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Title: Complex Touch
Summary: For the sake of the Order, Ginny Weasley takes a mission to go back in time to find a Horcrux for Harry. She just never expected to fall in love with a familiar future convicted escaped murderer. And that's just the beginning of the difficult times ahead for her.
Disclaimer: I only own the plot.
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Chapter Twenty-One
The Past and The Future
Five Days: Tuesday
When the clock in the Hufflepuff common room struck midnight, Ginny glanced around once more to make sure everyone had made their way to bed. She had fed her friends promises of going to the dormitory soon to sleep, for they had an early day of classes, but she had no intention of sleeping anytime soon. If Severus was willing to meet up with Ginny to look over his father's book, whether it was in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, she was going to take that opportunity.
So she exited the common room, hoping that there were no professors or ghosts lingering in the corridors, and made her way outside. Severus wanted to meet by the lake and it would take her at least fifteen minutes to be there. Ginny probably should have told him she would be late.
But, after dodging shadows and staying away from any whispered voices she heard, Ginny had finally left Hogwarts. She darted across the grounds, trying to stay close to the school in case anyone looked out the windows. What did it matter either way, though? If she got a detention it wasn't likely that she would have to serve in the next five days. And after five days she would be gone. Ginny pushed the thought away, seeing the lanky form of Severus as he sat under a tree by the lake.
The moonlight kept the grounds lit up and, even from the distance, he saw her and nodded to her. Ginny ran up to him as he got to his feet and she brushed the hair that had come loose from her bun out of her face.
"Hello," she greeted, smiling a bit when she saw the book in his arms.
Severus didn't respond, which Ginny had expected, but motioned for her to follow him closer to the lake. The tree helped shade the two students a bit and by being by the lake they would be bathed in the moonlight. Ginny raised her eyebrows, unsure. Severus noted her hesitation but continued forward without saying anything. Ginny sighed and followed.
"Can you tell me why we had to meet at midnight out here?" Ginny called, walking next to him.
He looked down his nose at her.
"My father is an Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic, meaning that he deals with and handles objects that no one knows exist. There are never guests at the house and there are never any concerns of someone finding out the information he has stored in the house," Severus told her sharply.
Ginny opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off.
"Despite those facts, all the objects my father brings home have many security features on them. While you were here at Hogwarts, resting, I had begun to figure out the security features so that by the time we met again this whole process would be much simpler."
They stopped walking, now at the edge of the lake. It took her standing still to realize how cold it was outside. She could see her breath in front of her and could see Severus' as he spoke.
"Thank you," she said, unsure of what he wanted her to say.
"The reason that we're meeting by the lake at midnight is that, even though I took off many of the alarms of the book, there are still some enchantments in place-"
"How was I able to read the book at your house then? I had only opened it, nothing bad happened," Ginny cut in.
Severus looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but, instead, just breathed sharply out of his nose.
"The alarms do not activate when in the house. My house itself has many enchantments and spells on it. One cannot conceal many things when stepping foot in my house."
Ginny nodded, her eyes drifting to the book in his hands. Severus opened the book and Ginny stood on her tiptoes to try to look at the pages. They were blank.
"Every day is a different method to get the words to appear," he told her. "But I figured out a basic cycle."
Severus reached down and dipped his hand in the lake. He breathed in harshly and she could only imagine how cold the water must be. Then he took his wet hand and wiped it on the pages of the book. A cry left Ginny's mouth before she could help it- he was going to ruin the book- just as she saw that words and drawings began to appear.
Within seconds, the page was filled with writings and diagrams.
"You're bloody brilliant," she muttered, fascinated.
"The combination of the moonlight and water allows the words to appear. It will be two days time till we can look at the book again," Severus said softly.
"We'd have to meet out here again?" Ginny asked, taking the books from Severus' hands.
He gave up the book easily, putting his hands into his cloak.
"Of course not," he told her, looking at the book over her shoulder. "In two days, to allow the words to appear, we will have to meet in the early morning."
Ginny nodded, distracted. She flipped through the pages of the book, all of which were written in, before finding the page she had seen before.
It was exactly as she remembered.
