A/N: Ok this goes with my other story Ron's Annoying Little Sister and I highly suggest you read that first, it isn't very long. But this could also stand alone and if you are too lazy to go read a short little story I'll summarize the first one. Ok, Ginny (who is in her 6th year) is walking down by the lake, thinking about Harry when she sees him. He doesn't look happy and she tells him that she won't laugh at whatever he tells her. Ok so in my little summary in sounds really stupid but I don't think it is. Sorry this author's not is so long. I hope you like my story!!
Keeping Harry Sane
Of Waiting, Watching, Spies, and SID's
Part One
Wishing and Hoping
Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying,
Planning and dreaming his kisses will start,
That won't get you into his arms.
So if your thinking how great true love is,
All you go to do is hold him and kiss him,
And squeeze him and love him,
Just do it and after you do you will be his.
Weeks passed after Ginny's meeting with Harry out by the lake. He hadn't said anything to her about her offer. She wondered if he took her seriously. Maybe he had thought that she was joking and anyway why would he come to her? He had Ron and Hermione. But Ginny had noticed a definite change in Harry. He was more reserved. He wasn't saying much. Although this might not be how he was really acting as Ginny only saw him at meals, he was rarely in the common room. But on the rare occasion that he was in the common room he didn't talk to anyone. He would sit in a chair and stare at the fire. On many occasions Ginny had had to control herself so she wouldn't run up to him, wave a hand in front of his face, and yell 'is anyone home?' But that would probably just call unnecessary attention to herself.
One night at about six o'clock while Ginny was sitting in an armchair trying to remember the ingredients in a complicated invisibility charm Harry came over. He sat on the arm of her chair and didn't look at her. She looked up at his face. It was like looking at a statue. He didn't say anything, just sat there. Ginny decided not to talk first. He would come out with what he want to say. Finally after several minutes he spoke.
"Remember the time at the lake?"
"Uh yeah" How could she forget?
"I need to talk to someone." Ginny nearly grinned, which would have spoiled everything. She promised she wouldn't laugh. Harry Potter wanted to talk to her!
"Ok."
"Can you meet me here at eleven?"
"I'll be there."
The hours crawled by. Ginny didn't see Harry after that. He had gotten off the chair arm and walked out of the common room. Finally at ten thirty he came back and walked up to his dormitory. Ginny decided to just stay in the common room and get some extra studying in. The common room slowly emptied until it was only her and Ron left.
"Well, Sis, it's nearly eleven. I think you should be getting got bed."
"I'm going in a little while. I just have to finish studying."
"Whatever, I'm going to bed. Big potions test tomorrow, I need sleep. 'Night."
"Goodnight." Ron walked up the staircase just as Harry came down. They didn't talk just nodded at one another. Ginny figured this was from being tired. Harry glanced around the room then walked over to the chair that Ginny was sitting in. It was the same chair she had been in five hours ago.
"You don't move much do you? Never mind, lets go somewhere that we can't be over heard." He walked towards the portrait hole and opened it. Ginny got out of the chair as quickly as she could. This was made difficult because she had been sitting in the same position for the last five hours. Her left foot had fallen asleep.
"Don't you think that maybe we should be using the invisibility cloak?" Harry looked up sharply. Ginny wasn't supposed to know about the cloak. But she had spent hours upon hours of staring at Harry and knew a lot of things she probably wasn't supposed to know.
Harry didn't ask her about how she found out though. Just said, "No, we won't get into trouble." Ginny wondered for a moment why this was but she wasn't going to not go with Harry because they weren't invisible. She had been dreaming about the day that they would walk the castle together at night hand in hand. And although this wasn't a romantic stroll this was probably the best she would ever get.
Nothing Harry did ever really surprised her. She thought that he was the most amazing human and could do anything, but tonight he did managed to startle her. As they were rounding the corner in a third floor hallway Professor McGonagall came around it. Ginny braced herself for a good telling off and a lot of points taken away from Gryffindor, after all they were out of bed at eleven o'clock, but it didn't come. Instead McGonagall smiled and said, "Hello Harry, Hello Miss Weasley," then walked away. So Harry was right they weren't going to get into trouble. The same thing happened with Professor Flitwick and even to Ginny's great surprise Professor Snape. Although he did it with a slight forced smile.
