Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling does not forget to include chapters in her story. Therefore, I am not J.K. Rowling.

Ginny woke suddenly, raising up to her elbows. She took deep, gulping breaths trying to dispel the fading ache in her chest. As it gradually dispersed, so did the dream she had been having, though she tried to hang onto it. She fell back with her left hand over her heart—the place where the ache was (had been)—and closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing and remember her dream

Sirius

Dreams always faded so fast...

Sirius, young and old and very old...

Dumbledore, with bloody hands...

Ginny opened her eyes with a sigh and gave it up as a bad job, thinking that the strange dream had probably been a product of her stressful past few days. She rubbed her chest in memory of the ache, thinking of the coldness with which she had been treated since Marlene discovered she and Sirius near the stairs. She winced. Ginny hated being 'that girl', and had always hated those who were 'that girl'. And now she was responsible for someone else feeling as terrible as Michael Corner had made her feel. She had tried to apologize several times, but the death glares she had received before beginning had quailed her good intentions.

She tried clearing her throat, since sighing had made it itch. She was rewarded with a severe sore throat. Knowing she would not get back to sleep once she left the bed, Ginny got up to get some water from the far end of the room by the door. While drinking, she noticed that the clock above the mantled doorway said 11:11.

After making a quick wish, she drug the blanket off her bed and decided to wait downstairs until would go and meet Sirius.

When she arrived downstairs, and she was surprised to see Molly wrapped in a similar blanket. She tried to go quietly back up the stairs, but -

"Don't leave on my account," Molly said, patting the seat cushion next to her. "I don't bite." She thought for a moment. "Well, not yet. I don't quite know how vindictive these hormones are going to get." Ginny laughed and sat next to her, pleasantly close to the fire.

They spent a few comfortable minutes in silence.

"Sooo," Molly attempted (and failed) nonchalantly say after those minutes. "You and Sirius…"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Merlin, Molly, try to be a little more blunt next time. I couldn't quite see through the subtlety."

Molly put her hands up in an act of semi-surrender. "Give me a break. I've only been a proper…mum," (she seemed to have a hard time forming the word) "—for two days. And my kid's a teenage girl of all else!"

"Yeah, well," Ginny said, slightly abashed. "I'm not expecting, or wanting, you to mother me or anything. We're practically the same age."

More silence.

"There isn't any."

"What?" Molly said, confused.

"There isn't any. There isn't any 'me and Sirius'."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"About 99% sure, yeah. Why?"

"There are rumors going around…"

Now it was Ginny's turn to cock an eyebrow. "And you believe them?"

"My sources are quite credible, thank you," Molly said and she sounded so much like Hermione that Ginny had to look away for a moment to laugh.

"Okay then," she said. "What are your credible sources saying?"

"A lot of people think…" Molly said, searching her offspring's eyes for the truth. "Well, a lot of people seem to be under the impression that he loves you."

Ginny sat, speechless for a moment.

"And he doesn't use that word too often. Trust me," Molly continued.

"He's sure got a ruddy way of showing it!" Ginny said, getting upset about what had happened that morning all over again. If that was the way he showed love…but of course he didn't love her, it was just a stupid Hogwarts rumour. And she wouldn't care if he did. She wouldn't. She didn't.

"Arse," Ginny muttered, venting her feelings in that one all-purpose word.

Molly narrowed her eyes a bit. It was a look Ginny knew well. It was a look that boded ill for whomever it was meant for.

"What did he do?"

Ginny, being angry with Sirius but not actually wishing him irreparable harm, decided not to tell Molly. "Nothing. He didn't do anything. And, um," she said, noting the time again. "I have to go." She stood up.

"Meeting him?" Molly asked.

Ginny looked at her in surprise.

"Ye-no. No. Just, I'm just…No, I am not going to meet him!" Ginny's voice got more excited as Molly's smirk grew.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to stop you. But let's just be honest with each other, alright? No mothering, just honesty."

Ginny hesitated. "Okay…so what if I am?"

"I just want you to be careful. The people that get involved with Sirius usually end up getting hurt."

There was something any Molly's tone that made Ginny want to see her face, but Molly and her face were in shadow.

"I'll try to be careful," Ginny said.

"Well then," Molly gave a smile, "Go get 'em. As they say"

Ginny again rolled her eyes muttering, "I'm not about to get anything." And left the portrait hole to meet Sirius. Like the first time, she was in pajamas.

So, um, guys. I found this chapter and apparently I didn't post it like I thought I did. So, I'm going to post this here, AND in the right spot, and I'll take it down from the "most-recent" spot once I post the ACTUAL new chapter.

Also, I apparently have chosen pajamas to be Sirius's and Ginny's "thing." Go figure.