Author's Note: I am so sorry for the hiatus! Life got extremely busy!
Before the chapter, I want to answer a comment by Weasley89:
I have to admit, I'm really torn between picking Molly's side and picking Ginny's side.
Good! That's the best mentality to have!
I've seen a few other commenters chastise Ginny. I've seen some commenters really chastise Molly. And while I do have to snicker at those ones, I love comments like this – that really understand that neither one is completely right and neither one is completely wrong. In the end, the two of them are going to have a better understanding of each other. But it has to get worse before it gets better.
Chapter Eleven
"Ginny, wake up!"
Ginny flushed as she jerked awake.
Once again, she had fallen asleep in the midst of cleaning.
Her mother was giving her a reproachful look.
"If you're not going to help clean," Mrs. Weasley bit, "Why don't you at least get started on your homework?"
Ginny scowled.
Why did her professors have to give her homework over the summer anyway?
Fortunately, she had a very good excuse as to why she couldn't do it.
"I can't," Ginny replied, "My books are at the Burrow."
"What?" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, "I told you to pack everything!"
"I'm sorry!" Ginny exclaimed, "I was in such a rush…"
She scrambled to her feet and continued, "Anyway, we're going to go back, aren't we?"
"Perhaps," Mrs. Weasley retorted, "Perhaps not. We may very well be here for the remainder of the summer!"
On the other side of the room, the twins let out a groan.
Sirius entered the room and glumly said, "Believe me, I'm not looking forward to staying here anymore than you are. I've had just about enough of this place."
"At least you can leave," Fred argued.
"Yeah," George groaned, "We're trapped here."
A dark shadow crossed over Sirius' face and he muttered, "Blimey, I wish that I could leave. But Dumbledore's forcing me to stay here."
The twins looked aghast.
Ginny had already known; Sirius had told her over their midnight tea.
"He can't do that!" Fred immediately cried.
"You're…what?" George added, "Thirty-five!?"
"Dumbledore reckons that it's for his own protection," Ron spoke up.
His arms were elbow-deep in a bucket of soapy water.
Sirius muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Yeah, physical protection."
Ginny's heart went out to him.
She knew that he had managed to get out when he was sixteen.
And now, he was trapped here once more.
"Anyway, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley was saying, "I suppose that I'm going to have to take you over there so that you can get your books."
"Why not have Sirius take me?"
The words were out of Ginny's mouth before she knew what she was saying.
Her mother's lips made a thin line.
Sirius looked significantly perked up at the mere thought.
"You heard Professor Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley retorted, "Sirius can't leave."
"He left last week," Ginny pointed out, "When he was the only one to come after me."
She said this part loudly and added, "Honestly, we'll pop over to the Burrow for a few minutes and pop right back. This way you can get the cleaning done."
Mrs. Weasley hesitated.
At long last, she cried, "Ah…it won't work! The Ministry monitors the Floo. I'm sure that Fred or George wouldn't mind Apparating you there."
"Actually, Mum," Fred spoke up, "We've been feeling a bit ill."
"Yeah," George agreed, "We don't want to end up Apparating her to the wrong spot."
Mrs. Weasley shuddered at the thought.
Ginny could have hugged them.
"I'm skilled at Apparation," Sirius coaxingly said, "I was the first in my class to get it right. 'Nearly took out James' legs as I landed right on top of him."
"Oh, very well!" Mrs. Weasley snapped, "You have five minutes to Apparate there and back. Five minutes! Is that clear?"
"Five minutes," Sirius agreed.
Mrs. Weasley still looked doubtful.
But before she could change her mind, Sirius held out his arm.
Ginny eagerly raced forward and grabbed it.
The next few minutes of her life were indescribable. She felt as though she was being ripped apart, turned inside out, turned rightside out once more, and placed back together.
She finally landed on a hardwood floor.
Sirius helped her to her feet and asked, "Was that your first time Side-Apparating?"
She dazedly nodded.
Sirius laughed and cried, "Well, you did brilliantly."
Ginny clutched pounding head and glanced around.
The two were standing in the cramped kitchen of the Burrow. She smirked as she realized that there was a thin layer of dust over everything. Her mother would be horrified.
Ginny abruptly frowned as she spotted a piece of parchment on the counter.
She picked it up and immediately flushed with anger.
"Juniper?" Sirius spoke up, "What's wrong?"
"Look at this," Ginny hissed.
"Parchment!" Sirius exclaimed, "My age-old enemy!"
Ginny was too furious to even crack a smile.
Sirius sobered and asked, "What does it say?"
"'We're staying at 12 Grimmauld Place – Love, Mum!'"
"You're joking!" Sirius gasped.
He crossed the room and read over her shoulder.
There was no denying the words.
