Disclaimer: I don't own Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Professor Severus Snape, Colin Creevey, Draco Malfoy, or Professor Dumbledore. They all belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers.
In the morning, Ginny walked down to the Great Hall to see that Hermione, Harry, and Ron were already at the Gryffindor table. She sat down and had a bit of toast, still full from earlier that morning's breakfast.
"Hello there Ginny. Not hungry?"
"No. Not really, Herm."
"Are you alright? Something bugging you?"
"Sheesh Ron. Why are you paranoid lately?"
"I'm not paranoid!"
"Sure you aren't."
"Shut up Virginia."
"Don't call me that!"
"Then don't say I'm paranoid."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Ron went back to eating, but Ginny looked up at the Head Table. Professor Snape wasn't up there, which is quite unusual. Dumbledore seemed to be preoccupied and was staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, he looked at Ginny, who looked back down at her food quickly.
No one, luckily, had noticed and Ginny picked up her books. She had to get down to Potions for her first class. She said good bye to Hermione and Harry, telling Ron to stop being paranoid. Ron screamed after her, gaining many glances from students at other tables.
Ginny stopped at the bottom of the dungeon stairs and went to her Potions classroom. No one was in there, meaning she was early. She dropped her things off at her seat and then stood outside waiting. She had promised to work with Colin Creevey on their next potion. She turned when she heard a voice coming fron the stairs.
Suddenly, Draco came round the corner and spotted her. He smiled, unlike his usual snare. She smiled back and said hello.
"Hello Draco."
"Hello Ginny."
"Have you seen Professor Snape lately? He wasn't in at breakfast this morning."
"Actually I haven't. Kind of weird actually. He never misses breakfast. I suppose something came up. Do you have Potions now?"
Ginny nodded. A few more voices drifted down the corridor and Colin Creevey rounded the corner and looked at Draco with Ginny. He ran over and stood between them. Draco's usual sneer was back on his face.
"Don' t you touch her...she's done nothing...to you at all."
Colin was shaking, but he seemed determined to get Draco away from Ginny. Draco just grinned even wider.
"Of course not Creevey. I would never touch her. I'm shaking in my boots out of fright at looking at your bulging muscles."
Draco laughed and then walked away, waving good bye to Ginny. Colin turned to her.
"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No. I'm fine. Thanks for sticking up for me."
"No problem. He shouldn't even be talking to you, that lil' ferret."
Ginny laughed as to hide the fact that she didn't appove of name-calling Draco. The rest of the class soon came down the stairs, but still, there was no sign of Professor Snape. Madam Pomfrey showed up and walked to the front of the classroom.
"Due to circumstances out of our control," Madam Pomfrey started, "Professor Snape couldn't make it to teach his class this morning. I will be substituting for him. Please take out your books and turn to page 103. We will be making a very strong type of Sleeping Potion today..."
Madam Pomfrey rambled on for a few moments, before allowing them to start making their potions. When she did, Ginny made sure to get everything right and have Colin know what to do. She was going to ask about Snape. When Madam Pomfrey came near her desk to check on their potion, Ginny asked her.
"Professor Snape is away on business. He was called up by the Ministry of Magic. Now get back to work."
Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to want to talk about it. Ginny then decided to talk to Dumbledore about it. Her next period was free and she had no homework to do. Colin and her finished their potion and were rewarded with a perfect grade. After class was over, Ginny streaked up the stairs and to Dumbledore's office. She stood in front of the gargoyle trying to remember the password. While she stood there thinking, the wall suddenly parted. She jumped back and saw Professor Snape walking down the stairs.
"And what are you doing here, Miss Weasley? Surely you learned your lesson about sneaking about last night."
"I need to talk to the Headmaster, but I forgot the password."
"Well go talk to him then. Don't just stand there like a ninny."
Ginny walked past Snape quickly and ran up the stairs. She knocked at Dumbledore's door and he opened it. He smiled down at her and invited her in.
"What seems to be bothering you, Miss Weasley?"
"I was wondering about last night. I got off the hook for something and I saw someone strange in the corridors with you and Professor Snape. I was just curious about it."
