MetaFic

“Ginny? Harry? It’s time to get up.”

Mrs. Weasley’s voice roused them both from slumber. The door opened with a soft creak, and the light from the hallway spilled into the room. Ginny pushed a bit closer to Harry and pressed her face into his shoulder to block out the light. “’S’too early,” she mumbled.

After a few moments of silence, Harry cracked his eyes open and turned his head towards the door. Ginny’s mother stood there, watching them as if she wanted to speak but could not.

Ginny sighed, but she did not move. “What is it, Mum? You said you’d talk to us, remember?”

“I remember,” Mrs. Weasley said in a soft voice. “It’s just . . . it’s hard for me to see, I suppose.” Her gaze dropped as she sighed. “Your father and I sleep like that sometimes.”

“It’s comfortable,” Ginny said. She considered saying more, but they decided not to push after the small progress the family had made.

“Yes, I suppose so, but . . .” Her mother’s words trailed off. “You just look -”

“They look like a couple of puppies,” Ron said, appearing in the corridor and looking sleepily around his mother as he passed. “Always do.”

Mrs. Weasley smiled slightly. “That, too.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll get used to it, Ginny. You and Harry do need to get up, though. Breakfast will be ready very shortly, and you’ll not be allowed to have a lie-in on a weekday at Hogwarts.”

At the mention of Hogwarts, their budding exasperation vanished. After a summer far longer than either of them could have imagined, they had finally reached their last full day of the holiday.

Ginny sat up and turned to face the door. “Coming, Mum.”

With a brief nod, Mrs. Weasley followed Ron down the stairs, warning him not to nick food from the pan before it was fully cooked.

Since their trip to Diagon Alley, life at The Burrow had been generally pleasant. Both of Ginny’s parents seemed happier to have them there at night, though Mrs. Weasley had never before done more than call from the corridor to wake them. Her reservations remained, and although she slipped on occasion, they were no longer an unspoken barrier. Several times, Ginny’s mother had engaged her and Harry in almost normal conversations, clearly trying to adapt to their way of thinking, even if she did not fully understand it.

The only notable event of the last week had been the arrival of a formal letter for Harry from the headmaster on Monday. The parchment had been as soft as silk in their hands, and the calligraphy had been elegant beneath the vivid colours of the Hogwarts crest drawn at the top. Harry and Ginny had even thought that the four animals had been blinking and moving slightly. In florid language, the letter had thanked Harry for his ‘generous support’ the previous year and politely enquired about his intentions for the upcoming year. The school’s owl had rested beside Ginny’s window after delivering its letter, and Harry had sent it back to Hogwarts after writing a brief note in which he agreed to make the same donation he had the year before. As far as Harry was concerned, Ginny’s grateful smile and tight hug had been worth every Galleon.

After breakfast, Harry and Ginny returned to her room to begin packing. The Weasley brothers, with the notable exception of Percy, had all made it clear that they saw no reason to pack anything until that evening, but Harry and Ginny were too eager to put it off. They began by arbitrarily dividing their books and supplies between their two trunks, where their uniforms and robes were already folded away.

You know, your trunk’s big enough we could just use one if we had to, Harry said.

And that wouldn’t make anyone suspicious at all, now would it?

They managed to fill the morning with their packing by repeatedly rearranging their things. With some regret, they decided to leave the toy brooms and their track at The Burrow, but the rest of their birthday presents were tucked carefully into their trunks, including Ginny’s jewellery box. Finally satisfied, they each set aside an outfit and a set of robes for the next day.

After lunch, Ginny and Harry enjoyed a final game of Quidditch with Ron and the twins, and they cooled off afterwards by floating lazily in the pond. Her brothers, for whatever reason, did not join them.

I‘m going to miss the pond, Ginny said.

We could come back every now and then, I suppose.

Mum and Dad would see us on the clock. They wouldn’t be happy with us leaving school, even to come back home. Besides, it’ll soon be too cold to swim.

Mrs. Weasley served dinner as soon as Mr. Weasley got home, and the meal became a boisterous affair, as though the younger children wanted to make sure that their presence in the house would not be forgotten any time soon. Afterwards, Ginny brought out the fireworks her brothers had given her for her birthday, and the family sat and talked in the kitchen as red and blue stars cavorted around the room.

In the middle of the show, a speckled owl soared into the house and landed on the table near Ginny. It hooted softly, and she untied the small scroll of parchment from its leg.

It looks exhausted, poor thing, Ginny said. Where did this come from?

She unrolled the parchment and recognised Bill’s handwriting at the top and Charlie’s at the bottom. No wonder.

“There’s water at the highest window ‘round the front,” Harry told the owl. “You can kip on the windowsill for a bit if you’d like. Hedwig shouldn’t mind.”

The letter was short. Bill and then Charlie wished them good luck at Hogwarts. The brothers requested that they write back once they had settled in at school, and Charlie said that he would be happy to forward a letter to Bill if Harry and Ginny wanted to send something to them both.

When darkness blanketed The Burrow, Ron and the twins reluctantly went to their rooms to pack their trunks. When Ginny and Harry reached her room, they found the visiting owl asleep on the windowsill. Atop the wardrobe, Hedwig clicked her beak and watched the newcomer with obvious disapproval.

“She came all the way from Romania, Hedwig,” Harry said. “Just let her rest a bit, yeah?”

Hedwig ruffled her feathers, but she stopped staring at the other owl and seemed to relax.

Since they could not bring it with them, Harry and Ginny spent the evening with the broom set. Their most recent project had been to create a course that was affixed only to Ginny’s ceiling. The construction had required more time and lots of surreptitious Levitation Charms, but it left the rest of the room clear. By the time they were ready for bed, the ceiling was densely packed with loops and banks, and they left the brooms running through the course overnight, adding a soft susurrus to the normal sounds of The Burrow.

The first of September started at dawn for everyone in the house, but somehow no-one had enough time. Ron scurried about searching for his socks, and George had to completely repack his trunk for some reason he would not divulge. In spite of all of their preparations, Harry and Ginny realised that they had not packed Hedwig’s owl treats, though fortunately Harry had plenty of room left in his trunk. Breakfast consisted of a rack of toast, and everyone picked up as much as they wanted and ate wherever they pleased.

Finally, eight people, six trunks, three broomsticks, two owls, and one rat were all squeezed into the car. Halfway down the drive, Fred realised that he had forgotten his supply of fireworks. Just after reaching the road on the second attempt, Percy sheepishly admitted that he had left his box of correspondence.

By the third trip down the drive, the elder Weasleys’ faces had darkened. “Err . . . we haven’t forgotten anything,” Ginny said, hoping to avoid a sharp look from her mother, “but if anyone else has, Harry or I can just go back and get it once we’ve reached Hogwarts.”

“Wonderful, Ginny,” Mr. Weasley said, his expression relaxing into his usual smile. “Thank you both. Off to London, then.”

Mr. Weasley hinted that they could make up some time by flying to London, but Mrs. Weasley adamantly refused to allow it. After a long and somewhat harrowing drive, the family arrived in the car park at King’s Cross at ten forty-five.

As soon as they had unloaded the car and entered the station, Percy began to pull ahead of the rest of the group. “I have duties,” he said. “There are always students engaging in public displays of affection on the train, and the prefects are responsible for stopping them.” He nodded sharply in the family’s general direction and then lengthened his stride further, quickly widening the gap between himself and the rest of the Weasleys.

