Chapter 3

Old Time Living

Ginny woke and went downstairs. She'd spoken to Dumbledore already and had been sorted, of course, into Gryffindor. The Potter's had taken her and James to Diagon alley already as well and he'd gotten his head-boy badge. "Good morning, Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter, James." she smiled. They all grreted her with warm smiled. In only three weeks, they had learned to treat her as a member of the family. "So, what's going on?" she smiled.

"Lily, Sirius, and Remus are coming over. We were gonna play a little five person quidditch, if you're up for it, slowpoke?" he smirked.

"I'll make you eat your words, James." she said. He laughed, handing her a bowl of oatmeal.

An hour later, she was wearing a pair of worn-looking muggle jeans and a green tank top-dress that went down a bout halfway between her hips and knees. Lily and Remus had gotten there already and they were sitting on the front steps with their brooms. "What kind of broom is that?" James asked lazily.

"A Nimbus 2001. Harry got it for me as an early birthday present." she shrugged. Lily smiled.

"Were you and Harry dating?" she asked.

"I had a crush on him when I was younger, the whole hero thing. We dated for, like, a month, but it didn't work out. No big deal for either of us, it was the only possible outcome." Ginny shrugged, bored.

"Does he date often?" James asked.

"No, he doesn't. He took a date to the ball in his fourth year, but only because he couldn't find another date. He didn't really want to go. Then there was Cho in his fifth year but she was crying half the time and complaining he hung out with Hermione the other half. She was a banshee on wheels."

"Are we talking about you?" Sirius asked, walking up. Ginny pulled her wand out. "Oh, and she wants the ministry to throw the book at her."

"Who said it's a registered wand?" Ginny spat. Lily smiled.

"Can you two lovebirds cease fighting long enough to play quidditch with us?" she asked. Ginny and Sirius glared daggers at her, then Ginny jumped up.

"I call seeker." she said. They all went to the lot and James and Ginny flew up on opposite sides of a drawn-on circle. Remus sat on the sidelines and Lily and Sirius were fighting over what team they were on.

"Prongs, tell the female that she's on the twerps team!" Sirius ordered. James looked between his best friend and his girlfriend.

"Um...well, Sirius, Lily, um..." he looked at Ginny for help.

"Mutt, suck it up and let her play on her boyfriends team." Ginny sighed. Sirius lunged at her and they began rolling on the ground, yelling at each other.

"Don't call me mutt, twerp!"

"Don't call me twerp, mutt!"

"I'm gonna hex you so bad..." he began. Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out a dark powder. She threw it down and ran out of the smoke pit. When it cleared, Sirius was left coughing and sputtering.

"You moron, you're so slow in the draw. I bet that's not the only thing you're slow at." she said coldly. She walked off.

"Damnit, Sirius, what'd you go and upset her for?" James sighed, getting off his broom. Sirius stood.

"She started it. Acting so superior, calling me mutt. Where does she get off?" he asked, pissed.

"Well, maybe she expects to be treated better than an object." Lily said.

"I don't treat her like an object!" Sirius objected.

"Well, you certainly aren't nice enough to say you treat her like a human. Don't you think she's having a hard time? She left everything she knew on the promise she would be happy and you try your best to make her miserable. Honestly, you're terrible." Remus snapped.

"You just say that because you have a crush on her for accepting you so easily! Like no one sees that you're a needy old fool!" Sirius snapped. James stepped up to bat.

"Sirius, you know he's not trying to make you look bad, but...Ginny does deserve better than that from all of us, especially you." he said.

"She's even turned you against me? Fine! What, you expect me to apologize to her?!"

"It would be a nice start to proving her wrong about how indifferent you are about kindness." James said. They looked around and saw Remus was gone. Sirius swore and went toward the direction Ginny had gone. He saw Ginny crying on Remus' shoulder.

"...want to be mean to him , I don't know. He's the only one of you I cared about that died. Lily and James died before I could know them and you're still there. It's wierd to see him alive and so mean when he was always so kind and I've missed him. He was the only one of you I grieved and I try to respect him but he just makes it so damned impossible. How can I respect a man like that?" she sobbed.

"Well, I know Sirius can be a bit pigheaded but, believe it or not, he respects you for accepting this mission you have. He told me so himself. He just doesn't like people to think they're better than him..."

"I don't!"

"I know, but he doesn't. He's just not used to you. Trust me, by the time Hogwarts starts, you'll be good friends."

"What if I don't want to be friends with him?" Ginny asked quietly. Sirius frowned and walked back to where Lily and James were.

"She doesn't want to be friends with me, I'm just some old, dead relic to her." he spat. James frowned.

Back with Remus and Ginny, he was holding her at arms length. "What do you mean, don't wanna be friends?"

"Well, I like him." she muttered. Remus smiled, then laughed.

"That explains everything." he said. They went back up to the others and saw Sirius had left. "Where's he go?" Remus asked.

"He said he heard Ginny say she didn't want to be his friend and she thought he was a relic, then he left." James said.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Ginny objected.

"It's a pretty one-sided comment!" James snapped.

"He didn't hear the whole conversation! He misunderstood. Yes, I am used to him being older, but no I don't think of him as a relic!"

