living with them, ginny weasley & the marauders

seven

chapter seven; the dead teacher next to me is more interesting than the dead teacher teaching.

Ginny rested her head in her hands as she waited for her History Of Magic class to begin. Lily and Mary were sitting a few rows in front of her, and Dorcas and Peyton were on the desk to their left. Lily had offered for Ginny to sit with them, but she had politely declined as she was mulling over the various possibilities of her future, and too preoccupied to do anything other wise.

"May I sit here?"

A masculine voice came from behind her, and Ginny turned around to see Remus Lupin standing awkwardly next to her, looking haggard and disheveled, holding a pile of heavy books and papers.

"Prof- er, Remus. Yeah, sure."

Remus placed his stuff on the table, and cleared it up as Ginny sat and watched him in silence. She heard a racket at the back of the class room and noticed James and Sirius letting off little fire works with their wand.

"Aren't you going to sit with your friends?" Ginny frowned.

"James and Sirius aren't exactly the learning type," Remus explained. "Especially not in History Of Magic. They usually spend this time planning pranks or coming up with ideas for James to get Lily. I'd usually sit with Peter, but he doesn't take this class, as it's not necessary to become and auror."

"So has James talked to Lily?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Erm...that's not really my place to say, Ginny."

"Oh come on! I won't tell." Ginny pleaded. "I'm so good at keeping secrets that I was almost put in Hufflepuff."

"Yeah..." Remus frowned. "I don't think that's the point of Hufflepuffs."

"Whatever. Just tell me what's happening with James and Lily."

"Look, you're new here. I understand that you don't really know how things go here at Hogwarts. But don't go prying into other peoples business; it's considered rude."

"It's more of my business than you think!" Ginny snapped.

"Merlin! There's no need to yell!" Remus hushed Ginny. "Look, I'll tell you what I know, because you seem like you care...and also because you're kind of scaring me. But now isn't exactly the right time to tell you anything."

Ginny looked at the watch on her wrist and then back up at Remus. "It's 9:52. I don't see any problem with that."

"But we're about to start class. I've got two free periods tomorrow morning, and I really need to catch up with my homework, as well as theirs," He nodded his head in the direction of James and Sirius as he held up all of his notes. "So I can meet you in the library then?"

"You're gonna make me wait a whole day? Can't you just tell me at lunch? Or in the common room tonight?" Ginny asked. "How much do you know? Why don't you just tell me now? I mean it's hardly busy in here and-"

Luckily Remus was saved by Professor Binns floating in from behind the chalk board. He tactfully averted his attention to the Professor and Ginny was left without answers.

As Remus scribbled down notes, his quill etching away, Ginny leant against the desk in boredom. She was vaguely listening to whatever the professor was saying, but majority of it was going in one ear and out the other. She'd just have to ask Remus for help with the homework when they went to the library tomorrow. He was technically her ex professor, so to her, it wasn't really that weird.

"And so, the Northern trolls mated with the Goblins in the late 1600's resulting in..?" Binns asked.

A few hands, such as Lily's, Remus', Peyton's, Dorcas' and a couple of Ravenclaws were raised. Several people stirred from their slumbers as the professor searched the room. However, it came as a great surprise to many when the hand of James Potter was raised eagerly, waving like a lunatic.

"Yes Mr...Porter?"

James was unfazed by the incorrect name the professor had given him. Instead he leant back happily in his seat and answered, "The birth of Severus Snape."

There were many giggles and snickers throughout the room; Ginny being one of them. Sirius gave James a hi five, and they both sat back contently in their seats. Remus suppressed a rapidly growing smile, and Lily just rolled her eyes and let out a big huff.

"5 points from Gryffindor, Mr Porter, for that unnecessary comment."

"It's a shame Snivellus wasn't here to hear that," Ginny heard Sirius whispered to James.

Professor Binns then set them a 10 inch essay on the 'Peace and War of the Goblin Community in the late 1600's' that was to be handed in the following Monday. With loud sighs and groans, the class was dismissed, and everyone scurried hastily out of the classroom.

Ginny walked out with Remus, but bid him farewell soon after, as he went to join in on James and Sirius' conversation. She confirmed that they would meet tomorrow morning in the library after breakfast, so that they could do homework and chat about James and Lily.

She leaned against the wall as she waited for the other Gryffindor girls to make their way out of the class room from the back of the crowd. While she waited, she pulled out her schedule that McGonagall had given her this morning and checked what she had on for the rest of the day.

She had already had one free session this morning before History Of Magic. Next up, she had Potions with the Slytherins. That was definitely promised to be a fun one. After lunch, she had Defence Against the Dark Arts (which again, happened to be with the Slytherins.) and then Charms with the Hufflepuff's, before another free period.

Ginny stuffed her schedule back in her robes as Lily, Mary, Peyton and Dorcas finally exited the classroom. Mary looked between her friends and sighed.

"Well, Potions with the Slytherins is always gonna be fun, ain't it?"

"Ain't it?" Lily laughed. "What are you? A cowgirl?"

"What's wrong with Potions?" Ginny acted clueless, realising that she was supposedly knew here.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with Potions," Mary corrected herself. "Actually it's one of Lily's favourite subjects. She's bloody good at it too, that's what got her in the Slug Club."

"The Slug Club is run by the Potions professor, Professor Slughorn," Dorcas explained, although Ginny was already quite aware, having been a member herself. "Lily's one of his favourites. Basically he chooses people who he thinks will accomplish something big in the future, or people he knows has links to really successful people."

"That just sounds pathetic," Ginny whined. "I hope I'm not in it."

"Oh that's easy, all you really have to do is be horrible at everything," Mary laughed, to which all the others joined in before trudging off to potions together.