"That is what you're so interested in? A veil?" Snape scoffed, walking away from her.
"Yes," she answered, out of breath.
Severus shrugged off his cloak and laid it out on the ground by the tree they had met at. Ginny looked up at him, excitement coursing through her, and he motioned her over.
"Sit," he said. "And we can read."
So she sat down and he took a seat, in the dirt, next to her. Ginny had attempted to take her cloak off so he had something to sit on also but he ignored it. And then they had read. There were pages on the Veil, the mysterious veil that no one had quite figured out. But many wizards and witches had attempted to figure it out. There were theories of its' magic and tales of a couple crazy wizards who had willingly walked through the veil.
Only one returned. Ember Devito.
And Devito was sent to St. Mungo's for he seemed to have gone a bit mad. That was over seventy five years ago and it said that wizard's death had been only a few months after his return. However he had written journals and journals on his experiences. Devito wrote of layers of life, of magic, within the veil… of different areas.
The book only gave certain paragraphs from his journals but, overall, it stated that Devito said there was only one layer that allowed a wizard or witch to leave the veil. Ginny couldn't quite understand the idea of the layers but Severus seemed to grasp the concept better.
"Magic is all about different fields, Stiles," he had murmured to her, distracted by the readings. "This veil is a very powerful magical object. What I believe he is referring to is the idea that the further in the veil you go the less likely you are ever to leave. It can keep a hold of you, almost as the Devil's Snare does as it wraps itself around a victim. It is astounding that Devito managed to escape."
"But how did he escape?" she asked desperately.
Nowhere in the reading did it talk about Devito's escape or what was really beyond the Veil. It only spoke of magic levels, the loss of the wizards who crossed the Veil and never came back, and the theory that the Veil would never be figured out.
Severus shut the book. There was no more to read on the Veil.
"He got to the first level," he simply responded.
"And then?" Ginny pressed, eyes wide.
"I read the same things as you, Stiles. The difference between you and I is that while you read what is written and take it as it is, I read in between the lines… I make theories."
Ginny rubbed her eyes tiredly. How long had they been outside? They had used many heating charms to stay warm and the sun was beginning to rise. Soon the writing would disappear until two days from now. Ginny would only have three days left by then.
"What is your theory, Severus?"
It was as though he was just waiting for her to ask. He answered so quickly that it seemed he was almost excited.
"Once you get to the first level it is easy to get out of the Veil, perhaps you could just simply walk out of it. Maybe you can Apparate. However, if you go past it and cannot find your way, or do not want to find your way back, then you will forever be a part of the Veil. You would forever be lost."
Severus paused.
"You're obviously looking for something that is beyond the Veil, Stiles," he said. "You want to get it and get back out. But, whatever it is, is it really important enough to risk your life?"
Ginny stared up at Severus before stretching her legs out in front of her. She heard her bones pop from staying in one place for too long. Once Severus realized she wasn't going to answer him, he stood up from his spot.
"Thank you for coming out here," Ginny said, standing also.
She grabbed his cloak, attempting to brush some of the strands of brown grass off of it. He took it gingerly, folding it over his arm.
"I'll see you Thursday?" she asked.
Severus' dark eyes looked over her, trying to analyze her. Still, she let nothing show. The book didn't seem to have too much information left for Ginny to dissect so she didn't necessarily need to meet with Severus. But she felt like it would be a good idea for her to see him, that he would be able to continue to help her. Finally, he nodded.
They walked back to the castle quickly, the cold and the morning sun forcing them to pick up their pace. When they parted ways, him going down to the dungeons and her going to the Hufflepuff common room, she fought the urge to thank him again. So they left each other silently.
---
Something was tickling her face. Ginny tried to swat it away lazily, her eyes still shut. But she couldn't. She groaned, not wanting to wake up, but her nose itched again. Opening one eye slowly, so that maybe she wouldn't have to wake up right away, Ginny saw the wide, light eyes of Crookshanks.
"Oh, baby," she murmured tiredly, reaching up to touch the kitten.
James' parents had shipped Crookshanks to Hogwarts as soon as James had realized Remus and Ginny were alright. The kitten had grown in the few days Ginny hadn't seen him. She stroked his head as he reached out to touch her face with his paw again, which had been what was tickling her nose. Who was going to watch over him when she left?
