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Title: Complex Touch

Summary: For the sake of the Order, Ginny Weasley takes a mission to go back in time to find a Horcrux for Harry. She just never expected to fall in love with a familiar future convicted escaped murderer. And that's just the beginning of the difficult times ahead for her.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

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Chapter Fourteen

Found You

The room was full of strange things and Ginny couldn't help how fascinated she was by all the objects that filled the space. There were books in the room on all the different types of monsters there were in the world and how to defend yourself against them… as well as some of the monsters themselves! She let her eyes roam the room as she waited by the door she just passed through. As fascinating as the room was, however, she didn't want to enter it anymore then she needed to. After a well-behaved Defense Against the Dark Arts class yesterday the professor had asked her to come to class an hour early the next day if she were able to, though he must of known she had a free period before his class.

Biting her lip, Ginny took a step further into the room before taking another. The room was perfectly empty of any students and of the professor himself and Ginny felt as if she were intruding because of the silence. Just as Ginny began to take a step backwards, ready to bolt from the room, the door to the professor's office opened and a tall man walked out. He was wringing his hands and seemed a bit nervous about something. But then he took a deep breath, straightened his back, shook out his hands and… noticed her.

"Ah, Miss Weasley!" Professor Lupin greeted, walking towards her. "I'm glad you were able to meet me early."

Ginny gave him a small smile before sitting in a seat behind the desk closest to her. She set her books on the desk and folded her hands in front of her, wondering what exactly he needed to say to her.

"Oh!" Professor Lupin's eyebrows furrowed. "Let's go into my office, shall we? It will be a bit more comfortable than out here and all I want to do is talk."

With a start, Ginny stood up and followed Professor Lupin to his office. He opened the door for her and she entered, her insides twisting in fear. What did he want to say to her that she had to be comfortable for? Was she failing his class? Oh, her mother would positively wring her neck! Looking to the professor, she saw he was still wearing a smile, though his eyes seemed to hold an emotion Ginny couldn't quite decipher.

Taking a seat in front of his desk, Ginny followed him with her eyes as he sat down beside her. He waved his hand, almost lazily, and a tray of biscuits and tea floated over towards them. Distracted, Ginny let herself lean forward. Only powerful witches and wizards could do magic without a wand and the only witch and wizard Ginny knew of were Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster.

"Tea?"

When Ginny nodded silently, Professor Lupin poured her a cup and handed it to her. The tray floated towards her and she put some sugar and milk into her tea. Ginny took a sip of it before setting it down on the arm of the chair she sat in. She waited for Professor Lupin to speak but he seemed to be taking his time.

"How are your studies going, Miss Weasley?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Just fine," Ginny answered quietly, her eyes on the floor.

"Are you excited for the Quidditch game coming up?"

"Yes, of course," Ginny responded, her eyes flickering to Professor Lupin's face before back to the floor.

There was a pause in the conversation before Ginny heard Professor Lupin sigh.

"Are you frightened of me, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny looked up in surprise, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She shook her head dumbly for a second, shocked by his question, before she could speak.

"No! No, I'm not afraid of you! Not at all!"

"Then what are you afraid of?" Professor Lupin questioned, leaning forward in his seat and looking at her intently.

"What-I'm-" Ginny felt her heart pounding in her chest and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm not afraid of anything, Professor."

Professor Lupin cracked a smile and she relaxed without realizing it.

"Everyone is afraid of something, you must realize that. And I've noticed how you've begun to act in class, as though at any second someone will jump out and attack you. What are you worried over?" This time when Professor Lupin asked her Ginny knew she couldn't lie.

She grabbed her cup of tea and held it in her hands to try to distract herself.

"Sirius Black," she finally muttered.

Professor Lupin went very still, his body rigid and his mouth a thin line on his face. Ginny thought for a second she said something wrong before he leaned back in his seat, the same air of friendliness washing over her as he smiled. But his eyes were cold, something she didn't quite pick up on.

"Sirius Black would never harm you, Miss Weasley," Professor Lupin told her.

Ginny frowned and shook her head slowly.

"His eyes…" Ginny paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I've seen all the Wanted posters of Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, and his eyes are mad."

"His eyes are mad?"

With shaky hands, Ginny put down her cup of tea. She didn't know her professor very well, for they had only been in school a couple of months, but she had a feeling that if she didn't tell him what she was thinking he would find out anyway. And, despite her fear of the topic they were discussing, she felt comfortable enough with Professor Lupin to continue speaking.

