Warning!- From here on there is the dangerous possibility of spoilers for the Half Blood Prince. If you haven't read the book, or heard the rumors, then it is best to be very careful about reading the reviews or the answers to reviews that I leave at the top of the pages. However, the story itself contains none, as it is AU. Enjoy at your own risk.

billiejoe: Yep, know what you mean. Seems like J.K. doesn't like Snape at all, which is really weird since she created him! I think she liked him to begin with, but changed after she saw he was drawing so many fans away from Harry. Hey, can we help it if we think Snape is more fun? ;) I dunno about everyone else, but Dumbledore's death didn't shock me near as bad as Severus' betrayal! Ouch!

To all the readers and reviewers; Thanks for the support and feedback. I can't believe how well this story is going over! You guys are priceless!

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The matter of Gold's death was not to be investigated any further, until after the healer had declared Snape as ' fit'. Ginny wondered with dark humor if that meant physically, or mentally?

Almost a week passed by, and at during that time, Ginny resided still at the Burrow. She wasn't sure how Snape knew of this, although her suspect did have the initials; A.D. However he had come into the knowledge of it, he saw fit to make use of the address once or twice a day, sending notes by owl.

She should have returned them, unopened. That is what a great heroine would have done. But Ginny was not great, nor a heroine. She wasn't even prone to bouts of dramatics. So she had casually opened every note, and found them all to be very similar. Very formal sounding notes, keeping her informed of the legal proceedings, and occasionally requesting that they ' talk' after the trial.

It wasn't a real trial. Dumbledore had managed to pull a few strings, apparently the Minister of Magic couldn't keep up with all of the strings and loopholes that abounded; and these had managed to get by without his close scrutiny. In this case, Severus was granted a private hearing, since he was basically a spy, and it wouldn't do anyone any good to have the news leaked out to the Death Eaters.

Ginny had read all of the notes, then chucked them into a box, refusing to discuss Severus Snape with anyone. . .even in regard to the upcoming trial. In fact, the tiny amount of control she had managed to hold over her temper while in Snape's presence, seemed to have exhausted her supply of patience. She spent the time between her visit to him, and the day of the trial, either sulking coldly and pretending she hadn't heard anyone speaking, or raging stormily about this or that unimportant matter.

Occasionally she would pass by the kitchen on her way outside, only to hear her mother telling someone that ; " Ginny was upset. . ." or that Ginny '' Had never acted so seriously over a man before." Molly didn't quite realize that she had struck the true nerve there; the culprit responsible for Ginny's new explosion of alternate personality. Ginny hadn't ever been so upset before, and she did not enjoy the lack of control.

Luckily for everyone else though, sulking takes away a lot of a person's energy, and as the week dragged on, the woman who resembled a walking bomb, slowly fizzled back down into just Ginny, who spent a lot of time just sitting about, not eating or talking to anyone, and giving rather short cool answers if anyone tried to speak with her.

One of the reasons she could not bear to speak to anyone was because she had found out, from Severus' notes, that there would definitely be the use of a Pensieve, as well as truth serum used.The wand would also be tested. This had infuriated her, and made her very nervous. She knew what the ministry was going to find, and she had a strange cold fear in her gut that the story would leak out into the public. She knew it was the wrong reason for spurning her friends and family, but she couldn't help it. . .how could she open her mouth to exchange pleasantries about the weather, when her privacy was about to be invaded?

The afternoon of the ' trial' saw Ginny incarcerated at Grimmauld place, where the Order had been having what was supposed to be a meeting, but had become more of a hasty gossip session that ended soon so that the members could vanish happily for a few hours of personal freedom and fun seeking. Her presence at the Ministry had not been required, yet, but she was told to remain where she was, and to be ready, for it wouldn't be unthinkable that she could be summoned at any moment.

Hermione and Remus had stayed with her, after the others had departed, supposedly to keep Ginny company. They were going about it in their traditional way. . .they sat at the opposite end of the table, one on either side, with a copy of the Prophet divided between them.

They hadn't spoken aloud for nearly two hours, since Remus had asked Hermione if she wanted some chocolate. He had opened an entire bar of Honeyduke's chocolate, and with a greedy look, Hermione had leaned across the table and eaten several great mouthfuls. Apparently the baby had it's fathers taste in candy.

That was the last interesting thing they had done. Of course, she knew better than to feel resentful towards them. They had tried to talk to her, but she had been rather short tempered with them, mostly because she was incredibly embarrassed. They could sit there, reading the newspaper, and making eyes at each other occasionally. . .they weren't having the memory of themselves,

'' inflagrante '', extracted from someone's head and displayed like a pornographic hologram to the world.

To try to forget what was being witnessed by the Ministry,Ginny was preoccupying herself with the simply fascinating task of flicking a sweet pea away from her, using her fingernail. Due to the noticeable tilt of the floor, the pea would faithfully return to her to be flung away again. She was resting her head on her arms, so that she was at eye level with the dried out pea. . .

After about thirty minutes of this breathtakingly fun game, with still not a word from Dumbledore, Ginny turned her head to see whether or not Remus or Hermione had finished with the paper yet.

Apparently they had. . .for at the moment they were in the middle of a heated staring match. She watched, with mild interest, the heavy breathing and the intense hungry expressions. Hermione's tongue came out and wet her lips; and a small look of pleasure swept across Remus' face. One of those surprised looks that suggested that Hermione might be doing something rather naughty beneath the table with her foot.

