Ginny stood at the main entrance of Hogwarts, waving goodbye to her departing students. She stared across the grounds until the last of them disappeared from view, and then stood and watched a while longer just for good measure. After the rush and bustle of the morning, the last-minute questions and the herding of first-years, the silence that fell on the nearly-deserted campus made her ears ring, a little.
She returned to her office, deposited the stack of farewell notes and cards on her desk, and slipped out of her robes, depositing them on the back of her chair. If Hermione really gets this Camp Hogwarts off the ground, she thought, holding up her hair and fanning the back of her neck, I should look into getting a summer robe that's less... velvety.
After a moment's rummaging through the piles on her desk, she came up with a small notebook and a quill. She briefly considered changing out of the t-shirt and jeans she'd worn under her robes -- she always felt a tiny bit guilty wearing anything less than perfectly clean in Lupin's presence, given his enhanced sensitivities -- but a moment's contemplation reminded her that this late in the semester, she'd be unlikely to find anything more presentable. With a wry smile, she headed to her colleague's office and knocked on the door.
"Professor? D'you have a few minutes?"
Remus was actually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt as well, the windows were open and he was eying a stack of papers on his desk in a way that could only be described as maliciously when Ginny knocked.
"Ginny - just the young woman I was hoping to see." He stepped out of the open doorway to gesture for her to come on. "Departure go well?"
"No major disasters, and everyone accounted for and pointed in the right direction," Ginny replied, and slid into a chair. "I suppose that counts as 'well'. I miss them already -- or will as soon as my ears stop ringing." She smiled.
"It is quiet," he agreed with a very faint smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. "It's a nice change - for a little while, anyway." He settled back down at his chair. "Have you heard about Hermione's camp?"
Ginny's smile became wryly amused. "She did run the idea by me, yes. And I said I'd help. Is it a go, then?"
"It's a go, contingent upon a couple of things. One of those things is that the chaperons and helpers she chooses, as well as the parents who will be attending her end of camp ceremony are all researched. Guess where you come in." He grinned - wolfishly.
"Moral support?" Ginny asked, mock-innocent.
More seriously, she added, "There's a pick-up Quidditch game this weekend, lots of alumni; I think Hermione was planning to recruit there. I'll keep a list of everyone she talks to. D'we have hard rejection criteria beyond the obvious, like 'hates Hogwarts' or 'prone to homicide'?"
"She mentioned the idea and I'm fine with it. She also suggested hosting a sort of open call to see who's interested. That's also a good idea. I want to know who's interested in coming into Hogwarts, for any reason. The only hard rejection criteria I gave her was that Lucius Malfoy was right out."
Ginny barely suppressed a snort, somewhere between amusement and derision. "That's a good start, yes. What about---"
She hesitated, and folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Snape. Not that I think he would. But somebody might mention it to him, particularly if there's an open call." She frowned.
"If Snape volunteers to watch small children, I think I'll suggest that he be examined by a compent mental health care provider." And probably not Adrian, at that.
Snark out of the way, he went on. "I don't know, Ginny. If you want the truth I'd be almost glad to have him back here right now, for reasons that have very little to do with my personal feelings and rather a lot to do with recent events."
"Well, I'd rather not give him the chance at another headmaster." Ginny bit the inside of her lower lip, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "You trust him, then?"
He turned one hand palm up in a sort of abbreviated shrug. "Not exactly, but I think the situation would have more potential benefit than harm - and to be frank if he wanted to have a go at Hogwarts he could have had it long ago. He's got very regular opportunity to get rid of the head of security and he hasn't acted on that yet."
"Fair point." Ginny still sounded skeptical, but she relaxed a little in her chair. "What are the benefits as you see them? I'm afraid I can't see past the potential downside of me screaming at him, nonstop, all summer." She offered up a halfhearted smirk.
"Well, that's a potential advantage," he said with a vague smile that was warm, anyway. "He's where we can see him. I don't think he's going to kill anyone, as I said, but beyond that he's got contacts with people we don't, and with the rumors about Bellatrix flying-"
"Speaking of which---" Ginny unfolded her arms and leaned forward, fixing Remus with a concerned stare and dropping her voice as if worried about being overheard. "What's the status of Number Twelve Grimmauld? It's only just now occurred to me that she might try to go back there."