When Sirius spoke, it was obvious that he was forcing himself to be calm, "Your mother left the address of the headquarters sitting on the kitchen counter?"
His voice rose as he cried, "Why would she do that!?"
"Percy," Ginny immediately said, "I bet you anything that she left it there in case he came back."
"But Percy's working for the Ministry!" Sirius shrieked, "You said so yourself!"
Ginny began to feverishly pace the kitchen.
"How could she do this?" Ginny muttered, "How could she be so stupid?"
She finally broke off and whispered, "At least we saw it before someone else."
Sirius nodded, lost in his thoughts.
Ginny raced upstairs to get her books.
When she came back down, she saw that Sirius was warily peering through the window.
He abruptly gave a start and cried, "What is that?"
"What?"
"That!" Sirius yelped, "What is…?"
He wrenched the door open and raced out into the garden.
"Sirius," Ginny exclaimed, "What are you doing?"
She threw the books onto the counter and anxiously ran after him. Sirius' face was a mixture of emotions as he stared at an old motorbike that was propped up against the shed.
"Oh, that," Ginny dismissively said, "That's Dad's."
"The hell it is!"
"Well, alright," Ginny huffed, "It's not his per say but Hagrid passed it along to him a few years ago. He's been trying to fix it ever since. It won't even start."
Sirius smirked and slyly said, "That's because it only starts for its owner."
He cleared his throat and roared, "ALLUMER!"
The motorbike abruptly roared to life.
Ginny's jaw dropped and she excitedly laughed.
Sirius smirked as she stammered, "It's…it's…yours!?"
"I haven't ridden this thing in fourteen years," Sirius fondly said, "Blimey, the memories! If motorbikes could talk…"
He abruptly swung his leg over the seat and cried, "Well?"
"You're joking!"
"You don't have to, of course," Sirius quickly said, "I just thought…"
Ginny was already grabbing a helmet.
Sirius put on one of his own and she climbed up behind him.
Sirius pulled the video camera from his pocket and tapped it with his wand. It immediately floated into the air, aiming to follow them.
She squeezed the sides of the seat as he shouted, "AVANT!"
The motorbike shot forward.
Ginny screamed with excitement as it zoomed out of the garden and down the dusty country road. She noticed that none of the dust seemed to be hitting them. In fact, it was almost as if there was an invisible shield around the motorbike. She let out a loud whoop as the video camera flew around them.
The motorbike drove down the abandoned country roads, weaving and bobbing around the corners. Even though Sirius hadn't driven it in nearly a decade and a half, he was still an expert. The bike obeyed his every command. Ginny gasped as she took in the sights. It was a beautiful summer's day. She could see the fields spread out like a patchwork quilt. She could see the mountains reach towards the clouds. She could see the trees basking in the sun. She could see the wildlife scampering about and enjoying the warm day.
"Do you trust me?" Sirius abruptly yelled.
"I wouldn't be on this if I didn't!" Ginny shrieked.
Sirius smiled and drove them right off of a cliff.
Before Ginny could even comprehend what had happened, Sirius screamed, "VOLER!"
Ginny gasped as the motorbike abruptly lifted into the air.
They were flying!
Her head twisted and turned as she tried to take in everything. They were literally riding on top of the clouds. The sun was just beginning to set and the world below was painted in oranges and pinks. She eventually let go of the seat and spread her arms out, much like a bird, whooping and screaming.
This went on for several minutes before Sirius cried, "Alright, hang on! Tightly!"
She complied and he caused the motorbike to do a backwards loop through the air.
Ginny gasped and tightly held on. Her stomach seemed to replace her heart. The clouds were above her! Stars were beginning to come out. It was breathtaking!
Sirius eventually turned the motorbike rightside up again.
"As much as I hate to say this," Sirius cried, "We should probably be heading back."
Ginny groaned but reluctantly agreed.
Sirius steered the motorbike back towards the Burrow.
Ginny amazedly glanced down at all of the sights before frowning.
It was getting dark but she could swear that three figures were walking up the dirt pathway to her house.
"Sirius, look!"
Sirius also frowned. Not wanting to risk it, he dropped the motorbike down into a thicket of trees that was about the length of a Quidditch pitch away from the garden.
The two crouched behind a tree, occasionally peeking out.
"Are those…are those Ministry officials!?" Sirius gasped.
'How can you tell?" Ginny asked.
"James' father was an Auror," Sirius explained, "He wore a uniform just like that."
"What do we do!?"
Sirius squinted and gasped, "Hang on…"
"What!?"
His eyes widened and he whispered, "No…no…"
"Sirius," Ginny demanded, "What's wrong?"
Sirius turned towards her but didn't know what to say.
"What's wrong?" Ginny repeated.
"Well," Sirius matter-of-factly said, "It's just…"
"Just what!?"
"The Minister for Magic is at your house."