Chapter 3

Ginny bounded down the flight of stairs and around the corner to see Ron, her mum, and her dad greeting Hermione at the front door.

"Hermione dear, so good to see you!" Mrs. Weasley warmly greeted their guest as she wrapped the brunette in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione said at a somewhat muffled volume due to the fierceness of the hug.

"Mum loosen your grip, she's not going anywhere, she just got here!" Ron laughed as Mrs. Weasley finally released the girl.

"Yes, yes, I know that! Well then help her with her bags Ron, don't just stand there!"

"Actually," Ginny stepped forward, "I can help you with your bags and show you to my room?" she asked the older girl.

"Sure Ginny, that would be great," Hermione smiled at Ginny.

Ginny grabbed two of the bags while Hermione grabbed the third, and they headed up the stairs towards Ginny's room, with Hermione's half-cat, half-Kneazle Crookshanks bringing up the rear.

Ginny bumped open the door with her hip and side-stepped into the room with the bags, "Well, here we are. Just one flight of stairs, much more convenient than Ron's room. You can have the bed, do you want me to set your bags on it or – "

"Oh Ginny, you don't have to move out of your bed. I can sleep on the cot, it's quite alright," Hermione stressed.

Ginny smiled "Really, it's okay. Plus, you're helping me out. My mum would kill me if she found out you'd been sleeping on the cot and I'd stayed in my bed. It's not good manners, you see. Really though, I don't mind," Ginny set the bags down on the floor next to the bed. "I've cleared some space out in the bookcase for your books, if you need more room I'm sure I could do a better job of organizing my schoolbooks. The bench by the window is actually a pretty nice place to read, especially when the sun rises over the orchard. And… Well, that's about it, that's the whole tour."

"Well thank you Ginny, you've been perfectly hospitable. I'll be sure to report back to Mrs. Weasley with a rave review," Hermione laughed lightly.

"Thanks," Ginny gave her a small, crooked grin. "Uh well I'm actually going to get ready for bed. I've been getting up pretty early in the mornings to get in some Quidditch practice. Is that going to bother you, or – "

"Not at all! I've never been one for sleeping in. Will you be trying out for Chaser this year? Maybe challenge Alicia or Katie for their spot?"

Ginny stared at Hermione, eyebrows raised. She didn't know that Hermione cared enough to know who anyone but Harry was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, never mind what positions anyone else played. Or what position she played for that matter.

"Uh… Maybe. We'll see. There's no way that I could outfly Alicia, plus she's best friends with Angelina, who I hear is going to be the captain now that Oliver Wood is gone. Maybe Katie though? She's only two years above me. I just want to really impress the whole team and make a statement at tryouts. I don't want to be considered just because I'm a Weasley, just because of my brothers making the team before me."

Hermione nodded at this, listening while she stacked book after book on the bookcase. "Does the new broom help your case at all?"

Again, Ginny stared at Hermione. "How did you know about my new broom?"

"Well first of all Ginny, you're keeping it in your room. I doubt you'd be keeping one of your brothers' brooms up here," Hermione nodded towards the broom no more than five feet from the girls. Ginny blushed at this, her face nearly matching her hair. "Also, Ron wrote to me last week whining about you getting a broom for your 13th birthday. I told him he was being ridiculous and that your parents have a right to get you whatever they want for your birthday. You're a good student, are reasonably well-behaved compared to a certain pair of your brothers while at Hogwarts, you're obviously obsessed with the sport," Hermione motioned to all of the posters on the walls and the large stack of magazines on the bookcase, "Seems to make perfectly good sense to me. That brother of yours…" Hermione shook her head.

Ginny laughed at this and processed how much the older girl across from her knew about her. She knew Ginny got good marks and didn't actively act out at school. Compared to her brothers, well maybe with the exception of Percy, she was a good representation of her family, and Hermione had noticed. She frowned slightly. Ginny didn't like the thought of being so much like her tightly-wound older brother Percy. Hermione continued placing books into the bookcase, slightly adjusting the last one so it fell perfectly in line with the rest, and nodded her approval.

"So, how are you feeling about your fourth year at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, I'm excited! I won't be taking as many classes as last year, no more Divination for me," Ginny smirked at this, as she recalled Harry and Ron telling her about how Hermione stormed out of Professor Trelawney's class last year. "I really am excited though to get back to school and to continue on with my education. I know I should also be more enthusiastic than I am about the social aspect of going away for school every year, but I can't help but be so fascinated by everything the Wizarding World has to offer. I also can't help but think of how I'm 11 years behind everyone else in that regard, so I have no choice but to learn as much as I can as fast as I can to catch up." Hermione was now seated on Ginny's bed, stroking Crookshanks gently as his yellow eyes were fixed on Ginny.

For the third time that evening, Ginny just stared at Hermione, this time with her mouth slightly agape and her brow furrowed.

"Hermione, I can confidently tell you that you are nowhere near to being 'behind everyone'. I'm not even sure you'd be considered to being behind anyone," the older girl blushed this time, not as red as Ginny, but still noticeably darker than her normal complexion.

"Ginny, I'm Muggle-born. Of course I'm behind everyone who had at least 11 years of magical experience while I had my non-magical life in the Muggle world. I've got to close that gap somehow, so educating myself as much as possible is how I do it. There's so much to read, so much to learn, so much to know… It's a little overwhelming sometimes, but it's important to me," Hermione blushed again, looking down.

"Well, think what you want. From what I've seen though, and as someone with a whole 10-year head start on you, I deem you to be pretty on top of all things magical. Now that I really think about it though, you may be right. You probably won't ever be as good as me, and of course you'll never even touch Ron's magical abilities and knowledge."

The brunette snapped her head up at this, looking offended and ready to argue that most egregious statement, until she saw the smirk playing across the redhead's face.

"Ginny!" Hermione laughed and shook her head at the younger girl.

"I couldn't help myself!" the redhead laughed as well. "Seriously though Hermione, you're doing so well. I do understand wanting to be the best, and I admire the work ethic and passion that goes into that. Maybe being a little more realistic about your abilities and just how knowledgeable and able you are could help relieve a little bit of the stress and pressure you put on yourself. It doesn't have to be work all of the time," Ginny looked at Hermione earnestly.

"I know you're right. It's just hard knowing that someone out there knows things that I don't."

"Hermione, I have no doubt that someday you'll be the most knowledgeable witch around. I don't think I've ever seen anyone read more than I've seen you read in our common room. And on the rare occasion that I do frequent the library, I've never not seen you there. Just because you started a little later than some of us, doesn't mean anything, really."

Hermione gave Ginny a small smile "Thanks Ginny. I know we've never gotten a proper chance to speak before, but this is nice. You have much more insight than your brother, and even Harry."

"Setting the bar high I see," Ginny grinned broadly. "It is nice though. I didn't know you knew so much about Quidditch."

"Well, I'm certainly not a fan of flying, but with how obsessed everyone is I couldn't not at least educate myself a little bit…"

"I can respect that, I know flying isn't for everyone."

"No, it certainly is not… Well, I'm going to go downstairs and leave you to get to bed so you can get up early in the morning. Don't worry about waking me, if you do that just gives me a little extra time to read and maybe check out the back garden," Hermione smiled at the thought of the flowers out back.

"Sounds good. If you do happen to learn everything there is to learn before breakfast tomorrow, feel free to head out to the orchard. I promise I won't make you fly, but it's a nice walk out there and I could always use someone to critique my training. I assume you'd be a little less whiney than Ron would be seeing me on my new broom," Ginny smiled. "No pressure, just something to do if you get bored. G'night Hermione."

"Good night, Ginny."