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No Longer the Damsel in Distress | ||||
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Category: The Marauders Map Challenge (2008-6) Characters:All, All Genres: General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 16 Summary: When Fred and George give Ginny an amazing map the year after the Chamber, she finds her life will never be the same. Submitted for the Marauder's Map Challenge (2008-6) Hitcount: Story Total: 3398 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: OK, so i barely made the deadline! This is my first challenge, and by far the longest single-chapter I've ever written! *pat self on back* :) A couple things though: 1) I know how you really get past the Whomping Willow, but Ginny doesn't, so that is why I had her use the spell. 2) I take no credit for the lines I have borrowed from the movie. 3) Rated PG-13 just to be safe. 4) REVIEW! |
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Ginny Weasley ducked her head, trying as much as possible to hide her face as she walked swiftly away from her last class of the day. She all but sprinted up to the second floor from the dungeons and pushed through the crowded corridor into the extremely deserted girl’s restroom. She dropped her black dragon-hide book bag that her older brother Charlie had given her, not caring that all her belongings spilled out as she slid down against the uniform brick wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. She rested her head in her arms and let the tears that had been threatening to spill since halfway through her double potions lesson seep slowly down her cheeks. Since the semester had started, she had heard the whispers and rumors and so far she had been able to deal with them without any waterworks; obviously, not anymore. She hated crying. She hated feeling sorry for herself. She hated being the damsel in distress; the one who has to be saved. She hated how spiteful people could be. But most of all, she hated Tom Riddle, and everything to do with him. That’s why she allowed herself to cry now, all alone, sitting on the cold tile floor of the girl’s restroom. She leaned her head back against the cold brick and tried to control her tears. She knew it wasn’t her fault for opening the Chamber last year. She knew it wasn’t her fault for petrifying all of those people. But obviously, her classmates didn’t know that. And for some odd reason, that’s why she came here to be alone. Anyone who knew what truly happened to Ginny would wonder why on earth she would come to this particular restroom to calm down when things became too much. The room had been such an important part of her terrors from the year before, but for some reason that was why Ginny came here. Instead of discouraging and depressing her, the restroom did the opposite. It reminded her of how much she fought the evil piece of crap that has caused her so much trouble. She had been able to fight back against the, for lack of better word, man by trying to destroy the all-controlling diary. Remembering that helped her every time the gossip became too much. Plus, the fact that no girl dared to enter Moaning Myrtle’s restroom helped, also. Myrtle, being on good terms with and not bothering Ginny, was also helpful. By now, Ginny had pulled herself together enough to leave, but she hesitated, knowing that her brothers would have noticed her absence after classes. Ginny groaned and dropped her head once again at the thought. Her brothers were a whole other story. All of them, even Percy, had been acting extremely protective of their youngest and only sister lately. It’s not that she didn’t appreciate their concern, but it would have been nicer to have them watching over her last year when she really needed it, and their constant scrutiny meant that even she was even starting to doubt her own judgment. Granted, she didn’t have the best track record in the world. Just then, Myrtle flew over to Ginny and sat, or rather floated, beside her. “The girls again?” she asked in her high, nasally voice. Ginny sighed. “It was Snape this time,” she answered quietly. “He made some asinine comment about my judgment being as terrible as my potions skills.” “I wouldn’t be talking if I were him,” Myrtle said. “I’ve been around here a long time and know firsthand just how good his own ‘judgment’ is.” Ginny snorted quietly, actually laughing. “Yeah, I know. It just…hit a nerve.” “You better go,” Myrtle said, a bit louder. “I don’t want that obnoxious head-boy brother of yours to come in here looking for you.” “Yeah,” Ginny sighed and began repacking her spilled belongings into her book bag. “See you later, Myrtle,” Ginny stood up and left the restroom, feeling just a little better than before as she trudged to Gryffindor tower. Ginny didn’t know why or how she had actually become friends with the infamous Moaning Myrtle. Maybe the ghost just liked having someone as miserable as she was around...Someone to be miserable with. Ginny plastered on her ‘normal’ look and made her way to the Great Hall, knowing it was now only minutes before the students would start showing up for their evening meal, and she would be at the mercy of her heartless classmates once again. ..... Ginny sat on her bed in the second year Gryffindor girls’ dormitory, her curtains closed and a textbook on her lap. She much preferred studying here than in the common room…too many people. She was deep into her reading assignment when she heard two loud cracks, her favorite twin brothers appearing at the end of her bed, making her jump higher than a spooked blast-ended-skrewt. “Merlin!” She shouted, throwing her History of Magic book at them. “How in the bloody hell did you do that?” She held a hand against her heart, which was pumping maniacally. “Like we would tell you,” Fred snorted, tossing the book back at his sister. George laughed at his twin and grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” He chuckled at the death glare he was receiving from his little sister, but then became instantly somber “You know, Fred,” he started. “Yes, George?” “I was thinking…” “What were you thinking, George?” “Well, I was thinking that if our dear sister wasn’t going to be grateful and play along…” “Yes, George?” “Maybe we shouldn’t give her the wonderful, priceless gift we have brought for her.” “Ah, I see your point, my brother.” “Oh, just cut it out!” Ginny snapped. “We all know you are still planning on giving me whatever gift you plan on giving me, so just get on with it.” “George?” “Yes, Fred?” “I do believe she has a point also.” “So do I, my brother.” “Would you like to do the honors, George?” “I would love to, Fred,” George reached inside his robes and pulled out a thick, folded piece of parchment. He held it in his hands, just above eye-level, as if in reverence, before slowly lowering it and handing it over to his annoyed sister. “An old piece of parchment?” She asked, already knowing