((A/N: I'm in a good mood, so here's the next chapter a day early. :-)

There has been questions in the reviews as to the status of Nagini. Was he a Horcrux? In my opinion (and if you can cite canon references otherwise, please send those to me), the books don't really say one way or the other when the snake became a Horcrux. (I really don't think it should even be possible to make an animal a Horcrux unless you make an item a Horcrux and put it inside the snake, but that's another debate. :-) Was Nagini made into a Horcrux in 1981 or 1994 (with the death of the old caretaker)? For the purposes of this story, feel free to believe whichever you like, it won't make a difference. The important point is the snake is dead, and as it was an official Horcrux in book7, Ginny has eliminated it (either physically or prevented it from happening). My personal opinion is that Nagini was made a Horcrux in 1981, but that's a whole 'nother discussion. :-)

To add a little more clarification on the background of this story, the point of divergence would be at the Battle of Hogwarts. In this story, Harry did not figure out what to do with the ring or that he was a Horcrux until later, and so did not go fight Voldemort in the forest, etc. Oh, and Severus did not share all of those memories with him. That led to a long drawn out war and to the situation described in ch 1 and various memories Ginny has.

People have also been asking about if Ginny will do various things for or with Harry. At this time, I'll only say, please be patient. They've only just really started to getting to know one another and the trust factor isn't all there yet. They have a good start from the few weeks over the summer, but it is only a foundation at the moment. Some people have made some surprisingly good guesses as to what will happen in the story. I won't say which are correct, but good guessing!))

Chapter 3 – School's In

The next morning, September the first, was chaos. Happy she had packed the night before, she almost staggered down to breakfast in a stupor from exhaustion. While her brothers and Harry were rushing around getting their things together, Ginny ate.

Before they left, she prompted each of her brothers for things they had forgotten, remembering from last time. Avoiding the extra trips back to The Burrow saved them over ten minutes, but even then, they were still having to rush to make the train.

Remembering back to last time, she decided to give Harry and her brother a break. As the family reached the portal for Platform 9 ¾, she tugged on her mother's sleeve before they could go through.

"Mum, wait. I want Harry and Ron to show me how to go through the portal," she asked sweetly.

"Ginny," her mother replied with exasperation in her voice, "we have to go through, we're about to miss the train and you've been here before. I'm not playing the 'What are we doing' game with you like I did last year."

"Please, mum. A few seconds won't matter. Please?" Ginny put her best 'innocent little girl pleading' face on.

Ginny could tell that her mother really wanted to just drag her through, but she instead turned to the last two boys, as her other three brothers and her father had already gone through the barrier. "Ron, Harry," she said with a hint of exasperation, "please go on through for your sister." Ginny smiled innocently at them.

Ron rolled his eyes but started walking anyway. Harry just gave her a tentative smile before he started walking, practically on Ron's heels. Just like in the other timeline, the two ran into a solid barrier and bounced back. Unlike last time, her mother was there to witness the problem.

"What in the name of Merlin…?" Her mother let go of Ginny's hand and walked over. Touching the portal, she found it solid too. Shaking her head, she turned and glared at the three children. "All three of you, stay right her in the area of the Muggle-repeling charms while I go get your father. If you go anywhere before I get back, you'll be sorry you woke up this morning." With that stern warning, she Apparated away. The three looked at each other and shrugged.

Less than a half minute later, she reappeared with a crack, followed by three more cracks. Ginny saw her father and two more people dressed in Auror robes.

"Quickly, everyone one grab onto your trunk," her father told everyone. He walked over to her, and seeing that she was tightly holding onto her old trunk. She felt herself be squeezed down, as if forced through a small tube, before she found herself on Platform 9 ¾. She shuddered at the odd sensation. Apparating yourself was so much nicer than being Apparated by someone else; although she could not tell her father that. A few seconds later, more cracks sounded behind her as her mother and the two Aurors reappeared, each Auror also with a boy and his trunk.

Her mother quickly gave each child a hug and then shooed them towards the train. They barely made it on before the train blew a long whistle and started to move. As Ginny drug her trunk after her, following her brother and Harry, she smiled to herself for averting a needless crisis. Of course, that still left the problem of Dobby, and he was one problem she had overlooked in her plans. But how hard could one house-elf be to handle, she asked herself. After all, she knew about the diary and everything that was going on and the house-elf did not.

Ahead, Ginny saw Harry open a compartment and drag his trunk in. Ron followed him, so she did too. Inside, she saw Hermione was already there and she smiled at the bushy-haired brunette. As she was about to say, "hi", she got an earful from the other bench.

"Ginny! What are you doing here? Go find your own place to sit," Ron said scathingly.

She could hardly believe the vindictiveness of her brother. Based on the expression of Harry and Hermione, they were having trouble believing this was happening too. Well, she was going to put a stop to this right now. Looking at her other two friends, she calmly said, "Excuse us a minute, I'm afraid you're gong to have to witness some ugly family business."