As soon as Snape had disappeared around a corner Ginny whispered to Harry, "why aren't they getting mad at us? We aren't supposed to be out of bed now. It's so late."
"Don't worry about it," he whispered back. It felt so good to be so close to Harry, to feel his hot breath on her face as he whispered that she didn't press it. They kept walking. Finally after in seemed they must have walked around the entire school twice, and Ginny was sure that they had passed the same statue at least three times, Harry lead her into an empty classroom.
At least that was what Ginny had thought it was at first. But when she entered it she realized she was incredibly wrong. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around at Harry. He had this strange insane look on his face. She looked around the room. It seemed to have once been a bathroom, a boys bathroom at that. But now it had a love seat, a squishy armchair, and a desk. The desk had definitely been used. It had papers all over it and a weird box thingy that had a screen and this thing with letters on it in front of it. She continued to stare at this box. She had never seen anything like it. Harry must have noticed something because he said, "It's a thing muggles use. It's called a computer."
"Oh?"
"Uh yeah." Harry didn't seem in too much of a hurry to explain the reason for being in a room that had once been a bathroom and now was a study. So she asked.
"Um if you don't mind my asking why are we here?"
"I don't mind, this is uh my office."
"Your office?"
"Yes, but that's not the reason I took you here."
But Ginny was not easily distracted. "Harry you're still a student. Why on earth do you have an office?"
"I'm, oh this is difficult, well you know that Voldemort is getting stronger." Ginny flinched at the mention of the name, but Harry who was staring at his hands didn't notice. "I'm the head of SID or students intelligence division at Hogwarts. It's a small part of the resistance force; you know the unofficial resistance against Voldemort. In short, I'm a spy here at Hogwarts, I watch for you know suspicious stuff, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you. You can sit." He had already taken a seat on the love couch and even though Ginny wanted to sit next to him she didn't dare. She sat down in the armchair.
He suddenly looked very serious. "Ginny you promised you wouldn't laugh."
"I know, I won't."
"I think I'm going crazy." This was almost enough to make her break her word. Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, the hero, everyone's idle, thought that he was going crazy. What a strange thing to think, although Ginny didn't deny that the thought had crossed her head more than once. "I haven't told anyone. Not Ron, not Hermione, not Dumbledore. I believed you that you wouldn't laugh. I'm not sure how the others would react."
"Well you want my advice?" Ginny asked. He nodded. "Ok then, maybe you are, but it doesn't matter. Well I suppose it does slightly. Why do you think this?"
"Well, I uh have been working a lot and I can't concentrate on anything really. Like you saw me at the lake. I need help."
"Oh I get it you want me to help you. Well I don't know, I will try of course, but I don't know what to do." He looked extremely put down at this so Ginny quickly added, "but I'll try."
He gave her a smile that melted her heart. "Thanks"
* * *
The next morning at lunch Ginny watched Harry even more closely. She saw how he glanced at Hermione, who quickly looked away, she saw how he fiddled with his fork and didn't eat much. She watched him brush his hair out of his eyes. But the only thing that seemed odd was the fact that he kept itching his nose. He probably just had dry skin or something. She was actually enjoying playing doctor for Harry. It meant she had an excuse to stare at him.
In transfiguration she found a note in her copy of The Advanced Art of Transfiguration.
Ginny,
Meet me, same place same time.
-HP
Although she tried to pay attention the rest of transfiguration, McGonagall's lecture about Animargi (A/N: i don't think I spelled that right, but I am too lazy to go get my book.) couldn't keep her interested. She kept thinking back to last night, about what Harry had told her. About his job. It must be exciting, she kept thinking, better then my life. Finally the bell for transfiguration rang and Ginny practically ran to the Great Hall. She took a seat next to Ron who was looking thoroughly put out about something.
"Hey Ron, what's wrong?"
