Apologies for the long wait. Life has been hectic, more than a little crazy, but I have not abandoned this story. Not by any means...
Thank you all for taking a second to leave a few quick words! I'd really appreciate it!
Chapter Eleven – Wreck the Halls
The week leading up to the start of the Christmas holidays passed in a whirlwind of activity for Ginny, as she began her Occlumency lessons with a friend of McGonagall's so old she sure the man would break into fragments if so much as touched. Animagus lessons continued, as did quidditch practice, despite the fact that it was months until their next match. Slavedriver boyfriend.
It was incredibly depressing to Ginny, though, that time was going by so quickly. All of her friends had homes to go to for the duration of the holidays, and with her own family being so incredibly out of her reach, she was nearing the end of her rope. It was sure to be a depressing holiday spent mostly alone in the castle. She was not looking forward to it at all.
Today was the day that everyone would be going home, and rather than say goodbye to her friends, she left Lily a note, taking the whiny and cowardly way out. Honestly, though, she didn't care. She wanted to mope and wallow as she felt sorry for herself, despite the fact that it was pretty rude not to see them off, particularly Sirius.
From the owlery where she was sitting, she had a pretty clear view of the grounds and could therefore see when the tiny looking thestrals carry the equally tiny looking carriages off to meet the Hogwarts Express. Once the carriages fade from her view, she sighs deeply before moving to stand up. It is nearly dinner, so she forgoes taking the walk to Gryffindor Tower and heads directly to the Great Hall. As expected, there are only a handful of students scattered among the tables.
Professor McGonagall gives her a smile and an acknowledging nod, and Ginny manages to beam a smile back to the woman she knows must be having a more difficult holiday than her. As much as it pains her to be away from her family and friends right now, she knows that McGonagall is far worse of a position than she is. And if nothing else, she also knows that in this time, all but she and Ron had been born, so the rest were undoubtedly sharing a cozy holiday together at the Burrow. Oh, how she longed to be able to join them there.
Most of all, though, she wanted to be with Sirius. That this constant desire for Sirius came on this quickly is a bit intimidating to her. In a good way, things felt very much as though they've come out of the blue. Perhaps because she had to spend so much time waiting for Harry to come around, it just feels a little surreal that things could go so far and fast with Sirius. Not that she was complaining; he was rapidly becoming the very best thing that has ever happened to her.
As she sat picking at her food, she didn't pay any attention to the commotion as another group of students entered the room. She continued to ignore everyone and everything until the commotion swirled directly around, taking seats on each side and across from her. Staring at her boyfriend and their friends, minus Peter, her mouth opens and closes rather stupidly. "I – you – but I thought you all went home!"
"Surprise!" Lily exclaims from behind Gin as she stares at Sirius. Lily throws her arms around Ginny, hugging her tight when Ginny shifts in her seat to smile at her friend.
"I – wow," Ginny breathes. "You – you all are staying here at Hogwarts for Christmas? What about your parents, your families?"
Sirius tugs on a lock of her loose hair, regaining her attention. "As much as I enjoy a good Potter family Christmas, there really isn't anywhere I'd be than where you were."
She feels completely overwhelmed emotionally from the surprise, but manages to laugh heartily when James and Remus both pull her into great crushing hugs. "Thank you," she gasps out. "I'm so glad to spend the holidays with you lot."
The only one looking less than completely jubilant is Remus, and Ginny quickly realizes that not only would he be worried about being the odd person out in a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippogriffs, but because the next full moon fell a couple of days after Christmas. She gives him a wide smile, pleased when he returns it.
"We're glad to be here, Gin," James grins. "You've given us a great reason to enjoy one final Hogwarts Christmas. Even my Mum doesn't decorate quite as brilliantly as ol' Flitwick does! This place is bloody brilliant this time of the year, and that's before Hagrid gets the tree in!"
"Oh, it's true," Lily enthuses. "You'll just love it, Gin. I've only stayed here once before, last year when we had a ball, but it really is marvelous."
Ginny smiles at all of them as she leans into Sirius's side. "Honestly, I'm just happy that you're all here. It wouldn't matter where I was if it I wasn't with all of you; it just wouldn't be much of a holiday."
Sirius hugs her tight, tipping his head to press a kiss against her cheek, lingering just long enough to gain exasperated looks of disapproval from several of the staff. McGonagall is particularly red in the face, so Ginny shoots her an apologetic look. Sirius just laughs about it with James and Remus while Ginny blushes and Lily purses her lips disapprovingly. "Aw, come on, Lils, can't a man kiss his woman?" Sirius whines.
"I do not see any men at this table," Lily returns so primly that Ginny recognizes right away that she's baiting them, trying to have a go at them. Of course, the boys being, well the boys, it works spectacularly.
Cries of 'Lily!' or 'Evans!' ring out from all three of them, drawing stares not only from the head table but the other house tables as well.
When Dumbledore stands up as the boys' protesting dies down, Lily and Remus blush in anticipation of the scolding they're sure to receive while Sirius and James exchange almost excited grins and Ginny looks at her hands to stifle her laughter.
"I'd like to welcome all of you to Hogwarts for the holidays," Dumbledore says, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I've found that this is a wonderful time of the year to get to know your second home here a little better." Ginny almost chokes on her tongue when McGonagall rolls her eyes at Dumbledore's offer for the students to get up to mischief exploring. "As for our meals, since we have an unusually small number of both students and staff this year, I propose we consolidate down to one table and sit together. That way, our raucous Gryffindor seventh years can include all of us in their merriment."
Lily and Remus still look horrified over what they've perceived to be a scolding, and James and Sirius have joined in their horror. The conversation will have to be seriously censored if other people would be joining them! Ginny, on the other hand, loves it, and it shows on her face.
"Stop grinning like that," Sirius whispers in her ear. "He's going to think it is a good idea, and actually enforce it!"
Ginny laughs, poking in him in the ribs. "Shush, you!" she chides him. "It won't be so bad, and I'll get to taunt those Ravenclaw and Slytherin girls who are staring at you like you're a piece of treacle tart, and they're near starving with jealously."
He frowns, glancing towards the Slytherin table. Sure enough, two girls there are staring at him rather ravenously! "That is not right," he mutters, tightening his hold on Ginny. "I think that is the Bulstrode girl who has the arranged marriage with one of the Notts. Bet my mother wishes she'd thought of that. The Bulstrodes have been ugly for centuries; would've been a great way to stick it to me."
Ginny laughs, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Their loss is my gain. I'd have to throw my wand down and fight if you'd been promised to anyone."
"Why? You'd want to take their place?" Sirius asks with a sly smile.
"Oh, be serious," she rolls her eyes, managing to keep her blush to a mere pink-tinted flush.
"I'm always Sirius," he intones, grinning mischievously as she groans and rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on, I can't play my built in pun card once in awhile? You try growing up with this stupid name and tell me you wouldn't use it!"
She smiles at him, bumping her shoulder into his arm. "I like your name. It's beautiful, like you."
