Ginny Weasley and the Heir of Slytherin

Gryffindor House

"Firs' years! Firs' years come here!" cried a familiar voice. It was Hagrid, holding a lamp above the heads of all the first years. Ginny and the rest of the students had just gotten off the train in Hogsmeade, a small wizarding village near Hogwarts. It was now late at night — probably well past her bedtime, she thought. She couldn't help feeling a bit grown-up knowing she was up and about this late and wouldn't get in trouble for it.

Once Hagrid was sure he had all the first years, he led them down a narrow path, which Ginny's feet kept slipping on. It was so dark she couldn't see what was on either side of her and she found herself feeling rather scared, but it was a "good" scared. Eventually, they rounded a bend and...

It was there.

Right before her bare eyes.

The castle she had wanted to see for so many years was right there and nothing separated her from it but air. Its windows sparkled like the stars behind it and its hundreds of spires reached up towards the heavens. The castle looked to Ginny as if it had been chiseled out of the mountain upon which it sat in moody silence. It was almost overwhelming for her to just suddenly see Hogwarts all at once after waiting years and years for it, but it, though she could not have explained why, made everything she had gone through to get there worth it.

Soon, they were all aboard the fleet of boats which carried them across the lake and up to the school. Ginny knew this was coming as she had heard about it, but it was such a thing to actually experience it. This made her remember that this was the day she had so desperately wanted to come for so long and which for most of her life seemed impossibly far off. And now it was here — really here. Such were Ginny's thoughts as they glided gently over the water and she continued to stare at the castle. She turned around to see the reaction of the person behind her.

The person behind her was none other than Kimmy Seong, the Muggle-born girl she had met in Diagon Alley. Kimmy obviously recognized Ginny too, because she anxiously smiled at her, which was more than could be said for the boy sitting to Kimmy's left. He was the same shy brown-haired boy Ginny had seen on the train and he seemed to be feeling very self-conscious, looking away to avoid making eye-contact with anyone. There was also a girl Ginny hadn't seen before who was small and thin like someone who had lost weight due to illness. She had long unkempt black hair, dark green eyes and her skin seemed to be tinted slightly green, making it horribly clash with her clothing. Unlike all the other first years, who were gazing up at the castle in awe, this sad-looking girl was staring into the water as though Hogwarts was not at all of interest to her.

However, it was to Ginny and she turned back to face it just as they reached the cliff upon which the castle of her dreams stood.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled suddenly, giving Ginny something of a shock.

After they were carried through a curtain of ivy, which concealed an opening into the cliff, Ginny sat back up again to see where they were going. It was really dark, but she could tell they were in a tunnel which seemed to be taking them under the castle. Ginny wasn't sure why they were going this way, but she was really excited to find out. When they eventually reached a kind of underground port Ginny started climbing out of the boat a few seconds before they actually landed and ended up being the first person on the rocky shore.

Hagrid led them all up a passageway and onto the grass right in the shadow of Hogwarts. Ginny noticed Luna Lovegood seemed to be watching something invisible fly away from the school's entrance and into the forest. Hagrid knocked on the oak front doors four times and it swung open immediately. On the other side was a woman with spectacles and black hair in a tight bun who could only be Professor McGonagall. Ginny's brothers had warned her that McGonagall was very strict, and the stern look on her face did nothing to debunk that.