Remus leaned forward. "I promise my wards are sound." He spoke quietly though and his teasing was gentle - so was the smile. "It's something that needs to be looked into. Would you be interested in the job? I'm going to be busy tracking another possible lead."
Ginny blinked. "I... yes, I s'pose I could do a bit of reconnaissance," she said, and returned the smile, warmly.
She pondered a moment, and continued with more confidence, "I might be able to tell whether any of the old wards and charms have been changed or tampered with, at least, and I can lay down a Stealth Sensoring Spell in the square to see whether it's getting any unusual traffic. Plus there's always the Muggle trick of hiding somewhere inconspicuous and just watching for a while. The Order doesn't have a spare Invisibility Cloak somewhere about, do we?"
"I'll need to check with Moody and Minerva about the invisiblility cloak," he admitted, "And I'll let you know. I also really can not stress this enough, Ginny - be careful. Don't go rushing in, don't play hero. Just go, check it out and come back and let us know what you find. I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you were competent, but we can't afford to lose you, either."
"Oh, much as I would enjoy seeing her brought to swift and painful justice, I have no intention of facing that hag without backup. Copious, competent backup." Ginny shuddered and shook her head. "So don't fret on that account, at any rate. I'll be careful."
She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and regarded Remus with a mix of curiosity and friendly concern. "May I ask what possible lead you're tracking?"
'Thank you for the reassurance." He wished he didn't need it, or that he was less grateful about it, but he'd spent enough time among Gryffindors and heros that he wanted to be very, very sure.
"The lead I'm tracking," he said after a moment, "is something Moody said about Bellatrix's whereabouts - or one of the possibilities being that she was with the Goblins. Being among non-humans makes some degree of sense for several reasons, and I have a couple of werewolves still willing to talk to me, so I'm going to start digging there."
Ginny smiled a little -- fondly -- at the 'wolf digging' image. "What you just said to me applies to you, too, you know. Moreso, even: I dunno what we'd do if we lost you. You're the best Defence professor this school has seen... in my lifetime, anyway. You're not allowed to snuff it until I've caught up with you, okay? Which, by the way, will take years and years. So, y'know, be careful."
Remus grinned at that, he had to. "I'll do my best, and I will be careful. I know I'm not in a position to stick my neck out too far, and delegate as much as possible. Besides, I killed their leader. No one's going to mess with me carelessly. Most of the resentment on that level comes from my unwillingness to take over." He rolled his eyes. Hard.
"Ah, dog diplomacy. Sort of... rigid, isn't it?" Ginny smiled, sympathetically.
He lifted and dropped a shoulder. "It's not complicated, and at least there's no actual sniffing involved." He was trying not to laugh about that. "It is what it is and in large part it is what it is because of the state of the Ministry. That's why it would be a reasonable place for Bellatrix to be - either physically or to be making contacts."
"If your security duties involve 'marking your territory' here at Hogwarts, I don't want to know about it," Ginny teased, trying to stifle a grin. "Well, actually I do, but I'm not going to ask. So long as you promise to warn me before I step in anything dodgy."
Her thoughts caught up to the rest of Remus's comments. "Wait -- you're saying the werewolves are looking for strong leadership because... because they want the power to stand up to the anti-werewolf gits in the Ministry?"
"I can still hex you, you know," He told her just a bit drily but he was mostly amused. He was also partly disgusted but that was fairly reasonable, all things considered.
"In part," Remus said after thinking for a moment. "They're looking for strong leadership because he unified them. Without that presence they've scattered. There are groups still squabbling amongst themselves, some left altogether and went into hiding. It's chaos, and that's not good for any society. The Ministry makes the situation worse because to them we're not human - even basic human rights are denied, and of course they're not happy with that, either."
"Of course," Ginny agreed stridently, indignant on Remus's behalf over the Ministry's attitude toward him. "And I can understand why Bellatrix might be drawn to that sort of power vacuum, if that's what she really is doing. It would be comforting to think that the werewolves -- or any even half-sane beings, really -- would reject someone so obviously nutters, no matter how much power she wields; but I know that's naive. The Ministry have got Umbridge, after all."
