Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.
The Midnight Hour
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: A Yuletide to Forget
"You know what, sis?" Fred asked, she shrugged, not wanting to be drawn into one of his infuriating word games again "If he wasn't so old, you and Snapey boy would look pretty good together." He told her, Ginny froze…
After a few minutes of tense silence Fred looked at his brother, and they both begun to laugh like hyenas. Ginny threw her hands up in the air out of frustration and stormed out of the room, adding twins to the quickly growing list of people who had pissed her off that evening.
Ginny woke up the next morning with a refreshed attitude and improved temperament. The past few days had been long, and the added joking of her friends and family drove the anger deeper into her heart. Attending Ron and Hermione's wedding had also reminded her of the fact that it was so hard for Severus and herself to be together. They couldn't even dance together without a seemingly valid excuse. She stood up and walked over to the door, noticing a small slip of parchment that had been slid under it. She picked it up, it was another one of Severus' notes.
Qualis noc fuit illa, di deaeque,
quam mollis torus. haesimus calentes
et transfudimus hinc et hinc labellis
errantes animas. valete, curae mortals.
Ginny walked over to her bedside table and took out her wand, muttering the same spell she had used only days ago. It didn't work, the words stayed as they were and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. There was no way that she would be able to understand it without a translation, and she could hardly ask anyone. She sighed and slipped the note into her pocket before heading down for breakfast.
As she sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld place Ginny felt as though she was the luckiest person in the house. Her father, Fred, George, Bill and Remus had all had a bit too much to drink the previous evening and were now paying for it. Their skin had a tinge of sickly green to it and they looked as though they were going to regurgitate the previous evening's meal. Harry sat at the table as well, looking much better for wear, physically, but Ginny could see turmoil in his eyes.
After eating a bowl of cereal Ginny stood and walked out of the kitchen, eager to write a letter to Severus, she desperately wanted to know what it was that the poem meant. When she reached the stairs she felt a hand settle on her shoulder and pull her back, telling her to turn around. She took a deep breath as she saw the deep green eyes that she once coveted staring at her.
"What is it Harry?" She asked impatiently. He looked away from her before gathering up some courage.
"I wanted to ask you why you didn't dance with me last night?" He said, voice strong, Ginny laughed.
"Harry, I thought we already went through this." She said through gritted teeth, she hardly wanted her morning ruined by this nonsense. Harry's expression remained blank. "I didn't dance with you because you didn't ask me to. As a matter of fact, I didn't dance with anyone who didn't ask me to." She told him, he rolled his eyes.
"You only danced with two people. Your father and Snape. And Snape didn't even ask you to dance. You asked him. That hardly applies to your rule." He said, anger slowly creeping into his voice.
"Well, I didn't see you caring enough last night to ask. If you really wanted to ask me to dance with you only needed to pluck up the courage. It wasn't until I danced with somebody else that you wanted to." Harry went to say something but she cut him off "And the same applies to me dating you. You took it for granted that I would be there waiting for you. Well, heres some news for you Harry, you are not the only guy on this planet. If you would have had the guts to ask me out earlier than you did, perhaps things would be different, maybe we would be in the same position as Ron and Hermione." She snapped, he recoiled, she had hit the spot "But there is something that both you and I know Harry, things happen, things change. I am not available and I don't plan to be ever again, okay? So please. Stop this." She stopped abruptly and turned. He reached out and spun her around again, his face now a carving of anger.
"You could have asked me too, I don't see why I had to do all of the work. What stopped you from asking me to dance? Asking me to go out with you? You sure as hell asked Snape to dance." He growled.
"What is it Harry?" She whispered "Are you annoyed that I didn't dance with you? Or, are you annoyed that I danced with Severus?" His eyes blazed ferociously and she knew she should have used Severus' proper name. To hell with it, she thought, she couldn't care less at the moment.
"Severus?" He repeated "S-Severus?" Stammered. He tool a step back and glared at her. "If you are not careful Ginny, people will start thinking you are dating that slimy git!" He yelled before he turned and stormed back down the corridor.
"People can think whatever the fuck they want to think Harry!" She yelled after him. She turned and mounted the stairs three at a time.
Later that afternoon Ginny had calmed down somewhat. After scratching an angst filled letter to Severus she received a reply no more than three hours later which improved her mood. He had warned her to be more careful around Harry in case he did think that they were together, but secretly, Ginny couldn't care less. The last thing that Ginny wanted at the moment was to keep her relationship a secret, but there was not much else she could do. In his letter Severus had assured her that as soon as she was out of school they wouldn't have to hide it any more, but Ginny thought Severus was wrong. After she finished school they would tell her family and there would be no more Severus to have a relationship with. It could be worse though, she could fall in love with a centaur like her great aunt Brunhilda did. That would be interesting, Ginny thought.
The snow had fallen thick and heavy and Christmas was creeping up on the youngest Weasley. With the wedding of her brother she, like the rest of the people at Grimmauld place, had put Christmas to the back of their minds. Now that the wedding was out of the way she was free to remind herself that Christmas was just another holiday that she should be able to spend with Severus – but couldn't.
With all of her Christmas shopping already done, and the wedding over, she now resided in the empty halls of the headquarters of the Order, wishing that there were something to do.
Ginny sat in the lounge room watching a cartoon which she was not particularly interested in. She stared at the screen and as she did, she slowly discovered why people in the muggle studies class had revered to the television as the idiot box. Ginny picked up the remote and pushed the off button before standing up and hoping to find a more productive way to use her time.
She walked through the hall and into the kitchen, perhaps her mother needed help with dinner. She was relieved to see that her mother was in the kitchen, and walked over to her.
"Hey Mum, do you want help with anything?" She asked, Molly turned to her and smiled.
"No thankyou dear. Sit down, I'll make us a cup of tea." Molly said kindly. Ginny sat down and after a few moments her mother joined her with two cups of steaming hot tea. "Did you enjoy the wedding?" She asked, Ginny nodded and blew on her tea. "Hermione and Ron looked wonderful." Molly looked thrilled.
"Yeah, it was a great night." Ginny added, her mother's attention turned to her.
"And thankyou for dancing with Severus, Ginny dear, it was very nice of you." Molly smiled, Ginny looked away from her and nodded, determined not to speak.
"Although I didn't see you dance with Harry." Molly went silent for a few seconds. "Poor Harry, it must be so hard to see his best friends getting married, and to know that he doesn't have a girlfriend." Ginny rolled her eyes.
