OOO

Once they were inside the gate and standing on the Platform 9 and 3/4, Mrs. Weasley broke away from the group of children she and her husband were escorting to quietly approach the one who wasn't with them. Ron was sitting on a trunk next to Pansy, staring at the train, and failed to notice his mother's quiet, hesitant approach.

"Ronald?"

He turned and his look turned venomous when he saw who it was. "I'm not talking to you," he snapped.

"Ronald I just wanted to let you know that I love you and hope you have a good school year." She tried to touch his shoulder but he jerked away from her.

"Didn't you hear him?" Pansy stood, crossing her arms with a supercilious air. "He doesn't talk to people like you any more."

Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows furrowed. "Listen to me young lady, he is my son and I will talk to him when I please."

"Well Pansy's right!" He shot back, his voice rising. "I don't want to talk to people who replace me with other kids and can't even be bothered to dress me right or have a real job!"

"Come on, Ron, let's get my father to help up with the trunks."

Mrs. Weasley stood, frozen, not following Ron as he walked away from her. George left his brother's side, coming over to try and pull her back to their own group making its final preparations.

"Like I said before, never mind him mum. Don't think about him. He's being a dumb jerk…"

"Don't talk about your brother that way, George," she interrupted, looking at him with red eyes. "No matter what he does or how he feels about me, he's my son and I love him. And sometimes… sometimes I wonder if he isn't right to be angry."

As she went to go help them unload the trolley into the luggage compartments, Theo lowered his eyes from watching the transpiring scene and hung his head before hefting his trunk and making his way to the back of the train.

OOO

Draco pushed his way into the compartment where he found his housemates already waiting. After giving Harry a quick nod and watching him go off with Ginny and Luna, he shut the door and fell into the seat, Dragon already wedged beneath his feet. Stretching, he gave his friends a collective wave and pulled out a bag of snacks his mother had given him, passing them around.

"So how was the rest of your summer?"

"Uneventful at best," Ernie shrugged. "I was hoping for something to liven things up but it never really happened."

"Well I think it was very exciting." Susan chewed a chocolate frog. "Especially when we got to get our schoolbooks."

"Please tell me that wasn't you in that line," Draco groaned.

"What line?" Ernie grabbed a pumpkin pasty. "What are you talking about?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart, unfortunately."

"Oh great."

"What're you two on about?" Hannah looked at them as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't you think it's fantastic that he's going to be our new DADA teacher?"

"I think I would rather have a lobotomy than suffer him for several hours every week. I can't believe you two have fallen prey to that git!"

"And you agree with him?" Susan looked sharply at Ernie.

"Whoa, leave me out of this. But I have to say – he doesn't strike me as the brightest bloke."

"Nobody's talking about brightest," Susan rolled her eyes. "He's handsome."

"And you think that's the best qualification for a teacher who is, supposedly, teaching us stuff that might one day save our life?" Draco looked at her, incredulous. "I mean, no offense to anybody, but it's not like he's teaching Divination. Defense is stuff that people might actually need to use. I'd prefer it not be taught by an idiot – and I'd have thought you'd agree with me Susan."

"He's not an idiot!" Her cheeks flushed. "He's done marvelous things!"

"And you believe him?" He looked towards Ernie. "I mean, you don't buy all that stuff in his books, do you?"

"I have even read them," Ernie replied quickly before stuffing more candy into his mouth as a way of opting out of the argument.

"I don't think he'd have written it if he didn't do it." Hannah frowned. "I mean, he'd know people would find out sooner or later if he made stuff up. Besides, he's brought back all that proof and stuff…"

"Well maybe when I see it, I'll change my mind. But right now I haven't seen anything from him but a nauseating grin."

"You're such a boy," Susan scoffed, as if that settled everything.

They lapsed into an awkward silence after that until Ernie swallowed and changed the subject.

"So what did you think of the new group of first years? Think you can pick out any of them that'll be in Hufflepuff?"

"Well, I hate to make any pre-judgments," Draco said, unwrapping a chocolate frog and tossing aside the card. "I mean, you know what a surprise I was to everybody. Plus the only two first years I really know at all are Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood and I can't say that either of them really seems like much of a Hufflepuff."

