We'll start when I was 4 years old, in 1985. That is the earliest I can remember, and the thing that stands out straight away is my excitement upon being told what Hogwarts was, and how all my family, and eventually myself, would be going there. I remember being desperate over the following years to join Bill, Charlie, Percy, the twins (Rest in peace Fred) and Ron. I would ask to go too every year when we saw them off at platform 9 and three quarters, and talk about it pretty consistently at home.

It became tiresome for my parents and brothers eventually, and it even got to the point where George threatened to use a silencing spell on me and never remove it if I didn't shut up. That only worked for a couple weeks though until I was told they weren't allowed to do magic outside school. You'd think any parent would be glad their daughter really wanted to go to school, but there you go.

Instead of going though, until the age of eleven, I, like them, was forced to go through Mum's early years home schooling. It made me so jealous to be stuck in Ottery St Catchpole all the time while they were able to spend all this time away in Scotland. At least for a few years Percy, the twins and Ron shared my pain though.

Also in 1985, the first of the 2 major events of my early years that would shape the person I am today happened, and that was when my mother first told me the story of Harry Potter. It was one bedtime, and it turned out we'd finished all the story books we owned.

"But Mummy, I can't go to bed without you telling me some kind of story, I wouldn't be comfy" I said.

My mother, though strict, was quite doting, and she replied "Sweetheart, i'll go to Diagon Alley tommorow and get you some more books ok?"

"No, I need something tonight"

Sighing, she said "Alright then, let me tell you about something real tonight. Only a few years ago, there existed a very bad and very strong wizard. He wanted to take over the country. He was so scary that no one could even say his name, and I still can't now. We just call him You Know Who. So one night, he went to a house in a village called Godric's Hollow, which is not too far from here. There in that house lived a man and a woman and their one year old son. You Know Who killed the man and woman, Lily and James were their names, like he did so many other people. Then he tried to kill their son Harry. But something amazing happened. When he tried to kill Harry, he couldn't, his curse rebounded back on him, and he was forced to flee. Harry Potter is now the most famous name in the world, and thanks to him, we all live happy lives today".

I was excited, so I pressed her for more information. "Oh that is great, where is Harry Potter now, do you know him, did you know his parents, did you- but she cut me off.

"Now now Ginny, it's getting late, but I will tell you that he is only a year older than you, and yes, I knew his parents. I don't know where he is now, but it's surely somewhere good".

That was where my love for Harry Potter began. I was completely infatuated by the tale, that a young child like me could defeat someone so powerful and evil. So much so, that I disregarded the new story books Mum bought the next day, and insisted that she keep telling the story of Harry Potter. It sounded incredible, especially the way she told it. I could read those fiction books at any time. It was at that point that I decided I must meet Harry Potter one day, and hopefully end up marrying him.

The second of the 2 major events which shaped my life occurred 2 years later, in 1987, when I was six.

Mum had sent me upstairs to my room, as punishment for something that wasn't even my fault. It was so unfair and I was fuming. I was to be locked in here until dinner time. I sat down on my bed, bit my lip, and tried to think of what to do. Read a story book? No, read them all. Play with my toys? No, I broke them. Do some drawings? No, the paper and pencils are downstairs. I started to look around the room, hoping for some reason that something I hadn't seen before would appear out of nowhere. It wasn't like I didn't have a decent imagination, I did, it's just that it was difficult to use it when confined to one small room.

Then my eyes fell on my wireless, on my bedside table. I hadn't used it in a long time. I was, and still am, a big fan of the band the Weird Sisters, and back then, their music was the only thing I ever found fun to listen to. The trouble was, being a young child, I didn't know exactly when they played, so it was really just pot luck if I turned on the wireless and they happened to be on.

I had nothing else to do though, so I decided this was to be one of those times, so I lay down on my bed and switched it on. I decided that I would listen to four different channels, spending 10 minutes on each, and if they didn't come on at any point, I would turn it off and have a nap until dinner time.

The first channel was broadcasting some kind of talk show, which didn't interest me in the slightest, and 10 minutes passed without anything from the Weird Sisters. Next.

The second channel was on adverts, and in those 10 minutes I heard from companies such as Ms Growers, which make cleaning fluids, Ollivanders (which gave me a pang of jealousy, I knew they were wandmakers, and I didn't have a wand yet) and the Knight Bus, which I hated travelling on as it made me feel ill. Nothing fun though, so next.

The third channel had the news on. No Weird Sisters after 10 minutes though, so on to the fourth and final channel.