"It must be." She hissed, Molly looked at her seriously.
"I heard you two arguing this morning…." Ginny looked up at her mother expressionless. "Maybe you should give him a try." Ginny gulped down her tea and stood up.
"I don't want to talk about this." She walked towards the door.
"Ginny, I'm sorry, come back." Molly patted the chair that was just vacated.
"Mum, I have stuff to do…" She opened the door but was stopped by her mothers voice calling out after her.
"Are you really with someone else?" She asked, Ginny turned to face the older redhead.
"Mum, please…" Her mother stood up.
"Ginny, if you aren't with anybody else and you are doing this to spite Harry, you should know that it isn't very nice." Her mother said in her telling-off-naughty-child voice.
"I know it is a horrible thing to do. I am not doing it. I am with someone else." Ginny said angrily.
"Really? Who is it dear?" Her voice changed, suddenly interested and gossipy.
"Mum, it isn't important. I am going out with someone and that is all." Ginny took the opportunity to leave. She grunted in frustration as she mounted the stairs but stopped when she heard a familiar and welcome voice behind her. She turned around slowly to see Remus and Severus walking down the hallway. He looked up at her and she flashed him a smile before he and Remus walked into the lounge room. She frowned and walked back up to her room. She wanted to wrap her arms around him so badly.
Ginny woke up on Christmas morning, surprised to see a present sitting at the end of her bed. When she was not at school, she would receive her presents from her family, it was only when she was at Hogwarts that she would receive them in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and picked up the box, looking at it inquisitively. She took the small gift card off the top of the box and opened it.
Dearest Ginny,
I am sorry that I had to give you your gift like this, but, I will be unable to see you today. I have been put on duty for the order, and I will not be able to make it to breakfast, lunch or dinner. I hope you have a wonderful day and wish you a very merry Christmas.
With all of my love,
Severus.
Ginny groaned, she was looking forward to seeing him, she took the lid of the box and smiled. She reached in and pulled out a brilliant black cloak. On closer inspection she could tell that it was made out of niffler fur. It was woven so that it looked as though it was a normal cloak, but when it was touched it was incredibly warm. The clasp of the cloak was an intricate gold Celtic one with small rubies scattered on it. She stood up and wrapped it around her, suddenly feeling much warmer than she was in her bed. She smiled and took the cloak off before tucking it into the trunk at the end of her bed. She had never had such a nice cloak before, hers were usually her brothers old ones which were worn so thin that they hardly protected her from the biting cold.
Five minutes later she had pulled on some clothes and headed towards the kitchen. There was no one sitting at the table. Ginny looked around and spotted Fred, the rest of the room being completely empty.
"Fred, where is everyone?" She asked, suddenly beginning to feel worried.
"They are out Ginny." He said before swallowing a gulping down some pumpkin juice and heading towards the door. She stepped in front of him.
"Don't start with me. Where are they?" She barked, he looked around carefully before sighing.
"Look, if you must know they have all been called away on Order business. I don't know when they will be back, but you should go to your room and try to entertain yourself. Don't open any mail or presents until anyone gets home, okay? And don't answer the door to anyone." He whispered, Ginny's eyes widened.
"What's going on?" She asked. Fred grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them painfully.
"Just do as I said damn it. I have to go." He hissed before he stormed out of the room. Ginny sunk onto the floor and put her head in her hands.
It wasn't until late that afternoon that people begun to arrive at Grimmauld Place. Ginny roused out of a bored sleep by voices on the stairs. She stood up and crept over to the door, listening carefully.
"I am telling you, they overreacted." Came Hermione's voice.
"Hermione, you can hardly blame them." Ron snapped angrily, Ginny pressed her ear harder against the door.
"Now they will be expecting some type of retaliation. It was a big risk we took today." Hermione said, they stopped outside their door, which was a few doors away from Ginny's.
"I think it would have been a bigger risk if they just let it pass." Ron told her evenly. Ginny was fascinated, what had happened?
"Well, I personally think that it is obvious Ron. Really, they may be completely evil, but they are not stupid. They know that there would be no point attacking on Christmas day. The place was deserted. I hardly doubt that they waste their time on such a fruitless endeavour." Hermione growled before Ginny heard a door slam. Looking up and down the corridor to make sure that no one had noticed her eavesdropping. When she walked down the stairs she saw a number of the members of the Order, some who she knew and others she didn't. She looked over their tired faces carefully hoping to see Severus, but she had no such luck. Instead she saw her mother and headed towards her.
"Mum, what's going on?" She asked, her mother turned and hugged her tightly.
"Merry Christmas dear." Molly said absently.
"Mum, what happened today?" She repeated. Her mother waved her hand dismissively.
"Nothing. Sorry we are late. So, would you like something to eat?" She asked, Ginny glared at her. She opened her mouth to ask the same question for a third time before someone spoke from behind her.
"I mean no disrespect, Mrs. Weasley, but I think that Ginny should know." Ginny closed her eyes, wishing that Harry would stay out of it. Molly turned around and gave him a reproachful look.
"There is nothing to tell Harry. Nothing happened. Now, let's get to our Christmas Celebration." Molly said before walking over to the kitchen. Ginny turned to walk back up to her room but Harry stepped in front of her.
"Ginny, I don't care what the others think, I want you to know." He said quietly, looking around to make sure that no one could hear him.
"Harry, please, don't bother." Ginny growled, she did not want to feel as though she owed him anything because he told her about the events of the day. She would much rather hear them off Severus. As she walked past him he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her but she shrugged it off and continued to walk away.
Dinner that evening was a bland and rather depressing event. All of the people there seemed thoroughly stretched and tired and no one had any Christmas cheer at all. Not even Mrs. Weasley's amazing meal was able to lift the mood.
True to his note, Severus did not come to dinner, so Ginny had to settle for being in a house full of disinterested and uninteresting people for the night. When she got to bed she was very relieved to not have to sit in the awkward silence thick with tension.
Ginny still had no idea about what had happened that day, but she was sure that whatever it was had to do with the Death Eaters. To her relief everyone was still alive and even though they were at the tether's end. She was slightly relieved to remember that she would soon be returning to Hogwarts, lessons and detentions. She knew, however, that this was one Christmas that she would not forget. It was the worst by far, even worse than the time that Fred and George had turned all of the presents into frogs which quickly hopped away.
The rest of the holidays dragged by, Ginny had nothing to do but sit in Grimmauld Place and twiddle her thumbs. She had asked Severus if she could visit him again, but he said no because apparently it was too dangerous. She managed to find out what happened on Christmas day and agreed with Hermione. The order did over react.
