Her Father's Daughter
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
A/N: I haven't forgotten about this story, I promise. To those still reading, it will be completed soon. I hope you stick with it.
An Awful Predicament
He bowed his head and whispered, "When I saw you as my student, I didn't know who your father was. It was only during Lucius Malfoy's confessional before his death last year that it was revealed. For your protection, the record was sealed."
Ginny turned and buried her head into her teacher's shoulder. "Thank you," she murmured. For his part, Severus Snape displayed a warmth that was seemingly foreign to him as he returned the young woman's embrace.
Weeks later, when the cold of November bit at the windows of the castle, Ginny found herself alone in Snape's private laboratory. She'd received a note earlier from him that he would in a teacher's meeting at their schedule research time, but she could go ahead and begin work.
She pulled their notes from the desk drawer and set a cauldron on top of the desk. First, she dropped syrup of hellebore and waited for it to simmer.
Looking around the room, she noticed a large stack of books on the credenza against the back wall. She suddenly remembered that she had to look up the proper way to slice valerian roots, so she rifled through the stack, looking for the right one.
However, a small paperback caught her eye. Potions: Life and Death was stuck in the middle of the stack, and before she could stop herself, Ginny pulled it free, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the door to the laboratory was still closed.
She opened the book carefully, taking great care to not bend the pages. She perused the Table of Contents, taking in the potions- the Elixir of Life, various Memory Potions, and the Draught of Resurrection.
She gasped at the sight of that particular potion and was just about to turn to the instructions when she heard the doorknob turn. She quickly stuffed the book back into the stack and hurried back over to the cauldron.
"Gods, I never thought that meeting would end," Snape complained as he entered the room. "How far have you gotten?"
"Er, the hellebore is just about to simmer," Ginny answered quickly. "I was just about to crush the mandrake roots. I thought perhaps this time, we should add them before anything else."
"Excellent notion, Ginny," Snape answered. "Would you mind slicing the shrivelfigs tonight? My hand is unsteady."
Ginny noticed that he was keeping his right hand in his lap and fighting to keep it still. She nodded his ascent silently and forced a small smile at her professor.
She pulled a mortar and pestle from the cupboard under the table as Snape slid a jar of mandrake roots toward her with his good hand. She quickly crushed the roots and added them to the cauldron before beginning to cut the shrivelfigs. They both grew quiet while she worked.
"Professor Snape?" Ginny asked, interrupting their companionable silence.
"Yes?" he asked in a soft tone not many students had ever heard.
"Can I ask a question about the potion Voldemort used to regain his body?" Ginny bit her lip as she awaited his answer.
"What do you want to know, Ginny?" Snape asked, setting down the vial of dragon's blood he'd been about to add to their potion.
"Well, how do you suppose he found that potion?" she asked, looking at him surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, how could he know that there was that kind of potion in the world?"
"Dark magic, Miss Weasley, has always been around," Snape answered quietly. "Voldemort knew where to find it. He was very deep in dark magic, even before he finished school."
"The potion, though," Ginny pressed, "is it just to restore someone's body to their soul or can it restore someone… entirely?"
Severus Snape was not a stupid man. Nor was he naïve. He knew what his young apprentice was asking, and he couldn't say he was surprised. He'd been expecting her questions for some time.
He wheeled his chair so that he faced her head on before he spoke.
"Look at me, Miss Weasley," he commanded.
She complied and he closed his pale hand over hers.
"I won't lie to you," he said gravely. "There are some forms of dark magic that promise to bring those lost to us back to this world again, but none are certain. It takes the selling of your soul to the devil himself, and I have never heard of a case where it has succeeded."
He squeezed her hand for emphasis and continued. "He is gone, Ginny. There is nothing you can do. Believe me, if there was some way, I would help you."
"No, you wouldn't," Ginny said angrily, wiping her newly-formed tears with her spare hand. "You hated Sirius."
"I don't deny it," Snape replied. "But I do care about you."
"Thank you, Professor," Ginny replied, forcing a smile at the Potions Master.
He smiled back weakly and pulled his hand away.
"Now, shall we get back to the Potion?"
Professor Snape's words stuck with Ginny for weeks, right up until the Christmas holidays. There was a potion out there that would reunite her with Sirius. That was the good news. The bad news was that the potion itself was found in a book locked away in Professor Snape's office. A few days before, Snape had her return their research books to the library, and Ginny had noticed the small paperback was conspicuously missing. She hadn't bothered to question him about it, but she knew it was tucked away somewhere Snape considered safe.
Before she could formulate a plan to retrieve the book, the holidays were almost over. The only other students besides Ginny who'd remained during the holidays were Christian Zabini, a set of fourth-year Hufflepuff twins, a few Gryffindors, and a sixth-year Ravenclaw named Anne Phillips.
