*Ginny*

The summer was finally over. Boarding the Hogwarts Express was even more tearful than last year. Mum was so worried that I was honestly beginning to be afraid she was going to make me stay behind. We all promised to be careful and look out for each other and we said one last goodbye and then the six of us got on.

By that time, most of the berths were half full. Percy had to go with the prefects and the twins found seats with the Gryffindor chasers, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. Finally, we found one set that had only two other occupants, Hermione and an adult.

"Hi Harry, Ron, Ginny," she said. "How was your summer?" she asked as Ron sat next to the presumed professor. I sat next to Hermione and Harry took the window seat on my left.

"It was great!" said Harry. "Almost could have used a few more weeks."

Hermione looked really confused. "The Dursley's change into completely new people?"

Now it was my turn to look stunned. "Neither of you told her…?"

Harry and Ron both looked down at their feet. "Boys can be such idiots." I had assumed Harry would have written her and she wasn't really my friend… "Harry's living with us now. Dad had Harry's horrid relatives sign over guardianship."

Hermione smiled and said, "That's wonderful! So, they adopted you?"

She always picked up the obscure details. Harry said, "No, just custody. Mr. Weasley asked me, but explained that it would dissolve the Potter family if I did, meaning I would lose the family Wizengamot seat. There's some other… complicated reasons too."

"Anything else you two left out?"

I said, "I moved up to your year… at least one positive from what happened to me, I was able to take the second year tests and pass."

Ron added, "My rat Scabbers turned out to be a man named Peter Pettigrew, the bloke who really…" Ron looked at Harry, uncomfortable.

"He led Voldemort to my mum and dad," Harry finished.

"Well," Hermione said, "I didn't have quite all that excitement. I did read through all our textbooks a couple times, except for the Creatures one. So it was pretty fun. You guys could have had me over though."

I could tell she was a little hurt. "I'm sorry," said Harry. Ron seconded it. I promised to keep them both in line.

"So who am I sitting next to?" asked Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Professor R. Lupin, according to his case."

The snack trolley came by and Harry bought us all our favorite. We all caught up for most of the trip. I was glad Hermione was including me.

I had been nervous, but she must have been glad to have a girl to talk to. Through it all, the professor stayed asleep; he must have had a rough night.

Suddenly, I heard a faint scream. Lupin finally woke up. He stood up and said, "Excuse me, I'll go see what's going on."

As he opened the door, he almost collided into Fred and George with their wands drawn. Fred said, "You lot ok?"

Harry already had his wand out too. George looked at us over Lupin's shoulder, adding, "Angelina saw a rat. We wanted to make sure you were ok."

Lupin's face got even paler. "You're one of the Weasleys... Dumbledore warned me about your pet." He quickly brought Fred and George into our berth and said, "I'll take a look, you stay here." They nodded and sat down next to Ron.

I grabbed Harry's hand, nervous. "I hate this…" I muttered.

Ron said, "Yeah, having to panic every time someone thinks they see a rat. It's going to get old."

Five minutes later, the door opened and there stood Peter pointing my wand at my brothers. "Quickly!" he yelled, blasting out the train window. Thankfully, most of the glass was blown outward. "You don't want to try that!" he screamed as George reached for his wand.

Peter kept moving his wand between all of us. "Up, you two!" he ordered me and Harry. "Now!"

I heard Lupin yell in the distance, "Peter! Stop it!" He responded by blowing a sizeable chunk out of the flooring.

"I'm quite out of practice, Remus. Stay there or I'm going to start taking this car apart, piece by piece, and someone may get hurt."

"Get up, you two!" He yelled louder this time and when I wasn't standing up, he dug his nails into my arm and forced me to my feet.

Harry lunged at him but he held him off. Peter dug tighter into my arm and grinned. He stepped behind me to my left and said, "Harry, I think the Dark Lord will want both of you healthy. He's already possessed her once, he should be able to again… but don't try my patience." He sniffed my hair and then said, "She may have some other uses, in time…"

He forced me to sidestep with him. Another step or two and he could force us off the train.

Suddenly, a flash of purple streaked towards me and my arm was free. I turned around and there was the rat. My old wand was being carried in its mouth.

Ron dove to the ground, trying to catch him, but it was too late. Peter jumped out of the moving train and was lost to us once again.

Harry gently touched my arm. "Are you all right?" I nodded.

Hermione looked satisfied and said, "I thought that spell might turn out useful."

