Chilli!
Ginny's heart was pounding so wildly it threatened to burst through her chest. Every inch of her skin signalled excitement, and her mouth barely allowed enough air into her lungs. She'd burst, or shed her skin, or drown or… something!
However, her heartbeat steadied, and also her breathing caught up with the need of her sensitised body. The ugly damask design of the wallpaper came back to focus, revealing that she must have been unseeing despite wide-open eyes.
Gradually returning from the emotional overdrive, her body heavy and satiated, Ginny counted her limbs. What an exhilarating feeling! Their wild excess of lovemaking had gone way beyond anything Ginny could have imagined. Severus' hands, mouth and cock had been literally everywhere they found resonance. And, oh Merlin, how her body had resonated!
Now, Severus' head lay on her chest. He had already fallen asleep, curled like a foetus, rather than stretched out, as he usually did.
A series of deep, long breathes brought her finally back to the there and then. She felt for their wards and verified the position of both her wands. Everything was fine. She placed her arm around Severus' still form and combed his hair out of his sweat-covered face, then succumbed to a very light slumber herself, holding on to a new, thrilling feeling of self-worth.
Whenever the mangy cur that believed it owned Spinner's End growled in the street or Severus stirred, she was wide awake, her hand reaching out for her wand. Once, Severus chuckled slightly at her anxiety. Ginny relaxed, holding his head onto her body. For the first time, this strong-willed wizard twice her age let her hold him this way!
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In the red-golden light of the sinking sun, Severus came to. He felt too rested and at peace for his own liking. And, as always, reality kicked in quickly and relentlessly. Merlin, what have I done? What must she think of me now?
The sheets were dishevelled and clammy, and they reeked of sex. Yet Ginevra was still there right next to him. She hasn't got anywhere else to go, you idiot, as only our bed is made, Severus admonished himself. You had better explain yourself while you've got the chance!
Unable to look into her face, he let his left hand circle idly on her side to probe her reaction. She bent her head towards him, but would only see his scalp. Staring at a stain in the floor, he began to talk.
"Yesterday, we were to sabotage a meeting of a Muggle women's emancipation movement."
Severus stalled until she prodded him to continue.
"As you know, witches first and foremost assure the Dark Lord of the next generation of vassals, and they had better postpone other ambitions to the ages after childbearing. Emancipation isn't high on his agenda. Therefore, Muggle women fighting for equal rights might infest witches with dangerous ideas."
"Then again," Ginny interrupted, "obediently reproducing Muggle women spawn only vermin. So there's no reason to spare them either."
"Indeed! Before we left, our master filled us up with lust potion, some of my making and some I didn't recognise. The whole gang salivated with anticipation." The memory alone filled Severus with disgust.
"I took hold of the youngest, and the pregnant."
Ginevra's hand covered his own that had stopped circling while he recalled the scene.
"Everybody grinned and cajoled."
"The idiots!" She shifted a bit and added, "You know full well that I trust you."
"Ginevra, this stuff was strong! I am ever so thankful for our fidelity charm," he told her. "Otherwise, I might..." Severus hesitated."I honestly do not know what I might have done," he finally admitted to himself as much as to his wife.
"I drove them to another room and into safety. I felt like a sheik in his harem, and so did they. I was like a bull in heat."
"Yeah, I noticed that."
Severus forced his eyes into her direction. Her neck certainly showed the telltale spots of his attention! Slowly, he removed the duvet and found more on her breasts and inner thighs. He touched them, one by one trying to remember the details. "Did I hurt you? Did I press you? Force you? I swore I would never… Excuse me, never again. "
The young witch blushed like only a Weasley could, and Severus didn't want to decide which of them was more embarrassed.
"I never thought… never imagined…" she began.
Severus cringed. She should grow into passion together with a boy her own age, you randy old fool!
Suddenly the bed shifted as she moved away from him. Her face came into focus, and he noticed the frown. "Stop that, Severus! Your love cannot hurt me." Ginny proclaimed resolutely.
She took his lips with force, pressed her hips to his, her hands roaming his back, then his buttocks. Her kissing, teasing lips moved down to his neck and to his nipples while her hands boldly passed through his legs from behind. Severus was breathing heavily again.
