Three updates coming at you. For that of the story they fit better before the hogwarts winter term.
Chapter 11
"Tell me the truth, how bad has it been?" Harry asked Hermione, sliding into a seat next to her in the Great Hall for breakfast. Hogwarts' winter term had started nearly two weeks ago, and the two Gryffindors refused to deviate from Sirius' demand that they operate as a cohesive unit. Anytime either were outside of their dorms, both were glued to the others' hip, which of course only served to fuel the Hogwarts gossip mill to implode.
Hermione minutely shook her head without bothering to look up from the tea she was drinking. Rather than press her, Harry filled his plate with his favorite breakfast foods. Since moving in with Sirius, Harry had been overwhelmed with various "life lessons" his godfather believed he needed to master. Sirius' most prominent when it came to acquiring information was to refrain from speaking and allow your mark to fill the silence.
"A muggleborn pride brigade was formed to deal with the traitor," Hermione finally muttered after glancing around to see if anyone was listening in. Despite the wide berth their housemates had started providing since term resumed, Hermione chose to lower her voice to ensure only Harry could hear her.
"A traitor to what?" Harry asked, his face scrunched up in confusion, his fork full of scrambled eggs pausing on its path to his mouth. "Did you leak secrets belonging to the Crown?"
Hermione, ignoring Harry's cheekiness, shrugged, "Who knows? I'd never attribute intellect to our classmates. Honestly, even if you combined their intelligence, you'd get fewer than a minimum amount of brain cells to rub together."
"Merlin, you sound like Snape," Harry muttered into his cup of pumpkin juice. Hermione stared at him, before erupting into a peal of high-pitched laughter.
"You're terrible," she said, trying to catch her breath. "Honestly the only forgivable part of the entire ordeal is that I've managed to completely avoid Ronald."
"Try sharing a dormitory with him," Harry retorted. Despite his previous humor at Hermione's expense, the Boy Who Livedaggressively stabbed the scrambled eggs on his plate.
"I can't even hide out in our dorm without hearing him whine about 'pretentious prats who are unable to live outside of the spotlight."
"That's incredibly specific," Hermione said trying not to show her amusement. "Does he even know what a spotlight is?"
"I doubt it. I was just paraphrasing. It doesn't matter how he phrases it, Ron never shuts about it."
"Well, I haven't had to deal with Ronald, but the ringleader of the Muggle Brigade lives in my dorm," Hermione shared, trying to cheer Harry up.
"Who?"
"Faye Dunbar."
"Why haven't I heard of her before?" Harry asked, before taking a bite of breakfast. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Because as delightful as you are," Hermione said, "You're not exactly cognizant of your surroundings even when they're hitting you upside the head."
"Ouch," Harry muttered halfheartedly. "Way to soften that blow. So, who is this girl?"
"She's the other Gryffindor muggleborn witch in our year, and is taking my adoption into Sirius' family as a personal affront. Anytime I'm within hearing distance of her, Faye starts lecturing about the progressive superiority of muggle culture. I don't know if anyone buys into her rants, but it's still irritating. Her favorite activity is now gossiping with Lavender and Parvati over the importance of family and loyalty."
"Of course, it is," Harry said.
"When did I become the poster child for muggleborns?" Hermione demanded, stabbing her food a little too aggressively. "My parents are muggles, I'm not. Merlin forbid I celebrate the fact that I'm a witch."
"What's a poster child?" Ginny asked, sliding onto the bench across from the two god-siblings, while taking note of the wide gap separating them from the rest of the Gryffindors. "People aren't really that pissed about your adoption, are they?"
"Go ask Faye Dunbar," Hermione answered dryly. "If you were to believe her, I was born into the Royal family only to abandon them for the Germans during World War II."
"Royal Family?" Ginny asked, before focusing on the latter of Hermione's comment, "What's World War II?"