Ginny knew that he would grow to be the large cat that Hermione would buy from a pet store but she couldn't imagine him spending the next twenty years there. She sighed, closing her eyes. It felt like she had only slept for an hour since she left Severus-
The crashing of the dormitory door opening caused Ginny's eyes to snap open again. Dorcas was rushing in, her books spilling out of her arms when she tripped over a random shoe on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Dorcas screeched. "You missed your first class; McGonagall is going to kill you! And now you're going to make us both late for our second class!"
Ginny jumped out of her bed, quickly looking out the window to see that the sun was up and shining brightly. She heard Crookshanks hiss from the bed, mad at being thrown off so rudely, but paid him no heed as she rushed to put her uniform on. Dorcas was rushing to pick up the books she had dropped as Ginny pulled up her knee socks and hopped towards the bathroom.
"You're absolutely mad!" Dorcas called from the dormitory. "McGonagall is going to have your head for missing her class just because you slept in!"
Ginny glanced in the mirror as she finished brushing her teeth and winced. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes.
"Thanks for waking me," she told Dorcas as she ran out of the bathroom.
Dorcas just nodded, handing Ginny a couple books before the two girls left the dormitory. They had History of Magic, which caused Ginny to feel a bit angry that Dorcas didn't let her sleep through this one too. She struggled to remain awake, her chin resting in the palm of her one hand, and tried to write down the things she needed to do in the next five days to remain focused.
But her list didn't work out for as soon as she wrote Sirius' name she remembered their meeting in the corridor. He had been trying to reach out to her and she had pushed him away. Was that what she should be doing? Pushing him away instead of spending her last moments with him when he is still young and naïve? The class was spent with her struggling to answer that question.
Ginny ran a hand over her face as she stood up from the desk, Dorcas at her side. The two girls shared a look as they packed up their books and supplies.
"Was that class really worth waking me up?" Ginny couldn't help but ask Dorcas as they headed into the corridor.
"Well, you seemed to be doing some heavy thinking," Dorcas replied, looking at her friend with sly eyes. "Anything you'd like to share?"
If only, Ginny briefly thought before sending a smile Dorcas' way.
"We have a huge Quidditch match coming up," Ginny lied easily. "I'm just worrying over that a bit."
"Bloody hell, and here I thought it was serious!" Dorcas said, laughing. "You're beginning to sound a bit too much like Edgar, my friend."
Biting her lip, Ginny looked away from Dorcas to the packed corridor. She wanted to tell Dorcas, she really did. She wanted to tell everybody everything. But she couldn't. It was a repeating incident of her time here at Hogwarts, where her friends were asking her to talk to them and she was refusing them that privilege. Opening her mouth to respond with another lie, Ginny was saved by the appearance of a sandy haired boy.
"Remus!" she cried out, causing him to stop his stride.
He grinned when he saw her, happy that she had sought him out. Recently it seemed everybody was a bit off balance around her, though she knew it was more from her closed off persona than anything else.
Remus rushed over to her, dodging a few students, and put his hand on her shoulder, clasping it tightly. She smiled up at him and the three students stopped their walk.
"I've been looking for you!" Remus said, excitement decorating his voice.
Ginny raised her eyebrows, curious.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I can't tell you, I know Lily wants to break the news to you, so I won't take that honor from her. Just come with me, okay?"
Remus glanced at Dorcas then and nodded to her.
"How are you, Dorcas?"
Dorcas shifted her books from one arm to the other before answering.
"I'm fine. Just fine."
Ginny looked at Dorcas, who gave Remus one of her pretty smiles.
"See you in the common room then. G'day Remus," Dorcas said before walking away.
Immediately, Remus steered Ginny in the opposite direction. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Ginny leaned into the embrace, the warmth of Remus.
"So what is so exciting?" she asked him.
He turned sparkling eyes to her and Ginny felt her curiosity peak. What was going on that had Remus this excited?
"I told you, I can't tell you. I mean, I shouldn't even be this supportive. It's rather irresponsible and out of nowhere that this happened. But who am I to judge?"