"Ginevra!" Meant to chastise her, it came out as a passionate moan.
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All through the morning, Severus marvelled at the change in her. She walked more upright and met his eyes with a confidence—or was it pride?—that went way beyond her juvenile boldness in her Hogwarts times. Had the wards on their home previously pulsed around Severus, he now sensed them as fortified and anchored to yet another, equally steady point of attraction as well. After eons of time, it seemed, the solitary and highly reactive hydrogen atom named Severus had found an equal to pair and form a steady hydrogen molecule. His partner radiated confidence and even paraded the love bites he had bestowed upon her. Could it be? Did she feel the same, or was he finally cracking and on the brink of insanity?
Over their soup and salad he probed. "Ginevra, what happened?"
"Our relationship has matured," was all she said.
"Maybe. Certainly," he corrected. Not quite knowing where she would go, he prodded carefully. "Care to share your point of view?"
"You exhausted yourself as you never did before. Never have you allowed yourself to sleep in such a vulnerable state, such a trusting position. I was... hmm, left in charge? Your trust..." Her voice threatened to leave her, but with this new pride she continued. "It means so much to me. So very much."
Her words left him undone. "My... trust?" He reached over to take her hand. "You have my trust, Ginevra. Always. Do I show doubts otherwise? When? How?"
Ginny reflected for a moment. "Maybe I said it a little wrong. Surely you trust me. You eat what I cook and trust I didn't add anything from your lab, although it isn't warded against me." She stopped. How to explain? "Yesterday, though, you trusted I could handle the situation by myself in your stead. For the first time, you dropped your vigilance and... Yes, you thought me capable of defending us. You gave me credit for a fully fledged witch, not a student or a trainee needing protection herself."
Severus had to clear his throat. "I did feel safe with you keeping watch. This... yes, it is new," he marvelled.
She had considerably developed her powers in these last months, and with his deep sleep he had acknowledged her better than words could have done. "I'm still learning to rely on your capabilities. My past experience speaks against such trust... I might slip back to it. Don't be offended, please."
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Severus continued grading the exams the next day; Ginny pottered lazily around the house and garden, enjoying the spring sun and fresh breeze. Her wand now being registered at Hubert's, she restocked them with staples as well as household goods in no time at all.
They took a short trip through town together, and Severus made her aware of the traffic rules from the point of view of a vehicle. Ginny was amazed. How can a car driver check for the road, the other cars, the bikers to the left of him, pedestrians and the sudden ball appearing between cars and crossing his way with the speed they drove? It was worse than Quidditch, where one could dive or rise out of the way, and everyone was on equal footing. Oh, and Muggles lived without Skele-Gro, too.
Later, Ginny forayed into an Internet café all on her own, her precious floppy disk in her bag. She needed some help after all, but finally she accessed her mailbox. There was not only a welcome mail from the administration, but she had a message! It was Maud, reminding her how she could to find local physicians on the Internet and reporting she wasn't too well.
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Another invitation to the Sands loomed over their heads. For the most part, the guests came from the Inner Circle: rich, dignified, and as far as Ginny's immediate seat neighbours went, utterly boring. She knew the people around her by name only, and none of them bothered to change that. The only useful piece of information was that another group wedding was planned for Beltane, May 1st.
She was told openly, though, that this time, the pairings were well balanced, 'promising to actually promote the cause, be virile and mentally stable enough to deliver offspring timely.'
Oh, my dear Heather!
Before Ginny could dwell on that thought, Severus collected her to return home. It happened much earlier than Ginny had hoped for, and Severus immediately left for his lab, asking her to retire right away. "Have breakfast ready at seven, please," he added.
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Ginny saw him again as she filled their bowls with porridge. Emerging from the cellar lab, he downed a beaker of fizzy potion and freshened up before a hasty, silent breakfast. He pocketed several phials, and they Apparated to the outskirts of a village Ginny didn't recognise.
Laura and Lisa Madley ran to meet them, sorrow in their eyes. "Good morning, Sir, we're so glad you came." They led them away from the Muggles, up a hill and through a gate from which she noticed only a few weak wards. "Sir, could you now re-erect the strong wards, please?" Severus complied, frowning at their parents' carelessness. Poultry of all sizes and breeds scattered out of their way as they continued.