Bet he’s jealous, Ginny said, snorting softly.

If he says anything to us, brother or not, I’m hexing him.

Only if I get to go first, Harry.

Mrs. Weasley glanced at Harry and Ginny, and her brow furrowed in concern. “Percy?” she called, rushing forward in his wake.

Oh, no.

“Come along quickly, the lot of you,” Mr. Weasley said, looking after his wife and son as they disappeared into the station. He set off, restraining his pace to allow the younger students with their trunks to keep up. They all came into sight of the barrier just as Mrs. Weasley vanished through it. Percy was nowhere in sight.

Ginny’s father looked over his shoulder as he walked. “We’ve only got a few minutes. Fred and George, see that everyone gets through, but be careful of the Muggles. I’ll see you inside.” He sped up, leaving the children a few yards behind as he entered Platform 9 ¾.

Harry and the Weasleys stared after him for a moment, but then Fred spoke up. “All right, then,” he said. “Potsleys, you go first. It looks clear now.”

Ginny and Harry nodded and turned their trolleys towards the barrier. As they approached side-by-side, they sped up to a trot and closed their eyes. With a resounding double-crash, their trolleys collided with the wall of the station, sending Harry and Ginny into and over the handles of their trolleys. They tumbled off to either side, clutching their stomachs.

“Bloody hell! Are you all right?” George asked, rushing over to where Ginny lay. A few feet away, Fred approached Harry, and Ron began straightening their trunks and Hedwig’s cage.

Together, they sat up. “Yeah, I think so,” Harry said, gasping. “Just had the breath knocked out of us.”

“What happened to the barrier?” Ron asked, slapping his palm against the solid stone.

“Dunno,” Fred said as Harry and Ginny regained their feet.

The twins each tried to pass through the wall by casually leaning against it, but the barrier remained solid.

George looked around at the others. “What do we do now?”

“Whatever we do,” Fred said, “we have to do it soon. We’ve only got about three minutes before the train’s supposed to leave.”

“I’ll call Professor McGonagall,” Ginny said. “She can help.” Standing a bit behind her brothers, Ginny activated her pendant and whispered to it. “Professor, the barrier at King’s Cross won’t let us through. What do we do? Err . . . thanks.”

They all stood for a few seconds, and then Fred sighed. “That may not help us. She’d have to get here from Hogwarts, and she can’t Apparate right out of the school.”

“Even if she can,” Ron said as he kicked his trunk, “she probably can’t come straight to this side of the barrier, and I bet it doesn’t work the other way.”

“Bugger,” George muttered. A moment later, he turned to Ginny. “Can you or Harry just Shift onto the other side?”

They considered the possibility for a moment, but she shook her head. “There’re too many people, and we don’t remember any places that are out of the way.”

“One of us could go to Hogwarts and find Professor McGonagall, though,” Harry said.

Fred glanced at a nearby clock. “Yeah, all right. Ginny’s easier to hide. Bunch up, back to back.”

Harry and the three brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a loose barrier around Ginny. She ducked down as though adjusting her sock, and when Harry’s vision told them that no one was looking, she Shifted to the front steps of Hogwarts.

If she’s on her way, she’s probably on her broom, right? Ginny asked, scanning the grounds and the area near the gates.

Or in the castle on her way to the doors, yeah.

Ginny turned and pulled open the smaller door set inside one of the huge main doors to the school. Lacking a better guess, she ran up the staircases and down the corridors towards McGonagall’s office. Although Shifting would have been faster, they were worried that they might miss the professor as she was leaving the building. When Ginny finally arrived at the office, she pounded on the locked door, but no one answered.

Err . . . the common room? Harry guessed.

Not knowing who might be in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny Shifted to the doorway in the first year boys’ dormitory. As she opened the door and started down the stairs, she noted that the room was empty of furniture, just as the headmaster had once said it would be.

The empty common room was far cleaner than she remembered it. Where next?

Dumbledore’s office? The Great Hall? Her quarters? I’m not sure.

“We can’t find her,” Harry whispered. “I’m going to go help. Professor McGonagall can bring one of us back.”

The boys rearranged themselves to hide him. “Hurry,” George said.

Harry Shifted onto the front steps, in case the professor had left the castle while Ginny was inside, but the grounds were still vacant. As he ran inside towards the Great Hall, Ginny Shifted to the corridor outside the common room and ran towards the entrance to the Headmaster’s office.

Peeking into the Great Hall, Harry saw Mr. Filch using a stained flannel to polish the metalwork on the Headmaster’s chair, but Professor McGonagall was not there.

As he crept away to avoid the caretaker, Ginny reached the gargoyle on the seventh floor. “Err . . . I don’t know the password,” she said. “I’m just trying to find Professor McGonagall. Is she . . . err . . . is she in there?”

The stone creature did not move or respond in any way. Now what? Which floor does she live on?

Harry glanced at his watch. It was two minutes past eleven. It may not matter now.

A moment later, they both smacked their foreheads, and Harry activated his pendant. “Professor, we’re at Hogwarts now, and we’re trying to find you. Could you meet us on the front steps?”

Ginny Shifted back outside, and Harry crossed the Entrance Hall to meet her there. They waited impatiently behind a shrub in case someone else emerged from the castle, but when the smaller door finally opened, Professor McGonagall strode out into the sunlight. Her broom was tucked under one arm.

“Professor!” Ginny called, running forward. “The barrier didn’t work, and Mum and Dad were on the other side, and we didn’t know what to do! We left Ron and the twins back at the platform.”

“Be calm, Ginny,” McGonagall said. “I have never heard of the barrier malfunctioning, but it is not an insurmountable problem. Let us go to the gates, and then we will Apparate to King’s Cross.”

She flew down the path, and Harry and Ginny Shifted to the far side of the castle gates. When McGonagall arrived a few seconds later, she propped her broom against one of the massive stone supports and took Ginny’s hand. “Come right after, Harry,” she said. When he nodded, she turned, and Ginny and Harry felt the unique pressure of Side-Along Apparition.

Ginny arrived in a small, empty room with bare concrete walls. A single light in the ceiling cast a dim illumination over the room. Harry Shifted to stand next to her, and then McGonagall stepped forward and opened the door. They emerged at one end of Platform 8 at King’s Cross Station, out of sight of the barrier guarding Platform 9 ¾. As the door closed behind them, Harry spotted a simple sign next to the door which read ‘Exit Only, Do Not Enter’.

Professor McGonagall led them through the station at a brisk walk, and the barrier came into sight as they approached. Unfortunately, the Weasley brothers were not there.

“My brothers were right here, Professor,” Ginny said.

The tall woman nodded. “Perhaps they made it through the barrier after all.” After glancing around the station, she stepped forward and disappeared into the blank wall.

What the . . .?

McGonagall reappeared, and Harry looked up at her imploringly. “I swear, Professor, it wasn’t working.”

“I believe you, but it is working now. Come inside, and we’ll see if we can find your parents.”

The three of them entered Platform 9 ¾ without incident. The train was gone, but a few clusters of adults still stood here and there, chatting amiably. A quick circuit of the platform told them that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had already gone, and Harry and Ginny did not see the Grangers.

“How did your family travel to the station, Ginny?” McGonagall asked.

“In the car.”

“Let us go and see if it is still outside, then.”