The ride on the Hogwarts Express failed to improve her mood, there were many of her friends who lost family members in the attacks on Ireland and Germany, and clearly she was not the only one who had a Christmas to forget.
After dinner all of the students went to bed relatively early. Ginny looked forward to the next day's lessons as a distraction from the outside world.
"Miss Weasley, do you ever use your puny brain?" Severus shouted from across the room. Ginny smiled in relief, things were how they should be. "Don't you ever listen? I told you to add the boomslang after the wormwood. You just wasted some very expensive ingredients. Next time this happen I will make sure that you are scrubbing trophies for the rest of the school year. For now though, I think I will take five points off Gryffindor." He barked. Ginny could handle five points being taken off Gryffindor, she was in a good mood.
As soon as she walked into the classroom Ginny felt as though she was home. Severus was looking as handsome as ever, sitting behind his desk pretending to mark some essays, but Ginny knew better. Every so often his eyes would flicker up to meet hers before they turned quickly back to his work, clearly, he was happy to be back. Truth be told, Ginny was looking forward to getting a detention, but she could understand if he didn't give her one. It would be very odd if someone noticed that she always got a string of detentions as a result of the first lesson of term.
When the bell chimed to signal the end of the lesson Ginny packed up and walked out of the room, mentally preparing herself for an excruciating History of Magic lesson.
"Miss Weasley." Severus' voice drawled, she turned to face him, "Can I see you please?" She walked over to him and he waited until the last few students filed out of the classroom.
"What is it Mr. Sexy Pants?" She asked with a cheeky grin, he rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.
"I want to move your remedial lessons to Mondays and Thursdays, is that okay?" He asked, longing to reach out and caress her face.
"No problem." She said, after a few moments of silence she realised that he had nothing more to say. She wished that she could stand there and drink in his presence for longer, but she knew that she had to go to her next lesson. "Well then. I will see you tonight." She walked towards the door, stopped, and then called out "Don't be late." He laughed and she walked out of the room.
Severus put his quill on his desk, to distracted to mark the essays in front of him. As much as he despised teaching the students, and marking their work, he was glad to be back. Even if the only reason was to see Ginny again. Over the holidays he had been sent on a number of assignments, and after what happened on Christmas day he had to be incredibly careful in regards to everything he did. After the events of Christmas the Death Eaters were tricked into thinking that his loyalties were not as he described, that Severus' devotion to the Dark Lord was wavering, and slowly they were gathering up more evidence for that claim. Now, more than ever, was not a good time for him to get caught with Ginny. He did not want her to be hurt by the Death Eaters to get to him. He did not know what he would do without her now, he had become accustomed to seeing her smiles and hearing her laughter – he could not lose her. He loved her.
Ginny walked down to the dungeons, eager to attend her remedial lesson. Before leaving the common room she posted up the notice about her scheduled quidditch training session, thinking that she would ask Severus to make sure that she didn't get any detentions on those evenings. She knocked on the classroom door and her heart fluttered to hear his voice beckoning her to enter. She walked into the classroom and settled on the seat that was on the opposite side of his desk. He smiled at her.
"How are you my love?" He asked.
"Happy to be back, yourself?"
"The same." He said, Ginny grinned at him.
"So Professor, what do you have planned for this lesson?" Ginny asked mockingly.
"I thought that we revise the first few potions of the year and then have a look at the theory of brewing potions according to the phases of the moon." Ginny pulled a disgusted face.
"I have a suggestion!" She said chirpily, he raised a single eyebrow. "I think that we should go to your room and revise the news of the holidays and then study the effects of making love after a prolonged term of abstinence." Severus sighed and sat back in his chair.
"I think my idea is much better." He said, Ginny was dumbfounded, her mouth opened and closed again. "It is not that I don't want to," He added "Because I want to make love to you desperately. But, I think that we need to be a bit more careful. Last time we went to my room we came back to find that Dumbledore was looking for me." Ginny frowned.
"Does he have any reason to look for you tonight?" She asked him, he shrugged.
"I am not sure. In times such as these I should make sure that I am available as much as possible." He told her, Ginny bit her lip out of anger, she nodded. The stupid war had a way of interrupting everything.
"Fine." She stood up and walked around the desk, she kissed him seductively. "We don't need to go to your room, we can make love here." She hissed into his ear, her hand exploring his body, teasing him.
"I don't think that is a good idea either." He breathed, her gentle caressed tempting him to accept her offer. She kissed him deeply.
Ginny had successfully distracted Severus from the work he had set from her, although, she did not manage to convince him to make love to her in the potions classroom. It didn't phase her though, because she wasn't completely serious about it anyway. It was more risk to have sex with him in the classroom than in his room. She settled for some kissing and caressing at first, but eventually her attention turned to discussion about the holidays. She gave him a fuller account of what happened with Harry, and on Christmas day. He seemed reluctant to tell her much at all.
"It is not the type of thing I want you to know." He told her after ten straight minutes of begging.
"Severus, there isn't much that I don't know, I don't see why you can't tell me." She said, voice slightly louder than it was a minute before.
"Ginny, please don't do this to me. There are some things that are better not to know. That is all I will say, okay?" He hissed, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms angrily.
"Severus, I am not a child. I think that it would be better if I knew what was concerning you so much." She snapped. Severus stood up and walked over to the window, peering into the white blanket of snow that could be seen through it.
"If you must know I am telling you this so that you will not get hurt." He said, his voice soft despite his present anger. Ginny glared him and walked over to him, putting a hand on his back.
"Severus, please, don't try to protect me. I don't think I need it." She said flatly. He turned around quickly, gripping her shoulders.
"Fine, you and I both know for a fact that this war still has some way to go. I still have a lot of time before I can stop being a double agent. The death eaters are growing suspicious, and I fear that if they find out about us they will use you, they will hurt you." He told her, if Ginny wasn't mistaken he sounded rather helpless. She hugged him and rested her head against his chest.
"I hardly think that playing down our relationship will stop them from being suspicious, okay? I think that the thing you and I need the most at this moment is each other. There is no comfort in the world for me Severus, apart from you, so please don't take that away from me." She whispered. Severus looked into her eyes. She was right. He had no valid reason to forget about her, what would come, would come. There wasn't anything that he could do besides what he had already done. Her last few words hit his heart. She was his only comfort as well, he knew how she felt. He too knew that without her there would be no reason to go through the pain of this war. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her on the head. Live for today, he thought, something that Dumbledore had told him over the holidays. At the time he thought it was an odd and random thing to say, but now he knew what it meant.