The entrance door of the generous country house opened, and a woman with stiff features and dark circles under red eyes let them in. She exchanged a short nod with Severus and rushed him upstairs to a bedroom. A woman was tossing and turning in the bed, agonising in pain and grief.
"Linda, darling, the professor has come to see you," her mother supplied. Linda's distorted face turned, and her feverishly glowing eyes tried to focus. Croaking, she tried to say something.
Ginny's blood froze as she recognized Linda Suller. Laura and Lisa were her little sisters, of course. Pieces of a puzzle fell into place now. Her husband had recently been captured! Having lost their child in worry over him, Linda was subjected to the re-activated consummation curse.
"Mrs Suller, do not speak," Severus said. Ginny touched her shoulder, unable to speak herself. When a stab of agony passed through the weakened body, Ginny held her hand to her mouth and left. An elf showed her the bathroom that she, however, didn't reach before she threw up. The little creature Scoured the mess in no time and provided Ginny with scented towels.
"We will leave her to you," she heard Mrs Madley suggest. Severus nodded.
Laura served hot tea with ginger and honey for Ginny and Mrs Madley, but the woman only stirred her drink and stared unseeingly in front of her.
"Mum, you need your strength, drink."
Slowly she started talking. Other than her worries for her husband and then losing the baby, Linda had been physically well until a week ago. Then she had started feeling agitated and, although her mother didn't say so clearly, it appeared, permanently aroused. "It turned to painful the day before yesterday, but the Ministry" her mother spat, "would hear nothing of that!"
Laura added, "Her voice left her yesterday morning... from all the shrieking."
Severus returned, shaking his head. "I have tried, but it was in vain."
"Tried what, Severus?" Ginny's voice broke in trepidation.
"Avoid adding powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood."
Ginny gaped. "The Draught of Living Death? You gave her that?"
His head dropped. "I hope she can be put into a state unable to have intercourse so that the curse would free them from the obligation. We need some kind of unconsciousness to last for weeks, a painless state, allowing her body to rest and recover. And reversible."
"Can you reverse the Living Death?" her mother asked.
At that very moment, the elf shrieked and called them upstairs. Linda had thrown up the potion and was in a worse state than before. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, her face distorted in pain, and her hands clamped to the mattress, knuckles white from the effort. "Stop it, just stop it," she mouthed.
Severus' forehead shone with sweat. Time was pressing. "I have found no information yet, to what our Master has keyed the curse," he repeated.
Mrs Madley sent the two girls downstairs. Severus exchanged a questioning look with Ginny, but she stayed. She forced herself to remain, whatever she would see.
"I understand," Mrs Madley told them with forced calm. "If anyone knew, then you would," she declared, looking from one to the other.
"If even the Draught of Living Death isn't strong enough to force its powers on her body then is impossible to administer any potion I know. All I can do, anything that is even nearly strong enough, is irreversible."
With resignation, her mother asked, "If you would, sir."
"I... can relieve her from some of the pain by severing her nerves with a paralysing curse. It will only allow her to die in dignity, nothing more, Mrs Madley."
She gulped, but nodded.
She must have debated this with Linda or only with herself, Ginny thought. She was prepared for that decision; she had already given up hope.
Mrs Madley embraced her daughter, and the young woman's hands clenched around her upper arms as she was lifted up from the mattress. Severus pointed his wand to the young woman's spine. Ginny averted her gaze.
Severus' voice nearly broke while chanting a kind of cutting curse.
If not pitch dark, it was at least tinted, Ginny thought with a shudder. Linda sighed with relief as she was laid down.
A sweaty, shaking forehead leaned on Ginny's shoulder, and she held Mrs Madley's body although in need of support herself.
Linda's breathing calmed down. Mrs Madley summoned the elf and ordered a towel. The little servant was then made to leave, and she wiped and kissed her daughter's forehead.
