A/N: this is kind of a long, bitty chapter, sorry about that but there were a lot of scenes that needed to go into it.

Chapter ten: Twenty Years, Thirty Minutes.

June 1978: Hogwarts, Gryffindor Common Room

"Hey Prongs old man, where have you been?" Sirius called out as James entered through the portrait hole.

"I've been to see Dumbledore."

"You have? Are you in trouble?"

James smiled. "No, it's just … I'd heard rumours, there's a group. A group dedicated to fighting Voldemort. I was fairly certain Dumbledore was involved. I've asked if I can join as soon as we leave school."

"Why?" Said Peter looking horrified. "It'd be dangerous."

James looked over at Lily. "Because someone has got to say 'No!'" He said quietly.

"I love you James Potter." As the words left her mouth, Lily realised for the first time that she truly did. He was a good man, a brave man, her hero and her true love. And she was never going to reject that, ever again. She would fight with him, her wand at his side, for as long as they both lived.

December 1979: London

Benjy was terrified. He was surrounded – there was no way out of this situation alive. No way at all. Death Eaters to the left of him – innocent people to the right. He was going to die – they were all going to die.

The image floated into his mind. An image from two years ago, a girl. Young, confident, a girl saying, "Stop!" The image gave him courage, gave him resolve. OK so he was going to die. He was damn well going to take as many of them with him as he could. They were going to have to tear him to pieces before he'd stop fighting them. Innocent lives were at stake! They were wrong to do this and he was going to say so.

October 1981: Location Unknown

"You're braver than you know." The memory of the words ringing in his ears, mocking him. What did she know? What was important wasn't bravery it was survival. He wasn't going to think about it any more. Closing his mind to what he was about to do, concentrating only on "survival" he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Master." He sank to his knees.

"What do you want, weakling."

"Master I can give them to you – the Potters!"

November 1981: Azkaban

"No." The young man moaned, he was reliving, over and over again, the worst moments of his life. His childhood; the hatred in his mother's eyes when she spoke to him; telling Snape how to get past the whomping willow; the knowledge that Peter had betrayed them; finding James' and Lily's house destroyed; Jenny saying goodbye with tears in her eyes. Jenny. Without thinking about it his breathing slowed, calm, meditative. He felt inside for his happy memory, felt it start to fill him up. Felt the warmth spreading through his body until he was able to regain control. He changed into Padfoot. Immediately the cold gloom of the Dementers surrounding him dimmed. He was innocent. He was going to survive this. And then he would find Peter, find him and take his revenge – James' revenge.

November 1981: Somewhere on the Cornish coast

Everything was over. There was no point in anything any more, nothing to live for. It would be so easy, to just step off this cliff, to just fall into the storm and the raging sea. And there was no reason not to, no reason at all.

Sirius. He could never have believed that Sirius would do that. Sirius was foolish, immature at times, but evil? How could he have done it? How could he have betrayed them all?

"Trust in your friends." He had trusted, and what had happened? "Sirius and James and you. You're a team – true friends." He had thought so. He had really thought so but Sirius …

"You're a good man Remus, you will do great things." Well he had tried but failed. Everything he had tried at, he failed. He had failed himself; he had failed his friends.

"Things aren't always what they seem. Don't lose hope." Hope. He wasn't sure if he had any left. "Never lose hope." The tears came to his eyes. For the first time since he had heard the terrible news he cried. He dropped to his knees and wept like a child, wept for all he had had, all he had lost. Wept until the only thing that remained inside him was a small spark of hope.

October 1993: Hogwarts, DADA Teacher's Office

Professor Lupin empathised with the crying girl in front of him. It was never easy to feel that you were different, that events, out of your control, had caused a breach between you and your friends. Of course, her experiences hadn't left quite so visible affects on her as his had but she had scars too, just emotional ones. And loneliness, he could understand that too, only too well.

"Ginny," he began when she had calmed down enough to understand his words, "heroes are not easy people to be around – especially when they are growing up, and Harry is still growing up, he probably hasn't processed the fact he saved your life himself yet and has no idea how to act. And you are still growing up too." He smiled kindly at the girl. "You are a very brave young woman and you've been through a lot. My best advice is, at this stage, relax a bit. Give yourself some time to grow up, Give Harry and Ron a chance to grow up too. A year's difference in age seems a lot now, but it will lesson as you get older. Harry and Ron, and Hermione too, will, I'm sure, come to realise that in time, as will you.