Turning to her brother, who was very red faced from anger, she stepped towards him, reached up and grabbed his ear just like their mother did from time to time, and yanked down so that he had to sit and she could stand over him. He yelped at her action.

"Ron, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but you're going to have to let your jealousy go so you can grow up and have friends who really care about you. Why do you not want me here?" She did not give him time to answer. "Because you don't want to share Harry or Hermione with me. You've been like this all summer since Harry arrived. Why?" Again she did not give him time the answer. "Because you're jealous."

She paused to take a breath, but Ron still did not speak. It was hard to say if he was more scared or angry.

"And I know that's not the end of it either. You're also jealous of Harry because he has fame and money. But that's totally stupid. Do you know why he has fame and money? Because his parents were killed and he had to grow up all alone not knowing he was really a wizard. Do you really want to have no family? Have people look at you, gawk at you, and point at you everywhere you go so you never get a moment of peace? Can't you see that being famous is actually a bad thing and that he doesn't want it?"

Realizing what she just said, she stopped and turned to Harry, who still had an amazed expression. "Sorry about that, Harry, but he needs to know what it's really like for you." Harry just nodded with an absent look, saying nothing.

She turned back to her brother who was losing the scared look and was going back to looking very angry. Now was the time to end this, she thought. "Ron, don't you realize that Harry would gladly trade places with you right now if he could? Don't you realize that he considers you richer than he is?"

Ginny stopped to let that soak in, and to her surprise, it did look like Ron was thinking at least part of it through.

Finally, Ron shook his head and angrily told her, "You're barmy."

Ginny sighed, she had not convinced him. "Harry, help me. Tell him how you feel about what he has." She looked at him and saw Harry looking down, obviously trying not say anything. "Harry, please. He needs to know or it will cause problems later. I know you don't like to talk about this, but Ron doesn't understand what it's like to be you."

"Oh, and you do Ginny?" Ron retorted.

"Yeah, she does," Harry said softly. All heads swiveled to look at him. "I'd give everything I have to be you, Ron. You don't know how good you've got it."

Ron's eyes bugged out.

"Look Ron, you've got a family, and a family that loves you. You've got parents who love you. You've got your own room and you want to go home for Christmas and the summer. You've got decent clothes and toys too. You've got brothers and a sister to hang around with and do things with. You have all the food you want to eat. You're also considered normal. No one makes fun of you just because you got some stupid scar on your forehead that you have no memory of. You're considered normal. People aren't out to get you either."

Ron was looking down at his shoes now.

"I know your life isn't perfect, Ron, but Ginny's right. I'd gladly trade lives with you." Harry turned to face the window. His reflection showed him to expressionless, but little twitches gave his internal struggles away.

Ginny felt very bad for doing that to Harry, but she hoped this little episode would help everyone, Harry included, in the long run.

As she considered what to do next, the door to the compartment opened and an all too familiar voice drawled, "Well, well, well, what do we have here but…"

Ginny pulled her wand out when he started talking and she took one step towards the Slytherin. Grabbing his robes with her left hand to pull him a little closer, she shoved her wand up under his chin, pressing the tip into the soft part like a knife. "Malfoy," she growled and glared at him, "we did not invite you in here, so I don't appreciate you walking in and acting like you own the place, especially when you don't. Now leave and don't come back unless you want me to take your wand and shove it so far up your arse your mouth glows when you cast Lumos." She wondered if she could truly reform Draco Malfoy or if she would have to dispose of him.

Although he wore a scared look, he did manage to say, "But you're just a firstie."

She laughed at him. "You of all people should know that some Pureblood families teach their children magic before they come to school. Besides, six brothers taught me that it doesn't take magic to hurt someone." She pushed her wand up higher, forcing him on his toes to avoid the wand poking him too hard. "So take your followers, leave us, and don't come back." She shoved hard backwards, and because he was on his toes, he was unable to stop himself and went flying backwards into Crabbe and Goyle behind him. All three went down in a heap.

There was laugher from the corridor, so others must have seen. That little amusement was just enough to calm her and prevent her from hexing the Slytherin into a small pieces. Closing the door, she turned and sat down on the bench next to Hermione.

When she noticed that the other three were giving her astonished looks, she asked, "What?"

Hermione spoke for the first time since greeting her. "What you just did with Malfoy? You…" She seemed unable to verbalize her true feelings.

"I just did what you've probably always wanted to do," Ginny explained like it was an everyday occurrence.

"But you'll get into trouble," Hermione objected.

"I doubt it."

"Brilliant, totally brilliant!" her brother said, the disagreement between them forgotten for the moment.