Hannah picked up the card Draco had tossed aside and tucked it into her schoolbag. "Really? What houses do you think they'll get into?"

"Guessing Gryffindor for Ginny – her brother may have bucked tradition but she seems like a lion all the way and has said as much. Can't really see her going elsewhere. Luna's a bit harder but… I'd probably say Ravenclaw." His grin was slightly rueful. "She's a very loyal friend but she's quite witty and clever in a roundabout way. She's probably like it there."

"Theo is too, though, and he got into Gryffindor," Ernie pointed out. "Hermione too for that matter. They're probably at the top of our class but they're both in Gryffindor. So maybe she'll be in there with Ginny."

"And she'd already know people there, which is a plus no matter how you look at it," Susan added.

"We'll have to wait until Sorting to see," Draco said with a shrug, not really wanting to think about more house division and separation.

"What do you think this year's classes will be like?" Hannah bit into a licorice wand nervously. "Do you think they're going to be a lot harder than last year's were? I mean, last years weren't too awful but I don't know."

"I looked over the books and it shouldn't be too bad," Ernie reassured her. "Of course, I'm sure Snape will make everything relatively miserable like he always does."

"Be glad we aren't Gryffs; they have it the worst. At least that's what Harry thinks," Draco said.

"Well of course Harry would," Ernie said with a laugh. "But I kinda agree. It's the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor thing."

"Speaking of Gryffindors and Slytherins," Hannah dropped her voice, "was that Millicent Bulstrode going into a compartment with Lee Jordan and the two Weasley twins?"

"Probably. They got a bit chummy over the summer. Something mutually uniting about a hatred of Ron," Draco told her.

"Yeah, I saw him with Pansy Parkinson earlier. She's so stuck up and he's just like her. None of the girls outside her house think she's very nice, you know," Susan informed the two boys opposite her.

"No argument there," Draco agreed, glancing out the window as they rolled along.

OOO

"Wasn't dad's car excellent?" Ginny opined cheerfully, settling into her seat. "I mean, it would have been cooler if mum had allowed him to fly us over to King's Cross, but still – getting a car up and running is something isn't it?"

"Your dad did a pretty good job," Harry agreed. "Especially for not having a whole lot of experience."

"He's a quick learner," Ginny declared proudly.

"I wonder why nobody took it for a flying ride as it was," Luna mused as she opened up a copy of the Quibbler.

"Fred and George tried," Ginny snickered. "Mum caught them at it and threw a fit that practically took the roof off, as Theo could tell you. And speaking of which – where did he get to? I thought he was going to follow us in."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe he went off with Draco or the twins or something. I'm sure he's around."

The door suddenly slid open and Ginny looked up, expecting to see the boy in question. Instead, however, they were greeted by the sight of a nervous Neville Longbottom.'

"Hey guys." He gave them a halting wave. "Is this seat taken?"

Ginny wanted to say 'yes' but Harry broke in before she could speak. "Apparently not. You're free to sit with us if you like."

"Thanks," he sighed, relief washing over his face. He set a cage containing Trevor down on the floor and gave little nods to each fellow passenger. "Hey Harry. Ginny. And you're…"

"Luna Lovegood," she told him, giving him an absent blink of her eyes.

"Luna. Well nice to meet you." He grinned a little too broadly. "Good to see everybody again."

"Good to see you too Neville," Harry said, returning the smile. "How was your break?"

"Oh, alright." He shrugged. "Spent most of it doing this and that with my Grandmum." He frowned. "And I hope I didn't forget anything at home again. She'll pitch a fit if I did. Oh! And did you hear about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Yes," Ginny hissed.

"She doesn't like him much," Harry whispered with a wink.

"Nobody likes him much," Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Ginny especially but that's no secret. I don't see how anybody could like him."

"Grandmum doesn't…" Neville began before being interrupted.

"Well who asked you?" A voice from the door snapped.

The passengers turned to see Hermione Granger standing there in the doorway that Neville had neglected to close, pink to the roots of her bushy hair.

"She can have an opinion!" Ginny retorted.

"Well it's not a very good one," Hermione sniffed. "Gilderoy Lockhart is a hero and a genius…"

"Shows what you know," Ginny grumbled.

