A/N-I thought that last chapter would get everyone's attention! Okay, I thought long and hard about it, and decided to use an original character name for the spy who was killed. I considered all of the canon names but finally arrived at the decision that I couldn't sleep in good conscience with their details on my hands. Besides, I wanted it to be someone that Ginny was basically unaware of so that her focus would be mainly on Severus, instead of the victims.

Erica Dawn: Thanks for the reviews. I enjoy seeing the bits you quote. . .it gives me better ideas of what the is the best received. And that was my very own closet making an appearance in this story. Rather like a literary cameo.

A moment of shocked silence ensued, followed by an short hiccup of indrawn breath into Ginny's body. Ron reached out one hand tentatively, either to steady her in case she decided to sway, or to fend her off should she decide to attack him. She did neither, but remained standing as rigid as flag pole, her eyes boring into him.

" You. . .don't mean that?" she finally challenged, her voice soft, and disbelieving.

" They suspect that he might have been the informant that alerted the Deatheaters about Demetrius Gold's double role. Dumbledore is certain Snape is innocent, but the fact that no one can find him does little by way of proving it."

" Are people looking?"

" Yes. Lupin, and Moody are actually physically searching for him. There is a network of course, of people who will report immediately to Dumbledore if he is spotted. . ."

" Why would he have turned over a fellow ally to the Deatheaters?" Ginny demanded.

" I don't know Ginny. . .maybe there are plenty of reasons."

" Name a few, I need some enlightenment." she rubbed her temples.

" Well. . .he might really be a loyal Deatheater, and we were the fools all of these years."

" I refuse to believe that.'' Memories of the faint lines of scarring across his chest. Small silvery cobwebs mapping out a highway of pain and suffering that no mortal could have tolerated without a good reason; and she refused to believe that his reasons would be so black.

" Fine. What about, if he wasn't really, you know,. . . crooked, then maybe they threatened to harm you, and he gave them a decoy. Like a sacrifice."

" How would anyone know about me? And why would they threaten me? I'm as pure-blooded as any of them, as much as the Malfoy's might hate to admit it."

Ron shrugged.

" I guess if you get desperate enough, you'll threaten anyone about anyone. . .and in return, they will move out of desperation." Ron sighed, seeming more mature for a moment than she had ever seen him.

" I want to go look for him." she announced. " I don't believe he did it, and I am going to prove it." she made to move past him, but he caught hold of her and held tight.

" Sorry, but no. I am afraid Dumbledore anticipated that reaction. He said you are to do no such thing, and he and Mum decided that you should pack a bag and move back to the Burrow for the time being."

" Back to the Burrow! Tonight? It's almost midnight! Why on earth would I want to do that?"

" They all think it would be safer, just until this is resolved."

" ' They' certainly think a lot." Ginny sighed. Well, it wouldn't hurt to go to the Burrow. If Severus did return and couldn't find her here, he would look there next. Then Grimmauld place. . .and maybe, just maybe, if she were there, instead of here, she could be of some assistance.

" All right. But you can help me to pack. '' she agreed wearily.

If she weren't concerned about Severus, she would not have agreed so easily, and Ron, sensing this, gave a silent prayer of thanks to whomever ruled the heavens at that particular moment. He had expected that it might take both he and Tonks and several binding charms to get Ginny Weasely through a doorway if she had made up her mind to remain on the opposite side.

This was a victory worthy of two or three rounds later at the tavern. Especially after she had finished bossing him on the proper way to pack a suitcase.

" You don't pack your own clothes like that do you, Ronald?" she had demanded after she had turned from the closet just in time to see him stuffing a wadded up handful of clothing into the case.

" Why not? It's just clothes." he had grumbled, smoothing out the top layer. " Anything else?"

" Could you reach under the bed there and pull out that pair of shoes. No. . .to your left."

" Yeah, got it. .. wait. What the?" Ron let out a girlish shriek and fell back onto his bottom. " What the bloody hell is that?" he stammered shrilly, gesticulating wildly to the dark space beneath the bed.

" What is it?"

" Something damn well under there. . .it touched me!"

Ginny had her own wand drawn, and was halfway to the bed when Tonks, fresh from giving a report to Dumbledore via Ginny's fireplace, ran into the room and crashed into her back. They both stumbled, sprawled across the floor, where a simple Lumos spell revealed the cause of Ron's hysteria to be none other than Sevvy-Baby, who seemed a bit perturbed about having been woken from his nap.

Ginny blew her hair out of her face, and laughed.

" That is just Sevvy-Baby! " she explained. " I guess he crawled under there for a nap after our picnic."

Ginny might have known what she was talking about, but Ron and Tonks went right to the wrong conclusion, and gave each other a puzzled look. Tonks got to her knees and held up her own wand trying to see under the bed.

' He's. . .under the bed?" Ron asked, carefully.

