Chapter Eight
Ginny cheerfully took a bite of scrambled eggs.
Ginny was well aware of the fact that her family kept stealing glances at her.
They had been doing so all morning.
Fred and George had been good about it.
In fact, their glances were usually ones of admiration.
Her parents looked angry and slightly afraid.
Ron looked like he had something stuck in his throat.
Hermione seemed to want to say something but was holding back.
She heard Sirius clear his throat.
She turned and cracked up.
His face was an inch from hers, his eyes bulbous and unblinking.
"What are you doing!?" Ginny cackled.
"Haven't you heard?" Sirius replied, "Staring at you seems to be the new pastime."
The others frowned and Ginny continued to laugh.
Sirius winked and straightened back up.
"Well," Mrs. Weasley testily spoke up, "Perhaps we're all just waiting to see if Ginny's going to go berserk and start destroying the kitchen?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Making a mess is one thing," Hermione abruptly said, "But, Sirius, did you have to order Kreacher to clean it up? That was just cruel!"
"Hermione," Sirius slowly said, "It's his job."
"It's a cruel job."
"It's a cruel world," Sirius replied with a shrug.
"Indeed, it is."
They looked up at the unexpected voice.
Alastor Moody had entered the kitchen.
The Auror stretched and said, "'Meeting's starting in fifteen minutes."
"Children," Mrs. Weasley cried, "Upstairs."
They all groaned and grumbled.
Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione filed up the stairs.
Ginny paused at the door and turned.
"I know what you're going to say," Mrs. Weasley snapped, "And the answer is still 'no'."
Ginny angrily groaned.
"Ginny," Mr. Weasley spoke up, "Your mother and I know that you've been…that you've been rather concerned lately…about the things discussed in the meetings…but I want you to know…that there is nothing to be afraid of."
He glanced at his wife between each pause.
"Oh, that's a relief," Ginny sarcastically said, "For a moment, I thought that a really dark wizard was gathering an army to create a reign of terror."
Her father flushed and stammered.
"You can't hide the war from your kids," Moody spoke up.
"But I can hide my kids from the war," Mrs. Weasley retorted, "They're too…they're too young! They're too innocent!"
"DO YOU THINK TOM RIDDLE CARES!?"
Once again, all eyes turned to Ginny.
"Do you think he cares that we're innocent?" Ginny feverishly said, "Do you think that being innocent will make the Death Eaters will spare us? They don't care! Innocent people die in war all the time!"
Her eyes flickered over to Sirius and Moody's did the same.
Sirius' face had fallen and his eyes had dulled.
"That's why we need to be prepared," Ginny continued, "So that…Merlin forbid…if we're ever forced to fight…we'll be ready."
"Ooh," Moody muttered, "I like this one."
Sirius' solemn expression was replaced by a proud smile.
"Whose side are you on?" Mrs. Weasley snapped.
Moody surveyed her for a moment.
He then flicked his wand.
One of the glass panes leapt from the china cabinet and floated over.
It hovered between the members of the group.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley uncertainly said.
"Proving a point," Moody growled, "It's a shame that Muggle Sciences aren't well-known in the wizarding world. Especially Physics. Watch carefully."
Moody flicked his wand again.
A powerful spell hit the glass, causing an ugly crack to jut down the middle.
And yet, that wasn't the only crack. Other small cracks splintered from the main one, creating a pattern much like a spiderweb.
"See," Moody quietly said, "There are two sides. One on each side of the crack. But those sides aren't pure. See, the force of the first crack caused both sides to be fragmented. Dozens of little pieces are desperately clinging together. But when given the proper nudge…"
Ginny had stepped forward to carefully survey the glass.
She slowly brought her hand up and touched it with the tips of her fingers.
It was enough to cause the pieces to all fall.
Sirius grabbed her and pulled her out of harm's way.
The pieces hit the floor and shattered into even more pieces.
Moody triumphantly smiled and said, "…they fall."
Sirius waved his own wand and the pieces repaired themselves.
The piece of glass flew back to the cabinet.
"But I digress," Moody boomed, "Arthur, Molly, I have a job for you."
"What is it?" Mr. Weasley immediately asked.
"I need you to go to the Apothecary in Diagon Alley," Moody explained, "Here's a list of ingredients that I need. And here's some money to buy them. Bring back a receipt."
They nodded and quickly raced away.
Sirius closed the door after them.
"Right then," Moody cried, "Ginny, you can't come to the meetings."
Ginny's face fell.
"But," Moody continued, "That doesn't mean that we're leaving you in the dark."
Sirius nodded his head towards a chair and Ginny sat down.
The men did the same and Moody quietly said, "First thing's first…tell me everything about your encounter."
Ginny glanced at Sirius who solemnly nodded.
And so she repeated her story. She ended up tearing up at several parts but Moody and Sirius were kind enough to not say anything
When she was finished, Moody swore.
Ginny jumped and Moody growled, "How old are you?"
"F…fourteen."
"Damn," Moody sighed, "We can't recruit until seventeen."
"We?" Ginny repeated.
"The Auror Department."
Ginny's jaw dropped and she cried, "You think…you think that I'd be a good Auror?"
"Definitely," Moody immediately said, "You've already fought him once, haven't you?"
"She'd be a good Order member, too," Sirius pointedly said.
"Yeah, she would," Moody agreed, "But her parents are as stubborn as the backside of a hippogriff. We can't tell her anything…"
Ginny sighed.
Sirius surveyed her for a moment before saying, "So…we can't tell her that Voldemort's currently hiding in the Netherlands?"
Ginny's head shot up.
"Yeah," Moody agreed, "And we can't tell her that multiple accounts have declared that even though he's returned, he's still deformed and weaker than he has ever been."
"And we can't tell her that there's essentially no part of Tom Riddle left?"
"None at all," Moody replied, "It's as if we're fighting a completely different person. Tom Riddle is gone. 'Too bad we can't tell her."
"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "Too bad."
"Do you…do you mean it?" Ginny whispered.
"Mean what?" Moody and Sirius asked.
"Tom Riddle's really…gone?"
"I have no idea where you heard such highly classified information," Moody snapped.
A smile spread across Ginny's face and Sirius winked.
The three all looked towards the stairs as they heard Walburga shriek.
"People must be coming in for the meeting," Moody growled, "You'd better go."
Ginny nodded and quickly raced upstairs, passing a few of her professors along the way.
She raced all the way up to her bedroom.
"Where have you been?" Hermione asked.
"Talking to Moody and Sirius," Ginny truthfully said.
Hermione carefully surveyed her and asked, "Are you alright?"
Ginny didn't answer.
Yet, she did smile.
For the first time in years, a knot in her stomach was beginning to unwind.
There was still a monster out there.
But it wasn't her monster.
Not anymore.