Stupid

Chapter 3

Dance and Explode

Less than two minutes later, I rested my satiated self against the back of the chair. I raised my hand to my mouth, covering a small burp then muttering an even smaller "excuse me." Snape just sat back, watching me and trying not to smile. However, his smile could not be concealed after I patted my stomach in an exaggerated fashion. In fact, the two of us broke out into a fit of giggles.

Once his laughter had subsided, he said, "See, eating isn't so bad."

I suddenly became very quiet. I realized the huge weight in the bottom of stomach. I felt bloated and disgusting. The one thing I thought I could control, he now had control over.

I shrugged, concentrating very hard on my hands in my lap, "I guess."

"You guess?" He asked, incredulously. "Without food, one cannot survive. It's one of the most basic facts of life!"

"And what if I don't want to survive? What if I want to join my brother and parents? What if I don't bloody care about anything anymore?" I screamed.

He sighed, again. "It's barely been a week, Ginevra. The pain and the difficulty of this burden have only just begun. Do not give up when this hasn't yet had the chance to test your character." He looked away, almost embarrassed. "There is something I've been meaning to speak with you about. The reason I am here is because Dumbledore has ordered it. You are under my care until school resumes, at which point your custody will be placed with whoever Dumbledore wishes."

I sunk even lower into my chair. Little orphan Ginny had now been taken under the wing of evil Professor Snape. "But, what about my brothers?" I asked.

"As you know, Percy has been in cohorts with Lord Voldemort, so he is most certainly out of the question. Fred and George are hardly in Dumbledore's favor at the moment. As much as he knows they love you, he also knows how terribly irresponsible and young those two are. Charlie is in some eastern European country attempting to train dragons to fight against the Dark Lord, which leaves him quite unable to care for a child."

"Child?!?" I nearly yelled. "I am no child. I am sixteen years old and I deserve to be treated like the woman I am." I said, defiantly.

"Regardless of what you deserve, you will receive nothing more than I can provide. I assure you, I am quite a capable guardian."

There was no fighting this. Whatever Dumbledore wanted, Dumbledore got. If he wanted Professor Snape to watch over me for the remaining summer months, I suppose it had to be. Still, I'd never known Snape to be the kind of person to care about anyone, or anything, for that matter.

"However," he went on, "I understand full well how this feels. The loss and the loneliness. You're forced to grow up much too fast. You're forced to deal with things that are supposed to be too far beyond the comprehension of a teenager." Tentatively, he put a hand near mine. I moved my hand gently underneath his so that he was holding my hand in his. I looked up and met his gaze, only to turn away moments later, blushing over my shoulder. He smiled and said, "I may not be much help, but I am here if you need someone to talk to. I may not be the most emotionally available person, but this is one thing I am able to empathize with you." We sat there in a contented silence for a minute or so. I focused my gaze squarely on his hand covering mine.

Softly, he spoke again. "Is there anything you need?"

I smiled up at him, finally finding the courage to look him in the eyes. "Yeah. Another bowl of cereal."

'Sleep has left me alone,

To carry the weight of unraveling where we went wrong.'

A/N: Damn it's been a long time. I promise constant updates from here on in. Maybe ... lol