that the object had to be more than it appeared. Fred gasped with a look of mock horror on his face. “A piece of parchment? I’m ashamed.” “Really, dear sister, we expected more of you,” George said, feigning the same horrified look his twin displayed. Ginny narrowed her eyes and examined the ‘gift’, unfolding and refolding it until she raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “It’s a map,” her question sounded more like a statement. “Ah, Ginny-Pinny, that’s more like it.” Ginny rolled her eyes in disgust at the vile nickname her brothers had bestowed on her as a child. “Hm… It’s blank…but there must be some kind of stupid spell you two made up to be able to read it…” “Close enough,” George shrugged his shoulders and Fred nodded. Ginny thought silently. If her brothers had made this…map, they would only be using it for one reason: Trouble. And, that would be the only reason they would want anyone to use this map… Maybe the spell had something to do with… “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” She said clearly, pointing her wand on the parchment. She threw a triumphant look at her absolutely shocked brothers when the spider webs of ink began to form quickly across the page. “Merlin, you’re better than we thought,” Fred muttered, completely serious for one rare moment. Ginny smirked. “Your bedroom is right above mine, you know… Maybe you should learn to use your inside voices.” George shrugged. “True.” Ginny looked back down at the parchment, which now had writing all over it. “Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder’s Map,” She read aloud and looked up at her brothers with curiosity. There was an ink drawing of Hogwarts on the front with the words written in beautiful calligraphy. “Explain.” “Well, you see Horntail,” George started and Ginny grinned at the nickname she much preferred over ‘Ginny-Pinny’. “This is the secret to our success,” Fred said, for once not continuing George’s thought. Ginny looked closely at the opened map and her eyes widened at the small moving dots moving around the map, names written above them in the same beautiful calligraphy that was on the front of the map. “Is that really…?” Ginny asked as she once again looked at her brothers, curiosity etched on her face. “Dumbledore,” “In his study,” “…Pacing. He does that a lot.” “So this map shows…?” Ginny looked down excitedly. “Everyone.” “Really?” she asked, unfolding the map more to look at Gryffindor tower. Sure enough, she, Fred, and George were represented as dots, clustered together in the dormitory. “Where they are,” “What they’re doing,” “Every minute,” “Of every day.” “Brilliant!” Ginny exclaimed. She quickly became suspicious. “Where’d you get it?” “Filch’s office, of course,” George said. “First year,” Fred reminisced. “The idiot keeps everything he’s confiscated in large, Muggle filing cabinets with the names of who he confiscated them from. Except… this didn’t have a name.” Despite his explanation, Ginny remained suspicious. “Why would you give this to me?” The twins exchanged a look, becoming serious. “We’ve decided your need for it is greater than ours.” Ginny raised her eyebrows. “It can help you get away…lets you know who’s coming…we figure, this way, you won’t spend so much time sitting on the floor of a bathroom.” Ginny opened her mouth to defend herself, but with two large cracks, they were gone again. She huffed. How in Merlin’s name did they figure out how to Apparate inside Hogwarts? ……… “Where have you been lately?” Hermione exclaimed to Ginny as she dropped her dark green book bag on the table at which Ginny sat. They were in the common room, so loud, sudden exclamations didn’t generally faze Ginny, but Hermione’s did. Looking up from the novel she was currently reading. “Ummm…” She stuttered. Truthfully, during the past few days, she had been roaming the castle in her free time, exploring the hidden passageways shown on the map. “I--.” “Never mind, you’re here now, I suppose,” Hermione sighed and dropped down in the empty seat next to Ginny. “How’ve you been?” “Oh, I don’t know, Hermione. Let’s see, there is a psycho mass-murderer on the loose out to kill Harry, those ruddy Dementors keep interfering with the bloody school, and we lost the Quidditch match with Hufflepuff of all houses. Hufflepuff! I’m doing just fine. Fan-bloody-tastic,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the brilliant witch in front of her. Hermione looked apprehensive. She lowered her voice before saying, “Ginny, there is something I want to tell you.” Ginny glanced around the crowded common room. This sounded too important to reveal in the crowded common room. Too many ears. “Not here,” she said. “Too many people. Follow me.” Four minutes later, Hermione and Ginny stood in front of a giant painting of a large bowl of fruit. “Ginny, where are we?” Hermione asked. Instead of answering, Ginny reached up and tickled the picture of a large pear. Both the pair and Ginny started to giggle, and the pear turned into a large doorknob, which Ginny quickly turned and stepped through the portrait hole. Hermione followed quickly. By the time Hermione figured out where they were and had finished observing the high ceilings and large fireplaces of the bustling kitchens, the house elves had set a small table for two laden with small desserts and hot chocolate. The friends sat down and Hermione looked at Ginny curiously. “How did you find this? Ginny hesitated. “If I tell you, you must swear not to tell anyone else unless I give you the OK.” “Fine,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “Swear?” “Yes! Just tell me! I told you about the Time Turner…” “Ok,” Ginny sighed. She reached into the pocket of her robes and took out the blank Marauder’s Map. She touched her wand to the front and recited the humorous incantation. She opened up the map and thrust it toward Hermione, who examined it quickly. “This is Hogwarts,” She observed needlessly. “But… Merlin! This shows everyone inside Hogwarts! Wherever did you get this?” Ginny took a bite of treacle tart and savored the taste before answering, “Where do you think?” Hermione shook her head. “Fred and George.” “Right in one,” Ginny took another bite of her dessert. “Anyway,” She took the map from Hermione and said, “Mischief managed,” before stuffing the map back into her robes. “Ginny, please be careful with that,” Hermione looked concerned. “If that were to end up in the hands of--.” “I know,” Ginny cut her off. “It’s a map to Harry. What were you going to tell me?” Hermione took a slow sip of hot chocolate before speaking again. “Well, in Hogsmeade earlier today, we, meaning Harry, Ron, and I… we overheard something.” “What?” Ginny asked, lowering her voice even though it was unnecessary to do so. “Sirius Black… He was Harry’s parents’ best friend. He’s Harry’s godfather, even! He betrayed James and Lily. He was their secret keeper, and he told You Know Who where they were hiding,” Hermione