He blushes hotly, and James leans forward, peering at him intently. He asks what the blush is for, and Sirius growls, baring his teeth at his friends. "If that's dog for back off," Ginny teases him, earning a warning glare in return. Lily laughs at the joke, but the other two boys stare at Sirius accusingly. He just shrugs at them, again glaring at Ginny.
"You're a brat," he tells her, breaking into a smile before turning to mock glare at James, "And you're a right pain in the arse, Prongs."
"I do hope you can control your language better at meals starting tomorrow, Mr. Black," McGonagall scolds as she approaches the table. "Miss Watson, I was wondering if you'd like to put off our meeting seeing as how your friends have stayed. Perhaps you and Miss Evans can supervise as they inevitable take the Headmaster up on his suggestion of exploring to heart."
Ginny and Lily and even McGonagall cracks a smile as the boys put on their most innocent faces. "Years of bad antics do not go unnoticed," Lily teases them, reaching out to tap under James's chin."
"We can meet as scheduled," Ginny smiles up at the teacher. "I don't want to miss out on our lessons."
McGonagall smiles widely, unnerving all of them except for Ginny, who has grown accustomed to the softer side of their professor. "Wonderful," she nods as she turns to address the boys. "You know, boys, if you weren't quite so lacking in subtlety and restraint, you would spend far less time in detention."
Sirius grins cheekily. "But then who would keep Argus and you teachers company on those long winter evenings? You all would miss us!"
"Mr. Black, you have a unique look out on detention," McGonagall notes dryly. "Now, really, I am imploring the five of you to find your decorum and use it at meals to set an example – that does not involve discussions on the best places in the castle to set off your dung bombs, Mr. Potter – yes, I know that was you."
"I told you to rewrite that essay on different parchment!" Remus reprimands James once McGonagall walks away. "You could've used it for any other teacher and been fine, but you know McGonagall runs all the standard check spells on homework!"
"Especially yours, I'm sure," Lily sighs, glancing at James then Sirius. "For that matter, the other teachers probably do, too. There is something of a reputation surrounding you both, you know. Honestly, James, it's a miracle that you made Head Boy!"
Ginny looks wonderingly at the boys. "First of all, why not write that on a spare bit of parchment? Second, where did you decide on, then?"
Lilly nods along with Gin's first question, but that turns into quick disbelief at the second. "Ginny! You should not encourage them!"
Laughing, Ginny shrugs. "Well, honestly, I think that's something every student should know, but really, I'm mostly just curious to know what spots they've deemed worthy."
"Hopeless," Lily trills dramatically, "Utterly hopeless!"
The five of them walk out together, completely unaware that they are being observed by two pairs of eyes from the head table. "Young love," Dumbledore smiles. "Isn't it a grand thing?"
McGonagall shifts in her chair, her eyes sad as she watches the retreating back of Remus Lupin. "It would be a far grander thing if it would find more of them."
"Ah, do not fret about Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore advises her. "His circumstances prevent him from letting anyone far enough in for that." Watching as Sirius lifts Ginny's hand to kiss her knuckles, the Headmaster shakes his head. "Of course, I could be wrong again. I had not counted on a turnaround like this for our young Mr. Black."
"Miss Watson is a rather remarkable young girl," McGonagall smiles. "She is a talented witch, to be sure, but the happiness she's given to Mr. Black is astonishing."
"And to you," he notes blandly, but McGonagall stiffens at the comment. "Ah, now, Minerva, I do not mean anything untoward by that. It is just my observation that she has perhaps given you back a tiny bit of what you have lost. It is nice to see."
After a moment, McGonagall sighs. "She and I are working very closely together for her seventh year project."
Dumbledore's face alights in a smile. "Ah, then she is your animagus-in-training," he nods. "I had been most curious. Very well done, Minnie. I have to admit, I've followed the progress of Miss Watson closely, curious as to how a transfer student would fare. All of her professors have given me glowing reports about her abilities, as well as her care with our other students.
"Between that and her skill on the quidditch pitch and her ease at making friends, it almost seems as though she has always been here."
Wondering at that last comment, McGonagall uneasily changes the subject. "You will be pleased to know that Mr. Black is receiving higher marks now than he has since his second year."
"Ah, Minerva, you will of course forgive me for being more interested in how much happier he seems these days. It has made all the difference, has it not?"
"It is nice to see," McGonagall concedes again. "I do not think finding love is something he'd take for granted as some of us do. It will be interesting to see where things between them go."
"Very far, it would seem," Dumbledore smiles, peering at McGonagall over his half moon glasses. "I would wager they've already exchanged 'I love you's'. No, neither will be willing to let go without a fight. They are each other's destinies."
McGonagall shakes her head. "Codswallop. You and I both know that nothing is written in stone. There is free will to consider, and – "
Dumbledore shakes his head. "While that is entirely true, to an extent, you know as well as I what the forces of magic can do. Mr. Black and Miss Watson are bonded in some way that is recorded in the Department of Mysteries, I can almost guarantee you."
McGonagall's eyes widen at the implication. "Albus, do you really think that - ?"
"I do," he interrupts. "I have been so lucky as to have witnessed similar things in the past. Their relationship will progress quickly, I predict. After all, their first date was to Muggle London; I doubt we can expect much less than marriage."
"Th – they what?" McGonagall fairly screeches, and conversation around them halts as the lingering staff and students stare at the normally reserved Deputy Head in shock. "My apologies," she says sternly, glaring at Dumbledore. "Now, what do you mean by Muggle London?"
Dumbledore smiles benignly. "Just that. Ah, Minerva, do not fret. I sent Fawkes with them, not that they are aware of that. They took a show in, the always delightful 'Wizard of Oz', and stopped by his childhood home. They were safe the entire time."
"I see," McGonagall sniffs, looking and sounding anything but convinced, "And just how did you come to hear of this off-grounds date? Perhaps more importantly, why would you not put an immediate stop to it?"
"Ah, yes, I chanced upon Mr. Black discussing his plans with Mr. Potter." The Head Boy! "As I was disillusioned at the time, a useful spell if ever there was one, they really ought nothing of speaking in front of me," Dumbledore chuckles, "But as there was no immediate danger, and both Mr. Black and Miss Watson seem so in need of a connection, I let them go. With Fawkes watching out for them, I was never more than a split second away from them."
"I do not like this," McGonagall whispers harshly. "Playing fast and loose with not only the rules but with our students safety is not something particularly intelligent to engage in, Albus!"
He nods his agreement. "Of course it is not. But sometimes, it is worth playing dumb if it gets you the results you are seeking."
"We should go to bed," Lily yawns as the clock chimes eleven on Christmas Eve. "Sooner we sleep, sooner we wake and all that."
Ginny is about to agree when something outside catches her eye. Climbing off the lap of a protesting Sirius, she runs over to the window, throwing it open. She extinguishes the bright lights of the common room with a whispered spell, and then turns her wand outside, whispering, "Lumos."