"They remind me of someone else's eyes… He was mad with power, with want, and Sirius Black is mad with… hate."

Professor Lupin stared at Ginny, his breathing uneven, unsure of what to say to the young girl. She was only twelve and she spoke like a twelve year old but he knew what she meant. Finally, after minutes of silence, Professor Lupin found his tongue.

"Who are you speaking of? Who's the other person?"

Ginny went stiff as the face of a handsome boy surfaced in her mind. Her throat began to close up as she remembered the boy's broken promises and sugar coated lies.

You'll be mine, Ginerva.

"They look a bit alike. I suppose-"

She stopped.

"Keep talking, Ginny. Everything is all right."

"I suppose I'm afraid Sirius Black will come after me for him," Ginny admitted, her eyes wet with tears.

Professor Lupin felt his heart squeeze as he looked at the young girl.

"Who is he?" Professor Lupin licked his lips. "Are you speaking about Tom Riddle, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny stared at her professor in shock.

"How'd you know?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore informed me as soon as I got my position here at Hogwarts," Professor Lupin easily lied. "But I must repeat this to you, for this… this I am almost positive of despite being wrong so many, many times in the past…"

Professor Lupin and Ginny connected eyes, neither flinching nor backing down from what he was about to present. Ginny needed to be comforted and, though she wouldn't know it for years, Professor Lupin was the best person at comforting her.

"Sirius Black would never harm you."

---

"Prepared, aren't we?"

Ginny looked up at Remus, smiling at his joking tone. The weather was frightfully cold but, despite that, most of the students of Hogwarts were at Hogsmeade for the first trip of the year. After being warned by Amelia about the temperature, Ginny made sure she bundled up in one of the new cloaks Professor Dumbledore had bought her, along with a scarf and gloves.

"I didn't want any of my fingers to fall off," Ginny responded, pinching his arm and causing him to cry out.

He stumbled away, clutching his arm, falling towards Peter. Peter looked up in surprise, touching Remus' shoulder in concern.

"What happened?"

Remus gasped and fell to his knees, staring up the sky with wide eyes.

"The red haired… witch… cursed me," he wheezed out before collapsing fully on the ground.

Ginny howled with laughter in the background, leaning against the brick wall of a store to hold herself up. Peter frowned before snickering and nudging Remus with his foot.

"My, my, Remus, I didn't know you were such a good actor!" Ginny praised, walking towards the fallen boy and squatting down next to him.

Remus lifted his head with a moan before a grin spread across his face.

"I'm more of a Marauder then you think," Remus whispered.

She giggled and gave Remus her hand, pulling him to his feet. Peter waited for Remus to brush off his scrawny cloak of dirt before the trio continued through Hogsmeade.

It was a strange trio, Ginny had to admit. Ginny still felt a bit awkward around Remus and she was beginning to believe that he knew she had something she needed to tell him, for he'd often get a knowing look on his face whenever her mind would drift to the subject of confiding in him. This caused long, uncomfortable stretches of silence in conversation whenever the two were left alone.

And then there was Peter who hadn't done anything to Ginny personally that would cause her to dislike him. But she knew of the traitor he would grow up to be and knew the pain he would cause. That realization would slap her in the face anytime she shared a smile with him or anytime she went to help him with something. He was a boy still, a young boy who had dreams like everyone else. Ginny couldn't see the traitor in him so it made it terribly hard for her to dislike him.

It was a strange trio indeed, put together only because of the absence of their other friends.

Sirius had been forced to stay at the school to complete a detention for fighting with Slytherins, or Snape rather. And, surprisingly to the boys but not so surprisingly to Ginny, Lily had snatched James away, asking him if he'd like to grab a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. It didn't seem to be as hard for Lily to ask James out then Ginny had thought it would be.

Ginny looked at the streets of Hogsmeade and saw a brief flash of green light. Her breath got caught in her throat before she closed her eyes, shaking the memory from her mind. Was it really in these busy streets, where there were laughing students, that Deatheaters had attacked? It had been so long ago but, in a real sense of time, not at all long ago.

"I wonder what James and Evans are doing," Peter said, breaking the silence.

Remus glanced at his friend, a light smile coming to his face.

"It's a bit funny that she grabbed him when she did," he said. "Only last night James had said he was giving up when it came to her… and I had never heard him say that before about her. He had never been ready to give up."