"…and anyway, I know all about you," she went on towards the blond. "You're the daughter of the editor of the Quibbler. With all the nonsense your father publishes, I wouldn't take anything you say seriously if you're anything like him."

The paper dropped and Luna's face was pale and set. "I am proud to be like my father."

Ginny, however, had gone even redder than Hermione and looked like she was about to leap over Harry towards Hermione. Standing, Harry got between them, his back to the compartment.

"Don't you need to find a place to sit down before the train picks up speed?" He suggested to the brunette. "I'm sorry but Neville filled up the compartment just before you got here."

"Fine by me," she said with a glare at Luna and Ginny. "I wouldn't want to sit with such… uncouth and undereducated first years anyway."

Neville looked cowed and shrank into silence and Ginny burst into a tirade.

"What a complete and total git! Who does she think she is?" Ginny fumed. "You should have let me deal with her, Harry! I would have hexed her into…"

"You would have hexed her into a detention for yourself before you've even been Sorted," Harry broke her off.

"Didn't you hear what she said about Luna?" Ginny shot back. "How can you let her get away with saying stuff like that?"

"Look, you girls have all gone a little bit batty over the whole Lockhart thing…"

"She didn't like me very much," Luna said as she perused her upside-down Quibbler. "And I cannot say that she seemed very smart to me either."

"She's nice once you get to know her…" Harry suggested in a half-hearted tone.

Ginny scoffed. "What? Once you've proved to her satisfaction that you're suitably intelligent?" She looked at the trees rushing by their window. "Being in a house with her will be insufferable. And it was probably her fault that she and Theo got into that fight in the first place. I can't see how any of you could stand hanging out with her."

"Get to know her. She's not that bad. Promise," Harry reiterated before shifting the subject to the impending Sorting and the upcoming school year.

OOO

When they finally reached Hogwarts, Ginny and Luna left the group while Draco and his friends joined them. Theo stepped up shortly after, making his way down from the back of the train.

"Who were you riding up with?" Draco asked as he reached into his cloak and took out a wrapped package. "I thought you were with Harry."

"And I thought he was with you," Harry added.

"I went to the back of the back and slept on the way up." Theo gave them an apologetic smile. "I really needed the rest."

"I understand," Draco replied, taking out a piece of raw meat from the paper and feeding it to the thestrals that were pulling the carriage. "You didn't miss much, what with all the mooning over Lockhart," he said, teasing the two female Hufflepuffs who huffed at him.

"A fight almost broke out in our compartment." Harry climbed up onto the seats with Hedwig.

"Really? What about?" Draco wiped his hands off on Dragon's fur and joined Harry.

"Hermione Granger has some differences with Luna. Particularly about Lockhart," Harry explained. "Teased her about her dad's newspaper and after that, Ginny nearly punched her lights out."

"Well good for Ginny!" Draco declared. "What stopped her?"

"I did. Didn't think it would be good to get detention before we'd even left the station," Harry told him.

"She'd better not have that attitude the whole year." Draco crossed his arms and frowned. "I'm not going to put up with her if she does. She might be smart or whatever but there's no call for that."

Susan and Hannah exchanged nervous glances and Hannah bit her lip.

"Draco… you know, it was just Luna," Hannah said softly.

"What does that mean?" He demanded.

"She's a bit… you know…" Hannah gestured vaguely.

"Loony," Susan finished. "I heard a few of the people in the other compartments. I mean, the Quibbler isn't exactly the Daily Prophet, is it?"

"So what!" Draco looked at them, maddening each moment. "There's loads of rubbish in the Prophet! At least the Quibbler is interesting!"

"I'm only saying that… you know… lots of people think that way." Hannah looked abashed. "I mean, I'm sure she's a really nice girl…"

"She's a good friend," he interrupted, fuming. "And if anybody talks about her like that in front of me, I don't care about the detention – I'm pulling out my wand. Nobody talks about my friends like that."

"Don't get so hot under the collar," Susan said with a roll of her eyes. "It's just comments."

"I don't care what it is – I don't like it."