looked like she was going to cry as she told Ginny this. “Bloody hell,” Ginny whispered, her face going so white that her many light freckles were a stark contrast against her skin. “I know,” Hermione said, for once not scolding Ginny for her language. “It was terrible enough already, what with the man murdering those twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew.” Ginny froze as she reached for a brownie. “Peter Pettigrew?” She attempted to ask nonchalantly. Apparently she succeeded, because Hermione answered without hesitation. “Yes. It’s tragic. Peter Pettigrew, Sirius, and James had been very close friends at school. After Sirius betrayed James and Lilly, Peter confronted him about it. Sirius exploded and killed Peter along with twelve Muggles who were nearby. All they could find of Peter was a finger.” Ginny quickly ran through different scenarios and possibilities in her head. “Did Pettigrew have a family?” Hermione paused for a moment, but answered. “No,” she said, looking at her friend curiously. “Why?” Ginny knew Fred and George would be proud if they knew how fast she thought up the lie. “Oh, I was just thinking how horrible it would’ve been for his wife and kids if he had any.” Hermione instantly believed the lie and dropped the subject. “These poor elves…” She began. Ginny felt bad for tuning out her friend, but she had to in order to think. Maybe the map doesn’t always work, she thought. He had seen the name Peter Pettigrew many times while observing the map, but never thought anything of it. She nodded at something Hermione said, trying to act as if she were paying attention. Pettigrew didn’t have a son, so that couldn’t be the case. Plus, Pettigrew isn’t a very common name, so the possibility of it being a mere coincidence seemed very slim. Ginny just had trouble believing that magic as complex as the map would mess up like that! It just didn’t make sense. “Will you help me, Ginny?” Hermione’s question broke through her thoughts. “Of course I will!” Ginny exclaimed, totally unaware as to what she was agreeing to. ……… Ginny sat on the cool grass surrounding the black lake, leaning back against a large tree trunk, a stack of parchment on her lap and a book in her hands. She was supposed to be copying fliers for SPEW, Hermione’s latest project which apparently she had agreed to be vice-president of, but instead she sat there, completely lost in her Muggle adventure novel. Something black moving toward her caught her eye and she glanced up from the page. Ginny was shocked to see a large black dog with hair almost as unruly as Harry’s approaching her tentatively. The dog’s pale eyes were shocking against the jet black coat. It held its head low as he approached her. Looking past the thick coat, Ginny could tell that the dog was quite skinny. It looked as if it hadn’t eaten in days. Ginny noticed its eyes flash toward the chicken sandwich sitting beside her that she had nicked from the kitchens, and she immediately reached for it. She held it out to the starving dog tentatively, feeling bad for the poor thing, knowing it must be starving. The dog froze, seeming to think that her kindness was a trick. “It’s OK,” Ginny spoke quietly and sweetly to the mangy dog. “Go ahead, I’m not hungry anyway.” The dog still looked suspicious, so Ginny set the sandwich on the ground a couple feet in front of her, hoping the dog would take it. Ginny laughed as it seemed to throw caution to the wind, putting hunger over suspected danger. It ate with an urgency Ginny had never seen before, even from her brothers. She inched forward and slowly pet the dog as it ate. She was shocked at how silky the unruly, shaggy fur was, and again was reminded of Harry. The dog quickly polished off the sandwich and began to lick Ginny’s hands in thanks. She giggled as his tongue tickled her skin. “You’re so sweet,” she laughed, amazed that the dog had better manners than her brothers, as he thanked her for the meal. “You are very welcome.” Ginny sat back against the tree and the dog stayed, curling up next to her and continuing to lick her. “Do you want a name?” she asked. The dog gave a friendly bark. “OK then,” Ginny searched her mind for names and for some reason, thought of the names on the Marauder’s Map. “What about Moony?” She asked, rubbing the dog’s head. The dog seemed to laugh at her as it let out several short but friendly barks. “No? OK, how about Prongs?” Ginny mentally skipped ‘Wormtail’, not thinking that the name would fit, or that the dog would care for it. The dog seemed to laugh again. “Padfoot?” She asked. The dog let out one friendly bark, agreeing with the name. Ginny laughed. “You are one smart dog!” She exclaimed. “You definitely know what you want.” Padfoot let out a quiet snort, as if to say ‘You got it.’ Ginny laughed, still stroking Padfoot’s silky smooth fur. “Are you a good listener?” …….. Ginny sat in the common room late that night, thinking about her day. She had talked to Padfoot for hours, telling him everything: The Chamber, her family, Hermione, Harry, the map, even Scabbers! She planned on going back out to the lake tomorrow, and hoped Padfoot would, too. She definitely found him to be a better listener then Myrtle… Ginny’s head snapped up at the sound of the portrait hole slamming to a close. It was fairly late, so she really didn’t expect anyone to enter the common room. When she saw that nobody was there, she grinned. “Hello, Harry,” she called, proud that only the slightest hint of a blush came to her cheeks when she spoke. Harry quickly appeared as he tugged off his invisibility cloak. “Hey, Ginny,” he said a tiny bit awkwardly. His face was also a little flushed and his brilliant green eyes refused to meet hers. Ginny laughed at his discomfort. “Harry, I’ve known about the cloak for a while,” She said, giving him a pointed look. Harry laughed and sat down on the chair next to the one she currently occupied. He studied her for a moment, making her look down at her hands in her lap. “I have a feeling you’ve known about a lot of things for a while,” he commented, smiling. Ginny chuckled softly. “Yeah, well, you can’t blame a little sister for being curious about her brothers’ friends. And her friend’s friends for that matter,” Ginny looked up at Harry, and was surprised to see him looking…guilty. “What’s wrong?” “I just…” Harry started awkwardly, running a hand through his extremely untidy hair, making Ginny smile slightly. “I’m sorry we never really included you.