Ginny watched the Order members enter the Headquarters. All of them were covered in blood, exhausted and injured. They had just come back from a Death Eater attack. There was Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Remus, Professor Dumbledore, her mum, and her dad, Fred, George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. But he wasn't there.
The girl followed the others into the kitchen. Hopefully she'd find something out there.
"Ginny, darling, go to bed," Molly said, slumping down in a chair, tired. "It's late."
"No," Ginny said stubbornly. "What happened to Professor Snape?"
"Why do you want to know?" Ron wailed. "Don't you want to ask how your family feels?"
Ginny glared at her brother. As a matter of fact, I don't, she thought, but didn't dare say it out aloud.
"We don't know what happened to him, Ms. Weasley," Albus answered her question. "It might well be that the Death Eaters killed him."
She didn't want to believe her ears. Professor Snape couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. Ginny slowly backed out of the kitchen.
"What's the matter, sis?" Fred asked irritated. But Ginny didn't listen to what he said. She ran out of the room and upstairs, not caring that she woke up Mrs. Black's portrait.
"I go and look if she's OK," Harry said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The others watched him go, too exhausted to do anything against it. Moments after Remus and Sirius followed to shut the curtains around Mrs. Black's portrait. They didn't really want to because they were tired, but they knew they had to if they didn't want to attract the neighbour's attention.
Minutes passed. The Order members waited impatiently for Harry and Ginny. And then the shouting began.
"Don't touch me, bastard!" they heard Ginny's voice.
"What's the matter with you?"
"I said don't touch me!"
"You're my girlfriend, I can touch you when I want and where I want," Harry's voice could be heard. "And now tell me what's wrong with you!"
"Nothing is wrong with me. I just don't want to talk to anyone."
"Is it because of Snape?"
"What if it is? It shouldn't concern you."
"You're my girlfriend," Harry repeated.
"Not anymore! Consider yourself dumped."
"You can't do that! I'm the Boy-Who-Lived!"
"Oh, can't I? Well, it seems to me that no one ever thought about bringing your feet back to the ground, Harry Potter. Just because you're the Boy-Who-Lived doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want." There was a pause, then, "BASTARD! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
Molly, Arthur, Fred, George and Ron jumped up and raced upstairs, closely followed by Hermione, Kingsley, Sirius and Remus. They reached the first floor and saw Harry lying on the floor, rubbing his cheek, and Ginny standing a metre away from him, still backing towards the staircase to the second floor.
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Ron shouted, helping Harry up.
"She fancies Snape," Harry hissed.
"WHAT!?" Molly and Arthur bellowed shocked.
"Yes," Ginny said, running up the staircase to the second floor, sobbing. "I do love him!"
"Young girl, stay here!" Arthur shouted after her.
"You can't tell me what to do," Ginny yelled before she disappeared into her bedroom.
His whole body hurt more than ever before. He couldn't even describe his pain with words. Although he had his eyes shut his breathing must have changed its rhythm because someone began to speak.
"Ah, you're awake, Snape."
It made his head want to explode.
"I have waited for you to do so many days."
"Voldemort," Severus managed to mutter, ignoring his headache.
"Yes, my dear Severus, it is me. I'm saddened that you choose to follow old fool Dumbledore though."
"I was never… loyal to you…"
"Ah, I knew that. I knew it since the day you lost your lovely Lily." Voldemort tried to sound sympathetic, but it sounded more like a pathetic try to sound sorry.
"…"
"Well, I have a nice present for you anyway. My other loyal Potion Master brewed a little potion, just for you. It'll shrink you to a fifteen year old boy."
"How will that… help you overtake… the magical world…?"
"Ah, yes. That's quite easy answered, Severus. A lovely bird chirped a bit, and I heard that dear Ms. Weasley has a weak spot for you. So how will she react when you're there as a boy her age? She'll become foolish, of course. Love always makes people be foolish!" the Dark Lord snarled in a deep voice. "Anyhow," he continued after a pause in his normal voice. "You will lead her into a trap, and"– he snapped his fingers –"she'll be mine like that. Her parents will do everything to get her back, and I'll order Dumbledore to give up. Without him the magical world will be mine! MUHAHAHAHA! MUHAHAHA! MUHAHAHA!"
"That… will never work, Voldemort…"
"And why not, my dear Severus?"
"Because… Ms. Weasley… cannot be in love with me…"
"But she is, Severus, she is. And now to this potion. It might hurt a little bit, but soon it should be over. So no need to worry too much. "
Ginny spent the next days in her bedroom crying, and no one except Hermione and the twins were allowed in. They were the only ones understanding her and her feelings. Everyone else was just going on about how she couldn't be in love with Severus Snape and that she didn't even know what love was. On top of all they told her to get back together with Harry who was "a much better person to marry". However Ginny didn't care. All she cared about was her potions professor.
"Come on, Ginny," Fred said on the third day. "Cheer up. Old Snape is tough. He's been through worse things than being captured by Death Eaters and being tortured by them."
"W-what if he's dead?" Ginny sobbed.
"Believe me, you don't get rid of him that fast," George said jokingly, but it was no use.
"Guys, I've got some food," Hermione said, entering the room carrying a tray laden with all sorts of fruits ands sandwiches.
"I'm not hungry…"
"Ginny, you didn't eat anything for days!" Hermione said, locking the door magically behind her to stop anyone from entering. "You must eat something. Mrs. Weasley is more than annoyed that we won't eat downstairs in the kitchen, but angry that you don't even touch the food she's making for you."
"I'm not hungry," Ginny repeated between sobs.
"Ginevra Weasley," Fred scolded.
"If you don't eat something now," George continued.