Professor Lupin was at the door. "He's gone, Professor," Harry volunteered, staring out the side of the train. "He tried to take Ginny and me, but Hermione forced him back to being a rat and he jumped." He sounded both relieved and disappointed as he turned around.

Lupin looked surprised when he had his first chance to see Harry. "Merlin… you're Harry Potter."

"Yes, sir. I get that a lot."

"You look just like your father. We were friends."

Harry nodded, "Dumbledore told me a bit about you and Peter and Sirius."

Fred and George got up. "We're going to go back, make sure the girls are ok."

"Thanks for watching out for us," I said.

Lupin said, "I should check with the prefects, make sure everyone else is ok. I'll see you all later."

It was just the four of us then. I hugged Hermione and said, "Thanks for saving us. I don't… he would have hurt us."

Hermione smiled and patted me on the head. "Anytime."

Harry had sat down next to Ron and we just sat in silence for the rest of the trip, wondering what was happening next.

Nothing too interesting happened during the feast. I slowly walked where last year's roommate were seated. I got a couple casual greetings, but they didn't make a seat for me. So I continued in and sat next to Ron.

Afterwards, all us Gryffindors followed Percy to our corner of the castle. Hermione and I said goodnight to the boys and then headed up to the girls' dormitory.

I heard a voice coming up from the next level, "Yes, your trunk was already sent up here! I told you it would have been." First years.

I made it to the next level, where I should have been sleeping and walked by. Finally, we were at the third level. Hermione went in first and I followed.

There were four beds in a close circle. The two furthest from the door were occupied by a skinny dark-haired girl who looked Indian and a fair blonde who had no business being as developed as she was for a third-year. "Hi," said Hermione. She must have realized I was a bit lost. "Ginny, this is Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Parvati, Lavender, Ginny is Ron's younger sister if you didn't meet last year. She's skipping her second year."

Lavender was reading "Teen Witch Weekly" but glanced up and said, "Nice to meet you Ginny."

Parvati smiled and said, "Same here. Good job on skipping a grade. One less year you have to have Snape."

Snape had always been so unfair to most Gryffindors and from what Harry said, he treated him right awful. But for some reason, he had never been horrid to me. I'd never be his favorite student, but he didn't go out of his way to make me miserable.

Hermione then asked, "Where's Anne and Stephanie?"

Parvati said, "I'm not sure, but their dad took them out around the time you were petrified last year; their mum's a muggle. I guess they aren't coming back since there's just the four beds."

Hermione shrugged. I guess she was trying to not make me feel bad if they were missing out on the rest of Hogwarts because of me… because of him. I kept forcing myself to remember who was to blame. "Well," she finally responded, "I guess my trunk's over here next to Lavender."

I nodded and went to the bed on the left. I opened it up and quickly put away my robes and organized my books and quills. I took out my most prized possession, currently shrunk inside a bag about the size of a breadbox. I reached inside and pulled out my Firebolt and lovingly placed it under my bed where it wouldn't be in danger of knocking it over.

Lavender's eyes flicked to it for a moment, "Wait, is that a brand new broom? It looks almost shiney."

I smiled, "Yeah, it was a birthday present. I hope I can be on the reserve team this year. I couldn't bear to leave it home."

Parvati said, "My mum would never buy me something sportsey, even if I had asked."

Hermione caught a better glance. "Wait, that's a Firebolt! Ron was obsessed with ads for them all last spring, that's professional level…"

"It was from a friend." I glared at Hermione. She knew the only person I knew with that sort of money, and I didn't think he wanted it advertised.

I laid back in my bed and wrote Mum a quick letter. I had promised I would let her know I was safe. I wrote a quick note and told myself to remember to ask ask Harry if I could borrow Hedwig — I'm sure she would send some sweets back with her. After that, I fell fast asleep.

Luckily, my nightmares weren't every night anymore and I hoped that I wouldn't wake up the other girls much. At breakfast, Hermione brought up something interesting. "So, with Ginny around, we're a bit more evened up." She looked at me and explained, "These two are always competing who gets to be by partner for Potions. Though sometimes, I'm tempted to go with Neville and make them fend for themselves."

My brother put out his most innocent look towards her and said, "You wouldn't really do that to us, would you, 'Mione?"

Hermione shook her head. "Boys… Anyway, who do you want, Ginny?"

I tried thinking up reasons. "Well, Professor Snape's always been less horrid to me, so I think if I'm with Harry, maybe it'll even things out?"

Harry said, "Gin, if you can do that, I will be amazed."

