I own nothing, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling! I'm just a fan of her works! Just a heads up I have the books at my side in a valiant attempt to keep all characters and timelines and sequences, etc. As accurate as possible. As a Fan Fiction reader myself, I tend to get hung up on little in accuracies. Thus I will try not to do that in my story...

Set during OOTP just after Sirius's death.

Hermione knocked carefully on the door to Professor Snape's office. Fear churning in her gut making her feel nauseous.

"Enter" Was the curt response from within. Letting out an anxious huff, she turned the cold metal handle and pushed the door open. Professor Snape looked up from the stack of essays he was grading to see who was at the door. his lip curled in distain as he recognized Hermione.

"What is it you need Miss Granger?" He asked impatiently, Hermione chewed her lip and wondered for the hundredth time if this was a good idea. It's too late now, you're already here.

"I don't think Sirius Black is actually dead. I saw a hand coming out of the veil after Harry left. I think he's alive." She confessed quietly, wondering if he could hear her. He raised a single eyebrow, the only indication that he heard what she had said.

"And what do you hope to achieve by telling me this?" He answered, utter disinterest seemed to be the only emotion on his face.

"Well-" She began awkwardly, "I need your help to save him, Sir." Snape looked displeased to say the least.

"Why on earth would I do such a thing?" He sneered, Hermione looked appalled. "Because he's alive, he needs our help!" She nearly shouted at him.

He smiled cruelly, "I fail to see how I am required to lift a finger for someone foolish enough to get themselves killed in the first place." Hermione began to get desperate, "Please Sir, I know that he's stupid! A-and I'm sure he knows that now too, but you must save him!" She begged him, her voice getting shrilly with emotion.

He quirked another eyebrow, looking at her in mock ignorance. "Must I?" Finally getting angry, Hermione looked at him darkly. "If you won't save him then I will, and when I return I tell Dumbledore how you refused to help me thus putting a student in harm's way." She stated matter-of -factly, crossing her arms confidently and leaning on one leg.

His eyes narrowed as she stared back at him with a boldness she didn't feel. "A hundred points from Gryffindor for blackmailing a teacher, and detention with Mr. Filch every day after dinner until the end of the school year." Snape growled dangerously, Hermione blanched.

"But Sir, it's Sirius's life on the line here! Please Sir! You have to!" She sobbed shakily, desperate to convince him. He stood from his desk and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out of his office.

"Starting now Miss Granger." He snarled, taking her out of the dungeons and depositing her in Filch's office. Hermione clutched his sleeve, he looked back in disgust as she blubbered at him. "Please Sir, just don't tell Harry! Whatever you do! He can't know that he's alive!" This caught his attention.

Latching onto this, Hermione continued. "To prevent something like this from happening again. He mustn't know until it's safe! Please Sir!" Snape shook off her grip on his sleeve and turned to Filch who was looking suspiciously between the two.

Snape drew himself up to his full height and addressed Filch, "See to it that she gets properly punished and doesn't shirk or leave early. And be sure she actually makes it to her dormitory without any detours." His icy tone leaving no room for argument. He spun on his heel and in a flurry of black robes he was gone. Hermione sobbed her way through her detention.

Immediately after leaving that damn girl in Filch's care. Snape strode out of the castle and across the grounds toward Hogsmeade, silently cursing Sirius Black for being such a fool. Upon reaching the gate, he slipped through and apparated to the Ministry. The place was in utter chaos in the aftermath of the battle that just took place.

He made his way unnoticed by all into the Department of Mysteries. Finally halting in front of the Veil, he saw the half conscious face of Sirius Black feebly trying to pull himself out of the Veil. With a sigh of annoyance, he bent over and grabbed Sirius by the top of his hair. Sirius grunted in pain as Snape pulled him from the Veil by his hair. When Sirius was fully out, Snape dropped him on the floor.

Sirius groaned in pain and rolled over on his stomach. Snape nudged him with a foot rudely, "You owe me twice now." Sirius gave a short laugh. "And just when I thought I could even things out, too." He crawled to his feet, using Snape's robe with much protest from him. With Sirius finally standing and using Snape as a crutch, the two men slowly made their way out of the Department.