"Well, nobody can accuse you of being disloyal," Harry broke in, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Draco settled down but the tension hadn't evaporated. With a sigh, Harry looked towards the castle and wondered if the whole year would follow in that pattern.

OOO

Staying near Luna as they navigated the crowd of first years, Ginny felt much the same as Draco. There were surreptitious whispers everywhere and it felt like every third person was pointing at them, nudging their friends. She swore he heard the name 'Loony' Lovegood more than once as wizarding children who knew about the Quibbler filled in the children from Muggle families, telling them that her father was no better than a cheap tabloid editor.

Gritting her teeth, Ginny looked at Luna for some sign that the other girl had overheard the comments, but found none. Instead, Luna continued to smile cheerfully and hum as they waited for the sorting ceremony to begin. She seemed oblivious to the gossip that was barely keep quiet, the snickering that happened when people saw her clothes or her jewelry.

Ginny's heart sank. Luna was a little unconventional, she knew that. But after so long hanging out with her, it didn't really seem all that strange. Perhaps bottle cap necklaces and oddly-shaped earrings weren't what everybody wore. But so what? Briefly she wondered if this was what Harry felt like, surrounded by celebrity – and some of it negative – whenever anybody drew near. If she didn't know Luna and Harry as well as she did, she might find them strange too, Ginny told herself. But surely there was no reason to point or stare. It was only a newspaper and some out-of-place clothing.

The titters eventually quieted down as the kids moved away from the boats and into Hogwarts, pointing at the various ghosts drifting by and the moving paintings, the shifting staircases and vaulted ceilings. Professor McGonagall greeted them and told Ginny what she already knew, that they would be Sorted by means of a hat. Tensing, she waited as the names were called one by one.

"Lovegood, Luna." McGonagall turned her bespectacled gaze to the grey-eyed girl.

"Good luck," Ginny whispered as Luna skipped to the front and put the hat firmly on her head.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat declared after only a brief moment.

Ginny gave her a smile and watched as she sat down with the other students at her table. The smile quickly dissolved into an expression of concern, however, which only grew as other students were called forward to Ravenclaw.

Nobody was sitting next to Luna or talking with her. There was a person-sized space around her on both sides and people seemed to be making an effort not to look at the girl humming to herself. She had resumed reading the Quibbler upside down, again unperturbed, but Ginny wondered how she would stand it. Glancing towards the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables, she read similar expressions of concern on the faces of her friends as well – particularly Draco who, as he'd related to them often, knew what it was to be alone after sorting.

"Weasley, Ginevra." The elderly witch motioned her forward

Ginny sat on the seat, looking out at the crow before her. Her brother Ron was whispering to Pansy, not even paying attention to the sorting. The twins were looking at her expectantly along with Harry, while Nott seemed distant and distracted. Draco was chewing his lip while his housemates chattered. For a long moment, everything seemed to be in suspended animation.

"Well, well… another Weasley… and this one will be going where Weasleys ought to go…"

"Wait!" She 'shouted' in her mind. "Isn't there anywhere else? I mean, I'm smart right. I can be clever! And witty!"

"Who are you trying to convince here?" The hat replied with sarcasm.

"Please! Luna will be all alone…"

"Kids make friends in their own house, regardless, child."

"You don't understand! Besides… without sounding too ambitious, I want to be smart. Smarter than…" She glanced out of the corner of her eye at a bushy head that was talking with a dark-skinned girl. "Smarter than her."

The hat paused. "I suppose… you are rather well read. And there is a respect for various kinds of knowledge. Very well then. But this is absolutely the last time! You children…"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The twins sat up at attention, Theo looked over in blatant shock, Luna lowered the paper to smile serenely at her and McGonagall glanced at Flitwick as Ginny made her way over. Draco, however, was unabashedly restrained, clapping and cheering as hard as he could, harder than any of her housemates. When she looked at him, Ginny saw pride and relief mixed in his features and her own step gained confidence.

Sitting down next to Luna, she faced her housemates and the new school year with the assurance of having made her first decision a right one.

OOO

A/N: And that's how Ginny's sorting worked out. :) So the school year has started – and it won't be long before the students start dropping. Also, big developments for a certain father are in the works, so stay tuned and check back next chapter!