Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.
The Midnight Hour
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: The Calm Before
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.
The early morning darkness turned into the light of day. No one had spoken a word. A few people had left during the hours that seemed an eternity, but apart from them, no one had moved. Looking around, Ginny had come to realise that what she feared was true. There had been another attack. A big one. At the tears poured out of her eyes she found new victims to mourn for, Tonks, Kingsley, Doge and Diggle to name a few.
It wasn't until mid afternoon that people started to move, started to talk, and slowly it seemed as though they were not weeping statues, but living beings. Ginny felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her shoulders comfortingly and she looked up into the bloodshot eyes of her mother. Seeing the pain in her mother's eyes brought a fresh stream of tears from her eyes.
"Ginny, dear…" Molly begun in what Ginny believed to be the bravest voice she could on for that moment.
"Mum," Ginny interrupted her "I just- …. No… I…. How did it happen?" She whispered, the other Weasley in the room who had all stood from their seats looked over at her, anger and sadness burning in their eyes. Molly looked around the room, hoping to find someone that would tell her not to give Ginny that information. Ron let go of Hermione's hand and crouched down beside Ginny. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"There was an attack on Diagon Alley." He begun through gritted teeth "It started early yesterday morning. There were hundreds of them. But, last night… B-Bill, he saw Fleur and Percy. They had him outnumbered Ginny. She killed him." Ron spat, an angry red flush rising on his face.
"She?" Ginny repeated softly, questioningly. Ron nodded angrily.
"Fleur." He told her. Ginny stood up quickly.
"Where the hell is she?" Ginny yelled "I will kill her. I will make her suffer." Molly pulled Ginny into a tight hug and patted her hair.
"Ginny, there is nothing you can do… She is dead…" She whispered, for the first time in her life, Ginny finally found somebodies death comforting.
"Who….?" Molly took a deep breath.
"Severus." She whispered. Ginny rested her head on her mothers shoulder.
It wasn't until that evening that members of the Order continued to go about their business. The Weasley family returned to their post. Fred and George went back to Diagon Alley to count the casualties and clean up. Ron went with Harry and Hermione to wherever it was that they went. Arthur went back to the ministry. Molly to the kitchen. Ginny sat in the lounge room of Grimmauld place in silence. Not really thinking, not really feeling. It wasn't until she heard the door click shut that she looked up from the spot on the wall, which had been her focus for the past two hours. She saw the person who had carried her from her bed. She now noticed how long their cloak was, it trailed on the floor slightly. Their hood covered their face and rose to a point above their head. She shivered and backed up against the wall. They were Death Eater garments.
"It is me." The voice came from under the cloak, the hood dropped, and Ginny looked at the person in despair.
"Severus…" She whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. He could of told her before she got to Grimmauld Place. He could have prepared her for the news so she could help support her family instead of cower like a wounded cat.
"It wasn't for me to tell you." He said. In two quick steps he crossed the room and swept her into his arms. She felt the hot tears slide down her cheeks again, amazed that she still had more to cry. He kissed the top of her head.
"It was that bitch." She whispered into his chest.
"Yes. But she is dead now." He told her, she looked up at him.
"You killed her…" He looked away from her eyes but she called his name and regained his attention "Are you sure she is gone?" She asked. Severus nodded slowly and Ginny felt a wave of shame overcome her at the amount of happiness it gave her to learn that a person was dead. She looked into Severus' eyes and the world around her faded away. She felt her mind lighten. There is no shame in being happy about her death my love, his voice echoed through her head, nor is there shame in mourning. She felt his mind pull away from hers and she wished it didn't. The world around them returned, she saw again, heard again, felt again.
Severus left after staying with her for an hour. After he walked out of the room it was no more that five seconds before more company came to join her. Her mother looked tired and worn out.
"Ginny." She said, Ginny looked up at her "You have to go back." She said, Ginny's jaw dropped and she shook her head.
"No…" Her mother looked at her in despair.
"You have too. I am sorry. There is nothing for you here. Hogwarts is much safer. There is hell to pay, yet. It is not over Ginny. I can't bear to loose another child." Her mother begged. Ginny bit her lip before she nodded grudgingly.
