HELLO!!! I know, I know, it has been a ridicuolously long time since I have updated my story! Just a couple days over two months! *People boo and throw rotten vegetables* I know! I'm sorry! But no more worries, I am done with school(I hate school!) for this semester and it's my summer vacation! Yay! That also means that I will have a TON more time to update this story. I hope people have missed it a little, I know I have gotten a lot of private messages from people asking for an update. I know though that I have missed this story terribly and so I'm really happy to be getting back to it! Anyway, I PROMISE that I will be updating alot more. Have a great time reading and as always please rate and write me any notes about what you think! Thanks!
YAY!! New part to the story!!
Took you freakin' long enough!
Ginny watched as they walked out of the school and got into the horseless carriages that would lead them back to Hogsmeade and back to their family. It was winter holidays and Ginny was restless as she watched the heavy cloaked students huddle trying to hide from the cold. She watched one student in particular with his messy black hair and confident walk. James Michael Potter was leaving for the holidays. Leaving. Actually he was leaving and Lily Evans with him.
It had come as a surprise to all of them when last night an owl had pecked on the Gryffindors common room window. A first year who had stayed behind had let it in and it had flew immediataly to James and had not only demanded he take the letter off of its leg now but had also filched Sirius' pasty he had saved from dinner earlier, much to his indignation and then flew off again.
James had opened the letter up, wondering what it was and half scared too, though he wouldn't show that. It was never a good thing anymore to recieve unexpected letters at unopportune times. There was a war going on outside of Hogwarts as everyone knew, and an invited letter usually only meant horrible news. James' worry though wasn't completely fulfilled as he read the letter twice just to make sure of what it said. The common room had become unnaturally quiet with everyone holding their breaths and trying not to stare at James in any way.
Sirius and Remus who had been in the middle of a chess game had stopped to watch his face openly, knowing they would be able to read what the letter contained by his expression. Peter was nervously fidgeting beside a bouncy Lily who had been helping him with Charms homework, only to try to release her tension by bouncing up and down in her seat as she watched James. "It's okay," he said looking at Sirius and Remus, "It's okay," he said again looking around the common room. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief as everyone exhaled at once and went back to their business.
Lily and Peter went to James' side and he looked around to make sure he wasn't overheard. "My mum sent me the letter. Said my uncle Dan had gotten killed over in York by some, you know, Death Eaters. She said there was an attack on the town and alot of people died," he was quiet for a moment, "Suppose we'll see it in the paper tomorrow, but now I'm going home so we can go see about his family and all that, you know." Everyone nodded their heads, they understood. There were alot of students leaving for a week or so during the last few semesters to see about the remainder of their families. James had just gotten lucky that it was during holidays so no one would notice he had lost someone. Students tended to stay away from the others who had lost family to the war; almost as if they might jinx them even though they knew that wasn't possible.
Peter spoke first, "I'm sorry James. I didn't know he was one of the fighters against You-Know-Who." James shook his head, "He wasn't, he's actually just a muggle-my mom's brother, she's a muggleborn witch, it was just, just bad luck," he finished folding the letter and putting it away in his robes. Sirius shook his head in disgust, not at the mention of muggles or muggleborns, but at the senseless killing of them. Everyone knew that when they graduated from Hogwarts that Sirius had no other intention then of joining the war against the Dark Lord. He was young and had never been in a real battle, though his family had tried to kill him last summer after he had slapped his mother and had thereafter ran away to James' house. He was stubborn though, and wanted to do something.
"I'll come with you James," Lily had ventured, hoping he wouldn't turn her down. They had been a bit on the outs for awhile and she had been a bit mad at him for keeping more secrets from her then usual. She was used to him keeping his secrets about the Marauders, but then he also wasn't telling about the two mystery girls either and had just really agitated too. She was hoping some alone time would fix that. James looked at her, feeling a bit of shame at Ginny's face flashing before his mind's eye. "Would you? That would be great if Dumbledore and McGonagall would let you." She nodded, knowing they would let her go with him.
And so it was that the next day, that James and the others had told Hermione and Ginny about what had happened. They had looked sad but not at all surprised, it made them wonder about the future. Hermione only shook her head, she knew what it was like to see confused, terrified muggles trying to run away. It still gave her the shivers to remember it. Ginny had not seen such a thing but had seen her friends go through it and heard alot of the nasty details from being around the Order long enough. She got the picture at any rate.