" Yes. ..he likes the dark."

They exchanged another look behind Ginny's back, and Tonks mouthed the words;

" I looked under the bed. . ."

" I think you scared him Ron. Come on Sevvy-Baby.'' Ginny slithered under the bed on her belly, trying to coax the pet into her arms. " I don't know if he'll come out or not, now. I hope he didn't leave a mess under there."

" Ginny. . .maybe I am a bit daft, but. . .why is he under the bed ?" Ron gave a short perplexed little laugh, and Tonks rolled her eyes around the room as if a solution might appear.

" You mean, Sevvy-Baby? He is still shy. See, I got him . . ." she gave a little grunt and pulled him out of the shadows. He had dust bunnies stuck to his scales, and cobwebs clung to his toes. " . . . as my birthday present So I have only had him a couple of days. Gosh, look at you. . .your a mess! " she cooed.

Ron looked at the lizard, then looked at Tonks. She looked at the lizard, then looked at Ron. They both looked back down to the violet iguana, then back at each other. They exchanged a sheepish grin, that quickly morphed into hearty laughs. The good healthy ones that happened after comical misunderstandings. Ginny, who had been carefully de-fuzzing the lizard, looked up in surprise, then grinned herself. She didn't know yet what was so funny, but it was funny to see them laugh so hard.

" Okay, what is so funny?' she finally asked.

" I th-thought you had Snape stuffed under the bed! You said ' Sevvy-baby', and I imagined him. . .all curled up under there. .. "

" I hope he didn't leave a mess under there!" Tonks repeated Ginny's words and they went into hysterics again.

" Are you sure it isn't Snape in disguise?" sniggered Ron.

" It has. . .his. . .hair. . ." said Tonks, her face red from lack of oxygen.

" Whenever you two are finished." Ginny said, standing so that she could dust the cobwebs from the front of her blouse and jeans.

" So let me guess. . .who gave you the lizard?" Ron pulled a somber face out of his pocket, and tried to hold his trembling lip still.

" It is an Iguana. And Severus did give him to me."

" Aww. . .isn't that . . .sweet?" Tonks asked, her voice skippery due to suppressed chuckles.

" I thought so. He said he was going to get me a cat, but they were sold out."

" Did he dress it up to look like that? " Ron regarded Sevvy-Baby a moment.

" I did the hair. "

" Oh ...and it is really named. . .Se-Sev-Sevvy-Baby?" Tonks gave a snicker at his question.

" No. that is his nick-name. His full name is. . .Bernard Randolph, Lord Weasely. You may call him. .. Bernie.''

" I'm not calling that thing any name. He scared the hell out of me." Ron stated.

They were still arguing half an hour later when they tumbled out of the Floo and into Mrs. Weasley's living room.

" You're scared of anything that isn't Quidditch."

" Not true. I was never scared of you."

" I am Quidditch."

" No your not."

" I played Quidditch, I was on a broom, in uniform and I had the snitch in my hand, That qualifies me as Quidditch, and therefore, you aren't afraid of me. "

" That doesn't mean you are Quidditch. . "

" I wasn't talking about literally, Ron, I mean it as a representation. Theoretically, you can deign to speak to me, because I have had something to do with Quidditch. I bet that if I dress Sevvy-I mean, Bernie, in a Quidditch uniform and teach him to wave a flag, you wouldn't be so reviled."

" I would so." stated, indignantly. " and you couldn't get him to do that, even if would be really wicked cool."

" Wicked cool? I could make Sevvy-Bernie wicked cool any day."

They were now in the Weasley kitchen arguing, and Mrs. Weasley came bustling in, hands on hips, to see what the commotion was about.

" If you can't make the grown-up Snape cool, then there is no way you can make junior there any cooler either!"

" Ronald Weasley!" bellowed Molly." Is that how you talk to your sister? '' she turned to Ginny with wide shiny eyes. . " What is he talking about?' she asked.

Ginny looked sheepish. She should not have allowed herself to be lured into such a childish argument now; when there were more important things to consider. However, winning an argument with Ron slid in the number two priority slot on her list of important goals to accomplish for the day.

" I insulted her lizard and now she is saying that I am afraid of anything that isn't Quidditch." Ron grumbled.

Mrs. Weasely narrowed her eyes, and gave Ron a tight lipped look that said she was not quite sure if she wanted to ask him to clarify himself or not. Instead, she turned to Ginny.

" And who, if I might ask, is Snape junior?"

Ginny held Bernie up, and Molly stepped back what appeared to be twelve feet in a single stride.

" Ginevra Weasley. . .get that thing out of this house, this instant!"

" I can't. Severus gave him to me as a birthday gift."

" Really! What kind of man gives a girl a reptile for her birthday!"

That, thought Ginny, was a really good question, and whenever someone could determine it's answer, she wanted a copy.

" I don't know Mum, I really don't."