Ginny got back to the Gryffindor common room late that evening. After saying a long goodbye to her family she was escorted back to school by Dumbledore, who had nothing more to say to her than "There is always light in the darkness, Miss Weasley. Often all we need is to find the courage to open our eyes and see it". When she stepped through the portrait hole she saw more people in there than she had expected. She spotted Hazel in the corner of the room and walked over to her, trying not to notice the abject horror and sadness on the faces of students around her. Hazel held up a copy of the Daily Prophet and Ginny took it from her. The headline read "Diagon Alley the Newest Battle Scene.". The picture was what she had feared it would be. The street that she once walked down with Bill was now destroyed. The shops that were on the side of the road now served as nothing more than decrepit tombstones for the bodies that surrounded it. She shoved the paper back into Hazels hand. She didn't want to see the picture anymore. She didn't want to see the paper anymore.
"Who was it Ginny?" Hazel asked, Ginny looked away and her friend grabbed her by the shoulders. "Tell me Ginny. Who was it?" She repeated, more forcefully. Yet again she felt tears well up in her eyes.
"Bill." She whispered before her friend pulled her into a comforting hug.
The latest attacks had caused a wave of panic to surge throughout the entire wizarding community. In total there were three hundred and eighteen people killed on that night. What was left of Diagon Alley was slowly rebuilt by volunteers who were determined to put on a strong face and get on with life. Most of the shop owners had perished in the battle, the Death Eater's spared no one, so their closest relatives were left to pick up the pieces and do their best with their lives.
At Hogwarts there was a definite air of loss, and the mood that was shared by the students and teachers alike was nothing short of melancholy. Most of the students had remained at Hogwarts, only a small amount were plucked out of school to attend funerals and join family members for a week or two. Many people had shared Molly Weasley's sentiment; Hogwarts was, by far, the safest place for their children to be. And so, life went grudgingly on.
Two and a half weeks had passed since her eldest brothers death and the wound felt as though it was still fresh. Her schoolwork merely served as a distraction from her thoughts. On the few remedial lessons she had attended, Severus had managed to help her through the pain. It was taking a while, and there was still a way to go, but together they were working it through.
Severus had acted rashly on the night of the attack. There was no reason for him to kill Fleur other than for his own revenge against the person who broke his fiancée's heart. His days as a double agent were now short. The Death Eaters had been told by Percy what happened that night, and the suspicion that Severus was not to be trusted had slowly seeped through the establishment. Severus was suffering from his own pain as well. There are two things that can completely destroy the human soul, being a victim of death and inflicting it. His meetings with Ginny and the conversations they shared were beginning to relieve the pain. It was taking a while, and there was still a way to go, but they were working it through.
Ginny and Severus now sat in the Potions Classroom working on revision with the rest of the potions class. Ginny sat in the back of the room, Severus in the front. It was the first time Severus could recall that he did not have to tell the class to be quiet. The attacks had shattered everybody's heart and since the day that the Death Eater's worked their magic on Diagon Alley there had been little resistance. For some it seemed futile.
Ginny scribbled down the last few words of her essay and put her quill in her ink well. Thanks to her interest in the potions master, the subject he taught slowly became more bearable and understandable. She blew on the ink to dry it before she stood up and walked up to the front desk. Severus looked up at her and his eyes twinkled in acknowledgement.
"Do you need help Miss Weasley?" He sneered. Ginny shook her head.
"No, professor, I am finished." She told him. The work that she was revising today had already been covered in their remedial lesson about a month beforehand, on the relevance of the phases of the moon to potion brewing.
"Impossible." He barked snatching the parchment out of her hand. She saw a quick flourish of a wand from behind the desk and he threw her parchment back at her, the ink smeared and the work now unreadable. She had to stop herself from telling him off, she had spent a great deal of energy and thought on that piece of work. "Pathetic Weasley." He tutted "Absolutely pathetic. This would have to be the first time that a seventh year has even bothered doing this."
"What are you talking about?" She hissed, he tore the parchment from her hand and brandished it in her face.
"This! Do you think that you can hand in a piece of paper covered in ink stains and pretend that you accidentally smudged it?" He drawled. Ginny decided to play along.
"Well, it must have! Either that or someone cast a spell on it!" She told him. He put the parchment down on the desk and the bell chimed to signal lunch. "Detention Weasley. You have to finish your work." He told her. Ginny glared at him and stormed out of the room.
Another two uneventful weeks passed by. Ginny was slowly coming to terms with her brother's death, and Severus could see a definite improvement in her mood. There was no news about the Death Eaters or the Order of the Pheonix, it was a tense time.
That evening Ginny and Severus sat in the potions classroom again talking and hugging. Severus played with a lock of Ginny's hair fondly.
"You are not going to deal with the Death Eaters any more are you?" She asked, she frowned.