When they got to the lobby, Sirius ducked his head down, letting his long shaggy hair cover his face. It was a tense few minutes as they carefully shuffled towards the apparation site. They had only just made it when they Minister of Magic himself appeared before them with a distraught looking assistant in tow.

They both tensed as the Minister brushed past them, though neither he nor his assistant even spared them a glance as he made his way through the mess that was the Atrium. Sirius gripped Snape's arm tightly as he apparated.

The two arrived at Snape's house and silently went inside. Sirius plopped himself in the old armchair, making Snape's expression sour considerably. Taking no notice of this, Sirius sigh heavily. "So now what? Back to Grimmauld Place I presume?" He inquired resignedly,

"No." Snape answered quietly. "At least, not for a while." Sirius stared at him, a mixture of surprise and hope etched across his face. "What do you mean, no?" Snape took his time before replying, knowing he had to say this carefully. "

To the rest of the world, Sirius Black is dead. And it's going to stay that way until everything is in place for you to return."

Sirius stood up suddenly, "What?!" He practically shouted. "No! But Harry needs me! I'm his Godfather! I can't leave him!" Snape waited for him to finish before speaking.

"Potter will be just fine without worrying about your safety! Because let's be honest here, the only reason he was in the Ministry at all was because he believed you to be in peril." Snape could see that he had struck a nerve, Sirius opened and closed his mouth trying to figure out what to say.

"But it'll be different now!" He said finally, Snape scoffed. "How? you'll be stuck in Grimmauld Place as you have been and under even tighter restrictions because now you've almost gotten yourself bloody killed!" Sirius sat down in defeat, holding his head in his hands. "So now what?" He repeated in a sad croak, Snape smirked evilly. "Now we alter your appearance, so you can run errands for me undetected." Sirius barely had time to raise his head before Snape's spell hit him.

"I'M BALD!" Sirius exclaimed in horror, gripping fistfuls of his hair that had fallen out and trying to put them back on his head. Snape laughed so hard he had to sit down on his thread bare sofa. Sirius whimpered like an abused dog as he stared at his hair on the floor. Snape regained some composure after a moment and hit Sirius with a couple more spells. Sirius's body shrunk to about 5'4" and his features became round and pudgy.

Sirius gave him a look of utter betrayal and Snape smiled in complete satisfaction at his handiwork. "So, what do we name you?" Snape mused silkily, Sirius shot him a death glare. Seeming heartened by Sirius's foul mood, Snape continued. "Mr. Bigglesworth? Egghead Jones? Humpty-Dumpty?" Sirius couldn't help but chuckle, even at his own expense. "Monsieur Marchand D'Oeufs." He announced in a mockingly dignified two of them laughed until their sides hurt.

Hermione was in the Gryffindor common room a day before the Hogwarts Train left for home. She had spent every night in detention with Filch and had not had a chance to go to the Ministry and look for Sirius until that night. But she had of course found nothing. So Hermione sobbed on Ginny's shoulder, unable to bring herself to explain why she was so upset other than it was regarding Sirius.

Ginny hugged her kindly, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Hermione finally quieted down, hiccupping her last sobs away and Ginny held her at arms length to get a good look at her face.

"I didn't know you cared for him that much." Hermione stiffened at the idea forming in her friend's mind.

"I don't think it's quite like that..." She defended, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Ginny smirked, "Sure, I understand. But you know, I'm your friend Hermione. You can tell me anything, I wont tell a soul." Hermione blushed a little more, looking uncomfortable.

"It's really not like that. I swear." Ginny nodded silently, though it was quite apparent that she didn't really believe her. Hermione hung her head solemnly, "But it doesn't really matter now does it? He's dead." Her voice cracked a little as she finally said it out loud. Ginny gave her a sad smile, unsure of what to do or say to help her friend. They continued to sit in silence, just taking comfort in each other's presence.

Later that evening, Ginny was perusing the library. She ran her finger along the spines of the books as she passed them, wishing that one of them held the answer to her friend's woes. *SMACK!* Jumping at the sound, Ginny turned to see a book had fallen off the shelf. She picked it up quickly before Madame Pince could see one of her precious books on the floor.

Curiosity compelled her to look in the book,Advanced Transfiguration: A complete guide to becoming an Animagus. Ginny smiled, remembering her and Hermione trying to learn to become Animagi but Hermione had been too proud to ask Sirius for help. An idea came to her, they could complete their study and become Animagi!