I shouldn't have been so optimistic. Harry and I had barely found a seat when Snape walked in, his hair as black and greasy as ever, his eyes sunk deep in his face. We were with the Slytherins, which never helped. "I hope all of you had a… restful summer. You are almost halfway to your NEWTs and I will stop being so tolerant of shoddy results."

We were assigned a calming draught with at least twice the number of ingredients as anything I remembered from last year. We were working really hard but Snape was glaring at us almost constantly. It bothered me a bit but Harry could barely think.

With five minutes to spare, our potion had changed the correct color of tangerine. Snape immediately approached our table and carefully inspected it. He said, "Passable, Potter. But if you think Lil…. Little Miss Weasley is going to do your work for you…"

He stood back and said, "Starting next lesson, everyone will be working solitary until further notice." We all knew better to groan in front of him.

On the way out, Snape wouldn't even look me in the eye. I guess he had decided I wasn't anything special.

At least Care for Magical Creatures went better. Mr. Hagrid had become the new professor. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all really excited. Harry in particular, he had a personal relationship with him. I was not looking forward to it. The only time I had been out to his cabin was to strangle some birds.

He started off with a Hippogriff, which he explained was quite a vain creature. Harry volunteered to approach the animal named Buckbeak, more for Hagrid's sake than anything, and he was quickly off on a tour of the ground on top of its back. I stayed in the rear of the class and was very quiet, hoping to stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately, Draco must have been annoyed that there was something more vain than him in the class. While Hagrid had his back turned, he walked towards Buckbeak and taunted it. I was quite done with the Malfoys and their big mouths. I yelled, "Shut up!" as loud as I could.

Draco glared at me and smirked. "What, you don't like me calling him a dumb beast? That thing is the smelliest, ugliest….OOF!"

Hermione had tackled him a split-second before Buckbeak took off his head. "Get off me, you filthy mudblood!"

"Fine, next time I'll let you get impaled. Idiot."

Hagrid was over. "Draco, I jus' told you how to treat Buckbeak an' you did the exact opposite. We'll be workin' with Buckbeak tomorrow, but you'll be cleaning out his stall. If you can't listen to me, then I'll give you a zero and you can be done with the course for the term." Draco scowled. "Now, get."

After the class was over, the four of us stayed around for a few minutes. Hagrid looked worried. "I should na' have done that. Dumbledore'll be hearin' from Malfoy, I'm sure."

Ron spoke up, "Hagrid, he deserved that... what he really would have deserved would be letting Buckbeak take out a few chunks."

Hermione said, "Ron, I just did that so Buckbeak wouldn't get into trouble. I didn't relish grabbing Malfoy." She paused and said, "Err, maybe try to start with something a bit...safer, Hagrid?"

Hagrid didn't look like that seemed like a lot of fun. "Well, you all need to be off for your next class." He shooed them off but I stayed. There was something I felt I needed to do.

"Professor?"

"Please, just Hagrid, please. I'll ne'er feel like a real professor."

"I… I'm sorry about your roosters. I can't afford to pay for them, but maybe I can do some work for you…" I felt a tear running down my face.

He interrupted me gently, shaking his head. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he said "Ginny, t'wasn't yer fault. He almost ruined me life too." He beckoned me into his hut. "Looks like you need a cuppa."

Relieved, I nodded and sat down in his guest chair and looked around the sparse room. Nothing fancy and nothing Malfoy would approve of, but Harry's stories of Hagrid made him seem to be a truly genuine and honest man.

Hagrid handed me a stained white cup with a chip. He said softly, "You-Know-Who… he hurt me too. He got me expelled, blamed one of me pets on the girl who died. If it wasn't for Dumbledore, great man, I would've been on the streets, my dad already gone and me mum not around. I'm just' glad yer safe and tha' yer family is takin' care of Harry. You two are worth a lot more than some mangy birds. And your family is more precious than stones."

I nodded. "Thank-you."

"Now get along, your friends will be waitin' on ya." I nodded, dried the start of a tear, and scurried off after the rest of my group.

*Arthur*

All five..six of my kids at Hogwarts seemed to have done well the first couple months. The twins had only received four detentions each so far, so it was a slow start for them. Or they had gotten better at not getting caught.

Ginny had sent us three letters, which none of the other kids ever had. I knew it was more for her mother's state of mind than anything, but it was nice hearing from her.

Her latest one made me smile:

Dad, Mum,

Mainly good news this time. Professor Snape finally let us work with partners again and he seems to be doing his best to not single me or Harry out anymore. I'm having a little trouble in Transfiguration, but McGonagall offered to spend a little time on Saturdays helping me practice. She also is making sure I'm doing ok, she feels bad about last year.