This one was broadcasting a Quidditch game. I'd heard of Quidditch of course, it was the most popular sport in the Wizarding World, sort of like your muggle game of football in terms of the passion people had for it. It's a far superior sport to football though, so don't even try to message me saying otherwise! Dean, I can already see you typing!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, 6 year old me! So all my brothers were keen fans and players of the sport, but it had never interested me too much. Ron was and still is a big fan of a team called the Chudley Cannons, but his attempts to talk to me about it and get me interested had always been unsuccessful. I decided to see what the fuss was all about though, after the Weird Sisters played a sort of opening ceremony concert on the pitch before the game. I had a basic knowledge of the playing positions, balls and rules.

"You join us live now from Holyhead, where the Harpies, the only all female team on these shores, are set to take on the Chudley Cannons in the opening match of this weekend's British and Irish Premier Quidditch League season. The Harpies are looking to maintain their winning run, which currently stands at six, and keep hold of their third place in the table. They currently sit 5 points clear of 4th placed Ballycastle Bats in their tussle for the final European Cup place. Ballycastle face runaway league leaders Puddlemere United later on today, so they will be desperate for a slip up from the home team.

The Cannons meanwhile are looking to end their 5 match losing streak, and get themselves off the bottom of the table. They are acutely aware that failure to gain at least 3 wins from their final 7 games will result in their relegation to Division Two".

Yes i'll interrupt this transcript of the commentary, gained via our Pensive, to tell you that Joanne massively oversimplified the Quidditch Leagues of Britain and Ireland. She presented the idea that there was only one closed league of 12 teams, but no, that couldn't be further from the truth. We have 5 national professional leagues in this country, and beyond those, it goes into semi pro and then amateur regional leagues.

The book Quidditch through the Ages actually contains detailed information on these, but Joanne left this out for some reason in the version she authored for the Muggles. No idea why, we should have just forced her to take Kenilworthy Wisp's brilliant work, and release that version directly to the Muggle public. She even had the nerve to insult his name by putting it on the front cover of her version! Honestly, i'm starting to like her less and less by the day! Anyway, let's continue with the game I listened to at six, shall we?

I sat up immediately. So there was an all female team, and they were playing Ron's favourite? Oh yes, I had to listen to this, the Harpies sounded like a great team, and the Cannons were terrible! I had no idea why Ron would choose to support them! I decided at that point that I really wanted this Holyhead Harpies team to win, the pleasure I could get out of teasing Ron about it later would be brilliant! Not only would it really annoy him, but it would also confuse the hell out of him if I randomly started discussing Quidditch!

"And they're off, and despite taking the Quaffle drop, Chudley have immediately lost possession, and it's now in the hands of Holyhead's Sarah Davies, who passes to Griffiths, then Moran, back to Davies, and it's in, 10-0 to the Harpies, what a rapid start! Davies gets her 51st goal of the season to keep up her challenge for the Golden Quaffle!

Joanne's idea that all Harpies players had first or last names beginning with G is another product of her imagination by the way. Just because I and Gwenog did, and we're 2 club legends, doesn't mean that everyone who played for us did!

"Chudley with the restart, and wow that's their first successful pass in four matches, Adams to Swinson, but oh dear, he only makes it about 5 feet, before it's once again intercepted by Davies, who streaks down the other end, and makes it 20-0!, it's quickly becoming yet another nightmare for Chudley".

Further upstairs, I could hear Ron shouting and banging the walls, and I instantly collapsed into a fit of giggles! Now I knew what the fuss was all about, this Quidditch sounded like so much fun!

"As Adams makes the restart happen, suddenly Harpies seeker Cambridge has entered a dive! This could be history right here folks, the fastest Snitch catch in history was 5 minutes and 40 seconds by Anthony Adams in 1922, but we've played less than 4 minutes here. Arnold for the Cannons is in pursuit, but he's not going to make it, Cambridge is almost there, she's done it, the Snitch is caught in record time, sensational! Final score Holyhead Harpies 170 Chudley Cannons 0!

There goes Gwenog Jones, on her traditional post victory parade lap with her team. Despite only graduating Hogwarts last year, she is quickly becoming a star of this sport. She only requires one more successful bludger hit to break the record for the most in a single season, and although she couldn't get that today, it's surely only a matter of time! So Holyhead maintain third place, and the relegation trapdoor is opening wider still for Chudley. I've been David Harries, and to all Quidditch fans, thank you for listening, and until next time, it's goodbye!"

I was beside myself with excitement. The Harpies were certainly my favourite team going forward, that record breaking win captured my heart! I couldn't wait to find out more about them, and to try playing the sport for myself! All I needed was a broomstick, and... that's where my emotions deflated.

I knew that I would almost certainly not be allowed to play with my brothers. I knew that being a girl, I would be told things like the sport was too dangerous for me, that I was too "small and precious" etc etc, which irritated me to no end. I knew that even explaining who the Holyhead Harpies were would do no good, logic didn't apply to them. I realised that was almost certainly why the Harpies even existed, to combat stereotypes.