"Britain has a constitutional monarchy, and a royal family. The Queen has authority over everyone in the British Enclave muggle and magical alike," Harry explained, nodding towards Hermione to answer Ginny's unspoken questioning of his knowledge, before he continued explaining.
"During the 1930s, the muggle world erupted into an all-outbrawl. Germany and Britain were on opposite sides."
"Imagine if Dumbledore had a daughter and she ran off to marryGrindelwald's son at the height of the conflict," Hermione addedto clarify. Ginny promptly spewed the gulp of pumpkin juice she'd been prepared to swallow. "See, there you go."
"I could really have done without imagining Dumbledore procreating," Ginny muttered, earning snickers from Harry and Hermione.
"Sirius did say people were bound to react negatively," Harry said sighing. "I just hoped he'd been overexaggerating."
In a very unladylike, but certainly a Weasley mannerism, Ginny snorted into her pumpkin juice.
"Sorry," She said apologetically, wiping her face free of the juice. "If my mum's reaction is anything to go by, Sirius underestimated the amount of anger over the situation."
"Why would your mum care?" Harry asked looking confused. "After how often she told me I was too skinny I figured she'd be happy I'm not living with the Dursleys anymore."
"My mum has opinions," Ginny answered, "She's not particularly quiet about them."
"I don't get why people are upset.," Harry said. "Did you know until Sirius bought me my own clothes, I've never owned any outside of Dudley's oversized hand-me-downs and my school robes?"
"You hate those clothes," Hermione reminded him.
"They're still mine," Harry said dismissively as he continued to look at Ginny. "Purebloods, like Malfoy, always complain that muggleborns don't fit in culturally, so why are they furious Hermione's doing just that? What's the big deal?"
"Well, most people are stupid," Ginny answered succinctly. "Rather than hold Dumbledore and Hogwarts accountable for ignoring attacks on students and hiring incompetent defense professors, they berated me for a megalomaniac manipulating me into a puppet."
Harry looked at her, surprised by the information, "They blamed you?"
"Never trust anything that can think for itself," Ginny said shaking her head. "My dad kept repeating some variation of that line the summer after term ended. Just like the Wizarding Community has deified Harry for defeating You Know Who, they've done the same with Dumbledore."
"What do you mean deified?" Harry asked, sounding startled.
"Harry, my mum would tell me bed time stories about you saving all of us," Ginny answered, bemused at the horrified look on his face.
"That's mildly disturbing," Harry muttered.
"Why do you think I was terrified to talk to you my first year?" Ginny asked, laughing with Hermione over Harry's obvious discomfort. "No one wants to learn the flaws of their heroes or have them see yours."
"Surely the amount of evidence submitted to the Wizengamotwould be enough to convince the public of Dumbledore endanger Harry?" Hermione asked.
"A lot of witches and wizards believe Dumbledore is Merlin reborn, including my parents. Aside from Dumbledore outright declaring himself a Dark Lord I don't see that changing," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Although it'd be interesting to see how many would keep supporting him."
"How'd your mum explain the abuse charges?" Hermione asked, her curiosity overriding her since of injustice.
"Sirius manufactured the evidence, brainwashed Harry, and tricked the Wizengamot into ruling against Dumbledore," Ginny answered with a straight face and even tone.
"Sirius would be so impressed with himself," Harry said starting to grin over the absurdity. "He'd brag about it to Remus and my dad. Merlin he'd never stop telling that story. He'd be insufferable, especially knowing he managed to dupe wizards like Lucius Malfoy."
"More than the usual amount of insufferable?" Hermione asked,cheekily before turning back to Ginny. "Alright all-knowing one, why is everyone pissed about Sirius adopting me?"
Ginny grinned, "Must be driving you mad that I know more than you on a subject. What do you actually know about your knew family?"
"Pretentious, pureblooded, inbred, rich," Hermione answered as Harry rolled his eyes.
"Trust Hermione to lump wealth amongst negative family traits," Harry said. "According to Sirius his family hated muggles and blood traitors, and a lot of them sided with You Know Who."