Ginny looked down at her hands, finally noticing how rude she seemed. She spotted a black dog and he came prancing up to her. She pet him on the head and scratched behind his ears. He seemed to be enjoying himself. She looked back up at Dumbledore. He was smiling again.
"I was talking with Professor Snape and that man you saw. You've heard about Sirius Black, yes?"
"Of course I have. I heard Ron talking to Harry saying how he's innocent. I don't know though. What do you think?"
"I believe he is innocent. Why do you think that he might be guilty?"
"Well, I heard Ron saying how Peter Pettigrew really killed all of those people, not Sirius, but then I remembered that Peter was the man that was one of the ones killed during that attack that Sirius did. I never asked Ron about it though. He doesn't know I know. Then I heard Hermione and Harry talking. Harry was telling her about what happened after he had gotten a hold of the Triwizard Tournament Cup. He said that he had seen Peter there. I started to think about how maybe Sirius is innocent, but I'm not sure."
Dumbledore had stayed quite the whole time and he looked down at Ginny, who had gone back to patting the dog.
"You know a lot about this, don't you?"
Ginny's face turned scarlet as she just realized that she had told Dumbledore about eavesdropping on Hermione, Harry, and Ron. The dog looked up at her and then walked over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore just continued to look at Ginny, who finally lifted her head up.
"Yes. I suppose I do. Please don't tell my brother I was listening in on his conversations."
"What? What about conversations?"
Ginny smiled. She knew Dumbledore would keep his promise. Then his eyes became hard.
"Virginia. I need to ask you something. Would you ever trust Sirius Black with your life?"
Ginny looked up. Now that wasn't what she was expecting. She thought for a moment, chewing on a piece of hair, as was her habit. Finally, she took it out and then nodded.
"But Professor. What does Sirius have to do with any of this?"
"He's here right now, actually."
Ginny looked shocked. She jumped up and started to scan the room. What had she gotten herself into? She believed Sirius' innocence, but that didn't mean she wanted to meet him. Her eyes fell upon the black dog next to Dumbledore. It winked and then nodded at her. She rubbed her eyes and looked again and then at Dumbledore.
"Is...that dog...Sirius Black?"
Dumbledore nodded and both of them watched as Sirius transformed into his human form. Ginny gasped, grabbing her chest, and then sat back down. Sirius Black was here, in front of her, in Dumbledore's office, in Hogwarts. But he was suppose to be on the run. At last that is what she heard Harry say.
"Hello there Ginny."
"Hello there Mr. Black."
"Please. Call me Sirius."
"Of course, Sirius."
"Now, Ginny. I want to ask you something. Would you like to join the Order of the Phoenix?"
"What is that?"
"It is a group of Aurors and other witches and wizards who are against Voldemort. They go undercover to spy or to actually join in His inner group. It's dangerous, no doubt, but you show potential. Right now we are waist-deep in trouble and need more members. But not just any members. Members who could perform well and gather information. Voldemort has had his eyes on you lately, but we have no idea why. First, though, before we ever ask you to do anything, we'll have you go under training. Every member in the Order has to. So, what do you say?"
Ginny sat there in deep thought. She had just been asked to join the Order of the Phoenix. What ever that is? She continued to think and then she looked up at Sirius, who had stopped pacing from partially explaining about the Order. Dumbledore had remained in his seat the whole time.
"You can decide later. A week's time?"
"Yes. A week. At the longest."
"You may leave now, Miss Weasley, to think more about this. Don't talk anyone about this. Okay?"
"Of course. Thanks for talking to me Professor. Sirius."
Ginny then walked to the door. She set her hand on the door, planning on pushing it open, but then stopped and turned around.
"If you don't mind me asking, where was Professor Snape and were you the man I saw last night Sirius?"
Sirius answered her.
"Snape was away on a mission for the Order and yes. I was the man you saw yesterday."
Ginny smiled, said thanks and walked outside. She continued on her way to finish her classes. She was glad to get two things off of her back, but now an even heavier weight was on her. What was she going to do about this whole Order thing? She sighed as she sat down in her Transfiguration seat.
Author's Note: Hehe. A little twist to the story. It's coming along pretty well if I do say so myself. But that doesn't matter. What you say matters. Puh-lease R/R. Thanks! ^_~
