Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters contained within
this story, J. K. Rowling does, and she kicks ass, so I wouldn't steal her
stuff from her.
Chapter 10: Life's Tough Questions
He sat alone by the light of a single candle. The potions classroom was the only place that he felt safe; at ease; at home. Whenever he needed to clear his mind, he would go down there and sit in his seat, mulling over the issue at hand. That night it didn't seem to help.
Loyalty, family, love; what did it all mean? What could he do to change the destiny that would inevitably come to pass? He had changed so much; she had changed so much; life changed the rules just when he thought he had it all under control. And now all he could think was that the plan had gone horribly wrong; the worst possible turn of events had occurred.
All he wanted was to live up to his family's name; to represent the Malfoys for generations to come. But this way, his mother's way, was ludicrous. Sacrificing an innocent for power and greatness wasn't his way.
Although, she was by no means an innocent. She was one of the thorns in Lord Voldemort's side, the brains behind all of Potter's loony schemes, the cool and levelheaded voice of reason to so many. His mother was right to single her out. He would have picked the Weasley girl; she was an innocent, a way to pluck their heartstrings. No, she was right; Hermione was indispensable to their cause, the only option, the one he could seduce and debilitate Potter and friends with.
Draco stood up and clenched his fists and jaw. "Why did she pick me?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Lashing out, he kicked the table, sending it slamming into the back wall. He seethed in anger and frustration, closing his eyes to keep himself from pulling out his wand and blowing something up.
e heard footsteps echoing down the corridor outside the dungeon room and the door creaked loudly as it opened. "What on earth is going on here Draco?" Snape shouted as he saw him standing there, red-faced and breathing deeply.
Nothing," Draco said, trying to calm himself. "Nothing at all, just letting out a little anger." He pulled out his wand and returned the table to its original spot on the floor in front of him. "I'm sorry for making so much noise, Professor."
nape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "No matter," he mumbled to himself. "Just letting off some anger of my own; ridiculous rules."
I'm sorry, Professor, about what Dumbledore did to you," Draco said, his face dropped and his ears turned slightly pink. "It was entirely unfair of him to fire you. You are the only indispensable member of the faculty and the Slytherin House will be worse without you."
Snape snickered and swept up to his desk. "I broke the rules; Dumbledore took appropriate actions against myself and the girl." Draco's eyes widened at Snape who stared blankly past him. "She's been suspended for a year's time at the end of term." Snape rubbed his temples. "And it was entirely for my own indiscretions."
"You," Draco stuttered. "And a. a. student?" He approached Snape's desk quietly and sat in a chair that he drew up so he looked Snape in the eyes. "Professor, might I be so bold as to ask who it was?"
Snape sneered at Draco and practically growled. "Well, considering the rate at which gossip spreads at this school, I'm sure you'll find out anyway." He looked at Draco and sighed. "It was Ginny Weasley."
"Weasel's sister!" Draco cried.
"I would thank you to be a bit more polite towards her considering you are practically marrying into her family!" Snape barked at him. "And I would think you had more respect for me than to insult the woman I love by not calling her by her given name!"
Draco fell silent. After a few moments he looked at Snape who was rubbing his temples again. "You love her?" he asked timidly.
"Once again, if you must know, yes, I do love her," Snape said standing up to leave the room. "We are no longer together, so I will ask you not to spread any unnecessary rumors for her sake and mine. I will be leaving now, and I think you should as well so as not to ruin my classroom for my successor."
Snape left the room with a flourish. Draco sat in his chair still, pondering what he had just heard. Snape in love with a Weasley. It was almost as absurd as his being in love with a mudblood. He stood to leave and collected himself before he exited the room. "What is this world coming to," he muttered to himself.
Entirely lost in his thoughts, Draco ran into something on his way up the stairs. As he fell to his knees, all he saw was red hair fall next to him. "Man, you need to watch where you're going!" Ron said rubbing his head that cracked loudly against the marble steps.
