A/N: Only 5 more. I'm sooo sorry that it takes so long to update and I hope to end this soon. Please don't hate me! (To you reviewers—you know who u r) thanks and here's another. FYI- College is hard and very time consuming. I'll try not to make you wait so long for the next one. TRY…but no promises. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Sixteen: The Black Becomes Lighter

"Have you heard anything?" Ron asked as he squirmed in the hallway.

"No," Harry shushed him.

"Professor Dumbledore's obviously put a silencing charm on the room. He doesn't want us to know what's going on," Hermione reasoned aloud from behind a book.

"Why then, would he let Lupin and Hagrid go in? Why are they allowed to know what's going on? And where is Ginny? Have you seen her?" Ron asked Hermione and Harry.

(sc)

"Did they see you?"

"Yes I think so. But that other one was there again. They took her thinking she was me."

"That works well to our advantage. Do you know who this other nosy little feline is?" Voldemort asked as he looked at her. A smile spread on her face and she shook her head.

(sc)

"How long until she will wake up?" Alexia asked the group.

"Severus is on his way. He has an idea to get her awake so she can show herself in human form," Dumbledore informed them wearily.

"We are wasting time waiting. If this is Anya then we are in luck to have caught her. If it's not," Alexia started, "then—"

"Then we will find out now," Severus Snape said as he entered the room. He stood over the cat immediately and poured a potion into a tiny eyedropper. He pointed it into the cat's mouth and squeezed the potion inside. On the fourth time, the cat jumped up.

(sc)

"Why are they all staring at me like that?" Its yellow eyes circled the room. "Is there something wrong?"

"Who are you?" Snape asked the cat.

"Who am I? It's me. What—why are you all looking at me so strangely?"

"Why are you here? Show yourself for who you truly are!" Alexia hissed at the cat.

"Oh. They don't know it's me. I must still be a cat. What happened anyway? Oh that's right. The other one was here again…she attacked me."

Their eyes were still on her as she changed into a person before them. "Oh my. You are not who we were expecting," Lupin exclaimed.

(sc)

"Anastasia, did I not mention that you please me? I am glad you I have a servant who does everything I ask, beyond the call of duty," Voldemort said loudly toward Wormtail, who then crouched in a corner.

"It is my honor, Lord. I really am sick of that twit girl."

"Yes. Alexandria thinks she is one step ahead of us but she is not. She underestimates my ambition. I don't quit until I get what I want. And I want her out of my way for once and for all. As long is she helping to protect Potter, I'll never get to him."

(sc)

They were all staring at her still. That's all they had done for minutes now was stare at her. Everyone looked back and forth from her to the person beside her. Alexia looked at her, shut her eyes and fell into the chair behind her. "She got away. Anya got away again."

Dumbledore looked at the girl sitting on the table. "We obviously were not expecting this to be you. Perhaps you could do us all a favor and explain to us exactly how you found out you were an animagus."

She looked around the room. "Uh…sure. But you have to promise not tell my brothers or Harry."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I will leave that up to you naturally. Now," He sat down at his desk, "please share with us how you came to be a black cat, Miss. Weasley."

(sc)

"The time has come to get Alexandria out of here. She has pushed my buttons one time too many. And this my dear, is where you come in." Voldemort smiled and the cat jumped onto his lap. "There is only one way to destroy her, and that is by her using her animagus, which is going to prove difficult. She has in her head not to use it." Wormtail opened the door a crack and slipped inside quietly.

"Yes, Wormtail. I think this is a good job for you to help with. Let's play a game of cat and mouse. And we can't forget wolf and tiger," Voldemort laughed softly. "Yes, this will be one interesting game that we'll be playing."

(sc)

The room was quiet as Ginny got the nerve to speak. All their eyes were on her, looking into her soul. "Well, I don't really know when it happened it just did. One day at the beginning of summer I was sitting outside and I saw a cat walk past me. I watched it as it climbed. Then I thought of Harry and how he was stuck with them and thinking about Sirius every minute…then I just—I don't know what I did. I was on the ground. It only lasted for a few seconds but I could feel different, like I was free and I could move and jump in ways I haven't before." Ginny took a breath and continued.