Four days later, after a detention a quidditch training session and a remedial potions lesson, Ginny sat in the Gryffindor flicking through her charms textbook, hoping to find something that would help her with her essay that was due on Monday morning. As she turned over one page she found a piece of parchment tucked into it. She looked at it and remembered that it was the second poem which Severus sent her, she smiled and put it back in it's place before she continued searching the book, she made a mental note to remember to ask him what it meant. In her last remedial lesson they revised some potions and looked at the phases of the moon and their effect on potion brewing. The detentions she received the previous night was spent in Severus' room despite the risks. She had noticed that he had come to see from her point of view. There was no use wasting time any more. If they war had taught her one thing it was that life was disposable. Over the past few days she had been listening to the stories of her school mates and learnt of their losses. If there was one thing that she wanted it was to make sure that she did not take her time with people for granted. She didn't think that she would be able to bear losing Severus and knew that it would be made much harder if she felt that things could have been better between them.
Severus took his cloak off and hung it on the stand in this office before brushing some snow off him. He took a small bag out of his pocket and walked over to his desk, he opened the bottom draw with his wand, put the bag into it and shut it again. He sat on his chair and sighed. He must be crazy.
On Monday morning Ginny pulled a letter off Hedwig's leg. She hesitated before breaking the seal and reading Harry's writing.
Ginny,
I am writing this letter to ask you to forgive me for the way I treated you over the holidays. There was no need for me to say some of the things I said, or to treat you the way I did. I am sincerely sorry for the trouble I must have caused. I only wish that you and the person you are now with are happy and safe.
Harry
Ginny reread the note. It was not at all what she was expecting, nonetheless it was a nice gesture. She put the letter in her pocket and continued to eat her breakfast. She heard a hoot and looked up at Hedwig who was staring at her patiently.
"What?" She asked, Hedwig hooted again and then stuck her leg out. Ginny groaned and turned to Hazel. "Do you have a quill? I left mine upstairs." Hazel stuffed the rest of her toast into her mouth and nodded, gesturing to her bag. Ginny opened it and took out a quill and ink. She tore some parchment off Harry's letter.
Apology accepted. Thankyou Harry, I hope you are safe.
She tied the note to Hedwig's leg and gave the owl a bit of bread before continuing her meal.
"Wasn't that Harry's owl?" Hazel asked.
"Yup." Ginny replied between spoons of porridge.
"What did he want?" Her friend asked.
"He wanted to say sorry." Ginny told her. She had told Hazel about most of what happened over the Holidays on the carriage ride to Hogwarts.
"It is about bloody time!" Hazel said triumphantly. "I don't know how you put up with it Ginny, it I were you I would have decked him." Ginny shrugged. She looked up at the teacher's table to see Severus looking back at her, he gave her a smile before turning to say something to Dumbledore.
The day was long and boring. Ginny walked towards the dungeon, relieved to have some time with Severus. She opened the classroom door and looked around. It was empty. She walked over to Severus' desk and pulled up a seat. After a few minutes of sitting down she realised that there was a note scribbled on the black board.
Remedial potions moved to astronomy tower.
Ginny sighed and stood up. By the looks of it Severus wanted to work on the practical side of the lunar effects on potions. Perhaps she could talk him out of it, she was hardly in the mood to work. On her way up to the Astronomy Tower she seriously considered sending Harry a proper letter. Her note was brief and if she was on the receiving end she would hardly be pleased with it. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to apologise and write that note. She remembered the last line of his letter and smiled, he wished her and her partner well, she wondered if it would be the same if Harry knew she was with Severus.
A short five minutes later Ginny trudged up the stairs of the astronomy tower and opened the classroom door. She looked in to see Severus sitting on an overstuffed cushion in the centre of the room, it looked as though he had borrowed that pillow and another from the divination class room. He looked up as she stepped through the door and flashed her a brilliant smile. He patted the cushion next to his own and she walked over and sunk onto it.
"Sorry I am late." She said pulling her bag off her shoulder, he waved a hand.
"Never mind, I thought you may be. Although I did think that I wrote the notice big enough." He said playfully, Ginny punched him in the arm.
"So, studying the lunar calendar again?" She asked, he raised his eyebrows.
"No." he replied flatly.
"Oh. So what's the occasion then?" She said confused. He shrugged.
"No occasion." He looked at her for a moment before continuing. "Do I need a reason to bring you to the astronomy tower?" He asked, she nodded avidly and he looked thoughtful. "Well then, is the fact that I love you a good enough reason?" he asked. She looked to the side.
"Hmmm…" She sighed dramatically. "Yeah, that will do." She leant over and kissed him softly. When he pulled away from her he pulled two glasses from behind him.
"Thirsty?" he asked. She laughed.
"This is very suspicious you know," She tutted and took the drink he poured for you "First you bring me to the astronomy tower, then you offer me refreshments! How do I know that this isn't spiked with a potion that will destroy my inhibitions so you can take advantage of me?" She asked, he shook his head.
"No, I would never do that to you." He said, pretending to be offended.
"I guess so. Because you wouldn't need a potion to get me into your bed." She took the cup and put it to her lips, tasting the delicious butter beer that must have been fresh from the Three Broomsticks. She put the glass down beside her and moved closer to Severus, resting her head on his shoulder. He draped his arm around her shoulder casually. "I love you." She whispered, the wind howled outside plastering snow to the windows of the Astronomy Tower. He changed the way that he was sitting so that he was facing her. He looked into her eyes and she was drawn to his lips, she kissed him passionately. He clasped her hands in his and pulled away from her, his eye contact did not waver. She smiled, drowning in his eyes. The world around her seemed to float away, all she could see was Severus, her heart soared. Everything went quiet, the wind stopped howling, the snow stopped slapping against the window, the silence even seemed to become quieter. She concentrated on his eyes.
Ginny, I have been thinking about what you said last week. His voice echoed through her mind and she suddenly realised what was happening, he was using legilimency to throw his thoughts into her mind. She didn't need to say anything, he could tell what she was thinking. I love you, and I don't want anything to interfere with that. I am so happy that we have found each other, I have never felt more at peace in my entire life. I want to ask you something… Ginny urged him to ask, she would answer any question he could throw at her, she wanted him to ask. She felt their connection slip away and she begun to see again. To hear again.
