AN: Hey guys! For some reason, the site gliched and this story got deleted-- so, now I'm re-posting it. So, here it is! (Ta-da? lol)! Totally AU, Ginny is given the Map instead of Harry in her third year and things are a lot different. Please let me know what you think!

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. Wiping away a tear with her right hand, she let out a sigh.

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 didn't hurt.

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 starting to doubt her own judgment.

Granted, she knew 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, her high, nasally voice the ringing through the deserted restroom.

Ginny sighed. "It was Snape this time," she answered quietly, closing her eyes to prevent the tears from starting again. "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, rolling her used-to-be-brown eyes. "I've been around here a long time and know firsthand just how good his own 'judgment' is."

Ginny snorted quietly, actually allowing herself to laugh at the comment. "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, you're righ," Ginny sighed and began repacking her spilled belongings into her book bag. She cast a quick charm to fix her running mascara and re-applied the concealer under her eyes that hid the dark, tired circles she couldn't seem to get rid of. "See you later, Myrtle," She gave a small waive and steeled herself for what was to come before leaving 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. All Ginny knew was that she was happy she was. Though not all the girls in her year were hostile toward her, they were all hesitent to be around her more often than absolutely necessary. Hermione was, of course, trying to involve Ginny as much as possible, but Ginny felt too much like a charity case when she was with her. She knew Hermione didn't think of her in that way, but it didn't matter. She didn't want to be a third wheel and didn't want any more pity.

She plastered on her perfected 'normal' look and made her way into 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 there who she just knew kept glancing her way. She thought that with all the news about Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban, the rumors about the events of the Chamber would've died down, but she had been wrong. All it took was for one person to wonder if Ginny knew or had any contact with the murderer for her to become the center of gossip once again

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 against her chest.

"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, rolling her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for their antics. They both knew how much it annoyed her when they spoke like that, constantly and purpously finishing eachothers sentences. "We all know you are still planning on giving me whatever you plan on giving me, so just get on with it."

"George?"

"Yes, Fred?"

"I do believe she also has a point."

"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 a phrase she had heard repeatedly since they started Hogwarts… "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 spider webs of black 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, her bad mood dissipating quickly. 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 and she paused, her eyes narrowing. "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. "I don't know...Is it," she hesitated, and the last year quickly flashed before her eyes, "dark?"

"Maybe," Fred said, as if it wasn't a big deal. "But we doubt it. We've been using it for years without a hint of trouble."

"Don't worry, Gin," George said, becoming very serious.

"But..." Ginny looked back down at the map. "Why would you give this to me?"

The twins exchanged a look, staying serious. "We've decided your need for it is greater than ours. We had another person in mind, but decided you deserve this after everything that happened with..." Fred trailed off, neither he or George finishing the sentence..

Ginny raised her eyebrows, but didn't speak.

"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 and a smug grin from each of them, they were gone again. She huffed. How in Merlin's name did they figure out how to apparate inside Hogwarts?

………

AN: Please review!