I wasn't going to let that stop me, however. I knew they were planning to go outside and play tomorrow. I would make one attempt at asking to play, and if that failed, then I would teach myself, at nighttime if necessary!

Fueled by my newfound passion, I spent the next couple hours planning how I would get away with night time flying. From that day onwards though, I was a Harpy, and that would prove to be one of the most monumental moments in my lifetime.

I went downstairs to dinner later that evening feeling something that I never had before, but that I knew was going to be the start of something special.

As I entered the kitchen, I saw everyone already sat at the table, including Ron, who of course was looking pretty angry, and was already being teased by our other brothers.

Fred and George, Kenmere Kestrals fans, were the first to speak "So yet another defeat for the Cannons then guys" said Fred.

"Yeah, it's a shame to be honest, relegation is looming, oh well, thankfully that isn't our problem. I feel sorry for all Cannons fans, if only we knew one, they could do with some comforting" came from George.

"I'm sitting right here guys!" said Ron bitterly.

The twins did a mock jump and feigned a look of surprise.

"Oh Ronald, you support the Cannons, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's easy to forget to be honest, it's not like you ever talk about them"

I sat down at the table next to them, this was going to be interesting!

Fred said "Hey look on the bright side, Ron, the Cannons are going to be record breakers! A record low points total that is, but still, record breakers!"

"That's a bright side is it?!" came Ron's disgusted reply, as everyone snorted with laughter.

It was my time to speak up now.

"You know what I think the best part is though? They lost in record time to a team full of women!"

Everyone stared at me.

"Ginny, don't act like you know what you're talking about. Since when has Quidditch ever been of interest to you?" said Ron.

"Well I do know what I'm talking about, I just so happened to listen to the game on my wireless. And i've now decided that the Harpies are the team I support."

"What just because they're a great team, glory hunting are you?"

"No, they're really inspiring because they only let women play for them, and they just made the fastest ever win"

"Well regardless, don't expect us to let you play" George intervened. Seeing the look on my face, he held up his hand.

"Ginny, the Harpies are a team of adults, who are professional athletes who train every single day, they've got what it takes, you're just a little girl, you're not old enough yet to play this sport".

"Ron plays with you all the time and he's only one year older than me!" I shot back.

Then mum spoke. "It's not often I agree with George, but I do today. Ginny, you are not to be seen anywhere near a broomstick, do you understand me?"

"But mum-"

"No but's! If I or any one of us sees you on one, you'll be in your room for a whole day! Is that clear?"

I said nothing, instead, I got up from the table without even finishing my food, and went outside into the orchard. I sat down on the grass and buried my face in my knees. I hated the injustice of it all! First, I was blamed for the mess that was found in the kitchen that morning, simply because I was the first person there, and no one would believe it had happened overnight. I felt certain it was really the result of Fred and George messing around, but no, it was all pinned on me.

Then this happened, banning me from playing Quidditch just cause of my sex. I knew it was coming, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt.

Percy came running out after me, and when he saw me sitting there, he came over and patted me on the back.

"There there Ginny, don't be sad, Quidditch isn't for everybody-"

"It is for me, now go away!" I shouted back at him.

He was taken by surprise at my outburst, he even looked slightly frightened, so he left me alone.

A few hours later, I went up to my room, but not to go to bed. I waited until everyone else was asleep, then I crept back downstairs and walked out to the broom shed.

I bought with me my magical nightlight, which unlike those flimsy muggle ones which only produce a small slimmer of light, these have various settings, ranging from a tiny amount like the muggle ones, to a massive ball which can light up a whole room. They're wand shaped and they're powered by a lumos charm, which is activated by pressing a button on the side.

I took out Fred's broom, which was the fastest, and walked with it and the nightlight into a field behind our house. I knew for sure that I wouldn't be seen by anyone, wizard or muggle, here, as there was a line of trees and a hedge on all 4 sides. As long as I was back in my room before dawn, no-one would know what I'd been doing.

I turned on the nightlight to it's highest setting, and suddenly the field was completely lit up. I mounted the broom and kicked off from the ground. I was unprepared for the speed though, and I only rose a few feet before I lost control and crashed straight into a pile of manure. On the plus side, it was a soft impact and I wasn't hurt. On the downside, I was now covered in manure, which stunk horribly.

I didn't let that deter me though. Instead I realised that I needed to start off on a slower broom. So I put Fred's broom back and took out Ron's. I had a much better launch this time and was able to hover and move around for a few feet before landing. I then took off again and moved slightly higher and further, and so on and so forth for the next few hours. By around 4:30am I had completed an entire lap of the field. I decided that was enough for the night, and I returned to the house, showered, stuffed my dirty clothes in the laundry room at the bottom of a pile, and went to bed.

