Chapter 6- Trial and Error

Ginny was more excited than she had been any Monday morning in her entire schooling career. She ate breakfast with Luna, then waved goodbye enthusiastically and walked in a different direction than the majority of the other students. For once this year it was a good thing she was going to the Headmistress' office. McGonagall was waiting at the base, and said "Gobstoppers," before the gargoyle would move. She seemed to mumble something under her breath about changing the password, but they continued wordlessly.

When they got to the top of the stairs, Ginny followed McGonagall into the room. Nothing was different. She half expected this to be more of a classroom now, but realized she should have known better.

"You may place your things on the desk in the corner." Ginny followed the instructions. "Just your wand," McGonagall added. Ginny did that and came forward.

"I assume by the essays that you are ready for the practical side of the lessons."

"Alright," Ginny said.

"Today, you will be transfiguring into an animal."

Ginny froze. What did she know?

McGonagall looked impatient. "Well, why don't you get on with trying?"

"H-how--"

"Ms. Tonks told me about it," she clarified.

Ginny didn't know whether or not to consider this betrayal. "She told you?" were the only words she could find.

"Yes, and I'm surprised you hadn't talked to me about it before now. Hadn't I asked you to present me with your suggestions?"

Ginny swallowed. "I hadn't actually been able to do it," she said.

"I admit there are some difficulties to the matter. For one, we would rather not have the Ministry know about the Order's goings on."

"They don't have to," Ginny said. McGonagall looked interested. "I was reading about the laws and so long as I'm still a student, I don't need to register with the Ministry."

"I see," McGonagall said, looking rather pleased. "The other is the complexity of the spell, but that's something that can be worked out. The only question is: are you ready to use it for what you're asked to?"

Ginny nodded.

"Good," McGonagall said. "Now let's try it."

They spent the next hour working on the technique behind Animagus work. Ginny left more tired and feeling less accomplished than she had in a long time. "Wednesday we'll do this again," McGonagall said, sounding more confident than Ginny felt.

Several weeks of the lessons passed. During their fourth or fifth, Ginny had flickered into a fox at one point, causing McGonagall to almost shout in elation, but there hadn't been much success beyond that.

On top of classes (her favorite being Transfigurations by far) Quidditch was coming a little easier, since she didn't have to worry about becoming an Animagus in and outside of class. There was a much better balance overall, and Ginny was satisfied at the way things were turning out. The only discontent was that she couldn't help any sooner.

A few weeks before Winter break McGonagall paced back and forth for a little while, her pointer finger on her chin. "Would you like me to--?"

"Just a moment," she said. Ginny shut her mouth and waited. It seemed like several minutes before she discovered anything. "I want you to think," McGonagall said. Ginny tried to take it in the best she could. "I want you to concentrate on a forest, any forest you know well." Ginny thought of the woods near The Burrow. "Close your eyes… think about going through it. Think about how you might run, over the top of logs, under the brush, through the bushes."

Ginny nodded. Her perspective seemed to change through the exercise. McGonagall's voice appeared to get more and more excited. "Finding a spot to hide."

Ginny imagined herself looking side to side. There was a small hole to her right where she could run under. She did so.

"Now open your eyes."

Ginny followed the instructions, but only saw McGonagall's feet. In front of her a mirror, and reflecting back… a small and bright red fox. Ginny tried to shout, "I did it," but only a muted barking noise came out. She went closer to the mirror to inspect herself, amazed that it had finally happened, and long enough to see what it was like.

"Now, wander around the room, but don't get into anything," McGonagall said. Ginny did so, seeing how much agility she had and how she was able to squeeze through even the smallest space. There was one spot behind a desk full of vials. She took a breath in and continued forward, hoping to make it through. Before she was to the other side, there was a large crash that made her run. Thinking of herself again, her paws changed into hands and feet and she turned around, her heart beating quickly. "I'm sorry," Ginny said, but to her surprise, McGonagall was laughing.

"Magnificent!" she declared.

It took Ginny a moment of hesitation before she started to really let herself celebrate the success as well.

"Magnificent, Ginny," McGonagall said again. "I knew you could do it! Oh you were right Albus, you were right."

Ginny wondered if she would see McGonagall jig and laughed at the giddy thought as well as the elevating feeling of having something that would help. "When's my first assignment?" Ginny asked leaning forward.

McGonagall had a glint in her eyes. "Trial run first, m'dear," she said.