"I am not sure my love. It depends on what Dumbledore wants me to do. When I ki-… well, I don't think that the Death Eaters are too fond of me at the moment. I talked to Voldemort and I think that he is somewhat understanding. It is not as though she was useful for anything except keeping up male morale." Severus explained. Ginny buried her head into his chest.
"Loosing a brother is one thing, Severus, but losing you would destroy me completely." She whispered, he kissed her head.
"You haven't lost a brother. He is, and always will be, your brother. Bill will never leave you unless you let him. Visit him in your memories, he is still there Ginny, that is something no one will ever be able to take away from you." He told her softly, voice soothing. She nodded and looked up at him.
"You are right…" She smiled "Completely right." Seeing the smile on Ginny's face put his mind at rest. It was the first time she had smiled properly in two and a half weeks. The smile wasn't superficial, it spread to her eyes, her heart. He leant forward and kissed her softly, she responded passionately.
A few days later Ginny struggled under the weight of her bag. The books that they were now required to carried weighed more than a baby hippogriff and there was nothing that she could do to lighten the load. It was not much longer until the N.E.W.T.S and the teachers were packing on the revision hard and heavy. There was an ear splitting ripping sounds and she felt the load in her bag lighten significantly. Her stomach quenched and she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from swearing. She took a deep breath and turned to collect her books, but was shocked to discover Professor Dumbledore standing behind her.
"Afternoon Miss Weasley, let me help you." He said with a cheeky smile.
"Thankyou Professor." She said, squatting down to pile up her books. She took out her wand and cast a quick repairing charm on her bag before piling the books back in there. "Thanks again." She said as she heaved her bag onto her shoulders and turning to walk away.
"Miss Weasley…" Dumbledore's voice called out from behind her. She spun around.
"Yes Professor?" She asked.
"I was just wondering if I could have a word with you in my office this evening, perhaps six o'clock?" He asked. Ginny nodded slowly, panic flooding through her.
"It is nothing…" She begun, he smiled.
"Nothing bad Miss Weasley. I just need to ask you a few things." He said. Ginny nodded and turned again.
"Miss Weasley?" Ginny spun around for the third time. Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed at his bag.
"This may help." He said kindly "Allevious." He muttered. Suddenly her bag felt much lighter. She smiled.
"Thanks Professor Dumbledore!" She chirped. This time she waited for him to turn and leave before she did.
Ginny walked towards the statue of the Phoenix and took a deep breath. She had no idea what Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about. She stopped in front of the statue and looked around feeling rather foolish. She did not know what the password was and was not going to bother guessing. She looked at her watch, it was one minute to six. As her watch ticked over to six o'clock the statue started turning and revealed Professor Dumbledore standing on the stairs.
"Good evening Miss Weasley." He said cheerfully "I hope that you were not waiting for too long."
"Not at all." She replied, he stood back and ushered her towards the staircase.
When they reached the circular office Dumbledore motioned for Ginny to take a seat opposite of his desk. He took his time walking to his own seat before sitting down and clasping his hands and then he rested his head on them.
"It has been lovely weather today, hasn't it Miss Weasley?" He said jovially. Ginny nodded awkwardly. "I am glad that it has started to warm up slightly. Have you noticed that your mood often reflects the weather?"
"Hmm…" She agreed.
"So, how have you been?" He asked.
"Alright." Ginny replied, an amused smile tugged at the corners of Dumbledore's lips.
"Just alright?" He mused "I wish the human complex was always that simple." Ginny's face reddened "Have you been keeping up with all of your work?"
"Yes… Well, most of it. There has been a lot of studying to do… with the N.E.W.T.S and all." She explained. If there was one thing she didn't really feel comfortable with it was polite chatter, but she knew that until Dumbledore decided to talk about what he called her to his office for, she would have to deal with it.
"I was very impressed with the Slytherin and Gryffindor match." Dumbledore told her. Ginny furrowed her nose.
"I am not particularly fond of that game." She said with a laugh.
"Oh no… I have been really impressed with the way you are managing the team. Your tactics have been very interesting." He said, she smiled her thanks "I think that they are the most random and unpredictable tactics I have seen during my entire career at Hogwarts."
"I was trying to figure out how to play against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and Slytherin using tactics that I could adapt for each game… I realised that was a terrible idea. We knew that the Slytherin's would be rough, and the Ravenclaws would try to trick us. I thought that if I taught the team a whole range of tactics and changed them through the match it would be fun." She said, Dumbledore nodded.
