Disclaimer: I so don't own it. If ever I were anywhere near as filthy rich as Jo Rowling, it would be from due to the publishing of like, a vampire erotica novel or something. Or like, a zombie-apocalypse-turned-love-story or something. Anyway, that day is not today, and J.K Rowling still owns the shit outta Harry Potter.
A/N: Hello again people! I wonder as I type this, if there are still any devout PP&F fans other than the amazing rockrose?! If there are, then I hope that ya'll will enjoy this chapter. Life has been insane for a while now, but as seeing as I am now expecting my second little baybay, I hope to continue on with this story!
ALSO: For any new readers...this story is rated M for a reason. I LOVE Ginny and Sirius, and I write them the way that my imagination twists them. Keeping that in mind, no one can ever be sure what I'm going to throw out there, so be ready for sexual content, violence, language, pedophilia and like, all other possibilities.
Chapter Nine: Changes
Please believe that things
are good with me, and even
when they're not,
they will be soon enough.
-The Perks of Being A Wallflower,
by Stephen Chbosky
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GINNY BLINKED AGAINST the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the train compartment's window. Glancing at the worn watch on her left wrist, she saw that it was nearly five o'clock. The watch, much like everything else that any Weasley possessed, was a hand-me-down. Originally a present that Bill had received from their father at the start of his first year, the watch had slowly made its way down the line of red-haired siblings until it had reached her last year. By this point, the black leather of the watch had to a deep gray and it's glass face was deeply gouged in places. Regardless of its state though, Ginny couldn't help the small smile that almost always appeared on her face when she looked at it. The watch reminded her of Bill, who had always been one of her favorite brothers. Having something of his made her feel like somehow, despite how fucked up everything in her life was, she still had family.
Stretching her arms above her head, Ginny winced as she heard popping resound along her spine. She was alone on the Hogwarts Express; alone in her compartment at least. By this point though, Ginny had grown accustomed to her solitude. It had been months since the battle at the Department of Mysteries, and life had yet to return to normal for her. Normal? Ginny thought with a snort. Stretching her legs out in front of her on the bench seat, the read head straightened the hem of her blue tee-shirt before running a hand across her face. Normal was a concept that Ginny had not known for years. However, for a moment in time, she had found a sort of balance. Peace, almost. During the time that she had been with Sirius, her life had felt...good. Not normal, or conventional by any means...but good. For a few months, Ginny had let her guard down, and she had paid for it ever since. Of course, Ginny had known better – Tom Riddle himself had taught her better, for Merlin's sakes!
There was something about Sirius Black though, well, no. The problem that was making it so hard for Ginny to deal with what had happened between the two of them, was that it wasn't just there was something about the man. No. Everything about Sirius Black, everything that made him who he was, were also the things that drove Ginny to him. Even now, months later, after everything that had happened she still couldn't get past it. She had seen the man twice since the battle in the DoM. The first time, was in the newly appointed headmistress office. The second, was during her trial in front of the Wizengamot.
Yes, aside from her usual exile from life itself, many things had changed. Obviously, when word got out that Voldemort was indeed back, as Dumbledore had been preaching from the get-go, he had been elected for office. At first he had declined, stating that he had no desire for such power, and in his stead he recommended none other than her own father, Arthur Weasley. That of course had not gone over well at all in circles outside of the Order; the man was considered a crack-pot in many esteemed circles due to his muggle fascination. With society as a whole declining Dumbledore's recommendation, and talk of electing a less...desirable candidate arose, the old wizard had caved and eventually taken the post. With his election, came a mad flurry of changes within the the Ministry. Due to the staggering hold that Voldemort still had over much of Britain, new security measures had been enforced. All Ministry employees as well as officials were given the choice of either walking, or else being interrogated under Veritaserum to decide their loyalty. In addition, all forearms were inspected for the Dark Mark, and all remaining officials were forced to make Unbreakable Vows to the ministry ensuring their loyalties, if they wished to stay.
Many people were shocked by the Minister's extremism, but for once, Ginny actually found herself admiring her former headmaster for his caution. It seemed to her that the old man was finally ready to be the leader that the people needed him to be, and not just the strategist whom he fancied himself as being. Regardless of the wisdom behind the man's actions, many within the ministry were furious. Dozens of people left, just as dozens more were outed as Death Eaters. The insane loss of hands on deck at the Ministry left it vulnerable, and because of that, extreme actions had to be taken. It was during that time of floundering, that Ginny read of Sirius Black's full pardon by the minister himself, as well as his full reinstatement in the ministry as Kingsley Shacklebolt's second in the Auror department. Her father also gained a promotion, thought it was not what anyone had expected. Arthur Weasley became the first known Unspeakable...ever. No one knew what his job was, and from what Ginny had gathered he was being quite tight-lipped about it all. It was a hell of a promotion though, and all the Weasleys were proud of the man; even Ginny, despite her blacker than black-sheep status.
