Disclaimer: Jess hereby declares that she makes exactly no profit from this fic (I mean, feel free to send me a few bob but I won't be holding my breath)

Full summary: Ginny Weasley is returning to her final year at Hogwarts. Having led a student rebellion the previous year she is more than happy to look forward to a quiet year of being (gasp) really rather normal. Unfortunately, there's still the issue of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and it just so happens that someone Ginny knows rather well fits the bill

Enjoy!

Okay, so apparently you're a happier/calmer/more fulfilled person if you write down five great things that have happened to you every single day, no matter how tiny.

Personally I'm not convinced.

However, it's a choice between channelling my insanity into something tangible (i.e. a list) or sitting here in the Hogwarts Express, enjoying a graphic snog flashback, and although I'd certainly prefere the latter, Luna reckons it's inappropriate, because if I start drooling then I might attract something called a Ninkygnat, which infests you and eventually takes over your toes.

Resulting in involuntary toe spasms.

Now I'm scared.

Anyway, that can be thing one - Luna.

I love that girl.

Hadn't seen her for yonks before today, incidentally. The minute old Xenophilius got out of wherever they were keeping him he whisked her off to Siberia to track Snow Snorkacks (a distant cousin of the Crumple-Horned variety, as it happens). But right now she's sitting opposite me humming tunelessly, her eyes crazily wide open. She's actually very pretty, with those milky blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, but most people can't see past the radish earrings.

And she's sort of wearing a necklace made out of paperclips. But that's just Luna, and I happen to like her that way.

So yeah - Luna. Thing one, and a very nice Thing she is too. If slightly bonkers.

Thing two… hmm…

I have an extremely amazing and delightful Thing, which I'm saving for later, like a chunk of chocolate fudge icing.

Yum.

Thing two… aha!

I do believe that Ron is going to pop a certain question to dear Hermy, by which I do not mean 'pass the mustard'.

A slightly more substantial, life-defining sort of question. My inside man (Harry) went with him on a Ring Hunt, which I find hilarious in the extreme, given that Ron's idea of a lovely necklace was pasta on a string. Granted, that was ten odd years ago, but I don't believe his tastes have changed particularly. Granted, he's a dab hand at helping save the world, but jewellery? Just… no.

So yeah, that's a nice thing. If a tad repulsive when I consider the details, which I prefere not to. Marriage would be a confirmation of their… uh…

Carnal relationship.

Excuse me while I vomit noisily in the corridor. Probably onto some hapless first year.

On a happier note, I am seventeen years old, and therefore a big girl. Meaning I can do whatever I want. I honestly haven't felt this sense of freedom since I was little enough to consider running round the garden completely starkers socially acceptable. Which was when I was three, by the way. Not sixteen, as my dear boyfriend optimistically suggested when I forced him to listen to my musings on the subject.

A subject which, now I am on, I can spill my most exciting Thing, which I was saving for last, but hey. I never professed to be the patient type.

I have a boyfriend.

Not just any old bloke, either. I've had those before in abundance, but no. This time, the bar's been upped, fellas.

I, Ginerva Molly Weasley, Queen of Bat Bogies, have snagged the schmexiest man on this beautiful earth, without any contest whatsoever.

O Harry, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1) Your height. Six foot one, the exact right height for it to be necessary for me to stand on tiptoes in order to kiss you, but not so tall that it just looks bizarre. And standing on my tiptoes has an inexplicable charm.

2) Your eyes. Your eyes! YOUR EYES! YOUREYESYOUREYESYOUREYESYOUREYESYOUREYES!!!!!!!!!

3) Hair. V. messy, but very very soft. And sooty black. And in excellent contrast to aforementioned EYES!

4) Your shoulders. I have something of a penchant for broad, strong shoulders (my main attraction to Dean, as it happens), and Harry's are very muscley and solid and strong and broad and I could carry on like this, but if I use any more adjectives I may explode.

5) Your smile - all sort of curly. Which sounds weird, but looks like sex on legs.

Oooh. Legs.

Stop, Ginny. Must not think about legs, as will inevitably progress to what's between them, and then I'll start drooling again. And we wouldn't want that.

But yes. Ten out of ten on the smile front.

6) The slight Messiah thing you've got going on. Like a sexy Jesus.

7) The fact that you eat with your mouth closed, unlike the vast majority of the male population (which I happen to be a damn good authority on, having brothers in excess).

Well. Maybe not excess. One too few, in fact.

There isn't really a word for the empty space that lingers round home. There are days when I just want to throw myself into despair's arms and walk hand-in-hand with it to the place where I can curl up in the ground beside my big brother.

I know the world goes on and the world keeps spinning and so on, but what exactly am I supposed to say when people remind me of that? Ah well, my big brother's gone, but hey, shit happens?

I'm sort of dreading the coach journey. I don't want to be able to see the thestrals.

Okay, and that's about as angsty as I'm intending it to get, seeing as I plan this fic to be fluff on a stick - not much deeper than the two - dimensional surface that it was written on.

So yeah, it looks like I'm back properly. I've stayed away for the most part because let's face it, writing Harry Potter fanfiction is not the coolest things to do with my time. But then I realised I had a plot bunny dying to come to head and I don't really give a toss about my street cred. I want to have some fun and I love writing more than anything. If I'm prepared to write a road safety column for a Korean newspaper then I'm more than prepared to start a new fic.

So this is going to span Ginny's entire seventh year - a pretty large scale fic, although probably not as long as my last full length project. I've almost finished chapter three with weekly updates as my intention, and I'm pretty excited. I'm still getting regular reviews for MPSIMP (check it out by all means if you're a first time reader) and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

This was a pretty short chapter, as is the next one, but chapter three is considerably longer and it's going to get rather interesting, I hope.

So yes. Do review, I'm hoping to get some positive feedback for this project.

Love Jess

xxx