888:*:*:*:888
They could not speak a word all afternoon and evening. Severus was once again scanning through every bit of literature he owned, getting more desperate with every book he cast aside. Most of them he took from the area he had so often warned Ginny not to touch. And yet, there wasn't much to be found. The books, once freed from their shelves, sprang into his hand eagerly. Most opened by themselves, some at the oddest of pages, forcing Severus to paralyse them before he perused their tables of contents. Others opened only after some hesitation. In this case, quite often Severus looked left and right of that very page and read on with interest until he laid them aside with a sigh.
The various characters of the Dark books and how to handle them adequately would have been interesting to follow, but Ginny was too depressed to observe details. Only when Severus was severely bitten on his wand hand and dropped the tool while chanting the paralysing curse, she showed the reflex to repeat the hex. She could not bring up the willpower to stop the book from snapping entirely, but Severus had time to grab his wand and repeat the spell left handed. The book buckled once and then lay open with only a gnarling sound of dissatisfaction.
A grumbling stomach reminded Ginny of the primary thing she could contribute: keeping them both nourished.
888:*:*:*:888
Two days later, they sent a note, and Pöllö returned from the Madleys' with a reply that Linda's desperate fight was over.
Severus shuddered, imagining Ginevra suffering through the same. He had to find the solution!
His wonderful, strong wife wept silently.
Severus once again went through his library. With Draco's help, he even consulted the Malfoys' vast collection of books.
Never had the death sentence over his head bothered him. But imagining the love of his life to experience what Linda Suller had gone through was too much.
With the war and the regular group marriages, this would not be the last case. It had not been the first one either, but so far, Severus had not found the matter worth a study, considering the many other lives at stake that he could possibly save in the same time.
Their master had never showed sympathy for women too weak to keep their child under stress, and he was short tempered with those not becoming pregnant on command anyway. One could not expect help from that quarter.
888:*:*:*:888
Lucius Malfoy had invited them for a spring party. Ginny was still subdued, but they reminded each other that it was a war and that in fact they had been able to bring Linda a little relief for her last days. Ginny didn't look forward to the idea of visiting the summer residence where she had so nearly escaped him, but there was nothing they could do.
The Dark Lord would attend the event, and they could not afford being caught thinking negative thoughts. For the whole day, Severus had tried to invade Ginny's mind, and she had kept it firmly Occluded. He felt like Mad-Eye, demanding constant vigilance, but it was necessary. And again, she proved her strength—she was well prepared.
Upon their master's request, Ginny was this time seated directly left of him with Severus on her left side. The Malfoys sat on the Dark Lord's right side, although this was clearly only to recognize that they were the hosts for tonight. Severus found the Mulcibers next to himself, which must be Lucius' way of revenge, he thought. The headmistress concentrated on the school as a topic for small talk, trying to address the Dark Lord a few times, bypassing the Snapes.
Food was abundant and exquisite—nothing else would ever make it on a Malfoy dinner table! They had the famous shrimp soup that adjusted itself with chilli and coconut milk to the individual eater's limits of heat. Other hot Asiatic rice dishes with several chutneys and curries followed. Severus, glad to see his wife well composed, tuned out the pestering chatter on his left and took a third helping.
Ginny tucked in with gusto, avoiding to look left or right lest she might lose her fierce Occlusion. When there were only a couple of pieces left in the dish next to her, she, nevertheless, found it prudent to ask, "My Lord, a last helping of this exciting red curry beef?"
He turned to face her, and she thought she noticed him suppress a shiver. After a few seconds of deliberation, he indeed declined.
"Have it yourssself, Mrsss Sssnape, since you so visssibly enjoy the meal," he offered, and a minute flash passed through his eyes that she had seen in Tom's when he had been unsettled!
Ginny's heart missed a beat, but she caught herself rapidly. Of course, the Dark Lord did not give himself away like his younger self had, but there was something!
Turning left, she said, "Oh darling, do take a few for yourself! Otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from having it all!"
Obediently Severus pushed the remains of his meal aside to make room for the curry she was ladling onto his plate, but internally, he pondered the actions of his wife. Never had she called him that, and hardly ever had they exchanged any endearments in public! Now she even served him, an intimacy they never allowed themselves.
"It's the most wonderful curry I've eaten. I simply must get hold of the recipe." Severus knew now that something was off.
The headmistress snorted. "Next we'll see her crawl on her knees in front of the elves to tease it out of the ugly buggers."
