living with them, ginny weasley & the marauders

three

chapter three; arguing is always a good way to comfort a crying girl.

As Ginny waltzed through the familiar corridors towards Dumbledore's office, she felt her time turner dangaling from around her neck. Ginny didn't want to touch it, incase it sent her into some other era. She thought that she should go to the library and do some research on time, before she even thought about touching it.

She contemplated whether she should tell Dumbledore the truth or not. This was Dumbledore, he was bound to find out eventually. Maybe he could help her get back? Or maybe Ginny should just let things unravel themselves...

Deciding it was best to wait, she began making up a cover story. Being a transfer student would just be...unrealistic. Ginny considered telling Dumbledore that her parents had been killed by death eaters, because that was certainly a more realistic option given the circumstances of these days.

That's when Ginny realised that she didn't have a clue where - or more accurately, when - she actually was. It was somewhere late in James and Lily's school life, so she figured she would be around the late seventies or early eighties.

But Ginny was taken away from her thoughts when she ran into a figure crouched down in a crumpled ball of tears and sobs, on the cold, polished Hogwarts floors. Ginny looked down to see a figure with flaming red her, similar to her own, and bright almond shaped, emerald green, bloodshot eyes. Speak of the devil.

"Leave me alone," Lily said coldly.

Ginny had never met Lily in real life. In fact, Ginny had only been two and a half month when she had died. However, this wasn't exactly the idea she would've had in mind when she fantasised about having met her. Not that she had, but still... Ginny was told Lily was a smart, and kind girl. So seeing her crying and giving Ginny the cold shoulder, wasn't exactly putting Ginny in a great position.

But the emerald green eye that looked towards her with pure hatred were impossible not to recognise. Even though Lily only looked at Ginny for no more than a couple of seconds, Ginny couldn't help but flinch at the intensity of the glare. She was so used to seeing those eyes look into hers with so much love; but she had just experienced the exact opposite scenario. The eyes that met her's for a brief second, looked at her with hatred, disgust and coldness.

Ginny was completely baffled. She hadn't met Lily! What could she have done in the past hour that could've possibly made Lily hate her so much when they hadn't even met! Unless...

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"What do you think?" Lily snapped.

"I...er...well...no. You don't exactly look alright. Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.

Ginny slid her back down against the wall and sat next to Lily. Lily looked taken aback by Ginny's gesture of sympathy, but she quickly regained her evil glare. It was quite obvious that Lily had been crying. Her eyes were wet and bloodshot and her mascara ran down her cheeks, almost identically to the way Ginny's had when Andromeda had pointed it out.

"What is it to you?" She spat.

"I want to know that you're alright," Ginny shrugged.

"Why would you care? You don't even know me!" Lily argued.

"Oh yeah? Test me!" Ginny challenged.

That was probably a very stupid idea. Ginny didn't know anything about Lily, except that she married James, had a baby boy named Harry, and died tragically, basically saving the world. But she couldn't tell her that, because she didn't know that.

"Okay, what's my name?"

"Lily Po- er, I mean Evans."

"My house?"

"I don't know where you li- Oh, right. Gryffindor."

That was a guess, but Ginny had kind of just assumed that she was right. How could she not be? She sacrificed herself for her son's life. If that wasn't bravery, then what was?

"My year?"

"Um..."

"See, you don't know anything about me."

"I just answered the first two questions!"

"So? That doesn't prove anything. I've never even seen you in my life."

"Then why do you hate me so much?"

"Because my boyfriend kissed you!"

"I- wait what? Oh, James! No, Lily- listen. It isn't like that, I just-"

"Save your breath. I knew he'd do it. He did it with every other girl, so what would make me any different?"

"What makes you different is that he's madly in love with you."

"Pssh, madly in love? Leave me alone," Lily said, grabbing her satchel beside her and standing up, "I don't have time for liars. Nor do I have any time for Potter."

"There's nothing wrong with James!"

Ginny honestly didn't know why she was standing up for James. She had, after all, only just met him. But her instincts told her to, and so she did. Maybe it was the idea that if Lily and James didn't get together, then Harry wouldn't be born. And it would be all Ginny's fault. But Ginny pushed the thought away as Lily continued to be adamant.

"How would you know?"

"I..."

"That's right. You don't. Because it's a lie. Yet, you still stand up for him. All he's gonna do is use you and move on. Just like he did with me. I was a fool to ever believe any different. But you two, carry on. Go on you little love fest until he breaks your heart. Go on. You're just like him, you obviously belong with Potter."

Lily slung her satchel over her shoulder, and after shooting one last deathly glare at Ginny, she strutted away. But even as she traveled further into the distance, Ginny could still hear her faint sobs.

Ginny knew she belonged with Potter. She loved him. But not James. Harry. And if Ginny were to break James and Lily up, then Harry would never have been born.

Deciding that she had no way to answer her worries by herself, she headed towards the only man who might possibly be able to answer them for her.