Chapter Text
Ginny Weasley was having an interesting August. It had started out alright, she was, of course, excited to go to Hogwarts. Well, excited was an understatement. Ginny was practically bouncing off the walls, with excitement. She couldn’t wait the two weeks till it was time to go to King’s Cross Station, board the train, and go to Hogwarts. That all changed the next morning, when she came downstairs to find Harry Potter in the kitchen! The moment Ginny saw him she freaked and darted back up the stairs, running straight to her room. She knew Ron and Harry Potter were friends, but never thought he would turn up here of all places!
Ginny had a massive crush on Harry Potter, thinking about his story, tragic, but also heroic. Ginny sighed and slid down her door. Thinking about him.
Oh no.
Ron, Fred, and George were down there with Harry. Harry was friends with them. Ginny had been talking about Harry all summer (in addition to Hogwarts). Her face felt burning hot, like it was on fire. Her brothers were definitely going to mention her to Harry.
This wasn’t how Ginny had hoped things would go. She had hoped that she would be able to introduce herself, not have her brothers do it for her.
After a good minute of sulking, and subsequently being embarrassed, Ginny got up to get dressed. She was still in her nightgown, not expecting a guest, much less Harry Potter. Another pause. Another blush. Another minute of quickly passing embarrassed thoughts.
Ginny pushed them all to the side. If luck was on her side, then her brothers wouldn’t mention her to Harry, and she could still get in a good first impression.
Ginny quickly dressed, before sitting on the edge of her bed. She was going to make sure that Harry was not down stairs by the time she went down. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of having to wait for breakfast, but her brain was going a mile a minute.
After a minute (or more, Ginny couldn’t tell) she heard someone come in the house. Ginny opened the door, and looked down the stairs. Dad was home. But Ginny didn’t dare go say hello, as after a bit of talking, mum started up on him.
“LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?”
Ooo, mum was mad. Someone was going to get chewed out, and Ginny guessed that Fred, George and Ron had already been teared into.
Ginny listened for a moment more, Harry had been dragged into the conversation. Ginny would have preferred to continue listening, if Ron wasn’t bringing Harry up stairs.
After Ginny heard Ron saying something to Harry, she was up the stairs in a flash. In her room, she looked out, waiting for them to appear. Not even a second later, Harry appeared on the landing, following Ron upstairs to his room no doubt.
Ginny made eye contact with Harry, the original plan was to introduce herself, but when she locked eyes with Harry, she made a split second decision and shut the door.
Her heart pounding, she turned and flopped onto the bed. She, Ginny, made eye contact with Harry Potter. She could feel her face go red.
—------------------------
The next week was very interesting. Ginny still hadn’t gotten used to Harry being in the same house as her, and everytime he walked into the same room as her, she was conflicted between being as confident as possible and running from the room. Everytime she paused for a split second to decide, she dropped something or knocked something over. Everytime, she had to stop thinking to pick it up. And everytime, she ending up just staying where she was, trying to be confident. (Nevermind the fact that her confidence went unnoticed)
One morning at breakfast, Harry came downstairs and Ginny did her normal thing of stopping, thinking, being forced to stay, and trying not to do anything stupid.
Something special about this morning, Ginny got her Hogwarts letter.
Mum handed Harry a letter, and he quickly scanned it. Ginny had to physically look away from Harry before her face lit on fire.
Fred had already read his own letter, and was peering over Harry’s shoulder. “You’ve been told to get all Lockhart’s books, too!” he said. “The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it’s a witch.”
Fred met mum’s eye and then quickly busied himself with the marmalade.
“That lot won’t come cheap,” said George, looking at mum and dad, “Lockhart’s books are really expensive...”
“Well, we’ll manage,” said mum, Ginny could tell she was worried, “I expect we’ll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny’s things secondhand.”
Ginny internally groaned. Why did mum have to draw attention to her, especially while Harry is in the room?
“Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?” Harry asked Ginny. Ginny flushed, nodded, and set her elbow on the table, trying to act confident. Just then, Percy came into the room, and everyone was distracted by him.
Percy sat down, unfortunately on top of Errol, who had a letter. Ron grabbed it and read it aloud, it was Ron and Harry’s other friend, Hermione, responding to the letter Ron had sent before he and the twins went on a rescue mission for Harry. Ron was horrified because she was doing her school work over vacation. Hermione had proposed they meet up on the next wednesday to go shopping, and mum had agreed.
Ginny soon returned to her room, surprised to find that her elbow felt weird, had Fred and George done something?