Bright light spills out the window letting her friends see what has gotten her so excited. "Snow!" Lily smiles, joining Ginny in front of the open window. "It's lovely."
Sirius stands behind Ginny, pulling her back against him. "It's been coming down for awhile, too."
James grins. "Well, what are you waiting for then? Go get your warm clothes and let's get out there! That snow is not going to play with itself!"
"Oh, no," Lily exclaims, going into Head Girl mode. "It's far to cold, not too mention, we shouldn't be out running around at this time of night."
Not ten minutes later, the lot of them were bursting out the front doors of the castle, Lily protesting that it was nearly curfew. The other four ignore here, though, far too excited by the prospect of playing the fresh and untouched snow.
"Eat snow, Black!" Ginny yells, flinging a tightly packed ball at her boyfriend. Making no effort to move, he takes the snowball to the face, falling after it impacts.
Horrified, Ginny drops the ball she was forming and runs to him, dropping to kneel at his side. Before she can even open her mouth to ask if he is okay, he sits up and shoves a handful of snow down her shirt. She shrieks his name, reaching out and grabbing at him. The rest join in, and they play around in the snow for awhile until James stands up abruptly.
"Lils and I are going to take a walk," he announces. "Wait for us before you head in?' The other three smile and agree, without a single catcall or bit of teasing from any of them.
"Give me your outer robes," Ginny orders the two boys remaining when Lily and James are going. She is pleased when Remus complies without even questioning it. She quickly casts warming spells on them and hands them back before taking her own off to the same.
Once her own cloak is bathed in the perpetual (perpetually temporary, but it suffices for the time they'll be out) warmth, she flops down in the snow, her eyes drifting closed as snowflakes land on her eyelashes.
"What are you doing?" Sirius asks her curiously, and she pops an eye open to see that Remus is rolling his eyes at her, shrugging.
She smirks up at them, then props herself up on an elbow and beckons them to join her. "Lie down, boys." They both eye her warily and completely unenthusiastically. "Oh, come on! Haven't you ever flopped down in the fresh snow before?"
"Sure," Remus grins, "When I was seven and had little to no self-preservation instinct."
"The snow is bloody cold," Sirius scowls, shaking his head. "You're bloody insane, Ginevra."
Shrugging, Remus tightens his cloak around himself before following Ginny's lead and flopping down next to her. He folds his hands behind his head, closing his eyes against the nearly full moon that is just peaking through the clouds, mocking him. He tries so hard not to be bitter about his plight, but it was still painful to know that over the next few days when the rest were reveling in the holiday, he'd be undergoing his transformation.
Sighing, Sirius gives in to flop down on Ginny's other side. "The air is so clean," he comments without thinking. "The snow is so fresh."
"Mmm, Ginny murmurs in agreement, "I love the first snow. It always gets tiresome after awhile, but the first snow each year….it's magical."
"And you'd know all about magic, right, Gin?" Remus teases her lightly, surprising himself with how comfortable he is doing just that.
"But of course!" she exclaims. "I love magic. I live for magic."
"You are magic," Sirius says quietly, clasping her hand in his.
Remus wants to feel uncomfortable with the somewhat mushy display of affection, but he finds that he really isn't. "You know the both of you are utterly hopeless, don't you?" he asks, earning big laughs from both of them.
Sirius half sits up to look over Gin at Remus. "Ah, come on," he grins. "We love you, too, Moony!" Remus waves him off with a rude gesture. "Well, I never!" Sirius huffs.
"Yes, you have," Remus and Ginny both protest in unison, looking over at each other and grinning widely. Remus winks at Ginny before smirking at Sirius. "You have, many times. Why, I remember that time in our fifth year with Louise Smythe."
Sirius glares at his friend before flopping back down. "I'll thank you kindly for shutting it now," Sirius threatens. "As your best friend and all, I'm sure you can manage that."
Ginny giggles. "Oh, I think this is a story that I'd adore hearing," she tells Remus. "Especially if he doesn't want me to hear it."
"Love, I'll tell you myself someday," Sirius promises, ignoring Remus's scoff of disbelief. "Honest Gin, next time it is just the two of us, I'll tell you."
"Go on then, Remus," she smiles, rolling her eyes when Sirius gapes at her. "Well, really, I wasn't born yesterday! I know that you'll concoct some bland, watered down story to tell, and I won't get any of the fun of the real version. You don't want to take my fun away, do you?"
"Erm, yes!" Sirius mutters, pouting at them both. "You know, I expected this type of behavior from Gin, but really Moony! Et tu? That hurts!"
Remus and Ginny laugh at the exaggerated pout with Ginny reaching over to pinch her boyfriend's cheek. All of a sudden, all three can hear one of the castle clocks chiming twelve, and Remus starts laughing. The other two look over at him, eyebrows raised.
When he catches their gazes, he grins. "I was just wondering if Lily has turned into a pumpkin yet," he laughs, adding at their blank looks. "Muggle fairytale."
"I'm sure she's had an outburst of magic, perhaps accidental and perhaps not," Sirius chuckles. "I'd almost feel sorry for Prongs, but alas…I find I cannot."
"There they are," Ginny whispers, waving at their friends. "She looks very un-pumpkin-like to me. Orange would rather clash with her hair, so I suppose that is a good thing."
When they join their laughing friends, Lily flops down next to Remus and James besides Sirius. "Looks like we were missing a good time," James notes, shivering. "Aren't you lot cold?"
"Are you a wizard or not?" Sirius asks him dryly, grinning when Lily jumps up and removes her cloak.
"We're idiots," she laughs freely. "Warming charms, James! Ginny has cast a warming – and probably a repelling charm – on their outer robes." Grinning, James charms his own clothing with the aforementioned spells after shooting Sirius a dirty look. "Much better?"
"Much," James immediately agrees with his girlfriend, dropping back down in the snow. "It's officially Christmas now."
"Happy Christmas," Remus calls, and the rest echo the same. "This is a nice way to start the hols off, no?"
"I think so, too," Lily agrees after a moment. "This has been fun."
There is something of a stunned silence after that, only broken when Sirius barks out his amusement. "Oi, Evans! If we'd known you could have fun, we'd have invited you out after curfew years ago!"
Lily's eyes widen incredulously and she jumps up to her feet. "What? What do you mean, after curfew?" she yells in horror. "Sirius Black, if this is a joke, I will deduct so many points…." Ginny, Sirius, and Remus all stare at her in open-mouthed shock, but James just lays back, trying not to laugh out loud. "Oh, honestly, of course I know what time it is! You lot are rather gullible, aren't you?"
James cracks up, and after a minute or so, so do Ginny and Remus. Sirius continues to stare, dumbstruck. Finally, he sits up, extending his hand over Ginny and Remus for Lily to shake. "Not too shabby, Evans. You might not be so bad yet."
"Oh, if that is as close as I'll get to having the illustrious approval of the Great Sirius Black, then I guess I can die happy," Lily intones dramatically.