Ginny wanted to talk to James about it, but ever since the shower incident they had stopped talking most of the time. She didn't really know how to get past it and it seemed James didn't either. She could only hug him and tell him her apologies about losing family. And now he was leaving. She watched as he climbed into the carriage beside Lily, who was also leaving for the holidays, and saw as Sirius, Peter, and Remus loaded their luggage on the back for them.
It was almost like looking at a picture as she watched the snow start to fall and Sirius make a specticale of himself as he tried to catch snowflakes on his tongue, making Lily laugh and the others shake their heads. The scene reminded her of the photo album Harry had shown her, Ron, and Hermione once that had pictures of all the Marauders and Lily doing the same sort of things. They had never really changed.
It made her wonder what would be different now that they were here. That she had done that with James. That Hermione and Sirius were in love. Would they be different after they left? Would they get to leave? That would certainly change things if they couldn't. The carriages seemingly knowing when everyone was ready started to move forward, leaving the few people on the lawn waving as the distance slowly grew. Professor McGonagall ushered the other Marauders and a couple others back into the castle. Ginny left her perch on the Astronomy window and wandered her way down to the Great Hall. She and Hermione were now allowed to be seen by the others since they were so few left in the castle and it seemed like they would be staying for the next semester anyway.
She caught sight of Remus and Sirius standing in a corner, looking quite guilty as they kept looking around for anyone as they examined the entryway. And on only seeing Ginny, they went right on with whatever prank they were doing. They suddenly stepped back and walked to where Ginny was. She looked at the hallway and saw nothing amiss. "What'd you do?" Sirius grinned rackishly at her and she could see why any girl, including Hermione would fall for him. "Watch this!" he said and let out a barking laugh, he then said an incantation that she had never heard before and the entire entryway became a bright yellow that looked like some kind of force field. Then Remus also said something else and the yellow disappeared! "What did you two do?" she asked in her best mom voice, which was damn good considering she had Molly Weasley for a mother to draw upon.
Both boys looked a little sheepish at her tone, but Remus proved himself a true Marauder that made her want to laugh from the mild mannered professor she knew from before. "Well my dear, we have pulled our first prank for Christmas!" He bowed to her, making her giggle. Sirius shoved him out of the way, making a much more flamboyant bow, "Let me explain my lady. I have made a force field that when anyone steps in they turn upside down in midair and cannot get out unless they already--!" He might have went on except Remus had shoved Sirius to the side now, "And I made it invisible so no one will notice or know what's happened to them!" They both nodded their heads in proud manners, "Oh! We had better hide before they realize it was us!" Sirius grabbed both of them and they hid around the corner, waiting on their first 'victim.'
As luck would have it, it was Hermione. Since she had free reign of the school now, she had immediately set up in the library and was obsessively reading all the material for her upcoming N.E.W.T.S. They tried to warn her, they really did. Remus had whispered at her, but her nose was stuck in some horribly thick book and didn't hear him. Sirius next yelled, "Hermione!" but still, nothing. Ginny was the last one and she realized that shouting wouldn't work and she ran for her. But just as Ginny reached her to make her stop walking, Hermione took a step into the force field and took Ginny with her!
Both girls squealed as they were suddenly shot up in the air and somersaulted upside down. Ginny looked down at her feet, which was actually up and was suddenly panicked. She was still wearing her uniform, she had a skirt on! She looked over at Hermione to see if she was in the same predicament, and she was. Except that Hermione was lucky, she had her robe on as well and was already covering herself with it with ease because of all the material and its length. Covering herself. Covering...Ginny squealed again, realizing she was showing everyone her bright blue knickers.
She tried covering her front first, but then realized her bottom was still showing, so she tried to reach around to cover that too, but found herself spinning and letting go of her front again. She let out a cry of distress as she saw, now looking out from the front steps; McGonagall, Dumbledore, a Slytherian girl snickering at her, and a Hufflepuff boy looking like it was the first time he had seen a girls knickers. From his face and the continued whispering of, "Merlin, knickers!" it probably was. Wonderful! she thought.