"Sorry," Draco said getting up. "Wasn't really paying any attention."
Ron stood up after Draco extended his arm in assistance. "Well, neither was I, to be honest." Ron looked down slightly at Draco. "I've got to be off, I've got to see my sister; she just got out of her disciplinary hearing." He began to take off up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room.
Draco watched him go, feeling bad on behalf of the entire Weasley family.
"Truth," Ron said as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open to reveal Ginny, Hermione, and Harry sitting very nervously on separate pieces of furniture, all seeming to avoid each other's gaze. They all looked up as he walked in; an anxious grin spread across Ginny's face. "Does everyone know her fate but me?" he said taking a seat next to her.
Hermione sat wringing her hands as she turned to face the others. "No, she said she only wanted to tell the story once. Although the way this sounds like its going to play out will warrant telling quite a few people." She looked at Ginny nervously.
"You're in a lot of trouble, aren't you?" Ron said weakly.
Tears began to flow down her face at an amazing rate. "Yes," she sobbed. "I've been expelled for one year beginning at the end of the term. I can't come back to Hogwarts until Spring term next year."
Ron threw his arms around his sister and began to stroke her hair. "Oh, Gin, how on Earth did Dumbledore let this happen?"
Harry stood up in rage. "He can't do this to you!"
Hermione stood up and stopped Harry from tearing through the portrait hole. "Yes, he can. He was within all disciplinary rights to do what he did. To tell the truth he could have expelled her for good; had her wand destroyed and everything." Hermione began to stroke Ginny's hair.
"He did expel me for good," Ginny said brokenly. "Professor McGonagall pleaded with him for me and he reduced my punishment." She cried into Ron's robes, abandoning all hope that she had held in her.
Harry looked helplessly at her and Ron looked from Harry to Hermione. "Have you told Mum and Dad yet?" Ron said slowly.
Ginny sat straight up and her eyes grew to the size of beach balls. "No. I don't even want to think of what they'll say. They'll throw me out of the family!" She turned her back on Ron. "You might want to start ignoring me or they'll disown you too!"
Ron chuckled lightly. "If they still wanted Percy after all the trouble he caused and Fred and George after leaving school, I'm sure they won't throw you out. You're a better student than any of us ever were. They love you, Gin. Getting suspended for a year isn't going to change that. They'll be miffed, sure, but they'll get over it."
"Thanks Ron," she said, turning back to him and throwing herself into his chest again. "And," she started beginning to regain some of her composure. "The person I was seeing came forward and confessed his involvement and the fact that he loved me in front of the disciplinary council." Hermione gasped throwing her hands to her mouth. "This was of course after he broke up with me right before the meeting 'for my own good.'"
"I can't believe him!" Hermione gasped. "How could he do that? You were trying to protect him." She sat on Ginny's other side and began to rub her back soothingly. "What happened to him?" she asked tentatively.
Ginny sat up and looked blankly at her. "He was fired."
"FIRED?" Ron and Harry yelled together.
"Who were you seeing?" Ron gasped. "A professor?" He backed off of Ginny in surprise.
"Severus," she said plainly. "Professor Snape's been fired for his rendezvous with me." She stood up, all of a sudden unsure of her legs.
Harry and Ron could only stare at Ginny and Hermione, not knowing what to do or say. "I.I." Harry stuttered.
Hermione noticed Ginny's face go pale. "Ginny!" she yelled as the girl collapsed into her arms. "Oh! Ron, Harry, quick, let's get her into my room!"
They picked Ginny up gingerly and carried her across the common room to Hermione's room. As they lay her on the bed, Hermione ran into her bathroom and grabbed a cold damp cloth and began to press it onto her forehead. "Should we get Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asked, gently stroking Ginny's hair. He looked at her through worried eyes.
"No, she's just had a bit of a fainting spell," Hermione said as Ginny's eyes began to flutter. "It's just a little too much for her right now." Ron and Harry stood helplessly at the end of Hermione's bed. "Go, and do whatever you need to do, study or something. I'll take care of her. I think she needs some girl time."