"Will you marry me?" Severus' voice cut through the noises of the night, and echoed through Ginny's mind filling her heart with warmth. She didn't think, didn't breathe.
"Yes." She answered.
Severus stared into the face of his young, red-headed lover, it took him a few moments to comprehend what she had just said. Yes. The word echoed through his entire body. Yes. Such a simple word, but at that very moment, it was the most wonderful word Severus had ever heard. She said yes. Severus leant forward and pulled her into his arms, her body warmth adding to the warmth that his happiness was providing him with. He tilted her head up and kissed her softly. His tongue explored her mouth as though it was new to him. His heart beat faster than it had ever beaten for her before. She said yes. Ever since he had arrived in the astronomy tower he hadn't been able to think straight. He was worried that she would say no, tell him that he was disgusting, that she didn't want him. It was clearly paranoia on his part. They had brought up their feelings for each other before, he should have known, he should have been able to tell that she felt the same way.
"I love you." She whispered sweetly, he stroked her hair softly. She looked up at him and smiled. There was silence between them for quiet some time. There was no need to speak. After a while Severus let go of Ginny and sat back, he felt a sharp pain in his side as he leant against the pillow and sat back up. He had forgotten.
Ginny watched as Severus sat back up and reached into his pocket. He pulled a small box out and opened it, he reached in and took out a gold ring with a sparkling diamond on it.
"I am sorry." He murmured, "I forgot." He took her left hand and slid the delicate ring onto her finger. When he was happy that it was secure he kissed her hand and she smiled.
"You didn't have to." She told him and squeezed his hand.
"It is all part of it, though, isn't it?" He said. She shrugged.
"Well… Yes, but you didn't have to. I didn't even think about it. Just asking is enough." She told him, he rolled his eyes.
"If you don't want it I could always take it back." He joked, she laughed and hugged him again. Ginny suddenly remembered the piece of parchment she put in her pocket before she left and reached in to retrieve it.
"Severus, my love, what does this mean?" She asked, showing it to him, he took it out of her hand and smiled.
"Ah God, ah God, that night when we two clung. So close, our hungry lips, Transfused each into each our hovering souls, mortality's eclipse." He said, Ginny kissed him softly on the lips.
"Thankyou." She whispered and buried her head in his chest.
After five minutes of kissing and hugging a question floated into Ginny's mind. She let it nag at her for a while before the question threatened to burst out. She should just ask.
"Severus…" She begun, shifting so that she could see his face.
"Hmmm?" She took a deep breath.
"Well… I was just wondering." She continued, he eyed her suspiciously "How old are you? Just out of interest."
"Ginny." He said, he stopped there, nothing else came out of his mouth.
"Severus, just tell me." She said softly.
"Ginny, really, it doesn't matter." He said, he looked away from her and she grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her.
"I know it doesn't matter. It won't change at thing. I love you, and hell, I even agreed to marry you. It is just out of interest." She told him. He sighed.
"Thirty eight." He drawled. Ginny shrugged.
"See, that wasn't so bad." She said dismissively. "It could have been much worse. You could have been forty-eight." Severus remained silent. "Seriously Severus, I don't mind. I just thought that if I am going to marry you I should at least know your age. When is your birthday?"
"On the sixteenth of May." He said, somewhat bitterly. She leant over and kissed him softly.
"Thankyou for telling me. It means a lot. Can I please have some more to drink?" she said and held her drink up to him, he poured some more of the smooth brown liquid into her cup. "Thanks." She took a sip and put the cup down. When she was finished her drink Severus looked at his watch.
"We should probably go in fifteen minutes." He told her. Ginny crawled over to him and stradled his lap while kissing him seductively.
"Do we have to?" she hissed into his ear, he hugged her.
"I wish we didn't. But we probably should." He replied, his breath becoming increasingly rapid as he wanted her more.
"Can we go back to your room?" She asked. He frowned.
"I don't know." He groaned, she kissed his neck, then his chest, her fingers clawing his back.
Fifteen minutes later Ginny and Severus said their fond goodbyes. They both came to terms with the fact that it was probably not the best idea to go back to his room, she really ought to go to her dorm and get some sleep. Ginny still couldn't quell the feeling of excitement in her stomach and every so often she would catch a glimpse of the ring on her finger and it would renew her happiness. She was going to marry him. Ginny stopped in the doorway and turned around.
"Um, Severus?" She asked, he stood up straight, cushions in his hand. "What do I do about this?" She asked, holding her left hand up. He walked over to her and took her hand, looking at the ring. He took out his wand and put the tip against the ring.
"I can make it invisible for now, and when you want to see it all you have to do is tap it with your wand and say diaphanious. The same word will turn it invisible again." Slowly the ring turned invisible. "Just remember, it is invisible. You may not be able to see it, but you will still be able to feel it." He told her, she smiled and he hugged her. He kissed her on the forehead before pulling away from her.
The next day Ginny say in potions class writing an essay on what Severus had taught her over the last week. She had the feeling that while he tried to remain impartial to her in regards to school work, he couldn't help slipping her some information that she would normally to do research to learn. She stopped to think for a while and clasped her hands together to relieve them. Her finger brushed the invisible ring and she smiled. She looked up at Severus who was watching her carefully. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and she winked in response. He turned his attention back to the pile of work to mark on his desk.
Ginny smiled and bit the end of her quill as she remembered last night. She couldn't believe that he proposed to her. He wanted to marry her. She had considered the idea before, but it surprised her to learn that he had as well. She didn't talk to him about it last night, but they had a few things to sort out. She had to tell her family that they were together, she couldn't exactly marry him without them knowing. What Ginny needed was a detention. She looked around, her ink pot being the only thing she could see potential in.
"OW!" she cried and flung her hand carelessly across the desk, sending her ink well flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Everyone looked up at her, distracted from their work.
"What is the meaning of this, Weasley?" Severus barked, Ginny pulled an embarrassed face.
"I – I thought there was a spider." She stammered, Severus rolled his eyes.
"Was there?" He asked cynically, she shook her head.
"My eyes were playing tricks on me." She told him.
"Five points of Gryffindor for distracting the class and being a nuisance." He snapped before he looked down at his work. Is that it? Ginny thought bitterly.
"That isn't fair! It was an accident!" She argued, he glared at her.
"Don't argue with me Weasley!" He warned.
"I am sorry Professor. But I think losing my pot of ink is punishment enough. There is really no need to punish me entire house because I thought that there was a spider on my hand!" Severus stood.