The professor took one of their hands in each of hers and led them completely out of the station. Harry and Ginny steered them towards the right area of the car park, but her father’s Anglia was gone. Ginny sighed.

“Don’t worry, Ginny,” McGonagall said. “It is entirely possible that your brothers boarded the train, and your parents may have left without realising you were not also aboard.”

Ginny nodded. “We were all in a hurry.”

I hope they have Hedwig and our trunks, Harry said.

They wouldn’t leave her, I’m sure.

One of us should have stayed here so we’d know what was going on.

I wish we’d thought of that ten minutes ago.

“We’ll go back to the school,” McGonagall said. “When it’s been long enough that your parents will have reached The Burrow, we’ll Floo them and come up with a story to tell the other students.”

They left the platform and went back to the small room, which McGonagall unlocked with a tap of her wand. They Apparated to the school’s gates, and when they all reached the castle itself, McGonagall led them into her office and began serving tea.

“You may wish to remember that room at King’s Cross in the future. It is only for our use, though I don’t recall the last time one of the Hogwarts staff had to go there.” She steepled her fingers for a moment. “I think we will say that a large school party passed through the station, and that prevented you from entering the platform on time,” the professor said. “It has happened once or twice since the platform was built. I will inform your brothers as soon as the train arrives, Ginny.”

“Thank you,” Ginny said, glad that the unusual situation was mostly resolved. She and Harry relaxed in the familiar setting of their Head’s office. Sitting on the comfortable sofa, their hands entwined, and smelling the slight aroma of McGonagall’s Earl Grey reminded them of countless happy hours they had spent there. Ginny sighed as a sense of relief washed through them, and she leaned further back into the sofa. “Thanks again for the jewellery box, Professor,” she said. “I’ve never had anything as wonderful as that.”

McGonagall graced them with a small, tight smile, but the warmth in it was genuine. “You’re most welcome, Ginny. I quite enjoyed the practice, if nothing else.”

The fireplace flared green, and Dumbledore’s head appeared in the flames. “Ah, hello, Minerva. I thought you might be here. Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley, how nice to see you again. I trust that the remainder of your summer was tolerable, at least?”

Uncertain of what McGonagall had told the Headmaster, Ginny glanced at the older woman, who nodded. “Err . . . it got a bit better, thanks.”

“Excellent. I saw the three of you arrive at the gates. What was the problem with the barrier?”

“I’m not sure, Albus,” McGonagall replied. “By the time we reached it, it was functioning again. None of the Weasleys were present, so I suspect that the other students boarded the train.”

“Well, that is good news.” Dumbledore’s hand appeared and stroked his beard. “It is quite odd that the barrier malfunctioned. It has worked properly for well over a century.”

Harry and Ginny could not help thinking of the last time something had malfunctioned in their presence. “Professor, do you suppose it was Dobby? Could he make the barrier faulty?”

“An interesting theory, Miss Weasley,” the Headmaster said. “I believe that he could, though I still have no idea why he would want to do so.”

McGonagall leaned closer to the fire. “Albus, if anyone asks, Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley encountered a very large school party, and they were unable to enter the platform before the train left. Molly and Arthur brought them to the school via Side-Along Apparition, instead. As soon as the elder Weasleys have returned to their home, I will contact them and let them know of their part, and I will catch the Weasley brothers as soon as they arrive at the castle.”

“A plausible explanation,” Dumbledore said, nodding. “It was very polite of them to carry their younger friends’ trunks, wasn’t it?”

McGonagall’s smile reappeared. “Yes, but not uncharacteristic in this particular case. Not quite.”

“Indeed. Complex people, the Weasleys.” The Headmaster turned to Harry and winked. “And their friends, of course.” Dumbledore nodded to himself. “Let me know if I can be of any assistance or if the public story changes. Otherwise, welcome back to Hogwarts, and I will see you all at the feast. I might suggest that you receive your trunks with caution, however. All that time alone with your brothers’ uninterrupted attention . . .” With another smile and nod, he vanished from the fireplace.

That’s a very good point, Ginny said.

“Now,” Professor McGonagall said as the flames returned to normal, “term has not yet begun, and I therefore have no right to dictate how your time is spent. If you are willing, however, I would like to see if you have made any progress with the throw-dough conjuration.”

Harry and Ginny jumped at the chance to practise. They hurled dough at a conjured target on the office wall until they were interrupted when the fireplace flared again.

“Excuse me,” Dumbledore said.“I've just received a call from Arthur Weasley.It seems that his Ford Anglia went missing from the car park at King's Cross, and he asked me to let him know if I heard of anyone spotting it.”

“Went missing?” McGonagall asked.

“Yes. Apparently, he has added quite a few, ahh . . . enhancements to the car.” Dumbledore winked at Ginny. “It can fly, among other things. He thought it possible that the vehicle had somehow wandered off on its own, but in combination with what you told me earlier, I had a rather different idea.”

Ginny groaned, and Harry would have sworn he saw McGonagall’s eyebrow twitch.

“My sentiments exactly, Ginny,” McGonagall said. “Albus, did you tell him about the children’s problem at the station?”

“No, I did not. I thought that a few minutes’ delay was probably worth their being able to see Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter for themselves. May I suggest that you call them from your office?”

“I shall,” McGonagall said. After a short pause, she continued. “You’re in my fireplace, Albus.”

“Yes, of course. How thoughtless of me.” The old man’s face vanished from the fire.

“If you do not mind, I would like to contact your parents myself,” McGonagall said. “I know you could get there very quickly in person, but I would like to be involved so that I may help to minimize any possible public fallout.”

Ginny nodded, and McGonagall placed a call to The Burrow. A minute later, she backed out of the fireplace and straightened. “Your mother is there, and your father will be there very shortly. We’re going there to meet them. You can travel on your own?”

Surprised, Harry nodded.

“Good,” McGonagall continued. “I will meet you there.” She threw another handful of powder into the fire and then stepped into it, saying, “Headmaster’s Office!”

In the sudden silence, Ginny and Harry stood for a moment. Nothing’s ever simple, is it?

It’s not really our fault this time. Nothing’s ever simple when the twins are involved in anything. Harry watched as the last of the green colour faded out of McGonagall’s fire. We’d better go.

They Shifted to Ginny’s room, finding it very odd to be back there already. As soon as they started down the stairs, Mrs. Weasley’s voice floated up from below. “Ginny? Harry? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mum,” Ginny called as they reached the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley stood in the door to the living room. “I had no idea you weren’t on the train! Are you all right? What’s going on?”

“Err . . . it’s a bit complicated, Mum, but we’re fine.”

Oh yes, we’re fine, but your brothers won’t be when she’s done with them.

Professor McGonagall stepped smartly out of the fireplace and brushed soot off of her robes. “Hello, Molly. Thank you for allowing us to visit.”

“Nonsense! Harry and Ginny live here, and you . . .” Mrs. Weasley’s voice trailed off, and she swallowed heavily. “You’re always welcome, Minerva.”

McGonagall nodded graciously. “Thank you.”

Over the next few minutes, the professor and Ginny related the story to Mrs. Weasley. As they finished, they heard the back door open and close. Mr. Weasley strode into the room, but he stopped short when he saw Harry and Ginny with Professor McGonagall.

“Hello, little phoenixes, Minerva,” he said. “What’s going on? I got here as quickly as I could.”