Ginny shook her head, confused.
"I am so lost right now, Remus," she said. "Where are we going?"
He remained silent, giving her a mischievous look. Ginny couldn't help but laugh and allowed him to lead her through the corridors. But the route became familiar after only a minute. Remus was taking her to the Gryffindor common room.
They remained quiet for another second and Ginny bit her lip. It was now or never and, since she had just decided on her list of things to do, she knew now would be the best time. After all, who knew what was to come in the next few days? What if this was one of the last times she was alone with Remus?
Remus, the boy who she had just been lost in the woods with. That felt so long ago when Ginny tried to think back on it. But she could remember sharing his warmth, she could remember the panic both of them had shared when she thought he had left her alone in the woods and he had come rushing back to her… she would always remember laying on the ice, so sure they were going to die.
It was Remus squeezing her shoulder that brought her back to reality. She looked up at him, her eyes feeling wet, and he frowned.
"You're looking awfully sad for someone who has a surprise waiting for her."
Ginny took a deep breath, wishing she could just bury her face in his shoulder and never have to deal with anything again. He stopped walking, turning her to face him. The corridor was still slightly crowded, though less than normal. Many students had classes to be in, after all.
Ginny reached up with her spare hand and brushed a piece of hair from Remus' face. His face was so young, so youthful, though there were wrinkles by his eyes and mouth. But they were from smiling, laughing, not from the transformations he went through every month.
"I'm going to give you the battles."
He looked confused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he tried to understand her comment. Then, suddenly, it dawned on him.
"You are?"
Nodding, Ginny gave him a shaky smile.
"You're right. And I've been avoiding it. But I shouldn't so… I'm going to give them to you."
Remus' eyes continued to search her face though. When she didn't say anything else he brought her into an embrace.
"What is going on with you? What is happening?" he muttered, quiet so only she could hear.
Ginny pulled back. She didn't want to meet his eyes because she knew the second she did-
"Ginny?" his voice was soft and he tilted her chin up so their eyes had to meet. "Ginny, don't tell me… are you… are you leaving?"
She didn't respond and willed her face not to show any emotion. He waited anxiously, his eyes desperate, and when she didn't answer he gave her a little shake.
"No! No, you can't be!"
His voice was shaking and Ginny's face fell. Remus continued to stare at her in fear before, quickly, spinning around. He still had a tight grip on her and he brought her with her.
"We're talking about this," he said simply, his voice tense.
"Now?" she questioned.
Remus moved his grip from her arm to her hand and sped up his walk. She raced to keep up with him as they went in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor common room. Now they walked through different corridors, where there were even less students.
"Remus, there is nothing to talk about," she attempted to say.
He spun around, shocking Ginny, and she jumped when he pulled her close to him.
"Don't say that," Remus bit out, his words sharp and short.
Ginny felt something close to fear swell inside of her. Despite the fact that Ginny had seen this young boy transform into a werewolf, she had never seen him look more like the wolf than he did now. She was almost in a daze as he continued to drag her through the corridors.
Finally, when they stopped walking, he set her by a wall.
"Ginny," he said, pointing a finger at her. "Don't move."
She wanted to be angry at him for talking at her, not to her, the way he was but she couldn't. Ginny just felt tired, knowing what was about to come. Remus then paced the corridor a few times before looking up at the wall expectantly. Raising her eyebrows, Ginny was about to try to speak to Remus, concerned for his mental state, when a door appeared.
Her mouth dropped open.
"The Room of Requirements," she muttered. "You remember?"
Remus looked at her, his face softening.
"Of course. Come on."
Making sure they were alone in the corridor, the two students entered the Room of Requirements. It was similar to the room that Ginny had wished for not too long ago, when she had brought Remus here to tell him she was from the future. And, now, she was telling him that she was leaving him.
Ginny took a seat on a chair, her nerves getting the best of her. Remus walked around the room for a few minutes, as if looking at the set up of it and the decorations, before finally coming around to Ginny. She watched as he wrung his hands before he took a seat on the table in front of her. He braced his hands on his knees, leaning forward a bit, catching her gaze again.
"Tell me I was wrong," he pleaded quietly. "You can't be leaving. You can't leave now."
