Chapter Three

It Hasn't Been This Way Before…

Ginny stared at Black Castle. She had been here nearly a week already and it was still a bit of a shock. Black Castle was quite imposing.

"Catch!"

Ginny turned and caught the Quaffle. She flashed a grin at Cedric and leaned forward on her broom.

"No fair!" Sirius laughed.

Ginny scored and flew her broom around, taking another look at Black Castle.

"You like it?" Draco asked, pulling his broom alongside hers.

"I don't know why," she said. "It's terribly…well it's incredibly forboding."

Draco chuckled. "That's how we do things in my family. It's either rainbows and sunshine or dark gloom and doom."

"Who wants lunch?" Sirius asked.

Ginny nodded as Draco and Cedric whooped in agreement.

The first day in the Castle had been full of tension on all parts. Sirius had essentially kidnapped the trio of them and even though she knew he was innocent, it was still strange to be around the man.

"Uncle Sirius," Draco said suddenly as they dismounted their brooms. "You never really told me how you're able to stay at Black Castle."

"You mean how it is that no one knows we're here? That's an easy one."

Ginny gathered the brooms and started towards the small shack that served at the broom shack, half listening to her boyfriend and her guardian.

"Black Castle caters to the Black family. I am a full Black. You are half a Black. With a Black in residence, the only people who could get in here without permission are fellow Blacks."

"Like Bella," Draco drawled.

"Technically, yes," Sirius admitted as Ginny rejoined them.

"However," he continued as they began their walk back to the Castle kitchens. "Because you're here as well, our collective needs supersede the needs of any other Black here. If Bella or even your mother were to come here, the Castle and the elves would be obligated to tell them we aren't here."

"So if I were to leave?" Draco asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Well, I am the oldest living member of the Black family so I would have seniority. In fact, the only way any other member would be able to find anything out was if they came in tandem. That is to say, if Bella, Andromeda and Narcissa all came after me, they would be able to out rank me as it were."

"Because there were more of them and their needs would be in tandem," Ginny guessed.

Sirius nodded. "You got it, Ginny. Now, let's have some lunch. After lunch, I want you all to meet me in the library."

Ginny glanced at the boys, not surprised to see looks of mild annoyance on their faces. Sirius had announced when they arrived that he planned on teaching them more advanced defensive and offensive spells. Ginny understood why he wanted to teach them. She also understood a little why the boys didn't really want to learn. To learn how to deflect more serious spells meant this war was real.

She had her own reasons for wanting to avoid the lessons. Such lessons were bound to bring up questions, especially concerning what she did after the tournament.

Questions she didn't want to answer.

(A/N: More insight into Ginny. There should be some more DG action to come. They're still getting used to each other, so expect for it to be a little slow for now.

To Margo: Fortunately I didn't lose any of this guy. Still, sorry for the delay.