"I told you NOT TO ARGUE WITH ME!" He yelled. Ginny bit her lip and looked around awkwardly.
"A further five points off Gryffindor for being a disobedient fool and an egotistical patriot." He drawled, he looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying this. Her jaw dropped "And did I forget to mention your detention?" He asked slyly. Her eyes widened.
"But I have quidditch training!" She cried.
"No amount of training will help your team Weasley. Now get back to work. ALL OF YOU!" He said, sitting back down and doing his work. Ginny grinned. Although she had lost ten points for Gryffindor she had managed to get a detention. It was a bitter-sweet victory.
That night when Ginny walked into the dungeon Severus was hovering over a potion, apparently, too busy to noticed she had entered. She crept over to him and quickly put her hands over his eyes.
"Guess who?" She said in a low and husky male voice. Severus remained silent for a few moments.
"Hagrid, I told you, not tonight. I am meant to be seeing Ginny!" He said. Ginny pulled her hands away from his eyes quickly.
"Gross." She squealed, he turned to face her and laughed. "No seriously Severus. That was beyond gross. You and Hagrid? Disgusting. Don't even get me started on the impracticalities of that match!" She said playfully, Severus raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Impracticalities?" He asked, Ginny nodded fervently.
"Yes, my love, impracticalities." She confirmed.
"Well then what are they?" He teased.
"I would have thought it obvious." Ginny mused while Severus maintained an interested expression "Well, it is just that he is so big – huge - in fact, and you are…. Well…." She trailed off.
"Not that big?" Severus suggested.
"No… I was going to say small." She said in a finalising tone. Severus glared at her.
"Well, if you think that I am small, perhaps you are engaged to the wrong professor." He said indignantly, though Ginny knew he was only joking.
"I never said small was a bad thing." She laughed and kissed him passionately. "So," She begun as she pulled away from him "how important is this little potion?" She asked.
"Oh, not that important… although it could probably save somebodies life one day." Severus said sarcastically with a casual wave of his hand.
"Is that all? Hmm, in that case I think we should go to your room. I have a feeling that there is something that needs doing in your bedroom." She explained. Severus looked at the potion, and then back at Ginny, before putting the spoon on the nearest desk.
"It wouldn't hurt if I let it simmer for a little while." He said before taking her hand.
A short while later Ginny and Severus were lying naked in his large, four-poster bed. Ginny's head resting on Severus' chest while he stroked her hair lovingly.
"Severus?" she whispered.
"Yes my love?" He asked kissing her forehead.
"I had a thought." She paused "Considering that we are engaged now, it is pretty important that we tell my parents about us. As much as I would love to run away with you and escape from this war, I have realised that it just isn't practical." Severus smiled.
"That was a wonderful thought my love. We will have to tell your parents, and probably everyone else as well. We just need to wait until you have finished school…" He said softly, Ginny nodded in agreement.
"Agreed. I am not looking forward to it." She squeezed him, he laughed.
"I have seen your parents when they are really angry. I am not looking forward to it either. But they will have to live with it. You are old enough to make your own choices and I will flatly refuse to let go of you." He told her. There was a short, content, silence which was broken by Ginny.
"And another thought…" she added, Severus smiled, encouraging her to continue "Well, after seeing all of the rubbish with the war, I was just wondering when we were going to get married." She asked softly.
"You tell me the date, and I will be there." He assured her. Another short silence.
"I think we should do it before the new school year." She told him.
"Why?" He asked.
"I want to do it soon I guess. The war has made me realise that no one is untouchable. I don't want to loose you." Ginny explained.
"Perhaps we should wait till after the war…" he mused, he had not expected her to want to get married so soon, but deep down he wanted to as well. He just didn't want to take any risks.
"I don't know Severus. Because if anything happens to you I want to know that at least you were mine for a short time." She whispered, trying to hold back tears, she knew that the threat of losing him was real.
"Ginny my love, the last thing I want if something happens to me is leave you as a seventeen year old widow." He told her softly while stroking her hair tenderly.
"Severus. I don't care. I want to know that we were able to have each other. If I am a widow at least I have the privilege of saying that I was married to you. You know what they say, it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Ginny told him, blinking back the tears. Severus sat up carefully, lowering her head onto his pillow. He sighed and closed his eyes, clearly thinking.
"Is that what you really want?" He asked her after a few minutes. Ginny sat up and held his hand, she nodded "Then that is what we will do." Ginny smiled and kissed him softly.
The next evening Ginny walked down to the Quidditch pitch for the training schedule which she had to re-schedule because of her detention with Severus. The match was in one week and she was not really looking forward to it. From what Ginny had heard the new Slytherin team were very good. Aran Petrovic, the new Slytherin captain, had dropped some of Malfoy's players from the team. Ginny had always thought that Malfoy had kept some players simply because they were his friends, and judging by the new team line-up, it seemed she was right. Now Ginny had to think up a set of different tactics, because she had no idea how the new team was going to play against them. She did have a feeling that they would be as rough as ever, and was looking forward to giving them their own.
Ginny walked into the change room and threw her bag onto the floor. She looked around to see that Aneas and Ritchie hadn't arrived yet.
"Demelza, have you seen Giddlemore and Coote?" Demelza shrugged. Jimmy coughed from the corner. "Have you seen them Peakes?" Ginny asked turning to him, he nodded.
"Yeah, they were at each other's throats in the common room today." He told her, Ginny rolled her eyes.
"What happened?" She asked, not really caring.
"Apparently Ritchie's girlfriend said she snogged Aneas in the boat shed." He explained.
"Is there any way that we can get them to fix it?" Ginny was hardly in the mood to postpone the practise due to some immature squabble.
"No, I don't think so. The truth is that Aneas actually didn't snog her." Jimmy continued.
"Then why are they squabbling over it?" She asked.
"You know Aneas – has a head the size of the good year blimp – he thinks it gives him a bad boy reputation." Ritchie told her.
"Boys are so stupid. Look, you three go ahead and start training without me, I am going to sort this out." Ginny told them before storming out of the change room. She did not want to deal with some soap opera drama right now, but they needed to train badly.
Ginny threw the doors to the castle open and turned a corner before running into something hard. She fell back, she was just about to tell the person off before she noticed who it was.
"Are you okay?" Came Severus' familiar drawl, he held his hand to help her up. She took it and pulled herself to her feet, brushing the back of her robes off.