Again, Ginny tried covering up her bits and was once more spun around, though this time she was able to keep ahold of both the front and back of her skirt. She saw Remus looking like he was having a seizure on the floor he was laughing so hard, and Sirius was slowly sliding down the wall, tears running out of his eyes as he laughed and laughed at his girlfriend and friend's problem. It all came to a stop though when at first she thought it was McGonagall yelling, but it was really Hermione! "Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin, you two get us down from this now, before I smack the bloody sh--" but she never got to finish that sentence as they suddenly fell down and onto the floor.
She didn't land on her head though, which was at least some luck. It ended up it was Dumbledore that had saved them anymore embarassment, and had said whatever counter charm there was for it. Professor McGonagall helped the girls up and glared at the boys. "I think that will be 15 points each from Gryffindor and a detention from each of you, seperately." Both boys had sobered up somewhat, and nodded their heads, though Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but decided he didn't want to increase his amount of detentions.
McGonagall coughed and said, "Girls, I need to see you in my office, please come this way." Hermione picked up her book and gave Sirius the 'your going to get it' look which Sirius only smiled about. Ginny just kept her face down, blushing brilliantly as she followed after the two older people, planning their deaths gleefully in her mind. They made it to her office, which was pretty much the same office it would be in the future. "Please, sit down girls," McGonagall said as she took her own seat in front of her large oak desk.
"It has come to my attention that you two are going to be staying with us for some time before you will be able to leave. Dumbledore has located one of the time pieces you will need later, but he will talk to you about that personally later. I am here to talk with you about your staying here. We've decided that you will attend classes with the other students. It will be easy enough to say you were both from the same town that was attacked by the Dark Lord and sent here as orphans, a sad reality for you to tell about but very plausible nonetheless." The two girls nodding their heads in agreement, but saying nothing.
"Also you will need books, clothing, uniforms, all those things. We have decided the school will pay for your needs and so you two and I will be going to Diagon Alley in the next few days to gather all your school supplies and to see Madam Malkin. Do you two have any questions?" Ginny shook her head, it all seemed pretty clear to her. Hermione though asked a question, "When will we see Professor Dumbledore?" McGonagall looked at her over her glasses as she shifted through some papers on her desk. "This evening after supper will be a fine time to see him." Hermione nodded her head then and looked thoughtful. McGonagall looked at the girls to see if they had any other questions and seeing that they didn't, she dismissed them.
They were about to leave when Ginny did think of a question,"Professor?" McGonagall looked up at her, "Where will we stay? In the Infirmary?" She stood up, "Oh how could I forget? Thank you for reminding me," she walked to the door. "Come with me, and I'll show you where you'll be staying." She told them as they walked that the Head Girl had graciously accepted them into her private room. "Who is the Head Girl?" Hermione asked. "Lily Evans, James Potter's girlfriend, he probably mentioned her," she said with a small smile. Ginny thought that a large rock had grown in her stomach. I'm going to stay in the same room as the guy I'd slept with's girlfriend? Wonderful!
She looked sidelong at Hermione who seemed to think this was a fine idea. But then she didn't know about her and James either. If she did, Ginny knew Hermione would probably blow up from the information. It was one thing to date and do Sirius Black who was completely unattached in the future, but Ginny was screwing around (literally!) with someone who was supposed to produce the Boy Who Lived, the savior of the wizarding world, the only one who could defeat Voldemort. It was different no matter how much Ginny wanted to resent it and neglect it. She just hoped one moment of weakness wouldn't ruin many things.
They had made it to the Head Girl's private quarters, which were right beside of her house's portrait. Instead of going to the fat lady, they went to the left of her to a portrait of a small girl looking quite bored. "The Head Boy's quarters are on the other side of the fat lady, but from what I hear he hardly uses them. The password to get in here though is, "Fire Whiskey." Both Hermione and Ginny looked at McGonagall, she smiled understanding their faces, "Wouldn't expect that for the password would you?" The little girl upon hearing the password, swung her portrait open and revealed a small, cozy common room. There was a fire place with a small red love seat in front of it. Behind the couch was a good size table with three chairs around it. To the left and right of the table were staircases. One led up to the bedroom while the other led to the bathroom.