"Probably," Ginny coos at Sirius, laughing in delight. He scoops up a handful of snow and drops it on her face in retaliation. "Siri!"
Sirius just grins at her, pushing his way to his feet. "Who's up for a visit to the kitchens? I didn't get nearly enough to eat at dinner, and a warm butterbeer would really hit the spot right about now."
Lily is the first to stand with him. "Well, I for one, would love a hot chocolate. I am definitely up for a visit. Ooh, maybe some biscuits to go with the chocolate would be in order."
"Alright, let's go," James enthuses as the rest move to stand. "Let's see if we can't get inside, hopefully without running into Filch. It'd be so much easier if we still had…well, never mind, let's get in there. Just remember to be quiet."
"I fail to see how you boys have managed to get up to so much mischief over the years when the most stealthy thing about you lot is Sirius's orange t-shirt," Lily whispers after a few minutes as they tromp towards the kitchens.
As the other three pull ahead, discussing the stealth – or lack thereof – of the Marauders, Sirius grabs Ginny's arm, pulling her down a side corridor. She ways patiently, looking up at him with trust in her eyes as she waits for him to explain why he's dragging her down hallways away from their friends. "I just wanted to warn you that my present for you won't be under the tree tomorrow morning."
She smiles up at him. "Okay. It's not a naughty present, is it?" she teases him, settling down a little in surprise when he doesn't laugh with her or even make innuendo. "Sirius?"
"I just want to give it to you in private," he explains, about as serious as he gets except in matters involving his family. "I want it to be you, me, and…and the gift."
Ginny lifts her hand up to lay upon his cheek. "However you want to do it is fine by me. You can give it to me anytime you want. Doesn't matter."
He smiles at that, turning his face slightly in order to press a kiss to her palm. After that, he catches her by surprise, turning them and pinning her to wall before she even has a chance to gasp in surprise. "We'll sneak off together tomorrow afternoon, right?" he asks, inwardly smiling as her glaze over in response to their intimate contact. "Love you, Gin," he breathes in her ear. She wriggles restlessly against him, rubbing herself on the thigh he's managed to wedge between her legs.
Moaning softly, Ginny wraps her arms around his neck. "Oh, I love you, too. So much."
He laughs, dropping his head to nip at her jaw. "You sure you mean that?" he teases, his hands trailing over her rib cage under her sweater. "Sounds awfully heat of the moment to me, young lady." She reaches up, turning his face back to her to show him the sincerity in her eyes. "You know you're never getting rid of me, Gin."
"Why would you think that I'd want that?" she asks, smiling as his fingers trace ever higher. "For as long as you'll have me, I am yours."
He kisses her hard, trying to pour all his emotion for her into it. She clings to him tightly, purring her contentment as his hands begin a more earnest exploration. Neither can believe how fast or how far things have progressed between them, but neither is scared or bothered by it either. Ginny especially is able to take comfort in their relationship despite her fears of her time here coming to an end.
She smiles, pushing him back slightly. "We should go find the rest of them. If you and I or Lils and James keep sneaking off one couple at a time, I'm afraid we'll give poor Remus a complex. He'll figure we've worked out a babysitting schedule or something."
Sirius laughs, reaching down to take her hand. "I'll just tell him that it was your idea if he asks about it."
"Berk."
"Oi, but I'm your berk," he grins, tugging her down the hall with them until they arrive at the painting marking the entrance to the kitchen. "Tickle the pear?"
She rolls her eyes, but nonetheless does as he offered, and the painting swings open to admit them. "There you are!" Lily exclaims as they step through the hole. "Get a bit lost there?"
Ginny laughs, lightly swinging the hand that Sirius is holding onto. "Well, there are an awful lot of twists and turns around here. Although, I did try to tell Sirius he was taking me the wrong way when he pulled me into that side hallway. It wasn't so much a shortcut." She pauses, tapping a finger to her lips. "To tell the truth, he didn't seem all that fussed about it."
"Brat," Sirius grins, swatting her fondly on the rear.
"Now, now," James chides Sirius, hooking an arm around his friend's neck and guiding him towards a small table already occupied by Remus. "None of that business. Now, you sit with us. You girls can occupy yourselves for a bit, right?"
Lily giggles even though Ginny doesn't see anything particularly funny. Raising her eyebrows at Sirius, she shrugs. "Oh, I think we can manage a few minutes without our big, bad boys to protect us."
James preens – actually preens – at that, and both Lily and Remus crack up as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. Before Ginny can do more than exchange a confused and slightly concerned look with Sirius, Lily is dragging her away.
"What's going on, Lils?" In response, Lily pulls out a bottle of firewhiskey. Ginny's eyes widen in comprehension. "Lily, McGonagall would have your badge for this!"
"But it's fun!" Lily laughs loudly, dragging Ginny over to another table and falling onto one of the chairs. "Okay, here, I stole James's bottle…I think he has more, but anyway. I'm having another drink."
Indeed, Lily takes another swig of the firewhiskey straight from the bottle. She coughs at the intense burning, and Ginny shakes her head. When Lily holds the bottle out to her, Ginny smiles. "No thanks, Lils. Hot chocolate sounds better to me."
As soon as she voices that, a house elf appears with a tray of different hot chocolates, and Ginny takes it with as she smiles her gratitude. Lily takes one, too, before doing a little happy dance. "Oh, this is so exciting, Ginny! I'm so happy you're here for this!"
"Oh, me too," Ginny sighs, fighting the urge to shake her head. "So, how'd James talk you into this? And where'd he get the firewhiskey anyway?"
"Well, I was going to say 'no' when we were out on our walk, but it really was cold out there and James swore that firewhiskey has warming properties like the Pyronus Potion, and it did! Warmed me right up!" Ah, that explains the advanced state of Lily's inebriation if she'd started drinking outside then. "And then we had more with Remus!"
Ginny nods, biting back a smile. "I see, fascinating story."
Lily smiles, leaning into Ginny. "I love him, you know. I do, and I want him to see me as more than just Little Miss Priss."
"Oh, Lils!" Ginny exclaims. "James Potter is so head over heels for you that you never have to be anyone but yourself. Honestly, that boy loves you, and there is nothing he wouldn't do for you."
"I want to have fun with him," the other girl continues on, almost as though Ginny hadn't spoken. "I want him to look at me and think that I'm fun – funny – in addition to the other stuff. I don't want to be just the rule-abiding Head Girl that everyone sees me as."
Ginny smiles sympathetically. "Believe me, you aren't just any of those things, to anyone. Especially not for James. He sees you for how wonderful you are, and he loves you for it. Has for a long time, really." Lily still looks unconvinced, so Ginny goes in for the kill. "He stares at you like there is no one else in the world, like he's the first person to ever discover love, and that's all for you, Lils."
Lily laughs a little, taking another swig from the bottle. "Fair enough," she agrees with Ginny's assessment. "How about this, though? I'm not a, pardon the Muggle expression, goody two shoes. I know that everyone thinks I am, and there is a reason, but it isn't all there is to me!"