She hesitated, and her expression grew very serious. "Some of us have been venturing increasingly paranoid guesses what Bellatrix is up to, and why she's chosen this moment to return to England. Do you have any theories?"
Remus shook his head. "Power vaccum's very much the right word for it." He paused and then just shook his head again. "I dont' have anything right now. I'll be sure to let you know whwen I do, and I think there's going to have to be some organized discussion in the near future but right now I don't have any solid ideas."
Ginny nodded. "I got McGonagall's message; I suspect now that school's out she'll be calling us all in for a meeting any second now. Or possibly after Quidditch." She smiled, a little.
"After Quidditch," Remus said with a heavy mix of exasparation and fondness.
"QUIDDITCH." Ginny grinned, broadly. "Speed, grace, and random acts of violence; what's not to love? Er, I don't suppose you're coming to the match, are you?"
His expression was slightly pained. "I'll be there, but please don't ask for a recap later." He was going to check out who showed up, keep an eye on things for a bit and then he was hiding in his office.
Ginny nodded and leaned back in her chair. "I had something else I wanted to ask you about," she said, perhaps taking his remarks as a prompt to change the subject. "I could use your advice, if you don't mind. About the Defence curriculum."
He settled back into his chair and half frowned at her. "By all means," he prompted. He was curious - intensely so, actually, and more than a little flattered.
"You've probably heard by now that the WEA have changed the OWLs and NEWTs exams -- again! -- so that they're mostly writing. Even the 'practicum' portion of the Defence exam is half essay now." Her jaw set, a sure sign she was suppressing a much longer rant on that subject. "At the same time... with everything going on out there---" she gestured widely toward the window, and the world beyond, "---now more than ever it's vitally important that we give our students real, practical, USABLE skills. In Defence especially. And my heart is SCREAMING at me that in the end the exams are bollocks -- you know, what good is it to be able to rattle off the regulations against the Unforgiveable Curses if it's kept you from mastering the counter-curse that could keep you ALIVE? But then my head reminds me that at the end of the day these kids have got to get jobs, too, and that means making sure they can still pass the bloody exam."
She took a deep breath and looked at Remus, almost pleadingly. "And there's only so many class-hours in the semester. Where do I strike the balance between giving them things they can actually use, versus training them up to face a pile of stupid but mandated rubbish?"
"And of course what good's a job if they're not alive to get it. It's circular, isn't it? That's what makes it hard." He wasn't being patronizing, just sympathizing.
He folded his hands on top of the desk and went silent for a bit, the wheels in his head obviously turning as he composed his thoughts.
"I think the only real option involves more work for you - and your students. Assign the reading, theoretical and legislative areas as homework and essays, keeps the practicals in class, and make yourself very available to answer questions and for tutoring. It's likely to give your class a reputation, but if you put forth your reasons it doesn't have to be a bad one. Though, of course, there's no way to keep them all happy."
Ginny nodded, slowly and thoughtfully. "I suppose when Hem Hem-bridge was here" -- her imitation of Umbridge's habitual throat-clearing was, as usual, frighteningly accurate -- "we got our own group together and worked outside of class, and were happy to do it. Of course, the D.A. was where we were doing the important part. I suppose if I want your suggestion to work, I'll have to hide my distaste for the exams, or else my students will never take their homework seriously, will they?" She smiled, wryly.
Remus stifled laughter at the imitation, but even stifled he still snorted and his eyes lightened with humor. "No, they won't but as you said they do need those exams if they're going to get jobs and be successful once they've left here. The reason I suggested keeping the practicals in class, by the way, is that I would really rather have them taught to use the magic appropriately and safely. I don't think they need that sort of help for regurgitating information for their exams."
