AU where Snape lived because uh I just don't like him being dead.
Ginny's eyes were shut tight. Whose IDEA was this? she thought desperately.
But when she opened her eyes and looked at the room full of people staring at her, she remembered it was her own.
They were in Andromeda's guest bedroom. Ginny was sitting in a chair next to the bed, hands clasped in her lap. Harry was standing in the corner, arms wrapped around the diary's box, eyes cast down. Draco was the same, opposite to Harry. Andromeda was standing behind her, Severus Snape at the foot of the bed, grasping the headboard.
Narcissa was asleep.
"I do not have the rest of my life to wait," Snape said. His eyes were focused only ahead of him, on Narcissa.
"No," Ginny agreed. They had already been there for ages it felt, first waiting for everyone to assemble and then waiting for her to begin. But begin what?
She loosened her hands from her own grip and flexed them. The only thing she could think to do was lean over and gently pull one of Narcissa's hands into two of her own, hoping it would wake her gently.
Narcissa's hands were clammy, and, horribly, Ginny felt her wedding ring spin, fitting loose after so long asleep.
"Narcissa," she whispered. "Narcissa, do you know who I am?"
Narcissa's head did turn at that, and her eyes flickered open. Despite her pallor and her thinning skin, her chapped lips, her flattened hair, she was truly still beautiful. So much more stately than Ginny had ever hoped to be. Even her reply was gracious, amidst all this suffering.
"I'm not sure, dear. But your sweet face does look so familiar."
"We've met before, Narcissa. My name is Ginny Weasley. I went to school with Draco, you went to school with my parents."
This explanation left out quite a lot of history, but it seemed to trigger something.
"Yes…I remember thinking somewhere along the way that you looked like your mother."
"I remember you saying that too." Ginny squeezed her hand.
It didn't seem that Narcissa had really noticed the others in the room. If she could speak more clearly, she would have told them that her vision was hazy.
"Narcissa, do you remember anything else about me?"
Ginny didn't really want to say what she had to say, but Narcissa barely stirred at that.
"Narcissa, a long time ago, at Hogwarts, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Draco was in school then."
Narcissa nodded, and glanced up.
"Andy, you're here."
"Yes, Cissy, of course."
"Could I have some water?"
Andy nodded and left the room. Narcissa's eyes slowly followed her.
"This seems like quite a party." She smiled very lightly.
"Mother, we're here to help you."
Draco had been struggling, standing in the shadows and watching this drawn out explanation of facts. Prodding his mother with questions wouldn't get them anywhere and he didn't know why Ginny thought it would. Obviously Narcissa could remember almost nothing, and teasing it out in bits like that would only prolong the day. He went to sit next to her, and Andromeda returned with the water.
It seemed like a routine between the two of them to help Narcissa sit up, to move the pillows, to gently pull her until she was able to settle the glass in her lap and wrap two hands around it. This left Ginny with nothing to hold onto except the seat of her chair.
"Mother, Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets. She did it because the Dark Lord possessed her through Tom Riddle's diary. That's what you touched that day when we were cleaning. The diary was different when Ginny had it, the Dark Lord isn't in it anymore. But it was still cursed. We thought maybe she could…help."
Draco felt stupid even saying that, because what had they thought, really? Even Harry didn't seem to think this trip was worth much, and he thought the Weasley girl walked on water. But Ginny seemed energized slightly by him laying it out for her, and leaned forward. Everyone in the room could see a sudden strange greediness in her eyes.
"Narcissa, do you ever hear him? Does he speak to you?"
Narcissa's beautiful face was bewildered. Her eyes focused again, this time to the end of the bed.
"Severus," she pleaded. "Where is Lucius?"
Well that was certainly the end of that. Narcissa's focus was lost, the water spilled, Ginny was breathing heavily, Snape was pinching his nose and whispering to Harry in the corner, Draco and Andromeda were leaned so close to Narcissa that speaking to her from outside their little circle would have simply been more noise.
Severus took Ginny's arm and pulled her up, not roughly but not wasting time either. Harry followed them out of the room, and to the living room where Snape released her arm and let her fall into the sofa.
"That did not work," Snape said.
"But was it completely worthless?" Ginny asked hopefully.
"Yes."
"We just have to destroy the diary," Harry said to no one in particular. "I shouldn't be carting it about like this, and it may break the curse on Narcissa. I don't want it to be available for anyone else to fall into trouble with."
"Harry, no. It may kill her with it."
"We all bloody know you'd like to keep it!" Harry snapped. The other two stared back at him.
"I'm taking this to the Department of Mysteries and I'm locking it in a cage, and when someone has the good fucking sense to order it destroyed, let me know."
"We were actually keeping it at Hogwarts to be studied-" Severus began, but he was cut off.
"Well I'm here from the Ministry of Magic to tell you that you aren't anymore, and that you're all bloody lucky I'm keeping it at all. Lucius Malfoy should be in Azkaban for the attempted murder of his wife and for concealing Dark objects. Narcissa should be in a hospital getting real care, and all of the rest of you should be leaving the detective work to professionals."
Harry stormed out the door, slammed it behind him, and Apparated away before either Ginny or Severus could so much as blink. After a moment of shocked stillness, Severus spoke.
"He's quite mad at you." Of course he was smug.
Ginny fell back on the couch cushions.
"Do you know?"
"Yes."
"Does everyone?"
"About you and Potter, yes. About you and Lucius…not yet."