Ginny swung around in terror.
"Tonks! What are you doing up here? I thought you were with Remus," she said.
"Going somewhere are we?"
"No, I'm just, um, tidying up my clothes, this rucksack here is my dirty clothes sack, and I was just, um, running to the laundry," Ginny lied convincingly.
"Are you sure? Ginny, what is going on? Where are Ron and Hermione?"
Ginny shifted nervously. She had two choices: She could fess up to Tonks and risk Hermione and Ron being caught before they could get to Harry or she could trick Tonks, slip past her, and run. With any luck, she'd make it to the broom cupboard without getting noticed. If she did not succeed, the truth would be forced out of her and she could possibly get in trouble for trying to get out of the house. However, Ginny was a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors did what was best for others, and not for themselves, even if it meant horrible consequences. Seeing this, Ginny devised a plan.
"Nothing's going on Tonks, in fact- okay fine. Last night, Ron took Hermione out to the lake behind the house, and they haven't come back yet, so I assumed they fell asleep out there. I didn't want Fred and George to take the mickey, so I didn't say anything. Of course, this doesn't mean that I won't," she finished with a wicked grin.
This seemed to convince Tonks, because she gave a quick nod, flashed a smile at Ginny, and left the room with a wink, indicating that she would keep it a secret. The second the door closed, Ginny let out a sigh. She hadn't realized that she had been gripping her rucksack so tightly. She had to act quickly because she couldn't keep up her ruse for long because Hermione and Ron would not come back through that door until they found Harry. So, Ginny acted normally all day, telling her mother and father that the two had been up in the one of the rooms cleaning out doxies. She even brought up extra sandwiches for lunch, in order to make her story more believable, but by the time dinner rolled around, Ginny realized that she was running out of time. There was an Order meeting before dinner, so Ginny had a small window. When she had finished doing chores for her, Hermione, and Ron, she told her mum that she would retire to her room for a nap during the meeting.
As soon as she got upstairs, she picked up her rucksack, left a short note on her bed, and quietly locked her door. With any luck, Fred and George would be preoccupied with listening on the meeting and not notice that she was not in her room. With her room being on the third floor, Ginny slowly descended the stairs. She was on her way to the first floor when she met a roadblock in the form of Remus and Sirius. They were heading upstairs on a short intermission from the meeting, and she would run into them if she kept heading up.
"Ginny? Where are you going?" Sirius inquired.
"Oh, um, I fancied a bit of fresh air, you know, been cooped up in a room all day, and I'm feeling a bit peaky,"
"With your rucksack?" Professor Lupin was staring at her with his eyebrow raised.
'Um, yes, excuse me," Ginny said as she rushed past them. She knew that her window would now be cut in half. She had to hurry if she meant to get out. She ended up jogging out of the back kitchen door, and she looked back. Sure enough, Remus and Sirius were calling after her. She decided to run. The broom shed was across the field, next to the lake, and the two men began to draw their wands. Red hair flying as she looked back, Ginny stumbled into the shed.
She was trapped. If she opened the door, she would either get hit with an immobilizing charm, and if she stayed in the shed, then she'd end up explaining what happened to the entire Order, which was not an option. No, she'd have to come out swinging. There was a small fragment of wood from the dilapidated roof lying on the floor, which she decided to use as a shield. She grabbed a broom and barged out, holding the plank of wood in front of her. Remus and Sirius, caught off guard and slightly confused, hesitated for only a moment, which was all Ginny needed. She swung, and knocked them both out with the broomstick.
"Sorry, it's for the best," she muttered. Her head snapped up when she heard shouts for Remus and Sirius emanating from the house. People were coming, having heard the ruckus she made outside. Quickly she mounted her broom and took off into the night, not having the slightest clue where to start looking first.