Reluctantly Harry and Ron left the room, tossing backward glances at Ginny as she began to come around.
"Gin, are you ok?" Hermione asked her. Her face was an unnatural shade of green and she was sweating profusely.
Ginny's eyes began to focus as her stomach started lurching. "I need to throw up!" she yelled as she made a mad dash for the toilet. Hermione ran after her, holding her hair back as she heaved into the toilet. She couldn't help it, but the wheels in her head began to turn.
As she slid away from the toilet and flushed, Hermione stroked her hair and looked at her. The color was beginning to return to her face, but she still looked too sick for nerves. The idea had hit her and she couldn't shake it. She walked over to her medicine cabinet and pulled out a box, looking at it and debating on whether or not to tell Ginny what she thought. "Gin, I've got a test to see what's wrong with you," she said tentatively.
"What?" she said groggily. "What kind of a test?"
Hermione handed her the contents of the box, keeping anything important out of sight. "It's a muggle test of sorts. If you're sick, you just pee on this stick and it tells you what you have. It's really accurate." She bit her lip as Ginny examined the apparatus.
"Ok," she said, hoisting herself up. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be out." Hermione left the bathroom, her stomach in a knot the size of a quaffle. Ginny took her time in the bathroom as Hermione paced back and forth so much that she was sure she would wear a hole in the deep shag carpet of her room. What if her hunch was right? She didn't even want to think about it. What would she tell Mrs. Weasley? The suspension was enough for one lifetime. But a baby? She tried to push it out of her mind, but the thought of Ginny and Snape, happily holding their child kept creeping into her mind. Unfortunately, she knew in her heart that it would never work out that way, it couldn't.
The door creaked open slightly and Hermione jumped so high she swore her heart stopped. "Gin?" she said shakily.
"I don't know how to read it," she said, holding it out to Hermione. "There are no words, just lines."
Hermione held her breath. "Ginny, how many.?"
Chapter 10: Life's Tough Questions
He sat alone by the light of a single candle. The potions classroom was the only place that he felt safe; at ease; at home. Whenever he needed to clear his mind, he would go down there and sit in his seat, mulling over the issue at hand. That night it didn't seem to help.
Loyalty, family, love; what did it all mean? What could he do to change the destiny that would inevitably come to pass? He had changed so much; she had changed so much; life changed the rules just when he thought he had it all under control. And now all he could think was that the plan had gone horribly wrong; the worst possible turn of events had occurred.
All he wanted was to live up to his family's name; to represent the Malfoys for generations to come. But this way, his mother's way, was ludicrous. Sacrificing an innocent for power and greatness wasn't his way.
Although, she was by no means an innocent. She was one of the thorns in Lord Voldemort's side, the brains behind all of Potter's loony schemes, the cool and levelheaded voice of reason to so many. His mother was right to single her out. He would have picked the Weasley girl; she was an innocent, a way to pluck their heartstrings. No, she was right; Hermione was indispensable to their cause, the only option, the one he could seduce and debilitate Potter and friends with.
Draco stood up and clenched his fists and jaw. "Why did she pick me?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Lashing out, he kicked the table, sending it slamming into the back wall. He seethed in anger and frustration, closing his eyes to keep himself from pulling out his wand and blowing something up.
e heard footsteps echoing down the corridor outside the dungeon room and the door creaked loudly as it opened. "What on earth is going on here Draco?" Snape shouted as he saw him standing there, red-faced and breathing deeply.
Nothing," Draco said, trying to calm himself. "Nothing at all, just letting out a little anger." He pulled out his wand and returned the table to its original spot on the floor in front of him. "I'm sorry for making so much noise, Professor."
nape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "No matter," he mumbled to himself. "Just letting off some anger of my own; ridiculous rules."
