Harry, not wanting to preface the long ride to Hogwarts by waking up to water being blasted in his face, actually planned ahead this morning and set his alarm clock for 9. More surprising than this, however, is that he actually woke up when said alarm clock went off. Thus a crises was averted.
Harry thought the best way to capitalize on these new found morning hours would be by seeking some revenge on Sirius for an entire summer of rude awakenings. Harry slowly crept out of his room but was immediately confronted with the smell of bacon and the sound of Sirius attempting to sing in the kitchen.
Blast, foiled once again by Sirius' unusually normal sleeping patterns. And, seriously, cooking breakfast? Waking up on time even when he doesn't have work? I think Sirius is becoming Remus.
Harry descended the steps and made his way into the kitchen where his still-tired ears were immediately assaulted by a pink-haired witch
"Wotcher, Harry!"
"Merlin, Tonks, you're a little too loud and a little too early. Why are you even here? No offense, or anything, but it's like 9 AM on a Sunday."
"None taken, Harry, I know you love me. I'm here to see you off to Hogwarts, of course!"
"I know I'm a much sought-after wizard but I'm not sure that two auror escorts are really needed to apparate me to a train station."
"I actually made a bit of mistake, Harry, sorry about that. I might have made the mistake of mentioning the whole Quirrell thing to Remus in an owl I sent him a little while ago. For some reason I thought he would agree that it was actually pretty badass, instead he freaked out and said you need protection detail."
"He's crazy, it's not like that's going to happen to me all the time."
"And that's what I told him, Harry, but he seems to think he's your godmother, that one. He decided to sidestep me and go straight to Kingsley who assigned Tonk, here. You'd think that with her being my partner at the Ministry and all that she'd know anything Remus suggests is a bad idea."
"Oi, I've met Remus and he's not so bad. Do you really hate having me around that much, Sirius? I'm hurt."
"You're hurt? I didn't know that was possible. And it's not so much that I dislike having you around, jury's still out on that one, it's just that Remus is embarrassing. Harry doesn't need an armed guard to get to school. Remus's just got his knickers in a twist."
Harry was helped himself to some breakfast as Tonks and Sirius' discussion shifted to their auror-ly duties.
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I'm finally going to Hogwarts! And I bet I get to sit in Harry's cabin on the train ride there.
Oh, Merlin. I might have to sit in Harry Potter's cabin the whole ride there. That's a long time to mess something up.
Get it together, Ginny! You can't be looking forward to something and dreading it at the same time, that's just stupid. You've got to pick one.
Fine. I'm looking forward to it. Not stop bothering me, self.
Ginny stepped out of the shower and started drying off. The fact that Ron was complaining loudly about how long she'd been in there did nothing to encourage her to speed up. She was Fred and George's sister, after all.
When she was finally done, Percy tried to pull the prefect card to go next and, while Fred and George explained that they weren't at Hogwarts yet, Ron took the opportunity to slip into the Burrow's only bathroom.
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When Ginny had finished putting the final touches on packing her school trunk she dragged it down the stairs. The fact that all of her brothers now sat at the breakfast table freshly showered and clothed concerned her, it seemed unlikely that one could get very clean after a 3 minute shower.
"Now, boys, I expect Ginny will be riding to Hogwarts in your cabin?"
"I'm not sure that's the best idea, dear mother." "Yeah, it's critical that she make her own friends." "Early childhood development and stuff, you know." Fred and George offered by way of excuse.
"Early childhood my arse! What makes you think I'd want to ride with you gits, anyways?"
"Language, Ginevra!" Molly said, sternly, but not loudly enough to cover what Ron answered to her rhetorical question:
"Harry Potter."
Fred and George glared at him.
"What?" Ginny asked Ron, ignoring the chastisement her mother just gave her.
"Oh, well it's just that you always begged mum and dad to read you stories about him when you were younger. And then I noticed you were really quiet every time he's around, and I didn't know why but then Fred and" this earned him Ron elbow in each side from where the twins sat, flanking him.
"Er... but then I thought it might be because you were nervous. Because he's famous. And stuff. Not because you have a crush on him or anything." He finished.
Ginny's fingers were white from her ever-tightening grip on her wand.
"Good. I wouldn't want you to think I have a 'crush or anything' on someone who hangs out with you three. I might have to hex you or something if you got to thinking that." She calmly moved her wand onto the table.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! I won't have that sort of talk happening at my breakfast table."