This Saturday I'll have to skip though. Because I'm playing Quidditch! I easily made the reserves, but then Alicia, one of the Chasers, dropped off. She said between her boyfriend, other clubs, and homework, she had to drop something. Wood tried talking her out, but she said that I'd do ok. I can't imagine choosing a silly boy over Quidditch. We are playing Slytherin so I'll make sure to show them what for, as dad would say.

Harry and Ron say hi.

Love, Ginny

My concentration was soon broken when the auror Kingsley came in. "Arthur, the hearing is about to begin." Sirius Black was finally getting the trial he deserved after twelve horrible years in Azkaban.

I found an empty seat in the observation area. Harry wanted to be here, but underaged wizards were usually not allowed and I was concerned how he would take it if something cocked this up. Fudge had delayed this so long already and Barty Crouch was trying to spend whatever favors he had to bury this and save what little accolades from the end of the last war he still had.

Sirius was brought in, disheveled, far too skinny, in a ragged robe and manacles. Dumbledore had found time to represent him, the least he could have done after what this mistake had put Harry through. Crouch was prosecuting and quickly began.

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, I will not waste your precious time. Through a clerical error, the accused, Sirius Black, did not get a full trial and we are here to rectify that. Mr. Black is accused of leading He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to the home of his supposed friends James and Lily Potter, where he killed them and then attempted to kill their son Harry. When he was confronted by Peter Pettigrew, he killed him and nineteen muggles. We have the memories of one muggle survivor, who was of course obliviated after the incident. And we have the previous testimony from Albus Dumbledore, who had believed Mr. Black was acting as Secret-Keeper to the Potters and as such was the only one who could have led anyone to them. I ask that you vote to affirm the current conviction of one count of accomplice to murder, one count of accomplice to attempted murder, one count of murder of a wizard, and nineteen counts of muggle murder, each of which carry a mandatory lifetime sentence in Azkaban."

After that speech and looking at Sirius in his pitiful condition, I was ready to believe everything old Barty had said about him. Luckily, Dumbledore wasn't Dumbledore for nothing. He began quietly.

"We were all terrified late in 1980. No one knew when the killings would stop or if Voldemort" (gasps from the Wizengamot at that) "would ever be defeated. Then, suddenly, it was over. Or was it? Some of us felt that it was too good, too easy to be over. We all wanted to forget the war but without punishment for the leader, we couldn't. Many of his supposed helpers escaped conviction with claims of being imperiused. And then we had Sirius. Accused of betraying his best friend and godson. We couldn't stand to even think of that. And so we tossed him into Azkaban without a second moment's thought.

"I too was guilty of wanting life to return to normal too quickly and it caused grave harm to innocents who did not deserve it. Sirius was one of them."

Dumbledore glanced at me, an unspoken apology for last May. He paused and then said, "I would direct your attention to my statement from November 1980. You would do well to note that it was neither a sworn statement nor admissible as it was only a third-hand report of what Mr. James Potter had told me of his plans. He never made a legal declaration to me that Mr. Black was actually made the Secret-Keeper."

"I also have the memories of Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter who saw Peter Pettigrew, long thought dead, in the home of Arthur Weasley last August."

Crouch interrupted, "I for one have difficulty believing in a tale of a dead man appearing in Arthur's house at only the word of two thirteen year olds."

Another wizard, about Crouch's age, responded with indignation. "I've known plenty more adults that are liars than kids. Besides, why would Harry Potter make up a story to spring a man if he thought he killed his parents?"

Crouch insisted, "He could have been confunded by someone."

The same man said, "Really? You think the boy that You-Know-Who couldn't kill was randomly confunded by a mystery man with no motive. Barty, your judgement's been known to be suspect but now I fear for your overall health."

Dumbledore tried to get back on topic. "I believe it is quite straightforward to see what really happened. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret-Keeper, not Sirius. He is responsible for the death of the Potters, the muggles, and framing Sirius Black. He disappeared after faking his death. There is no shame in admitting to having been tricked, only in not fixing our mistake."

There was another half an hour of questions, specifics from the memories. Much of it was personal attacks on Crouch, who had not been popular for a long time. Malfoy was strangely silent, but it made some odd sense. He hated Crouch and had to be loving him being raked all afternoon. However, he surely didn't want anyone looking into anything related to the war.