She just closed her eyes, looking away from him.
"You read me too well, Remus," she whispered. "It's not fair."
Remus gave a dry chuckle and Ginny looked at him again.
"That's because you're one of my best friends," he told her. "You know that, right?"
Ginny nodded.
"Yeah, of course," she responded.
They were quiet before Remus stood up again. This time, though, he moved to sit next to her.
"Is that why you're shoving Sirius away?"
It was as if Remus had slapped her. Ginny flinched away from him, from that question, her face flushing unpleasantly.
"You have to tell him-"
"Remus!" Ginny snapped, unable to help it. "You can't tell anybody. Anybody. I'm trusting you!"
Her voice cracked and Remus cursed, running his hands through his hair.
"You weren't going to tell me, Ginny! I know you weren't. You weren't going to tell me you were leaving, you were just going to leave me guessing what happened to you, if you were okay or not or if Voldemort had captured you. And you don't think Sirius and James and Lily and Peter and all your other friends are going to wonder the same thing? You don't think everyone is going to be concerned about you? You can't just disappear!"
"I know! I know I can't but what am I suppose to do?"
"Why do you have to leave, Ginny? Why now? Why can't you wait?"
Ginny sighed, shaking her head.
"Because my time here is over with."
"Your time with us isn't over with though!" Remus shouted. "You're one of us now, you know that!"
The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
"Remus," she said, grabbing onto his hand. "I'll see you again. I told you that already… and I'm going to try to make things better. I'm going to give you the battles."
Remus imitated Ginny's earlier actions, sighing and shaking his head.
"I don't want them. If you can stay here, I don't want them."
"It's not a trade off," Ginny said, laughing a bit, unable to help it.
Remus smiled at her laughter, his body sagging on the couch, as if she drained him of all his energy.
"When do you leave?" Remus questioned, his brown eyes searching hers.
"Soon," was all she said.
He nodded before standing up. Ginny watched as he walked over to a random bookshelf that decorated the room before coming back with something. It was parchment, a quill and ink.
"What is that for?" she asked, leaning towards him.
"It's for the battles," he responded.
Ginny stared at Remus for a long second and opened her mouth, trying to think of what battle to tell him of. But then, surprising herself, she began to cry. Her body shook and her sobs echoed in the room as Remus grabbed a hold of her, wrapping his long arms around her body and pulling him close to her.
"I don't want to go," she sobbed, hiding her face in his shirt. "Don't ever think I want to leave. I don't know what to do, Remus. I'm so sorry."
Remus held her tight, though he remained quiet as she cried. She hated crying, she felt like all she ever did was cry. But at least this time she had Remus here to help her. And he knew exactly why she was crying. She didn't have to lie.
It took her a while to calm herself. But, when she did, Remus kept a grip on her hand and cracked a joke, though it wasn't too funny. She couldn't help herself when she sunk into the couch, drained, her eyes sleepy.
"I didn't sleep too much last night," Ginny admitted, giving him a small smile.
"Nap," he told her. "It's fine. I'll be here."
"But you'll miss all your classes," she objected, though yawning already. "And I don't want to sleep. I have such limited time…"
Her head slipped onto his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.
"I can miss my classes. And we'll talk. You don't have to sleep, we'll just talk."
She nodded, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.
"Remember," Remus began softly. "When I warned you against Sirius? I said how he would break your heart, how you were the one girl he was afraid of?"
Ginny smiled at the memory and nodded.
"He loves you," Remus said.
Ginny wanted to object, to open her eyes, but she was too tired. Too tired to fight the truth and too tired to waste her breath.
"If you're really leaving… why aren't you spending your time with him?"
She was sleeping before she could think up a good response.
---
When Ginny woke up a few hours later, Remus was still in the Room of Requirements, just as he promised. He had been writing on the parchment and looked over at her with a sad smile when she moved. Then they spent the rest of their day together in the room, writing the battles down, discussing the battles themselves. Ginny tried her best not to give away too many details that Remus shouldn't know and he tried his best not to press her with too many questions.