"Very good idea Miss Weasley. Your tactics are very random, so the others would have naturally had a great deal of trouble trying to figure out how to play against you." He begun. They continued to talk about quidditch for about ten minutes when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Ginny suddenly remembered that she was there for a reason, other than to discuss quidditch. Dumbledore smiled gravely. "You may enter." He called. The door opened slowly and Ginny bit her lip. Severus stepped into the room and looked at Ginny, and then at Dumbledore. She could tell that he was looking for something to say.
"Have I come to early?" He asked, nodding politely in Ginny's direction.
"Not at all Severus!" Dumbledore said "As a matter of fact you are perfectly punctual… as per usual. Take a seat." He motioned at the chair next to Ginny's and she watched him sit down, shooting the old wizard a questioning look. "You are allowed to greet Miss Weasley as well." Dumbledore laughed.
"Weasley." Severus drawled with a curt nod.
"Professor." Ginny replied without emotion.
"Hardly the greeting I would have expected." Dumbledore said, Ginny bit her tongue. "Nonetheless I have brought you two here for a reason." He said. Ginny's stomach dropped to the floor and her grip on the arms of her chair became dangerous.
"Is there anything wrong Headmaster?" Severus asked. Dumbledore smiled.
"Not particularly. I just wanted to ask you something Severus." He replied.
"Does Miss Weasley need to be here?" Severus questioned, looking utterly confused.
"Yes… I don't mind if she sits in on our conversation. Who knows, later we may involve her in it." Dumbledore said. Ginny had to stop herself from swearing under her breath. This was it. The suspicions she and Severus had pushed aside for the past year were finally coming back to haunt them.
"Well, then…" Severus drawled in an unsatisfied tone.
"You potions master knows this Miss Weasley, but I am not sure if you do." Dumbledore begun. Ginny took a deep breath and tried to relax. If he did know, and he wanted to put an end to the relationship she would leave school. She wanted to be with Severus, no matter the cost. "I know a great deal about the goings on of Hogwarts. There are not too many things that go under my nose, given that it is rather large." Ginny was always surprised at the headmaster's ability to use humour during serious times "I have had a suspicion lately, and Merlin help me if I am wrong, but I have asked Professor Snape here this evening to help me clarify it." Ginny glanced over at Severus, thoroughly relieved that she was not in his position. He looked as calm as he did when he was marking essays. She marvelled at his composure, knowing full well that it was what kept him alive in the service of Voldemort for many years. "Severus, I would like you to answer a question for me." Dumbledore said.
"To the best of my ability, headmaster." Severus replied coolly. Ginny's heart was beating so loudly that she was sure that Hazel would be able to hear it in Gryffindor Tower.
"This may seem absurd, and I don't mean to offend you… Either of you. But Severus, I would like you to tell me if you and Miss Weasley here are involved in a romantic relationship?" Dumbledore asked as though he was asking a friend for the time. There silence for a second, it seemed to draw on for an eternity, Ginny's heart threatening to leap out of her throat. She watched as Severus took a deep breath.
"Yes, Headmaster." He said plainly. Ginny's fingers were beginning to ache from holding onto the lounge so tightly.
"Is this true Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked turning to her, Ginny closed her eyes for a moment. This is what she had wanted for months, wasn't it? Being able to tell someone other than her best friend that she and Severus were together.
"Yes, Professor." She said bravely. Severus looked over at her, his eyes twinkling with pride.
"Hmmm…" Mused Dumbledore thoughtfully as he sat back in his seat drumming his fingers together "That does present a problem." Severus looked at Dumbledore and waited for a few moments before speaking.
"I will resign if necessary." Severus said. Dumbledore smiled at him and Ginny wanted to scream at the headmaster. Just get it over with, she thought fiercely.
"You know, this isn't the first time that a student and teacher have found comfort in each other's embrace." Dumbledore said softly "But I must say that the relationship I encountered did not work out to well. The student's marks increased beyond reason, and the staff and students were very suspicious. I had no choice but to fire the teacher and expel the student." Ginny closed her eyes "However, I have noticed that your grades, Miss Weasley, have not improved beyond reason. Nothing that a bit of extra interest in a subject and study couldn't achieve. In addition, it seems as though no one but myself is aware of this relationship…." He looked between Ginny and Severus.
"My friend Hazel knows, Professor." Ginny told him shyly. Dumbledore nodded.