Ginny's eyebrows rose.

"Really?" When both Peter and Remus nodded she grinned. "Perfect timing then, hmm?"

A breeze suddenly came and Ginny fixed her scarf, hiding more of her face behind it. Peter, with his eyes squinted, looked around. Most of the students were entering stores to get away from the chill.

"Where should we head to?" he asked.

---

"Potter, you're the most annoying person-"

"I just asked one question. And call me James, please."

"-on this whole planet. Shouldn't you just be happy I'm here?"

"I'll be happy once you answer my question."

"And if I don't?"

"Then there's no point in either of us being here, is there?"

Lily stared at James, her eyes narrowed as she tried to analyze the boy in front of her. He was staring back at her with a careless look on his face, though his dark eyes were caught up in her own.

"You want to know why I suddenly wanted to spend time with you?" Lily asked.

James smiled and nodded.

"Because I had to discuss with you when we should have the next Prefect meeting-"

Waving his hands to stop her, James leaned forward.

"Now, now, Lily, there's no need to lie to me. You could have just owled me, like you usually do."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you," Lily told him. "A spur of the moment, have to do it, kind of thing."

James' eyebrows rose with surprise but his lips quirked. Lily hid a smile, looking down the table.

"And here I thought you hated me," James said.

Lily shook her head in response.

"I thought you knew me better then that, Potter-"

"James-"

"James."

James' face had never been so bright. The retort, which would have said something about how it didn't mean she liked him, died on her lips as she stared at him. Lily pursed her lips as Rosmerta placed their drinks on the table in front of them.

"So you like spur of the moment, have to do it, kind of things?" James questioned.

Lily shrugged. James took a deep breath.

"Because what I'm about to do is a spur of the moment, have to do it, kind of thing because I'm afraid this is the only time you'll ever talk to me with a smile and I just need to do it and you said that that's what this was for you, a have to do it-"

"I said maybe it was," Lily cut in, breaking the boy's rant.

She was smirking a bit.

"And you're spur of the moment thing is becoming a bit more of a rehearsed-"

James leaned forward and Lily froze, her eyes widening. Was he going to-

"Prongs!"

For a minute James' face was only an inch away from Lily's. His eyes weren't closed, they were staring into her own, and he looked ready to curse someone into oblivion. Lily blinked, unsure of how to react. James leaned back in his seat and looked for who had called him, his face flushing when he saw Peter pushing his way through the crowded Three Broomsticks. Ginny and Remus looked ready to throttle Peter and both sent James apologetic looks as they made their way over.

Peter sat in the empty chair beside James, giving a huff and rubbing his hands together for warmth. James looked at Lily, his face reddening even more. Lily stared at James, still in a bit of shock. Had he been about to kiss her? Her heart pounded harshly and she looked at Ginny when she reached the table with Remus.

"A Butterbeer would do me well!" Peter said, smiling.

"Sorry to interrupt," Remus said, shooting Peter a look. "We can find our own table if you'd like-"

"No, sit," Lily said, snapping out of her shock.

Ginny was biting her lip, her eyebrows rising when she looked at Lily. Lily nodded with a smile to show that it was fine.

"James?" Ginny called.

James sighed but nodded in agreement, seeming more disappointed then angry.

"Of course, take a seat, Rosmerta will probably be around soon to get your drink orders," James told them.

Ginny and Remus took seats in the empty chairs around the table. No one spoke until Ginny, feeling the growing awkwardness, decided to stop it in its tracks.

"So how do you four Gryffindors feel over the fact that Hufflepuff is beating all the other houses when it comes to House Points?"

---

The castle was getting steadily colder along with the weather outside. Ginny wrapped her arms around her stomach as she and Dorcas walked through the corridors. Classes had just ended for the day and Ginny had managed to get Dorcas to go to the library with her. She had a great amount of Transfiguration homework to complete and Dorcas was good enough at the subject that she was willing to help. Ginny had almost asked James but when she realized she had hardly spent time with Dorcas, the first person to befriend Ginny at Hogwarts, she decided against it.

Giggling over silly things, the two girls had almost made it to the library when they were interrupted by Professor McGonagall rushing up to them. The professor pursed her lips when she saw the Transfiguration book in Ginny's arms but she didn't comment on it.

"Miss Stiles, Miss Meadowes," McGonagall greeted.

