A/n: I got it out as promised, and on Easter Sunday too!! I think there is only one part left after this, and maybe an epilogue.
Part
xvi
After arriving in Hogsmeade, and hearing of 'The Sirius Black Trial,' that will take place the next afternoon, they decided to stay in Hogsmeade that night. They left early the next morning to wait at the bus stop. They knew Professor McGonagall would send someone looking for them right away, once she notices that they never returned back that night, so they packed it up early and waited…and waited…and waited.
Ginny was not one of the most patient people in the world, and she was not an early bird. As soon as they found a bench on the stop she laid her head on Harry's shoulder and took a nap. She was awakened a couple hours later when Harry moved abruptly.
"I lost my pillow," she muttered, still half-asleep. She noticed a pack of people around them waiting to get on the bus.
"We have to go, the train's here," Harry informed her.
"Already? But, I was so comfortable."
"Sure, you were comfortable, but my shoulder was beginning to fall asleep."
Ginny saw a small white bus pull up with the words 'ministry' on the side. The bus screeched to a halt, and the door squeaked open. Upon looking inside, she noticed it had been magically stretched, like what her dad did to the ministry cars on their way back to Hogwarts. There was plenty of sitting space, and the seats looked fairly comfortable. Ginny walked in first, paid her fare and chose a seat way at the back; that was her favorite place to sit. The other four followed her and shoved their bags under the seats.
Harry sat down on one side of Ginny. She tempted laying her head down on his shoulder again, but he stopped it. "Oh no you don't. My shoulder is still sore from the last time you fell asleep on it."
"Besides, it won't do you much good to fall asleep. The ride isn't very long," the woman said sitting on the other side of her.
"Great," she muttered. "We spent more time waiting for the bus then we'll actually spend on the bus."
"We couldn't have McGonagall finding us, now could we," the woman answered.
"That reminds me," Harry said. "How did you know Professor McGonagall?"
"If I tell you something, will you promise never to tell anyone else?" They nodded in promise to her. "I was a student at Hogwarts once."
"So, what's the big secret about that," Ron asked.
"Nothing. I just don't want anyone else to know." The woman looked at the window for a second, then turned her head back and smiled at them. "I think we're about there."
"Can I ask you one question," Ginny asked.
"Sure."
"I mean, anything? Do you promise you'll answer?"
"I'll answer one question."
"What is your name? I am sick of knowing you as simply 'the woman'. I would like to know a name; first, last, nickname, anything. I want to think of you as a friend, but it's hard since I don't know your name." Ginny thought about the map, and how strange it was that it only labeled her as 'woman'. Harry had told her it picked up on everything, including animagus' like Pettigrew, and people under the influence of Polyjuice potion, like Barty Crouch Jr. So, why didn't pick up on the woman's name?
"A name…I'll tell you what, you can call me Daisy Vaser," she giggled. "I can't give you an honest answer. I believe to be nobody."
"But…how can I be friends with nobody? You must have had a name at one time. What was it? And, why won't it show up on our map?"
"The map you used to find Hogwarts? Yes, strange charm on that map. I believe that it can look into an individual's heart to see who they believe themselves to be. When Pettigrew was in his animagus form, he still believed himself to be Pettigrew, same with the guy in the polyjuice potion. But, if you look into my heart, that's who I am, just a woman, stuck in a world she no longer belongs on." The sadness returned to her eyes, and she looked back toward the window. "Look, we're there."
Ginny did not give up as they raised to exit the bus. "But you must have had a name at one time. What did you do that was so horrible?"
"I didn't do anything. It's what I didn't do that counts. Let's go."
They went through big brass doors that followed into a dark stone stairway. They followed down into a cold damp room. There, they sat in little chairs, looking across the room and waited. The crowd was such a sell out, the officials ended up enlarging the room to fit five extra rows of chairs. Every seat in the room was taken.
Twenty minutes later, the ministry officials entered the room, followed by Sirius, and Pettigrew. Ginny could see Sirius talking to Mr. Walters- the replacement of Mr. Crouch. Then, Mr. Walters turned to Pettigrew. She wished she could hear what they were discussing.
She looked away from the commotion in the center of the room, and skimmed the audience. Seated two rows down, and a couple chairs to the left were Liberty, Shelby, Snape, and Professor Lupin. From the looks of it, Snape was holding Shelby's hand firmly; on one side of them, Liberty was nervously twitching, wringing her hands together. Lupin was seated at the other side sitting calmly, but the look on his face told Ginny otherwise.
She was debating whether or not to call out to them, when Mr. Walters spoke to the crowd.
"Mr. Sirius Black has claimed that he had been falsely accused of Lily and James Potter's death. Mr. Black has also claimed that Mr. Peter Pettigrew, who was presumed to be dead, had become the secret keeper for Lily and James at the last minute." He stopped a moment to look at Sirius and Pettigrew before he continued. "I do not have anything to go on besides the words of these two men, seeing as there are no direct witnesses of James and Lily's death. If there were just one person out there that could verify this information…I would let Mr. Black go, but seeing as there isn't…I have come to the conclusion that…"
"Wait," a woman's voice broke through the crowd. Ginny looked around the room for the origin of the voice. Slowly, the woman from the hut in the Forbidden Forrest stood up. She seemed to be in a struggle to say her next words. "I can testify that Peter Pettigrew was indeed the secret keeper."
"Please come down miss, and identify yourself," Mr. Walters said.
Shakily, the woman walked down towards the center of the room. She gave a slight nod towards Sirius as if she had made her final decision, and turned towards Mr. Walters. She reached into her pocket and gave him an old wrinkled up letter. As Mr. Walters read the letter, the crowd sat hushed, staring directly towards the woman. He finished the letter and looked back up towards the woman.
"We need specialists right away to identify this handwriting. This could be the answer to our problem." A few men from the ministry quickly got up and took the letter from Mr. Walters, trying to inspect every nook and cranny of the letter. Mr. Walters used this time to readdress the woman. "Please, identify yourself."
"Yes sir." The woman slowly pulled off her hood, showing her face for the first time. She had long straight brown hair that tumbled down with the release of the hood. Ginny could hear Sirius and Pettigrew gasp in sequence. "My name is…Lanie Roberts."
A/n: For those of you that do not know who Lanie Roberts is, my story Before the Glimmer tells the whole story of Lanie (up to when she was living in the forest). I hope I made the trial part at least somewhat similar to the books. Please review, and Happy EasterJ!!