As McGonagall told the story again, Mr. Weasley settled into his chair. When she finished, he exhaled with a weary sigh. “When we realised that the car was gone, we thought that . . . . well, we thought it might have wandered off. It’s been a bit flighty lately, if you’ll pardon the pun. I was heading down to the pub in case something about a flying car was on the Muggle news.”

“It now seems possible that three of your sons are attempting to fly the car to Hogwarts,” McGonagall said.

“You’re right. Those three . . . it’s likely, even.”

Mrs. Weasley turned to him, her lips turned into a fierce scowl. “Arthur, will that silly car even get to Hogwarts, or is it going to strand my children in the middle of nowhere?”

“It should be fine, Molly,” he said, now looking somewhat pensive. “It’s never had any problems in the past, and . . . err . . . it’s made some long trips.”

“We will discuss that later.”

“Ahh . . . yes, of course.”

“If the boys do not arrive at Hogwarts by the end of the feast, I will ensure that they are found immediately,” McGonagall said. “For now, however, it seems prudent to assume that they will get there this evening, whether via the train or other means. We need to be able to explain all five students’ absence from the train, as well as the boys’ separation from Harry and Ginny.”

“What do you suggest?” Mr. Weasley asked.

“When we thought the three boys were on the train, we planned to say that a large school party had prevented the other two from boarding. That is probably still a believable scenario for the entire group, provided that we can inform the boys of the story before they have an opportunity to concoct their own.” McGonagall tapped her chin. “All we need to add is that the youngest pair was separated from the rest in the bustle of the crowd, and each set thought that the other had made the train. Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley sought out the two of you, and you Apparated them to the school.”

“That seems reasonable,” Mr. Weasley said. “You’ll catch Ron and the twins when they arrive?”

“Yes. I daresay that their entrance will be quite noticeable.”

Mrs. Weasley sighed. “I am sorry about this, Minerva. My children seem to find trouble without half trying.”

“They are never boring, though,” McGonagall said with a faint smile. “I will punish them according to the school’s rules, but beyond that, any action you take is up to you.”

“We’ll think of something. Right, Arthur?”

Mr. Weasley smiled sheepishly. “Yes, of course. One way or another, they should have done things differently.”

That doesn’t mean they would have, even if they’d thought of it, Harry said.

Almost sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

“Very well,” the professor said. “I must return to Hogwarts. Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter . . . you are not required to be at school until the train arrives, but if you would like to return prior to that, you are welcome. Molly and Arthur, thank you for your cooperation in all of this. I will contact you as soon as the boys arrive or as soon as anything changes.”

“Thank you, Minerva,” Mr. Weasley said. “I hope the rest of the year is less eventful.”

McGonagall stepped into the fire and returned to Hogwarts, leaving Harry and Ginny with her parents. “Err . . . if it’s all right with you,” Ginny said, “we’d rather like to go back to Hogwarts. None of our things are here, and . . . well, it’s a bit strange, honestly. We thought we were off to school.” She wondered if she had said more than she intended to, but it was too late to take it back.

To Ginny’s relief, Mr. Weasley nodded and smiled. “I understand, sweetheart. I’m sure you can find something to do with your time at Hogwarts. I’m glad we got to see both of you for a few more minutes, though. We were sad to have missed seeing you off properly.”

“We’re glad, too,” Ginny said. They all stood, and Mr. Weasley hugged both of them. Ginny accepted a hug from her mother, and Harry was content with a warm hand on his shoulder.

“You two be good,” Mrs. Weasley said, smiling and looking a bit misty. “Make sure you eat enough, and be careful during Quidditch.”

“We will, Mum,” Ginny said. Her mother’s admonitions on the first day of the term were far from unexpected.

“And don’t forget that almost nobody there knows about you,” her father added. “Try not to attract any extra attention.” He snorted and smiled. “Though I suppose that might be asking a bit much, all things considered.”

“We’ll try.”

Ginny and Harry stepped back from her parents, but Mrs. Weasley’s voice stopped them for a moment. “Ginny?”

“Yes, Mum?”

“I spoke to Percy and told him to leave the two of you alone as long as you’re not breaking school rules. If you think he’s overstepping his bounds as a prefect, write to me immediately. All right?”

Surprised and pleased, Ginny nodded. “All right. Thanks a lot, Mum.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good term, and don’t forget to write to us about your classes.”

Ginny could not help grinning. “You mean about Lockhart.”

“About your classes,” Mrs. Weasley said. Next to her, Mr. Weasley winked broadly.

“Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad.” With a final wave, Harry and Ginny Shifted in rapid succession back to the corridor outside Professor McGonagall’s office. Peering in through the open door, they spotted the professor at her desk. “Professor? We’re back.”

“I thought you might return soon,” she said, looking up from her work. “Please come in. I was about to have lunch. Would you care to join me?”

The three of them shared a lunch brought by one of Hogwarts’ elves. Afterwards, McGonagall said that she needed to spend time preparing for the Welcoming Feast and the start of term. After promising to be in the Entrance Hall when the rest of the students arrived, Harry and Ginny stood up to leave the office.

“Oh, one more thing,” McGonagall said, making them pause at her door. “Please remember that, once term begins, I must be your professor and Head of House rather than someone who attended your birthday party. I will see you on Sundays, and we will speak freely then, but you are bound by the same rules as everyone else. I will treat you just as I would any other students. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” Harry said as they both nodded. “We’ll try not to get into any trouble.”

“A noble goal, if dubious in certainty,” McGonagall said, grinning tightly. “Have a pleasant afternoon, Harry and Ginny.”

“You, too, Professor.”

Harry and Ginny spent the afternoon attempting to entertain themselves. They really only had their wands with them, and they were the only students at the school, which severely limited their options. They attempted to visit Hagrid, but he was not in his cabin. They considered going to the library, but the thought of being the only students in Madam Pince’s domain was very daunting. In the end, they spent most of the afternoon on the grounds, sometimes practicing their spell-work and sometimes simply relaxing in the cool sun.

The alarm on Harry’s watch went off at five o’clock, and they Shifted into the first-year dormitory. Feeling both excited and a bit hesitant, they climbed the stairs to the second-year boys’ room, and they used the bathroom there to wash their faces and hands. After several attempts, they managed to Transfigure a pewter cup into a crude comb, which Harry used to neaten Ginny’s hair.

Together, they walked through the common room and into the corridor. “How did you get in there?” the Fat Lady demanded once they had swung her portrait closed.

“Err . . . Professor McGonagall brought us through the Floo,” Harry said.

“Hmph. Most irregular.”

Ignoring the disgruntled portrait, Harry and Ginny started down the stairs towards the Entrance Hall.

We have to remember to walk, Ginny said. We probably should have been walking everywhere today.

Oh well.

When they reached the ground floor, they sat on the lowest step to wait. A few minutes later, they heard sharp footsteps approaching, and Professor Snape swept into the hall.

“Potter. Weasley,” he said, spotting them. “Why am I not surprised that you could not manage something as simple as boarding a stationary train?”

Ginny had a sudden urge to run forward and kick the man solidly in the shin, but she resisted the impulse.

“A group of Muggles came by,” Harry said. Snape’s expectant look irritated him, but he grudgingly added, “Sir.”

“Of course. Muggles.” The dour man looked towards the great doors, and he opened them with a flick of his wand. “The remainder of the students will be here momentarily. Try not to make them feel undeservedly inferior because they arrived in the usual manner.” Without waiting for a response, he strode out onto the steps and out of Harry and Ginny’s sight.