Finally, there was a vote. Several pure-bloods families including Malfoy abstained. Almost everyone else voted for acquittal, though if it was for Sirius or to slap at Crouch, I didn't know. I guessed it didn't matter. Either way, he was a free man.

Sirius grinned wider than I had ever seen a man. I could see several teeth that needed some immediate work. Healers were in short supply in Azkaban. Kingsley stepped forward. "Given the results of this hearing, I'm issuing a warrant for the capture of Peter Pettigrew, so that this body can properly learn what transpired that night."

A round of agreeing shouts filled the air. Suddenly, silent Lucius Malfoy stood up. "It is also obvious to me that poor Harry Potter may be in danger until this Pettigrew is caught, as well as all our children. I move to send a contingent of Dementors to Hogwarts to watch for the fugitive."

Dumbledore angrily responded, "Absolutely not! Dementors are vile, dangerous creatures, who have no place at a school!"

"Nonsense," said Lucius backhandedly. "After the stories I have heard last year, it is quite obvious you need all the help you can get to secure our children's safety."

The slight at Dumbledore was obvious and expected. I had no doubt Lucius didn't care one scrap about any children except his own precious Draco. However, all of Lucius' usual allies had been paid well and immediately agreed. It was too hard to vote down the measure. Dementors were coming to Hogwarts.

But there were more immediate issues, I realized, as the room quickly emptied. Sirius sat in a chair, his hands freed, with probably no idea what to do with his life. Dumbledore and I were the only other ones left. Then Sirius began weeping.

"Merlin…. James, Lily… Peter, that bastard…" He looked at Dumbledore and said, "I'm almost an old man now. I've lost a third of my life. And Harry! You sure he is well?"

Dumbledore said, "He is, in no small part thanks to Arthur Weasley here." I walked up to them and extended my hand, which Sirius vigorously squeezed.

"As Dumbledore probably told you, my wife Molly and I have permanent guardianship of Harry. He was treated horribly by his mother's sister. We have a house full of kids so one more was no burden and my youngest two, Ron and Ginny, are close friends."

"I'd love to see him. And them."

Dumbledore broke in, saying, "If my aging memory serves me still, Gryffindor and Slytherin have their match this Saturday. Harry's the Seeker and half of the remaining team is comprised of Weasleys. Given all that has happened, no one will begrudge you two and Molly coming as my guests. That will give you a few days, Sirius, if you want to buy some newer clothes and clean up prior to meeting your godson."

Sirius clasped his hands. "Excellent. Arthur, if you have a few minutes, I'd like to hear more about Harry over lunch, if you would do me the honor. Least I can do. I'll just have to make a quick stop at Gringotts. And these rags are probably not the latest fashion."

I nodded, "Yes, probably correct." I had seen some muggle children walk around with purposely ripped pants, which was incomprehensible to me and definitely not proper for someone of Black's position. "Harry's like a son to me and so we're family, after a fashion. You shouldn't be tossed in the street all by yourself. We can talk over lunch and I can catch you up."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will let your children know what has happened today and your plans for the weekend. I'll have a Floo connection set up to my office from the Burrow and Grimmauld place, I assume that's where you'll be staying?"

"For now. Probably not longer than I have to."

Dumbledore nodded and tapped a sock he must have been using as a portkey because in an instant, he was gone.

I turned and Sirius and I left the Ministry as fast as possible. He wanted his first breath of free air. And I had a lot to tell him.

Ginny*

"You should eat something."

"But not too much either, sis."

"I suggest one piece of toast."

"With nothing on it."

"Maybe a little butter."

"Definitely not marmalade."

"Nothing orange is ever lucky when it comes to Quidditch." Fred winked at Ron with that last quip. Ron scowled back.

"Thanks." I followed their advice and munched on a piece of bread. "I'm not really nervous. After all, it's your job to make sure I don't have to worry about anything, right?"

George smiled and said, "Exactly. At least until Harry comes up with the Snitch."

Harry shrugged. "We'll be fine."

To be honest with myself, I was a little nervous. The Slytherin/Gryffindor game was usually the most competitive except for the last few games if the cup was still in play. More so with Draco playing Harry's opposite. I couldn't think of him without thinking of his father and what he had done to me. Harry seemed a little distracted with the news his godfather was coming along with my parents. I hoped that he would live up to Harry's dreams.

Finally, it was match time. Angelina helped make sure my jersey was in order in our lockers. She and Katie had been helping me a lot. When I was up in the air during practice, nothing from last year mattered. We trudged out and met the boys. Wood took the lead, then my brothers, then we three Chasers, followed by Harry last. We had jeers from the Slytherins and cheers from most everyone else. Wood gave us a last-minute talk while the Slytherins assembled.

