A Journey To Hogwarts

[Ginny Weasley]

[September 1st. Our first IC thread, open to anyone who would be on the Hogwarts Express.]
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBmX0swPVso {I'm just trying to accompany every thread I start with a track from the movie scores, don't worry about it XP}

Fields, trees and the occasional muggle village sped past Ginny as she stared out of the window. both excited and extremely apprehensive to be attending the famed school for the first time. She'd been longing to go to Hogwarts, ever since she'd been old enough to understand that it was there that most of her brothers vanished to, and an undeniable thrill was coursing through her at the prospect of attending at last.

Of course, the situation in general was far from perfect. Outside the safe walls of the Burrow and Hogwarts, You-Know-Who was at large again, and even though she had little doubt that Harry Potter - famous as he was - would be able to defeat him again, she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her idol. And on top of that, while as good as insignificant in comparison to the thought of the feared dark wizrd on the loose but still just as worrisome to an eleven-year-old girl, were other concerns. Such as how much she'd be teased for the almost-threadbare hand-me-down robes she had stuffed in her trunk, what her brothers would think if she didn't get into Gryffindor... and whether Harry Potter, the famour boy who lived, would ever like her.

Thank goodness for Tom.

She was alone in the compartment for the time being, Percy being off with the other prefects, Ron probably with Harry Potter himself (she blushed a little just thinking about it) and Fred and George getting up to who-knew-what mischief, and so Ginny slipped the old diary that had fast become her most treasured possession, ever since she'd found it inside her battered beginners guide to transfiguration, out of her trunk, simply contemplating it. Tom Riddle. She'd confided all her concerns to him, and he had been sympathetic, she trusted him like she'd trust no person alive - he was, after all, just a book - and he understood her like no-one else had.

Thinking she heard a noise outside the compartment door, as though someone where about to come in, Ginny hastily stuffed the diary up her shirt (it was a little too big for her pockets). Tom was her private friend, and selfish as it may have seemed, Ginny didn't want to run the risk of anyone else finding out about the diary's magical properties and wanting to share him.

[Dean Thomas]

Thomas had been frantically searching for anyone he knew. The 12 year old just wanted a glimpse of his school friends, Seamus, Harry, Ron, Neville, ANYONE who looked familiar. Despite not being a lowly first year anymore, the youth was still finding his way around the wizarding world. After spending a the summer watching football he'd have to go back to Quidditch. Instead of helping his sisters with math he'd have to go back to his own classes of Potions (great) and Trasfiguration.

And he couldn't be more excited.

Pushing open the door, the youth blinked a few times to see a young red haired girl sitting there. He smiled. "You wouldn't happen to be a Wealsey would you?" he asked with a chuckle, "Th' hair gives it away. My name's Dean. Can I sit here?"

[Ginny Weasley]

"Yes, I am. I'm Ginny." In her hurry to conceal it, one corner of the diary was jabbing her uncomfortably in the stomach, which the red-haired girl struggled to ignore as she looked at her new companion. This boy, she guessed, wasn't a first-year like herself, although she could tell precious little about him from first sight. He didn't seem like a particularly bad sort, though, so she quickly nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Maybe he was a second-year - he didn't look much older than her brother Ron, at any rate - and that meant maybe he knew Harry Potter, attended classes with him, and Ginny wondered if she dared ask him about the Boy Who Lived. While she did want to find out everything she could about the famous young wizard, Ginny was simultaneously scared of making her crush on him too obvious. Rather than initiate the subject of Harry Potter, however, Ginny decided to - at least initially - not make too much of an effort to mention him.

"Do you know my brothers, then?" she asked instead.

[Dean Thomas]

His smile was gentle and cool as he took a seat across from Ginny, placing his luggage under the seat. He nodded. "Yeah, I know Ron," he replied, "Percy too, though he's a right-uh...sorry..." His grin turned sheepish as the youth rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, I know of Fred an' George too. All in the same house, y'know." He leaned back in the plush seating of the train.

"Ginny," he repeated, "Ron's talked about you some. I'm Dean. Dean Thomas." He held out his hand to shake her's politely.

[Luna Lovegood]

A blonde-haired girl peered into the compartment, her large silver eyes jumping between Dean and Ginny. Luna didn't have anyone to sit with. Everyone said some not nice things about her father and the Quibbler...something about being a 'nut job' and a 'weirdo'.

Luna didn't really pay attention to them. She supposed some wrackspurts had infected their brains and made them say those things.

"Hello?" she called "Is there any room?"