They missed the rest of their classes for the day but Ginny didn't mind. She enjoyed being in the company of Remus, who was still so filled with life. Maybe, when she got back to her time, she could bring some of the youth back into his eyes.
When Ginny and Remus made their way to the Great Hall for dinner, Ginny had only taken one step in when she heard someone shriek her name. She looked around before finding Lily rushing over to her, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Ginny glanced at Remus.
"What's going on?"
Remus was grinning.
"Remember I told you that there was a good surprise for you and we were on our way to the Gryffindor common room? Well, this is it."
Ginny looked back as Lily arrived in front of her. The older girl threw her arms around Ginny's neck, embracing her, and Ginny hugged her back, though very confused.
"Walk with me," Lily pleaded.
Unable to refuse Lily, despite her hungry stomach, Ginny turned around and the two girls walked away from the Great Hall. They were barely a staircase and corridor away when Lily turned to Ginny with bright eyes.
"This is so stupid of me," Lily said, breathless. "I don't do stuff like this."
Ginny felt herself grinning.
"What? Tell me what's going on."
Lily's smile grew.
"I feel rather reckless," Lily admitted. "If only because I've only been dating James for a little bit of time. And there's still times when I'm so awkward around him. And-"
"Did he propose?" Ginny cried out, her eyes wide.
Lily's eyes grew wide along with Ginny's and the two girls were silent before Lily began laughing.
"No! Merlin, no, not yet!"
"Then what! Bloody hell, Lily, what is going on?"
Lily looked at Ginny affectionately.
"We're going to move in together after Hogwarts. I mean, it's nothing too big to celebrate, but… I was so sure he would rather be with Sirius and the rest of the boys after school."
Ginny shook her head.
"It's a huge deal," she told Lily. "It wasn't too long ago you wouldn't stay in the same room with James. Congratulations."
The older girl laughed again before hugging Ginny. Ginny hugged her back, feeling as though a piece of her was growing and shrinking at the same time. Now she understood why Remus was so excited. James had to be ecstatic that Lily agreed to such a big commitment. It meant that the feelings were really there. And the rest of the Marauders were probably on a high from just being around James.
They knew how hard he worked at getting Lily to be with him, after so many years of pining over her.
"I like him a lot, Ginny," Lily admitted softly. "Is that crazy of me? It's almost overwhelming how I feel around him sometimes."
The two girls changed direction, now slowly walking back towards the Great Hall.
"I think its natural," Ginny told her. "Something that was meant to happen and now that it is happening… it's just… magical."
They shared a smile.
"I would marry him, you know," Lily said, her voice even lower then before.
It was as if she was scared of admitting it.
"If he asked me today, I would say yes. There is something so right about him."
Ginny grinned as Lily blushed.
---
Four Days: Wednesday
Ginny had been right. There was something addicting about hanging out with James and Lily, both of whom were overjoyed with the prospect of their future together. When Ginny had spent the rest of the night with the pair and the Marauders, even Sirius, she had found herself catching Sirius' gaze often. He didn't say anything to her, didn't touch her or attempt to find out why she was ignoring him so, but his presence was a bit intoxicating, especially with such a happy presence all around them.
She had slept at the Hufflepuff dormitory that night, spending her time with Dorcas and the rest of her dorm mates. They had told jokes and discussed gossip. Ginny even did some homework, though it was eventually discarded as she began thinking once again of Severus. There was so much planning to do, so much to figure out. She didn't even know where to begin.
The next morning she went to some of her classes, though she was getting in the habit of skipping them. Ginny had a feeling that Professor Dumbledore would more than understand if she didn't show up to her classes and that he would make the professors forgive her for her rudeness. After deciding to skip a class midday, Ginny grabbed her cloak and decided to sit out by the lake with her parchment filled with ideas, hypotheses and plans.
It was getting colder and colder as the winter dragged on. But Ginny wanted to be able to breathe the bitter air, which would hopefully clear her fuddled mind. She stepped onto the frostbitten grass and was making her way to the lake when she saw someone there. A broom lay by his side as he stared out at the water.
"Sirius?" she called before she realized what she was doing.
He turned his head, surprised, his eyes widening when he realized who was standing near him. Sirius opened his mouth before licking his lips and looking away.