"Well this is it girls. Lily said to make yourselves at home here and she'll meet you when she gets back from the holiday. The stairway on your left is your bedroom, which has had two more beds added. The one on the right is to the bathroom. I hope everything will be alright. Of course you'll be treated as Gryffindors as the robes you have on now already indicate and I will need to know when we go to Diagon Alley you'll have to tell me what subjects you've chosen to take for your N.E.W.T.S. and your other things you will be needing. A list might suffice for that."
The girls nodded and murmured their thank you's as the Professor left. The common room was unremarkable so they decided to go see what the bathroom looked like. Hermione wondered if was exactly the same as the one she was used to seeing as she used to be Head Girl. The common room had been pretty much the same though it had been a different couch and a much smaller table. The bathroom ended up being the exact same. A large inlaid tub in the center with a sink and large counter surrounding it to the left. Even the towels on the right were still a bright red with a golden "G" monogramed on them.
They then went and seen their bedroom. Lily's bed was set up against a large window and the two other beds were set up against the other two walls. It looked almost exactly like their dorm except there were two less beds and much more room. Ginny saw some parchment and ink and some quills lying on top of Lily's haphazard bed. She went and picked some up and sat down on the floor. "So what do we need?" Hermione sat beside of her and looked at the two empty beds and then at Lily's. "Two trunks," Ginny wrote that and continued to write as Hermione raddled off more items, "Three more uniforms, we can't wear these as they look too different from the others, some jeans and jumpers, undergarmets, pajamas, hair brushes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, parchment, ink, quills, you'll need a bookbag," Ginny cut her off there.
"You'll need one too, I don't think they made messenger bags back in this time yet." Hermione nodded, "Yes your right, might as well, just in case. You think they'll let us get some non-school reading?" Ginny shrugged, "I don't know if they'll even let us get a little make up or anything like that." Hermione shrugged then too. Ginny decided it was best to put it on the list with question marks beside them. "Anything else?" Hermione hummed, "Deodarant, hair ties, and, ummm, I think that might be it." Ginny finished the list and nodded her agreement. "Now for our books, I'll write mine down first," she said as she bent back down to the parchment.
Let's see, I take Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration and Muggle Studies. "What do you take 'Mione?" Hermione quit playing with her shoe strings, "Defense, Potions, Charms, Ancient Runes, Arithamacy, Herbology, and History of Magic." Ginny wrote them down and then looked at Hermione, "History of Magic?" Hermione looked at her wide eyed, "What? It's a very interesting class you know. Everyone should know the past and even though Professor Binns' teaching style is a bit dull it's still a great class," Ginny lifted her eyebrows at her,"Oh alright, Harry begged me to since he wasn't allowed to take Herbology anymore after that accident he had in the gardens. We tried to get Ron to come with us but he refused."
Ginny laughed remembering the 'accident' last year. All the professors thought it was an accident, but in truth Harry and Draco had been having another duel over poor Neville and Harry's spell had accidently missed and blew up an entire garden of mandrakes that would take an entire year to grow back. Professor Sprout had been not pleased and to appease her Draco ended up in Astronomy and Harry in History of Magic. She couldn't blame Ron for not going with his two best friends, she hated History of Magic too and couldn't remember a full day she didn't fall asleep in it. "I miss Harry and Ron."
Ginny didn't know exactly where that had come from, but she knew it was true. "I do too. I've been dreaming of Harry lately. I think he might be in trouble," Hermione said frowning. Ginny looked sharply at her, "What do you mean? Are you having visions like Harry does sometimes?" Hermione frowned more, "I don't think like Harry, but you know sometimes when you know something is wrong with someone and your dreams just enforce it by showing them in rough situations? Its like that." Ginny nodded and looked absently down at their list. Was Harry really in trouble? Why? Well we have been away for an entire semester of school, many things could have happened since we left. And Hermione was one of the very few people whose close enough to Harry to really read him. I wonder if even through time and space she would know something was wrong with him? Ginny knew in her heart, Hermione could and it made her stomach do another flipflop, "We have to get back soon."
Hermione nodded, "I know, and we are finally getting somewhere with Dumbledore finding one of the time pieces for us. I wonder which one it is?" Ginny was glad for a slight turn of the conversation, "I don't know, we'll see tonight. I hope he has some leads on the others too. We aren't having any luck, that's for sure." Hermione nodded, she didn't like to admit defeat to anything, but they were not doing good after their first attempt at trying to get home. "It's about lunch time, want to go down and see if Sirius and Remus have stopped laughing yet?"