"Yeah, sorry, you?" She asked, he smiled, she was so tempted to kiss him.
"I am fine, but then again, I wasn't the one on the floor. Where are you going?" His tone interested. It isn't every day that Ginny Weasley runs through the corridor like a maniac.
"Oh, Giddlemore and Coote are being idiots. I need to sort them out before we loose too much training time." She explained breathlessly. He brought his hand up to her face and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. She pressed her cheek against his hand, his cold caress sending shivers down her spine, making her want him.
"Well, you better hurry before I waste any more of your time." He whispered before brushing past her lightly. She stood on the spot for a few moments before continuing on her way to the common room.
Ginny walked into the common room and looked around carefully. Aneas and Ritchie were at opposite sides of the room pretending to do homework, Ritchie's ex girlfriend by Aneas' side. Ginny took out her wand and walked to the middle of the circular room.
"RITCHIE!" she called "ANEAS!" They both looked up at her questioningly "Get your arses here right now." She snapped. They looked around before standing up, Aneas' female companion grabbed his hand to stop him. "NOW!" She barked. The girl let go and sat in her seat timidly. When the boys reached her they glared at her and each other venomously.
"Did you two read the notice I put up?" She asked flatly, they both nodded slowly "So, why is it that you are not at the quidditch pitch right now?" She asked, they shrugged.
"Personal issues." Ritchie hissed, Ginny frowned in sympathy.
"You poor thing, I have heard all about it." She tutted. "What about you Aneas?" She asked, he looked around.
"Personal issues." He told her.
"How romantic, you both have personal issues." Their mouths fell open at the use of the word romantic "Look, if you two want to have a lovers tiff, by all means, go ahead. But the next time it effects your appearance at quidditch practise rest assured you will both find yourself off the team." She said loudly enough so the girl in the chair could hear. They looked outraged. She turned and walked to the portrait hole where she stopped. "I DON'T HEAR YOU FOLLOWING ME!" She yelled. There was silence for a few seconds before the sound of shoes scuffing across the carpet broke the silence.
Ginny threw the quaffle through the goal post and punched the air. It was the fourth goal of the match, all of which belonged to Gryffindor. She zoomed back towards the centre circle and was congratulated by her team mates. They had changed tactics completely no less that two times in the game so far and it was working well to confuse the Slytherin dunderheads. She still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve and planned on using them all to win this match. So far the game was clean, free of dirty move, and cheat tactics. Ginny had an inkling that Severus had talked to the team at the beginning of the year and explained the consequences of unsportsmanlike behaviour. They had only been pulled up on seven fouls this year, an improvement, compared to their twenty three from the previous year.
"The quaffle is released, Slytherin in possession. It shouldn't last for too long – ooh - it doesn't! Lovely snatch by Robins, passes to Ovell, passes to Robins, passes to Weasley, Ovell, Robins, Weasley, Ovell-" Luna panted, she took a few deep breaths "Oh you can all see what is happening, if you cant figure it out for yourselves." She breathed, Professor McGonagall's voice could be heard around the stadium telling her to do her job. Truth be told, not many people could have caught up with the pace of the Gryffindor chasers. The ball was rocketing from chaser to chaser, the red blur being the only evidence that they were passing anything. Each time a Slytherin Chaser got close enough to snatch the quaffle it slipped from their focus and they gave up. They couldn't follow the ball.
Severus watched as Gryffindor scored their fifth goal and had to stop himself from cheering. They were playing such a wonderful game, their tactics didn't cease to amaze him. Ginny looked spectacular as she zoomed around the pitch, red hair and cloak trailing behind her. The cheering grew louder and Luna's commentary resumed, snapping Severus back to attention, he looked around eagerly and saw the Slyterin Seeker Riven Green and the Gryffindor seeker Mena Narayan chasing the snitch frantically.
"Narayan in the lead, reaches. THAT HAS TO BE A FOUL!" Luna yelled, the crowed roared, Green had zoomed ahead of her quickly and stopped his broom suddenly, smacking the tail of it into Mena's face. He continued flying, arm outstretched.
Ginny stopped and turned around, she bit her lip.
"Green catches the snitch." Luna pouted, the displeasure in her voice rung through the stadium, the only ones who cheered were clad in green and silver.
The next morning at breakfast Ginny sat in the great hall mushing her porridge with her fork. Luckily, they had scored just enough points in the game to scrape through to the finals which was another match against Slytherin. The night before Mena had appealed to Ginny for forgiveness on many occasions, Ginny felt more sorry for the girl than she did for herself. The match of the previous day wasn't only a match, it was a tool for revenge, and she misused it. She was planning to schedule many more practises and to develop new tactics so that they could wipe the pitch with Slytherin on the day of the finals. If they wanted to play rough, she would to, she had completely given up on the idea of being polite.
"Hey Gin, look at that." Hazel said in awe. Ginny looked up to see Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Hagrid and Severus running down the middle of the Great Hall. Ginny got to her feet. Severus turned his head towards the Gryffindor table and his eyes settled on her for a moment. There was something terribly wrong. Ginny's gut squeezed and she was hard pressed to prevent her porridge from spilling out of her mouth. She looked over at Hazel. "This isn't good, is it?" Her friend asked her, Ginny shook her head soberly.
Lessons went on as usual and there was no sign of any of the professors that had gone missing. Ginny knew for a fact that all outside lessons were conveniently moved indoors and the flow of owls at brealkfast was reduced to a precious few. There were no copies of the Daily Prophet either. By the afternoon the majority of students had forgotten what happened at breakfast. Ginny, however, was not so lucky. Her stomach was in a knot all day, rumbling, but she did eat.
The sun had fallen on the desolate scene. There were countless bodies scattered over the cobblestones, most of them scarred beyond recognition. There was still much to be hear, building crumbling, curses flying and the dying screams of many wizards. The stones that had fallen had created a dense blanket of dust raising high off the ground, making it nearly impossible for people to see and breathe. They managed. The only light they could see by was that of the wands still clutched in the hands of dead bodies, and the precious little stars that shone through the thick cloud of the night.
Severus stood in the rubble that used to be Florean Fortescues surrounded by smoke and debris and looked around. There was no survivors that he could see, no one to help or kill. He walked a few feet towards the main street and froze as he saw two red heads through the dust. He held his wand up.
"You always were too impulsive." Said one voice, one that he recognised, but didn't want to place a face to the voice – they all sounded very similar.
"You always were to eager to please." Another one called, similar to the one before. But then, through the dust and destruction a third voice echoed through Severus' mind, an unmistakable voice.
