(A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I'm sorry for my long absence! I have terrible writers block…eek! Also, sorry in advance for this chapter, but I have to get it out of the way so I can write the really exciting ones that are coming up. I promise—it gets better! And if you still decide to read this after finishing this horrible chapter, then I will love you forever! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I replied personally to every one of them because they have brightened my day! Haha! Uh…enjoy? I would really appreciate any reviews given after this...so I don't drown in my pools of self-pity...WAAH!)
Chapter IX
Stratagem
Twelve hours. It had been twelve hours since Tom had left to "take care of" a problem in Liverpool. Ginny knew that the Ministry's Aurors were probably looking for her. She also knew that at this very moment her friends and family could be dead or dying at the hand of Tom's Death Eaters. It was a sickening thought, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling of worry for Tom from the back of her mind. He said he would return in the morning…its 9:00.
Ginny had slept fitfully last night. Her wedding night. Every time she would feel herself drifting off, an unknown force would nag at her. Why am I so…worried? Tom controls most of England now. He will be fine. Ginny shook her head. Why do I care? I shouldn't. I don't. He has killed so many good people; innocents and muggles…feeling this way must be an after-effect of the wedding…or those damned hormones.
Grudgingly, Ginny climbed out of bed and walked to the closet. She looked through all the lovely dresses and gowns and sighed. None of them fit her anymore, save for a few green ones in the back. She took one off the hanger and scowled at the garment. Yes, it was beautiful and glittering and expensive, but it just had to be green; his color. Ginny sighed heavily and dressed herself. A part of her missed wearing jeans and "boy clothes." She looked in the mirror at her dressing table and felt a wave of homesickness. My family would hardly recognize me. She thought, staring at her very Slytherin-looking reflection.
It was strange. Sometimes, she wished that she was an only child or that she was born into another family with less brothers and more money. She had once confided this to her diary when she was eleven. She wished that a certain tall, dark-haired boy would save her from her existence as just another Weasley. Ginny got what she wanted. Tom made her more than "just another Weasley." In fact, she wasn't a Weasley at all anymore. The Ministry had its Aurors and the Order looking for her, her face was on the cover of newspapers, and the whole wizarding world now knew her name; Ginevra Riddle.
Another two hours passed and Tom still hadn't returned home. Ginny was restless…and bored. She spent the whole morning wandering around the manor, neglecting her library. She wasn't in the 'reading mood' today. Ginny walked into the ballroom, which was still decorated, and sat at one of the guest tables.
"Curious," said a deep voice behind her. Startled, Ginny turned around to see Severus Snape standing in the shadows. "One would think you would be rejoicing in your husband's absence."
Ginny stared at him blankly, unsure if she could trust him. She bit her lower lip slightly as he stepped closer. He looked so much more intimidating in the shadows, but his presence still made her uncomfortable. What could he possibly want to talk about?
"May I?" He asked, motioning toward the chair beside her. Ginny nodded slowly, watching him carefully as he seated himself. At Hogwarts, her former professor usually did his best to ignore her, but now that his attention was solely focused on her, she found it quite unsettling.
"As you may have heard yesterday, the Order has been successful in pushing back the Dark Lord's Death Eaters," he said, his expression unreadable. Ginny nodded again, silently urging him to continue.
"I've told them your location. They should be arriving near the end of the month."
Ginny gaped at her former professor, unable to find her voice. In her experience, she had never known him to help lowly Gryffindors, yet here he was offering her an escape. "What?" She finally managed to squeak out.
"Potter has been leading the Order in search of you since your disappearance," he said flatly, apparently bored with the situation.
Ginny's mind was swimming with questions. If she hadn't been seated, she was sure she would have fallen to the floor. "…How?" Ginny struggled to form complete sentences. She began to play with the green-and-silver tablecloth anxiously. Surely this was a joke. "Harry's been looking for me?"
Snape nodded. "Yes. Your precious Potter is coming here to rescue you…are you not happy? Don't you want to return home?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.
Ginny stopped fidgeting to stare at Snape. "Do I want to return home?" She repeated incredulously. "Do you have any idea what my life has been like for the last seven months?"
Snape glanced at Ginny's rounded stomach. He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable. "I have some idea," he said quietly.
Ginny continued to bunch the tablecloth in her hands. "Does my family know?" she said, avoiding his gaze. Ginny cringed to think of greasy Professor Snape telling her mother that she was pregnant with Voldemort's child. She always said she wanted grandchildren…
"They have been informed," he said awkwardly. "I've been in contact with them for about a week now."
Ginny shifted uneasily, still refusing to look him in the eye. "Well…what do they think of it?" She could already picture their reactions. Mum and dad probably fainted…Fred and George probably started cursing…and Ron probably practicing his unforgivables on his way over right now.
"They understand that you had no choice in the matter," he said, still clearly irritated at the strange conversation. "They haven't disowned you, if that's what you were thinking."
Ginny nodded absentmindedly. "The Order will be here this month?" She asked softly, finally looking up from the table.
"Expect an 'attack' on this manor near the end of the month," he replied with a small sneer. It seemed that Harry had been wrong about his loyalty all along. Snape seemed quite pleased at the idea of rebelling against Voldemort, Ginny decided.
She let out a delighted squeal. "I'm going home!" Ginny's features lit with excitement, and she reached over the table and embraced a very uncomfortable Professor Snape. After several seconds, Ginny broke away, ignoring the awkwardness, and continued to cry and mumble 'thank yous.'"
"Don't thank me; Harry is the one who organized the Order," he said, flustered at her quickly-changing moods. Suddenly, a loud CRACK sounded from the entrance of the manor, signifying Tom's arrival. Snape sniffed and stood from his chair. "I must be leaving now. Don't want your dear husband to become suspicious."
Snape walked out of the ballroom, leaving Ginny alone; her head still spinning with emotion. In less than a month I'll be home! I'll get to see my family again! She couldn't hide her excited expression, even as Tom stormed into the room.
He didn't seem to notice her, as he continued to stride over to the bar. He threw his traveling cloak onto the floor angrily, and poured an amber liquid into a glass, glaring at nothing in particular. Ginny cleared her throat nervously. I don't want to anger him further…
Tom's head snapped in her direction at the noise. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards slightly. "Hello, Mrs. Riddle."
Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes as she slowly walked over to him. She stared into his dark eyes and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. If she left before the end of the month, Tom would never know his own daughter.
"How was Liverpool?" She asked casually.
"Oh, just lovely," he said, downing the liquid in his glass. "I don't want to talk about that right now…" Tom said, setting down the glass and stepping over to Ginny.
His hands snaked around her waist as he buried his face in her hair, just as he had done the night before. Ginny sighed and stood with him, stroking his back. She couldn't understand why she was feeling guilty. This man didn't deserve to have a daughter. Nevertheless, she stayed with him; after all, in less than thirty days he would be gone from her life forever…
"You know, we never did have a proper wedding night…and we can't have all that practicing go to waste…"