"Make friends child!" His kind smile, softening the order. "You had a difficult first year, you didn't get a chance to get to you your class mates – which wasn't your fault." He added hastily. "Take that time now. You might find friends."

As the second year girl left his office something flickered at the back of his mind, a memory. He couldn't place it and shaking his head, dismissed it as just an odd deja vous.

November 1993: Hogwarts, the corridor outside the Headmasters Office

He should have told Dumbledore before – what was he thinking? Guilt that he'd have to confess how they'd deceived him during their Hogwarts days? That wasn't an excuse. Last night, Sirius had actually broken in to Hogwarts. Dumbledore needed to know about Sirius' abilities and about his knowledge of the secret passages. Better than Filch's knowledge – probably better than Dumbledore's himself.

So why was he standing here? Why didn't he go up? He opened his mouth to say the password, and then shut it again, pacing the corridor a bit more.

"Things aren't always what they seem." The voice from so long ago echoed in his mind. But how could they not be? Surely things were exactly how they seemed – what was the alternative? He needed to tell Dumbledore. He needed to –

"Can I help you Remus?" The voice came from behind him. He whipped around in surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore – Albus!" He said foolishly, he was outside the Headmaster's office after all, not an uncommon place to bump into the Headmaster. "Um …" Dumbledore waited patiently. "I was wondering, do you know, I mean have you any idea how Sir – Black got into the castle?" 'Well done Remus', he thought, 'hugely intelligent.'

"Ah, I was telling Severus last night, or more accurately early this morning, many ideas, each as unlikely as the last." He paused. "Is there something you want to tell me Remus?" He asked gently.

"Um, no. No, just … er … wondering, you know." He was hit again by the feeling he'd had a couple of weeks ago. As he walked back to his office, Dumbledore watching him go, he finally placed it. Ginny reminded him, in a lot of ways, of a younger Jenny Weston. He shook off the idea as a weird co-incidence.

August 1995: Grimmauld Place, the kitchen

Ginny wandered dejectedly into the kitchen, then noticed the man sitting quietly fuming at the table. "Oh!" She said. "Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you I was just …" she turned to go.

"Stay if you like." Sirius said. "They say 'misery loves company' and I'm probably feeling as miserable as you right now."

She smiled at him slowly and pulled sat down at the table with a sigh. It was only a few weeks ago she'd found out that 'Sirius Black, dangerous murderer' was in fact innocent and, according to Ron, quite nice really. She was still a bit nervous of him but was determined not to let it show.

"Care to share?" He asked quietly. "You don't have to." He added hurriedly. "It's just I can't do anything about my worries so I'd like to feel in some way useful." He tried to keep the bitterness from his tone.

"It's stupid."

"Doesn't matter. I can be pretty stupid myself sometimes, or so I've been told." A hint of humour crept into his tone.

"No-one tells me anything." She started. "Silly Ginny, just a little girl, got to protect her – especially after what happened in her first year. We can't really trust her so we better look after her!"

"What happened in your first year?" He asked curiously. Nobody had ever filled him in on that one.

Briefly she sketched the outline of the story for him. "So you see, I'm the stupid one, I'm the youngest, the silliest the idiot … girl who got possessed by You-Know-Who and tried to kill people! And had to be rescued by Harry Potter."

To be honest it hadn't been the story he was expecting. "Blimey." He said quietly.

"See, I am an idiot." Ginny said sadly.

"You were possessed, that's hardly your fault." He said. "Older and wiser people than you have …"

"That's what Dumbledore said afterwards." She interrupted. "Doesn't make any difference though, they still don't trust me." She slumped down on to the kitchen table, her head buried in her folded arms.

Sirius smiled at the complete despair in her tone, the sort of despair that can only be felt when you are a teenager and the whole world is against you. "It's not just you though, your parents won't tell Fred, George, Ron or Hermione anything either." He had his suspicions that the boys might have found a way to learn a little more about the situation by themselves.

