Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to J.K. Rowling and her Publishing Companies.
All characters, events, or anything that seems familiar to the orginal Harry Potter books does NOT belong to me.
A/N: Hey everyone!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, and yes, I have no excuses. And I'm starting school next week! Despite my unknown workload I will get the next chapter out sooner then I did with this one!
And a lot of thanks to my beta reader PadfootzLuvr for clearing up facts and stuff I would otherwise be oblivious to! It's nice having someone there to turn to for help!
Ginny didn't move. Her eyes were wide and her face contorted into an unbelieving frown. She looked as if she had just discovered her own insanity.
"Uh, Ginny?"
She had been standing in shock for the past couple of minutes. Sirius moved closer to her, slowly speaking so as not to alarm her. She took stepped backwards at the sound of his voice. So much for that.
"Are you going to say something Gin, 'cause you're scaring me just a little bit."
Ginny laughed derisively at herself. Scaring him? What about what he was doing to her? Sirius Black risen from the dead like Jesus bloody Christ? I think not.
She inhaled slowly.
"Let's play the 'Humor the Ghost' game, alright? So, Sirius, are you enjoying your time out of the Veil? And just how could you possibly get out and come here to grace me with your presence? Huh? HUH?!" Ginny's voice rose and trembled with confusion, fear, and a whole lot of frustration.
"Ginny calm down. It really IS me." He felt like he was trying to soothe some animal that had every intention of gobbling him up just because he poked it with a stick.
"Calm? Calm?! I'll show you bloody calm!" With that she purposely strode forward to where the voice was coming from, wand extended. It prodded at what was she thought was his chest and heard a slight 'oof' come from the being.
Now the Ginny-tiger was roaring and ready for a piece of Snuffle a la Mode. He panicked ready to try anything to get her to believe him before she did some serious damage. It wasn't for him to believe she was capable of it with her standing before him, eyes shining, breathing harsh, and face set in an expression of determination.
So before she could react, Sirius grabbed her wand and pocketed it inside his cloak so she couldn't see it. Ok, maybe not the best strategy to keep her calm and feeling safe, but he was getting desperate. She threw an agile punch, but Sirius grabbed it before she could make contact with his jaw. Bringing her other arm to his hands, he came to a rather frightening thought.
Forget my face! What about the family jewels?!
At that thought, he quickly grabbed her wand and charmed her legs to stay rooted down. Holding one arm tight, he brought her right hand up to feel his many scars that were obvious to anyone who had seen him before.
"Ginny, do you remember? When you asked me about Azkaban? Remember how I told you that this," here he brought her hand to nape of his neck, "was the very first, and that all Azkaban prisoners were branded when first brought there. And this one," he lowered her arm to the skin above his left collarbone, "was to mark my first year anniversary of containment." Here she lightly traced the marking with her fingertips. Sirius let out a hiss of surprise as her cool fingers touched his burning flesh.
He went on to describe his many other scars, but refrained from having her touch him. Sirius wasn't accustomed to human contact just yet. Plus, something about her light, questioning touch was beginning to undo him.
He went on to talk of other things that they had discussed when holed up in Grimmauld Place the summer before her fourth year. Sirius had dropped her arms and they stayed in place at her sides, immobile and limp.
When he had finished she looked up at him, bewildered.
"Why can't I see you?" She said so quietly that he almost couldn't catch it.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it might be a side affect of the Veil." He shrugged, and then remembered this motion was lost on her.
"Are you sure it's you?"
Sirius laughed softly, reminded of a younger Ginny. She was rarely ever unsure of herself, and when she was, Sirius took the time to appreciate her innocence and naivete. To him, she had so many faces and personalities, it was hard to keep track. But it sure was as fun as hell to try.
"Definitely." He said as reassuringly as he could.
Ginny laughed a small, ironic laugh and jumped into his arms. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent.
"Oh, Sirius. Too much has happened."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Hermione had grown her first gray hair. She just knew that by the time this mystery was solved she would have a whole head full. She sighed once more as she shuffled through the papers littered on her desk.
Looking at a dog-eared copy, she noticed that she couldn't even decipher the page. Hermione knew it was about time to stop. She rubbed her eyes deeply, and leaned put her head in her hands.
Too long had she worked on this case. Too long had she spent sleepless nights looking for answers that would not show themselves. Too long had she been without one of her best friends.
"Just pop up and out of the blue, Harry, and I swear I'll never lose faith again."
Hermione gave one last sip of her black coffee and moved to clean up her desk. Even Know-It-All Granger knew her limits.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Remus strode through Grimmauld Place into a small, damp alleyway where he proceeded to Apparate.
Remus landed outside a dreary apartment building. Without any hesitation, he walked through the front door. Once inside, he took a hard left into the staircases. Starting at a slow pace on the first story, Remus broke into a quick jog. By the fifth floor, he was flat out running. He finally calmed himself when he came to the top floor, the eighth story. He turned right to the door of flat number 108. Anxiousness suddenly struck him.