Ginny smiled and looked at Harry. His smile was turning back to a frown as the Malfoy moment was over. It did not take a genius to realize the earlier conversation was coming back to his mind. Hoping for the best, she got up and walked the step over so she was in front of him and kneeled down. Taking his hand in both of her hands, she held it tightly.

"Harry, I'm really sorry for having to say that, for causing you pain, but please know that I did that with the best of intentions. Ron didn't understand and would not have understood for a very long time. It would have affected your friendship in ways that neither of you would have liked. I'm also almost certain that you're wondering why I think I have the right to interfere in your life like this. Am I right?"

He nodded, although he was not looking at her.

"I know I don't have the right to tell you what to do and I wasn't trying to hurt you or manipulate you. I was just trying to fix a misunderstanding that my brother had. I don't think I betrayed any confidences that you've told me, but if I have, I'm really sorry, Harry, and I beg you to forgive me. I still hope you consider me your friend, because I want to be yours. I mean you, Harry, not the Boy-Who-Lived; that doesn't matter to me. I've enjoyed getting to know you and I like you for who you are now, and for the wonderful person I think you'll become." She stopped there and hoped that set things right. She also hoped she had not sounded stupid or like she was trying to mislead him. It was all straight from her heart.

Harry slowly turned away from the window and looked at her. She did not flinch and looked him straight in the eyes. His gaze bored into her. She did not think he could come into her mind, but she lowered her mental shields so that he could see the truth of her statement in her eyes. After a long moment, in which neither of their friends said anything, for which Ginny was grateful, Harry finally gave her hand a small squeeze.

Ginny let a small smile come over her as she took a deep breath, only now becoming aware that she had not been breathing while she waited. "Thank you," she whispered before she stood back up and moved back to her place -- her hands feeling cold after letting his go.

"Are you all right, Harry."

He looked up at Hermione and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled at her and took a deep breath, as if trying to purge the bad feelings. "I'm really fine."

Then he looked at Ginny and smiled as if to say things were fine between them; she smiled back at him in gratitude.

"I think I need to go to the loo. I'll be back in a few minutes." Harry got up and started to leave.

Before he could open the door, Ron grabbed his sleeve and stopped him. "Harry, mate. I -- You know I'm not good with feelings and stuff, but Ginny was at least a little right. I have wished I was you, but I don't think I really understood what that meant. I'm still not sure I do, but I can see that your life is not as good as I thought, and maybe it's not so bad to be me."

Ginny could not help but smile. At least some of her message had gotten through. He did not say the magic words of "I'm sorry", but then Ron never did. Still, this was very close for him.

Harry seemed to understand that and nodded. "Friends, Ron?"

Ron nodded. "Friends."

"Good, because I need friends." Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who nodded back. He then turned and looked at her. Ginny smiled and nodded too. "Like the movie says, 'All for one and one for all?'"

Hermione and Ginny repeated it back to him in unison. "All for one and one for all!"

Ron looked puzzled and asked, "What's a movie?"

Harry snorted and then chuckled. "Hermione, I'll leave that to you." He opened the compartment door and left.

Hermione started explaining Muggle movies as Ginny watched and tried not to laugh at her brother. Hermione was still trying to get Ron to understand when Harry returned five minutes later.

---

"Weasley, Ginevra," Professor Minerva McGonagall called out.

Ginny was the last student of her year to be sorted. She walked forward, having no fear of the sorting process. Of course, that did not mean that she was not concerned as to what might happen with the Sorting Hat. Would it be able to tell there was two Ginnys in her body? If so, what would it do? Would her secret come out? If so, many of her plans would be ruined.

She took the hat from Professor McGonagall and placed it on her head as she sat down.

"Hmm, another Weasley," she heard in her head. "What?! This can't be, it's not right! I've already seen you before. Do you realize what you've done?"

"Perfectly," she thought to the hat. "I'm making the attempt to restore balance to the world."

"But I can't sort you, you've already been sorted."

She mentally sighed. "If you'll look closely, you'll see that part of me has been sorted, and part of me hasn't. You can sort the unsorted me and not violate your rules."

The hat seemed to harrumph at that before it went quiet for a few seconds. "I suppose that is true, but then where do I put you? Where you belong or where the other part of you went? No, never mind, what am I thinking? If I am to sort the new part of you, then it must be on its own merit, yes… Hmm, you know, you are naturally very cunning and ambitious. Yes, very much so. I know exactly where to put you."

Before the Hat could go any further, Ginny reached up and grabbed the bill with her hand so it could not talk out loud. She was angry. "Hat, if you speak the word Slytherin out loud, it will be the last thing you ever speak as I will throw you to the ground and give you a thorough cleaning with a Fireball hex and then Vanish the ashes; not to mention that I will then go sit at the Gryffindor table anyway!" When the hat did not immediately say anything, she pulled her hand down.

As she did, she heard a chuckle and realized it was the hat laughing. When it settled down, it said, "Now that's something Godric would have said." It then shouted "Gryffindor!"