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Harry, no thirteen year old boy wants to be friends with his best mate’s little sister who used to have a crush on him,” She said pointedly. Harry chuckled and made eye contact with Ginny for the first time since their conversation started. He grinned, and Ginny grinned back, squashing down the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in her stomach. “I do,” He said quietly, laughing at himself. “Our little trio is lacking the ‘mischief for the sake of mischief’ spirit.” Ginny chuckled in her shock. It was true… since she had received the map she had pulled a couple things that had made the twins proud. Putting a charm that wouldn’t let Malfoy into his own common room had been her favorite. “Would you be referring to the Malfoy incident?” Harry all-out laughed. “Yes. Malfoy trying to punch his way through his portrait hole… There’s something you don’t see every day!” Ginny chuckled at Harry’s amusement. “So pulling a prank on Malfoy made you realize your little clique needed some mischief? Took you long enough,” She snorted. “I do not have a clique,” He shuddered. “Sorry, I must still be thinking of Malfoy,” Ginny said dryly. Harry just laughed. After a moment of hesitation, Ginny spoke again. “Since we are friends now, and I have a reputation to uphold…” “Yeah?” Harry asked curiously. “I guess I should show you something,” Ginny readjusted so she could reach inside her pockets and produced the map, handing it to Harry. “What is this?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Ginny pulled out her wand and tapped the currently blank map. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” She recited. Ginny laughed as Harry’s eyes widened in amazement when the map revealed itself to them. After explaining to him how it worked, Harry looked at her in amazement. “How long ago did they give this to you?” “A couple weeks,” Ginny shrugged. “So this is how you pulled the Malfoy stunt without being caught?” Harry asked “Of course it was a help, but I could’ve done it on my own if I had needed to,” She said flippantly. Harry chuckled and smiled. “I don’t doubt it.” Ginny grinned, but then became serious. “Harry, you should know… I know about Sirius Black.” Harry stiffened, but didn’t seem too surprised. “Hermione told you, didn’t she?” his question sounded more like a statement. “Yes,” Ginny said. “I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to know, but I won’t tell anyone.” “I know you won’t,” Harry sighed. He suddenly looked tired and aged way beyond his thirteen years. “I would’ve told you anyway now.” Ginny remained silent. She almost brought up seeing the name Peter Pettigrew on the map, but decided it would be best to remain quiet. “I guess I’ll…head up to bed,” Harry said quietly. “Me, too,” Ginny sighed, standing up and making her way towards the stairs. “‘Night, Harry,” She called softly. “Goodnight, Ginny.” …….. Ginny sat on her bed in her dormitory, looking out the window longingly. The grounds were currently enduring the powerful wrath of a blizzard, and all she could think about was Padfoot. The storm was fierce; she could barely make out the glowing haze of the full moon through the clouds. “Bloody weather,” she said aloud, not worrying about being heard because it was the holiday, and all her dorm-mates had gone home. Her family, Hermione, and Harry were the only Gryffindors that stayed behind; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had once again decided to visit her brothers Charlie, who worked in Romania with dragons, and Bill, who now worked as a curse-breaker in Egypt. Ginny reached for her map, deciding to try to search for Padfoot among the trees. Just as her eyes made it to the Forbidden Forest, The dormitory door burst open and Hermione came through. “Hey, ‘Mion--,” Ginny began, but Hermione cut her off, taking Ginny’s hand and pulling her off her bed. “Ginny, you are officially one of us now, so you must talk with us in the common room,” She said, causing laughter from Ginny. “Wow! I get to sit with you in the common room! The perks just keep coming!” Ginny said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she hastily stuffed the map in her pocket and whispered, “Mischief Managed.” Hermione gave Ginny’s robes an evil look when she realized what Ginny had done. In no way did the bushy-haired rule follower approve of the map. “You really should turn that thing in…” Hermione started her usual rant as they made it to the common room. “Like hell she should!” Ron exclaimed. “That is the greatest thing ever made by wizard hands!” “Language, Ronald,” Hermione snapped and Ginny laughed as she saw Harry miming their friends’ words at the same time they said them. “I’ve heard it too many times,” Harry said in explanation after realizing Ginny was laughing at him. Hermione huffed, crossing her arms and plopping down in her usual chair, turning her nose up and away from Harry and Ron. This just made Ginny laugh harder. The portrait hole swung open and the twins stomped inside the common room, shaking snow from their shoulder-length red hair. “Where’ve you been?” Ron asked accusingly. “Doing a bit of research,” Fred answered, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it over an armrest of a nearby chair. “For what?” Ron narrowed his eyes at his older brothers. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” George said, mimicking his twin’s actions. Ron rolled his eyes, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere. “Whatever,” he muttered, looking back down at his much-read copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. Ginny pulled the map back out and laid it on her lap. It had become a habit to scan the map when she didn’t have anything else to do. She was searching for Padfoot, but another name caught her eye, causing her to tense immediately. “Peter Pettigrew,” She whispered quietly under her breath. The little dot seemed to wander aimlessly, but hurriedly around the corridors. She glanced up. Hermione and Ron were bickering and the twins were whispering to each other in the corner by the staircases; Harry was the only one who noticed her reaction. Swiftly, Ginny moved to sit by Fred and George. “Fred, George, Is it possible for the map to make a mistake?” Fred stared at her thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “I’ve never known it to make one,” he answered, searching her face. “Gin, what’s going on?” George asked quietly, looking worried, clearly remembering the events of the last year. Ginny glared at him. “I don’t know, George, but I can take care of myself,” she snapped, not liking the way her brother asked his question. She stood up briskly and walked over to Harry. Ron and Hermione hadn’t noticed that anything was wrong, and Fred and George had gone back to their discussion, so Ginny allowed herself to relax a bit. She knew she had overreacted to George’s question, but she had been trying so hard to prove how capable of taking care of herself she was; both to her family, and to herself. “What’s going on, Ginny?” Harry asked quietly, but in a normal tone, so as not to attract attention. Ginny stared at the map, not answering Harry’s question. “Is there any proof that Pettigrew was murdered?” She asked, voicing the theory she had been mulling over for weeks. Harry furrowed his brow, a small frown beginning to form on his handsome face. “They only found a finger, Ginny.” It was obvious that he was struggling to keep his voice light and even. “Yes…,” Ginny trailed off. She looked up and met Harry’s piercing emerald gaze that was full of curiosity and confusion. “What are you thinking?” He searched her confused chocolate-brown eyes for the answer. She handed him the map slowly, gestured to the correct area, and said just above a whisper, “I just have a hard time believing such a powerful magical object can be making that kind of mistake.” Harry looked down at the map. At first, it was obvious that he hadn’t a clue what she was talking about, until he looked up at her in shock. “I–I just don’t--,” Harry stuttered then went silent. “Same reaction I had,” Ginny said quietly. Harry looked as if he was trying to solve a word problem written in Portuguese. All of the sudden, he looked determined. “Let’s go!” he jumped up and grabbed Ginny’s hand, pulling her off the couch and towards the portrait hole. “Where’re you two goin’?” Ron called, the epitome of suspicious, eyeing their interlocked hands. Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly. Harry froze and locked eyes with Ginny. As soon as they had silently agreed to keep their actions quiet, Harry exhaled. “Do you trust me?” He asked Ginny, his voice barely audible. She nodded, dumbstruck as she watched him turn toward her brother and Hermione. He plastered a genuine-looking smile on his face and pulled Ginny close to him, wrapping his right arm around her waist. “We’re just going to get some… alone time,” Harry said, letting himself trail off suggestively. Ginny turned bright red and started to laugh as Harry pulled her out the common room before her brothers could react. When the portrait hole swung shut behind them, Ginny braced herself against Harry, tears of laughter pouring down her cheeks. “Do–do you–do you have a death wish?” She choked out between bursts of laughter. Harry was laughing just as hard as she was, but managed to compose himself enough to answer her without interruption. “I guess I forgot to tell you that we are going out,” he said, grinning. “Yeah, that would’ve been nice to know,” Ginny said sarcastically. “Now let’s get going before you remember to tell me that we are engaged and Hermione can’t hold Ron back anymore.” The mood sobered and Harry nodded, looking at the map which he still held in his left hand. They followed the map by the light of their wands through the dark corridors, but even when they should have been two feet away from Pettigrew, nothing and no one appeared. “I just don’t understand!” Harry exclaimed, running a hand through his jet-black hair as the two headed back to the common room. Even though she, too, was frustrated, Ginny grinned at his gesture, finding it incredibly attractive. “I just have no clue,” she sighed. Luckily, when they returned to the common room, Ron and the other Weasley boys were nowhere to be seen. Ginny was glad to postpone any kind of conversation about the earlier scene Harry had made. Harry and Ginny sat on the sofa, trying to figure out the situation. “So we’ve come to the conclusion that the map is to powerful to make that mistake, correct?” Ginny asked, pulling her hair out of her pony tail, letting it fall to her shoulders soundlessly. Harry seemed distracted for a moment, but then answered quickly, “Correct.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “So… what? Pettigrew was wearing an invisibility cloak?” “I don’t know,” Ginny answered, sounding exasperated. “OK, so I’ve been thinking,” she said a moment later. “What?” “You’re going to think I’m crazy.” “I’m willing to consider any possibility,” Harry replied, grinning. “Ok. Let’s just say that Pettigrew is alive.” “OK.” “There are now two possibilities. Number one: Pettigrew narrowly escaped getting killed by Black twelve years ago. He cut off his own finger to convince Black that he was successful in the murder and went into hiding.” “That makes sense,” Harry nodded, furrowing his brow. “But, I have a feeling that’s not your theory.” Ginny laughed, “You would be right… which brings us to option two: Black is innocent, and for some reason, twelve years ago, Pettigrew wanted to make it look like Black had killed him and all those Muggles.” “So you think that Pettigrew framed Black for his own murder.” Harry said, looking at Ginny curiously. Ginny nodded, and Harry sighed. “Ginny, I think you’re thinking too much into this,” he replied. “I can see where you’re coming from, but I just think it’s too much like something that would be in a mystery novel or movie.” “Yeah, I know,” Ginny said, looking down at the Daily Prophet that lay on the small, square coffee table in which her feet were resting. The same, large picture of Black that had been plastered all over the tabloids and newspapers for months stared back at her. The photo was taken twelve years ago when Black was first sent to Azkaban without a trial. He struggled against his bonds and looked like he was shouting, but in his eyes he looked defeated. If you took away the prisoner attire, bonds, and backdrop, he was just a man whose two best friends had just been brutally murdered by the darkest wizard in history; a man who was shocked, scared, and angered by the deaths; a man who was not a betrayer or murderer. “That man just isn’t a murderer,” Ginny whispered. ……. “Harry, I need your help,” Ginny said. “What is it, Gin?” He asked, looking up from the sofa in the common room, which was deserted, as it was still the Christmas Holiday. Hermione, of course, was in the library studying, and Ron was with Fred and George having a ‘Weasley Brother Talk’, most likely about the potential of Harry dating Ginny. Harry had told Ron that he had just been joking, but Ron was still suspicious. She sat down next to him and sighed. “Well, I’ve been thinking,” she said, as she usually did when she had something important to say. “OK,” He said, looking at her curiously. “We need to find out more about the Map, and Professor Lupin is the only one who I think would know anything about it. But, we can’t tell him we have it, so we have to somehow get information from him without him realizing that we have the map,” Ginny said in a rush, looking at Harry. “Any ideas?” He was quiet for a minute before saying, “I got it!” He quickly explained his plan to her and she grinned. “Let’s go!” she said. They searched the map for Professor Lupin, and were lucky to find that he was walking around the grounds alone, most likely reinforcing the wards, as he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They hurried down to the grounds and soon, Professor Lupin was within earshot. “OK… now,” Harry whispered. “Honestly, Harry,” Ginny spoke loudly through the frigid winter air, as if she were scolding a child. “That is a myth if I’ve ever heard one!” “It is not!” Harry said defensively as they pretended to walk in the general direction of Hagrid’s hut. “I heard about it from a very reliable source!” Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see that they had caught Lupin’s attention, even without having passed him yet. “Harry, there is no map of Hogwarts that shows the location of everyone on the grounds! It’s absolutely ridiculous! Not to mention, if it is real, it is probably very powerful dark magic!” “Is not--!” Harry started, but was cut off by Professor Lupin. “What’s this you’re talking about?” Professor Lupin asked, approaching them with a grin on his face. Ginny sighed dramatically. “Harry here thinks that there is a map of Hogwarts that can show you the location of everybody on the grounds,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Come on, Professor, that isn’t too crazy, right?” Harry said defensively. Professor Lupin laughed softly, seemingly at some inside joke. “No, Mr. Potter, that’s not crazy at all!” He exclaimed. “Ha!” Harry said triumphantly toward Ginny. Ginny, however, pretended to be more interested in what the professor had said. “You mean it’s real?” she asked in amazement. “Yes, Ms. Weasley, it is one-hundred percent real,” Lupin said, grinning. “Is it, like, dark?” Ginny asked, putting emphasis on the last word. “No, Ms. Weasley, not at all…but it is very advanced,” Lupin amended. “Wait a minute,” Harry said skeptically. “How do you know it’s real?” Lupin laughed once more, his breath coming out in puffs around his face in the cold air. “I’ve seen it, Mr. Potter,” he said. Ginny had no trouble adopting an amazed look. She never thought Lupin had actually seen the map! “Does it make mistakes?” She asked, very much hoping he would answer. “No, Ms. Weasley, it doesn’t,” Professor Lupin grinned. “It is quite a powerful bit of magic.” As if realizing he’d said too much, he suddenly looked nervous. “Well, I must go. I’m reinforcing the wards. You too better get inside before you get frost bite!” he exclaimed. “Alright. Thanks, Professor,” Harry said in parting as they turned around to head back into the castle. Once they were back into the common room, he sighed. “Well, we know one thing for sure,” Ginny said. “What’s that?” He asked, running his hand through his long hair. “Pettigrew is alive.” ……. Weeks later, the weather had finally warmed enough for Ginny to once again be sitting outside against her tree, looking over the Black Lake. She had a sandwich ready for Padfoot, if he decided to drop by. The grounds were filled with students, studying and playing in the first good weekend weather in weeks. She was still stressed about the whole Sirius Black dilemma, and welcomed the peace of the outdoors to empty her mind of her worries. They hadn’t seen Pettigrew on the map since the day they spoke with Lupin, and Ginny had become very frustrated. She looked up to see Padfoot plodding toward her, a strange look on his furry face. Ginny grinned and held out the sandwich for her friend, but to her surprise, he didn’t take it. Padfoot growled softly and then barked, startling Ginny. “What’s wrong, Padfoot?” she asked, not liking the normally sweet dog’s strange behavior. Padfoot kept barking, then stopped abruptly and darted past Ginny and into the Forbidden Forest. “What in Merlin’s name?” She mumbled, jumping to her feet and following Padfoot. She stepped noiselessly in between the trees, calling for Padfoot as she followed his dark form. Though the forest was shady, it was a bright day, so she could still see well in the shade of the trees that towered above her. She could see that Padfoot had stopped in a small clearing ahead of her, and she slowed her fast pace. “Padfoot?” She called, stepping into the oval clearing. Padfoot looked at her for a long moment from the other side of the clearing, as if he was trying to decide something. Just as she was going to step closer to him, he trotted behind the nearest tree. Ginny heard a soft whooshing sound and quickly made her way across the small clearing to the tree. “Padfoot?” She peered slowly around the tree and let out a loud scream. “Shush! Ginny, listen to me,” The man said, waving his wand in front of her face, silencing her without a word. Ginny raised her own wand and tried to shout an incantation at the man as she backed away, but no sound came out. Damn! She thought. Stuffing her wand into her pocket, she pulled her right hand all the way back, forming a fist. She propelled it forward, putting all her weight behind the punch. Much to her surprise, she made contact with the man’s nose, which instantly starting gushing blood as he fell to his knees from the force of the blow. Ginny had her wand trained on him as she gestured to his wand, then her mouth, with her left hand. To her surprise, the man chuckled and did as she had asked. “Who are you?” She demanded. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and she knew before he even answered. “Sirius Black.” She said, her voice shaking only slightly. “Yes,” The man answered in a kind voice. “And you are Ginny Weasley.” Ginny’s blood boiled. “You fowl, evil man!” She shouted, backing away. “How could you betray James and Lilly? You--!” Ginny was on the verge of hysterics. “They trusted you! They--!” Sirius cut her off. “I did not betray James!” his eyes showed to her how desperately he wanted her to believe him, and Ginny froze, remembering her theory. “He was my best friend,” Sirius said, his voice absolutely broken. “Who did, then?” She snapped, not letting down her guard or her wand. “Peter Pettigrew!” He spat the name, his face contorting as if just saying the name left a sour taste in his mouth. “Right,” Ginny said sarcastically. “But you were their secret keeper! It’s not possible for Pettigrew to have betrayed them.” She had found this loophole in her plan about a week ago. “It wasn’t me,” Sirius said, defeated. He was still on his knees, trying to stop his bleeding nose. “James wanted to make me the secret keeper, and I had agreed, but at the last minute, I told him to make it Peter. I was the obvious choice. We were the closest out of our group of friends…everyone knew that I was Harry’s godfather, and it would have been just too easy for Voldemort to figure out. No one would have thought it was Peter. He was the quiet one; the tag-along. But, he was part of our group of friends…I never suspected that he would betray James and Lilly like that.” His last sentence was a whisper. Ginny squatted down, looking at the supposed killer at eye level. She didn’t know why, but she believed the man one hundred percent. Raising her wand to his still bleeding nose, she whispered, “Episky.” As his nose straightened and stopped bleeding from the spell, Ginny finally took in his appearance. He was obviously dirty, but didn’t smell, and his shoulder-length hair was surprisingly healthy-looking. His pale, piercing eyes gazed at Ginny curiously as he wiped the remaining blood off his face with a sleeve of his ripped shirt. “Aren’t you only a second year?” he asked, eyeing her wand suspiciously. “Yes,” she said, sitting down on the dirt