"I know and it's not that so much it's Fred and George and Ron. They don't tell me anything either."

"Hermione?" he asked with a smile.

"She's different. She talks to me. But …" she paused. "Hermione told me that there's a muggle saying. 'All that is needed for evil to triumph is"

"For good men to do nothing." Sirius completed with a cold shiver running down his back.

"Yes, had you heard it?" She continued without waiting for an answer. "But how can I do something when no-one will tell me what is going on?"

"Ah there you are Ginny, I was looking for you." Molly bustled in the door. "Bill's coming round for dinner tonight and I need your help to … oh Mr Black, I didn't see you there. I hope you haven't been disturbing Mr Black, Ginny." She said sharply.

"It's Sirius please, both of you. And Ginny hasn't been disturbing me at all, we were just talking. She is a remarkably astute young woman." He said with a wink to the young girl. "You should be very proud of her."

That evening: same place

"Remus?" Sirius said tentatively. "I was talking to Ginny Weasley today and I noticed …"

"What?" Remus responded with a strange, cold, feeling.

"Well, I wondered whether you had ever noticed any similarities with … well, Jenny Weston?"

Remus paused thoughtfully. "Coincidental." He said, uncertainly. "Similarities of colouring and such. That's all it is."

"Yes, co-incidental. After all anything else would be …"

"Well quite."

"It's not just me then?"

The two men stood in awkward silence for a moment until Moody joined them for a spirited discussion about the best way to retrieve Harry.

"Ah Bill you're here at last." Arthur Weasley's voice rang out. "Do you know everyone? Moody, of course you know. This is Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Diggle, I believe you know Dung" Arthur led Bill around the room. Remus and Sirius stood there in shock.

The two men were sat in the library with two glasses and a bottle of firewhisky, which was rapidly emptying.

"Coincidence."

"Absolutely."

"Has to be."

"No other explanation."

"None at all."

"I wonder what happens to his …"

"Another drink?"

"Definitely."

"I wonder who Harvey is?"

Remus laughed.

"What? I said I wonder who …"

"Wonder who … God Sirius your face. You wonder who …" and then he was beyond speech and into the realm of hysterics

"What? What's so funny? Dammit Moony what?"

November 1997: Hogwarts

Remus approached the Headmistress's door at a run, hurriedly saying the password he rushed up the stairs and crashed into the office.

"Remus what?"

"He stood, breathing heavily, unable to speak.

"Is it urgent, we have a problem." McGonagall was obviously worried, "Its Ginny Weasley, she's missing."

"She's fine. I know where she is, she's …" Remus panted.

"You know, Remus where is she?"

"Do you remember Jenny Weston?" He said. "1977, 6 weeks."

"Vaguely but what has that got to do with … oh my God. He obliviated us!" McGonagall breathed. "Albus and I. Bill Weasley obliviated us!" The memories came flooding back and she sat down violently in her chair.

December 1997: The Burrow

"You remember the charm Bill?"

"Yes Professor."

"Temporary obliviation charm only, twenty years. Trigger phrase – "

"Yes Professor McGonagall I remember. And the passwords." He added before she could say anything. "It's time, I have to go."

The next thirty minutes were tense. No-one knew what to do, what to say. They sat there in silence, waiting until …

"Ginny, I've been so worried, so worried." Molly burst into tears as she grabbed her daughter and hugged her.

The next twenty minutes were a blur of hugging and sobs as Ginny was passed around nearly every member of her family.

Finally she reached the far corner of the room. "Ron, Hermione." She swept both of them into her arms sobbing, "I've been so worried about you, I didn't know where you were, what you were doing, whether you were alive." They stood back and she saw him. Harry. Standing there, saying nothing, doing nothing, just looking at her. "Harry." She said softly looking into his eyes. "I understand you know, you have your fight, the things you need to do. I have my fight too. But I'm not going to deny you any more. You belong to me, just as I belong to you. And if I can draw one Death Eater from your path then whatever the cost it's worth it."

"Ginny …" he croaked out her name. She stepped towards him and they embraced. They both held on for a very long time, ignoring everyone else around them. Whatever happened, they'd have this moment together.