"Well… I have thought about this for a while and I have come to a conclusion." He said in a finalising tone. He grimaced "In dark times such as these the most unlikely people can be drawn together. Often, one can find comfort in the arms of another. I also believe that love is blind to religion, race, gender and age." Ginny felt as though she was on trial, her heart was beating erratically, her palms were sweaty, and if felt as though her stomach was in another dimension. "If you are both serious about each other, which I have no reason to doubt that you are, I see no point in trying to prevent the relationship." Ginny's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Surely he was joking. "I just ask that you continue to keep your relationship a secret until you have left Hogwarts, Miss Weasley, and then you are free to do what you will." Ginny remembered that her mouth was hanging open and shut it promptly, nodding in response to Dumbledore's request. "Well, I see no reason to keep you here any longer Miss Weasley, you are free to go." Ginny let the conversation register in her mind before getting up and walking over to the door mutely. When she opened it she stopped. She turned around.
"Thankyou Professor Dumbledore." She said "Thankyou." He smiled at her, blue eyes sparkling.
"Don't mention it Miss Weasley. After all, love usually only touches each of us once. Who am I to tell it what to do?" He said. Ginny stepped out and shut the door behind her.
Severus watched Ginny shut the door behind her before he turned his attention back to Dumbledore. The conversation had surprised him, he hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so accepting.
"Severus." Dumbledore begun, Severus looked at him. "Let me just say that I am shocked that you have found love in the heart of the youngest Weasley child." Severus nodded. "I also must tell you how happy I am that you have found love."
"Thankyou." Severus said with a small smile.
"I have no doubt that your intentions are pure Severus, I know that you are not a ruthless person. But I must tell you that I seriously doubt that the Weasley's will view yours and Ginevra's relationship as fondly as I do." Severus smiled.
"Yes, I guessed that." He said, Dumbledore laughed.
"You have gotten yourself into quiet a pickle." The old wizard laughed, Severus nodded in agreement. "I want you to know that after tonight I will have to forget about your relationship with Ginny. I am sure that I need Hogwarts too much to loose my job. I am also rather fond of my life, which would surely be taken from me if Molly knew that I was aware of your relationship with her daughter." Dumbledore said seriously, Severus nodded.
"May I just ask how you knew?" Severus asked, perhaps they had not been careful enough.
"You are like the son I never had Severus. I know you well enough to notice that about a year ago you changed. I don't think anyone else has noticed, but I have. I was also amused to see Ginevra ask you to dance at the wedding, and I must say, I was even more amused to see you accept." He smiled "Also, my friend Mr. Gratham at the jewellery shop in Hogsmeade was very eager to tell me that you had dropped by and picked up a very stunning ring." Severus looked away, Albus knew more than he gave him credit for, though he should have known he would. "The next day I noticed that you had no new adornments on your fingers and guessed that you must have given it to someone else." Severus felt as though he would blush, but after all of his year of hiding his feelings, he was able to remain his usual pallid white. "If you don't mind Severus, I am feeling rather tired, I think I should get to bed early this evening." Severus nodded and stood up. He looked at the headmaster.
"Thankyou." He said, Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to thank me, Severus. I know how important love is, and I do not wish to make it any harder for you than it is. It takes two strong hearts to stand up for each other when so much is at stake. I just would like to wish you the best of luck in your relationship." Severus walked out of the office and shut the door behind him. He was still in shock. He was sure that Dumbledore would have at least asked them to put an end to their relationship.
Ginny sat on her bed with the curtains drawn, holding her two-way mirror in her hand anxiously. She had come straight up to her dormitory without talking to anyone.
"Come on…." She muttered impatiently, hoping that Severus would have thought to use the mirror. She had slowly begun to drift to sleep when she was roused by Severus voice.
"I am sorry to interrupt you, my love, would you like me to let you get some sleep?" Severus asked when she looked into the mirror.
"No, no… it's fine." She said rubbing her eyes and propping herself up on her elbow. "What happened when I left?" She asked.
"Nothing really," He replied "Professor Dumbledore just wanted to let me know that while he may accept our relationship, others may not." Ginny nodded.
"So… he is fine then?" Ginny asked unsurely. Severus nodded.
"Yes." He drawled. Ginny grinned. This was more than she expected. When Dumbledore had asked Severus whether or not they were involved she was sure that they would not be allowed to remain at Hogwarts.
"Does he know that we are engaged?" She asked, he shrugged.
