Check Mate

Summary: Ginny returns for her seventh year with Dumbledore gone and Snape being headmaster. How is she going to cope with the Carrows and Voldemort? Might be D/G later.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough Harry Potter is not mine, and I have no intent on earning any money with this.

The Hogwarts express was deserted. Ginny noticed it already at the railway station but there the weather had been bright and sunny and her parents had been around, so it hadn't been that obvious. Now it was different. It was raining, the wind was howling and the sun was hidden behind stormy clouds. It didn't help that the girl was sitting all alone, her brother, Harry and Hermione being off on some mysterious quest.

The door slid open. "Hey." Luna entered the small space and slumped down opposite her friend. Her usual bright hair seemed duller, her eyes had lost that extra sparkle and there were no crazy ear rings or attire of clothing. Just plain Hogwarts robes.

Ginny knew better than to ask. The production of the quibbler was stopped right after Voldemorts henchman de facto took over the wizarding world. "How's your father?"

Luna shrugged and stared dreamily out of the window. It took several seconds until she tore her gaze away from the window and looked at her friend. "I spend the rest of the summer with distant relatives in France; I haven't seen or heard from him since they shut the Quibbler down."

Ginny was thinking about anything worth replying when the door slid open again.

"Hey girls." Neville entered, sat his toad down on one of the unoccupied seats and smiled weakly. The two girls nodded acknowledging and Luna resumed staring out of the window.

"You know what?" Neville leaned forward and looked intently at Ginny. "I've been looking through the whole train. There are nearly no seventh years from Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Surprisingly many Ravenclaws though."

"Who's left? How many sixth years?"

Neville shrugged uncertainly. "Seventh years? Just me, Lavender and Seamus. I have no idea how many sixth years deemed it safely enough to return, I guess we'll get to know that soon." He gestured outside the window; they were just arriving at Hogsmead station.

Neville gently gripped Luna at her shoulder and smiled at her, then helped Ginny into her cloak. "Better get your papers ready."

They deboarded the train together with the other students who had returned. It was still raining and occasional thunder made the younger students jump. "I'm surprised that there are any first years," said Ginny while she entered the queue to have her papers checked. There was no Hagrid around to coach the frightened children.

"Their parents don't have a choice," answered Neville and handed his papers over to a bulky man who looked like he wasn't even able to write his own name. The thug checked the papers, regarded Neville with a mistrustful look and handed them back. It was Luna's turn.

Neville lingered behind to finish his thought. "The parents have no choice but to send their children here if there blood is pure enough. The students missing are either deemed unworthy of a magical education or they decided to run, or both."

"Move!" The thug pushed Neville so he would continue on. Now they at least knew that he was capable of vocalizing one word sentences.

Ginny handed her papers over. She tiptoed and was able to see a big red 'suspected blood traitor' stamped on her papers.

"Weasley?" grunted the man.

His voice made her shiver. She had seen some scary things in her life, was at one point even possessed by Voldemort and it was fairly difficult to scare her. But there was something about the whole situation that made her feel uneasy. "Yes?"

The man snapped his fingers and two more of his sort appeared. They gripped Ginny at her arms.

"What?" demanded the girl. "You think I can't walk? Or are you that afraid of a girl?" She considered kicking them in the shin for a moment.

The two men looked at the one checking the papers as if they were not sure how to continue. The thug turned to Ginny and only now she could see that one of his ears were missing and it looked pretty creepy.

"The headmaster has some questions." So he was able to use more than one word in a sentence. "Go with them."

The young Gryffindor send him her best glares and turned around to follow the two men whom she suspected to be Deatheaters. But she was near enough to hear a familiar drawl say: "You know if looks could kill you'd be pretty dead by now." Ginny tried to look over her shoulder but she was shoved into a carriage by her two charming escorts.

One of them stretched his hand out and looked at her demanding.

Ginny raised an eyebrow and stared right back.

It went on for a little over five seconds until one of them grunted: "Wand."

The Gryffindor wiggled her eyebrows, looked like she was concentrating, thinking about what to do until she shook her head with a big cocky grin. "No. I need that one and you might break it. And if you don't, I'm pretty sure that not even the best cleaning charm could make your germs disappear."

The two men looked at each other until one of them leaned forward and slapped her over the face. Ginny jerked back and put her hand on her stinging cheek. It didn't hurt so much as that it really caught her by surprise. "You are not allowed to do that! When the headmaster…"

"When the headmaster what?" asked one of them. He wore a mean grin on his face when he cracked his knuckles. "You really think nothing has changed, do you? Boy you are in for a surprise."

Ginny decided to settle on a vicious glare.

The ride to the castle took longer than ever. The young girl spent her time looking out of the window wondering about her brother and if at least he was safe.

"Out," grunted the man, his big flashy hand grabbed her at her shoulder and shoved her out. They made their way to the headmaster's office and Ginny was overcome by her memories of Dumbledore. Suddenly she felt really, really alone and scared. And it didn't get better when the door opened and she could see Snape sitting in Dumbledore's chair.

"Who let you in here?" The girl screamed and jerked forward, completely disregarding her intentions of not provoking anyone.

"You dare behave that way?" screeched a high feminine voice before a white slash sliced through the air and Ginny found she was restrained by thick veins slinging themselves around her arms and legs.

Snape waved his hand and the veins disappeared. "Really Alecto, did you think a mere child could harm me?" Ginny didn't know what was wrong with her but hearing Snapes familiar drawl made her feel a little more comfortable.

"I thought I'd just protect our Lords most valuable servant," the female Deatheater sneered. She returned back into the edge where she had been, like a spider that always returns into the shadows. Ginny could distinctly recognize a second person back there.

"Ms. Weasley," drawled Snape and looked at her, seeming way to comfortable in Dumbledore's chair.

"Sir?" asked Ginny in a way that she hoped was respectful enough to not earn her anymore punishment.

"Where is Harry Potter?"

It wasn't as if Ginny hadn't expected something like that. "Why would I know that, Sir?"

"He was your boyfriend, now was he not?" The voice came from the shadows, but this time it was a male one.

"You are right, he was. He broke up with me, that jerk," she tried to sound as despising as possible. She feared though, that she sucked at it.

"Leave me with Ms. Weasley," demanded Snape. "And give me her wand."

After it was handed to him the others left the room.

"You might not know where Mr. Potters whereabouts are, but I am sure he is going to contact you eventually." Snape stared at her intently before playing with a little flask on his desk. "You know what that is?"

Ginny nodded. She could spot Veritaserum from every direction.

"Good. Now just remember that I can use this whenever I want to. There is no more Dumbledore to protect you or anyone else. Bear that in mind will you? Leave now."

And Ginny left, feeling dread upon the upcoming year.