[Terry Boot]

Ah good another Student Terry thought as he lugged his trunk down the hallway pausing to look into every compartment but to his disappointment they were already full. “Uh excuse me!” he calls out toward Luna or to the people who were currently in the train compartment “would there be room for one more? I’m having trouble finding one that’s not full”

[Ginny Weasley]

While a part of her thought maybe she should be a little offended by what Dean had almost said about Percy, Ginny instead gave a little chuckle. She couldn't deny that Percy could be rather stuffy, even if she didn't mind him for the most part. "He is a bit," she agreed as Dean continued speaking.

"You're a Gryffindor as well?" she put in, taking the offered hand for a moment. Once more, Ginny ferverently hoped she'd make Gryffindor as well; if for no other reason than that her brothers would never let her hear the end of it if she ended up in another house. And again, she couldn't help but wonder if Dean knew Harry. Before she could think of asking, however - or of demanding just what Ron had been telling his classmates about her - the compartment door had opened again. Ginny looked up at the blonde girl who stood there.

"Sure," she answered, quickly sliding her trunk off the seat beside her and hoisting it - with some difficulty, since she was still trying to keep Tom's Diary from falling out of her shirt - up onto the luggage rack. At a guess, this girl was another first-year; she looked, as Ginny felt, not quite sure of what she was doing.

"I'm Ginny," she introduced herself as she sat back down, indicating that the blonde girl could sit next to her.

[Harry Potter]

Hectic barely even began to describe the summer Harry had just come off of. First there had been the incident leading up to his aunt and uncle locking him up in his room and trying to keep him from getting to school at all, which had been quickly remedied by Ron and his brothers helping him pull off a great escape via flying car. The flying car thing still was amazing to Harry. So ordinary, yet so out of the ordinary at the same time. Next had been the time spent with the Weasleys, which had led to an unfortunate trip to Nocturn Alley (Harry had silently promised himself to avoid floo powder travel in the future if he could) and a meeting with some pompous wizard called Gilderoy Lockhart whom Harry was convinced was in love with himself. On top of all that, Harry still had the lingering memories of his failed attempt at stopping the former professor Quirrel from stealing the Philosopher's Stone. He had wondered for quite some time how the other students even felt about him for failing to stop Quirrel. As much as he wanted to know, Harry felt it better not to ask.

At the present moment, the young second year Gryffindor was making his way through the train and looking for a place to sit. He'd have much preferred if he could sit with Hermione and Ron, mainly because he hadn't had much of an opportunity to be alone with them, but that option was quickly disipating when he realized that places were beginning to fill up. Harry would just have to find somewhere else to sit.

Oh, good. There's a place. Harry thought as he caught a glimpse of where Ginny, Dean, Terry, and Luna happened to be. Maybe they'd let him join them. Ginny and Dean he recognized, one being Ron's little sister and the other being a fellow Gryffindor. Terry and Luna he was unfamiliar with, though. He'd just have to make due with that fact. Without further debate, Harry made his way over. Hopefully there would be enough room for five.

"Excuse me, would it be all right if I joined you?" Harry asked.

[Ginny Weasley]

For a moment, as she waited for Luna to introduce herself, Ginny hadn't noticed the other two boys who had entered the compartment. It was only when the second one spoke up that the redhead started, realising that it was Harry himself. She turned crimson and hastily averted her gaze, simply nodding mutely in answer to his question. Having Harry staying with them at the burrow for most of the summer had done little to lessen her embarrassment around him; indeed, after seeing him around so often, Ginny found it possibly even harder than she had initially to talk in his presence, and right now she hurriedly tried (with very little success) not to look as though she was staring at Harry.

[Dean Thomas]

"Harry Potter! As I live and breathe!" Dean laughed and stood to hold out his hand to shake Harry's. His smile was turned from Ginny towards his friend. He chuckled and tapped Harry on the shoulder. "I suppose you care to join us, Harry?" He motioned to Ginny. "I suppose you know since you and Weasley are joined at the bloody hip but we've got another Weasley in our midst! Ginny, right?"

His eyebrows raised towards the two who entered but shrugged slightly. "Hello everyone, I suppose," he laughed, sitting towards the window so Terry and Harry could have room, "I'm Dean. Its nice t'mean you all."

[Terry Boot]

“I’m Terry, Terry Boot” the young Ravenclaw introduced himself to the others flashing them a friendly grin before scooting into the cabin and sits next to the Dean but not before letting Harry go 1st after all he was famous in Terry’s and the rest of the wizarding worlds eyes. “So, how was everyone summer?” he asks stretching out a moment before digging in his pocket for some candy to eat but finds none after rummaging threw both pockets of his cloak and pants. “So uh Ginny I’m assuming you will be sorted into Gryffindor?” he asks leaning back in his seat.