I'm sorry, Professor, about what Dumbledore did to you," Draco said, his face dropped and his ears turned slightly pink. "It was entirely unfair of him to fire you. You are the only indispensable member of the faculty and the Slytherin House will be worse without you."
Snape snickered and swept up to his desk. "I broke the rules; Dumbledore took appropriate actions against myself and the girl." Draco's eyes widened at Snape who stared blankly past him. "She's been suspended for a year's time at the end of term." Snape rubbed his temples. "And it was entirely for my own indiscretions."
"You," Draco stuttered. "And a. a. student?" He approached Snape's desk quietly and sat in a chair that he drew up so he looked Snape in the eyes. "Professor, might I be so bold as to ask who it was?"
Snape sneered at Draco and practically growled. "Well, considering the rate at which gossip spreads at this school, I'm sure you'll find out anyway." He looked at Draco and sighed. "It was Ginny Weasley."
"Weasel's sister!" Draco cried.
"I would thank you to be a bit more polite towards her considering you are practically marrying into her family!" Snape barked at him. "And I would think you had more respect for me than to insult the woman I love by not calling her by her given name!"
Draco fell silent. After a few moments he looked at Snape who was rubbing his temples again. "You love her?" he asked timidly.
"Once again, if you must know, yes, I do love her," Snape said standing up to leave the room. "We are no longer together, so I will ask you not to spread any unnecessary rumors for her sake and mine. I will be leaving now, and I think you should as well so as not to ruin my classroom for my successor."
Snape left the room with a flourish. Draco sat in his chair still, pondering what he had just heard. Snape in love with a Weasley. It was almost as absurd as his being in love with a mudblood. He stood to leave and collected himself before he exited the room. "What is this world coming to," he muttered to himself.
Entirely lost in his thoughts, Draco ran into something on his way up the stairs. As he fell to his knees, all he saw was red hair fall next to him. "Man, you need to watch where you're going!" Ron said rubbing his head that cracked loudly against the marble steps.
"Sorry," Draco said getting up. "Wasn't really paying any attention."
Ron stood up after Draco extended his arm in assistance. "Well, neither was I, to be honest." Ron looked down slightly at Draco. "I've got to be off, I've got to see my sister; she just got out of her disciplinary hearing." He began to take off up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room.
Draco watched him go, feeling bad on behalf of the entire Weasley family.
"Truth," Ron said as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open to reveal Ginny, Hermione, and Harry sitting very nervously on separate pieces of furniture, all seeming to avoid each other's gaze. They all looked up as he walked in; an anxious grin spread across Ginny's face. "Does everyone know her fate but me?" he said taking a seat next to her.
Hermione sat wringing her hands as she turned to face the others. "No, she said she only wanted to tell the story once. Although the way this sounds like its going to play out will warrant telling quite a few people." She looked at Ginny nervously.
"You're in a lot of trouble, aren't you?" Ron said weakly.
Tears began to flow down her face at an amazing rate. "Yes," she sobbed. "I've been expelled for one year beginning at the end of the term. I can't come back to Hogwarts until Spring term next year."
Ron threw his arms around his sister and began to stroke her hair. "Oh, Gin, how on Earth did Dumbledore let this happen?"
Harry stood up in rage. "He can't do this to you!"
Hermione stood up and stopped Harry from tearing through the portrait hole. "Yes, he can. He was within all disciplinary rights to do what he did. To tell the truth he could have expelled her for good; had her wand destroyed and everything." Hermione began to stroke Ginny's hair.
"He did expel me for good," Ginny said brokenly. "Professor McGonagall pleaded with him for me and he reduced my punishment." She cried into Ron's robes, abandoning all hope that she had held in her.
Harry looked helplessly at her and Ron looked from Harry to Hermione. "Have you told Mum and Dad yet?" Ron said slowly.
Ginny sat straight up and her eyes grew to the size of beach balls. "No. I don't even want to think of what they'll say. They'll throw me out of the family!" She turned her back on Ron. "You might want to start ignoring me or they'll disown you too!"