Running a hand through his thick hair and smoothing his threadbare robes, Remus took a quick look at the door. Unlike the dull, peeling blue of its neighbors, this door was painted a violent purple shade. Feeling a smile come to his face, he felt his sudden bout of nerves disappear and reached for the doorknocker.
Standing there, arm outstretched, his doubts started to feed on themselves again.
What if she's gone...Yeah, out with her friends...This is a dumb idea...
Hearing movement behind the door, Remus once again flattened out his hair in his anxiety.
The door opened lightly, a small, heart-shaped face peeking an eye through the crack. Seeing who it was, her face broke into her trademark grin.
"Wotcher, Remus!"
"Hallo, Tonks."
Ginny let Sirius hold her while she contemplated everything she would have to say.How am I suppose to speak to someone I can't see? Suddenly, something Hermione once said came to mind. Well I guess it could be like that fellytone thing...but still
"Sirius, there are a few things you should know." She disentangled herself from him. "I hope you don't mind if I keep physical contact with you...you being invisible is still a little odd for me."
Sirius put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ginny covered it with hers thinking of everything that needed to be said.
"Sirius," Ginny started hesitantly, "Harry is...how should I say this...he's well...he's not...here." She paused, wanting to know Sirius's reaction.
"What do you mean?" He demanded.
"Harry's disappeared along with Voldemort." Plain and simple is the key.
"Voldemort?!" His hand tightened on her shoulder.
Ginny winced lightly at his tone.
"Voldemort." She replied matter-of-factly.
Sirius cursed colorfully.
"We were all out by the lake. It was the end of term and all of us had finally relaxed thinking we were safe for the summer...we should have known though, we should have been more alert. Harry had known, somehow a part of him had, no one listened...no one bothered..." She had begun to rant over the things that had nagged at her since that day.
Sirius's arm reached over to envelop her shoulders and bring her closer to him. Ginny sagged desolately against him. His warmth had comforted her more than she would have guessed.
She began again, but her voice began to crack. Clearing her throat, she made her voice come out strong and resilient.
"Harry's scar has always been somewhat of a homing beacon to Voldemort's activities. But in my sixth year, his headaches and collapses paled in comparison to what he would soon face. He almost died Sirius. From his scar alone. It was during our Welcoming Feast. One moment he was clapping and cheering for our new Gryffs the next he was...on the ground. Convulsing and throwing up, rolling in his own filth."
Ginny buried her face into the junction between Sirius's neck and shoulder. She inhaled hesitantly as he rubbed her back.
"Of course Dumbledore was the first to get there. He stunned Harry so he wouldn't do himself any harm. A stretcher was conjured and McGonagall followed Dumbledore and Harry to the Hospital Wing."
"The mess was quickly cleaned up so you wouldn't have even guessed that anything had happened. Everyone was pretty shaken up and a couple of the first years even began to cry. A good first impression of Hogwarts for them aye?"
Her voice began to crack again but Sirius felt as if she was forcing herself to continue.
"It went on the whole year. During classes, breakfast, and once in the middle of a Quidditch match. He was so freaked out that he refused to play in anymore games. Gryffindor lost the Quidditch Cup that year. It broke the record for the last three years."
Ginny drew in a shuddering breath remembering the pent up emotions she had had at the secrecy between Dumbledore and the Boy-Who-Lived. She respected his privacy, but sometimes it seemed that he would come back more battered and beaten then before. It had slowly torn her apart.
"But by the end of the year, we had been fed up with Harry's attitude and forced him to come out to the lake with us. He was rigid at first, but a few water wars later, he had loosened up just a bit." Ginny smiled at the memory. But just as quickly as it was there, it disappeared.
"And then, Harry fell over, collapsed. He had his hand clutched to his forehead but his wand in the other hand. He was glaring at somewhere near the Forbidden Forest. When we looked to see what was there, no one was prepared."
"Dragons with these serpentine bodies were flying through the air. Dementors were appearing to the left and right of us along with other creatures I couldn't put any names to. The Death Eaters were there. It looked like hundreds of them. And in the center of it all was Voldemort."
I LOVE MY REVIEWERS!!
Beth: lol Thanks for the index finger!
Aelita-Fan-426: Are you CERTAIN it's Genivra??? If it is, I'll be totally depressed. I love the name Virginia on her!
tonks01: Well here's the next chap!
s.s.harry: lmao. Your review did bring happiness but Severus Snape dying a virgin? I think not if my other ship WIKTT has anything to do with it.
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Branmuffinpower: I've read A LOT of fics where Ginny's still in Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts, but I wanted to at least make her legal in this one. haha Anyway, older men are a lot more worthwhile then those little boys we call "guys."
sora-doragon: First of all, it just makes me UNBELIEVABLY happy when I see a reviewer's name more than once!
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Thanky to everyone and I promise to get this plot on the road with the next chap!
Much love, laughinginside