Ginny didn't know much about any of the other students, except for Christian. The Gryffindors were second- and third-years, and with being Head Girl, she didn't spend much time in the common room.
She spent most of the last day of the holiday break in the library catching up on homework. She hurried down to dinner, intent on eating quickly before returning to the library. However, when she took her seat at the round table next to Snape, her plans changed. He leaned closely towards her, so that no one else could hear.
"Miss Weasley, do you think you have some time this evening?" he asked. "I think I may have found the problem with the potion."
Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yes, of course," she replied, intrigued by what he'd found. "Straight after dinner?"
He nodded, and they both ate quickly and left for the Potions classroom.
When they arrived, Ginny could tell that Snape was rather excited by his discovery, and she was eager to see what it was.
"The problem, I've hypothesized, is in the order of ingredients," Snape said as they entered the room. "We're putting the wrong things in at the wrong times. I think the mandrake roots should be added at the end. But I still think the lacewings are out of order."
Ginny took her seat at the table and wrinkled her brow in thought. "That would make sense as to why it bubbles over too soon," she thought aloud. "But how do we know when to add it?"
Snape pulled himself up at the table and laced his fingers together atop it. "Trial and error, I suppose."
The pair tried several variations of the potion before Ginny began to yawn audibly.
"Floo Malfoy's office, will you, Miss Weasley?" Snape asked as he poured and corked the latest version of the potion into a vial. "I need to remind him to take my classes tomorrow."
Ginny was confused, but she went to the fireplace nonetheless.
"Draco Malfoy's office!" she called, casting some powder into the grate.
Snape rolled over to the fireplace. "Draco!" he yelled.
No one answered, and Snape called for the younger professor again, but to no avail. The Potions Master growled in frustration.
"Where is that dunderhead?" he mumbled. He released the Floo and wheeled back to the desk and began scribbling onto a parchment.
"Why is he taking your classes?" Ginny asked, approaching nervously. An angry Snape was nothing to be trifled with.
"I will be away," he said simply. Seeing her troubled expression, he amended, "I have an appointment at St. Mungo's. There's nothing to worry about."
"Will you take this to Malfoy's office on your way?" he asked, handing the note to her.
"Of course, sir," she smiled weakly at him.
"Ginny," Snape said softly, "I know you're worried, but I really wish you wouldn't."
"That's not really your decision, is it?" she retorted playfully. "I will worry, and you can't stop me."
"But you do not need to concern yourself with me," he said stoically. "You have more than enough on your mind."
"Okay, that's it," Ginny said, throwing her hands into the hair. "Professor Snape, when are you going to get it into that overgrown head of yours? I care about you, and I worry about you. That's what a friend does."
"Friend, hmm?" Snape asked, a small playing at the corner of his lips. "Never really had a student as a friend before. We shall see how this goes."
She smiled broadly at him, and his comfort level dwindled. "Off with you now," he said, gesturing to the door. "Make sure Malfoy gets that message."
"Yes, sir," Ginny replied. "Good night."
She hurried up to Malfoy's classroom, fully intent on laying the message on his desk. But something stopped her from bursting through the door.
Strange noises were coming from inside the classroom, moans, gasps. To Ginny, it sounded as if someone was in pain or being tortured. She pushed the door open a little so she could sneak up on the attacker. However, the sight before her eyes completely changed her plan.
Draco Malfoy was standing in front of his desk. A girl's legs were wrapped around his hips, and his head was buried in her neck. One of Malfoy's hands had slithered underneath the girl's shirt, and his other hand had pushed her skirt up around her waist. The girl – student - in question was grinding against Malfoy as he assaulted her neck.
Ginny's first instinct was to leave in haste, but she figured she could use this to her advantage. She walked into the room and slammed the door behind her. Both promiscuous parties immediately ceased their activities, and Malfoy whirled around.
"Weasley!" he yelled, attempting to button his shirt quickly. "What are you doing here?"
"Delivering a message from Professor Snape," she said innocently. "My, my, this is quite the predicament we have here."
"Anne, go back to your dorm while I talk to Weasley, here," Malfoy said nervously. The girl looked anxiously between her lover and her classmate before scurrying out of the door.
"Weasley, let me explain," Malfoy began.
"Let me guess, it isn't what it looked like?" she retorted. "Oh, Malfoy, now I have you exactly where I've wanted you for years. I could easily have you fired, you know."
"Please, I need you to promise not to tell anyone," Malfoy pleaded.
"And what will you do for me in return?" Ginny asked.
"I'll pass you, perfect marks," he said hastily. "You won't even have to do any of the homework."
"Not good enough, I'm afraid," she replied, toying with Professor Snape's note.
"What do you want?" Malfoy asked. "I'll do anything."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Ginny responded with a smirk.