"But Ron said-"
"No excuses. And, boys, whoever your sister does or doesn't have a crush on is entirely her business. That said, I don't think Harry Potter is the ideal target for your affections. He's just like Sirius."
At that Ginny blushed the table was silent for a few minutes.
"I believe the Lovegood girl is also going to be starting Hogwarts this year. I think her name might be Luna." Percy finally offered.
"She's weird." Ginny said in a tone that indicated it wasn't an issue up for debate.
"Ginny's right. She's a little off her rocker, that one. Luna, that is, not Ginny." Ron said, in an attempt to get off of Ginny's hit list.
"Ginny should sit in your cabin, then, Perce!" "I agree, you kids are two of a kind." "Too right you are, Fred."
"Remember what I said about hexes earlier?" Ginny said, eyebrows raised.
"Ginny can't stay in my cabin, anyway."
"Why might that be, dear brother?" "Yes, pray tell."
"Only prefects and head boys and girls can be in the lead car."
"Oh, you're a prefect?" "We had no idea, Percy."
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Tonks apparated to platform 9 ¾ first, to make sure there weren't any possessed professors walking about looking for the Philosopher's Stone or something. When she returned with the all clear Sirius apparated himself and Harry to the platform. They'd arrived so early that Harry could walk a leisurely pace to the train without fear of being left behind. Harry did a quick walk through of the whole train and saw no trace of the Weasleys so he went to work finding his own cabin. Dean, Seamus, and Neville offered him a seat in theirs but he was planning on figuring out the details of the upcoming year of marauder-related activities so he declined. He also had several offers to join girls he's never met before (or had he? They're all the same after a while) but decided to wait until he got to school to start working that angle. As it turns out, surviving Voldemort as an infant, being the youngest quidditch player in a century, killing a troll, and a killing a mad professor made it almost too easy to get girls. The fact that some people were speculating that he might have dark powers only seemed to add to his allure.
After turning down another cabin of giggling 3rd year girls Harry ran into a Hermione bearing a look of disgust on her face.
"I can't believe they don't see what you're doing."
"You mean trying to find an empty cabin?"
"No, going out with as many girls as you can."
"Have you considered that that's exactly why they're so interested? They want a piece of the action."
"No, because it's absurd. They all think that they're different and that you really adore them as much as they do you, but they aren't special and then you just move on to a new girl the next week."
"True, but they mostly just go out with me because I'm popular, famous, and just an all around badass. It's not like these are some deep emotion connections I'm breaking off here. In fact, you should be disgusted by them for being so shallow, not me."
"I'm not sure they know what they're doing but you know exactly what you're up to, Harry Potter. And don't you dare try to shift this argument onto them!"
"It was worth a shot. And that's why I like you so much, Hermione. All those other girls just like me for my popularity. But you? You hate me for who I am on the inside, and that means more than you could ever know. It's like you and I share a deep emotion disconnection." Harry said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
"I'm not even sure how to respond to that."
"Nice job, Harry!" Ron said from behind, patting Harry's shoulder. "I didn't know it was possible to leave that one speechless, mate."
"I do what I can. Let's find a cabin, then, shall we?"
"We shall, but we've got some unfortunate news." "Most unfortunate, indeed. We're under strict orders to allow Ginny into our cabin." "Sorry, mate."
"This could be an issue, she's not a marauder."
"Can't we make her one?" Ron asked, still trying to get back in Ginny's good graces.
"There can't be any girl marauders." Harry answered.
"Uh, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Yes?"
"I thought you said I was a marauder."
"First of all, I hope someone is taking notes, I'm pretty sure Hermione has finally admitted that she is, in fact, a marauder. Secondly, what's your point?"
"I'm a girl, Harry."
"That's neither here nor there."
"That doesn't even make-"
"To the cabins! Before all the good ones are taken!"
"Harry, I'm still here, that doesn't help you dodge the question."
"Fine. It's like I explained before. Every girl except you just wants to get in my pants, Hermione. It just wouldn't be right to force them to be around what they can't have. I'm simply too seductive."
"Ha!"
"You laugh but little Ginny there has been avoiding eye contact with me for the entirety of this conversation in an attempt to avoid my masculine wiles."
