again?" she whispered to Hermione.

"Sounds like a plan," Hermione laughed, and off she went to tell the boys.