Several more weeks of lessons passed by with no sign of what the trial run might be. Ginny asked every time, but McGonagall just shook her head and went on. The classes would start with a review and practice of Animagus and then move on to other topics that needed to be addressed for N.E.W.T.s. Ginny didn't mind things so much, except that she wanted to be out there, crawling into the nooks and crannies that the Order had not yet seen because they didn't have anyone available for the job. She wanted more than anything to feel useful and as the weeks passed and as Christmas approached Ginny felt anything but useful.

The last lesson before break, Ginny walked into McGonagall's office and set her bag down. "You will be meeting me next Thursday," her professor announced, still looking down at the papers on her desk.

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

"You will meet me behind the shed at your house. You are dismissed for today," McGonagall clarified.

"But… it's—"

"I would suggest that you use this time for extra practice, Ms. Weasley, as it will be a tiring task, staying as a fox for longer than ten or twenty minutes." McGonagall finally looked up as she gave Ginny an exasperated look. "Please let me get to the work I must complete before my break starts as well."

Ginny smiled despite herself and ran, thanking McGonagall as she left. She could have sworn she heard a chuckle.

Arriving at home had been quite the event. It was like she had been gone several decades instead of several months. Fleur even seemed excited to see her. "It's so good to have you home," Ginny's mum had said through a flood of tears. Harry had stood back, eventually saying hi and keeping a bit of distance. Ginny's heart nearly broke. She reminded herself that she expected it, though her visions of their time at Christmas had been far from this.

The days went by slowly, the traditions of Christmas becoming a large mesh as she waited for Thursday. She received an Owl about the time on Wednesday night and counted down the hours until the clock finally said 2:00. She went towards the shed, carefully avoiding the looks of Ron, Hermione and especially of Harry. She had told him she would be reading in her room when they had invited her to a game of Quidditch.

Ginny started to feel abandoned as she saw no figure of McGonagall while she approached the spot behind the shed. She looked at her watch again, wondering it wasn't really the time she thought, but before she realized, there was McGonagall… in cat form. Ginny watched as she turned back into human form, watching every way to make sure that no one had seen her. Ginny didn't expect that she had told her mum for the same reason Ginny hadn't herself: the worry.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Weasley," McGonagall said.

"Good afternoon," Ginny said. She didn't dare say more in case she said the wrong thing and screwed up her chances to prove herself in whatever tasks were given her.

"Today you will be collecting a few items. I will follow where you go to ensure that no real danger occurs, but let me assure you that this is as real as any test. You are not to be caught." Ginny nodded. "I have laid out several gold balls for you to find. You will obviously find them as a fox. Your goals are to keep cover. Do not be caught by anyone. Each ball is charmed that when you press your nose to it, it will vanish back to their original location. I will not be helping you find them, but you should know that they are on the Weasley property."

Ginny nodded again, deciding not to argue that the Weasley property was several acres large. With that they both changed into their distinctive mammals and were on their way. Ginny stayed low the ground, deciding on the forest first. She started at a slow pace, then picked it up, running full speed ahead. She didn't even notice McGonagall until the cat form jumped in front of her, stopping her and looking skyward, trying to show her something. Ginny looked up and saw a hawk swooping down just where Ginny would have been.

"Pay attention," Ginny thought she heard as McGonagall meowed. She started pacing herself again, looking up every now and again even as the trees of the woods gave them some covering. She sniffed the ground, surprised at how vivid the smells seemed. She could distinguish the scent of a squirrel. A wild boar passed through not too long before. She sniffed more to the left. There it was! McGonagall!

She started in the direction, sniffing every now and again to keep going the right way. The trail of scent seemed to go on forever and Ginny was about to turn back into her human self to demand from McGonagall where the balls were when she saw something glittering just up ahead. She smiled a sly grin and bounded up to it. There was a loud mewing and something hit Ginny's side. She jumped up and looked around. There was another cat, a wild tabby ready to attack.

Ginny bent low to the ground, ready to defend when McGonagall came up and swiped at the cat. She looked between the now brawling felines. The tabby seemed more a kitten as McGonagall pushed it around. It still seemed determined to get at Ginny, though, clicking its teeth. Ginny looked to her right and ran towards the golden ball. She touched her nose to it and the ball began to shrink as she turned herself into human form, panting. Her breath showed in the freezing air.

By the time she looked back the tabby's eyes were wide and it backed away, running. McGonagall looked towards her and transformed. "You must be more aware," McGonagall said.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said. This was more difficult than she realized.

"We'll have to teach you how to fight the smaller animals another day," McGonagall said. "For now, just crouch low and look vicious and they'll back off."

