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34

On our last evening at home before Hogwarts, mum conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry's favorite things(I had no idea how she'd known), ending with treacle pudding. Fred, George and I rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; we filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

It took quite a while for me to fall asleep. After tossing and turning for what was surely at least an hour, I padded out of bed and over to my trunk. I'd packed it before dinner, wanting to be able to make fun of Fred and George when they were freaking over a lost sock or two.

I quietly opened my trunk, wincing at the squeak it made. I rummaged through my storage of potions, careful to make sure none of the glass vials knocked against each other. I picked up a deep purple potion. The 'Dreamless Sleep Potion,' as Poppy called it. She refused to give me, fearing that I'd brew it wrong and die. Or at least, that's what she said were the consequences.

I took a drank the potion quickly, climbing back into bed as the drowsiness took over. I closed my eyes, falling into an all-too-familiar blackness.

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It took a long while to get started next morning. We were all up at dawn, but somehow we still seemed to have a great deal to do. Cross that out- everyone else. Mum was quite cheery once she realized I'd packed then night before, assuming that I'd forced Fred and George into it as well. Her mood... darkened once she realized they hadn't packed.

She dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and dad nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

When at last we were all in the car, mum glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Percy and I were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?"

She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Five minutes later, George exclaimed that he had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, we skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, we were running very late, and tempers were running high. Particularly mum's.

Dad glanced at his watch and then at his wife. "Molly, dear-"

"No, Arthur-"

"No one would see- this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed- that'd get us up in the air- then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser-"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight-"

We finally reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Dad dashed across the road to get trolleys for our trunks and we all hurried into the station.

"Percy first," said mum, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed we had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Dad went next; Fred, George and I followed. I looked up at the clock over the sign saying 9 and 3/4 and let out a little screech. "FREDRICK, GEORGE, GET YOUR AND GINNY'S TRUNKS ON THE TRAIN!"

Fred and George let out little squeaks of surprise, but heeded my command without argument; Ginny followed them and I took up the rear, lugging my trunk over to an empty compartment. Fred and George set down their trunks to heave Ginny's up into the compartment above. I nodded at the girl sitting in front of me, bending down to hug her.

"Alright, if you need anything, we'll be somewhere down the hall, it won't be that hard to find us. Stay out of any Slytherins way unless it's Adrian, and you've seen pictures of him. Some more first years'll probably find you, or the trio, and if they don't, I'll curse the whole lot of them." I glanced at my watch and bit my lip. "You'll be alright, right?"

Ginny smiled. "I'll be fine, Roxie. Go see your friends."

I nodded, smiling at my little sister and leaving the compartment with Fred and George trailing after me until we reached our regular compartment; we were the last ones in. Fred and George heaved our trunks up and I sat down in my regular spot.

Cedric chucked the pouches that had become the norm to everyone in the compartment. Katie, Alicia and Angelina exclaimed with excitement when they saw what was inside. He handed mine to me before taking out Drooble's, smiling.

I carefully opened the pouch(unlike some people(cough cough Fred and George)), and took out a sugar quill, sticking it in my mouth. "Go out with me?" Cedric asked.

I quietly giggled. "No. Never, idiot."

"Aww, but you love this idiot," He teased as he ruffled my hair. "Your shining knight in armor, your savior, your hero, your everything."

I rolled my eyes, leaning into Cedric nonetheless. He wasn't totally wrong- I did love him.