"Fred, George, do your thing."

"Harry, try to keep the game going if we're doing well. I'd like to start the season with a good lead."

"Angelina, Katie, Ginny… let's get some fast scores. Ginny, I know you're ready to surprise those snakes."

"Definitely." We had successfully kept my birthday present a secret.

Madam Hooch called us together. I was opposite one of the three Slytherin Chasers. They were all older students that I didn't know, so I mentally nicknamed them Ugly, Uglier, and Smelly. Smelly glared at me as the Snitch was released. Hooch then let go of the Bludgers and then finally tossed the Quaffle into the air.

Uglier ended up with it but then Katie came in and popped the Quaffle out with a fist. Angelina was there to catch it. Immediately, Ugly and Smelly came at her from each side, aiming to trap her with a pincer move.

Suddenly the Quaffle flew my direction as she realized I was uncovered. I almost dropped it, I was so excited. I secured the ball in my left arm and urged my broom forward at top speed, trying to get out of the fray.

I risked a quick glance behind. The Chasers and Beaters were all in pursuit but no way were they going to catch up.

A few seconds later, I was coming close to to the goals. The Slytherin Keeper was staring at me while covering the middle hoop. I had to quickly make a decision…

I aimed at the top goal and the Keeper moved between the middle and the top targets, hedging his bets. At the last possible chance. I stalled my broom and dove down, executing as sharp a turn as I dared. The maneuver worked, as I had a clear shot on the bottom ringl and tossed it through. My first goal! The score was 10-0.

The game proceeded from there. Within forty minutes, I had five assists as Katie and Angelina each scored four goals of their own. Slytherin had snuck in six of their own. We were once again on the Slytherin side of the field.

Jordan was announcing the game. "And now the score is ninety to sixty, Gryffindor! Weasley is separating herself from the crowd with that broom of hers, and the skills to use it…. You sure?" he said to someone as an aside. "People, it's been confirmed that's none other than a Firebolt that she's riding! Weasley comes close to getting hit by a bludger but then Weasley and Weasley sent it to the opposite side of the field."

I almost cracked up at the confusing commentary. He could just use our first names, but he'd probably confirm my sneaking suspicion he couldn't keep the twins straight. Didn't help they swapped numbers from one match to another.

Smelly bumped me hard and I dropped the Quaffle. "Damn," I muttered under my breath, chasing after him.

Wood easily blocked the shot, saving the team from my mistake. After another ten minutes of back-and-forth play, I had the Quaffle again and two unwanted balls were headed straight towards me as well, from opposite directions.

I froze for a split-second, unsure of which way to go. Fred and George arrived a moment before the Bludgers and cleared them out. "Go for it!" Fred yelled at me.

I nodded and took off again. That little stunt had put the Slytherins out of position and I was able to score one more goal. Then Jordan yelled, "And Potter is on the chase for the Snitch!" Sure enough, Harry was speeding off towards my side of the field and I saw a glint of light hundreds of feet above me.

And Malfoy, who had thought he had saw something lower, was near ground level at mid-field and had a shorter distance to cover.

I wasn't going to let him steal this win from us. I angled my broom upwards and pressed forward. At the last possible second, I slowed down just enough to put myself in Draco's path. I was ahead of him and has right-of-way so it wouldn't be an interference penalty as we collided in a sideways hit. The crowd went wild ten seconds later as Harry ended the game, two hundred fifty to sixty. I made my way to the ground, knowing I was going to have some deep bruises tomorrow but that it was worth it.

After the game, I changed into muggle clothes for the rest of the day. I gingerly put on a white t-shirt with a few colorful stripes and a pair of dark green jeans. As long as no one bumped into me, it wouldn't hurt.

The boys were waiting for us outside. They were all headed back to Gryffindor Tower while Mum and Dad were waiting for Harry and me in Lupin's classroom. Harry had asked Ron and I to be with him. But then we had a slight delay.

"Weasley!"

The three of us turned around and saw Draco fuming along with his usual muscle Crabbe and Goyle.

Fred said dryly, "You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"Shut up! You — girl. Leave the flying to respectable purebloods that actually know what they're doing." We all turned around, ignoring him, except for Harry who stood his ground. Draco decided to work on getting our attention again.

"I'm surprised they even let you back into the school after your attacks on the mudbloods. And that someone thought it was a good idea to throw away gold on someone like you."

"It was a gift." I'm not sure why I said that.

