Chapter.4 Drastic Measures
Sirius wandered down the hallway, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He was slowly withdrawing into himself. And why shouldn't he? He was invisible to everyone around him, everyone he cared for and confided in. Who could he talk to now?
It was beginning to feel a little like Azkaban.
No, no, NO! Stop that train of thought Sirius. So much has happened since then. Just stop.
Visions of a moldy, damp cell filled his mind. Nothing to think of except the moans from others nearby trying to get one off by themselves. So maybe he had done it a couple of times as well...but there was no way in hell he was going to be as vocal as all the others!
Haha. I thought I told you to stop that. You stupid brain. Ok, ok...what's new, what's new. Remus, Tonks, Bill, Ginny, and that little girl. Man, they look quite a bit different now that I think of it. Remus...he looked...older. And Tonks looked alright, considering she could be an old hag and still look like a blooming 16-year-old girl due to the fact that she's a Metamorphmagus. Bill, wow I would never expect him to chop off his hair! Will wonders never cease? Talking about wonders...Ginny. Had she changed! The last time he saw her she was all limbs and scraggly red hair. And now she was, well...not.
What?! You try to stop thinking about Azkaban and you end up oggling some young girl?! What a dirty old man you've become...
Sirius sighed trying to fend off the oncoming headache. He needed a distraction. Good thing he was going to the library to do some "research." He scoffed loudly.
Yeah, 'cause the Sirius Black Studying Technique is world famous and used by the most prominent slobs in the world. It consists of sitting on your ass, staring blanking at your paper, and filling in the answer bubbles to look like a portrait of your dead goldfish. Lovely.
He ambled on to the end of the hallway where a lone oak door stood. He could hear someone from the inside. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing. He heard crashes and shattering glass and then a strangled scream.
On the alert, Sirius hurried through the door, preparing for the worst. And what he saw made him wish it were some ghoul or evil thing he could banish.
Ginny Weasley was kneeling on the floor bleeding and crying her eyes out.
And one thing Sirius Black could not handle was crying women.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry." She repeated his name like a mantra meant to keep her memories at bay.
She was slowly coming back down. Slowly becoming aware of the glass embedded in her pale skin. Aware of her blood.
She had been wrong, she realized now, to put Remus on the spot like that. Harry was the only link he had to his past friends. Harry was James's and Lily's son. That meant as being the last Maurader standing, it was his job and honor to look after him. And she knew he more than happy to oblige.
Ginny couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to have two of your best friends murdered. Then having to believe the person who was responsible for their deaths killed the last of your four best friends. Not to mention the moment of realization when that person you thought so traitorous turned out to be innocent, innocent, and then having to bear the guilt of believing he had murdered someone. Oh, and then watching your last true friend disappear behind the Veil of Death, of course.
As Ginny thought about what Remus had survived through, she began to feel like an even bigger pile of feces.
It must have been hard for him to force those words out of his mouth. Now that I think of it, he hadn't sounded so sure if it was the right plan of action...
Ginny laughed grimly. "You're such a bitch, Weasley."
She looked at her hands and hung her head in resignation. She began to pick the shards out of her flesh. At a particularly long piece, Ginny let out a pained yelp. When she looked up for that brief moment she spotted a corner of the room that was darker than the rest. And it was very easy to spot it out since most of the library was in shadow. But this, this was unnatural.
So as not to startle whatever was obviously hidden there, she began the task of de-sharding her hands again. When she finished, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and moved for her wand looking to heal her still bleeding hands.
But with an agility that she could rarely call on, Ginny was up and had her wand out and pointed to that direct spot on the wall. When she was on the ground, her peripheral vision let her notice the smooth movements of the shadow, pacing back and forth to her right. Now, it had stilled, almost in shock.
"Get out from under that cloak. I know you're there. Show yourself!" Being trained as an Order member gave her a sense of power and protection wherever she went.
A deep voice replied sounding shaky; like it hadn't been used in ages.
"You can...s-see me?"
But Ginny was in a no-nonsense mood and this prat of a man who had managed to get into here was starting to piss her off.
"I can see your bloody shadow, now show yourself before you force me to take drastic measures."
She inwardly winced at the sound of her own voice. She felt like she was talking out of her ass. Drastic measures? What are you?! Some kind of muggle cop? Merlin...
And then, the shadow began to laugh at her. A deep, throaty bark that sounded amused beyond belief.
It had the audacity to laugh at her? Her? Virginia Weasley would not be laughed at by some no name wizard who didn't even have enough –ahem- to show himself.
She saw red and apparently, so did her facial coloring. She puffed her chest out and stood as tall as she could.
She hissed, "I'll have you know that -"
"Gin, love, it's me."
She puffed down considerably.
Another hearty guffaw.