She smugly took the hat off, walked by an astonished looking McGonagall, and sat by Harry. Her friend and her brothers welcomed her to the house. Harry also patted her on the back, which she was thrilled with. She would take any sign of friendship she could get from him.

While she was eating, she listened to the conversations going on around her, but her mind was really going over her plans now that she was at school. Ravenclaw's Diadem would be easy to get now. Tomorrow morning, she would capture "Scabbers" and take him to Dumbledore. That would free Sirius, who would be able to help her get the cup and locket. She would almost certainly have to take him into her confidence, but an oath of some sort would ensure his silence. Once those were destroyed, all she had to do was to let a Dementor kiss Harry's forehead on the train next September and remove the last Horcrux. Voldemort would be mortal at that point, and as soon as he was not in a host, he should dissipate and die. At worst, any stray mortally wounding curse would take him out.

It was relatively easy, so why was she uncomfortable with the plan? She had gone over it multiple times since she had returned, and she could not figure out why something was nagging her. She looked at Harry and considered how she was going to talk him into letting a Dementor get near him. Perhaps Sirius could help her, she considered.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks: if she altered the timeline such that Sirius was released before next year, then the Dementors would not be around and she could not use one of those to remove the soul fragment from Harry. She wanted to bang her head on the table for missing that for so long.

The alternative was to do what they did last time, but the ritual they had used was hard to do and a few of the potion ingredients were very hard to find. It had taken them over a year to get all of the ingredients, and that was with a half dozen people looking and a lot of Galleons changing hands.

As she listened to the boys talk about Quidditch while they all finished eating, she considered what to do. Unfortunately, the only thing she could come up with was to leave Sirius in prison for the extra year, and hope he would escape like last time, and that Fudge would again send Dementors everywhere looking for him. Then after the train ride next year, continue on with her plan of capturing Scabbers/Pettigrew and having Sirius help her retrieve the last two Horcruxes. Harry could destroy those and that would have to count as 'by his hand". She wondered if she would have to share the prophecy with him or not.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Headmaster as he gave the announcements for the term. They were the usual ones: the Forbidden Forrest is forbidden, blah, blah, blah. They were soon dismissed and she followed her brother, Percy, up to Gryffindor Tower. Malfoy gave her a glare on the way out of the Great Hall, but she only laughed at him, which made him glare at her even more.

In her dorm room, she had the same bed as last time. Getting ready for bed, she saw the two lead boxes in her trunk, right next to a letter she had written a few days ago. She would get up early and destroy the Horcruxes after she mailed the letter. At worst, the letter would be ignored; at best, the letter would start the process to right some wrongs. She expected somewhere near the worst, that only one or two wrongs would be fixed.

Crawling into bed, she considered what the Sorting Hat had said. Yes, she was acting like a Slytherin in many ways, but she was going to take care of this like a Gryffindor: forcing what needed to happen.


The next morning, Ginny entered the Great Hall in fine spirits for breakfast. She had already visited the Owlery and the Room of Requirement.

In the second location, she envisioned a room to hide things and retrieved Ravenclaw's Diadem. As she was leaving, she saw a cabinet like a coffin. Remembering what Malfoy had done with it in Harry's sixth year, she blasted it into many little pieces. Going back out into the hallway, she caused the special room to create a different place.

Now, the room had created a long thin inner room of firebricks with a small steel door at one end. Opening the small steel door at the end of the inner room, she had levitated the two small lead boxes that had been in her trunk to the other end of the inner room. Then she cast a transfiguration spell at each box. The lead changed into paper, and she felt a slight pull from the diary, but she was easily able to ignore it at this distance. The diadem was also sent to the other end too. Finally, she carefully concentrated and cast a FiendFyre Spell at the Horcruxes. Before it hit them, she slammed the steel door shut and watched it with her wand ready to cast a fire shield.

A moment later, something hit the door on the inside. As it started turning a dull red, she cast a water conjuring spell and cooled the door down, ignoring the steam that came off the door. The door did not heat up again, but she waited another fifteen minutes anyway. After that time was up, she carefully opened the steel door and, thankfully, saw that the fire spell had ended. Looking at the other end, she only saw three piles of ash. Pleased with the results, she Vanished the ash and left for breakfast.

While breakfast was being eaten, Ginny received her timetable. Looking it over, she found that she had History of Magic first. Rolling her eyes at the stupid class, she thought about what she should do in there. Writing a letter to her mother seemed like a good thing. Her mother would be thrilled to know she was in Gryffindor.

---

While Ginny was heading off for her first class of the day, Amelia Bones, Director of the Magical Law Enforcement was looking over the new memos and letters from last night. She hated the paperwork and wondered yet again why she had wanted this job. She had been reasonably happy with the job of Sr Auror. There, she felt like she made a difference every day; here, she was not always sure she did.