"Hello professor," The two girls kindly said back.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me, Miss Meadowes," McGonagall said.

"Oh," Dorcas said, looking to Ginny.

Ginny shrugged lightly with a smile to let Dorcas know it was fine.

"Hurry along, Miss Stiles," Professor McGonagall said as she ushered Dorcas to follow her.

Something seemed to be worrying Professor McGonagall, Ginny noted, as the older witch's gaze lingered on Ginny's face. Dorcas was unaware of this but Ginny knew some of McGonagall's expressions when something was wrong. Ginny frowned and returned the wave of goodbye as Dorcas and McGonagall walked away.

Sighing, Ginny began walking to the library again. Now she'd have to do the homework without the help of anyone. It was going to take her ages to get it done. She briefly wondered what Remus was doing or now she could even ask James…

"Speaking of Merlin," Ginny muttered, raising her arm to catch the attention of the teenage boy.

James caught sight of her, for he was walking down the corridor towards her, and a grin lit his face. But as he got closer Ginny noticed he was wearing his Quidditch uniform. The upcoming game was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It wasn't unusual that for the two weeks before the game the teams wore their Quidditch uniforms to get fitted in them. The Gryffindors must have practice. And, as she thought this, she saw some of the Gryffindor team members walking a ways behind James.

"About to go out for practice?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," James answered, glancing out one of the windows in the corridor. "Looks a bit windy out but it will be good practicing weather."

James suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Ginny, his mouth dropping open.

"You just checked me out, didn't you!"

Ginny blinked before she began to laugh.

"What? I did not!"

"I saw you, your eyes were roaming my body like it was a piece of meat and you were a starving man!" James said, his voice shocked.

"Potter, you're mad," Ginny said, laughing.

Ginny, though she was sure James' body was very well complimented by the Quidditch uniform, had not at all checked James out. She hadn't even been looking at James.

"Or so you think." James winked at her. "But you may be in only a second."

"I may be what?"

"Mad."

Ginny tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh really, why's that?"

James sighed dramatically.

"Well… it's good news, really, for me. But for you-"

"Look who it is!"

"Ginny!"

"Indeed!"

Ginny looked behind James to see Gideon and Fabian strutting up to her. They pushed past James as though he wasn't even there, causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head. Gideon wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders and hugged her to his side, while Fabian messed up her hair.

"We didn't see you at Hogsmeade," Gideon said.

"Yes, what a shame," Fabian added.

"Sorry about that," Ginny apologized, though her smile had grown. "I would have liked to have seen you."

"But she had been with me, conversing with me," James cut in. "Which she had also been doing before we were rudely interrupted."

James' eyes were sparkling despite his serious voice.

"Captain, oh captain, your harsh words cut us deep inside," Fabian said in a singsong voice.

"We'll just leave then," Gideon said with a huff. "But we will be seeing you soon, Ginny!"

"Of course," Ginny replied, unable to contain her joy.

Fabian and Gideon always made something inside of her expand, perhaps simply because they were family (though the boys were unaware of this). She liked seeing them.

"Very good! See you on the pitch Captain Potter." The twins left.

Ginny turned to James.

"What were we discussing?"

"How very mad you'll be at me," James told her.

"Oh, yeah, why is that?" Ginny asked, curious.

She was really wasting what seemed to be plenty of time talking to all these boys. The weight of the Transfiguration book seemed to double in her arms.

"It's all been a pleasant surprise for me-"

James stopped speaking, his eyebrows drawing together as he saw something behind Ginny.

"Padfoot! Hey! Sirius!" James shouted, stepping to the side of Ginny.

Ginny turned around to see Sirius, who was a good ways down the corridor, suddenly stop. The boy had been about to exit the corridor by turning the corner to go into another corridor when he heard James' voice. It took Sirius a second to locate James but, when he did, he jogged over to the pair.

"Where are you off to?" James asked.

Sirius' eyes darted to Ginny's and there was a second where Ginny was sure she couldn't breathe. Then Sirius looked at James and the feeling was gone.

"I forgot my Quidditch uniform in the dorms," Sirius told him.

"Aren't you suppose to keep them in the Quidditch locker room?" James chided playfully.

"Really, now, James," Sirius said in a mocking voice. "Haven't you learnt by now that I don't do as I'm suppose to?"