He paused for a moment, looked at me up and down and then smirked. "Doubtful. Maybe you found some way to earn it. If I had known you were selling, I may have given you a better price, if you made it worth my time."

I grabbed Fred and George's shirts before they went after him. I didn't need them getting in trouble over an idiot. I'd deal with the prat on my own without witnesses. But the twins weren't the ones who I should have worried about.

Harry lunged at Draco, knocking him hard to the ground. Before anyone knew what was happening, Harry was on top, pummeling him with both fists. Crabbe and Goyle tried getting involved, but Harry socked each of them in the gut and went back to rearranging Malfoy's face.

Finally, Wood and my brothers got Harry off the twerp. Draco slowly got up, wiping some blood off his face and glared at Harry. "Potter, you dare…. My father."

Harry returned the glare and spat out, "You can tell your father if he or you hurt Ginny again I'll put both of you in St. Mungo's."

We all stood there for what seemed like hours until Malfoy turned around and slowly slinked away, the rest of his housemates following. Harry turned in my direction and looked at his feet. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

Wood said, "No one's mad at you, Harry. Just make sure you don't get yourself suspended. Lucky there's no teachers around."

George said, "And we'll get him back if he doesn't stop."

That made Harry smile, but Wood was serious. Harry looked at me and quietly asked, "I can't stand bullies. Especially what his dad did to you last year."

I hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Harry. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it."

He returned the hug for a bit and then asked, "Are you ok?"

I nodded, "Let's go see Sirius."

We were in our DADA classroom in about fifteen minutes. I saw my parents, Ron, Professor Lupin and a well-dressed man in a set of new black robes.

Sirius rose immediately when he saw us and rushed over to Harry. He tensed up a little, so Sirius stopped before getting too close. "Merlin, look at you. I'd swear it was James." He took another step back and said, "I'm your godfather Sirius. I'm glad you're looking healthy."

"You too, Mr. Black," he said.

He immediately responded, "That's Sirius to you and your friends. And thanks. It's amazing what a few hundred galleons on a suit and haircut can do, along with a few days of Molly's cooking…. Great game by the way. You too, Ginny."

I smiled and thanked him.

Mum exclaimed, "I'm not sure I can watch another match… both you and Harry fly like you want my heart to stop." She smiled and gave us both hugs. Then she noticed something. "Harry, have you been fighting?"

I just realized he had blood on his knuckles. Mostly not his. Dad piped up. "Harry, what happened?"

Crap. He didn't need to get in trouble. "Malfoy was being a sore loser."

"That doesn't excuse fighting," Mum said.

I had to say something. "Harry was defending me. Draco said the only way I could afford a new broom was by… selling myself."

Dad turned about three shades of red in anger. Lupin said, "I'm going to not give you detention this time, but you need to be the better man, Harry."

Sirius said, "Or don't get caught."

Harry smiled, "I can try to manage that." Then he paused for a moment and asked a little apprehensively, "Am I moving in with Sirius?" My heart skipped a beat.

Sirius shook his head. "James… Harry, I think Arthur and Molly are doing a fine job with you and they still want you there. I'm going to definitely be around and you'll be more than welcome to stay with me sometimes during the summer. But unless you really want to, I think where you are is where you should be."

He looked at us and then responded, "Yeah, I do too."

"Now, between the match and everything, I'm sure you're famished. McGonagall said I could take you into Hogsmeade for supper. I'll have to get back to London afterwards, so it'll be Christmas before I'll have a chance to see you again."

"Ok, sounds good." He turned back to me and said, "See you tomorrow."

"Of course." We both had homework due that we hadn't finished yet. Between practice and everything, we usually ended up spending Sunday afternoons together.

Dad said, "We'll walk you back to the tower. Your mother packed you a beef sandwich and some biscuits."

"Thanks."

"And I'd feel a bit better if you promise me that you won't be in the hallways by yourself." Before I could argue, he said, "I know you can take care of yourself, but if Draco is anything like his father…. I told the same thing to Ron."

"Ok… I promise." We finally reach the tower. "Thanks for coming today."

Mum said, "I'm glad you have that broom…. I'm always going to be your mum, Ginny. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." I gave them each a hug and then went up to my room.

In a few weeks, it was Halloween. Hermione and I got dressed for the morning and met Harry in the common room. Hermione asked, "Ron coming to breakfast?"

"Yeah, he's still getting ready."

"Any plans for tonight?" she said.

"Well, no party with Sir Nicholas at least… not sure if I want to go to the feast or not."

"I'm not," I said.