Picking up a memo marked "URGENT", she started reading about the need to increase the Auror staffing levels. Two more had recently quit and they needed to be replaced. There were four new recruits that had just started Auror school, but that would not be enough to bring them back up to full capacity, and it would take three years for those new recruits to finish training. Her daily headache threatened to start as she considered how to get Minister Fudge to agree to hiring more Aurors. For the last few years, he had let her department staffing levels drop dramatically. The four new aurors in training were the first in six years.

The door to her office opened and her secretary came in and handed her a letter. "I'm sorry, Director, but this letter just came in. I've checked it for spells."

Amelia took the letter and thanked the young woman. After the door closed and she was alone again, she opened the letter to see what it was about. The small delay it would provide from her normal tedium was welcome. She put her monocle in place as she started reading.

Dear Director Bones,

I'm writing to you because I don't know who else to trust. I've come into some information that must be acted upon, but I know I can't do it myself.

The problem is that Lucius Malfoy is an active Death Eater, despite what he claimed years ago. As you probably know, he managed to get out of that charge by claiming he was acting under the Imperius Curse. The truth, I've found, is quite the opposite. You can prove this in a couple of ways.

Amelia sat up straighter and became very interested in this letter. Auror staffing levels and Minister Fudge would have to wait.

You should search the Malfoy house for Dark objects. If you look everywhere, you'll find several that carry long sentences in Azkaban, and that no one other than a Death Eater should have. I would not be surprised for you to find a white mask and a special dark cloak too. Attire which no normal person should have, especially if he is trying to show he's innocent. Be sure you search the dining room floor carefully. I understand the trapdoor there is very well hidden. You should also hurry, as I've heard that he's trying to sell of some of these illegal items.

The second way to prove his guilt is with Veritaserum. I know you have strict policies on when you can use it, but I recall that being a "hostile witness" is one of the triggers that allows you to use it. You'll obviously want to ask him about being a Death Eater, because as I understand it, receiving the Dark Mark must be done willingly; the spell/curse does not "take" if forced upon someone.

Amelia almost dropped her monocle as she read that last part; it was news to her.

You should also be able to label him a "hostile witness" because he has unduly influenced the court. He won't testify, but I have a friend who has seen Lucius Malfoy talking to Minister Fudge, shake his robes which made the sound of Galleons clanking together, then a moment later, the clanking sound came from Minister Fudge's robes. This is but one of many examples of bribery that I am aware of, but unfortunately am unable to prove. Hopefully, it will be enough for you to question Malfoy so that he has to answer.

By the way, did you know that Minister Fudge has a villa on the southern coast of France that he did not inherit and costs more than he's made in all the years of his service with the Ministry? You might want to ask Malfoy and Minister Fudge about that too.

A Concerned Citizen

Amelia was almost breathless after reading that. To be sure she was not imagining things, she reread the letter. It said the same thing the second time. Here was a way she could make a difference today. She wondered who the writer was and how he or she knew these things. The tricky part was determining if she could act on this. Anyone could write anything in a letter and send it to her anonymously. But it had the feel of truth about it.

She considered her options carefully. After a few minutes, she had her secretary send for her most senior Auror. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on her door and Alastor Moody walked in.

"You wanted to see me, Director?"

"Yes, Alastor. Please come in and have a seat." When he was sitting, she pulled out her wand and cast multiple silencing spells around the room. "Now, I have a very delicate project for you, Alastor, and it must be done with the utmost of secrecy until we have our evidence."

"Yes, Director?" He looked very curious after that introduction.

"I want four Aurors in the lobby. They are to check our records to see if Lucius Malfoy is in the building. If he is, they are to ensure that he does not leave. They are to be courteous, but they are to relieve him of his wand and escort him to a waiting room."

The old Auror grinned. "So Lucius is about to get what he deserves?"

"Maybe." She returned his grin. "If he comes into the building after you establish control of the lobby, in addition to the previous order, you are to have at least one other person you trust with your life to follow him under an invisibility cloak and with a recording spell going. I want to know what he does within this building, as he is a citizen and not a ministry employee."

"Can I use Shacklebolt for the observation?" She nodded. "And if he's already here, can I have him sought out and his actions recorded?"

Bones considered that. "If it can be done and him be none the wiser, that's fine. While that is being done, I want you to take two squads and Arthur Weasley to Malfoy Manor. Weasley is supposed to be good at finding things. I'll also arrange for an Unspeakable from the research department to join you. There are supposed to be some very Dark objects there. You and at least two others will take up command in the dining room and you will not move from there until I join you."

"What's so important about the dining room?" the gravelly voice asked, not missing the implication.

"I'm told there is a secret trapdoor there. Any place that is so secret will probably hold the most dangerous things, so if you find said door, mark it, but don't open it. We'll deal very carefully with it."

"Anything else, Director?"