"Well go on and get it. Be at the pitch soon, though, we can't exactly do strategies if we're missing a Beater."

Sirius nodded and was about to leave when he seemed to remember something.

"I passed by the Prewitt twins and they had said something about sabotaging your locker," Sirius carelessly told James. "Just in case you wanted to know."

Then Sirius ran off in the direction of the Gryffindor tower. James cursed and began to jog away from Ginny.

"I'll tell you later, Ginny!" he called before racing through the crowd of students in the corridor.

Ginny bit back a smile of amusement before she let herself drift to the library. The library seemed darker then the rest of the castle, lit up only by candles and not the setting sun outside. An incredible amount of students seemed to have already packed the library and Ginny fought back a frown as she searched for a table. And here she had thought the library would be empty. She walked past shelves and shelves of books as she made her way deeper into the library, hoping that the further back she went the less students there would be.

Her wish came true as she saw the corner of what appeared to be an empty table against the wall. It was half blocked by a shelf and she turned the corner, ready to sit and begin her homework, when she slammed to a stop. The table wasn't empty.

An almost desperate feeling took over Ginny and she fought the urge to turn around and run away. Severus Snape was sitting unaware at the table, his head bent and his lips muttering words Ginny couldn't hear. Ginny stared at Snape's bent form, trying to decide what to do. This was the first time she had seen him since she spoke to Lily about the deal. He had often been in her thoughts, however, which did not please Ginny in the least bit.

The slamming of the library door caused Ginny to jump and Snape to look up.

His dark eyes seemed to immediately find her and he straightened in his seat. Slowly, reluctantly, Ginny walked towards him, knowing that she couldn't run away now. When she reached his table she found she was unable to speak. Snape stared at her, his face blank, before he grabbed his quill and began working on whatever he had been before he noticed her. Ginny stayed still until she heard his voice.

"Back again, Hufflepuff?"

She studied him before licking her lips to reply. He cut her off, though, before she could open her mouth.

"You have a bit of a lying mouth, you should know," Snape told her as he continued to furiously write. "The profession I plan to choose after I graduate from Hogwarts does not involve murdering people."

Ginny stared at Snape in surprise. Did he just… make a joke? Her instinct to run was overwhelming and she grabbed onto the back of the empty chair in front of her to stop herself. Snape looked up at her, his eyes calculating as he took her in, before he looked back down.

"Been thinking on it much?" Ginny managed to ask, forcing herself to sit down across from him.

Snape didn't respond right away. Instead he closed the book he had been writing in (and Ginny briefly wondered if he knew he was writing in a book) before he stared her in the face. He looked worse then she remembered he had the last time they had conversed. Dark bags were under his eyes and his skin was pasty.

"I'm unsure of what game you're trying to drag me in," Snape said. "When I had first thought on it I realized it couldn't be too difficult a game for you're a Hufflepuff and the amount of brain a Hufflepuff uses is small-"

There was something dark behind his words that caused Ginny's eyes to narrow. But his words also caused Ginny's stomach to squeeze- why had he already assumed she was messing with him? She had only just sat down.

"-but then I realized you're not just any Hufflepuff. This game you're playing, or attempting to play, is something more than a stupid bet that Hufflepuffs perhaps place on each other. I had thought perhaps you were going to try to seduce me or lure me into letting you into the Slytherin common room-"

"I'm not playing a game with you, Snape-"

"You're not trying to talk to me out of the goodness of your heart either," Snape hissed.

His long fingers twirled his quill.

"You analyze things too much," Ginny informed him, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"You called me a murderer during our second conversation," Snape snarled to her, causing her back to stiffen. "You made it seem as though you know me. And I suppose you do, though I couldn't quite figure out how you would know me when you had just arrived at Hogwarts."

"Listen-"

"Then I realized it was dear Evans who had filled your head with silly thoughts, dear Evans who is simply trying to save the world one person at a time."

Somehow Snape seemed to have become darker, angrier if possible. When he realized just how much hate lingered in his words he calmed himself, slamming down the quill that had been in his hand onto the table. Ginny didn't jump but instead leaned towards him.

"I suppose you're trying to make a point?" Ginny quietly asked.

Snape smirked.