Ginny nodded, still catching her breath. "How many more are there?"

"Three," McGonagall said.

Ginny turned back into a fox, determined that McGonagall wouldn't have to save her anymore. She successfully scared off a snake, though it didn't look ready to attack anyways, and found two more of the balls. She sniffed around the ground, looking and ready to find the last one. She had almost completed her test and was starting to feel a rather large amount of success well up in her little fox chest.

She noticed that she was approaching the garden with the last trail and stopped just as the woods ended. Ron and Harry were degnoming. Hermione was sitting nearby, bundled up against the snow that lay in piles around her. Ginny crouched lower, hoping that the banks would give her enough cover. She approached the spot sunk in with a gold ball in the center. McGonagall stayed back as Ginny went, which made things a little less conspicuous.

Ginny neared it, the snow crunching beneath her feet slightly. She tried to walk lighter. She was inches away, centimeters, her nose touched and something grabbed her.

"Look at this," Ron said, holding his sister up by her tail. "What's this doing around here?"

Ginny and Ron used to get rid of the foxes all the time. She was feeling bad for having done so now as she squirmed to get loose. The sorrow for the past foxes didn't surpass her anger at Ron, though. "Fiesty little bugger, isn't it?" Ron asked. Harry was just standing there watching.

"Put it down, Ron," Hermione said, standing.

"Yes put me down!" Ginny demanded. It came out as a series of barks.

"Vocal too," Ron said. "I've never had one do that."

He looked interestedly down as Ginny pulled her torso up, taking hold of his bare wrist with her teeth. "OW!" he yelled, letting her go. She ran for the forest where McGonagall was waiting. "That bloody beast bit me!"

Ginny didn't feel the least bit sorry for Ron as she fumed, following wherever it was that McGonagall was leading. They went a long way around, arriving back at the shed at the burrow. They both transformed.

Ginny was still angry.

"You were caught," McGonagall said, her voice brimmed with remorse.

"It wasn't my fault!" Ginny exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Patience is a virtue, Ms. Weasley," McGonagall said. "It's important to wait, if you don't know what will happen. You could have waited until they were bored and left—"

"But they could have been there for hours!"

"So you should have waited for hours." McGonagall's voice was filled with authority and finality. "What would you have done if it had been a Deatheater? You-know-who wouldn't have let you go so easily. Remember that he can read the thoughts of animals as well as wizards and witches. You aren't immune just because you're a fox."

Ginny looked away firmly, folding her arms across her chest.

"We'll try again another time," McGonagall said. "I need to meet with your parents now."

McGonagall walked away as Ginny sat by the shed, tears starting to fall in frustration and anger. She waited and walked into her house through the kitchen, ignoring everyone as she headed for the stairs. Vaguely she noticed Hermione bandaging up Ron.

Storming up to her room, Ginny shut the door and sat on her bed, letting the tears fall down silently. She thought about what had happened, replayed every mistake in her mind. The concentration became so much that the tears stopped and she didn't notice the door open.

"Ginny?" a voice asked softly.

Ginny looked up. "Hi, Harry," she said, still sitting.

"You alright?"

"No," Ginny said. "But I'll figure it out."

Harry walked sat down next to Ginny on the bed, his arm touching hers. "I've missed you," he said.

"Then why don't you write?" Ginny asked, looking at him. He opened and shut his mouth several times. "Never mind," Ginny sighed. She began to turn the other way, but Harry caught her chin making her look back at him.

"I worry about you," Harry said. "I can't write without worrying you too, so what's the point?"

"The point is that my imagination is far worse than anything you could tell me," she said. "You forget that Draco Malfoy already knows that we dated and as far as he's concerned we may still well be, so what's the harm of a few letters?"

Harry sighed and looked straight ahead. "I've started so many letters," he confessed. "A million of them, maybe, but they don't seem like enough alright?"

Ginny swallowed. Harry continued. "You know the truth is that once he's gone, once Voldemort can't do anything else, I'm coming for you and nothing's going to keep me away."

"It would still be nice to get an owl every now and again."

"Alright," Harry said with a nod. "Just understand that I can't put what I really feel in a letter. It's not enough."

The corners of Ginny's mouth lifted slightly. She leaned over, putting her head on Harry's shoulder. For now they were out of sight and their little bit of time together was safe. He placed an arm around her waist and they just sat there until Molly called everyone down to dinner.

A/N: So that's all for now folks! It's been a while I know, but I moved and am now more settled and (after several hundred dollars) I have my computer well updated and ready for the task of writing. J I hope you enjoy!