The next morning, September first, Harry woke up and looked at his alarm clock, only to find that it was nine thirty. He got out of bed to wake up Ron, who had, by this time, an unusual pattern impressed in his cheek from the socks he had slept on.
“Wake up, Ron,” Harry said. “Wake up, we’re going to school today.” Harry stopped. He was actually excited about school, the actual aspect of getting to school.
“I’ve gone mad,” he said softly, smiling.
“You bloody well have!” Ron said blearily. “Now I have to wake up! You are not my favorite person in the world right now.”
“Sorry, Ron, but the Hogwarts Express leaves at eleven, you know that! Now finish packing, get dressed, and let’s go eat breakfast.” Ron muttered random profanities as he complied with Harry’s wishes.
After they lugged their trunks downstairs, Harry and Ron went to eat breakfast, finding Mr. Weasley sitting there already, drinking coffee as he read the Prophet; the feminist witches paraded around the front cover, looking as though they had been chased out of the Ministry by a very irritable dog. He looked up as the two boys entered the room.
“Ah, Harry! Beautiful morning, isn’t it? I trust your summer has been enjoyable so far…”
“Only the part without the Dursleys, sir!” Harry said, grinning.
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Weasley said, frowning at the mention of Harry’s only living relatives, Muggles no less. He had met them previously, learning quickly that they were not as receptive to Harry’s being a wizard as he would have liked. He therefore kept their meetings short, and met them only when absolutely necessary. “I only hope their manners have improved since the last time we met.” Harry fought down a snicker. The Dursleys would never be a decent family, Muggle or otherwise.
The rest of the morning was spent eating a quick breakfast of kippers and juice, as well as checking for anything the group may have forgotten. When they had finished and congregated in the sitting room before departing, Harry looked around. This would be the last year he spent holidays at the Weasley’s house before he went to Hogwarts. Harry had a feeling this year would be filled with lasts, so he swore to himself that he would remember every moment of it.
He looked at Angela. Being a Muggle-born, she, as well as Harry and Hermione, had the best idea as to what to wear in the presence of Muggles. She wore jeans, white-and-pink striped trainers, and a denim jacket over a T-shirt bearing the words “A Little Drama Never Hurt Anyone.” Harry snorted. He knew Angela wasn’t a drama queen, or at least he didn’t think she was, but he wasn’t going to try to unleash that side of her.
They left in almost complete silence, the clatter of their trunks being the only noise. They loaded them into the trunk of a Ministry car, and got inside themselves. The journey to Kings Cross Station was a quiet one, Angela only asking Hermione when they would change into their robes.
“After we get on the train,” Ginny said rather brusquely. The rest of the car’s occupants could feel the awkwardness and decided not to start any conversation for fear of Ginny’s icy stare.
When they arrived at Kings Cross, Harry got out of the car as quickly as he could, afraid that the more time he spent in the car the more he would prolong Ginny’s irritation with him. He got his school trunk and a disgruntled Hedwig out of the car and grabbed an unused trolley from the path, heaved his luggage onto it, and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. After everyone had found a trolley, they entered the station.
As they did every year, the group headed toward the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Entering Platform 9 ¾ was no mean feat: Harry told Angela how to wait until no one was looking at them, and then run at the barrier, going right through to the magical platform from which the train would transport them to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As they entered, they saw the familiar scarlet and black Hogwarts Express emitting puffs of black smoke as it was preparing to leave. The two Weasleys bade their mother good-bye, Mrs. Weasley rushing over to hug Harry and Hermione as well. To Angela, she merely gave a warm smile and a brief “Have a nice trip, dear.” Angela smiled warmly back before turning to ask Harry whether they should be finding seats on the train. As she spoke, the group left Mrs. Weasley, hurrying onto the train. Ron and Hermione went off to their duties as Prefects, so Harry, Ginny, and Angela were left to look for an available compartment. As they entered an empty one, the train began to move. They took their seats as soon as they finished hauling their trunks onto the luggage rack. Harry sat next to Angela, and Ginny sat across from Harry, her arms crossed and a disapproving scowl on her face.
Halfway through the trip, Ron and Hermione visited their compartment. They stayed to talk for a while, but then left to patrol the rest of the train. Harry continued a very drawn out conversation with Angela, mainly discussing the Gryffindor Quidditch team and their Seeker, and how wonderful it was to have a reserve Seeker, lest Harry encounter any jinxes or rogue Bludgers on the playing field.
*
Ginny, who felt stupid trying to work herself into the conversation at every possible opportunity, excused herself and left the compartment in search of the lavatory.
The lavatory was only two carriages away, and she encountered no one she knew while passing through the first carriage. However, half way down the second, only three compartments away from the restroom, she bumped into someone. She looked up, only to see the smug face of Draco Malfoy. She spoke first, trying to avoid any unnecessary taunting about her family.
“Excuse me, Malfoy,” Ginny said quietly. “I need to get by.”
Malfoy smirked. “Why’s that, Weasley? Trying to auction off some of your school things to send money to that Mudblood-loving father of yours?”
Ginny tried to remain calm. She knew this would happen. She tried to get around Malfoy, but he blocked her every time. Then she had an idea.
“I’m sure your father, incarcerated though he may be, would be very disappointed that you would waste your time trifling with a mere Weasley, don’t you think?” She knew he would have no comeback for this rather blunt remark, but she felt horrible that she was referring to herself as if she was not worthy of self-respect.
“You’re absolutely right, Weasley,” he said, smirking as he let Ginny pass. She knew she would’ve felt better if she’d done something more to insult him, but Malfoy was hardly a threat to her at this point.
When Ginny entered the bathroom, she checked all of the cubicles to make sure no one was there. Then she cried. She couldn’t help it: she wanted to be strong, to make her not seem like a pathetic little girl who couldn’t bear to leave her boyfriend, but she couldn’t do it. She broke down almost completely when two Hufflepuff girls entered. She realized then that the train would reach Hogwarts soon, so she mopped up her tears and concealed her eyes as best as she could without hindering her sight, for they were puffy and very red. She exited the bathroom and headed back to her compartment. When she went to open the sliding door, she froze.
There, on the very seat where Harry and Angela were sitting just minutes before, she saw them kissing. Not just the kindhearted kissing, but a sort of situation making it seem as though they were wrestling with their mouths. She was mortified. She wanted to go straight to Ron and Hermione to tell them, but she thought of something else. Something much more daring, something she never would’ve done if they hadn’t been broken up. She entered the compartment.
Harry and Angela separated immediately, looking completely embarrassed. Ginny smiled weakly.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said lightheartedly, feeling very the complete opposite right then, but nonetheless. She felt like strangling Harry, but that wouldn’t do any good. She was going to milk this for all it was worth. Harry looked at Ginny darkly. He turned to Angela.
“Angela, may I talk to Ginny for a moment, please?”
Angela’s face was still completely flushed. “I guess,” she said, now starung at the laces of her shoes. Ginny left the compartment, followed by Harry, who closed the door rather hard.
“Ginny, I’m sorry you had to see that, but I’m moving on, and so should you.”
Ginny felt tears welling up in her eyes as her plan took an unexpected turn, but she forced them back. “I know we agreed to breaking up, but this is a rather fast recovery on your part, don’t you think?”
“I won’t mind if you go out with someone else,” Harry said. This was a lie. It would torture him to see Ginny happy with someone else. But what else could he say?
“I’ll just go sit with Dean, then,” Ginny said, looking hurt. She walked past Harry and opened the door to the next car. Harry hesitated for a moment, then reentered his compartment, where he and Angela smiled embarrassedly and spent the rest of the ride on opposite benches.