"I am very sorry' Bill, but you were not for me. Your brother Percy 'ere has much more to offer me." Severus could almost picture Fleur saying the words.
"That is fine Fleur," The second voice begun, he now knew it was Bill "There is nothing more that I could wish for a half veela than to be with a half human." There was a cry of anger and Severus ran through the dust.
"Avada Kedavra." A green ray split the dust, it's light illuminating the air around it.
Ginny looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was past three in the morning and she had not slept a wink. She had tried to contact Severus through the two way mirror over eight times and failed on every attempt. There had been no letters, no announcements and no news. There was nothing. Only five missing Professors and a lack of explanation. Ginny pulled her thick black cloak around her tighter, the niffler fur providing little comfort from the cold she felt inside.
Ginny opened her eyes and looked around. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust before she could tell where she was. She knew that she was no longer in her bed, instead, she found herself in the arms of someone cloaked in black. She also knew that she was not in her dormitory, her only guess was that she was being carried through the corridors of Hogwarts. She tried to see the face of the person who was holding her, but it was much too dark, and they had their hood pulled so far down that she was astounded that they could see.
"Who….?" She whispered, there was a hushing sound. She struggled to get free of their grip but they held on tight. "LET ME DOWN!" She yelled struggling harder.
"HUSH!" The voice hissed. With the loud footsteps she could barely hear the person speak. Before she could as another question there was a blazing green light and she felt the sensation of walking into a flooed fireplace. The fire whizzed around her ears and she could feel the person holding her struggling to keep their grip. Ginny was thrown onto a hearth rug roughly, and she could feel her captor stumbling out of the fireplace. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The familiar lounge room of Grimmauld Place came into focus and she jumped up. The person in the cloak put a hand on her lower back and pushed her out of the lounge and into the hall. She was at least happy to know that she was safe. The hand steered her into the kitchen and she gasped. Around the table sat the Weasley family. They all were bloody and bruised, but most noticeably, all crying. There were other people in the room too, some members of the order. All of them crying tears of pain. Ginny's stomach flopped and she walked over to her mother. It seemed as though time had slowed down. Little by little everyone's eyes looked to her. Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but she had lost her voice. She tried to move her hands but they were completely drained of energy. She stood there, and just waited, she waited for someone to tell her what was wrong, thinking the worst, hoping for the best. After what seemed an eternity of agonising pain her mother pulled her hands away from her tearstained face. Ginny didn't hear the words, she didn't need to, she knew what she was saying. Bill is gone. Ginny suddenly doubled over, her stomach throwing out what ever it could. On all fours now, tears streamed from Ginny's eyes.
A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY BOXING DAY! AND A CHEERFUL NEW YEAR! I think this chapter shall be my Christmas edition. I was going to post it on Christmas eve, but I was too tired to finish it, so for that I apologise.
I was so tempted to make you wait to see who got Avada Kedavra-d but I figured that it would be a bloody horrible thing to do. This chapter is one that I have been planning for months, and yet it has easily been the hardest to write. I really hope that you enjoyed it and I would like to leave you with a number…. 2. I am sure that you will all be able to figure out what it means, but I will give you one hint, it is not the number of wizards it takes to screw in a light bulb.
THANKS TO:
gothiccrannberry: Thankyou so much for reviewing, for the rabbits and for Snape! Very much appreciated. Here throws a unicorn at you have a unicorn, I like them!
pink-flame-kit: I am sorry it took a while, I hope you had a good yuletide… if you celebrate Christmas, then, merry Christmas!
krista: Fred and George are pretty stinking fun, you will see more of them later on. Ta for the review!
BetrayedVision: At first I wasn't a really a Ginny/Snape fan, I would read it but it wasn't my favourite ship. Now I have to say that I can see why people like it, it is much more interesting that most other ships, and there are so many good storylines floating around. Do a search, there are some particularly good ones out there! Thanks for reviewing, and have a great New Year!
Slag: There is one thing that I know about Harry and boys in general (though there are a few out there to whom this doesn't apply) but they are pretty daft sometimes. They have this way of completely ignoring hints and signs (take my boyfriend for an example). Truth be told, there are many signs there that Ginny and Severus are together, considering the fact that they did dance together (and would Severus really dance with a student?), Ginny's depression coinciding with his absences and so on. Thanks for your comments, they mean a stack!
Someone: Well, that threat about the Punjab lasso was pretty scary, so I felt compeled to write for my own safety and well being!
Nyah1: Thankyou my dearie! I hope you had a good Christmas, and I hope your new years eve festivities bring you joy!
Angelic Bladez: I think it is possible to be jealous of fictional characters… and if it isn't it damned well should be. When I was little I used to get jealous of the Sarah (from the Labyrinth) because I thought Jareth (David Bowie) was the sexiest man alive. That is such a romantic storyline. Well, I hope you liked this chapter, stay safe!
maddudewalking: I wanted to make them dance at some point in this fic and I thought that the wedding would probably be a good place to do it. I agree with you, people should know that Ginny and Severus are awesome together, it is such an awesome pairing. Thanks again for reviewing!
Mistress of Eternity: It does make me feel pretty crappy to have to attack all of these random countries, and I have to say that Ireland holds a special place in my heart. I used to obsess over Irish boys and their accents, but I got over it a couple of years ago and settled for a New Zealander with a Kiwi accent, might I say it is quiet fun at times. Fred and George are pretty much inseparable aren't they? I mean, even in the HP books they are constantly at each other's side. There are probably stacks of funny typos in this chapter, if you find any please tell me, I could do with a good laugh!
Angelique Collins: I am sorry to have to tell you this but this story will end, and how soon I have already hinted at, but I will not directly say. Thanks for your review, and I hope you had a great Christmas!
Lyssasoulles: Covers eyes and makes la la la sounds I am not going to answer any of your questions, sorry dear. But I will say that the Giant Squid would have to be my favourite character although I have not actually used him in the story other that in reference. I should use the giant squid… In fact, I think I should write an entire story about the exploits of the over-sized jelly fish…. Imagine the possibilities takes out pen and paper and starts scribbling the ideas I think I will call it – "Oh My Squidness!". Thanks for reviewing! It is very much appreciated.
sOmEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR: Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear that you like my story so much. Imagine the criticism if it was what really happened in the HP series, poor JK would probably be arrested and sent to a desert island for the rest of her life! LOL! Well…. Thanks a lot for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!