"I liked how that felt so I did it again. I kept trying it over and over and it finally began to last for minutes then an hour then two…I even went a whole day as a cat and no one knew. After I thought I could control it, I began to go see Harry. He didn't know I was there but I would go now and then. And—"

"How did you get there? To Privet Drive? How did you travel?" Alexia asked.

"Oh, well Harry has that neighbor, Mrs. Figg and usually I would floo there to her house, turn into a cat and go to Harry then floo back before dad gets home from work. Other times I would be a cat and hitch a ride on a train, but it took a really long time to get back and forth. A few times I even flew on my broom. I usually always go at night, even when I'd floo. That way my parents wouldn't really know…where…I was…going. What?"

"You could have been seriously hurt!" Lupin was on his feet. "That is dangerous not to mention stupid, risking yourself like that to spy on Harry—especially with you-know-who out on the loose. Your parents would have been terrified, no, mortified, if they knew what you were up to."

"I know. That's why I didn't tell them. And I wasn't spying on Harry, I was watching out for him, to warn him. I was doing it to protect him from who-know-who. If he were to attack then no one would have known and what's more, Harry was lonely. He was lonely and sad and there was no one for him to talk to about it." Ginny fumed.

"But he didn't even know you were there. So how could he talk to you?" Snape jumped into the conversation.

"Did he not? I think he knew. He saw me a lot. He knew, maybe not consciously, but he knew. I was being a friend to him. Which was something he needed and still does. I'm sorry if you lot don't agree with what I did, but I at least did something. What did you do? Yeah, I know you "rescued" him from the Muggles, I was there afterall, but what else did you do? It was only a five days that I went to the house…everyday he was with them I went to see him. I had noble reasons, whether you think so or not. But then again, I don't recall asking." Ginny sat there with her hands wrapped in front of her chest.

"I do say Miss Weasley that you have seemed to master your animagus. We do need to get you registered. I know you used it that night in Romania." Dumbledore looked at her and she shook her head, unsure if he was asking or telling. "You really should not be using it until you are of age. We can help you master this but you cannot, from here on out, use it unless under extenuating circumstances. Understand?"

Ginny shook her head again. "Good. You may go. It's been a long day."

(sc)

The door to the office flew open and her read hair bobbed out the door. "Ginny?" Ron asked. "What were you doing in there?"

"Just trying to help them shed some light on the situation." Ginny kept walking away.

"Wait a second, do you know who the cat is?" Harry yelled after her. She didn't answer but instead kept walking. They three of them were now on their feet. Slowly, Alexia, Lupin, Hagrid and Snape all exited the office. "There's no one else."

The door was still open, so they walked inside slowly. Dumbledore was alone in his office, with his pensive. "Professor, who was the cat?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Will you tell us who it was?" Harry asked as Dumbledore pointed his wand to his temple.

Harry watched as he pulled a string of silver from his wand to the bowl. When it had landed he looked at the trio. "That answer has already left this room. I'm sorry, I can not tell you boys."

They started to leave but Hermione turned around. "Can you tell me? I'm not a boy." A twinkle filled his eye and he nodded toward her. Ron and Harry started to object but instead left the room, leaving Hermione alone with the black secret.

(sc)

"Who was it?" Ron asked as Hermione walked down the stairs. She didn't say anything as she walked toward the common room.

"Hermione who is it? Who's the cat?" Harry asked her. She turned to them as they faced the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Fine. Let's just say, you both know her very well and she was the first one to leave the room and the last one we saw today."

The boys looked at each other confused. "OY!" They looked at Hermione. "Ginny!" they said together as they stepped inside.

A/N: There it was. I hope you understand what is going on and I hope you still like it and read it. I'm not really sure how someone would get an animagus and it might say in PoA but I don't have time to look for it. I think this works though. Well, real sorry for the cliffie…I don't mean to do that but there just really isn't a good stopping point, you know? Thanks for reading and keep reviewing!