-- - - - - — —---------------------------------------
Well, the following Wednesday had arrived, and they were all set to leave. Ron had forgot that Harry had never flooed before, and Ginny could tell by the way he stuttered Diagon Alley, that he wouldn’t end up with the rest of the family.
Ginny tried not to worry, but when she got on the other side of the fireplace (they landed in Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment), Harry wasn’t there. Mum immediately went into a flurry, looking around, trying to find him. Ginny stuck with her mum (It was not because Mum was dragging her hand and pulling her along, no, Ginny was following mum because she wanted too), and together they went into the neighbouring shops, one by one, before seeing him on the steps of Gringotts.
Mum barely settled down from her panic of Harry going missing, and yelled at the twins when they asked about how it was down Knockturn Alley. Thanking Hagrid for getting him out of there. (Hagrid found Harry down Knockturn Alley) Mum was still fussing, and probably would be for a while, unless something more shocking happened.
After they had pulled some money from the vaults, they then went off to buy things. Percy went for a new quill; Fred and George went off to do who know what (best guess: buying pranking materials); Ron, Harry and Hermione went off to go do whatever too; Dad went off with Hermione’s parents for a drink; mum was dragging Ginny along to buy her first year materials. Everything they got for her was second hand. She was used to it, but wished she could have something new every once in a while.
After they bought everything Ginny needed (robes, a cauldron, a wand, ink and quill, some glass vials, etc. etc.) they went to Flourish and Blotts. Ginny would have been surprised to see Gildroy Lockhart there, had there not been a poster boasting his presence. Ginny knew of Lockhart, Mum liked him quite a lot, but Ginny didn’t care much for him.
Opinion of the people? They loved him. There were so many people in the shop, it was a mad house!
Ron, Harry, and Hermione found them in the crowd. Mum kept fixing her hair as the family moved forward, only pausing to acknowledge the trio. “Oh, there you are, good. We’ll be able to see him in a minute...”
As they ambled forward with the crowd, he slowly came into view, Gildroy Lockhart. Seated at a table with large pictures of his face surrounding him, his shining smile pointed at the crowd while he winked. The real Lockhart was in a shocking shade of blue that matched his eyes; his hat was on a jaunty angle, perched on his wavy hair.
Ron accidentally go in the way of a man taking pictures, the man seemed easily annoyed.
“Out of the way, there, this is for the Daily Prophet —”
“Big deal,” said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.
Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron — and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, “It can’t be, Harry Potter?”
The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry’s arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry’s face was red as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer.
It was obvious that when Lockhart was done taking photos, he wanted to come back over to us, but Lockhart threw an arm around Harry’s shoulder and pulled him back towards himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said loudly, waving for quiet. “What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I’ve been sitting on for some time!
“When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography — which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —” The crowd applauded again. “He had no idea,” Lockhart continued, shaking Harry a bit to where his glasses moved down his nose, “that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”

The crowd cheered, Lockhart dumped a load of books on Harry, and as soon as he was free, Harry walked up to Ginny. Ginny froze. Harry was walking towards her.
“You have these,” Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into her cauldron. “I’ll buy my own ”—
“Bet you loved that, didn’t you, Potter?” said a blond boy behind Harry. Harry turned around and his mood dropped, he had a half-scowl etched on his face. Ginny barely recognized him, but the blond was Draco Malfoy.
“Famous Harry Potter,” said Malfoy. “Can’t even go into a bookshop without making the front page.”
“Leave him alone, he didn’t want all that!” said Ginny. It was obvious he didn’t. Ginny almost didn’t register the fact that this is the first time she spoke in front of Harry. Ginny dismissed the thought as she glared at Malfoy.
“Potter, you’ve got yourself a girlfriend!” drawled Malfoy. Ginny face started burning. The word replaying in his head. Girlfriend. Girlfriend. Girlfriend. Ginny wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation now.
“Oh, it’s you,” Ron said from behind Ginny, “Bet you’re surprised to see Harry here, eh?”
Girlfriend. Girlfriend.
“Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley,” retorted Malfoy. “I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those.”
Girlfriend.
“Ron!” said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. “What are you doing? It’s too crowded in here, let’s go outside.”
Girlfriend.
“Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley.”
Girlfriend.
It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco’s shoulder, sneering in just the same way.
Girlfriend.
“Lucius,” said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.
Girlfriend.
“Busy time at the Ministry, I hear,” said Mr. Malfoy. “All those raids... I hope they-”
Girlfri-
CRASH-