The final Quidditch match of the 1998-99 year was held on a sunny, May day. Many of the previous year’s graduates showed up to watch their former classmates compete. For one Gryffindor Chaser, the thrill of winning was greatly enhanced when her clandestine boyfriend of a year dragged her under one of the stands and pulled out a ring.

Two passing first years were shocked into immobility at the repeated, almost sobbed, cries of “Yes!” Unfortunately for the occupants of the stand, Ron Weasley heard them as well. Even more unfortunately for the peace of mind of many, when the two first years rounded the corner and peeked inside, only the brother and sister pair could be seen.

“He’s a Death Eater, Ginny!”

“Not anymore! You heard what he said – under Veritaserum, even! He was working for Dumble-”

“So he says. That doesn’t mean it’s true.”

An inarticulate squeal escaped Ginny as she turned and stormed back to the castle, leaving a dumbfounded brother in her wake. Not wishing to enrage her brother further by exposing their eavesdropping, the first years scampered off as well.

Shaking slightly at the enormity of what they’d overheard, the little Hufflepuffs trotted quickly across the landscaped grounds, thinking only of their snug common room. They were so focused, in fact, that one of them bumped straight into a seventh year Ravenclaw.

Luna smiled mistily down at them, feeling sorry because they looked so scared. One polite inquiry later, she had a few very interesting pieces of information.

“Ginny’s big brother YELLED at her…something about a Death Eater…”

“Yeah – he found them…you know…together.”

The Head Girl’s interest in being alone with a boy in the dimness inside a Quidditch stand was completely lost on the second speaker, which showed in her hesitation. Luna, unfortunately, took this entirely the wrong way, and looked slightly shocked herself.

This slight shock alarmed Hermione five minutes later, when Luna encountered her as the Hogwarts alumni was striding towards the locker rooms in search of Harry. Normally, Hermione would think nothing of such a mild case of shock, but this was Luna she was looking at, so she concernedly asked what was wrong.

“Ron walked in on Ginny having sex.”

“WHAT? With who?”

“Oh, just some Death Eater. Must have been terribly shocking for him, though. I mean, his own sister!”

Having passed on the information, Luna’s shocked look faded, though it was reproduced tenfold in Hermione’s expression as she suddenly gasped and ran off to warn Harry before Ron got to him. Finding him closing the locker room door with a nostalgic sigh, she gasped out her findings.

“Ginny slept with – slept with – ”

Her brain seemed to spin dizzily as she realized that only one person at Hogwarts fit the description given.

“ – slept with Snape!”