She tucked the book under her arm and drew her outer robes over it, stealthily gliding past Madame Pince who was busily mending a book at her desk. She heaved a sigh of relief as she made it out of the library undetected, only to run straight into a very solid person right in front of her. "Oofh!" Ginny grunted as she fell backwards. Strong hands grabbed her upper arms to keep her from falling over. The book slipped from her armpit and she barely caught it with her fingertips.

She looked at the tree of a person she ran in to. Ginny found herself staring at the front of someone's very black robes. Trepidation turned to horror as her eyes followed the robes up to look at Professor Snape. He looked down at her with annoyance and distain.

"You'll find walking much easier if you look where you're going, Miss Weasley." She blushed scarlet and simply nodded. His black eyes were staring straight at her, making her feel small and insignificant. He set her back on her feet, but didn't let go yet. She felt as if her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.

"I expect an apology Miss Weasley, it's rude to run into someone without an apology." He snapped coldly, Ginny mumbled an apology and tried to slip away. He didn't let her go. "A little louder Miss Weasley, I don't even think the mice heard you."

Feeling awkwardly fine with his proximity, she hesitated a little longer. His eyes narrowed, "Well I suppose I'll have to dock points for your rude behavior." He threatened, "I'm sorry Sir! I'll look where I'm going Sir." She practically shouted to him, he gave her a nasty smile and released her upper arms.

"Much better, five points from Gryffindor." He replied evilly. Ginny's head shot up and before she could stop herself, she started to argue. "But I said I'm sorry! You didn't have to dock points!" His thin lips curled into a nasty smile,

"Ten points for talking back to a teacher." The heat from her face was now from anger instead of embarrassment, "I don't understand why you feel the need to be so mean!" She yelled in frustration, her hand that was not still clutching the book balled into a fist at her side. He never ceased to be able to get a rise out of her.

"Twenty points for such unwarranted behavior." He continued smugly. Ginny's temper made her feel as if she might explode but she clenched her jaw shut, knowing not to argue anymore. He waited to see if she would say anything more, seeming a little disappointed when she said nothing. They stared each other down for a moment longer. Finally, Ginny dropped her gaze and Snape swept past her. She turned to glare at his retreating back, "You would be my favorite teacher if you weren't such a git!" She yelled at him, he halted and stiffened. Suddenly realizing what she said, Ginny spun on her heel and took off running at top speed.

Snape stared at her retreating back, uncertain of what to do or think. He blinked a few times, finally he huffed in annoyance. That girl always seemed to catch him off guard. Seeing as she had already fled and he couldn't take anymore points from her, he turned around and continued his walk to the library.

The next day Ginny told Hermione about the book. She thought it was a great idea and made a duplicate of the book before they met up with Harry and Ron. Without speaking about it, they both decided it was best to keep it a secret. Neither of them felt any desire to include anyone else in their plans.

Over the summer break, they managed to complete their studies in secret. By the time Harry arrived at the Burrow, they could successfully transform into animals. Hermione was a chocolate golden retriever and Ginny a red fox with blue eyes. At night, when everyone was asleep would tiptoe their way outside to transform and play. Still neither of them felt like telling anyone else.

Finally the trip to Diagon Alley was upon them, Dad was saying something to Ron about the Ministry cars but Ginny didn't pay attention and climbed in the car after Hermione. Looking out the window at the overcast skies, she wondered idly what her father would think if he knew she had become an illegal Animagus. She felt sure he would be disappointed that she did it illegally but underneath it she hoped he would be proud that his daughter was smart enough to become an Animagus.

They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Dad spoke to the driver, saying something about them only needing a couple hours. Ginny wished they had more time. As they got out of the car, Harry was swept up into a hug by Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper the moment he stepped out of the car.

They were talking about Buckbeak as Harry massaged his ribs. Ginny smiled, she was happy that the poor hippogriff got to get out of that gloomy house. Harry and Hagrid chatted a moment longer and then they all went inside the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny was unnerved when she saw the place was completely empty.

Hagrid Spoke to the landlord Tom who had looked up hopefully as they entered. he nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses; Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, Dad, Mum and Ron filed through to the back courtyard with Ginny bringing up the rear. Hagrid tapped his pink umbrella on a certain brick on the wall which open instantly into an archway.