"I am not sure, I didn't tell him, but I think he may suspect it." He explained softly. "You get some sleep now, we will talk more in remedial tomorrow evening, okay?" He said. Ginny nodded, to tired and worn out to argue, put the mirror in her bedside table draw, and went to sleep.
Weeks flew by again and the school slowly returned to it's usual state of being, but it would forever be scarred by the bloodshed in Diagon Alley. Ginny and Severus spent their time in detentions and remedial lessons enjoying each other's company and revising topics that Ginny was not doing too well in. Dumbledore had not made reference to their relationship since that spring evening, and for that they were glad. More and more often the question of how to tell the Weasley's of their relationship popped into their conversations, always with the same result, indecision.
Ginny sat in the Hogwarts library one week before the final match, using the quiet place in order to think about the tactics they were to use. In the common room there was never any silence, and, when she was in her dorm someone else was always in there. She resigned to trudging to the library and sitting at the table in the corner away from all the noise.
Ginny jumped as some books and a bag was loudly dumped onto her table. She looked up. It a Hufflepuff seventh year named Liam. He was in her Care of Magical Creatures class and had a brilliant sense of humour.
"I haven't seen you in here for a while." He said, and sat down on the chair opposite to hers, she shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. But with all of my detentions, remedial lessons and quidditch training I thought that any night I get off should be spent doing something that isn't school related." Ginny replied with a wave of her hand. It was true, in her fifth year and the beginning of her sixth year they would often see each other in the library and end up talking to each other for hours. With everything that had happened in her life lately she had forgotten about that.
"Ginny? Detentions? Remedial?" He said raising his eyebrows, she laughed. "What for?"
"Potions." She replied simply, Liam laughed heartily.
"As, so old Snape is picking on you, then? Never mind we only have a few weeks left." He said "Or, if you cant wait a few weeks I guess I could always go to the dungeon and show him what I'm made of." Ginny laughed.
"No thanks Liam, not necessary." Ginny reassured him. Liam had been a good friend to her in fifth and sixth year, he had always listened to her when she complained, something that even Hermione was loath to do.
"Well, it is good to see you again. What are you working on?" He asked looking at the mountains of parchment she had in front of her.
"Quidditch tactics." She told him making sure that he couldn't see any of it.
"Ah, it's a great old game, quidditch. You're up against Slytherin again. They are nasty sometimes. Just watch yourself." He said, Ginny nodded.
"I know, but sometimes watching yourself isn't enough." Ginny told him.
"That's right. Sometimes you need to watch others. A bit of voyeurism never hurt anyone, now did it?" He said, she laughed again.
"Talking from experience are you?" She asked, he nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah! I watch everything! These eyes were made for watching!" He joked. He looked at his watch. "Ach…. I have to go. I hope to see you in here again." He said standing up, he slung his bag onto his shoulder and walked away. Ginny sighed and got back to her quidditch tactics.
The snow had completely melted and the grounds returned to their rich grassy green state. The Gryffindor quidditch team had been practising hard for weeks now, and the final Quidditch game was finally upon them after being delayed because of the attacks on the wizarding community.
The crowd roared as the two teams made their way to the centre of the pitch. Ginny flattened her quidditch robes and shot Aran Petrovic a menacing grin. When they reached the centre of the pitch they shook hands, his grip nearly cracking her bones.
"Ready to loose?" He hissed so that only she could hear.
"I don't intend to." She replied simply, the dislike she felt from him only to be seen in her eyes. They mounted their broom, Madam Hootch blew the whistle, the balls were released and Luna's commentary begun.
"Aaannddd…. Slytherin in possession! Lestrange passes to Demeter…. This game promises to be good. Gryffindor Captain Ginny Weasley must be determined to make Slytherin pay for their performance in last years final. Robins snatches quaffle, passes to Weasley, passes to Ovell… Demeter gaining on Ovell – OUCH! Ovell throws ball but it hits Demeter! Demeter stumbles. Weasley recovers quaffle." Luna yelled excitedly.
Ginny recovered the falling quaffle and passed it to Robins, a grin spread across her face, if there was something the Slytherins wasn't expecting it was for Gryffindor to play rough. Ginny watched Demeter clutch his forehead tenderly, he would have a lovely purple bruise in the morning. Ginny sped up and caught the ball that Ovell passed to her and threw it through the left goal post, the Slytherin keeper Turner watched it fly straight through, not noticing Ginny creeping up on the left side. Ginny punched the air and hi-fived her fellow chasers. This was only the beginning.