This habit continued for the next year, and by the same day in 1988, I had not only mastered flying, I was now quite capable of each of the Quidditch positions, which I had taught myself using my copy of Quidditch through the Ages. I could fly Fred's broom easily now too.

A big Harpies fan, and a fully capable player, it was just frustrating that I wasn't allowed to prove my talent to anyone. I loved the sport just as much as my brothers, yet there I was being forced to sit on the sidelines every time. I knew that one day I'd prove them all wrong though. I would play for my house team at Hogwarts, and I was determined to be the best in the end. My second dream, in addition to marrying Harry, was from that point onwards, playing professionally for the Harpies.

I'm now going to take a moment to talk to you more about the Harpies and give you some brilliant things that I learned in my first year as a fan. Our greatest moment occurred in 1953, when we beat the Hidelburg Harriers in a match that lasted seven days. Joanne didn't include the fact that this was actually a European Cup final in her version of Quidditch Through the Ages, and we, an all female team, therefore became Britain's first ever European Champions. We also won our 5th League title that year, out of 18 in total. Our biggest rivals, Puddlemere United, have won it too, more times than us in fact, and actually did so in 1987, completing their own League and European Cup double, but it will always remain that we did it first, and that's been so bloody satisfying to remind United fans of over the years.

Immediately after the Snitch was caught in that game, their seeker proposed marriage to ours, but was swiftly rejected, and quite rightly if I do say so myself! In 1974, we survived relegation by the skin of our teeth on the final day of the season, by beating the Chudley Cannons to send them down instead! Ron actually didn't talk to me for an entire week after I told him I knew that fact!

In 1986, we won the League title by a record points margin to second placed Tutshill Tornadoes, a record that still stands to this day! I'm gutted I wasn't a fan during that season! That was also the season before Gwenog started her career. She replaced our star beater Jasmine Donald, who left for the Barcelona Battens, and was a more than worthy successor as i'm sure you all know.

We now fast forward to the 1991-92 school year, a year that for the first and only time, I would spend at home with only my parents. I was now so desperately impatient to go to Hogwarts. It was only one year away, so my jealously intensified greatly as I saw Ron get his wand and his other stuff in Diagon Alley.

September the first came around and I, as always, accompanied Mum to King's Cross to see my brothers off onto the Hogwarts Express. After I correctly answered Mum when she tested us on what the platform number was, was denied when I asked to go with them yet again, and the twins did their annual swapped identity joke (honestly I don't know how she keeps falling for it!), I had my first ever encounter with the one and only Harry James Potter. He didn't know how to get onto the platform, so mum told him. He was very polite about it too. When I found out that was who he was once we were on the platform, I begged to go onto the train and see him, but I was again denied. I'd have to wait another year for that opportunity.

That year at home was nothing short of painful. I was there with only my parents for company, aside from the occasions when Bill or Charlie would come home for a stay, or when Great Auntie Muriel came around, which was always a nightmare. Honestly I can't stand that woman, i'm not sure who I hate the most out of her, Skeeter or Joanne at this point. She was only ever critical of me, and insisted on calling me Ginevra, which these days is immediately punished by a bat bogey hex. She's not too unlike Harry's Aunt Marge, only that she is actually a blood relative of mine, and I wasn't able to blow her up, despite her deserving it. I couldn't stand being there bored out of my skin while everyone else was out doing magic, either at school or working.

The only thing that really kept me going that year was the Harpies. We came 4th in the league and made the European Cup semi finals, but were beaten in a penalty shootout by the Amsterdam Axes, with Gwenog missing the shot that would have sent us through to the final. I actually cried after that moment, utterly devastating. Yes Quidditch games can be drawn, before you say it, we had been leading by 150 points in that game before their Seeker caught the snitch to send the tie to a shootout, which made the loss so much worse.

I had sent Ron a few owls that year, and I couldn't believe what he was telling me. He said he had become best friends with Harry Potter, and they had been on a ridiculous adventure, which culminated with them as well as a girl called Hermione beating this obstacle course made by the teachers in protection of the Philosophers Stone. They had done this in order to stop a teacher they suspected of attempting to steal it, and Harry successfully did so, (although it turned out the person they suspected wasn't the guilty party) and encountered You Know Who again, which only amplified my feelings for Harry. He narrowly escaped death on that day as well as on another day in which the same teacher had tried to throw him off his broom during a Quidditch game. He had become the youngest seeker in a century. They along with a boy called Neville Longbottom had encountered a 3 headed dog at one point too. Unbelievable. I certainly hoped my first year would be just as exciting, if not anywhere near as dangerous.

As i'm sure you all know, I would be in for a very rough surprise...