~Pottertalia~ (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 1

Ginny was worried. Where was Harry? Correction; where was Harry, where was Hermione, and where was Ron? They were all...gone. She asked this to herself as she sat alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, speeding quickly towards her sixth year.

She leaned back, closing her eyes. Her eyelashes gently brushed her freckled cheeks, and she took a deep breath. They'll be okay.

"Can we join you in thoughtful musings?"

Ginny opened her eyes to see Alfred Jones and Arthur Kirkland looking down at her. She smiled a little and nodded at the Slytherin-Gryffindor duo. Alfred and Arthur sat on the seats across from her. Ginny sat up straight. They said nothing, instead opting to stare at the carpeted floor.

"Everything's changing, especially for the Muggleborns." Arthur finally said quietly, hands in his lap. He looked up at her, bushy brows furrowed with worry.

"Yeah." Alfred agreed sadly, wrapping his arms around himself. Alfred was a Muggleborn from America, so it was especially dangerous for him at this time. Ginny shuddered a bit, deciding to keep her chin up and think happier.

"You guys are going to be in Seventh Year now, huh?"

Arthur nodded, brightening up. "Yes; I hope to work for the Ministry to improve the You-Know-Who situation after we graduate. I plan to work harder this year than I have last year, too, so that means no slacking off for me."

"Arthur, you have a set plan, huh," Alfred said in awe. He nodded in approval. "Good for you."

"You don't, Alfred?"

Alfred shook his head, smiling brightly. "Not a clue! I might become an Auror or a Quodpot player in America, though."

"In America..." Arthur repeated, trailing off into silence. Alfred nudged him, laughing.

"It's not happening anytime soon; besides, what if I don't even pass?"

"Oh, shush, Alfred; you're plenty bright," Ginny chided him. Alfred shrugged, smile not leaving his face.

"We should get going; with many gone, we as prefects need to reinforce the rules on the Hogwarts Express," Arthur said, gathering his bag and pointing at his badge. He linked hands with Alfred and tugged on it a little, to signal for the taller one to not dwindle too long.

"Alright; you do what you have to do, then." As Ginny watched her friends exit the compartment, she let out a shaky sigh. Where have they all gone?

---5 years ago---

11 year old Ginny had just been Sorted into Gryffindor. She was looking forwards to her years at Hogwarts immensely, especially with the boy who lived in the year above her. She wondered where Ron was, though...

"Hey; you're a Weasley, right?"

She turned and faced the voice's owner curiously.

The Griffindor next to her smiled lopsidedly. "I'm Alfred Jones," he informed her. He leaned forwards, a little too close for her liking. His clear blue eyes looked at her intently."I knew it; you are a Weasley," Alfred declared, leaning back.

"My name is Ginny," she told him quietly, poking at a treacle tart.

"Ginny Weasley; hm, it's great meeting you!" His eyes seemed to smile when he did, she noticed. He also rambled quite a lot.

"... by the way, great guy to hang out with is Arthur Kirkland from the Slytherin table. He's super nice when you get to know him, and he helps you when you don't understand something," he continued. She made a face. "Oh, but I know how most of the houses don't like Slytherins, and it's okay, really, but-"

"I understand," she told him, although she really didn't. Friendly Slytherins? She's never met one in her life. Her family's always been in Gryffindor, and she's never heard a single good story about the likes of them.

"I call myself his friend; am I his?" He dwindled down to pondering, and drinking his pumpkin juice quietly.

"A Slytherin can't be your 'friend'," someone behind Ginny said. She winced. It was them.

"Fred's right," the other one said, and she slowly turned around to face them. Leave it to them to upset Alfred.

"But...Arthur's not a bad person!" Alfred shouted defensively.

Ginny noticed a blond with thick eyebrows from the Slytherin table shout, "Jones, what do you want?" She assumed he was Arthur.

"Nothing!" He replied. Fred and George looked at one another, shaking their heads at each other.

"Ignorant bliss, I tell you."

"Quite sad."

Ginny shooed them away before turning back to Alfred. She was frowning, pink tinting her face in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry; they're my annoying brothers, so..."

"It's fine! I love them two, because they make just make this place so much more fun!" Alfred smiled, turning back to his food. "Don't worry too much about it."

---

Ginny forced herself out of bed the next morning, yawning.

"Guten Morgen." She turned to the girl from Lichtenstein she had befriended.

"Erm, Guten Morgen, Erika," Ginny replied uncertainly, not used to the foreign German words on her tongue.

She grabbed her things and headed off to change.

---

As she arrived at the Grand Hall, she noted how different it looked in the morning from the night before. It was definitely a different site.

She felt satisfaction as she watched Ron receive a loud Howler from Mrs. Weasley, but that satisfaction quickly dissipated when she ran off in a hurry to make it to class on time a few minutes later. Unfortunately, as she looked around, she realized she was horribly lost.