"It's all assumption, I assure you, but I believe I know exactly what is going on between you and Evans and what she wants you to do. She isn't hard to read, after all. And I'm feeling particularly generous at the moment so I'll give you the chance to leave, to leave this table and never speak or look at me again. If you choose to do this you will save yourself some trouble. But if you don't, if you continue to try to tangle me in the webs of this game you're playing, I'll let you know now that I'll play my own game with you and it will be no fun." Snape bared his teeth to her in a dark smile. "I suggest you leave, Stiles."

Ginny blinked in utmost surprise. Snape had just told her, basically, that he knew what she was up to and that he wouldn't fall for her tricks. But he also invited her to keep talking to him, to keep trying to fix him, as long as she knew that he was going to involve her in a bit of a game himself. She knew that a game with a Slytherin, especially Snape, would be no good.

However she had a deal with Lily.

"I'm rather good at playing games," Ginny responded.

Her stomach twisted and Snape's eyes began to glitter with malice.

---

By the time Ginny got back to the Hufflepuff common room her head was buzzing with confusion. She had managed to finish her Transfiguration homework with the cruel help of Snape. That in itself made her get lost in her thoughts. Snape had helped her with her homework, though he had made all his words biting and all his gestures full of hate. They had stayed at the table together until Snape had finally decided he was done and left.

After that Ginny had briefly wondered on what James had to tell her then her mind filled with thoughts on the situation between herself and Sirius. Sirius was one person she would never understand. Sometimes he'd act as though they had not argued and they would be friendly to each other while other times he wouldn't look at her, would ignore her. It caused her heart pain that she had forgotten she could receive from a boy.

The common room was surprisingly quiet when Ginny walked in. She looked around in bewilderment when she saw that the common room was full, with students just quietly whispering to each other. No one noticed her until she began to make her way over to the staircase. What was going on?

"Ginny! Oh, Ginny," Edgar rushed over to her, grabbing her by the arm. "Dorcas- there's been a-"

Edgar couldn't catch his breath and his skin was deathly pale.

"What? What's happened?" Ginny asked sharply, her eyes widening.

"Dorcas' family's been killed," Edgar whispered. "By You-Know-Who."

Ginny stared at Edgar for a long time before she could focus.

"Where is she?" Ginny questioned.

"In her dorm. I haven't been able to find any of the girls and-"

Ginny didn't bother to continue listening as she ran to the staircase. She opened the dormitory door with a bang and searched the room for Dorcas but she couldn't find her. The bathroom door was shut but the light was on.

"Dorcas," Ginny called as she walked to the bathroom door.

It was locked.

"Dorcas? Open up."

When there was no reply, Ginny pulled out her wand and the clicking of the door unlocking filled the room. Ginny turned the knob and walked in to find Dorcas laying on the floor of the bathroom. Her friend's face was tearstained and she was curled in the fetal position. Dorcas' lips were twisted in a frown. But she was asleep.

Ginny fell to her knees, reaching out and wrapping her arms around Dorcas. Dorcas' eyes opened slowly and she stared at Ginny without saying anything. Her lip was trembling and her breathing was erratic. The silence was horrible but there was nothing to say.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny managed to mutter. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I didn't know."

Dorcas just closed her eyes again. Eventually Dorcas fell asleep again and Ginny watched her friend, unable to stop the tears from filling her eyes. She hadn't known that Dorcas' family would be killed but what if she did? If she did, if she knew the exact date, would she have tried to save them? Ginny's body shook a bit as she tried to keep the terrible thoughts from her head. It was a stab of reality, the death of Dorcas' family, and Ginny didn't like the rude awakening.

Amelia was going to be killed one day. And so were half the students at Hogwarts. A war was brewing at that very moment, as Ginny lay with her friend wrapped in her arms in a bathroom. And Ginny knew so many secrets that could change the course of the war.

But she couldn't tell them. She couldn't tell them to anyone. And people were going to pay because she had to keep the secrets. Ginny brushed some Dorcas' hair from her face. It was almost as if Ginny were killing the people…

Ginny's hand stilled as she realized something. There was one person who she could tell her secret. And maybe with his help lives could be saved.

---

It was past curfew but Ginny didn't pay mind to that. She was breathless as she ran down the corridors, taking the familiar route to the Gryffindor tower. There were no students out and all the ghosts seemed to have decided to rest instead of linger in the corridors. Ginny was lucky to see no professors on her way to the Gryffindor tower. Skidding to a stop in front of the portrait of the fat lady, Ginny stared up at her hopelessly.

"I don't know the password," she told the portrait, who stared at her with wide eyes.