"No one thinks it is," Ginny insists. "Believe me, we all see how very much there is to you, and really, anyone who can put up with the Marauders for seven years and not kill at least two of them? I mean, you ought to be an honorary member just based on that!"
Lily laughs again. "I guess. I just want all of his friends to like me."
Ginny smiles. "And they do! They all like you, Lily!"
"Oh, no, Sirius does not like me. Just the other day he told me to remove the doxy from my rear and lighten up." Ginny snorts back a laugh, knowing it would not be appreciated right now. "He hates me."
"And I disagree," Ginny smiles, countering softly. "I think I know him well enough to do that, too. Listen, if you promise me you want say anything, I'll tell you a little something about Sirius Black." Lily nods. "I was the first person he ever said 'I love you' to, and the first to say it back to him. Now, you know as well as I do that he loves James, Remus, and Peter. You – well, you take James's attention away from him, and he doesn't know how to handle it. Really, it's him, not you."
Lily laughs, drumming her fingers on the bottle of firewhiskey. "Makes sense then, that he's nicer now that you're here. He has you, and doesn't have to worry so much about losing people who loves him."
"That and he's eighteen now. They've been best of friends for seven years, and James's home really has been a home to Sirius, too," Ginny offers. "He knows that his friends will always be his friends. It just took him awhile, a lot longer than normal, to get to that realization."
"Well, I suppose that also makes sense," Lily sighs, taking yet another swig from the bottle. "Does this mean I have to be nice to him now?"
Ginny grins, shaking her head. "Well, we don't want to scare the poor boy now, do we?"
Laughingly, Lily hiccups and flames come out of her mouth. Ginny shakes her head, laughing, too. "Oh, this is fun," Lily enthuses. "Are you sure you won't try some?"
"I'm sure," Ginny smiles, refraining from reminding her friend about her six older brothers and pointing that not only were brothers not good at hiding things from little sisters, sometimes they even shared. "Hey, I never got to ask you again – what did you decide to do for James's Christmas present?"
Lily grins, either blushing or overheating from the firewhiskey. "Same thing. Myself, I mean. I'm giving him myself. Me. Well, I'll be naked."
Ginny nods, somewhat having expected that. "Just don't feel like you have to," she cautions her friend. "You do not have to do anything you don't want to do."
"I know that," Lily laughs, "But I want this. I just know that James and I are going to get married and live to be about a hundred and fifty years old. Why not start practicing for the hordes of kids we'll have eventually right now?"
Her heart constricting painfully at the chilling words, Ginny swallows around the lump in her throat as she nods. All she can do is hope that they get that opportunity. "Just…you know, be careful."
Lily smiles. "Oh, don't worry, I've got Wizard and Muggle safety measures in place." Ginny laughs at that. "Well, I'm ready. And I think James is, too."
"I'm sure he is," Ginny grins, wondering at the possibility of an eighteen year old wizard out there somewhere who didn't fancy himself 'ready' for that. "Where are you planning to, you know?"
"Well, Sirius snuck you out, right?" Lily blushes. "I know James helped, so I figured we could do something along those lines. I actually made reservations at the Leaky Cauldron."
That sets Ginny's mind at ease somewhat, knowing that Lily has thought it through enough to plan it out to this extent. "The Head Boy and Girl gone on the same night? Better do it before the hols are over and you two have to patrol again."
Lily laughs, blushing when the boys come over to their little area, Remus and James both leaning heavily on Sirius, who in turn does not look thrilled. "If you're drunk, too," he sighs at Ginny, shaking his head, "I am going to lose."
"You imply that you ever had it," Ginny counters with a grin, "But for the record, I am perfectly sober, thanks. If you can manage those two, I can probably take on the rapidly deteriorating motor skills of one Miss Lily Evans."
Sirius groans as the drunk trio starts laughing uproariously over something a very nervous looking house elf apparently said. "We could just leave them here," he suggests hopefully. Ginny steps behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He relaxes into her, smiling to himself. "What's that for?"
"Nothing," Ginny replies. "Maybe everything. Mostly just because I wanted to hold you for a minute." She lets her eyes drift shut, forgetting they aren't alone. "Maybe I want to hold you forever."
"Aw!" Lily gushes from behind them while the two boys snort with laughter. "That was so sweet!"
"Oh, God," Sirius groans. "Let's go. Amusing as it might be to let you three stumble and fumble you way back to the Tower, I can't it anymore." He grins eagerly at his girlfriend. "We could dump them in the common room and sneak back out for our own fun."
She tightens her arms around him, awfully tempted. "Sounds wonderful, but it is rather late. Plus, it's Christmas, and we'll need to get up early so I can give you your present."
He laughs, stepping of her grasp to give James and Remus a nudge towards the door. He pulls his wand out, quickly casting silencing and cushioning spells on each of them. At her questioning look, he shrugs. "They're loud, and I'd rather not listen to them moan about their various aches and pains tomorrow."
"Okay, she grins, trying not to laugh as the three firewhiskey fiends gesture wildly in protest of being silenced. "Let's take the long way."
"Huh? Are you out of your mind?" Sirius frowns, "I think we'd be best off getting them back to the Tower quickly, don't you think? Sooner the better, I say."
She nods, groaning as James and Remus start testing out the cushioning charm by bouncing off one another. "Oi. Well, I just figure there aren't many teachers her to patrol, so if we stuck to the side hallways, maybe we won't get caught with them like this."
He beams at her. "That's my girl. Smart and bloody gorgeous." Ginny laughs when James makes a gagging motion with his hand and Sirius flips him a rude hand gesture. "Bloody berk."
"Come on, let's go."
It takes the better part of an hour to get them all back to Gryffindor Tower. About halfway there, Ginny and Sirius made the unspoken decision to levitate Lily and James. Remus's late joining of the party and his werewolf blood combined to make him far more sober than the other pair.
"Go up and get in bed," Ginny orders them sleepily as she removes the spells that had been cast on them. Immediately all three begin protesting the treatment until Lily abruptly announces she is going to bed. She actually invites James with her, to Sirius's amusement.
"Oh, that's great," he crows. "Perfect Evans wants to take James upstairs for a shag! Aren't they just adorable, ladies and gents?"
"Be good," Ginny warms him as she fights back a smile of her own. "Take them up to bed, and make sure that James doesn't kill himself on the stairs. And that he can't sneak out to try and visit Lily. McGonagall coming up here would not be a good thing."
He nods, stopping to watch Ginny as she strips off her outer layers, gathering them to take upstairs. "Only if you meet me back down here in ten minutes. I want a proper goodnight."
She can't say no to that, so she nods and smiles over her shoulder at him as she guides a nearly asleep Lily up the stairs. As soon as Lily spots her bed, she's in it, snoring away. Shaking her head, Ginny quickly changes, throwing on a short, lacy black nightie that shows off about as much as just her bra and panties would, but she doesn't even care. She throws a long flannel robe on top, belting it tightly and tying the ends of the belt into a bow. Maybe he'll take the hint and untie it.