"It's Sirius. I'm..a..well – I guess I'm back from the 'dead.' Boo."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
He watched as she calmed herself and seemed to contemplate something. After a while she looked like she had just come to a realization and called herself a bitch because of it. Sirius was a little taken aback by her language, but then found it a little amusing to see her talking to herself.
Sirius watched her as she found her resolve and began to pick out the tiny pieces of glass embedded in her skin. It was almost painful to see how her face contorted into a permanent grimace. And as he watched every pick of glass that soon followed with a slow drip of blood, he saw one shard in particular in the junction between her left hand thumb and forefinger. is that what it is? Cause I really don't want to say pointer finger It was long and narrow; how she got it in on that angle in the first place he'll never be able to tell. She pulled, and it came out in a slippery squish with blood gushing from her worst wound.
Ginny cried out, throwing her head slightly back in surprised pain. He thought that for sure she would pass out just at the sight of all the blood; hell, it was even making him a little woozy. But Ginny plodded on taking out the remaining glass.
That one's a trooper. He thought with a wide grin.
She pulled out her wand, intent on healing the open wounds. But before he knew what was happening, it was out and pointed at him.
Sirius stared at her like she was crazy. What the?! I'm supposed to be invisible! What a lousy deal if I can't even spy without someone noticing...
Ginny's eyes were bright and focused somewhere in the vicinity of his shoulder. She then told him to get out from his cloak and reveal himself.
Sirius was so surprised that he swore he might have stuttered a little when he replied. She then gave him another spirited reply that reminded him just a little bit like Molly...But when Ginny said "drastic measures" he just couldn't help himself. The thought of the littlest Weasley threatening him just brought him into hysterics.
And by her reaction, it was obvious he had ruffled her feathers a bit. Now that face was entirely too cute and attractive for her to be in "angry" mode. It made him want to laugh even more, but he decided that maybe he should humor her. He cut her off in what sounded like an oncoming rant to make sure she got her facts straight.
"It's Sirius. I'm..a..well – I guess I'm back from the 'dead.' Boo."
A/N: hey all I know I know. I should have gotten on with the plot a teenie bit more – but this barfed out of my imagination instead. Oh well, I'll be gone this weekend so I won't be able to update till the end of next week.
Thanks for everyone who reviewed! babystyles, AelitaFan426, and winky360.
And humungo thanks to my new beta reader padfootzluvr! I have a feeling we're in for a long haul...=D
Sirius wandered down the hallway, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He was slowly withdrawing into himself. And why shouldn't he? He was invisible to everyone around him, everyone he cared for and confided in. Who could he talk to now?
It was beginning to feel a little like Azkaban.
No, no, NO! Stop that train of thought Sirius. So much has happened since then. Just stop.
Visions of a moldy, damp cell filled his mind. Nothing to think of except the moans from others nearby trying to get one off by themselves. So maybe he had done it a couple of times as well...but there was no way in hell he was going to be as vocal as all the others!
Haha. I thought I told you to stop that. You stupid brain. Ok, ok...what's new, what's new. Remus, Tonks, Bill, Ginny, and that little girl. Man, they look quite a bit different now that I think of it. Remus...he looked...older. And Tonks looked alright, considering she could be an old hag and still look like a blooming 16-year-old girl due to the fact that she's a Metamorphmagus. Bill, wow I would never expect him to chop off his hair! Will wonders never cease? Talking about wonders...Ginny. Had she changed! The last time he saw her she was all limbs and scraggly red hair. And now she was, well...not.
What?! You try to stop thinking about Azkaban and you end up oggling some young girl?! What a dirty old man you've become...
Sirius sighed trying to fend off the oncoming headache. He needed a distraction. Good thing he was going to the library to do some "research." He scoffed loudly.
Yeah, 'cause the Sirius Black Studying Technique is world famous and used by the most prominent slobs in the world. It consists of sitting on your ass, staring blanking at your paper, and filling in the answer bubbles to look like a portrait of your dead goldfish. Lovely.
He ambled on to the end of the hallway where a lone oak door stood. He could hear someone from the inside. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing. He heard crashes and shattering glass and then a strangled scream.
On the alert, Sirius hurried through the door, preparing for the worst. And what he saw made him wish it were some ghoul or evil thing he could banish.
Ginny Weasley was kneeling on the floor bleeding and crying her eyes out.
And one thing Sirius Black could not handle was crying women.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry." She repeated his name like a mantra meant to keep her memories at bay.
She was slowly coming back down. Slowly becoming aware of the glass embedded in her pale skin. Aware of her blood.
She had been wrong, she realized now, to put Remus on the spot like that. Harry was the only link he had to his past friends. Harry was James's and Lily's son. That meant as being the last Maurader standing, it was his job and honor to look after him. And she knew he more than happy to oblige.
