After getting Severus to reluctantly promise that what he descovered would stay between them, Ginny quickly packed up her belongings and aimlessly walked around the castle. The sound of her shoes smacking against the stone floors of the castle did little to hush Severus's words as they replayed in her head.

She had been selfish and reckless and now she was paying the price.

Ginny tossed her bag across the corridor and kicked the nearest all in frustration, letting out a scream of frustration.

"Save some of that fire for the game on Saturday red."

Ginny turned around so fast her hair tangled together as she turned to face Sirius.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

Even though he adorned his signature grin, she could see the worry and concern in his eyes.

"Sirius what would happen to us if I had to go away?"

"Where are you going?"

"What if it was for a long time?" Ginny asked, ignoring his question.

Sirius took a couple steps closer, and Ginny took one step back causing Sirius to freeze. He regarded her now tousled hair, and her wild eyes and almost petrified expression and his features softened.

"Gin, no matter where you go, my thoughts will always be with you, if you had to leave now and it was weeks months or even a year before I saw you again nothing would change for me. I couldn't possibly ever love you less than I do right now, only more - if that's even possible."

Ginny felt like her heart was about to explode with all of the emotions coursing through it. Of course he would love her, and although that's what she wanted to hear, what she needed to hear, to make herself feel better. It was also the answer she dreaded, because now she knew that she would have to break his heart and hers.

She didn't even realize that she was crying, but suddenly Sirius closed the space between them and wrapped her in his arms. His free hand tucking the hair out of her face.

"I'm always going to love you Ginevra Dunham, if you had to leave now I would wait for you," Sirius whispered.

Ginny buried her head in Sirius's shoulder as he rubbed small circles on her back.

What Sirius didn't realize is that he would be waiting forever for someone who one day would cease to exist.

"I knew it!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up from the armchair she sat in moments before by the fire.

A couple of fourth years who were gathered around the chairs by the window glared at Hermione in response to her outburst.

"What is it?" Ron asked sitting up straight his hand reaching for his wand which laid abandoned on the table in front of him along with the book he was suppose to be reading.

"Time turners!" Hermione grinned.

Ron nudged Harry who had also dozed off while the two were suppose to be researching time travel with Hermione.

Harry sat up, his messy black hair more askew then usually as he adjusted his glasses attempting to appear causal.

"Oh it's alright, I found what we were looking for," Hermione beamed squeezing herself between both Harry and Ron on the couch.

"I knew I read something about time turners back in third year-" Hermione mumbled more to herself than the boys as she held the book open on her lap as she read aloud.

"One can only stay in the past for five hours at a time. Any more than five hours causes the traveler to change history causing grave danger to the future, but also erases the traveler himself."

"Err what?" Harry asked.

"That makes no sense, we know she was there for more than 5 hours," Ron grumbled.

"Didn't the book just say staying for more than five hours erases the traveler?" Harry asked, growing more confused.

"Erased as in sent back to the future?" Ron asked already knowing the answer.

"I don't think so," Harry responded, meeting Hermione's gaze, not willing to say what he knew she was thinking.

"But it's all speculation isn't it?" Hermione asked, wrapping her finger around a loose curl as she got lost in thought. "There isn't actually any proof that a traveler would di- get erased," Hermione added quickly noticing the shade of red Ron was turning.

"Exactly!" Harry chimed in excitedly. "What if it's just a warning that the Ministry put out because they didn't want anyone traveling so far back in time."

"Yea, some block just stuck that in book like a warning, you know how Zonkos have disclaimers on their tricks," Ron grinned.

"It is possible, in order to prevent someone from changing the course of history the time turners came with a warning."

"They don't just hand them out to anyone either," Harry added.

"Exactly they're kept under the close watch of the Ministry," Hermione agreed.

"So Ginny didn't get erased?" Ron asked.

"No i don't think so, I mean of course it would be complicated once she finally reaches the point where her future self goes to the past."

"But that's already happened, what if the reason there isn't anything in any of these books about travels who went to the future for more than five hours simply because no one has survived to tell the tale." Ron stated.

"But we know she was there for some time before she disa- before whatever happened, happened, if she was going to be erased I think it would have happened within a couple days," Harry countered

"I agree with Harry it doesn't make sense. What if she somehow changed something, and her impact was so great her presence in the past was entwined with history," Hermione suggested.

"But nothing has changed my parents are still dead, Voldemort is here," harry responded angrily.

"We wouldn't even realize if anything was different, to us it would be the same," Hermione stated.

"So really we know nothing," Ron grumbled his voice rising as he stood up from the couch.

"Ron," Harry scolded.

"No he's right Harry, it only leaves us with more questions," Hermione sighed closing the book.

"Lets tell Snape," Ron said turning towards his friends.

"What?" Both Harry and Hermione asked in unison.

"Sirius wrote to you to tell us not to trust Dumbledore, Snape has been helping us from the start, only proving what we already know- that they were friends when they attended Hogwarts together." Ron rambled.

"But Dumbledore-" Hermione started.

"No Ron is right, Sirius told us not to trust him with this, I believe Sirius, but Snape?"

"She's my little sister," Ron replied.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look before both nodding, both Harry and Hermione stood up and followed Ron through the portrait hole and let him lead them to Snape's office.

For once the trio were entrusting someone they had spent the last 6 years loathing, and as they made their way to the dungeons they couldn't help but feel as if they were finally one step closer to figuring out what happened to Ginny.