To her amusement, she beats him back down the stairs and curls up on one of the small couches near the roaring fire. After waiting a few minutes more, she gets bored and decides to sneak up the stairs and find him. She'd been up there before, as a dare during her fourth year, but this had a decidedly different feel to it. When she gets to the seventh floor, she stands by the door trying to hear if he's having trouble getting James and Remus into bed.
All of a sudden, the door flies open and Sirius bursts out, not even noticing her as he casts about four different locking and imperturbable spells on the door.
"Bloody berks," he mutters, glaring at the door as if they can see through it.
"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" she asks, her voice husky, in his ear. He jumps, startled, but as he turns, he has a huge smile on his face.
"What would our Head Girl say if she saw you now?" he teases, stepping in close to her. He reaches down, fiddling with the wide sleeve of the robe.
Ginny smiles back at him, pretending to contemplate the question. "Well now, I don't know if I care much what she might have to say. Actually, I know I don't care about that at all right now."
He raises his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "But then whose, oh whose, opinion could you be worried about?"
Stepping even closer to him, she moves to wrap her arms around his neck. "It's Christmas, Siri." He nods. "What do you do with your gifts?" At this, he lifts an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. "Hmm, well, me? I like to unwrap mine. Starting with the bow."
"The bow," he repeats, his eyes alive with heat as he looks down at her. "Like this one right here?" He reaches down between them, fiddling with the tie of her robe. "Can I untie this? Do I get to open you up, Ginevra?"
"I'm yours," she says in a way that is almost humble, and it takes his breath away. "I'm yours and you do anything you want with that bow."
His eyes widen at that, and he takes her hand and guides her to the staircase. "Head Boy's room," he explains as he pulls her up the stairs. "James stays in the dorms with us, though." Gin nods, having expected that. "But we all know the password. Moony uses it sometimes to rest after the transformation. I – well, James and I figured he'd have been Head Boy if it weren't for the werewolf thing. 'S'only fair he gets to use it most, right?"
"You know, it's really sweet how much you boys care about one another," she tells him, laughing when he crinkles his nose, taking offense to being labeled 'sweet'. "It is!"
"Gin, you're going to ruin my manly rep," he pouts. "Quit saying all those mushy things about me. It's just not right.
She laughs at that, her hands resting on his chest and rubbing in tiny circles. "How about this, then? It'll be our little secret. Just yours and mine, no one else even caring. Now, Sirius Orion Black, are you going to untie the bow I made for you?"
"For me?" he croaks, his eye cast downward to the bow as he pictures what is beneath it. She takes his hands, flatting them against her tummy as she guides them towards the bow. "Bloody hell, Gin."
"Untie the bow," she encourages him softly, the tips of her fingers brushing over the backs of his hands. Not needing further encouragement, he grins when he sees the black lace, glancing up and winking at her. He slides his hands upwards, never leaving her body, until he reaches the top of the robe. He pushes it off her shoulders without asking for permission.
"Are – are you ready?" he asks, practically crossing his fingers in hopes she'll say yes.
She takes a deep breath and looks up at him. "I'm not ready for everything, but I'm ready for…more. I want to touch you, Siri, and I want you to touch me, too."
Touching? He's pretty sure he can live with that, especially if she can be talked into some mutual tasting, as well.
Oh, yeah. Happy Christmas indeed.
'This is the way to wake up,' Ginny thinks to herself as muffled Christmas greetings find their way up the staircase to the room usually occupied by the Gryffindor Head Boy. She was sprawled across Siri's chest, her body covered by the shirt he'd discarded several hours ago. The only thing he was wearing now were his boxers, and she blushes at the memory of helping to remove them, as well as helping to get them back on.
She sits up, her long hair trailing across his chest. He stirs at the movement, muttering indecipherably and turning towards her. Drawing her knees to her chest, she indulges in the intimate act of watching him sleep. "I can feel that, you know," he says without opening his eyes, "And yes, I know I'm gorgeous, but wouldn't you rather have a bit of a lie-in, love? As in, lie back down with me."
Grinning to herself, she moves off the bed. "It's Christmas, you fool. Wouldn't you like to go open gifts with everyone?"
"Nope," he grins cheekily, propping his hands behind his head and still not bothering to open his eyes. "I want to stay here and maybe try some of the things we tried last night again. Just to make sure we've got them down perfect."
"No!" she laughs, dancing across the floor to collect the rest of their clothing. "Get up, or I'll wake you the Weasley way!"
She doesn't even realize what she said as she bends to gather a few items of their clothing, and she doesn't see the way he freezes or how his mouth falls open. It hits him hard, hearing her use the name that appears on the Marauder's Map. Despite the sinking feeling in his stomach, he manages a wide smile when she turns back to him, her arms full of their clothes.
"Get dressed, lazy," she chides him gently. "My wand is here somewhere, and I won't hesitate to pour water on your pretty head."
"Ha, yeah," he laughs weakly. 'Water? Is that the Weasley way then?' Sirius is at a loss for words in a way that he doesn't even think he has before. Unable to help himself, he asks, "Water? That's the Weasley way then?"
She doesn't notice his strained tone as she dumps the clothes she's carrying over his legs, giggling madly. "Mmm, it is. The twins in particular are big fans of using it on Ron, but then again, we all were. Really, he gave the best reactions. He'd chase whoever did it, after squealing like a girl of course, and then he'd inevitably trip and fall on his bedcovers or bang into a dresser or chest." She beams a smile at him. "Not to say he's always an idiot, though. His chess game, wow."
Swallowing hard, he stares at her. "Weasley? Is that really your name, then?" She pales considerably, telling him all that he really needs to know. "Do – how – I don't understand. Why lie about that? Who the bloody hell are you?"
She blanches at his tone, taking a step away from the bed. "Siri, th – this is one of those things I can't tell you. I would, I swear on everything that matters to me, if I was able to, I'd tell you everything in a heartbeat."
"Well, then," he sneers. "I guess it is mighty convenient that you can't. Because hey, it sure makes sense that you can tell a bloke you love him, but not your real name. Then again, I suppose if it's all a lie, what difference does one more make, right?"
She lets him rant at her, he knows, because she feels guilty for lying to him. He can't decide if that matters or not.
"No," she finally protests when he trails off. "That wasn't a lie. It isn't a lie! I love you, Godric help me, and you can think I'm a liar about everything else, but you have to believe me about that. You have to."
"I don't believe anything you say or do, past or present tense, you liar! You aren't Ginny Watson, you clearly don't really love me, and I doubt you're even a virgin like you proclaim to be!"
The deadened feeling that came along with getting caught seems to fade in Ginny, and she bristles at him. "How dare you?" she yells, climbing on the bed and leaning over him. "How dare you act like you don't know that you've become my world!" She breaks down a little, choking back a sob. "You think I'm not a bloody virgin? Fine, you want proof?" She pulls his shirt off of her, throwing it over her shoulder. He gawps at her as her panties go the way of the shirt and she flops down on her back. "Well, go ahead then! Get your bloody proof since I'm such a liar!"