Hermione said, "Oh… yes, I understand. I'll see if Ron wants to then."

"Keep me company?" I asked Harry.

"Yeah, I can."

My brother appeared a little later and we went to get some food. Halfway through a sausage, a delivery owl dropped Hermione's copy of "The Daily Prophet." The headline read

A Look Back: 12 Years Since the End of the War

She looked at the front page for a moment but surrendered it to Harry as he wouldn't stop trying to read upside-down. His mood did not improve. "They want to make it a holiday, Victory Day. Celebrating."

He kept reading while I caught most of it over his shoulder. Hermione warned, "Harry, they don't mean to..." He suddenly stood up and stormed out.

Ron asked, "What happened?"

"Page five advertisement. Half price mattresses on Victory Day. Nice way to remember his parents dying," I said. "I'm going to check on him."

"Snape will dock you points if you're tardy…" Hermione warned.

"I'll let you know if I bloody care," I shot back sharply.

I pulled out the map and quickly found Harry heading for Gryffindor Tower. I followed, watching him go to his room, alone. Thankful that the Founders were sexist, I climbed up the boys' stairs and found him sitting in his bed.

"Gin, I'm sorry… I shouldn't…"

I sat next to him. "I'd bring mad too if it was my parents. I think everyone wants to just remember being happy."

He nodded and let me lean into his side. "Not everyone though," I added. "There's a memorial at yours house. Dad took the older three once."

"I'd like to see that."

"I'm sure Sirius could pull you out for the day."

"Not not. Hearing about them from him and Professor Lupin, and with Peter out there… sometime when I'm ready. I'd want you and Ron and Hermione there too."

"I can't speak for them, but I will be there for you. They loved you Harry."

"Thanks. I'm sure they would have liked meeting you too."

"I would have too." We hugged for a bit longer and then got up before Ron sent a search party after us.

*Arthur*

After Ginny's first match, the next time we saw the kids was Christmas Break. Harry asked me to take him down to Diagon Alley after I was done with work to do some shopping. He and Ginny hadn't been happy when we cancelled their permission slips for visiting Hogsmeade, but with Peter on the loose and him having singled the two of them out, Molly had insisted. We also didn't need another run-in with Draco. They at least were able to keep each other company those weekends.

I received a notice as I was trying to head out — Dumbledore's stalling was finally at an end and there would be at least a dozen Dementors outside the Hogwarts grounds.

I made my way down to the Leaky Cauldron where Harry soon appeared by floo, tripping as usual. "Know what you're getting everyone?"

"Pretty sure."

"And you'll stay within a reasonable limit?"

"Yes, sir. That was a one-time thing for Ginny anyway. I just wanted to give her something to look forward to at school this year."

Harry ended up buying everyone books. For me, he said it was going to be a beginners' guide to automobile engines. Hermione was buying it and it would be delivered by muggle post to a box that we used for such things. It promised to be fascinating.

Harry bought the most obscure book on charms he could find for the twins. Ron got something about the Chudley Cannons and he bought an OWL prep book for Hermione. Molly was getting a book on continental cooking. She had said she wanted to branch out, so Harry was going to get a curry cookbook, but I thought she didn't mean branching out that much.

Finally, there was my daughter. It took him about fifteen minutes rummaging through a bookstore. He came out with a small book with an emerald-colored embossment. I looked a bit confused.

"She said it was her favorite color."

"No, I was just… is that a diary?"

"Yeah, Ginny said Professor McGonagall had suggested she try one, when she was comfortable. Prove to herself that it was safe, face her fears, that sort of thing." He turned to the clerk. "Ma'am, can you personalize this with a name on the inside of the front cover. Ginny Weasley. G-I-N-N-Y W-E-A-S-L-E-Y. In scarlet" It was an extra galleon, which he paid for in stride.

Christmas ended up being a pretty happy affair. Harry ended up not being the one I needed to worry about extravagant presents. Sirius was very grateful to be out of Azkaban. I also had let slip about the activities at Hogwarts that were planned for next year and so he bought Harry and all my boys the latest dress robes with allowances for a year of growing for the younger ones. He had his cousin Nymphadora help him buy Ginny and Molly both very elegant dresses.

My gift was a secret. Officially, he had insisted on paying to fix the damage Peter had done to the Burrow. But then on Boxing Day he came over to pick up Harry for the week and left an old almost-running Triumph Bonneville motorcycle in my shed. It promised to be an interesting project. Much too soon though, the kids were on their way back to school for the second term. It was almost their last.