"It's Harry, I think that something is very wrong with him. Today during Charms, he just got up and walked out. Flitwick didn't even try to stop him! I'm mean something isn't right."
Ginny would rather have stuck a needle through her eye then tell Ron what Harry had told her in secret. She liked Harry confiding in her much too much to risk telling anyone. She decided on telling Ron that she hadn't noticed anything. He didn't seem surprised just went on staring at his untouched food.
It was times like this that Ginny wished she had made some friends in her year. The only people she sort of considered friends were her family, Harry, and Hermione. Friends to sit with at lunch would have made her life nicer. Instead of sitting next to Ron who wasn't in the mood for talking, she could have sat with a sixth year who would gossip away. But there was no way to redo her first year at Hogwarts.
Neither Harry nor Hermione turned up for lunch. Ginny had a feeling that Harry was probably doing something for his job and as Ron said Hermione was probably 'getting a ten month head start on studying for exams.'
The rest of the day dragged by for Ginny. Of course the fact that she had history of Magic didn't help. Binns bored them all with a lecture on the first rise of Voldemort. This should have been interesting and Ginny was sure that any other teacher could have kept her attention, but when Binns talked about it, it was like listening to a description of paint drying.
At eleven Ginny was alone in the common room. She wondered where Harry was. She felt extremely important to be the person that he wanted to meet with. She thought back to all those years when she had blushed when his name was said. How looking at him nearly made her faint. How reading his name could send shivers up and down her spine. No much of this had changed. The only difference was that she had learned to control herself. Most people had forgotten about Ginny Weasley, the little girl who was in love with the famous Harry Potter. But someone hadn't, and the someone meant more to her then the rest of the Magical community. Harry Potter still remembered her. She was still important to him.
As she was thinking these thoughts Harry walked in. It was almost like seeing it is slow motion. The only light was from the fire. It was dancing over his face in a way that made him look inhuman. He turned his head side to side looking for her. She watched him spot her, she watched they way that his eyes lit up when he did. He started towards her, moving in and out of the shadows. He reached up to brush some hair out of his face; she loved it when he did that. He opened his mouth to talk, but Ginny couldn't hear what he was saying. She was lost in his eyes.
"Ginny? Hello?" She snapped out of it, almost as quickly as she went in.
"Oh sorry, I'm just a little tired."
"I'd say so. I'd said your name at least ten times." Ginny felt that familiar tickle that meant her face was turning red. She tried to force it back to its normal color, although this didn't matter much because it was so dark.
Harry held out his hand to pull her up. Ginny gladly excepted. She could fell her whole arm get warm from the place he held her hand. She smiled at him and much to Ginny's surprise he didn't let go of her hand. He led her all the way back to his office with out letting go. Ginny was enjoying herself too much to even notice that Flich smiled at them.
This time Harry took the arm chair which left Ginny the love seat. For a few minutes neither of them spoke. Then tentatively Ginny said, "I think the first thing you need to do is get over Hermione."
Harry looked up sharply from the spot on the floor he was staring at. He studied her face for a while and opened his mouth to speak, but must have thought better of it because he closed it again.
Ginny smiled. "I thought that might snap you out of it." When he just stared at her with a lost kind of look, she decided to try again. "Look Harry, I really don't know how to help you. I'm not a psychiatrist. Maybe that's what you need. All I can do is be a friend. Do you think it would help if you got everything out in the open? I can't promise you much, but I can promise you one thing. I will NEVER laugh at you."
Harry seemed to be processing this information. He screwed up his nose and lips. "Ok, I'll tell you something, but you can't tell anyone." Ginny nodded. "You know that sixteen years ago I stopped Voldemort. Then in my first year I stopped him again. In second year I killed a sixteen year old form of him, in forth year I escaped from him, and in sixth I escaped again. But in all these meetings with him, except the first of course, he didn't have all his powers. He was weak. But he isn't now. The thing is now I feel as though when I walk through the halls people look at me thinking that I'm going to stop him for good. I don't know if I can. No one says it, but I can feel it. I can feel it every time Ron or Hermione looks at me. Or when a teacher calls on me in class. And everyone expects me to do it. But what if I can't? I'm only seventeen. You know there are only two people who when they look at me I don't feel as though they expect anything of me. You and Dumbledore."