"I want this one badly, Alastor. Explain to everyone that it will be done by the book. I don't want Malfoy to walk because someone did something stupid. With the possible exception of Shacklebolt, because of the nature of his mission and he'll have a recording spell to back him up, no one is by himself. Everyone will be partnered so no mistakes are made. Everything is double-checked before anything is done. Am I crystal clear?"

"Perfectly, Director. No mistakes allowed." His gnarled face grinned as he got up. "Don't worry, if it's there to be found, we'll find it." He stumped out to start the missions.

Amelia Bones smiled. It was a good day to be an Auror. She hastily filled out a form and then rechecked it before she went through her Floo to visit Hogwarts. She needed another signature on it and knew the Chief of the Wizengamot would help her.

Twenty minutes later, she had a signed form and was in the lobby of the Ministry. Searching, she spotted Dawlish and walked over to him. "Report."

"He's in the building, Director. We won't let him leave."

She nodded. "Remember, be courteous, but also be cautious. His wand is in the end of his cane, so tell him to let it drop to the ground and move way. If he tries anything at all, Stun him first and I'll ask questions later."

"Yes, Director. You can count on us."

"Very good, carry on." She walked to the Apparation point and a few seconds later, she was standing in front of Malfoy Manor. An Auror was at the front door.

"Good morning, Director."

"Good morning, Auror Devon. Where might I find the Sr Auror?"

"He's in the dining room, ma'am. Down that hall and take a right."

"Thank you, carry on." She took the directions given and quickly found Moody and his group. "Report."

"The house is secure. It was empty except for three house-elves. They are being watched. I have an Auror at every outside door and two watching the Floo. Three squads of two are searching the house now. I can tell you there is a trap door over there." He pointed to a spot just in front of the Unspeakable, who was casting revealing spells on the floor. "None of the searchers have reported back yet."

"Excellent. Please take someone with you and use your special eye to search for more hidden areas." Amelia looked around the room and saw nothing special, so she walked over to the now not-so-hidden trapdoor.

"I need a few more minutes," the deep voice of the Unspeakable told her. She nodded and took a few steps back. There was no need to get in the way.

Just before the Unspeakable opened the trapdoor, one of the search teams returned. They were empty handed, but Amelia was not concerned – yet. When the trapdoor was opened, the Unspeakable went down. She sent the two searchers down with him. After a few minutes, she went down too – not being able to stand the wait. She found she was in a good sized room with several smaller rooms off the main one. The smaller rooms looked like prison cells. Fortunately, they were all empty. Turning around, she saw a black cloak and a white mask next to the stairs going back up. She smiled, more hopeful now.

The Unspeakable was walking around the room. When he noticed her, he smiled too. "You've hit the jackpot, Director. I've already found three items that are each worth ten years in Azkaban, and that does not count that white mask by the stairs. There's also a filing cabinet over here that you'll want to go through very carefully. Be aware, there is a trap on it, probably to destroy the contents if opened incorrectly. Oh, what's this? Phials of memories. I wonder what he did not want anyone else to see? Yes, definitely the jackpot."

Amelia smiled again and went back upstairs. Moody was back.

"We found a few illegal wands and books. They carry a stiff fine, but they probably won't hurt the git too much," Moody reported.

"Go downstairs and help there, Alastor. The Unspeakable says we've hit the jackpot." A gruff laugh escaped the man. "You're in charge here. No mistakes, Alastor."

"No mistakes, Director."

With a spring in her step, Amelia Bones returned to the Ministry. As she Apparated in, she found the lobby in chaos. Drawing her wand, she walked towards the guard station. There she found one Auror tending another on the ground, and Lucius Malfoy splayed and unconscious with his wand out of his cane.

"Director." She turned to face Dawlish, who still had his wand out. "He drew his wand after we asked him to drop his cane. You just missed it all."

"And Davidson?" She looked at the man who was down.

"He took a cutting curse to the shoulder, Director. I think he'll be as good as new in a day or two. We have a healer on the way. Sr Auror Shacklebolt is waiting for you in your office."

Bones picked up Malfoy's wand and cane. "Put him in a holding cell after you search him for Portkeys and anything else he might use to escape or any potions."

"Of course, Director. By the book."

"By the book, Auror Dawlish. Carry on." She was curious to see if Shacklebolt had gotten lucky. She would also have to send more help to Alastor. She wanted to know what was in those files. And where was Narcissa Malfoy, she wondered.

---

Amelia Bones was very proud of her department. In the last six hours, they had gone over the secret room in Malfoy manor with a fine-toothed comb. While they had found enough Dark objects to put Malfoy away for at least fifty years, the real find was the filing cabinet. After the Unspeakable had removed the protective ward on it, a team had gone over the contents of it. They now had enough evidence to arrest ten more men and add more time to a few already in Azkaban. Criminals who kept good records seemed illogical to her, but she welcomed them.