At that time that all that was taking place in the Ministry, Hogwarts was changing as well. Gaining a new headmistress in the form of Professor McGonagall, the students happily welcomed all the woman's proposals to the staff. In many of the student's minds, no one and nothing could ever be as bad as Umbridge. Immediately, McGonagall assigned Professor Flitwick as her deputy, which sent the little man into a fit of sputtering through his delight. Obviously busy with all of her newly acquired responsibilities, the headmistress had also announced at the end of the year feast the previous night that the start of the next term would bring with it many more changes; Ginny had looked up only to realize with a jolt that the woman had stared at her as she spoke. Only time would tell what that had all been about.
As Ginny felt the train begin to slow, she began putting away the few random odds and inns she had strewn across the seat across from her. Grabbing her bag, a dark green muggle satchel which she had charmed to expand and accommodate at her will which she had begun decorating with random pins she acquired, she began placing her things carefully back into it. Picking up her MP3 player, which Hermione had gotten for her for Christmas, she carefully wound her headphones around it before tucking it away. Much like her father, Ginny also loved almost everything muggle; Hermione was just one of the few people who were aware of it. Next she picked up the heavy tome she had read before drifting off, Malicious Magics & Their Practical Defense, and shoved it in. With a weary sigh, Ginny glanced at the rack above her head and glared at her battered red chest. This was going to suck.
After her trial, where not only did Dumbledore fully pardon her of the murder of Bellatrix Lestrange, but also award her an Order of Merlin, First Class for the bravery she had shown in the defense of one of his head Aurors. What garbage. Ginny had sat silently through the trial, ignoring the theatrics of the dried up old council before her. Ginny hadn't wanted to be there, hadn't wanted to be within five-hundred miles of the man who was sitting just behind her. Yes, Ginny had saved Sirius from a foolish death, but she still didn't like him anymore than she did that last day when she had left Grimmauld Place. Sure, she still loved him, was still in love with him...but that didn't mean that she had to like him. No, she was still far too pissed for words like, "like". After the trial, as she raced for the Floo on the second floor which she knew would take her back to Hogwarts, he had tried to speak with her, but she had brushed past him without a word. Nothing that he had to say would be enough.
With the fireplace in sight, she was finally cut short of her destination by her father. They had spoken, briefly. If you could call it that. He was angry though, that she had kept secrets, that she had fought, that she had an entire army trained in secret, for Merlin's sakes! And...why had she killed Bellatrix? Why? Ginny did not have words to express her thoughts; the disappointment etched across her fathers face made her throat burn and her arms tremble. He was angry, yet so was she. No one understood; no one in her family had ever tried to understand anything about Ginny. When she was a small girl she had always lived in the shadow of her brothers, never big enough to be included, but always small enough to be forgotten. She had tried to be the little girl that her parents had always wanted, but she didn't fit into the shoes of that person. She loved Quidditch, she taunted her brothers just to make them fight, because she loved fighting! She would run off for hours to climb trees and jump out of them. Eventually Fred, George, and even Bill to a lesser extent began to see her for who she was and accept her, but then Tom Riddle happened, and she was shattered.
In the months after the Chamber, while she was hauled up in her room recovering both physically as well as mentally from the many hazy days she had spent under Tom's influence, Ginny began to understand. The only way to heal from this was to let go of the little girl that everyone had always wanted for her to be and become the person who she had only ever allowed herself to be in secret. For months, with family tip-towing around her like she was glass, never speaking to her for loss of anything to say to poor Ginny, she changed. And one day, just like that, because no one had paid any attention in the meantime, Ginny had changed. She walked down stairs with her hair hanging in loose waves, wearing a too-small shirt and too-big ripped jeans with red trainers, and she wasn't Ginny anymore. Not to them anyway, not who they thought she should have been. This girl walked with something coiled inside of her, that showed every time that her eyes flashed as she assessed the room. This girl felt dangerous, and no one knew how to handle it. Once again, it was Fred and George who accepted her; eventually it was like she was their third twin. Anyone who messed with her got pranked with a malice that was remarkable, even from those two.