Someday, I’m going to kick him, or hex him, or . . . or something, Ginny said. Maybe on the last day of seventh year.

There’ll be a queue.

It’s worth waiting in line for.

A few minutes later, they heard the rattle of carriages outside the castle. Rather than putting themselves in Snape’s view again, they waited in the Entrance Hall, and soon the first few handfuls of students entered the castle. Most went into the Great Hall, but a small knot near the door cleared and revealed Hermione, who was craning her neck to look around. She spotted Harry and Ginny, waved, and rushed over to them.

“Where have you been?” Hermione cried, hugging Ginny.

“We’ll tell you the real story later,” Harry whispered as he received the same greeting.

“A school party kept us from getting on the train,” Ginny said at a normal volume. “Mum and Dad brought us.”

Hermione looked puzzled, but she nodded. “Well, at least you got here. Where are Ron and the twins?”

“Err . . . weren’t they on the train?” Harry asked.

“No, I looked everywhere for the lot of you.”

That answers that question, Harry said.

“Oh, well . . . I don’t know, then,” Ginny said. “I’m sure they’re fine. Did you see Luna?”

“Yes, we shared a compartment,” Hermione said, pulling them into the mass of students entering the Great Hall. “She’s with the first-years now.”

“I hope she wasn’t upset. We told her we’d sit with her, too.”

Hermione grinned. “I’m sure she’ll understand. I’m not sure I understand her, but she doesn’t seem to have any such problem.”

The three students claimed their usual area at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ginny fidgeted on the benches, feeling odd that they were the only students in the Hall who were not wearing robes.

Just what we need, Harry said. Another reason for everyone to stare at us.

I didn’t miss that, I admit. Let’s simply ignore it.

Glancing around, Ginny spotted Neville for the first time when he sat near the far end. I suppose we should’ve known he wouldn’t forget, she said.

We’ll catch up to him later. He can’t very well sleep anywhere but in our dormitory.

In spite of the unwanted attention and Neville’s distance, Harry and Ginny were quickly swept up in the grandeur of Hogwarts. When they had been running around the castle and grounds that afternoon, it had been a welcoming but somehow inert place. Now, in the brightly-lit Hall with its stupendous ceiling and its tables packed with students, they began to feel that they truly had returned to a place of wonder and majesty.

“Glad to be back?” Hermione asked with a gentle smile, drawing their attention back to her.

“Yeah,” Ginny said, returning the smile and budging fractionally closer to Harry. “Very glad.”

The last returning students trickled in and found their seats, and an expectant hush fell over the Hall. Harry and Ginny scanned the Gryffindor table, but the twins and Ron were nowhere to be found. Her brothers would miss the feast, it seemed, and for a moment she feared that the car had broken down, stranding her brothers somewhere between London and Scotland. The professors had promised to track the boys down should they fail to arrive, but Ginny was still anxious. Harry took her hand under the table as they worried together.

A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall led the first-years down the long centre aisle towards the Sorting Hat and its three-legged stool. Harry and Ginny spotted Luna in the group, but their friend’s eyes darted everywhere as though trying to see absolutely everything at the same time. When she noticed Harry and Ginny, however, her vague smile broadened, and she waved excitedly.

McGonagall stopped the group of first-years and stood next to the Sorting Hat. The Hall was silent for a few breaths, and then the battered old Hat broke into song:

All welcome here to Hogwarts where,
Your empty brains will bulge.
The time has come for Sorting you,
Your House I’ll soon divulge.
But first I’ll introduce myself
That everyone may know,
How wonderful a Hat I am,
and what my choices show.
I’m called the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
or other names to some.
I see things others cannot see,
You are what you’ll become.
Perhaps your place is Gryffindor,
With heroes in their midst.
These Hogwarts Lions know no fear,
On deeds do they subsist.
Or Hufflepuff might be your home,
Fidelity’s their thing.
‘Work hard, play fair, and all be true,’
Is what the Badgers sing.
Instead you might join Ravenclaw,
Where strength of mind is first.
No class nor tome nor wise old sage
Could quench an Eagle’s thirst.
Proud Slytherin, the final choice,
Ambitious, keen, and sly.
The Serpents rise by craft and word,
Their triumphs undenied.
So there you are, the houses four;
I’ll fit you to their moulds.
Now step right up, and we shall see
What wonders this year holds.

As the applause faded, the Sorting began. The first new Gryffindor was a rather small, energetic boy with mousy brown hair. A grin lit up his face as he joined the prefects at the head of the table. A few minutes later, Luna sat on the stool and lowered the Sorting Hat over her ears.

The hall was quiet for a few moments, and then the Hat burst into loud, raucous laughter. Harry and Ginny shared worried glances, but Daffyd’s laugh was full of genuine humour rather than any sort of ridicule. The tear in the old Hat gaped widely, and deep guffaws echoed around the Hall. He even paused to gasp for breath noisily, though Harry could not imagine why he would need to breathe. Luna simply sat on the stool and smiled in her happily distant way.

The Sorting Hat finally regained its composure and shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”

Ginny and Harry were disappointed, but they were also happy for their friend. They clapped and smiled at Luna as she removed the Sorting Hat.

If there’s anyone who belongs in a House of thinkers . . .

It’s Hermione. If there’s anyone else —

They grinned. It’s Luna.

Luna waved at them again and shrugged as she joined the other Ravenclaws at their table.

As soon as the Sorting concluded, Professor McGonagall left the Hall with the Sorting Hat and stool. The Headmaster said his usual few words - “Orang-utan, phalange, orchid, caw!” — and signalled the start of the feast. McGonagall did not return immediately, so Ginny and Harry assumed that she was on the lookout for the three errant brothers. They tucked into their meals eagerly as they talked with Hermione about the last two weeks of holiday.

“Ginny!” Hermione interrupted in a whisper. “Take turns!”

Ginny kicked herself mentally. Without thinking about it, she and Harry had clasped hands and begun eating the same foods. After a few minutes of concentration, they managed to re-establish the rhythm they had learned for eating different foods at the same time.

“Thanks,” Ginny whispered in return.

“Why aren’t you worried about your brothers?” Hermione asked.

“Err . . . I am, truly, but . . . I’ve got a, err, feeling that they’re all right.”

The older girl scowled for a moment, but she nodded and turned her attention back to her dinner and their casual conversation.

Shortly after Harry reached for his second helping of shepherd’s pie, Professor McGonagall re-entered the Hall from the door near the head table.

She definitely disapproves of something, Harry said. They must have finally got here.

When their Head of House reached her seat, she looked out across the hall and met Harry’s gaze. Her face settled into a neutral expression, and she inclined her head. Harry smiled and nodded in response.

After everyone had finished pudding, the Headmaster made his start-of-term announcements, and he welcomed Lockhart as the new Defence professor. At least half of the students in the Hall clapped more loudly than they had for anything before, and the blond man stood in his place and waved in response. “Thank you, thank you,” he called. “Remember — we’re here to learn, but I do look forward to meeting each and every one of you outside of class.” The applause grew louder, but Ginny and Harry stopped as soon as they felt was polite.

Dumbledore sent them all to their dormitories, and Percy led the first-years out of the Great Hall ahead of the rest of the Gryffindors. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione walked along with the main group, but they came to a complete halt in the Entrance Hall, where all of the students had stopped and were staring at the huge hourglasses which kept track of house points. The Gryffindor measure should have been empty, but instead it held a thin layer of rough black stones.

