Warning!- From here on there is the dangerous possibility of spoilers for the Half Blood Prince. If you haven't read the book, or heard the rumors, then it is best to be very careful about reading the reviews or the answers to reviews that I leave at the top of the pages. However, the story itself contains none, as it is AU. Enjoy at your own risk.
Note to the readers-I too was shocked and a little dismayed by the rather harsh treatment of Snape's character in the new HP book. ( I guess she has every right, but wow, it was just so weird!) However, I have decided, upon request, and advice from a few friends, to continue this story as I intended it from the beginning. No character changes! And in the future, if I write more HP stories, and I am sure that I will, (after all, now is a great time to post some old stories I wrote. . .that now have a canon ship!) they will probably all be AU. I hope that everyone else who was writing WIP's will continue them unchanged as well!
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Dumbledore sent George and Fred to tell Ginny that Severus had been found. She imagined that it was a subtle way of getting them out of the house. She had wanted to Apparate to Grimmauld before they had even finished, and she was more than little upset to find that the restraining charm was still on the house. She was even more irritated that George laughed at her impatience.
Fred had tried to cheer her with a new trick, turning Hermione's hair purple using wandless magic. It had been funny, and Ginny hadn't realized just how worried she had been, until she had laughed, and the great weight of apprehension had lifted somewhat from her chest. At least he was alive.
George said that he had, according to Professor Dumbledore, been ' knocked around a bit ' and a Medi-wizard was checking him over to make certain nothing was terribly wrong with his head.
" Not that anything was ever terribly right with his head." George added.
" George Weasley! " Molly warned.
Fred turned her hair purple too, and they all sat and snickered, waiting for her to notice.
After what seemed to Ginny like several hours, a very tired looking Remus Lupin Apparated into the room, and was swamped with questions.
" Is he all right?" Ginny asked.
" Did they find a heart beat?" asked Fred.
" Can I go now?" Ginny demanded.
" How did you rip your robes?" asked Hermione.
" Are we going to call a meeting?" asked Fred?.
" Can I talk to him, please?" Ginny tugged at his sleeve.
" Is that blood on your sleeve?" Hermione pushed through the others." Are you hurt?'
" No, I . . ." he tried to answer.
" Is that Severus' blood?" Ginny demanded.
" Hush, all of you, and let the man speak. Move back." Molly ordered.
" Good grief, Molly. . .what on earth has happened to your hair?" Remus exclaimed.
" Well. . .we'll be going now, " Fred and George Disapparated swiftly from the room.
With them gone, Remus could draw a breath, and complete his message. It was not an enjoyable task. He did not want to say what he had to say to Ginny, and he wished that anyone else in the world had been chosen to bear the bad tidings.
" Ginny. . .maybe you should sit down. " he said, and winced at the blunt sound of the words.
Ginny's eyes widened, but she obeyed, for once, without arguing, and when she gave him an expectant look, he could only sigh, run his hands through his already disheveled hair, and speak.
" Severus is fine. Or at least he will be. Apparently someone. . .somehow, managed to poison him, and it has taken a long time to discover the type of poison. However an antidote has been given. . ."
" Can I go see him?" Ginny interrupted.
" No." Remus answered rather wearily.
" Why not?" her eyes blazed for a moment.
He looked rather queer for a second, contemplating the best way to deliver the next round of words.
" He. . .well, he was given a very heavy dosage of pain killing potions, and the antidote.Before that he had drunk quite a bit of whiskey. So I am almost positive that he was not himself when he spoke."
" What did he say? Come on, just tell me straight out." she raised a brow at him. He shot Hermione a pained look over Ginny's shoulder, and she winced, instinctively seeming to know what was coming next.
" He said. . .that he didn't want you or anyone else to get within fifty yards of him.'' he finished helplessly.
There was moment of uncomfortable silence, even Mrs. Weasley didn't dare make a noise, and Remus looked desperately to Hermione as if she could somehow extricate him from his predicament.
'' He said WHAT!" Ginny demanded suddenly, jumping to her feet. Instinctively, three people stepped backwards, forgetting momentarily that she was wandless.
" Ginny. . .I am sure. . ." began Hermione.