Ginny just stared at him. Of course she didn't expect him to do anything. She loved him just the way he was. Harry seemed to be waiting for some kind of response to his speech. His eyes were almost pleading her to understand. She said, "You're right."
"I am?"
"Well I certainly don't expect you to kill Voldemort. I'm not saying that someday you won't be capable of it, but I don't think you could right now."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"Did it?"
"Well yes."
"Then it was."
"I don't get you Ginny." And with that he got up and sat on the love seat with her. His head was leaning on her shoulder
She giggled and said, "so tell me about this job you have."
"Well basically there are three SID's at Hogwarts not including me. I'm sort of in charge of them. We spy on kids who act suspicious and then they write up what they see and give it to me." He gestured to the messy desk. "There are SID representatives all over the world at schools. Most are kids who lost friends or family to Voldemort. Some just want to help." Ginny was thinking hard about this, she wanted to help… "Of course students not involved aren't supposed to know about it, but like I said you are the only person other then Dumbledore that doesn't seem to expect anything."
"Harry I have a way to fix me knowing about it."
He looked at her like she was nuts. "What perform a memory charm or something? It doesn't matter, there's no law or anything. Just don't tell anyone."
"No, I can join."
Harry stared at her like she was mental. "Don't be an idiot."
"I'm not."
"Well I won't let you join. If Voldemort gets word who the students are, he won't like it."
"I don't care. Ok now I listened to you, you listen to me. My whole life I have been over shadowed by my family. Bill the head boy, Charlie quidditch captain, Percy the head boy, Fred and George the jokers, Ron is your best friend, then there's me. Little boring Ginny. Ginny who goes red every time Harry Potter comes near. I've never done anything special. I get good marks, but so does everyone, and I stink at quidditch. I have been thinking about this all day. I want to do something different then the rest of my family. So they can remember me. People will say 'Ginny Weasley the girl who was a spy.' So who do I talk to to sign up?"
"Me. And I am doing this against my better judgment, but if you really want to your in. Our next meeting is tomorrow at eleven. Be in the entrance hall then. I'll show you the way."
"But I have Herbology then."
"Just leave, Sprout will know. She won't say anything."
"Ok thanks Harry."
"No Ginny thank you. I needed to get that out."
* * *
"Miss Weasley please pay attention to what you are doing!" Professor Sprout's voice echoed throughout the whole greenhouse.
"Sorry Professor." Ginny was having a terrible time concentrating. She had just squirted bobotuber puss all over the floor. It was 10:45. She figured she should probably leave in five minutes in order to get up to the castle. Harry was waiting for her. Ginny felt her heart skip a beat. Harry! Sometimes it hit her at odd moments how much she loved him. Like now while mopping up puss.
10:47. Three more minutes. She did not know whether to be excited or scared. It was dangerous. Did she know what she was getting herself into?
10:49. Ginny finished cleaning up the spilt puss and pushed her books into her bag. Her watch changed to 10:50 just as she ran out of the greenhouse. Several of the students looked suspiciously. Sprout merely nodded.
Out on the grounds Ginny slowed down. The grass was wet, though she didn't remember it raining. Her shoes made a squishy noise every time they touched the ground. As she walked she thought about the decision she had made. She really had no idea what she had gotten herself into. She had never spied too much before. The only thing that she had going for her was she could make herself invisible. Not invisible as in not there, but it was more a state of mind. People just didn't notice her. By this time her shoes were soaked and she was at the doors to the castle. She checked her watch. 10:59. She was right on time. She pulled open the door and stepped inside.
Harry was waiting for her by the stairs. He was absentmindedly running his fingers up and down the banister. When he saw her come in he smiled, making Ginny sway where she was standing.
"Come on," he said. He reached out his hand for hers. As soon as he had a grip on it he turned and ran up the stairs, two at a time, Ginny being dragged along behind.