When the chicken in green curry was passed along, even his wife had to decline. "It is a pity, but I'm already beyond my limits," she explained, as her left shin grazed on Severus'. "My Lord, would you want..." she asked.
Their master took a last gulp and put down his empty glass. His snake-like face distorted into what had to be a smile, Severus presumed. The unusual facial expression froze for a few seconds before the man answered.
"No, thank you. I'll passss it over to our hossst, who has jussst joined usss again." He took the dish, turned and hissed, "do sit down, Luciusss! Your ressstlessssnessss is mossst unbecoming."
Over dessert and coffee, Severus could not make out anything particular between his wife and their master. Maybe it was nothing after all.
Dinner concluded, and Severus happily escaped the crowd for a walk. Nobody who knew the Potions master would consider it remarkable that he could walk mutely for hours on end, and if they pitied his young wife whom he dragged along, they would never say so. Besides enjoying the silence, however, he could finally make Ginevra familiar with this place. The huge park provided many recluses, tempting a visitor to feel he was in privacy, which would of course not be the case. They had agreed on hand signals for the hidden traps he wanted to show her, many of which were of his own making.
Upon their return, the tables had been moved aside to free the terrace for a dance. As this was a formal ball, the men had dancing obligations. "I will have to dance with almost all the women here before I can get to you," Severus sighed, "mark my words."
Playing along, Ginny took the last remark lightly despite the double meaning and replied sternly, "I'll count them, so you had better not ask one of them twice." Oh, bantering with Severus on equal terms feels so good! For a moment, she rested her eyes on the endless line of black buttons and imagined his reaction on what she had to tell him at home. He'll be thrilled! After relishing in the thought, she re-Occluded her mind firmly and faced the music also in the literal sense of the words.
Formal dancing in this society was very different from the Yule ball at school. Even Percy's attempts at teaching himself proper conduct where he'd permanently asked her to be his sparring partner were nothing against this stiff affair.
Given their perceived influence, Ginny was as much a target for the men as Severus was occupied with asking their wives, and neither had a free time. After a while, though, Ginny preferred the elder men with their accurate, but measured steps and perfect decorum. Those around Severus' age or younger, however, provoked her verbally, while daring her into figures she did not know just to sneer down at her. Most of them knew their steps very well, indeed, and as long as she concentrated, she could protect her feet from theirs.
No one triggered the protective spell from her fidelity vow to Severus by touching her inappropriately—but she reminded herself that the spell wasn't sensitive to thoughts.
She had lost count when Draco finally caught her. He whirled her around wildly, in great contrast to Professor Barnes before. Despite the fancy moves, he led her with confidence and ease. Laughing and panting, they finally made for the bar.
"So, you're aiming for our kitchen secrets, I heard?"
"Just the two curries, if you would, Draco," she answered and politely declined the wine. "I'm better off with water, I think. Make that a huge glass."
"They're refilling," he growled.
Oh right. Ordinary-sized water glasses would spoil the festivity, Ginny reminded herself. I had better move the topic away from decorum and let Draco do the talking. "How's your father doing, now that he's back home?"
"He has adapted. And so have we, believe me! At first, he was irritable. Then he became less... extroverted, let's say."
From Draco's gesture, Ginny understood he referred to violence against his family. Good!
"Recently he appears to be unbalanced in a different way. He cannot seem to stick to one task for any amount of time. Him who hammered endurance into me as long as I can remember!" Draco huffed. But then he frowned. "Instead, he withdraws surprisingly often and for maybe ten minutes only. On social calls, or today's banquet, he frequents the rest room. It's so not like him." Draco's mind was like an open book, and Ginny finally saw how her curse had hit home: Lucius arriving out of his own quarters with gleaming eyes. Lucius running into a rest room at the Sand's. Draco, out of bed late, listening at his father's door, hearing him...
Shut your mind, she signalled strongly, and he complied hastily but continued his report in a low voice. "He botched assignments our master gave him. I've whipped up quite an amount of the skin ointments and nerve soothing cream."
Ginny nodded. They, too, kept these remedies against the Cruciatus and other punishments at hand, but had not required much of them lately.
