TITLE: Sinister Rouge
PAIRINGS: Severus/Ginny friendship, Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Cho, various others.
SUMMARY: Death Eater spies, Ginny and Snape fight similar battles both physical and mental. An attack on Hogwarts is expected soon and the outcome is blurry.
FEEDBACK: Sure
DISCLAIMER: This has been done before and will be done again: Fucking about with them, not mine.
She found Severus Snape staring intently at a blank stone wall, hands clasped tightly behind his back. Despite his acerbic responses to enquiries, Ginny wondered whether his mind actually was beginning to slip. She walked up behind him and touched him lightly in the crook of his elbow. She felt Severus's skin underneath his robes jump minutely at the contact though he outwardly displayed no other surprise.
"Ah, Miss Weasley," he sneered by way of greeting, "I graciously thank you for your presence here today. Even if it is half of an hour past our agreed meeting time."
"Now, Professor, there's no need to be snarky. You know as well as I do how hard is it to keep appointments in our line of business."
Conceding, Snape gestured stiffly to the only chair in the cellar. At the peak of the war against Voldemort, it was too dangerous for meeting that may so much as look suspicious even amongst fellow Death Eaters. Especially one so carefully watched as Severus was. Fellow spies, Ginny met with Severus in the cellar of an abandoned muggle cellar far from anywhere likely to be searched.
No longer in the inner circle of the Dark Lord, Severus now acted as a glorified messenger boy to Dumbledore, very much to his chagrin. Due to his continued professor status at Hogwarts a limited amount of contact with Dumbledore was expected, and therefore made it safer for him to speak the leader then Ginny Weasley.
The youngest Weasley had nothing new to report and both went their designated ways. Heading back to Hogwarts, Severus wondered about Ginny Weasley. She was sure his mind was beginning the spiral into chaos but he wondered whether the same wasn't true for herself. He knew how it felt to be a Death Eater passing information from the inside of one to the other, though she was more firmly entrenched then he ever was. He had grown to respect the red haired young woman - possibly more then any other witch or wizard he knew. Except Dumbledore, of course.
Not even an Auror, she had volunteered for the task of secret usurper at eighteen. Dumbledore had agreed immediately though Severus had been sure it was folly. A Weasley could not possibly keep up the horrifying and difficult charade, nor act with the delicacies needed for such a task. Ginny had proved more then up the challenge, it seemed and she and Severus had become unlikely friends. He would deny having any friends at all, of course. The only time her mask of contempt and hatred slipped was at a party thrown by the Lestranges.
Standing near to the fire nursing a Scoth on the rocks, Ginny had been been approached by her brother. Once Voldemort's return had been acknowledged and a golden opportunity to heal the familial rift caused by his alliancewith Minister Fudge, Pery had simply disappeared. Many were certain that shame over deserting his loving family had caused him to hide; cowardly, no doubt, but not devestating. It had been obvious Ginny had not known he was a Death Eater until that moment but she quickly covered her horror with a gentle surprise at his resurfacing, acting genuinely giddy to see him.
It was that moment that the burgeoning respect he had been feeling had cemented itself in his mind.
There had been no news that week for him to pass on to Dumbledore. Severus had not so much as heard a ripple of news among the Death Eater undercurrent and Ginny Weasley had backed up his proddings. The lack of information did not bode well with either of them. The old adage 'calm before the storm' was forefront in both Severus and Ginny's minds, though neither spoke it allowed. Worry creased his face as he reached the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. There was nothing to report today but very soon a major confrontation was coming.