"Your masculine wiles?" Hermione asked with a raised eye brow as Ron grabbed his shin which had evidently been kicked my someone.
"It was mice neeting you again, err, nice meeting you again, Harry, but I think I can just find a cabin with some other first years since you guys need some space." Ginny said as she turned around and walked away.
"See, Hermione? She was totally into me."
"Probably not after that."
"And nothing of value was loss."
"Hey, Harry, that's my sister you're talking about." Ron said.
"I'm sorry Ron, would you prefer it if I went on at length at how attractive your sister? Not only would I have to be dishonest with you but I just never got the vibe that you want me to go out with your sis."
"Err, that's, I mean, she's my sister, I don't want to hear you calling her attractive but I don't want to hear you making fun of her, either. And, actually, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go out with her. Other than the fact that she's my sister and you're my best friend there's the fact that mum isn't too keen on you already. Dumping her baby girl probably wouldn't help too much with that."
"We think it's fantastic that you don't find our sister attractive, Harry." "Truly great, really." "No doubt, because once you dumped her, mum would expect us to defend her honor or something silly like that."
"Exactly, so nothing of value would have been lost. But Hermione's wrong, if I'm correct in guessing that your sister has a crush on me, and I'm reasonably certain that I am, given that most girls do, then that changed nothing, which is probably unfortunate. You guys are probably going to be upset when I inevitably have to turn her down."
"You're insufferable, Harry. I'm going sit with Ginny, I think she's a perfectly nice girl and if she doesn't already see right through your act then I'm sure she will soon enough." Hermione then moved quickly to try to catch up to Ginny.
"Gentlemen, this is why we can't have nice things. I think Dean, Neville, and Seamus have a cabin. Shall we move to join them, then."
"Works for me." Ron said, so they moved to join their fellow Gryffendors.
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"Ginny!" Hermione said to get the attention of the redheaded girl she'd finally tracked down. "I thought we could find a cabin together."
"Oh, ok, then. I think I might know a girl in my year we can sit with, Luna, if we can just find her."
"Excellent."
They searched in silence through the cars until Ginny happened upon a cabin that was empty save for a blonde girl, staring pleasantly off into space.
"Luna?"
"Oh, hello, Ginny. How are you? We haven't seen each other in a very long time."
"I'm fine. Is anyone sitting with you?"
"No, no one else is sitting here. I'm pretty sure they just think I'm a little weird."
"Well Hermione and I would love to sit with you."
"I'd like that, but I'm not so sure you'd love to sit with me. You seem like you might want to sit elsewhere."
"I can't think of a place I would rather sit than here, Luna. I think we're sufficiently far enough away from 'the marauders.'" Hermione said, complete with air quotes.
"Did you say you were a marauder, Hermione?"
"Only because I thought you wanted to join your brothers and Harry. Do you honestly think I'm one of them?"
"I guess not."
"What are marauders and why don't you want to sit with them?" Luna asked.
"My brothers Fred, George, and Ron, plus Harry Potter. They said they had important marauder business to attend to and only marauders could stay, so I left. Normally I would have just threatened to hex them but there would have been too many witnesses."
"Now I can see why you wanted to join them. Here I was thinking you're a shy a little girl. Had I known you were a hardened killer I would have let you fend for yourself." Hermione said, jokingly.
"I might have accidentally kicked Ron in the shins, though."
"Why'd you do that? Not that I don't think he deserved it, I've been around him for a year, you know."
"I think he told Harry I've got a crush on him."
"Ron got there when you did, I don't see how he could have."
"Oh, well that's good. Because I don't. Have a crush on Harry, that is." Ginny said, looking at the floor in hopes no one would see blushing.
"Good. Don't tell him I said this because the last thing he needs is another ego boost but you and I are probably some of the only girls at Hogwarts that don't fall for that act."
The rest of the ride passed jovially. Ginny and Luna were both first years and had lots of questions. Hermione happened to have lots of answers, although most of them talked about how much fun school is at Hogwarts. Before they knew it they were at the castle.
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A/N: Did Remus and Tonks just appear out nowhere? Yes, they did. Who can complain about that?
Also, writing about Diagon Alley and the train was getting old since that's all I've done so far, so I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
As always, reviews are appreciated. I get excited every time I get an email that a new review was posted, it's really sort of pathetic, frankly.