Ginny received owls all day. Mostly, from Slytherin parents who felt their children were not safe after such a war. Many Slytherin parents were in Azkaban. Many parents – of ever house – were dead. Students knew Ginny's job was with the headmaster, but they began to use her as a guidance counselor as well. She was the closest faculty member to their age, after all. Sometimes, it was the younger siblings of people she had gone to Hogwarts with, like Seamus Finnigan's little sister, Greta, who was a second year Ravenclaw. She knew where Ginny's office was, in a room to the left of the gargoyle, and so Ginny would let her study in there when she felt as if she couldn't face the rest of the school.

"I should have been a Gryffindor, like Seamus." Greta said. Seamus hadn't made it through the war.

"Honey, that hat knows best." she said. "You are brilliant and fit well in Ravenclaw."

"You were a Gryffindor." she said, impatiently. "It seems everyone worth anything in the war was."

"Here is what I've learned about houses – They tell you your strongest qualities, perhaps, but it doesn't mean you don't have other house attributes. And, I wouldn't let your house constrict you. If you want to date or be friends with only Ravenclaws, you might miss out on really good friendships." Ginny said, thinking of Severus.

"I suppose," Greta replied. "Though I could never see a Slytherin." she wrinkled her nose at the thought and made Ginny laugh.

"You'd be surprised." she chuckled. Ginny and Snape's relationship was not common knowledge among the students and some of the staff, even. "Now, go to dinner." she said. The girl gathered her things and left with a trailing goodbye. Ginny answered a few more owls and then headed to dinner herself.

Ginny had her own chambers but often spent the night with Snape. She hoped Harry still had the marauder's map because it would be obvious where she was if anyone wanted to check. It wasn't a secret; she just didn't want Severus to be fodder for student gossip.

One night, while he graded papers and she sat reading by the fire, she said,

"Severus, I've got some news." he looked up from the D he was giving the majority of the third year Hufflepuffs.

"Go on then," he said. Hufflepuffs always made him sour.

"I'm going to have a baby." she said, more calm than she felt. She thought he might ask her to leave and never return. He stared at her for a long time.

"When?" he decided on, lamely.

"Oh! Um… about July, I would guess." she said.

"And you're certain?" he asked,

"Yes, I saw Madam Pomfrey this morning." she said, her heart falling. He didn't seem excited in the least. At last, he rose and came to sit next to her on the love seat. He kissed her forehead.

"You keep giving me things I think I've lost all chance of ever having." he said. "I never dreamed I would have a family."

"You're not upset?" she asked.

"No, just surprised." he said. "And I hope that it looks like you."

"Another Weasley brat." she said, sighing with relief. "Though I don't suppose we ought to have seven."

"No," he agreed. "Let's just start with one." They sat silently for a while. "You know what?" Severus said.

"What?" she said.

"We should be married." he said. Now it was her turn to stare.

"Really?" she said, suddenly excited. "You really mean that?" He nodded.

"Over Christmas, when the students are away." he said. She could wait a month if she could wait nine. She'd been thinking of him as a father and could hardly picture it. Would he be gentle and kind or cruel and cold like he'd been to the students and to her, even, when she was in his potions class? Would she be any good at it, for that matter? Molly Weasley had her first baby at 19, two years out of Hogwarts, barely. She was already 21. If her mum could do it, then so could she. If she thought about her life now versus the first time she'd seen Hogwarts – her head reeled. Impregnated by Snape? She would have hexed anyone who'd mentioned it but now, she was happy.

Few students noticed the demure gold band on her left hand ring finger when they returned from their winter holiday. Dumbledore had married them in Hogsmede with McGonagall and Harry (Ginny had begged) as witnesses. Harry and Snape had agreed to be cordial to each other when Harry had said, "Ginny is the only family either of us has." And Snape knew it to be true. Their marriage sailed by without a hitch but Ginny knew she could not hide a pregnancy. Luckily, she didn't stand in front of a class all day. Students mostly saw her sitting behind a desk at and meals. Soon, though, it was no longer a secret. Miss Weasley, Dumbledore's gatekeeper, was with child. The thing was, no one had the nerve to ask whose it was. Once Andrea Sheppard, a Slytherin 6th year, figured it out, it tore through the school. Snape was particularly cruel to whoever snickered about it in his classes and was out late every night with detentions.

"Is it far too scandalous? I can leave." Ginny asked Dumbledore at the beginning of April.

"You are married." he said.

"Yes, but they know that he was my professor once. You should hear the rumors and speculations." she said, her cheeks aflame.

"Wars change people, Miss Weasley. You fought on the side of good and at the side of Severus. War changes people and best they learn that sooner rather than later." he was somber now.

"I just want to rebuild my life." she said. "I lost my whole family."

"Yes," he said, sadly. "you did."