"And why don't you wanna be his friend?!" James demanded. Ginny blushed.

"Because...well, because..." she trailed off.

"You don't..." Lily smiled. Ginny blushed and shrugged.

"It's no big deal." she mumbled. Lily giggled and a looked of recognition dawned of James' face.

"Ginny...you've got a thing for Padfoot?" he laughed. She dropeed her broom and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, balling her free hand into a fist.

"Potter, if you tell him, I swear I'll make you look so bad, Dumbledore won't be able to look at you!" she barked. He kept laughing.

"He won't tell, don't worry," Lily said. Ginny sighed and released James. "Now, what are you wearing on Sunday when Sirius comes over for lunch and dinner?" she smiled. Ginny blushed.

"Can we not talk about this?" she sighed. James laughed.

"Okay, I'll go talk to Sirius and tell him you apologized." he sighed.

"I did no such thing, he shouldn't have been eavesdropping on me!" she objected.

"You are as stubborn as he is!" Remus laughed.

"I am not! I don't apologize when I'm right. Tell him he didn't hear the entire conversation and if he wants to be an ass hole, I can be one, too." she snapped. James smiled, opening his mouth. "That doesn't require a comment!" she sighed.

On Sunday, when Sirius came over, Ginny was in her room, lying on her bed, angry. When there was a kncok on her door, she ignored it, pretending to be asleep. She got up and went to her trunk. Opening it, she pulled out her picture album. Inside were pictures from her entire life and, toward the back, pictures of her life in Number 12.

In a large chair, Sirius was giving the camera the finger over and over agin, smiling. In the next, Harry and Sirius were standing in front of Mrs. Blacks bedroom, where Buckbeak ripping at a ferret was visible. After that one, there was a picture of Ginny trying to cook breakfast and Sirius laughing at her.

"So you can't cook?" a voice asked. Ginny jumped and saw Sirius looking over her shoulder. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"What do you want?" she closed the album and set it on her trunk. He sighed.

"James didn't want to come up here to get you, so he told me, too. Were those pictures of me from the future?"

"Yes." she said coldly.

"Damnit! You don't have the right to be mad, you're the one that started it!" he swore. Ginny ignored him and went down to the picnic table in the backyard. James looked at her curiously and she frowned at him. Then Sirius came down.

"So, did you two settle things?" he asked.

"There's nothing to settle, we're not friends." Ginny said. She sat down at the table and began a conversation with Mrs. Potter.

"See? She totally hates me." Sirius sighed. James shook his head.

"She doesn't hate you, she's proud. And you insulted her. Come on, it's not like you've apologized."

"I've never apologized to anyone!" Sirius objected quietly. James sighed and shook his head.

"Nevermind." they sat down and began eating.

After they'd eaten luch, Ginny did the dishes and went up to her room, ignoring Sirius. "James, what did you two do to her?" Mrs. Potter scolded.

"Nothing, mum, she's just angry at Sirius." James sighed.

"At Sirius? Why? He's such a gentleman." Mrs. Potter smiled. Sirius smiled.

"Aww, Mrs. Potter, if you keep that up, I'll have to steal you from your husband." he flirted.

"Go apologize for whatever you did, Sirius." Mr. Potter smiled. Sirius sighed and went up to Ginny's room. He, once again, found her with the album open. But this time, she wasn't smiling. He stood in the doorway, realizing she wasn't paying attention to the actual room. She was talking to one of the pictures.

Ginny sighed, watching the picture of Sirius dance around merrily. His face ws cleanly shaven and his hair was cut short and brushed. He looked very charming and looked so much like his current self. "Stupid jerk, why didn't you say something in the future? Did you hate me so much that you wouldn't even say hi every day? Is that why you told Harry not to date me? Because you hated me? I don't even care about Harry, you moron, you're so stupid." she whispered. She glared at the picture and saw Sirius still dancing and singing. She growled and threw the picture album at the door, closing her eyes.

"Oomph!" a voice said. Ginny's eyes shot open and she looked at Sirius, whom was holding the album. She glared at him.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Well, I was going to apologize before you threw your book at me." he snapped.

"Yes, like I'd believe you, you self-centered creep!"

"I'm self-centered and you don't even want to make friends with me because I'm difficult to deal with?!"

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black!"

"Says the pompous twerp!"

"I told you not to call me twerp, mutt!"

"I told you not to call me mutt, twerp!"

"You started it!"

"How?!"

"Because you're too self-absorbed to apologize or ask for the rest of a convesation you eavesdropped on!"

"What else is there to hear?! YOU HATE ME AND THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO SAY FOR THE DEAD MORON YOU CAN'T STAND!"

"THAT'S NOT EVEN WHAT I MEANT, YOU'RE TWISTING MY WORDS!"

"THEN WHAT DID YOU MEAN, YOUR MAJESTY OF RUDENESS?!"

"I MEANT THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" she snapped. She covered her mouth and looked down before running out. Once out the back door, she passed the Potters and James, whom all looked as if they'd heard the screaming match.

"Ginny..." James began. She just ran until she fell in the forest nearby. She curled into a ball under one of the shorter trees with low branches and cried herself to sleep.