Ginny blushed and nodded and they left their new quarters down to the Great Hall. Right before they were about to go in, they saw Peter coming through the door from the outside. "Hey Peter! What were you doing outside?" Ginny called to him. He looked up, his round face pink from the cold and his cloak dusted with snow. He held up Hermione's bookbag, "I thought you might need this, we hadn't thought to go and get it yet and I thought you might want it back and all," he finished with a small smile. Hermione grinned at him, "Thank you Peter! I think I'll just put this up in our room for now, I'll be back down in a few minutes." Hermione went ahead and walked back up the staircases.
Peter and Ginny walked to the one table set up for the remaining people at Hogwarts, talking about her and Hermione staying with Lily and their soon trip to Diagon Alley. Unluckily for Ginny the only two people there at the moment was Sirius and Remus. "Hey Wormtail, where you been?" Sirius called out to him. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why he hadn't automatically made fun of her. "Went out and got Hermione's bag for her, thought she might want it." Sirius nodded, looking a little disgruntled he hadn't thought of it for his girlfriend.
"And what have Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Moony been up to since I've been gone?" Peter asked, figuring they had thought of, set, or already brought on some prank to entertain themselves. Ginny could have smacked her face with her hand, Why, WHY did he have to bring that up? "Well, you know Mr. Wormtail, we've just been hanging around," Remus said with a straight face. Ginny's face twitched, it didn't go unnoticed. "Yes, yes its just been a blue Monday, you know," Sirius added. Ginny's right eye was downright ticking now. Peter looked a little alarmed at her flushed face and ticking eye, "Are you alright Ginny?" he asked. But before Ginny could answer, Remus piped up again, "Oh you know Ginny, she's always just up in the clouds about things." Sirius then took over, "Mr. Moony! Now you know Ginny isn't always like that, sometimes she's just a big, show off!"
She couldn't take anymore, poor Peter was looking rather confused and frightened from Ginny's look on her face. As all sane people would be, which of course didn't apply to Sirius nor Remus. "That's it!" and she hexed them. Sirius was quick enough to hide behind Peter, but no such luck for Remus, or for that matter Peter. Both got the full blast that made not only carrots grow out of their heads and for them to start spitting slugs, but they also turned an interesting shade of purple. At this time, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid all walked in to see two odd looking purple carrot-things, a red faced Ginny, and a cowering Sirius. Ginny was trying her hardest to hex Sirius too, but he seemed very adept at getting out of the way in the nick of time.
He had just missed another purple stream of light from Ginny's wand when he felt something hit his back, and he too was purple with carrots. He turned around to see some very amused teachers and gamekeeper. One of them hit me? he thought with surprise as he spit out a slug while looking at them. McGonagall frowned but was really wanting to burst, it was obvious they had been teasing the poor girl and she had had enough of it. "Now Miss Ginny, I insist that you take them to the Hospital Wing to be mended from your, anger, and I think 10 points from Gryffindor will suffice as punishment." Ginny nodded and put away her wand. Immediately helping Peter to the wing, apologizing along the way. The most help Remus or Sirius got was a glare and a rough, "Come on!"
Sirius looked at his professors and was pretty sure it was Dumbledore that had hit him with the spell as he was openly smiling at him. "Only 10 points and no detention?" he asked with as much dignity as one could muster while spitting slugs out of your mouth. "Yes Mr. Black, I do believe you provoked this didn't you?" Sirius only grumbled his answer as Remus stugged on his sleeve. He looked at his friend who spit out a slug which obviously meant, "lets go," he nodded and started following Remus out the door. "Miss Ginny has awfully good aim doesn't she Mr. Black?" Dumbledore asked with that trademark twinkle. Both boys stopped and looked at him, knowing he was the one to of hit Sirius now. Remus spit another slug and kept walking, Sirius narrowed his eyes and took a step towards the door.
"Squish"
Sirius looked down with disgust as he had just stepped on one of Remus' discarded slugs. "Ewwwww," he kept walking, only slipping a little on his now gooey shoe. He heard small noises behind him that sounded alot like chuckles, but he kept walking watching Remus' back and trying to keep his balance. This is gross, but it was worth it! thought Sirius cheerfully, wondering if it was safe to pull a carrot from his head and eating it.
To Be Continued!