Ginny couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to have two of your best friends murdered. Then having to believe the person who was responsible for their deaths killed the last of your four best friends. Not to mention the moment of realization when that person you thought so traitorous turned out to be innocent, innocent, and then having to bear the guilt of believing he had murdered someone. Oh, and then watching your last true friend disappear behind the Veil of Death, of course.
As Ginny thought about what Remus had survived through, she began to feel like an even bigger pile of feces.
It must have been hard for him to force those words out of his mouth. Now that I think of it, he hadn't sounded so sure if it was the right plan of action...
Ginny laughed grimly. "You're such a bitch, Weasley."
She looked at her hands and hung her head in resignation. She began to pick the shards out of her flesh. At a particularly long piece, Ginny let out a pained yelp. When she looked up for that brief moment she spotted a corner of the room that was darker than the rest. And it was very easy to spot it out since most of the library was in shadow. But this, this was unnatural.
So as not to startle whatever was obviously hidden there, she began the task of de-sharding her hands again. When she finished, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and moved for her wand looking to heal her still bleeding hands.
But with an agility that she could rarely call on, Ginny was up and had her wand out and pointed to that direct spot on the wall. When she was on the ground, her peripheral vision let her notice the smooth movements of the shadow, pacing back and forth to her right. Now, it had stilled, almost in shock.
"Get out from under that cloak. I know you're there. Show yourself!" Being trained as an Order member gave her a sense of power and protection wherever she went.
A deep voice replied sounding shaky; like it hadn't been used in ages.
"You can...s-see me?"
But Ginny was in a no-nonsense mood and this prat of a man who had managed to get into here was starting to piss her off.
"I can see your bloody shadow, now show yourself before you force me to take drastic measures."
She inwardly winced at the sound of her own voice. She felt like she was talking out of her ass. Drastic measures? What are you?! Some kind of muggle cop? Merlin...
And then, the shadow began to laugh at her. A deep, throaty bark that sounded amused beyond belief.
It had the audacity to laugh at her? Her? Virginia Weasley would not be laughed at by some no name wizard who didn't even have enough –ahem- to show himself.
She saw red and apparently, so did her facial coloring. She puffed her chest out and stood as tall as she could.
She hissed, "I'll have you know that -"
"Gin, love, it's me."
She puffed down considerably.
Another hearty guffaw.
"It's Sirius. I'm..a..well – I guess I'm back from the 'dead.' Boo."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
He watched as she calmed herself and seemed to contemplate something. After a while she looked like she had just come to a realization and called herself a bitch because of it. Sirius was a little taken aback by her language, but then found it a little amusing to see her talking to herself.
Sirius watched her as she found her resolve and began to pick out the tiny pieces of glass embedded in her skin. It was almost painful to see how her face contorted into a permanent grimace. And as he watched every pick of glass that soon followed with a slow drip of blood, he saw one shard in particular in the junction between her left hand thumb and forefinger. is that what it is? Cause I really don't want to say pointer finger It was long and narrow; how she got it in on that angle in the first place he'll never be able to tell. She pulled, and it came out in a slippery squish with blood gushing from her worst wound.
Ginny cried out, throwing her head slightly back in surprised pain. He thought that for sure she would pass out just at the sight of all the blood; hell, it was even making him a little woozy. But Ginny plodded on taking out the remaining glass.
That one's a trooper. He thought with a wide grin.
She pulled out her wand, intent on healing the open wounds. But before he knew what was happening, it was out and pointed at him.
Sirius stared at her like she was crazy. What the?! I'm supposed to be invisible! What a lousy deal if I can't even spy without someone noticing...
Ginny's eyes were bright and focused somewhere in the vicinity of his shoulder. She then told him to get out from his cloak and reveal himself.
Sirius was so surprised that he swore he might have stuttered a little when he replied. She then gave him another spirited reply that reminded him just a little bit like Molly...But when Ginny said "drastic measures" he just couldn't help himself. The thought of the littlest Weasley threatening him just brought him into hysterics.
And by her reaction, it was obvious he had ruffled her feathers a bit. Now that face was entirely too cute and attractive for her to be in "angry" mode. It made him want to laugh even more, but he decided that maybe he should humor her. He cut her off in what sounded like an oncoming rant to make sure she got her facts straight.
"It's Sirius. I'm..a..well – I guess I'm back from the 'dead.' Boo."
A/N: hey all I know I know. I should have gotten on with the plot a teenie bit more – but this barfed out of my imagination instead. Oh well, I'll be gone this weekend so I won't be able to update till the end of next week.
Thanks for everyone who reviewed! babystyles, AelitaFan426, and winky360.
And humungo thanks to my new beta reader padfootzluvr! I have a feeling we're in for a long haul...=D