across from him. “That is a sixth-year level spell,” he stated in amazement. Ginny raised her eyebrows. “I learned that last year from my friend Hermione,” she said, not really surprised at the fact that her third-year friend was studying sixth-year material. She studied him closely for a moment. “I believe you,” she stated firmly. “You do?” Sirius asked, shocked. “Yes.” “Good,” he sighed, knowing how easy it would have been for her to turn him in. “Thanks.” “So, I’m assuming that this means you didn’t escape from Azkaban to kill Harry?” She asked, knowing the answer. “You assume correct,” He said, running a hand through his hair like Harry always did, making her grin. “What?” he asked, looking at her expression. Ginny shook her head, still grinning at the thought of Harry. “Harry does the same thing with his hair when he’s stressed or confused.” Sirius let out a barking laugh that sounded identical to the way it had when he was in his dog-form. “I picked up the habit from James in out seventh year,” he said. “Looks like Harry did, too.” “Mr. Black--,” Ginny started. “Call me Sirius,” He said, reaching for the sandwich that Ginny had dropped on the ground and, after rubbing off the dirt, taking a large bite. “OK,” Ginny said. “Sirius, I think Pettigrew has been in the castle.” Sirius froze, the sandwich forgotten. “How do you know?” Ginny pulled out the map and unfolded it. Gesturing to it with her wand, she said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” “I can’t believe you have the map,” Sirius said, looking up at Ginny. “You know about the map?” Ginny asked, shocked. “Know about it?” Sirius let out another bark-like laugh. “I–well, that is, Remus, Peter, James, and I –made it. I’m Padfoot. You can’t imagine my shock when you started naming our nicknames for each other when deciding what to name me. And then, no less, to pick my actual nickname!” “You made it?” Ginny asked incredulously, but then caught something he had said. “Remus? As in Remus Lupin the DADA professor?” “The very same,” Sirius said, but then looked down at the map seriously. “I haven’t seen him on it for a few weeks,” Ginny said quietly, referring to Pettigrew, as Sirius studied the map. “Yeah, I don’t--,” Sirius stopped mid-sentence. Suddenly, a hiss-like sound was coming out of his mouth. “Peter,” He spat, just before jumping up and taking off into a full-blown run out of the forest. “Sirius!” Ginny exclaimed, chasing after him through the trees. By the time she was out of the forest, Sirius was nowhere in sight. “Hey, Gin!” Harry’s voice called. She whirled around to see him approaching. “Have you seen Scabbers? We’ve been looking for--,” He said, but Ginny cut him off. “No time, Harry,” She said frantically, scanning the map. She found Sirius’s dot chasing after Pettigrew’s heading towards the Whomping Willow. She took off running, calling over her shoulder, “Harry, go get Professor Lupin and meet me at the Shrieking Shack. There is a passageway under the Whomping Willow...Hurry!” She didn’t wait to see whether or not he listened to her, her only thoughts being about preventing Sirius from doing something he will regret. Luckily, most of the students were closer to the castle, so she didn’t have to worry about either being overheard or followed, and she made it to the Whomping Willow fairly quickly. She only paused for a moment before raising her wand and shouting “Immobulus!” at the tree, and praying that it worked. Luckily, it did, and the tree’s large limbs froze in place. Ginny dashed forward and into the tunnel beneath the roots. She ran as fast as she could while crouched over through the dark tunnel. She had seen the tunnel on the map before and knew it led to the Shrieking Shack, but had never actually tried it out before. She could see a mist-like light growing larger as she neared the end of the passageway, and was glad the tunnel wasn’t too long. As she stepped out of the tunnel and into the Shrieking Shack, she followed the muffled sounds of Sirius’s voice up a flight of stairs. The Shack was named well; with every step she took the floorboards creaked loudly, as if protesting her weight, and she could feel the house swaying every time there was a gust of wind. Once she made it to the top of the landing, Ginny sprinted into the nearest room. Sirius stood there, wand raised, his whole body shaking with absolute rage. “You killed them you--!” “Sirius! No!” Ginny screamed, throwing herself between Sirius and the unseen Peter Pettigrew. She held up her arms, trying to get in his way, and looked over her shoulder. She froze at what she saw. Scabbers sat against the far wall, quivering in fear of the man who stood before him. “Sirius, it’s just my brother’s rat. You’re–,” delusional, her mind finished, “wrong,” she said. Sirius laughed manically. “No, I’m not!” he said. “This---,” he was interrupted by a commotion coming from the doorway. “Ginny!” Harry shouted, running toward her and taking her into his arms and away from Sirius. Ginny sighed in relief that he had followed her instructions and let him hug her tightly as Professor Lupin entered the room. Lupin looked shocked as he saw the scene before him. Sirius still had his wand trained on Scabbers, and Lupin moved towards his old friend. “Sirius, lower your wand,” Lupin spoke quietly. “No!” Sirius shouted, his eyes never leaving Scabbers. “It’s him, Remus! He betrayed them, and now their dead!” “I understand, Sirius, just stay calm,” Professor Lupin spoke softly, holding up his hands. “You’re the one who betrayed them!” Harry shouted at Sirius without letting go of Ginny. “You were their secret keeper, and you told Voldemort where to find them! They trusted you!” Harry’s voice broke as he stared at the man who he believed to have ruined his life. Ginny pulled free of Harry’s embrace and stepped toward Sirius. “Harry, he didn’t do it,” she said softly, facing Harry. “He told your father to make Pettigrew the secret keeper because he was the obvious choice. Pettigrew is a Death Eater, Harry, one of Tom’s followers. He betrayed your father, Harry, not Sirius.” Harry searched Ginny’s face, not fully understanding what she was saying. For the first time, Sirius took his eyes off of Scabbers and met Harry’s gaze. “I never would have betrayed James and Lily,” he said softly, his voice cracking as tears formed in his pale eyes. “But--,” Harry’s response was interrupted by Professor Lupin. “Oh, no you don’t, Peter!” Lupin shouted, with one swift wand motion closing and locking the door through which they all had entered, preventing Scabber’s attempted escape. He pointed his wand at the rat and mumbled something under his breath that Ginny couldn’t understand. She heard a popping noise and looked over at where Scabbers had been. She was shocked to see that a short, very rat-like man stood in his place. “Scabbers?” Ginny asked, shocked. “That’s what he wanted you to think, isn’t it Peter?” Sirius asked, the tone of slight