"Harry couldn't you slow down?"
"Don't want to be late." The reached the top of the staircase but Harry didn't let go of Ginny's hand or slow down. He led her through a number of passageways she had never noticed before. Finally he stopped in front of a wall that looked very solid. He let go of her hand and turned around, he looked very serious.
"Ok, there might be some people in here that you might not like, or think are bad. But I assure you that they are all good people. They all know that you joined, I told them. So if you're ready, lets go." He turned back to the wall and put his hand on it. "This will work for you too." The will melted away to revel a room already full of wizards. They all turned around as Harry strode in.
"Ahh Harry finally. You must be Miss Weasley." Ginny couldn't believe her eyes. It was Sirius Black. She thought about screaming but then remember what Harry had said. They are all good people… She didn't understand how the person who betrayed Harry's parents could be good, but then there were a lot of things she didn't understand. Taking her eyes away from Sirius she saw Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, professor snape and a witch and wizard she didn't know. As for students there was Herself; Harry; a seventh year Ravenclaw, Lisa Turpin; someone she didn't know and… She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing right. He was still there, Draco Malfoy.
Dumbledore turned and smiled at her. "Hello Ginny, we can always use new members. Now you may not know everyone here. If you all would introduce yourselves."
Everyone went around and told their names. The two adults that Ginny didn't know were Arabella Figg, and Mundunges Fletcher. She was right about Lisa Turpin, and the student she didn't know was Kevin Brandstone a fifth year Hufflepuff. When everyone was done Dumbledore started talking again. "Now that everyone knows everyone's name, we can get started. Harry?"
"Right Professor," said Harry taking charge, "Ok Draco anything on Nott?"
"He left his bed at precisely um," Draco paused and flipped threw his notes, "1:47am yesterday. He returned ten minutes later. That might have had something to do with the bathroom." Draco went on to relate every move that Nott made that was even slightly suspicious. Ginny gaped open mouthed at him at the end of his ten-minute speech. No one else seemed to think that this was the least bit odd. Harry was nodding, Arabella was muttering to herself and Sirius was scribbling down everything that Draco had said.
"Ok," said Harry taking Draco's notes from him, "Lisa what have you got?"
"As you know I was out this past week. I was tracking Goyle who abruptly left school last Monday. As it turns out, his mother was sick. It seems to be a false alarm, but I stayed the whole time just in case. At one point several deatheaters did come to his house, but young Goyle was with his mother those few times. I returned yesterday with Goyle. He is now back in the Slytherin common room." Ginny could not believe her ears. This girl had been at a death-eaters house, she was spying on them. Wasn't that what the ministry did? And here was a student doing it. Ginny didn't know if she was that brave.
The meeting went on like this. Everyone told what they had (or hadn't) learned. Even though teachers were present Harry seemed to be in charge. Ginny was totally amazed that this was going on and she hadn't known one drop about it. After all the students and Arabella had spoken, Dumbledore stood up to speak.
"Ok, now I am going to hand out new assignments. Ok Draco you will stay on Nott. Remus and Sirius I am going to relieve you two of watch duty, just hang tight"
And these words Sirius grinned and Remus muttered, "Thank god."
"Ginny I am going to partner you with Harry. Just so you get the idea of how things go. I'm sorry to do this, but you two will have watch duty." Harry groaned. "Arabella and Mundungus you two will be on Lucius Malfoy. Lisa stay on Goyle, Severus you know what to do, and Kevin you've got the week off. I think that it is it. Any questions? None? Ok then we will meet again next week."
The truth was Ginny had tons and tons of questions, but she didn't know where to begin. As the adults all moved towards the fireplace (for floo powder) the students walked out the door.
"Harry I have to talk to you, like right now," Ginny hissed into his ear.
"Ok, in here." He pulled her into a classroom on their right.
* * *
A/N: So what do you think? I would love to know? You know there is a box at the bottom and you can tell me, then I'll love you forever! Oh and this is going to be a series, so don't review asking if there will be more. In the next part you will find out more about Ginny's new job and why certain people are helping, etc.