And that was when Ginny realized it. Standing there waiting for her father to quit screaming at her, Ginny simply shook her head. The twins were the only ones who had ever accepted her, they had almost always been there for her, and once again they were there trying to protect her. Harry had loaned them the money for the investment, and they had taken the leap and started the joke shop that they had always dreamed about. They hadn't bothered finishing their seventh year, because school had never really mattered to them. They wrote to her and offered her a job and a room; now she was ready to make her choice.
"Dad," she had said. His words trailed off, realizing that she had finally spoken. "Save it, okay? I'm not coming home. The twins offered me a job and a room, so I'm taking it. I know damn well what the lot of you think of me, so just fuckin' save it."
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Trunk finally secured in her bag, Ginny brushed off the thighs of her pants as she stood. Running fingers through her hair, she furrowed her eyebrows together as she tried to calculate whether she had everything that she would need. Her trunk literally held almost every one of her possessions. At the beginning of the previous summer, her father had told her to pack like she may never be returning because no one knew if the house would still be standing the next time that they saw it. At the time that he had told her that, there had been no way for the man to know just how true his words would prove to be. Nodding to herself, Ginny slung her bag over her shoulder as she slid the door of her compartment open. One thing that had not changed since her and Sirius's...breakup...was that she was still dressing pretty average. Today she had on a ripped pair of faded flare jeans with a single flower patch on her inner thigh, a blue tee-shirt that hit above her bellybutton, and her faithful red trainers. Her hair was down long, mussed from running her hand through it constantly, the ends had begun trying to curl. The only makeup she wore was a bit of black liner and mascara and clear gloss. Honestly, it was the most effort she had been able to bother putting into her appearance for a while.
Pushing her way through the hordes of students trying to all exit the train at the same time, Ginny tried like hell to ignore them all. Still, everywhere she went people whispered, and even pointed her out outright. With a roll of her eyes, Ginny pushed past a group of terrified looking firsties and stepped onto the platform. Ginny knew with a certainty that this moment had the potential to be disastrous. Her parents were there, waiting for Ron. There were two men who Ginny didn't recognize flanking her parents, who Ginny assumed must be fellow Unspekables. And of course a little further down the platform was Sirius, who Ginny knew must be waiting for Harry. Sighing, she stood a moment in indecision unsure of how to proceed. She knew that he brothers would be there soon, knew that one or the other of them must just be running behind as usual. Still though, her parents had already seen her and were now glaring at her icily while she stared fixedly at a random point above the barrier. Please, kill me now before I do it myself...At least Sirius hadn't seemed to spot her, yet. Glancing his direction, she cursed as she saw Remus walk over to him and look at her. Well, shite. So much for him not seeing her.
Great. Now her parents were glaring at her, Sirius was giving her his damned puppy eyes, Remus was looking torn, and now Harry was standing next to them with Hermione looking troubled. Gag me with a fuckin' stick! Where the hell were the twins?! Just as Ginny was about to say screw it and walk to the joke shop alone, she heard someone call her name. Looking around, she was shocked to see none other than Draco Malfoy strutting over to her.
"Pop your eyeballs back into your head luv, you look a bit daft standing there oggoling me like that. Makes a bloke feel a bit violated, to tell the truth." Rolling her eyes at the blond, Ginny couldn't help the small smile that fluttered over her mouth.
"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just, ya know...difficult...fighting those...urges...that you instill within me, Malfoy." He smirked, taking another step towards her. Ginny didn't look away from him, although she could practically feel eyes burning into them. "What do you want Draco?"
"Maybe I just wanted to wish you a happy summer, ever think of that you little bint?" Ginny took another step toward him, and shook her head. Things with this boy were never that easy. They stood so close now, her chest was rubbing against his. She could feel the heat coming from him; blushing, she realized all at once that Draco was every bit as tall as Sirius. Shaking her head at the thought, she began stepping back, before strong arms wrapped around her waist preventing her from moving. "Dra- -"
Her words were suddenly cut off by his lips gently pressing against her. The kiss was innocent, almost. A lot more innocent than the last time that they had kissed, at least. His lips were hot, and soft against her own and for a moment, all that she could smell was him. Spicy, cold and strangely like cherries. And then all at once, it was over as quickly as it had begun. Gasping slightly, Ginny tugged a hand through her hair. Lips against her ear, "I don't want to be like my bloody father, Ginny." Then with an almost apologetic smile and a shrug, Draco turned and was gone just as quickly as he had come.
Confused, and almost terrified to stay in case any spectators recovered from their shock before she did, Ginny did the only thing that she could think of. She fled.
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A/N: So...did it bomb? Or was it alright? Lemmie know people! If I get some reviews maybe my inspiration bunnies will start hopping again. I'll try for another chapter soon!