Chapter 3: At the Table
She followed Peter silently, his dull chatter keeping her spirits up as she took deep breaths to calm her nerves. If anything could go wrong, it would do so now, until it finally snowballed at the end. Sighing, she nodded her head slowly in response to Peter. "I'm a chaser, but sometimes I play seeker if its necessary."
"Really?" Peter asked, his eyes lighting softly. "Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team? James and Sirius are on it."
"Who?" she asked as she kept her expressions bland and unrecognizable. Tears threatened her as her eyes fought to hold them in check. If only they knew what she did, if only. "Are they your friends?"
Blushing, Peter smiled. "Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot. You're new here. James, Sirius and Remus are my friends. We've got this group we call the Marauders and well, you can meet them soon. They should still be in the dining hall waiting for me."
Ginny nodded, a faint dizziness washing over her. "That sounds like a good idea," she said slowly, her voice sounding fake even to her own ears. "I need more friends."
The continued their walk in silence, the brief topic disintegrating through the hallways as they clambered down the seven flights of stairs and made their way to the Great Hall. Watching the walls closely, Ginny frowned. The portraits, some she had never seen before, and others she spoke to on a daily basis, all seemed to be staring at her, their painted eyes never letting her out of their sight until another painting took up its watch. Feeling hopeless, Ginny fell behind Peter hoping she wouldn't have to speak.
Arriving at the Great Hall, Ginny frowned. In her eyes, she could see the dead, spewed across the polished wood floor. Death Eaters, Friends, Neighbors, Teachers, their bodies bloodied and maimed. Even the room smelt of death, its characteristic smell lingering above the ceiling. Sighing, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Wow," she said.
"Isn't it amazing!" Peter gasped as he stared up at the high rafters. Tonight it didn't look like the sky. "I always wondered who could build something so magnificent."
"Yes, It's beautiful, but are those your friends? They keep looking at us."
"Oh yeah, let's go see them. They're probably mad at me for keeping them waiting."
James was tall and looked very much like the son he would have in the future. His black hair was disheveled, curling slightly at the tips and hung in his eyes. His eyes were light brown, like honey in the sunlight. Standing about six feet, he towered over Ginny, but remained average amongst his group of friends. Sirius stood a few inches over six feet, his long black hair hung just below his chin in curls. Blue eyes sparkled with excitement and wonder as he smiled upon introduction. It was Remus, who kept quiet; his eye dark and uncertain peered at her through a controlled wildness. His smile was polite and friendly as he held out his hand to hers.
"So," James said speaking first, "You're what kept Peter all this time. Well, I'll be damned; the boy's got a girlfriend." Laughing, he smacked Peter on the back. "Good going man."
Ginny smiled the first smile for a while, her lips twitching slightly as she used the manners her mother had taught her. "No, I'm new here. Peter was just helping me get to Professor Dumbledore. I'm Ginny Dippet, it's nice to meet you. Peter said two of you were on the Quidditch Team?"
"That would be us, milady," Sirius interjected, a smirk on his face as he pushed past Remus and wrapped his arms around James' shoulders. "I'm a Beater; Jamesy here is the best Chaser we've got. By the way, my name's Sirius, Sirius Black." Giving her another wink, he reached for her hand and kissed it softly. "If you ever need anything, don't bother to ask."
"Will you stop proposing," the last boy said as he looked warily at her. "You've just met the girl. My name's Remus Lupin, It's nice to meet you. Sorry about these guys, they can be overly friendly, you know, like dogs."
"HEY MAN!" Sirius whined as another smile flashed across his face. Catching it, Ginny burst out laughing as the rest of the group joined her.
"Well, which house are you in?" James asked as they sobered up.
"Gryffindor!" she said happily, the heaviness in her heart lifting slightly. Maybe returning to the past had been a decent idea.
"Well, my love, that is the house we are all in." Sirius purred before cracking up.
"Seriously, will you stop that?"
"Yeah, man, we should get back to our dorms before we get another detention." James agreed nodding his head.
They started off back toward the Gryffindor dorms, their loud chatter quieting down as they moved through the dark hallways. The smell of death had disappeared as Ginny left the Great Hall breathing a sigh of relief. Wiping her brow, she smiled at the boys who accompanied her. What would Fred and George give to see this, she though, her eyes lighting up at the though of her brothers. Stretching, she remained a few steps behind, her eyes watching each Marauder.
It all came down to Sirius and Remus, she decided as she watched them. Maybe it was because she knew both of them and how they would turn out, but something drew her to them more than the other two. Sighing, she let herself ogle at each one before turning away blushing. "Wait up, guys," she whispered as she stopped abruptly.
"What!" James hissed as he turned around banging into Sirius and Peter. "We've got to keep moving or we'll be caught."
"No, I think I hear something coming from over there." Pointing off to the left, Ginny gazed at the dark blob in the blackened corner.
"I don't see anything," James whispered harshly. "Do you see anything Moony?"
Remus stopped, his sensitive eyes scanning the darkness intently. "Yeah, there's something there, but it's not moving toward us. I can't tell what it is. I think I need to get closer."
"No, don't. It's probably just a prefect or something," Sirius warned motioning everyone to move forward.
A gust of air sent shivers through Ginny's body as her hair flew wildly. Flying toward her, was a large black bird, its beak mangled upward into the air. Flapping its large wings, it veered off to the left before diving in at an angle, beak aiming straight for Ginny.
"Get out of the way!" Remus yelled, his eyes catching the gleam of yellow eye as the bird swooped down.
Moving quickly, the Ginny jumped backwards. Losing her footing, she slid backwards, the wall stopping her with a loud thud. At her feet rested a white letter, pure and pristine against the darkness of the bird. Catching her breath, she closed her eyes and gripped the letter to her chest.