“Coal?” Hermione said. “Seriously?”

“Looks like,” Harry said. “What’s it mean, though?”

“It means that Gryffindor currently has negative thirty points,” McGonagall said, emerging from the Hall behind them. “If you have any further questions, I suggest that you address them to Messrs Frederick, George, and Ronald Weasley.”

The assembled Gryffindors groaned while other students in the hall snickered or sneered at the Lions’ misfortune. As the students began to move again, five emeralds tinkled musically into the bottom of the Slytherin hourglass.

Snape’s got off the mark, I see, Ginny said.

Probably rewarding Malfoy for getting his shoes on the proper feet.

Don’t be absurd. It’s for walking upright in the first place.

They had only just reached the base of the stairs when Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, pushed through the crowd. “Isn’t it ironic?” he said loudly. “Thirty pieces of coal. Isn’t that what your father makes in a year, baby Weasel? Maybe the school will let you have the coal instead of points. If you ever manage to do anything right, of course.”

“Oh, go away, Malfoy,” Hermione said, pulling Ginny and Harry’s arms until they started moving again.

“And I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave,” the blond boy said. “Are you defective, Granger? I mean, beyond the obvious.”

Harry and Ginny stopped and began to turn back towards Malfoy, but Hermione’s grip was insistent. The brown-haired girl glanced over her shoulder and scowled. “Run along, Malfoy, unless you’d like me to conjure you a ball of yarn.”

Malfoy’s face screwed up in anger, but he did not react. The three Gryffindors climbed out of sight at Hermione’s urging. When they reached the third floor, she released Harry and Ginny.

“What was that about yarn, Hermione?” Harry asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him freeze up like that.”

Hermione smiled. “Malfoy found Luna and me on the train. He started with his usual nonsense, but Luna cut him off and told him he was cute.”

“Cute?!” Ginny asked, her revulsion almost tangible.

“Not that kind of cute. Cute like a week-old kitten. That’s what she said . . . that Malfoy reminded her of a kitten who didn’t realise how small his claws were.” Hermione’s grin became vicious. “Then she just stared at him. He took off like he’d been shot from a cannon.”

Harry and Ginny laughed out loud. “Merlin, I wish I could have seen that,” Ginny said.

When they reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, one of the prefects who had stayed with the group opened the portrait and whispered the new password to the students as they filed inside.

What’s a wattlebird? Harry asked.

Dunno. Some kind of bird, I’d say.

Brilliant deduction, Ginny.

The common room was packed with students talking in clusters or meandering around the room, catching up with friends. The sofas and armchairs were all occupied, so Harry, Ginny, and Hermione gathered at a table at one side of the room.

“So what really happened?” Hermione asked, looking around to ensure that they would not be overheard.

Harry and Ginny launched into the story, explaining that the barrier had malfunctioned and how they had ended up at Hogwarts. “So, anyway,” Harry said in conclusion, “we think that the twins and Ron flew the car here, and apparently they made it all right.”

“They flew a car all the way from London to Scotland?” Hermione asked. “How can -”

The portrait hole flew open, and Hermione jumped. Fred and George paraded into the room, followed by Ron, and all three boys wore huge, triumphant grins. “Good evening, Gryffindors!” Fred shouted. “How lovely to see you all again.”

Angelina Johnson snorted from a table nearby. “Speak for yourself. You lot cost us thirty points before we even finished the feast.”

“Ah, fear not!” George announced. “The lovely Madam Granger will win them back in three days, at most, and I assure you that our adventure was worth every point.”

Almost everyone in the common room had stopped talking, and the twins leapt up onto a table as they began their story. “There we were, the train long gone,” Fred began.

George swept an arm across the room towards Harry and Ginny. “We thought that our helpless young charges had made the train, but apparently they also had to find alternative -”

“ — though utterly boring - ”

“ — modes of transportation.”

“Too bad, really,” Fred said, nodding at Ginny. “We’d have let you come along. A bit of adventure is good for youngsters who’ve never had the opportunity to appreciate the finer things in life. Like Flobberworm tartare, for example.”

Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brothers, who answered with wider grins.

“So it was just us and our clever young sibling, Ron, stomping about in the station,” Fred said, pulling a recalcitrant but grinning Ron up onto the table. “What were we to do? The train had gone, our parents and siblings were no-where in sight, and time was of the essence!”

Yeah, right. How could time be of the essence when we’d missed the train?

Harry grinned. I seriously doubt if they care about logic in this story.

“We pondered many things,” George said. “Perhaps, we thought, the train might return for such dedicated students as we.”

Several Gryffindors chuckled, and Fred grinned. “Or perhaps not. Then we thought we might be able to Floo to Hogwarts . . .”

“But, sadly, we hadn’t brought along any powder,” George finished. “Our next idea . . .” He nudged Ron firmly in the ribs.

“Oh . . . err . . .” Ron blinked, his eyes darting around the room and the staring students. “Err . . . we . . . umm. A giant catapult?”

Fred shook his head sadly, but then he brightened. “Yes! George’s idea, naturally, and I have to say I’m glad that one didn’t work out.”

“I still say the lake would have been an easy spot for landing,” George said. “Finally, when we thought we’d run out of options -”

“- Ron the Reluctant here had an astonishingly good idea. There, in the car park-”

“- waiting desperately for something to do-”

“- was nothing more or less than a flying car!” Fred finished.

“Whose origins are unknown and unimportant,” George added in a lower voice, while casually-but-deliberately pointing his wand at a few students who looked inquisitive.

“And so, we were off,” Fred said, miming a launch with his hands. “Yours truly was the pilot.”

“I navigated, naturally,” George said.

“Though that consisted mostly of pointing at the train tracks and saying ‘that way!’”

“That’s beside the point. Young Ron served admirably as our backseat companion, handling the baggage and whatnot.”

Fred bent his knees and peered around the room, his voice dropping to an ominous hum. “Let me tell you, my friends. We faced many perils during that long journey. Massive clouds barred our way.”

“Well-fed birds dive-bombed us.”

Ron, who had dropped to sit at the end of the impromptu stage, suddenly straightened and grinned. “And we were seriously short on nibbles.”

“Which had its up-side, as Ron’s stomach provided rousing musical accompaniment.”

“Nevertheless!” Fred said as George imitated the sounds of Ron’s stomach. “We flew through the long afternoon. At last, no more than an hour ago, we spotted our beloved Hogwarts.”

George nodded. “We thought we had made it, but as we began our descent, our trusty steed began to falter.”

“And, as you might expect, faltering led directly to falling.”

“Through sheer perseverance, Fred the Fabulous managed to keep the car from dropping out of the sky like a battered chunk of metal. The ground rushed towards us, and at the last moment, the car leapt to life and turned to land on its wheels.”

“Then, of course, we bounced a time or two-”

“- Which seriously upset a certain white owl we know -”

“- and ended up rolling across the grounds at high speed. Fortunately, the car had died again, and I managed to stop us just a few feet from the Whomping Willow’s turf.”

“Undaunted, we gathered our belongings and entered the castle with our heads held high.”

“And that, dear house-mates, is how we came to be here among you, travel-worn and world-weary, ready for another year serving the harsh taskmistress that is magical education.”

The twins bowed low and nearly toppled from their perch atop the table. Ginny and Harry could not help applauding at their performance, and some of the other students joined in.