Ron chuckled lightly. "If they still wanted Percy after all the trouble he caused and Fred and George after leaving school, I'm sure they won't throw you out. You're a better student than any of us ever were. They love you, Gin. Getting suspended for a year isn't going to change that. They'll be miffed, sure, but they'll get over it."
"Thanks Ron," she said, turning back to him and throwing herself into his chest again. "And," she started beginning to regain some of her composure. "The person I was seeing came forward and confessed his involvement and the fact that he loved me in front of the disciplinary council." Hermione gasped throwing her hands to her mouth. "This was of course after he broke up with me right before the meeting 'for my own good.'"
"I can't believe him!" Hermione gasped. "How could he do that? You were trying to protect him." She sat on Ginny's other side and began to rub her back soothingly. "What happened to him?" she asked tentatively.
Ginny sat up and looked blankly at her. "He was fired."
"FIRED?" Ron and Harry yelled together.
"Who were you seeing?" Ron gasped. "A professor?" He backed off of Ginny in surprise.
"Severus," she said plainly. "Professor Snape's been fired for his rendezvous with me." She stood up, all of a sudden unsure of her legs.
Harry and Ron could only stare at Ginny and Hermione, not knowing what to do or say. "I.I." Harry stuttered.
Hermione noticed Ginny's face go pale. "Ginny!" she yelled as the girl collapsed into her arms. "Oh! Ron, Harry, quick, let's get her into my room!"
They picked Ginny up gingerly and carried her across the common room to Hermione's room. As they lay her on the bed, Hermione ran into her bathroom and grabbed a cold damp cloth and began to press it onto her forehead. "Should we get Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asked, gently stroking Ginny's hair. He looked at her through worried eyes.
"No, she's just had a bit of a fainting spell," Hermione said as Ginny's eyes began to flutter. "It's just a little too much for her right now." Ron and Harry stood helplessly at the end of Hermione's bed. "Go, and do whatever you need to do, study or something. I'll take care of her. I think she needs some girl time."
Reluctantly Harry and Ron left the room, tossing backward glances at Ginny as she began to come around.
"Gin, are you ok?" Hermione asked her. Her face was an unnatural shade of green and she was sweating profusely.
Ginny's eyes began to focus as her stomach started lurching. "I need to throw up!" she yelled as she made a mad dash for the toilet. Hermione ran after her, holding her hair back as she heaved into the toilet. She couldn't help it, but the wheels in her head began to turn.
As she slid away from the toilet and flushed, Hermione stroked her hair and looked at her. The color was beginning to return to her face, but she still looked too sick for nerves. The idea had hit her and she couldn't shake it. She walked over to her medicine cabinet and pulled out a box, looking at it and debating on whether or not to tell Ginny what she thought. "Gin, I've got a test to see what's wrong with you," she said tentatively.
"What?" she said groggily. "What kind of a test?"
Hermione handed her the contents of the box, keeping anything important out of sight. "It's a muggle test of sorts. If you're sick, you just pee on this stick and it tells you what you have. It's really accurate." She bit her lip as Ginny examined the apparatus.
"Ok," she said, hoisting herself up. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be out." Hermione left the bathroom, her stomach in a knot the size of a quaffle. Ginny took her time in the bathroom as Hermione paced back and forth so much that she was sure she would wear a hole in the deep shag carpet of her room. What if her hunch was right? She didn't even want to think about it. What would she tell Mrs. Weasley? The suspension was enough for one lifetime. But a baby? She tried to push it out of her mind, but the thought of Ginny and Snape, happily holding their child kept creeping into her mind. Unfortunately, she knew in her heart that it would never work out that way, it couldn't.
The door creaked open slightly and Hermione jumped so high she swore her heart stopped. "Gin?" she said shakily.
"I don't know how to read it," she said, holding it out to Hermione. "There are no words, just lines."
Hermione held her breath. "Ginny, how many.?"