Albus Dumbledore banged the full Wizengamot into session as most people were sitting down to dinner. "I call for order, the Wizengamot is now in session." It quieted down.

Amelia looked over at Fudge, who showed confusion on why there was a meeting of the full Wizengamot on such a short notice.

"Bring in the accused," Dumbledore ordered. Two Aurors brought in a struggling Lucius Malfoy, forcing him to the witness chair, where chains wrapped themselves around the man. Amelia noticed that Minister Fudge paled significantly, and that warmed her heart, although she did not show it.

"Let the record show that this trial is for Lucius Malfoy, and he is accompanied by…" Dumbledore looked at the man near the witness chair.

"Dinglebirt, Arthur Dinglebirt".

"Mr Malfoy is represented by Mr Dinglebirt." Dumbledore looked back to the prisoner. "Lucius Malfoy. You are charged with: being a member of an illegal organization known as the Death Eaters, eight counts of murder, the owner of nine illegal magical items, and fifty-seven counts of bribery. How do you plead?"

Bones saw Fudge waver, as if he was going to pass out on the last charge. She smiled as he should be worried.

"Not guilty," Dinglebirt announced.

"Why are we doing this, Dumbledore? Lucius is an upstanding citizen." Fudge had finally found his voice again, but Amelia knew he was about to be broken.

Dumbledore gave an irritating smile, or at least Amelia found it irritating most of the time, although she was enjoying it now as it was directed at Fudge. "Minister, the Aurors have found some interesting evidence. Mr Malfoy will be given the chance to defend himself, as the law allows. The law should not play favorites, should it?"

Fudge shook his head -- what choice did he have?

Dumbledore looked over to Amelia. "Director, I believe you will take the prosecution for this case?"

"Yes, Chief Warlock." Amelia opened the file in front of her and began. An hour later, the extra squad of Aurors she had stationed in courtroom ten arrested six members of the Wizengamot, plus the Minister for Magic. An hour after that, the trial was over and Lucius Malfoy was taken away to Azkaban by a squad of Aurors and two Dementors.


The next morning at Hogwarts, Ginny went to breakfast with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She was thankful that Hermione so quickly accepted her presence, as she had last time. Ron was still a bit put out at her insistence at her including herself in their group, but she ignored his childishness, knowing that he would not lose that overnight. As long as he was making progress, she was happy.

As if scripted, the morning owls came in a few minutes after everyone had started to eat. An owl bringing the Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione. Her need to stay informed benefited them all.

Hermione had barely opened the newspaper when she dropped it in a gasp. In fact, gasps were heard from all over the Great Hall.

Ginny looked around and saw that all of the professors, except for Dumbledore, had a look on their face that bordered on incredulity. She smirked to herself, sure that her letter had started something.

"Look at this," Hermione announced as she turned the paper around. In bold headlines, the newspaper announced, "Minister Fudge Arrested!" with a large subtitle of "Lucius Malfoy Given Life in Azkaban".

Ginny could not help it, a large smile spread across her face. It was as if Christmas had come early.

"What are you so happy about Ginny?" Hermione asked. "This is the Minister for Magic we're talking about. This will affect the whole government."

She had been caught, but Ginny did not care, as she had an easy out. "Malfoy has finally been punished for what we all know he's done. That should take baby Malfoy down a peg or two. And if the rumors that my father has heard are true, about Malfoy bribing Fudge, then Fudge deserves it. Maybe we can now get a more honest government."

"My sister has a point," Ron commented between bites.

"Well, read it to us, Hermione," Harry encouraged her.

Hermione shifted slightly to make herself more comfortable and began to read.

Minister Fudge Arrested!
Lucius Malfoy Given Life in Azkaban

Late yesterday afternoon as many of you were starting dinner, a surprise session of the full Wizengamot was called. Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore presided. Struggling in his manacles between two Aurors, prominent citizen Lucius Malfoy was brought in for trial. Amelia Bones, Director of the MLE, personally led the prosecution against the defendant, who was charged with: being a member of an illegal organization known as the Death Eaters, eight counts of murder, the owner of nine illegal magical items, and fifty-seven counts of bribery. He pled not guilty.

Madam Bones brought forth evidence of true Death Eater attire, clothing which she said should not be in the defendant's house if his story be being forced to act like a Death Eater in the last war with You-Know-Who was really true. The Dark Mark was also shown to be on the defendant's arm, and this proved to her that he really was a Death Eater. Therefore, he had already lied to the court and should be considered a hostile witness and given Veritaserum. Her request was granted and then the fireworks began.