Severus sat in the stands eagerly, resisting the overwhelming temptation to cheer for Ginny. He hadn't talked to her much about quidditch lately, but he did remember her telling him that Gryffindor would hold their own in this match. Severus watched as the Gryffindor chaser Ovell stole the quaffle from Lestrange and flew towards the scoring area. Before she reached it she hurled the ball through the air and Robins used the tail of her broom to hit it and send it flying into the centre post. Severus clapped politely as he always did when an opposing team scored a goal, or any team for that matter.
Ginny signalled for Ovell and Robins to back away from the Slytherin chasers to let them think that they were keeping possession of the quaffle easily this time. The third Slytherin chaser Asaro threw the ball towards the middle hoop before it was snatched up by Lestrange and hurled towards the right hoop. Aneas sped towards the quaffle and caught it a split second before it went through the hoop.
"Gryffindor in possession. Weasley passes to Ovell, Ovell to Robins, Robins to Ovell, Ovell to Weasley…. They fly towards the scoring area! Ohh! Bludger just missed Weasley, quaffle is dropped. Slytherin in possession. Weasley and Ovell flank Lestrange. Peakes heads for Lestrange. Lestrange dives straight into the path of Robins. Robins steals quaffle, passes to Weasley, passes to Ovell, passes to Robins. ROBINS SCORES! Three nil, Gryffindor's way!"
When the Petrovic called for a time out Ginny flagged the Gryffindor team members in. They were in the lead with seventy, Slytherin trailing by five goals on thirty. The game was well into it's second hour and it was starting to get tiring.
"Okay…" Ginny puffed "We have played it hard and fast for long enough. I think we should play a bit slower, like we practised. You guys remember what you learnt in training?" She asked, the rest of the team nodded. "You are all doing a wonderful job, Aneas, there were some wonderful saves there. Every body has been wonderful. Just try not to get complacent, we still have a match to win and some Slytherins to slaughter!" The Gryffindor quidditch team cheered and broke apart, fired up for the next part of the game.
Half an hour later Ginny and her fellow chasers had managed to score another three goals, while Slytherin got one. As instructed, they had relaxed a little, and kept possession of the ball for longer. Slytherin slowly learnt what their new approach to the game was and decided to adopt their traditional tactics, an all out assault. When Ginny had sensed that they were confident in the game she looked around. Everyone was in good positions. She brought her broom to a grinding halt, Lestrange and Asaro quickly gaining on her, she hooted loudly and the two Gryffindor beaters Peakes and Coote slammed the bludger they were gaining on towards Lestrange, the red ball striking home. Ginny, Ovell and Robins came together in an arrow-head formation with Ginny in the lead holding the quaffle. Ginny looked up to see Petrovic heading straight for her, bat raised menacingly, she looked to her left and right, giving her fellow chasers a knowing wink.
"It looks as though Weasley and Petrovic are playing chicken! Who will dive first? Petrovic continues towards Weasley, bat raised in a rather intimidating way. They will collide any moment! THREE! TWO! ONE!" When Petrovic was no more than an arms-length away from her she pulled back on her broom hard, letting go of the quaffle. It was caught by Ovell as she and Robins slammed together, crushing Aran Petrovic between them. Ginny watched as he and his broom spiralled towards the ground. She turned her attentions back to the game and watched as Ovell passed to Robins and she scored a goal. The score was now eleven to four and Ginny was pretty happy with the way the match was going.
Severus watched the game, amazed as Gryffindor scored their twelfth and thirteenth goals of the match. The Gryffindor had become a seamless team, all of their trick shots and manoeuvres appeared as though it was second nature, and he guessed that there was some form of communication between them. Their tactics had changed after their thirteenth goal. Each of the chasers now became extremely selfish, hogging the quaffle until the last available moment when they would pass it. The Slytherin team was having a very difficult time keeping up with the changing nature of the game, and had given up trying to pull their own fancy moves, now using their old, dirty moves seen under the captaincy of Draco Malfoy.
"IT LOOKS AS THOUGH NARAYAN HAS SEEN THE SNITCH! She follows it and Green cottons on, trailing a good twelve feet! Narayan gains, only inches from the golden ball that will win Gryffindor the cup! Green has nealy caught up, one foot away." Ginny turned to see Petrovic heading towards Mena, with his bat raised and the bludger no-where to be seen. Come on Mena! Ginny thought fiercely. They had talked about this! She knew what to do. Ginny just hoped Narayan knew that Petrovic was after her, because she showed no signs of knowing. Luna continued her commentary. "OH! PETROVIC SWINGS! NARAYAN DUCKS! HA! GREEN'S FACE SMOOSHED BY PETROVIC'S ATTACK! WAITH! NARAYAN HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Ginny took a deep breath of relief, Mena did superbly. She joined the Gryffindor team in their lap of honour and flew down to the pitch. Gryffindors clad in red and yellow bearing patriotic banners flooded onto the field with roaring applause for their team.