Ginny stood still, not sure what to do, before taking a step toward him. Heat was flooding her body at the sight of him, flushing her face and causing her skin to tingle. And she suddenly thought of Remus, Remus whose advice was always so vital to her. Why was she ignoring Sirius if she had such little time left with him?
She could walk away right now and leave him be. Their relationship would be no further harmed than it already was. Or, perhaps, she could try to start a civil conversation with him. Ginny could attempt to explain herself, why she had been pushing him away. But there was no point.
Ginny was hardly able to stop herself from walking up to him. Sirius looked at her, surprise evident on his face, and he made to stand. With a soft touch, however, Ginny stopped his action. She pushed him back down to the ground with a hand on his shoulder and straddled him.
This was the closest she had been to him in days but it felt like it had been years. Her face was inches from his and his breath warmed her cheeks.
"Ginny," Sirius muttered, his dark eyes heavy as he reached a hand into her hair.
She really should talk to him, explain herself to him. But she didn't want to because it would lead to nowhere. Ginny just wanted to be with him.
And he was going to let her.
Closing the space between them, Ginny kissed Sirius. He responded eagerly, sitting up more so that he could have better access to her. She brought her hands to his face and could feel the stubbles on his cheeks. A moan escaped her lips when one of his hands found its way around her cloak and under her shirt.
Her heart was pounding and when she pulled back she heard how short of breath he was. It made her skin tingle being like this with him again.
And they kissed again and again. It could have been hours that this occurred, or days, or maybe just a couple of minutes that seemed to stretch on forever. Neither wanted to stop and neither felt the need for an explanation of what was happening. But then Ginny felt the crunching of the parchment in her cloak, dousing reality on her.
She sat back, shaking her head to clear it. Sirius was laying completely on the ground, his white shirt lifted and exposing some of his chest. Ginny almost couldn't drag her eyes away from him and from the possibilities it presented her with.
"Sirius," Ginny whispered to make sure he was paying attention.
He sat up and took a hold of her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm with his swollen lips.
"I know, Ginny."
And he did know something. He knew that she was going to leave without saying anything to him about what was going on with her. And he knew that whatever was between them was strong enough to continue if she didn't turn back to declare her love to him. So Sirius let Ginny stand up and brush herself off. Then she headed back to the castle to do what she had intended when she first came outside.
---
"It's getting frightening," Severus drawled. "How easy it is for you to find me."
Ginny slid onto the stool next to Severus, eyeing the cauldron of boiling liquid in front of them.
"I thought we were meeting tomorrow morning?" He slowly asked, his black eyes glancing over at her in obvious frustration.
Rolling her eyes in response, Ginny pulled out her sheets of parchments, filled with writing and drawings.
"Don't bother to pretend that this isn't what you've been thinking of for the past twenty four hours," she said sharply. "Does Professor Slughorn know you're using one of his spare potion rooms to boil… whatever you're boiling?"
"Does it matter?" Severus responded, even more sharply than Ginny had been.
She sighed.
"What are you boiling?" Ginny asked, this time trying to sound nicer.
Severus looked at her, the response obvious on his face. 'Does it matter?'
"If I were to go into the Veil," Ginny began, not bothering to try to start an actual conversation with him. "and I were able to get out of the Veil, how do you think my body would respond to the transition?"
"Horribly," Severus said simply. "And that's something I had been thinking of, along with several other points. The powerful magic you shall be experiencing, that your body will be put through, will be traumatizing."
"What do you suggest?" Ginny asked.
"Have a Healer on spot when you return," he responded shortly.
"Not possible," Ginny said.
Ginny had come up with a plan. It was a stupid plan, knowing the conditions of the future that she would be arriving in, but she had no other options.
"Severus…" she began slowly. "I want you to be there when I return."
It was the most startled Ginny had ever seen Severus Snape. He turned his whole body to look at her and his eyes studied her. When she showed no signs of being untruthful, he smirked.
"Stupid girl," was his only response as he added finely chopped bits of bark into his potion.
"I know, I know," Ginny said, trying to get his attention. "You're thinking, why would I do this for this girl when it's going to be so long from now? And what could I even do to help her?"