This continued for a short time, before Hermione stood delicately, still holding Remus gaze in her own for the moment it took her to walk around the table's end. Just briefly, Ginny caught a glimpse of Hermione's hand, signaling for him to follow her into the kitchen.

Ginny hastily looked back to the table, pretending that she had seen nothing. After a few seconds, hardly enough time to dispel any suspicions about his hasty behavior, Remus stood as well, giving a bit of a cough, and stretching a bit. When Ginny casually glanced over at him, he blushed and jerked his thumb toward the door to the kitchen.

'' Just going to see if. . .there is anything interesting in the kitchen." he mumbled, not meeting her gaze.

Oh, she was sure that there was.

She gave him a small, unconcerned smile, and reached across to pull Hermione's half of the newspaper toward herself. Remus took this as his cue that she was not suspicious, and he stumbled as he exited a bit too hastily.

Ginny still hadn't been given back her wand, and was very relieved to hear a muffled and girly voice from inside of the kitchen remember to cast a silencing charm on the door.

She shook her head. It might have taken the two of them forever to discover the joys of relationships, but they were doing a brilliant job of catching up on their homework. As for her, she was not certain that she could ever bring herself to have sex again.

She read through the first half of the paper before she looked at the clock, surprised to see that nearly an hour had passed. She frowned at the door to the kitchen. She was getting hungry, and Remus and Hermione had not yet re-emerged, apparently not aware that the upstairs had plenty of bedrooms.

She read the second half of the paper. ..even the advertisements. Then she stood and stretched, contemplating as to whether or not she should knock at the kitchen door. Nope, wouldn't do any good. She was positive that Hermione had warded it inside and out, not to mention silenced it.

Ginny began pacing back and forth, fiddling with the occasional trinket or curtain. She did not have any particular interest in curtains or trinkets, but they were much more interesting than the dried up pea.

She was just in the middle of absentmindedly brushing some cobwebs from a candelabra, when someone Apparated into the room. Her hand flew to her throat and she almost squealed, startled as she was.

It was none other than Mad-Eye Moody, who gave her a once over with his magical eye, just to assure himself that she was real. Not that he was ever convinced that anything was real.

" Did I scare you?" he demanded gruffly.

" A bit."

" That's good. Hate to think that I lost my abilities." he began to scan the room, looking up through the ceilings and down through the floors. Ginny felt her own face blush as he gazed a little too close to the kitchen door. Hurriedly, she tried to distract him.

" So..." she said, a little too hastily, " Heard anything yet?"

" Nothing. That places is tighter than a ducks. . .bill. " he stopped himself just in time.

She gave a little laugh, she was too bored and too wound up to be broody at the moment.

" If you say so. "

" Say, you here all alone? I thought that Lupin and Granger, I mean, Lupin and er. . .Lupin, he stuttered over the etiquette of married names for a second. . ." were supposed to be here?"

" They are. I mean. . .they are around here somewhere. " she blushed even deeper. " Probably out by the bogs. . .would you like. . .a. . .uh. . . I mean to sit down?"

She had almost offered him tea, which would have been impossible to get. Besides he never drank anything that didn't come from his own flask. She knew immediately that her charade hadn't fooled him. You didn't live that long as an Auror, without knowing when someone was coming dangerously close to fibbing.

" So you don't know where they are?" he asked.

" Well. .. I saw them go into the kitchen last." she admitted. Two hours ago, she added to herself. Well, wasn't her fault if they got caught.

Mad-Eye's eye rolled right to the door, and he spent a long time peering through the wood, while Ginny bit her lip and pretended to once again be interested it the cobwebs.

" I see. " he said finally.

She almost said ' see what? ' but decided against it. He might just tell her.

" I wonder if dinner is done yet?" she joked hopefully.

" I don't think that is what's cooking in there. . ." he grunted. Suddenly he rolled his eye back into place and sat down, just as the door to the kitchen burst open and Hermione came rushing out, a huge lolling grin on her pretty face. She was covered is red marks, and her hair and clothing was almost intentional in it's disarray.

She rushed past them both not looking up, and ran up the stairs. A few seconds later, Remus strolled out, looking uncharacteristically smug. He had a lazy smile in place as well, and didn't even flinch when he saw Moody. He looked tipsy, in Ginny's opinion.

'' Oh, hello Moody!" he greeted affectionately.

" Lupin! Didn't see you back there. " Moody winked at Ginny, who bit back a grin of her own. Leave it to be someone like Moody who could lift her spirits at a time like this.

'' Heard any news? " Lupin yawned.

" None to speak of."

Lupin grinned again.

" That's nice. " he said.

" Hmmph. I just came by to leave these. " he took two scrolls out of his pocket. Intercepted letters."

" Oh, " Lupin shook his head slightly to clear away the fog. " I see."

Ginny was about to ask if it was anything too important, when the fireplace lit up with the greenish Floo light, and Dumbledore's head appeared, twinkling, and reassuring.

" Innocent. " he proclaimed, looking straight at Ginny, who was certain that her blush radiated enough heat to warm the entire room.

'' That's good." Moody said, not sounding as if he much cared, one way or the other.

Dumbledore looked back to Ginny, as if expecting some sort of acknowledgement from her. She forced a small smile, and gave him a nod.

" It is a good thing." she managed.

" Miss Weasley. . ." Dumbledore addressed her, and she felt her throat tighten. " Your testimony was not required. However I must ask you to remain here, temporarily, until I can arrange a word with you."

She didn't dare to argue.