Ginny was half-way refreshed when the tall, pale, red-eyed figure strode to the bar, dropped two empty glasses and asked her for the next dance. Draco stiffened, and Ginny would have done the same, had the man not taken her firmly and escorted her to the dance floor. Curious pairs of eyes followed them ever so secretly, and she felt like running the gauntlet. They had the floor for themselves for a whole round before Severus and Draco purposefully asked ladies for a dance to take off the tension.
For a half blood from an orphanage, their master showed remarkable elegance.
With unease, Ginny imagined that his motives for learning ball dances would have been very similar to those of the young Severus Snape: belonging and climbing the social ladder. While Tom Riddle had pursued the path of manipulation and cruelty already at the age of nine, he had fine-tuned his means as a teen. At the same age, Severus had been an outcast. She relaxed at the thought, and her dance partner rose an eyebrow. Ginny averted her gaze before she saw how his face contorted into a kind of smile.
When finally everybody was freed from their social duties, the stars were shining brightly and only a warming charm held them all outdoors. Severus could finally ask his own wife for a dance. They waltzed more gracefully than Draco would have believed still a year ago. His Head of House had always excused himself from events at the Malfoys' before the dance had started. Today it was Draco leaving for the solitude of the garden. There weren't many guests his age, and he was fed up with their attitude towards him that changed more rapidly than the wind. All of a sudden, even Pansy Parkinson had become friendly with him again! It was sickening. Well, at least she was gone now, and so was their master.
The magical music slowed down after a few more dances, and most of the elder couples thanked their hosts for the evening. Others retreated indoors for a Firewhisky. One could still see the younger couples revolve slowly, intimately, unashamed of demonstrating their feelings to the public. Just the one pair in the far corner didn't quite fit into the pattern. He was too old for this group and this dance while she was a tad too young. And far too young for him, one would think. And yet, observing them like this, Draco could not find anything amiss.
"Quite a pair, I dare say. Who would have thought he actually has feelings." His father chuckled over his own joke and sat down next to Narcissa. Quickly Narcissa stood to get a drink. She engaged in a discussion elsewhere, and when the last couple left, she retired without so much as a nod to Lucius.
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The room had not seen the first rays of sunshine when Severus felt the bed shift as Ginevra left for the bathroom. Instead of crawling back in, however, she must have got up and dressed! How can she be so chipper after... well, after last night? His eyelids closed heavily before he could even remember what they had done the night before.
"Severus," Ginny proclaimed impatiently. "I did it again!"
There she stood in the door, fully dressed and eager to share some news. "I applied Legilimency upon the Dark Lord."
Severus frowned. Wait, yes, there had been something. "With... the beef curry of all things? Was it worth it?"
"I'd say so. He felt itchy, vulnerable and stressed. I saw the chillies and felt his inner turmoil. Then I saw him fighting against Harry in this state. He was NOT MASTERING HIS WAND! "
With a jolt Severus threw away the duvet, all fatigue gone. "You're telling me this only now?"
Ginny huffed. "I started telling you immediately. How could I do more? Just imagine if I had given myself away!" she argued.
Severus paled and stiffened. The thought alone was too much to bear. His heart thumbed violently against his breast, and he rushed to hold her tight.
A/N:
Hubert's is the grocer that Brenda Nott suggested to Severus. The wand works like a customer's ID or signature and allows withdrawals from their Gringotts account.
My patient betas, Soprano In Shadow and MagicAlly, have earned my heartfelt gratitude and a flask of Felix Felicis!
I also want to thank everyone still following this story for their patience and support. The writing and reviewing process is awfully slow, but maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel now. I'll compromise on the grammar (esp punctuation) quality and thus take some pressure from my betas. This way I hope to get the next chapter through beta a lot quicker. It's also less frustrating for me and thus keep me motivated.
Let me add a personal reply to FranklyCatty. Thank you for your detailed reviews! I usually reply to them by PM, but you've blocked your account.
So for once let me reply publicly: the smarter Slytherins certainly share your unease about re-housing. This is exactly how it has prevented them from pursuing partners from another house—and thus achieved its goal. Then again, dumb and insensitive brutes have come to existence through this very means, Goyle, Crabbe, Flint.
If you want to discuss it further, please open your account for personal replies.