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The Brotherhood

~~~ Chapter Nine ~~~

Dumbledore was troubled. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat in the chairs in front of his desk, Molly sobbing softly. They had just finished telling the story of what had happened earlier that night.

Dumbledore knew that Ginny did not believe Harry was guilty of the crimes he was imprisoned for, but for her to leave with him when he stopped at the Weasley's house? That wasn't something that he thought she would do.

Why would Harry and Black go to The Burrow in the first place? Was it just to get Ginny? Was that why she left with them? Or was there some other reason?

Dumbledore frowned. He was used to being able to make sense of everything, but he didn't understand this. Maybe if Harry alone came to get Ginny, she would go with him, but Black was with him. Obviously, Harry trusted Black, but Ginny knew that Black was guilty, even if she said Harry wasn't.

Sighing, Dumbledore showed the Weasley parents out of his office, and sat down to think further into the situation. There had to be some sort of explanation.

~~~TB~~~

Ginny trudged after the two convicts, her breath coming out in gasps and clutching a cramp in her side. "Can we stop yet?" she asked.

Harry glanced over at Sirius, who sighed. He muttered something quietly to Harry and then turned around. "We don't have far to go. We just have to get out of the area before the sun rises," he informed her.

Ginny huffed and sent Harry a look. "How can you handle this?" she asked him.

Harry wasn't breathing heavily at all. The pace they had been going didn't bother him even the least little bit. "I'm used to it," he murmured in reply, then set off, Sirius walking by his side.

Ginny frowned, but followed. She had volunteered herself for this, after all.

~~~TB~~~

Remus Lupin found himself standing, once again, in Dumbledore's office. The older man was watching him with calculating eyes, waiting for an answer.

Remus himself was considering the question. It was difficult, but Remus thought he had an answer.

"No,"

Dumbledore sighed. "Remus, you're the best choice. If anyone can find Harry, Black, and Miss Weasley, it would be you. You Black the best, and he is most likely the one leading the group," he tried to convince the werewolf.

"I don't want anything to do with Black," Remus stated, bitterly.

"Just, don't say no yet, Remus. Think on it and get back to me," Dumbledore pleaded.

Remus shook his head, but didn't protest any further, letting Dumbledore know that he would at least think about it.

~~~TB~~~

"We're here," announced Sirius grandly as the trio entered a small meadow. They could see the sun rising through the trees and Ginny was grateful for the light, not used to spending most of her waking hours in the dark like the other two.

Harry took off his backpack and dropped it on the ground before plopping down beside it. Sirius did the same. Ginny sat down on a rock instead of the dirty ground.

Sirius, who was sitting close to Harry, muttered something under his breath to his Godson and Harry shrugged before replying, just as softly.

Ginny watched them carefully. It seemed that these two were fairly close and she felt like she was intruding, although Harry had very willingly accepted her request to go with him.

"Time for introductions, I think," Sirius suddenly said, breaking the silence that filled the meadow. "I'm Sirius Black, also known as Padfoot."

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny replied, studying Sirius intently. Even if Harry was hanging around him, he could still be a criminal, and that made her weary.

"He's innocent," Harry stated, seeing Ginny's hesitant expression.

"The world just doesn't know it yet. Our quest is to prove to the world that we are both innocent," Sirius informed her.

"But you came looking for Scabbers, right? What does Scabbers have to do with proving your innocence?" Ginny questioned.

Sirius and Harry exchanged a look. "I think it's time you heard the full story," Sirius said.

Harry figured that Sirius was going to only tell Ginny about how he was falsely imprisoned, so he was startled when Sirius started with the sentence, "I was born into one of darkest families in the wizard world."

Harry, however, listened with fascination as his Godfather told about how he grew up in the dark family. Sirius continued straight on through Hogwarts, letting Ginny know just the basics of his time there, mainly making his friends and then becoming animagus. Finally, he told her everything that had happened since he graduated, James and Lily's wedding, Harry's birth, suggesting Peter for the secret keeper, the Halloween night, being sent to Azkaban, meeting Harry there, and then escaping. He finished by saying that he had figured out that Scabbers and Wormtail was the same rat, and that was why he had gone to The Burrow.

Ginny listened with rapt attention, taking it all in. When Sirius finished with a slightly awkward, "And now you know everything," she murmured, "No kidding,"