" What exactly did he say?" Ginny demanded.
" Er. . ." Remus gave a little shrug. " I asked him if he wanted me to come fetch you. . .and he said. . .that he didn't want to see you. . ."
They all shifted uncomfortably, but behind Ginny, Hermione's lips gave a little twitch, as if she though this was most amusing.
Well she might. . .after all, no one had ever dared to spurn Ginny before!
Ginny's face turned a shade of red that made her flaming hair pale dreadfully in comparison, but for a moment she looked stunned.
" Fine." she said at last. " Fine with me. "
" Like I said, he was under the influence of alcohol, and very strong potions. . ." Remus said hastily. He didn't like to see people suffer. . .and it looked as if Severus might be the one who was in for some suffering if Ginny got hold of him.
Ginny raised her hand and shook her head.
" It doesn't matter to me, one way or the other, if he wants to continue to prove to the world that it is possible to become an even bigger prat." she stuck her little nose up into the air. " I'm going home."
But, Dumbledore had not yet removed the charms and Ginny could neither Floo, nor Disapparate from her mother's kitchen. Giving an exasperated sigh and a kick to the table leg as she passed by it, she stormed out of the room, and up the stairs.
Hermione covered her mouth with her hand. She had done that earlier when she had witnessed three Weasley brothers hold Ginny's arms while Molly disarmed her. Ron had earned a black eye for his trouble and grumbled for an hour about how they should have just petrified her and stuck her in the corner for safekeeping.
Remus looked a little sheepish.
" Then I suppose she is really going to be upset with the next piece of news." he sighed, looking rather defeated.
" What's that?" somehow, Fred and George had managed to return to the room without having been noticed, and were standing a safe distance from their mother.
" Dumbledore said that someone should take her there anyway." said Lupin. His face clearly indicated that he was not volunteering for the mission.
" Right! We are just the wizards for the job!" said Fred.
" Absolutely! " said George with a enthusiasm that made Molly squint her eyes suspiciously.
" I don't want you two causing any trouble. . ." she began.
" No, now Molly, I think it will be fine if they escort her. Perhaps they have just the lack of gravity to offset the situation." Lupin interjected hastily. " Besides. . .Severus is already a little more accustomed to them."
He grimaced as he recalled the exact outcome of the relationship developed by the twins and Snape. But then, he couldn't complain too hard about their little prank, not when their fantastic new Wolfsbane potion had rendered the Lycanthropy nearly helpless.
Molly shrugged her shoulders, and gave both young men a piercing look.
They each gave her their most winning and innocent smile in return.
" Well, better be going along. I imagine Ginny is expected. . ." said Lupin. " You will have to Floo with her. . .if you can get her to come downstairs."
Fred and George gave each other a wink, and then a thumbs up to Lupin, before they Disapparated from the downstairs room. Everyone held their breath, listening.
They heard George's voice first, imploring her to come with them.
Ginny refused in a gruff fashion, only to be warned that she was coming with them, even if they had to drag her from the room.
Ginny raised her voice to shout at them then, and there the sound of a massive amount of scuffling, as if they really did have hold of her arms and were trying to pull her along.
" I WILL NOT GO! Get out of here. . .Fred what are you DOING?'' she shrieked.
They heard a muffled spell being uttered pompously by Fred. . .or maybe George, and a thump as someone fell to the floor. Everyone below gave a little wince.
A minute later, George came downstairs, followed by Ginny, whose petrified body was being levitated between him and Fred. The twins each wore identical looks of triumph.
" She was very enthusiastic about cooperating." Fred said cheerfully.
" She put up a bit of a fight for the show of it, but I could tell right away that really wanted to go with us." confided George.
" Well,... she has every right to be upset. " said Hermione, after the twins had managed to stuff Ginny into the fireplace and vanish with her.
" Yes. And I am very thankful that I don't have to be there when they release her." said Lupin with a look of relief. " Voldemort himself would be less impressive."
" Do you think it's all right for her to see him if he is so ill? With her being so angry?" asked Molly in a worried tone.
" I think. . .that he richly deserves her. " said Lupin in all honesty. " And every ounce of her temper."