Severus didn't look at her as she spoke and she bit her lip.
"But I know you're going to help me, Severus," she told him quietly, resisting the urge to touch him in someway. "I know you're going to because, at that point, it's going to be the last thing you can do to change yourself."
"You speak in riddles," he told her, looking over at her again.
"I know."
"What do you expect me to do if I were to be there when you returned?"
Ginny shifted on the stool.
"Give me a healing potion, something to help me gather strength."
"They're too difficult to brew-"
"But you can do it. And I know that when I need you to you'll definitely be able to. You're a brilliant potions brewer."
"Stop with the flattery," Severus scowled. "It will get you nowhere."
Ginny sighed, shaking her head. She had a plan and Severus had to be there for it to be successful. But she had a feeling that, even though he was attempting to seem unconcerned now, that the idea of seeing what she was bringing back from the Veil would tempt him to be at the Department of Mysteries when she needed him. It would be years from now, she knew, but it didn't matter.
In her time, Severus Snape was a wanted man. He had killed Albus Dumbledore and was a follower of Voldemort. But it was clear to Ginny that she had left a mark on him. He was an obsessive man. When he found something that caught his interest, he did his best to keep it how he liked. When Lily didn't work out, he had turned his eyes slightly to Ginny. And now she was putting herself in his debt, if he were to help her.
"I've done research on magical objects, similar to the Veil but not the same. Ancient magic," Severus told her. "is not something to put a fight up against. It will try to seduce you or control you. Only powerful wizards or witches stand a chance. The Veil most likely has so many victims because they are not strong enough, magically, to have any defense against it."
Ginny frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
"You need a defense, Stiles."
"And what, exactly, do you think I should do?"
Severus looked at her, his expression blank, and Ginny felt fear tingle in her stomach.
"The strongest type of magic is dark magic-"
Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise.
"Yes and it is also the most horrible, torturous type of magic. Don't even try to tell me about this!" Ginny screeched, standing up.
"You're being blind and ignorant," Severus said simply. "Blinded by the words of the professors who beg you not to touch dark magic."
"For good reason!" she cried out.
"What are you going to do, Stiles, when you get in the Veil and find it won't let you leave? What if you must fight your way out? What if you get there and realize I was right and you have no training?"
"It won't be like that," Ginny said.
"You seem to be quite the expert on this," Severus said sharply. "Yet it is I who have been helping you, since you are so undereducated on anything concerning ancient magic and its holdings."
Ginny stilled, staring at the young boy before her. He was right but he had to be wrong. Dark magic was not something to tamper with, no matter what the situation. But what if it did come to that? What if she had Sirius and she was unable to leave because she wasn't trained enough, strong enough?
She shivered and looked away.
"I don't want to mess with dark magic."
"What will you do when you find yourself unable to leave the Veil?" Severus drawled, his voice like silk. "Because I will not be going in there to get you out."
It was as though the mention of dark magic brought the familiar feeling of long fingers touching the back of her neck. She shivered again, closing her eyes as she remembered the dark blue eyes that had enchanted her so as she lay dying on the chamber floor.
"I-"
Severus watched her curiously, his interest peaking over her obvious struggle. Ginny finally opened her eyes.
"How would you even accomplish this? We're at Hogwarts."
"You'd be surprised how much the Headmaster doesn't know about," he said simply.
"Oh, Ginevra…"
Goosebumps erupted over Ginny's skin and she fought the desire to look behind her, to see Tom standing there, waiting with that smirk on his face to see her terrified yet captivated face.
"I'll see you later, Severus."
Ginny rushed out of the potions room, the dungeons, feeling something akin to claustrophobia threatening to choke her. She ran through the dark corridors, finally locating the steps that would lead her away from the dungeons. Out of breath and shaking, Ginny stumbled across the corridor, glancing behind her at the dungeon doors. No one was following her, Tom wasn't there.
Severus was right, she realized as she fought to catch her breath. She would need a defense when she went into the Veil. But it couldn't be dark magic, not when she had already been scarred by it.
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Author's Note: So this chapter probably has horrible grammar issues but I wanted to get it posted before I lost inspiration. Next one will be up soon, I promise.