hysteria returning to his deep voice. “You just thought that you could cut off a finger and live the rest of your life as a common garden rat while your best friend was put in prison for murdering you and twelve other Muggles without so much as a trial?” Ginny met Harry’s gaze, both of them absolutely shocked. “What would you have done?” Pettigrew spoke for the first time in a soft, quivering voice. “The Dark Lord… the powers he possesses. What would you have done?” “I would have died!” both Sirius and Professor Lupin shouted, lunging toward the man as he tried unsuccessfully once again to escape. “I would have died rather than betray James and Lily,” Sirius shouted, grabbing Pettigrew and tying his hands behind his back with a quick spell. “You should’ve known that if Voldemort didn’t kill you, Peter, we would!” “Stop!” both Harry and Ginny yelled. “Sirius, please!” Ginny begged. “Don’t do it! You’ve been innocent for twelve years! Don’t incriminate yourself now!” “Take him back to the castle,” Harry said, though the look on his face told Ginny that he would rather the man be killed on the spot. “You can let the Dementors have him. Ginny’s right… My dad wouldn’t want his best friends to become murderers, even to avenge him and Mum.” Harry’s words seemed to make Sirius snap out of his blind rage. “You’re right,” he sighed. He flicked his wand at Pettigrew and the man froze, instantly falling to the floor. Sirius and Professor Lupin exchanged a long look before they each nodded. “I will stay here,” Professor Lupin said, looking at Harry and Ginny. “You two and Sirius take Peter back to the castle.” “But, why--?” “I’ll explain later, Mr. Potter,” Lupin said, smiling kindly. “Take Pettigrew straight to Dumbledore, and if you run into any Dementors, remember what we practiced.” “Yes, Sir,” Harry said, nodding. Ginny nodded also and the three slowly made their way down the stairs and into the tunnel, levitating Pettigrew who was in a full body-bind and under a silencing charm. By now, the sun had set and the grounds were empty of any students. Ginny could have sworn she saw Hermione and Ron dashing out of Hagrid’s hut, but they were gone so quickly, she must have imagined it. They made their way slowly up to Dumbledore’s office, and by some insane amount of luck, ran into no one on the way. “What is this?” Dumbledore asked, calm as ever when they finally made it into his office. Harry, Ginny, and Sirius quickly explained the situation to the headmaster, and when they were finished, he shocked them all by chuckling. “Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley, you never cease to amaze me,” he said. He turned his attention to Pettigrew and removed the silencing charm. “Peter,” he said, “If you tell me the truth, you will not be kissed by the Dementors as soon as you leave my presence. Is Sirius innocent?” “Yes,” the man whispered, the threat of death preventing him from putting up any kind of fight. “Did you commit the crimes in which he was accused?” “Yes.” “Very well,” Dumbledore spoke softly. He walked to his fireplace and threw in a handful of flu powder. Kneeling down, he leaned his head into the flames. Ginny was unable to make out the conversation, which frustrated her to no end until the Headmaster ended the conversation. Without a word, he levitated Pettigrew toward him and into the fireplace. He added more flu powder and spoke softly, “Ministry of Magic Prisoner Ward.” The next thing Ginny knew, Pettigrew disappeared in a burst of green flames. “He shall be held there,” Dumbledore spoke, “Until he is given a fair trial and sent to Azkaban. Sirius Black,” Dumbledore turned to Sirius, “By the power vested in me as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, you are cleared of all charges.” ……. “Merlin, Harry, you should’ve been there!” Ron exclaimed hours later in the common room. “It was bloody fantastic! I was an amazing time-traveler! And Hermione’s punch…I’m never going to get her angry again.” Ginny looked over to see Harry’s reaction and wasn’t surprised to see that he didn’t have one. He was brooding about Sirius having to go into hiding despite being cleared of all his charges. Honestly, she didn’t blame him. It wasn’t fair to Sirius or to him. Harry had finally had some kind of a loving relative in his life and he didn’t even get to spend much time with him before he had to leave. Ginny looked over at Ron. He had stopped talking and given up on trying to get his friend into a better mood. “Fat chance,” she said. “Twenty sickles you get into another fight before Monday.” “You’re on,” Ron said, shaking his sister’s outstretched hand. He got up from the couch and looked around. “Where is Hermione anyway?” “In the library,” Ginny answered. Ron shrugged and left to go ‘physically remove her hands from her textbooks’, and Ginny sighed, glad he was gone. “Harry?” she asked tentatively, moving to sit by him in front of the fire. “Yeah, Gin?” He asked, removing his eyes from the fire for the first time in an hour to look at her. “It’ll only be a while. Dumbledore swore that as soon as things were worked out in the Ministry, he will truly be free,” She said softly, looking into his emerald green eyes. “Yeah, I know,” He said, only breaking her gaze for a moment before looking at her again. “It’s just hard.” “Yeah, I know,” She whispered, repeating his words. “He asked me to come and live with him,” Harry said softly. “When he’s officially free, that is.” “That’s great! You’ll never have to go to those dreadful Muggles again,” She said, a hint of anger in her voice. Harry chuckled. “Protective, are we?” He asked, admiring the way she blushed when she got angry. Ginny looked down at her hands. “Well,” she said, “can you blame me?” He sat up a little straighter and reached out his hand to tilt her chin up so she was looking at him. “Not really. You were great today. I’m so glad you figured it out,” he grinned. “And you made quite an impression on Sirius.” Ginny laughed, “He’s not that hard to impress. Anyway, it was an amazing feeling; being the hero. Now I know why you get such a kick out of it.” “What?” He asked sarcastically. “Don’t like being the ‘Damsel in Distress’?” “Nah,” Ginny replied. “I’ve played that part too many times.” Harry chuckled softly, only hesitating for a moment before slowly pressing his lips to hers. Ginny was shocked at his bold move, but kissed back slowly, enjoying every second. She always said her first kiss would be from Harry Potter. Harry pulled back and looked at her shyly. He cleared his throat, looking nervous. “Um, Ginny? I really like you,” he said, stuttering slightly. Ginny giggled; the great Harry Potter, nervous because of little Ginny Weasley. “I guess… um… Will you be my girlfriend?” “Yes,” Ginny said, smiling nervously to cover both her absolute shock and bone-jilting joy. She was definitely no longer the Damsel in Distress. THE END |
| Reviews 16 |
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