"The Black Family is the oldest living pureblood line in the British Enclave, and are considered wizarding royalty. Historically, they've wielded incredible amounts of power both socially and politically. Now, why would adopting a muggleborn rankle feathers?"
"Traditionalists would view it as betrayal of pureblood values," Harry answered thoughtfully. "Sirius said his mum tried to disown him as a teenager."
"Reviving the family line means politically those in power will now have to contend with Sirius. It certainly would rankle individuals who presumed they'd occupy the influence once held by the Blacks, Hermione answered before adding, "I understand the angry inbred bigots. What I don't comprehend is why muggleborns are suddenly pissed."
"Can't help you there," Ginny answered shrugging, before she grinned impishly at her two friends. "As one of the inbred, my expertise is limited to those similar to my birth."
Harry and Hermione snickered in response.
"Best guess is that they're jealous or insecure," Ginny added, taking a bite of food as Ron walked up behind the two and cleared his throat.
"Ginerva, exactly what do you think you're doing?" Ronald demanded, his voice carrying across the Great Hall.
"Breaking my fast, Ronald," Ginny answered, not bothering to look at her older brother. "Mother insists it's the most important meal of the day, or have you already forgotten?"
Neither Harry nor Hermione successfully managed to suppress their amusement over Ginny's clearly mocking tone. Everyone in Hogwarts knew the youngest witch hated her first name. No one, not even the Slytherins, were stupid enough to use it within her hearing. Predictably Ron's ears began darkening rapidly ashe processed his little sister's response.
"You can't be friends with them!" Ron sputtered, grasping for a comeback. "Mum told you to cut ties with both of them. Weasleys don't tolerate the likes of them."
"If you ever thought I'd listen to that idiotic demand, you're dumber than the gnomes who live in Mum's garden…. collectively," Ginny said coolly, as several Gryffindor students started scooting closer to the sibling argument.
"They're dark wizards!" Ron yelled, as Ginny stared at him with a bored look on her face. "They proved it by joining the Black family. You know that family is aligned with Morgana! They all supported You Know Who and the dark arts. Just because they publicly renounced their mad cousin for a publicity stunt doesn't mean it fools anyone. Black wasted no time getting chummy with the Malfoys."
Ron's vulgar level of volume, by this point, had attracted the attention of every student in the Great Hall, in time to hear him accuse the Black Family of consorting with multiple Dark Lords. Even the Slytherin students looked appalled at his audacity. unfold. Hermione and Harry glared at their former friend, as Ginny appeared to ignore him.
"If you're quite finished Ronald I'd like to actually enjoy my breakfast."
Angrily, Ron yelled back, "Do you honestly think they'll ever trust you? You're nothing more than a living token to prove they're not bigots. Their family has always sneered at ours over Dad's job. They disowned Aunt Cedrella for marrying Septimius. You're nothing except a blood traitor in their eyes. Merlin You know what they do with squibs in that family."
The Great Hall was silent after Ron's comment about squibs. While many families had squibs born, none of them remained. It was never spoken about, but a quiet shame born by the family. Everyone waited with bated breath for Ginny's response. When she didn't immediately speak, a smug expression began to transfix itself on Ron's face.
"You mean, the Black Family disposed of squibs just as our grandfather made our uncle disappear for his lack of magic?" Ginny asked, her voice quiet, but carrying across the large chamber.
"Dad preaches muggle rights, and is obsessed with their inventions," she said in the same even tone. "Yet he can't bring himself to acknowledge his own brother for being born with magic. Exactly how are we any different?"
Harry and Hermione had never seen Ron's face so mottled or ears the current shade of scarlet. The wizard was so angry he was visibly shaking. Ginny, on the other hand, wasn't even looking at her brother. Instead the witch was eating breakfast, as though she hadn't just committed an enormous faux pa in front of the entire school.