He stares at her with his mouth open before turning his head away. "That wouldn't prove anything," he sighs, grabbing his pants as he sits up. Without looking at her, he gets dressed. "Why?"
That one word has her tiny body shaking with gut-wrenching, barely suppressed sobs. "Siri, I want to tell you. There is no way that I could tell you this without – without – "
"Without what? Without exposing yourself as the liar you are? So what is it? What's the deal, are you a Death Eater?"
"Bugger off, Black!" she yells, scrambling to pull her panties on and then the long ago discarded black lace night she'd worn. "You don't get to ask that! Nearly half my life now, I've been fighting Death Eaters or Voldemort himself, and I've watched them hurt people I love! I would give my life if it saved you or my friends or my family. So you don't get to accuse me of things you know absolutely nothing about!"
He stares at her, almost pleading with her for the truth. "Damn it, Gin. Just tell me. I don't understand why you won't trust me with this, baby! You'll sleep with me here, nearly naked, but you can't tell me what your last name is or why you're trying to hide it?"
She shakes her head, not knowing how to make him understand. "I trust you. In every sense of the word. But I can't tell you this because it is too dangerous. I – I don't think there is anything else I can say to make you understand that I really can't tell you!"
"I haven't asked you for a whole lot," he says quietly, "And I don't expect or demand things from you very often, either. But I need the truth from you now, love. Please, Ginevra."
"I want to," she sniffs, sucking in great painful gasps of air. "You have no idea how badly, Sirius."
"Then do it," he says softly, kneeling on the bed as he stares at her intently, holding her gaze. "Tell me what's going on, and then we'll fix it, okay? I'll help you deal with whatever this is. Please, baby, tell me."
She's torn, and they both know it. What he doesn't know is that if he reached out for her now, she'd probably give in, consequences be damned. But he doesn't know it, so he doesn't do it. There is a huge part of her that wants to tell him everything, to let go of her burden, but the more practical side of her wins out, sadly enough. "I can't," she whispers, closing her eyes when he lets out a bellow of pure frustration. "I'm so sorry. More than you'll ever know."
He huffs out a breath of bitter anger before moving off the bed and dressing. As soon as he's dressed, he heads to his dorm and changes quickly. If he wasn't so bloody angry, he'd at least go back up there and give her James's invisibility cloak so she could sneak out of the boys' dormitory unseen. Frankly, he's not so concerned about her embarrassment or discomfort right about now.
After washing his face, he pastes on as cheerful of a smile as he can muster and heads for the common room. His friends are there, all sitting together with their presents gathered around them. Lily is leaning against James, and both are laughing at something Remus is saying. To his relief, Ginny is not there. He does not want to face her yet, to look at her and know she could – wouldn't – tell him the truth. It hurts worse than he ever could've imagined.
"Good morning!" he greets his friends loudly, compensating for in volume what isn't really there in enthusiasm. "What say you the four of us go get some breakfast?"
That is met with curious and confused stares. They're all quiet for a second until James breaks out of it. "Don't you mean the five of us?" he teases with a grin. "I know you aren't the smartest bloke around, but surely you can count."
Sirius merely nods, his face frosting over. "Yeah, I can count, thanks. One, two, three, four. Let's get food and then open prezzies."
Lily frowns. "Well, what about Gin? We ought to wait for her before doing either. Really, Sirius, what has gotten into you? Where is she, anyway?"
"Nothing," he snaps angrily, "And I don't care where she is. In fact, I don't care if I never see her again."
The girl in question is standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitories. There is a stricken look on her face, and it is obvious to all that she has been crying. To make matters worse, all that she is wearing is the barely there negligee, and in spite of everything, Sirius bristles at the thought of his friends seeing her in that. She's got one arm wrapped around her middle while the other hangs limply at her side, robe clutched tightly in her hand.
To everyone's surprise, it isn't Lily who breaks out of the shock first, but James, who jumps into action. He scrambles to his feet, pushing past Sirius with a nasty look usually reserved for Snape, and going over to Ginny. "Hey," he greets her softly, taking the robe from her fingers and wrapping it over her shoulders. "What happened, Gin?"
She gives him a sad smile, shaking her head. "I – I messed up," she whispers, a fresh set of tears falling from her honey colored eyes as she stares at the floor. "I – I can't – I couldn't…"
"Shh," he croons, rubbing his hands up and down her arms briskly. "Did – did someone hurt you?"
"No!" Ginny's immediate answer is drowned out by Sirius's angry and indignant protest. "Oh, no, I hurt myself." She laughs hysterically before sucking in a deep, shuddering breath. "No, I'm fine. Everything is fine. I – I, um, should…go. Clean up. Excuse me."
"Ginny!" Lily calls out, finally coming out of her daze. "What do you mean by that? Are you hurt? Oh, dear, let me get Madame Pomfrey, and she'll – "
"No," Sirius interrupts coldly. "The only thing wrong with her is that she is a liar." Ginny flinches, both at the words and the cold hardness behind them. "Everything with her has been a lie, hasn't it, Ginevra?"
Ginny allows herself the luxury of glaring at him, some anger coming through now. She knows that he is hurt, and knows that he as every right to be, but this wasn't fair. He shouldn't get to disregard everything between them as a lie because it was convenient for him to do so now. She didn't deserve to have her feelings, her love, thrown back in her face like this.
She glances at each of them, her gaze lingering on Sirius. "I'm sorry," she sighs. "I am. I guess you don't have to believe that, and I certainly can't make you. If it makes you feel better, then you can choose to believe everything else was a lie, too. But I love you," she chokes out, her voice breaking over the sentiment, "And I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry."
With that, she turns and flees up the stairs. James turns, rounding on Sirius. "What the bloody hell did you do to her? I have never seen her – or anyone, for that matter – that distraught! I don't think she even realized she was standing in the bloody common room nearly naked!"
"Yeah, you didn't really need to look at her or touch her, either," Sirius growls back, "And I didn't do anything. You know, I figured that Lily would take her side, but not you, Prongs. Not you." He looks at each of them, laughing bitterly. "Besides, I was just doing what you all wanted, right? I confronted her about a discrepancy in her story. She is a liar, but somehow that's my fault!"
"You had to do it on Christmas?" Remus asks quietly. "Come on, Pads. She's had a rough year. She lost her family, is at a new school. That's a lot to deal with, and you have to spring this on her during the hols? Bad form."
Sirius gapes at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? She's lied about everything, and you're going to quibble about when that came out? The bint's last name isn't even Watson, you know!"
James throws his hands in the air. "Oh, well then, she must be one of You-Know-Who's minions, so we better all treat her accordingly!" He shakes his head at all of them. "I'm so sick of this. Ginny has been nothing but a great friend and person to and for all of us. And what has she gotten for it? Mistrust and suspicion." He turns, directly facing Sirius. "That's what I thought. Way to go. I'm sure you aren't the first bloke to blow things with his perfect girl, but you might have just been the biggest berk about it."