Lucius Malfoy confessed to being a Death Eater and willingly taking the Dark Mark. He also explained that the Dark Mark could only be taken by free will, so anyone with a Dark Mark chose to be a Death Eater. He also admitted to eight murders, six of them with the Killing Curse. Malfoy also admitted to over eighty counts of bribery, the majority directed towards Minister Fudge. The largest bribe was a villa located on the south coast of France, worth over 200,000 Galleons. That was given when Fudge vouched for Malfoy in 1981 and allowed Malfoy to go free after he said he was under the Imperius Curse during the war.

After that shocker, Minister Fudge was arrested. Several members of the Wizengamot then called for a break, but Madam Bones requested one more piece of business be conducted first. When the Chief Warlock granted her request, she questioned Malfoy about who else was bribed. A few minutes later, six members of the Wizengamot were taken into custody, including Sr Undersecretary Delores Umbridge. It also came out that four other highly placed ministry workers were named and had been arrested earlier in the day, three of which also had the Dark Mark on their left forearm. Seven other citizens were also named as Death Eaters, and they have already been taken into custody for a full trial at a later date.

The Wizengamot took a short break and then reconvened to debate the fate of Lucius Malfoy. Less than an hour later, he was handed enough fines to deplete much of the speculated Malfoy fortune, and he was sentenced to multiple life sentences in Azkaban's high security section. Because of his bribery and effect on the government, there were calls for him to be given to the Dementors. The Wizengamot voted to take that measure up at their next normal meeting.

Before they disbanded for the night, the Wizengamot took up the question of the leadership of the Ministry of Magic. By unanimous vote, Cornelius Fudge was removed from his office. The names of Dumbledore and Bones were nominated to temporarily hold the office of Minister until elections could be held. Dumbledore immediately removed his name from consideration. After a short discussion, Madam Amelia Bones was elected to hold the temporary spot. She also vowed to continue to clean up the present Ministry.

When the session ended, neither Chief Warlock Dumbledore nor Minister Bones had a statement for us.

The other three looked at Hermione. "I'll take my previous statement back, now that I know more. With a Minister like that, I'm glad he's gone."

Ginny was beside herself in joy. She had thought she would have to send one letter out for each Death Eater, but by starting at the top and with some luck, it sounded like almost everyone on her list was taken care of. She would have to get the newspaper from Hermione and double-check who was caught by reading the other articles. She could send in letters on anyone who was missed. There was one in particular that no one would catch unless there was inside information, or knowledge from the future. She would have to send at least one more letter.

She also wondered what happened to Dobby and how all of this would affect his behavior in regards to Harry. She would have to watch closely and hopefully guard Harry without his knowing about it.

They all went off to class for the day. Ginny started with Herbology, then Charms, and finally Potions just before lunch. It was all quite boring and she was not sure how long she could take this. All of school would be boring, but this was stupid as she was not even having the enjoyment of being with Harry. That got her to thinking of a modification to her plan.

"Weasley!" Snape shouted at her.

Ginny came out of her thinking, the lecture for Potions was apparently over with.

"Since you can't pay attention, that's ten points from Gryffindor. If you don't make today's potion perfectly, you will have detention with me tonight," he threatened her.

She almost rolled her eyes at the thought. Her, mess up a potion to cure boils? Unlikely. She walked over to join Colin Creevey, as he did not have a partner yet.

"No, Miss Weasley, over here by yourself. I want to see what you can do." He pointed to a place near the front of the classroom, a worktable where she would be surrounded by Slytherins. She did not need to be a seer to predict what was about to happen.

Working as quickly and carefully as she could, including putting a lid over her cauldron as much as possible so contaminants could not be thrown in, Ginny made her potion. Several times, Snape stood so close behind her, he was almost touching her; but she did not even let that bother her. Just as she was finishing, she heard a plop from something she had not seen thrown, and her cauldron started to foam. Out of self-defense, not knowing what it was going to do, she Vanished the contents without hesitation to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

"Hmm, nothing to hand in?" Snape asked innocently. "I'll be seeing you tonight immediately after dinner, Miss Weasley." All the Slytherins around her snickered.

Ginny was fuming. There was no way anyone could have managed to have put something into her cauldron unseen, unless it had been disillusioned first. Disillusionment was a seventh year spell, so that left only one person in the room -- besides her -- capable of doing that.

Everyone quickly packed up to head to lunch at the end of class, but Ginny purposely dropped her bag.

"Hurry up, Weasley, or I'll add another detention for your clumsiness," the professor sneered.

Ginny slung her bag over her left shoulder and double-checked that she was the last student in the room. She then carefully drew her wand and made sure her body blocked her action. "Professor, about that detention … OBLIVIATE!" Her wand was now pointing at Snape and he was hit with a white spell from less than six feet away; he had not be able to dodge. As a blank look came over his face, she put her wand up and walked out of the classroom and up to lunch. "Greasy git," she muttered to herself once she was in the hallway. If he kept this up, she was going to have to do something about him too.


((A/N: Well, that should answer one of the most burning questions of who Ginny thinks she will have to share her secret with.))