"A Gryffindor." Ginny repeated icily. "What makes you say that?"
Sarah brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Well, think about it. You automatically suspected a Ravenclaw, right? Why was that?"
"It wasn't cause you were a Ravenclaw." Seamus said, sitting on the floor with Luna. "It was cause of your sister."
"Who was a Ravenclaw. We're smart, but we can be smart on both sides. We're not like you Gryffindors, or well, Puffs. We'll betray you if we have to."
"Is this a confession?"
Sarah laughed, actually laughed. "Nope. I didn't do it, promise. The reason none of us would do anything is, well, this is the winning side. It is so unwise to go against you guys. And everyone in Ravenclaw loves secrets, but they're not too good at keep ing them. Everyone knows what everyone is doing. So, trust me-"
"Then no one knew what Marrieta was doing when she betrayed us?" Ginny interjected.
"Sis was Cho's responsibility. And Cho wasn't very bright. For one of us, that is."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, but all in all, she was okay with that description of Cho Chang. "Okay, but why a Gryffindor?"
"Because whoever is doing this thinks he or she is doing this for the best"
. . .
. . .
"Neville."
"Go away..."
"Neville.."
"Let me sleep."
"Neville!"
Ginny yanked the blankets off Neville sharply. Seamus let her in, the two of them being the only residents of their seventh year Dorm.
The boy shuddered in response to the cold and glared at her. "What is it?"
"It's about the D.A."
Neville sat up, wiped his eyes, then looked at her. "Okay, what's up?"
"So I told you about Sarah Edgecombe, right?"
He nodded.
"Well, it turns out she wasn't the spy."
"What?"
"Long story. Anyway, she thinks the spy's a Gryffindor."
"Okay..." Neville said. "Have you got a list of the members with you?"
Ginny nodded, and pulled out a many times folded piece of paper. "Here, the Gryffindors have been marked down."
He looked at it. "Let's see, Adams, Peakes, who's Collasanto? No, doesn't matter. Commons, McLaggen, Herring-hey! I bet it was McLaggen!"
Ginny stared down at Cormac's obnoxious handwriting. "Well, I suppose. He is a bit of a prick, but I really don't think he's traitor material."
"If not him, then who?" said Neville, sighing.
Ginny nodded. "We'll look into it."
. . .
. . .
"I am incredibly offended-"
Ginny groaned.
"-that anyone would even think that I, I, would turn trai-"
"Stun him to shut him up." Ginny said wearily to Seamus.
"Gladly. But we can't exactly lift him."
"-and my own captain say-hey! I have perfectly good physique."
"Your 'physique' rivals Dudley Dursley's." Ginny growled at him. "Not shut it, I'm only following a tip off."
"Lies! What a fallacy! Only those jealous of me would dare say things about someone so well respected in the community!"
What community? Ginny wondered. Was he talking about Gryffindor?
But they had finally made it to the Room of requirement, thank god. Ginny shoved the boy inside, and the room revealed a lovely courtroom type room, complete with plastic table and chair and a spotlight focused on the chair.
She pointed to the chair. "Sit."
With much grumbling, he did.
A half hour of useless questioning later, Ginny was forced to conclude that not only was McLaggen innocent, he was probably stupid enough to blab about this to everyone in the house.
Only one way out.
"Obliviate!"
Seamus watched as his towering figure hit the ground. "Well, that's done then." he said. "Let's just leave 'im here."
Ginny looked down at the glassy eyes of her least favorite Gryffindor. "Yeah, alright."
. . .
. . .
"So, he's out." Neville said gloomily. "How did Colin even find out about the traitor in the first place?"
"The Carrows were talking outside the staff room. They were trying to get Flitwick to tell them about the previous D.A, the ones from a year ago. I figured McGonagall would never say, and they figured that out-"
"McGonagall!" Neville exclaimed suddenly, his whole face lighting up. "That's it!"
The rest of the generals looked at him. "What?" asked Susan.
"Come on, she knows everything in Gryffindor. Everything."
"She never caught Harry much." Ginny added in undertone.
Neville continued. " We show her the list."
Terry frowned. "Is that wise? Come on, she is a teacher."
"But we promised to keep her at least slightly informed." Luna countered. "And are you saying she isn't trustworthy?"
"Right." Ginny said. "Parvati and I never gave her a list of students anyway, we have to do that eventually."
Ernie grinned at them. "Absolutely right." he said. "Shall we do it soon?"
"What about now?" asked Susan. "I've got a free period, my Charms homework can wait, really-"
"No, I'd prefer if only Ginny made these dealings with the teachers. It's not at all suspicious if a Gryffindor goes to see the head of her house. And anyway, McGonagall trusts her, sort of. After all, the connection to the Golden Trio-" said Neville.
Ginny couldn't help but to grin at the name most of Hogwarts had given her brother's friends. "Okay. I'll do it after dinner."
"Make sure to not to stay for long, even she can't keep you from curfew." warned Terry.
Ginny nodded. "Got it."
. . .
. . .
"A spy?" McGonagall hissed. "In my House?"
Ginny nodded, feeling uncomfertable. The professor's thin lips practically shrunk in size as she pressed them together.
"Fine." She said. "You have a list?"
Ginny nodded again and produced the list from her bag. "Um, it's Charmed, all you should see are old potions notes."
McGonagall peered at the paper from behind her spectacles. "Very old indeed. These look like they are for a Forgetfulness Potion. A first year potion."
"Oh-we'll update it. You should be able to see it if you know exactly what your looking for though."
After a moment, the older woman nodded as the list came into view.
"Let's see, Ms Adams, Mr and Mr Creevey..."
She frowned. "Cardoc Dearborn?"
"Oh yeah, he's that seventh year."
"Cardoc Dearborn the junior, of course? His father was killed in the original Order. I remember him. Never liked him much, but he fought very, very bravely in the end."
"You don't think it's him?" Ginny asked.
"I suppose it's possible, but out of the rest of the Gryffindor students here, I suppose it must be him. Unless of course, " McGonagall continued. ", the traitor was Ms Brown, or Ms Vane."
"Lavender Brown?" exclaimed Ginny. "No way. I'd never defend her ever but here. You know what she did? She was one of the second people to get Curicoed because of back talking. Well, for spreading a nice bit of gossip about the Carrows with Romilda, but well..."
"If you're sure."
. . .
. . .
"Dearborn. Yeah, I know him. He's decent at Herbology, we've partnered few times." Neville said.
Parvati grimaced. It was directly after one of their normal meetings, and all the generals had been asked to stay behind.
"Ugh, I know him. Asked me out last year. Bit creepy."
"Do'ya think he's got reason to go after the D.A?" Ernie asked.
Ginny opened her mouth, but Seamus intercepted.
"Definitely."
She turned to face him. "What?"
Seamus nodded, his expression incredibly sober in comparison to the joking demeanor he usually showed. "I mean it. Dearborn's slime. He went after me about my da."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that even if he isn't in Slytherin, he still cares a whole lot about half bloods."
Terry Boot's eyes narrowed. "Then we've got our traitor."
AN: I AM SO SO SORRY.
This chapter was ready a while ago, actually, but I never got to uploading it.
AP's, guys! Wish me luck for Psych tomorrow!