“I’ll be damned,” Angelina said casually. “I think maybe that was worth thirty points.”

The students laughed again as the twins jumped to the floor. Soon, the common room was buzzing with dozens of individual conversations. Fred slung an arm around Ron’s shoulders, and the three boys strolled over to the table where Hermione, Harry, and Ginny were waiting.

“Oi, the things we do for you two,” George said, dropping into an empty chair.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. That show looked like a real hardship.”

“Oh, it was, believe me,” Fred said. “Hi, Hermione.”

“Hello,” she said. “You could have got yourselves killed, you know.”

George grinned. “Ah, but we didn’t.”

“Is Hedwig all right?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” Fred said, nodding. “Seriously hacked off at us, though. She went straight up to the Owlery.”

Relieved, Ginny asked, “What about the car?”

“Oddest thing, that,” George said. “We were trying to figure out where to park it, if we could get it going again, and suddenly it took off on its own towards the Willow. We thought it was suicidal or something, but when the tree started thrashing about, the car stopped. Then it backed up a bit and tried again. The silly thing just kept heading for that Willow at different angles, and we couldn’t stop it. Last we saw, it was doing loops ‘round the tree.”

Fred shook his head in confusion. “Reckon Dad got a bit more than he bargained for out of all those charms.”

As casually as possible, Harry wandered over to a window. The Willow was just visible, standing at the centre of a thick circle of flattened grass, but the Anglia was nowhere in sight.

“The car’s gone now,” Ginny whispered to her brothers and Hermione. “It really tore up the grass, though.”

Several Gryffindors stopped by to talk to the twins as the conversation continued, and soon Lee, Angelina, and Alicia had all found places to sit nearby. A few minutes later, Harry spotted Percy descending the stairs. Poor firsties, he said. I bet he’s been lecturing them the entire time.

Probably. Better them than us.

“I’m going to go and unpack my trunk,” Hermione said as the fourth-years became involved in their summer stories. “Do you want to come along, Ginny?”

“Sure,” Ginny said. She squeezed Harry’s hand briefly, and then the two girls climbed the stairs together.

“What’s the point?” Ron asked Harry. “Our stuff’s up there, one way or another.”

Harry had been considering unpacking also, but he shrugged at Ron and decided to stay in the common room. “Dunno.”

Seamus, who was sitting nearby with Dean, turned in his chair to tease Ron about the Chudley Cannons’ performance in the pre-season, and the red-haired boy immediately left to defend his team’s honour. Partially shielded from the rest of the room by the twins and their friends, Harry was content to watch the people in the common room and listen idly to the other students’ conversation.

Hermione and Ginny reached the second-year girls’ room and found it empty. Looking around, Harry spotted Lavender and Parvati with their heads close together near the fireplace.

After opening all of the curtains around her bed, Hermione lifted the lid of her trunk and unpacked neat stacks of clothing onto her mattress. “I can’t believe they flew a car from London to Scotland,” she said. “Why on earth didn’t they just wait for your parents or something?”

“Because they’re the twins. They never take the easy route.”

Speaking of the twins . . . Ginny inspected the exterior of her trunk closely. Finding nothing obviously amiss, she flung the lid open and leapt back. Nothing happened.

Hermione shook her head, still facing the other direction. “I suppose that can’t be entirely bad, can it? It’s . . . creative, in a way.”

Ginny began checking her things for any signs of tampering. “Something like that. Put Ron with them, and things just get worse.”

“My father thought they were all hilarious,” Hermione said. “He had no idea how your parents have remained sane, though, unless there’s a magical equivalent of gaffer tape.”

Who says they were sane to start with?

Ginny giggled as she sorted through her uniforms. “Harry’s not sure they were ever sane at all. They did have seven of us.” Satisfied that her clothes were safe, she pulled them out and began putting them away.

She has a point, Harry said. We should find out about magical gaffer tape. It might save us from them one day.

“There’s that.” Hermione spent a few minutes putting her six uniform blouses on hangars and placing them all side-by-side in her wardrobe. Then she repeated the process with her six skirts. “You and Harry almost gave everything away, you know.”

“What?” Ginny asked, stopping and looking up. “How? We were really careful. We didn’t do anything.”

Hermione shook her head and walked over to sit on Ginny’s bed, a jumper half-folded in her lap. “You didn’t have to. It’s just the way you are.”

Ginny sat next to her friend. “What do you mean?”

“I admit that I’ve become so used to it that I didn’t realise it until my parents started talking on the way home. You and Harry . . .” She stared at the wall of the dormitory, her eyes unfocused. “You’re always together. The only times you get more than a few feet apart is when one of you goes to the toilet. You touch each other almost constantly, and no-one ever sees you argue.”

Hermione turned and looked Ginny in the eye, putting a comforting hand on her arm. “That’s great, Ginny. It’s really wonderful. But it stands out to anyone who spends much time with you, and it’s quite odd for people our age. Especially for you, Harry.”

It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Harry asked.

Sighing, Ginny repeated his question aloud.

“It’s okay, Ginny,” Hermione said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. My parents noticed, that’s all.”

“What’d they say?”

Hermione finished folding the jumper and set it aside. “More or less what I just said, but they talked a lot more about what they’d seen. Apparently, my father brought it up with yours at some point, and your dad mostly explained it away. That stopped my parents from asking me too many questions.”

Harry and Ginny were strangely enthralled with hearing about themselves from an outsider’s point of view. “What’d Mr. Wea -” Ginny shook her head. “What’d Dad say?”

“He said that the two of you had just taken to each other very quickly and become the very best of friends. It’s the truth, really.”

Ginny smiled. “Yeah, Daddy’s good at that.”

“My parents believed him. My mother said that it had to happen to some people. ‘Every bell curve has two ends,’ she said.”

What?

“Err . . . what’s that mean in plain English, Hermione?”

Hermione waved her hand airily. “Oh, just . . . for every two people who absolutely loathe each other on first sight, there is probably a pair of people who get along perfectly. Most people fall somewhere in between.”

“So they don’t think we’re . . . you know . . . a couple?” Ginny asked, hoping for both possible answers at the same time.

The brunette smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “No, not really. They don’t think you’ve quite worked that part out yet.”

Harry grinned in the common room. Shows what they know.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it,” Hermione said, hugging Ginny around her shoulders. “Everyone here is already used to you. Except the first-years, I suppose, but I doubt they’ll bother you at all.”

Harry saw the other two second-year Gryffindor girls abandon their seats and start towards the staircase. “Lavender and Parvati are coming,” Ginny said.

Hermione went back to her bed and continued stowing her things, and Ginny followed suit. Downstairs, Harry decided that he was wasting time in the common room for no reason, so he also went up to his room to unpack.

Parvati entered the dormitory first, looking over her shoulder as she talked with Lavender. “ . . . be wonderful. How could he not be?”

The two girls closed the door behind them. “Hi, Ginny! Hi, Hermione!” Lavender said.

“Hello,” Hermione said with a small but sincere smile.

Ginny smiled and stopped pulling socks out of her trunk. “Hi. How have you two been?”

“Utterly bored,” Parvati said, dropping onto the end of her bed with a dramatic sigh and facing Ginny across the open area. “It was nice to be at home and all, but there was absolutely nothing to do most of the time. Thank goodness for the wireless.”

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

“And owls,” Lavender said. “I’d’ve died without Witch Weekly. What about you, Ginny?”