Sirius shakes his head and takes a step back. "Well, isn't this spectacular? My girlfriend, the only person who ever supposedly loved me, has been lying to me and 'can't' tell me her real story, whatever that means, and now my best friend is taking her side. Bloody brilliant!"
"Oh, maybe he's right," Lily sighs anxiously, watching her boyfriend storm out the portrait hole, his pile of presents forgotten in his haste. "How did things get such a mess today? And honestly, if we didn't trust her, would any of us have let her get this close?"
"She's right," Remus sighs to Sirius after a few moments of silence. "It hurts to be lied to, yes, but all the same, we've all trusted that her lies weren't too serious, haven't we? By not pressing on the inconsistencies, we all basically admitted to ourselves that we didn't care, that we trusted her anyway. Maybe we don't get to be mad at her."
Bristling indignantly, Sirius shakes his head. "No! We do get to be angry with her. Maybe not for those reasons precisely, but how about this: she won't tell the truth, even now!"
"Maybe there's a really good reason for that," Lily suggests. "I don't know, Sirius! I – I just don't think you're being very fair to her right now."
"Yeah, right," Sirius pouts. "I'm sure there is a fantastic reason. Anyway, you just don't understand."
"Don't understand what?" Remus asks quietly. "We know you love her, Pads. That's so obvious. Shouldn't that be enough?"
Sirius sits down heavily, shaking his head. "I asked her, practically begged her," he sighs, "And she wouldn't tell me the truth. Kept saying she 'couldn't'. What does that even mean? The point is, I don't ask her for much. I – I just wanted her to trust me enough to tell me the truth. Is that too much to ask for?"
Neither can tell him that it is, so they fall into an uneasy silence. After a few moments, Sirius stands back up. "Let's get breakfast, yeah?"
"Sure," Remus agrees hesitantly, casting a look towards the stairs Ginny disappeared up not too long ago. "Should we wait? Or Lily, maybe you could check on her?"
"No, let's go," Lily shrugs before Sirius can put his money in. "She'll want to be alone, and that's okay for now. I'll talk to her later, check on her then."
Sirius rolls his eyes, but doesn't comment. "Come on, then. I'm starving. Anyway, I want to eat and get out of there before she comes down."
"Well, that probably won't be much of an issue," Lily shakes her head. "I don't think we'll see much of her for awhile. Did you see the look on her face? She'll be hiding now for sure."
And with that, they file out the portrait hole, only Remus and Lily looking back.
"Please, Professor," Ginny begs. "I need to get out of here for awhile. Just let me go; I'll stay in Diagon Ally at the Leaky Cauldron. I won't even leave my room there for anything."
"Ginevra, I'm sorry, but that's just not how we do things around here," McGonagall sighs wearily. "And honestly, what on earth has happened? You were so happy yesterday, with your friends deciding to stay here for the holidays. I cannot imagine why you'd want to leave the castle now!"
Certain she didn't cry this much after the Chamber incident, tears again fill her eyes, exasperating her to no end. "Sirius hates me. H – he won't talk to me anymore, and I know how it happened, but I don't like being here without him now. I hate it, it's not the same."
McGonagall sighs, and while it is evident that she is irritated, there is also sympathy in her eyes as she regards the girl. "I'm sorry to hear that, my dear. May I ask what happened?"
"I – I slipped and said my real last name. H – He couldn't let it go, and I couldn't tell him the truth," she explains. "Anyway, I'm not sure if he'd believe the truth now anyway. He thinks I'm a liar; he refuses to believe that I love him. Honestly, how else would he believe this tall tale?"
"Well, you absolutely cannot leave the castle now," McGonagall states firmly, shaking her head when Ginny opens her mouth to protest. "No, Ginevra. That is something no amount of pleading can or will change. Please do not argue further." Knowing when to give in, Ginny nods. "Now, you listen to me. Do not ruin something that is so obviously special to you. My darling girl, find him and tell him the truth. He deserves to know, but not only that, you deserve to have him to talk to about this, his support and help. Do not throw away what you told me is the best thing to ever happen to you!"
Ginny sighs. "I can't. He won't listen. He said he never wanted to see me again. He doesn't care anymore.
McGonagall shakes her head. "Now, I know you don't believe that, Ginevra. While Mr. Black has some right to fell hurt, it doesn't suit you to take all of his gruff. If you are half the girl that I believe you to be, then you will straighten things out with Mr. Black and the rest of your friends."
A sad smile on her face, Ginny nods. "Well, I'll keep trying, but I don't know that it will do much good at this point."
"But you will try," McGonagall tells her, "And you will confide in Mr. Black if it means immobilizing and restraining him while you tell him your story."
"I – okay. I'll tell him the truth even if I have to stupefy him and use my bat-bogey hex to ensure his cooperation."
McGonagall chuckles. "I suppose you'll do whatever it takes, my dear."
"Okay, Ginny exhales slowly. "I – I can do this." McGonagall beams at her encouragingly, nodding as Ginny leaves her office. She hurries back to the Tower, disappointed to find it empty. Unsure where to start looking for her friends, she sits in one of the cozy chairs by the fire, intent on waiting for Sirius's return. Having not slept much the night before, it doesn't take long before she feels herself drifting off, so she stands up, pacing in front of the fire.
After an hour of waiting, staring at the portrait hole, she gives it up as a bad job. Not wanting to sit alone in the common room, she decides to wander the castle. Maybe she could find some mischief to get up to in order to distract her from everything else that was going on. Unfortunately, with the castle so empty for the holidays, there isn't all that much mischief to be found, so she settles for just walking. Eventually, her walk takes her outside.
The snow on the ground has grown crunchy from the cold, but even that doesn't deter her today. The air is still, like it might snow again soon, and everything, even the forest, is silent. She briefly considers going into the forest, but decides against it. Last thing she needs today is an encounter with a Centaur, angry or otherwise, or one of Ron's giant spiders or anything else that might be living in there.
She finally lets herself think of the morning's events. Everything that happened with Sirius seems so surreal still, so impossible in a sense. Their relationship has – or had – such a wonderful rapport and she was so love in with him that she hadn't really thought that it would ever end, especially not like that. Of course, she had no one to blame for the current state of things but herself, and like McGonagall pointed out, she should've just told him the truth.
And she will now, even if it meant writing letter after letter or sending Howler after Howler if that's what it takes. Or she'll keep trying to corner him discretely and explain things to him face to face. Maybe she'll get lucky and he'll agree to listen straightaway, but her plans do not hinge on that. She loves this man, and she'll do anything and wait any amount of time to prove that to him.
She's not sure how long she's been walking or even how far she's gone when the chill starts to set in, marking the fall of the sun, but she figures it is time to turn back towards the castle. She has the hope that Sirius will be in the common room, and they can finally talk and she can explain things. She doesn't get any further than that when a figure cloaked in black stuns her from behind.