They stepped through and paused to look around. Wanted posters and security advice pamphlets everywhere covered the colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons. A few places were boarded up, including Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. But there where a lot of shabby looking stalls that had sprung up all along the way. The closest one was erected just outside Flourish and Blotts, it had a striped awning with stains on it and a stupid cardboard sign stuck to the front that read:

AMULETS

Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi

A creepy-looking wizard several inches shorter than Ginny rattled silver symbols attached to chains at everyone who passed by.

"One for your little girl, madam?" The creep called to Mum as we passed, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?" Dad glared angrily at the amulet seller.

"If I were on duty..." Dad said. Ginny wondered idly what the man would do if she showed him exactly how capable she was of handling herself.

"Yes, but don't go arresting anyone now, dear, we're in a hurry." Mum said, looking at her list. "I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first..."

Ginny stopped listening and started looking around to see if she could spot any familiar faces from school. Ginny snapped her attention back to the conversation at hand in time to hear to verdict. As her brother, Harry and Hermione left with Hagrid, Ginny followed her Mum and Dad to Flourish and Blotts.

Once inside Ginny set off in search of interesting and rare books she might be able to convince her Mum and Dad to buy for her. She wandered further into the store until she was deep in the rare section, towering shelves line deep with ancient and heavy tomes. One book finally caught her eye, on a shelf just little out of reach. She stood on her tiptoes stretching up to her fullest height, but her fingertips barely brushed the bottom edge of it. Determined to get the book, she jumped up and grabbed at it but didn't quite get it. She huffed in frustration, trying a few more times, but still nothing.

To stubborn to give up, she bent a little lower and jumped again, putting more force behind it. She caught the top edge of it and got it loose but it slipped from her grasp and fell, headed straight for her face. Before it hit her, a long pale hand shot out of nowhere and caught it. Another book fell as well a little after but the person's other hand caught it as well. Ginny stared at the books for a moment, the reality of how close she had been to getting hit by them. Then she turned around to look at her savior. Her eyes widened when she realized it was Professor Snape.

Her last encounter with him came flooding back and she blushed in embarrassment. He looked down at her calmly and handed her the book she had been reaching for. He offered her the other book as well, but after a cursory look at the title, she shook her head silently and he put it back on the shelf it came from.

She stared at him silently for a moment, unsure of what she should say or do and not so sure she even wanted to move. He stared back as if he was expecting her to say something. Without thinking she said, "Um, thank you." Sounding lame even to herself, the faintest outline of an amused smile played across his thin lips.

He gave her a small nod and then turned his attention back to the bookshelf at hand. She just watched him for a moment, curious to see him out of Hogwarts. His eyes scanned across the titles carefully, occasionally he would pick out a book and leaf through it, only to put it back and keep searching.

"Is there something more you require from me, Miss Weasley?" He asked quietly, making her jump and startling her out of her musings over him. Blushing in embarrassment yet again, she looked at her feet and mumbled.

"No, Sir. Sorry, thank you. Er… Bye... I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts, Sir..." He looked down at her, like he was concerned about her mental state. Ginny took this as her que to leave, so she turned and walked away. She stopped at the end of the bookshelf, turned back slightly and quietly said.

"I'm sorry for what I called you, before... at Hogwarts... I shouldn't have let my temper get out of hand. I'll try to be better, Sir." She heard him go quiet, but was not sure whether it was good or bad. He heaved a sigh,

"This is the point where I'm supposed to forgive you, I presume?" The silky tone seemed a little bit guarded. "Not if you don't want to, Sir. You know... I was just saying it, because, well... I shouldn't have said it... at all." She bit her lip, feeling his eyes on the back of her head. "I-" What ever he was going to say was cut off by Mum's voice.

"Ginny dear, there you are! Come along now! We have to hurry!" Ginny looked at her Mum and her heart sank as she saw the bags of book already paid for. "I was wondering if I could get this book as well." Ginny asked half hopefully, holding up the book. "Sorry Ginny, not this time. We have to go."

Ginny's face fell, she turned to see Professor Snape holding out his hand for the book. She handed it to him with an apologetic look, but his face remained impassive. Turning away before he could even put it back, Ginny glumly followed her Mum and Dad out of the shop.