“Oh, well, Harry and I -”

“Wait, what?” Parvati asked, straightening abruptly. “You spent the summer with Harry?”

Hermione shot Ginny an exasperated look but did not speak.

“Well . . . yeah,” Ginny said. “He came to visit for the last half of the hols.”

Lavender’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, seriously?”

Is everything a question with these two? Harry wondered.

“You got to spend half the summer with your boyfriend in your house?” the blonde girl continued. “That must have been so nice.”

“Having a boyfriend must be so nice,” Parvati said.

Lavender nodded. “Never mind it’s Harry Potter.”

Ugh. Spare me.

I think they have an excellent point, Ginny said, smiling. No-one had ever referred to Harry as her boyfriend aloud before, and they felt a small thrill of pleasure when she heard the word. “It was nice.”

“What did you do?”

“Does he hold your hand?”

“Did he kiss you?”

The barrage of questions ended with the two girls perched expectantly on the end of Parvati’s bed, and Ginny felt her face heating as she tried to sort them out. “Well . . . mostly we played Quidditch and swam in the pond and such. We went to Diagon Alley a couple of times, too.”

Lavender closed her eyes. “I bet that was wonderful.”

“The swimming sounds really nice,” Parvati said, grinning. “But did he kiss you?”

Harry fought the urge to hide under his bed, but a slow smile spread across Ginny’s face. “Well, technically, yes.” She paused, watching the two girls until she thought they might explode. “He kisses my cheek sometimes.”

Lavender and Parvati released their breaths in a long, dreamy sigh as they collapsed against each other. “You’re so lucky, Ginny. He’s adorable,” Lavender said.

I repeat . . . ugh.

“You have to tell us these things, Ginny,” Parvati said. “We’re your roommates! You can tell us anything.”

“There’s no need to be shy,” Lavender added. “I hope you don’t spend the whole year hiding from us again.”

Ginny remembered the ruse that she and Hermione had devised almost a year ago, and she and Harry instantly decided to abandon it. “I won’t,” she said. “I wasn’t really hiding. I was just . . . you know . . . cautious.”

Parvati nodded, her head cocked to one side. “That’s okay. I get it. You were here early, after all.”

“But now we’ve all been here for a year, so it’s just silly not to talk to each other about everything,” Lavender said brightly. “We should all have lunch together sometimes, or something. Right, Hermione?”

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny, out of the other girls’ sight, but she nodded. “Of course, Lavender.”

Lavender and Parvati began unpacking, chatting and showing off new articles of clothing as they went, and Ginny returned to her trunk. Hermione, who had finished during the conversation, sat against her pillows with her Charms book in her lap.

Harry had not needed much time to move his clothes into his wardrobe, though he did have to pause to remove the Rosasempra charm from his pants. In all, he felt the twins had let them off rather lightly. He pushed the Invisibility Cloak under his pillow and then sat on his bed, idly toying with his Seeker’s gloves. I’m your boyfriend, then, am I?

Ginny smiled. To them, yes. It’s close enough.

Well, Malfoy has already declared that you’re my girlfriend in the middle of a bookshop, so that rather settles that, don’t you think?

Of course, she replied, muffling a snort. You don’t mind everyone saying that, do you?

They took a moment to think about the question, though the simplest answer blazed through their minds. I suppose the other boys my age might think it’s odd, Harry said, but that’s not really my problem. If saying that makes it easier for them to accept us, then I’m okay with it. Really, you’re my . . . my . . .

Your girly side?

In the empty dormitory, Harry did not have to hide his burst of laughter. Something like that. I hope we’re never like Lavender and Parvati, though. I think I liked them better when you were avoiding them.

They’re nice, Ginny said. They’re just . . . err . . .

Barking?

No. They’re excited and outgoing. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Harry realised that the same description could be applied to Ginny, though she usually expressed herself differently. He certainly did not want to deny her any friendships. You’re right, he said. I’ll be nice.

I know you will. She looked through the remaining items in her trunk. Ron’s not totally wrong. There’s no point in pulling out our things for class until we need them. We don’t even know which classes we have tomorrow.

That’s the spirit.

Ginny smiled fondly. With everything else out of the way, she carefully lifted out her jewellery box, which she had wrapped in Bun-bun’s towel. The small table at the side of her four-poster was just large enough for the box and her picture of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though the lid of the box would block the picture when it was open.

“What’s that, Ginny?” Lavender asked, interrupting her conversation with Parvati.

“It’s a jewellery box,” Ginny said. “I got it for my birthday.”

“Open it,” Hermione said in a quiet voice, looking up from her book.

Ginny lifted the lid, activating the fairy and her music. Lavender and Parvati rushed over to watch, and Hermione abandoned her book to look over the other girls’ shoulders. All four of them watched the dance from start to finish.

“That’s beautiful,” Parvati breathed.

Lavender nodded. “Must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Err . . . it was made out of a rock and a button, actually,” Ginny said.

“What? How? Who made it?”

Ginny shrugged as casually as she could. “A friend of my dad’s who’s really good at Transfiguration and Charms.”

They all stood in fascinated silence as the music and dance cycled again.

Harry was startled out of his reverie when the door opened and Neville walked into the room. “Hi, Neville,” Harry said. “How was your holiday?”

“Oh,” the other boy said, his eyes darting around the room. “Not bad. Yours?”

Harry shrugged. “Could’ve been worse.”

“Good.”

Neville took even less time to unpack than Harry had, and then he pulled a book out of his trunk and left the dormitory again.

You consider that a complete conversation? Ginny asked.

With Neville? Yeah, I’d say that’s a good step from where we left off last year.

Point.

Ginny closed the jewellery box when the song ended for the third time, and the other girls went back to their own beds, Lavender and Parvati whispering excitedly to each other about the magic involved. Ginny and Harry returned to the common room and their table near the wall. The twins were still talking animatedly with Lee, Angelina, and Alicia, and Ron was duelling with Seamus using Levitated textbooks. Harry and Ginny slipped back into their seats without anyone noticing that they had left and returned.

A while later, the common room began to empty. They waited until all four of Harry’s roommates had gone upstairs, and then they left for their separate dormitories. Harry changed into his pyjamas inside the sanctuary of his curtained bed, and Ginny put on her long t-shirt in the girls’ bathroom.

“What happened to your pyjamas?” Parvati asked when Ginny walked back into the room.

“Oh . . . I outgrew them,” Ginny said.

“That’s too bad. They were pretty.”

Ginny summoned a half-smile. “Yeah.”

She said goodnight to her roommates and then pulled her curtains closed, sealing them with a whispered Sticking Charm. In the boys’ room, Harry simply sealed his curtains and sat at the head of the bed to wait. When both dormitories were filled only by the sounds of sleep, Ginny draped her towel over one shoulder, picked up her pillow, and Shifted to the foot of Harry’s bed.

Hi, she said, smiling. Fancy meeting you here.

Seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?

Harry braided Ginny’s hair for sleeping, and then he Transfigured Bun-bun in the quietest whisper he could manage. Ginny pulled on the Invisibility Cloak and lay down with him, arranging the silky material so that it covered her but still allowed her to snake an arm under Harry’s shirt. I missed this Cloak, she said, enjoying the warmth as she tucked herself into his side.

I can’t say that I missed your floating-face look, but I’ll get used to it again.

Ginny smiled and squeezed his waist. I can’t wait for tomorrow.