"Then we will not let you see Snape ever again," the twins chorused, making Hermione smile.
"Fine!" Ginny yelled, grabbing an apple, taking a bite from it. She continued with a full mouth "I'm eating, OK?"
Once she began eating she found out how hungry she actually was. Ginny ate one sandwich after another, drank four cups of pumpkin juice as fast as she could and had three apples on top of all.
"Well, someone seems to be hungry," George joked, watching his sister.
"She has every reason to be," Hermione pointed out, glad that her friend was feeling better again.
Going back to Hogwarts didn't feel right knowing that her beloved potions master wouldn't be there again. It seemed dull without him, but she couldn't just bunk school because of that, could she?
In order to help Ginny protect herself from Harry who was continiously trying to get near her Fred and George had invented a gadget that, if she muttered a certain word, would form a bubble around her and no one would be able to go near her.
The train ride to the school seemed endless. Ginny did sit in the same compartment as Harry, Ron and Hermione, but she spend all her time in her bubble. Another of its features was that when she was inside it every sound was muted. To top it all the walls of the bubble were invisible, so no one had any idea she was even in it. Harry attempted to reach out to her a few times but found that he always burnt himself as soon as he got a couple of inches within her distance.
Serves him right, Hermione thought amused. Besides Ginny and the twins she was the only one to know about the gadget. That comes from using your girlfriend as an object.
They arrived at Hogsmeade late in the evening. Ginny didn't bother to get out of the bubble. For all she cared the whole world could burn themselves going near hear as long as Severus would come back.
One of the most extraordinary things at Hogwarts was when a new student in one of the upper years arrived in School. Neither Ginny nor Hermione had ever experienced it, so when they saw a boy in the middle of the new First Year students but tall enough to be fifteen they instantly knew what was about to happen. Before the sorting the headmaster made a quick announcement.
"Just before we start the sorting," he said, "I want you all to know that the fifth year will welcome a new student this year, Seth McFarane. Please make him all feel welcome, no matter into which house he is sent."
Seth was the first to be sorted. After some time the hat exclaimed "GRYFFINDOR!" and only when he walked over to their table did Ginny get to take a proper look at the new boy. Something about him was familiar...
"Can I sit here?" the boy stuttered looking at the empty seat next to Ginny. She quickly removed the bubble and then nodded. She certainly didn't want to burn the new boy.
"Have we met before?" she asked looking at features were sharp, his eyes onyx and his hair was cut short. The only person as pale as that boy she had ever known had been Professor Snape.
"Not that I know," Seth replied shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Are you related to someone called Severus Snape?"
Seth started sweating. Was it possible that she had found him out so soon? "S-Snape you say? No - I don't know anyone by that name."
Ginny shrugged. "My bad. You just look a bit like him."
"Coincidence perhaps," Seth laughed nervously. "You're in my year?"
Ginny nodded eagerly. "Yep. I'm Ginny, Gnny Weasly. We'll probably have all the same lessons."
"Hopefully," Seth added although he knew they had. "That way you can show me around."
"Hey cutiepie, why don't you give me the potatoes?"
Ginny glared hatefully at Potter. "How many times do I have to tell you? I am through with you."
Seth raised his eyebrows. Dumbledore had always told him about how good a couple Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasly make, especially since they got together. However, realizing that they had broken up and that Potter was still acting as if they were together showed him what a real git Potter was, just like his father. In fact, Lily had only stayed with him because he had knocked her up after filling her with beer. After being told by Lily herself Severus had never drunken another sip of alcohol. Back then she had also admitted that if she hadn't been knocked up she'd have chosen him. He knew he had to get on to Ginny as quick as possible if he didn't want Potter to get his hands on her.
After the meal Ginny led Seth to the Gryffindor common room. Of course he knew the way very well - after all he had visited Lily hundreds of times - but he had to act as if he didn't have any idea where he was going.
"How long have you been living in the magical world?" Ginny asked as they mounted a staircase.
Seth stuck to the background story Voldemort had inflicted his mind with. "My mother raised and home-taught me herself in Devon. It was risky for us to live in the middle of a muggle town but we both liked it there. Unfortunately, Mother was diagnosed with cancer and died early in the summer. My uncle Eric Prince took me in and got me into Hogwarts."
"I'm sorry," Ginny said hearing about his mum's death. "It must have been dreadful when she died."
Seth shrugged. They had reached the top of the staircase by now and took a right turn. "I never knew my father and Uncle Eric didn't appear until Mother's death, so his appearence took me more by shock than her passing. I guess having to get used to him took my mind off her a bit much."
"That's the Fat Lady," Ginny said pointing at a portrait ahaead. A group of Gryffindor students stood in front of it waiting for the prefects to tell them the password and let them in. "Once you were told the password you shouldn't forget it under any circumstances."
"Don't forget password, got it!"
"Hey Ginny!"
"Piss off Harry!" Ginny hissed angrily.
Harry approached her and grabbed her ass. "How's my favourite girl?"
She slapped him straight across the face. "You don't fucking get it do you? We are not together anymore." She took Seth's wrist and pulled him away with her, once apart from the others instantly creating the bubble again with the gadget. To her susprise it came out big enough for both her and Seth. Maybe it was because she had held his wrist while activating it?
Harry's footsteps came after them.
"Kiss me," Ginny ordered Seth. "I want him to realize I'm not his sex object any longer."
Seth was token aback by what she said. "K-kiss you?" he stammered blushing deeply. Weasly was his student, he couldn't pos-
Just as Harry turned the corner Ginny managed to get her tongue into Seth's mouth. Somehow kissing this strange boy felt a lot better than kissing Potter. It felt right.