"Well, I cannot let you in then, darling," the portrait told her.

"Please," Ginny pleaded but the fat lady just shook her head.

Ginny fell against the wall of the corridor, feeling weak. She had left Dorcas with Marlene and Amelia when the two girls had rushed into the dormitory about an hour later. They didn't ask Ginny questions, only gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. It took Ginny a second to realize they probably thought she was upset because her 'family' had also been killed by Voldemort.

She felt dizzy. Her head was swimming, as was her vision, and she let her knees fall out from under her. The portrait's concerned voice was wordless to her and she put a shaking hand to her forehead. With a gasp, Ginny closed her eyes. Everything was spinning.

"Ginny?"

Whoever called her name managed to break through the madness of her mind. Ginny opened her eyes and lifted her head.

The corridor was still spinning but one thing in it wasn't. Before her was Sirius, his eyebrows drawn together and his eyes worried. Ginny tried to say something, anything, but she couldn't. She just whimpered. Sirius mumbled something before lifting her in his arms.

"Remus…" Ginny whispered. "I need to see Remus."

Sirius shifted her in his arms before giving a humorless laugh.

"He'll be out for the night, love," Sirius responded. "Will I do?"

Ginny nodded and leaned her head against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat through his clothes. Without her realizing, Sirius carried her through the portrait hole and up into his dormitory. The dormitory was empty, for tonight was a full moon and the Marauders were suppose to meet under it. Sirius laid Ginny out on his bed and went to back away, to find her more comfortable clothes to change into, but found he was unable to. Her hand clutched onto his shirt and she was looking at him with unfocused eyes.

"Not yet, don't leave me yet, stay here…"

Sirius nodded sharply, unable to leave this girl who was before him. He didn't ask what was wrong, which Ginny was grateful for, and he didn't say anything to make her uncomfortable. The only thing he could give her was himself and so he did. Wrapping his arms around her shaking body, he held her.

---

It was the bright sun that made Ginny open her eyes. She began to stretch her arms above her head but stopped when she realized her arms were touching another body.

"Sirius?" she whispered his name in confusion.

Sirius was sleeping, his blouse wrinkled and his tie loosened just a bit around his neck. His hair seemed a bit curly almost, falling over his shut eyes. One of his arms was cushioning his head for he had allowed Ginny to have his pillow during the night. The fingers of his free hand were tangled with her own. Ginny's mouth opened but she didn't know what to say.

She had come looking for Remus last night but had found Sirius.

With a shake of her head, Ginny sat up in the bed. Immediately her eyes fell on James, who was pacing the room, his hands caught up in his hair. His eyes must have caught her movement for he looked at her right away, a smile coming to his lips.

"'Morning," James said, walking over to Sirius' bed.

"Hey," Ginny responded.

Ginny used her free hand to rub at her forehead.

"Where's Remus?" she asked when she noticed that he wasn't in the dormitory. Peter wasn't either.

"Hospital wing," James answered. "And Peter's down at breakfast… I heard about what happened to Dorcas Meadowes. She's your friend, isn't she?"

With James' words, the memories of last night rushed back to Ginny's mind. She sighed and nodded.

"And that would explain why you're here, wouldn't it?"

Both Ginny and James glanced at Sirius before she nodded. There was a pause in the conversation.

"What did you need to tell me yesterday, James?" Ginny asked.

At the mention of that, James' face brightened so quickly that Ginny was taken back. He seemed to be literally bubbling over with excitement.

"You won't have to worry about taking me as your date to Slughorn's party," James told Ginny. "Lily's asked me to go with her."

Ginny's jaw dropped and she began to laugh. James was nodding in excitement.

"It's all rather strange but I suppose after the Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks she's, I don't know, become taken with me."

Ginny nodded.

"I suppose so."

Honestly, Ginny had forgotten completely about Slughorn's party and bringing a date to it. But now that she knew James and Lily were going she wouldn't be too frightened of going. The thought of finding a date bite at her mind for a second but then she felt the pressure of someone else's hand in her own and she looked at Sirius.

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Author's Note: So, Happy Holidays! I wanted to expand this chapter, go a bit more into the death of Dorcas' family and the feelings there and such but I wanted to get this out to you. So give a little and take a little, eh? I hope everyone's having a good winter break and I hope this chapter brings many smiles! Next chapter… Halloween : ) Thanks to Genna for pointing out a mistake.