"You're right, of course." She smiled, appreciatively. "I've also been thinking -- oh, I know I'm going to sound like an old mother hen when I say this -- but I've been thinking of adding a, er, 'Safety First' lecture to all of my classes next year. Not that we don't cover safety already, but... you know, explicitly saying to them that 'Sometimes The Best Choice Really Is To Run Away'." She shook her head. "I think of some of the things we got up to when I was in school, and... of course, I want them prepared, if it comes to that, but I don't want them so overconfident that--- You know, if anything were to happen to---" She cut herself off abruptly and stared fixedly at a point somewhere over Remus's left shoulder. "I look at my little first years and I think, my god, were we really ever that young?" She looks back at Remus with a sad sort of smile.
"You were," he said, with the same sort of smile. "Adding the safety first lecture's a good idea. Stressing that to the Gryffindors in particular is an even better idea." He shook his head, just a little. "It's always been like that, a bit, and I think even if things weren't as...potentially deadly as they were when you were in school, some of those impulses would have still been there. With or without the lecture they probably will still be, but I'd rather they know that they don't have to save the world by themselves." That was, mostly, a reference to Harry.
Her smile collapsed into a tight, thin line, and she nodded curtly. She dropped her gaze to her lap and flipped open the notebook she'd brought with her, scribbling some notes into it. Her hair fell into her face, hiding her expression.
"Thank you, Remus," she said after a long moment, and looked up again. Her eyes looked a bit red, but she smiled, warmly. "For the advice, for... everything. I'm really glad you're here, you know?"
He watched her, quiet and concerned but not quite willing - or possibly able - to cross the line himself. When she looked up and smiled, he returned it with a faint one of his own, but the concern, especially around his eyes, didn't change.
"I'm really glad I'm here, too," he told her, very simply. "So, telling your students to run away - are you going to include something about asking for help when they need it?" Very gently, and not quite prodding. He was still gentle and warm when he said it, almost more reminding than anything else.
Ginny blinked at him, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"See? SEE?" she said, and pointed a mock-accusing finger at him. "THIS is why you are the master, and I am but the learner." She smirked, bitterly amused.
"I'm... fine. Really. Nothing a hard ride on a broom and a pint or two won't fix, I'm sure." It was the same sort of answer she always gave. She tried to look reassuring.
All right, the more serious issue (and last thing she'd said, first). "I'm sure that it'll let you get your wits together and go back to being good at lying about it. I miss him, too." Simple, quiet, compassionate but he didn't leave it there, because it didn't leave either of them with an out, and cornering a werewolf or a Weasley was an act of stupidity and Remus was occasionally a bit dense but he wasn't actually unintelligent.
His voice lightened and he pinned her with a direct, slightly amused look. "I don't know who let you see Star Wars, but if you ever compare me to a small green man again, I will have you polishing Quidditch Trophies for the next decade."
Ginny beamed. "Well, um," she said, trying not to laugh. "I suppose you're much... taller." She held up her notebook to hide her mouth, but her eyes danced with mirth.
"And less green," he protested. "And younger."
"And a bit better-looking. And," her eyebrows drew together in a sort of apology, but oh, she just couldn't help herself, "unless there's something you haven't been telling us, YOU've not got wossname's arm up your arse."
She screwed up her features, trying not to burst into a fit of giggles. "Sorry, Remus. Mostly."
Remus had opened his mouth to thank Ginny (dryly, of course) for at least giving him that much, but she went on and he was left sitting there with his mouth slightly opened and head slightly to one side.
It took him a minute to get control of his voice, his mouth kept trying to turn up and his voice wavered so the control was far from perfect - he kept wanting to break into laughter. "There are a lot of that I'm not telling you, and what's been up my arse is certainly some of it."
Ginny clapped her hands over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut; her whole body shook with silent laughter.
It took her a couple of minutes to regain enough composure to speak again. She wiped at her eyes and fanned herself. "Well, now that we've cleared THAT up...."
"Now that we've cleared that up and you're feeling better get out of here while I still have some dignity left." He was smiling, though. "Keep me informed about Grimmuald, and I'll keep you up to date on what I need from you for security for Hermione's summer project."
"Sounds good." Ginny stood and returned the smile, fondly. "And thanks, Remus. For everything."
"It's what I'm here for," He told her, and lifted one hand in a sort of vague wave as she left.
It really was what he was here for - all of it.
Last modified: 8 January 2008