Later that night, well after the sun had fallen and the moon had reached the sky, the Gryffindor common room was still reeling from the victory of their quidditch team. There had been precious little to celebrate in the past month, and now all of the students were finally able to bask in the lavish party. Fred and George had sent Ginny three full crates of warm butterbeer with a note attached.
If you win the game, share it with the house.
If you loose, we don't need to tell you how to use it!
As well as the butterbeer, Ginny had gathered an assortment of sweets from the kitchen, the house elves were eager to provide the friend of Harry Potter with refreshments.
Ginny now sat by the window with her friends, feeling content and at peace with most things in her life. The pain of loosing still made her heart ache, but knowing there was still good in the world soothed it slightly.
"You know, we wont be doing this next year?" Slurred Colin, who had a touch too much butter beer (and fire whisky).
"Wont be doing what, you goon?" Asked Hazel, playfully insulting her intoxicated boyfriend.
"This! Sitting here, talking, having fun!" He said, emotion getting the better of him. Ginny, who hadn't had enough butter beer, smiled.
"We wont." She said, bowing her head in acknowledgement. The others nodded.
"The exams start in a week." Felicity said with a grim smile. They all felt slightly disheartened, soon they would no longer be able to find comfort in the familiar walls of Hogwarts, which, over the past seven years, had become their home. Ginny knew that she too would have to face the rest of the world.
"I'm tired!" Ginny said getting to her feet slowly, Hazel stood too. She cleared her throat loudly.
"ATTENTION!" Hazel yelled. The people scattered around the room turned to face her. "Before she goes to bed I think that Ginny Weasley, the captain of the victorious Gryffindor quidditch team deserves our applause!" The rest of the common room was quick to reply, clapping and whooping loudly, the chorus of "for she's a jolly good fellow" could be heard underneath the cheers. Ginny smiled, the blush creeping up her neck slowly. Hazel turned and gave Colin a kiss on the cheek before heading up to the girl's dormitory with Ginny. Ginny opened her trunk and took out a fresh pair of pyjamas, eager to have a shower and scrub the sweat and grime away. "Ginny…" Hazel called, Ginny turned to face her friend.
"Yes?" She asked. Hazel smiled.
"What do you think you will be doing this time next year?" Hazel said sadly. Ginny gave her a reassuring grin.
"Hopefully this damned war will be over, I will be training as a magizoologist, and I will be married to Severus." She said, Hazel's eyes widened. She jumped off her bed and ran over to Ginny.
"Married to Snape?" She whispered, looking around to make sure there was no one else in the room. Ginny nodded.
"Yes. What do you think? Ginevra Snape." As Ginny said her name her heart flooded with happiness.
"Really?" Hazel asked. Ginny took out her wand and pointed the tip of it to her ring finger on her left hand.
"Diaphanious!" She hissed. The colour soaked back into her ring and Hazel gasped taking her hand.
"I CANT BELIEVE IT!" Her friend squealed excitedly, pulling her into a back-breaking hug. "Oh Ginny! I am so happy for you!" She cried. Ginny laughed.
A week later the sun shone brightly over Hogwarts as Ginny Weasley walked out of her first N.E.W.T's exam, transfiguration. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had expected and she had only made a few minor mistakes in the practical part. She walked towards the dungeon, where she was supposed to be having a study period with Severus. She rapped on his office door and opened it slowly. Greeting him with a hearty smile.
"My love!" He greeted her, she blew him a kiss and shut the door behind her. "How was transfiguration." She shrugged.
"Not too bad actually, I don't think I will fail as miserably as I thought!" She laughed, he rolled his eyes.
"You should be so negative, you will do fine." He tutted making Ginny laugh.
"I only say that so that if I do, by some strange chance, fail miserably I wont be so disappointed. If I lower my expectations I will be ecstatic when I exceed them, which is much better than being miserable if I don't reach them!" She explained for the third time that year, Severus wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He bent his head so he could kiss her softly on the lips.
"You know, my love, you are by far one of the most outstanding and promising witches I have seen in my life time." He told her, no hint of teasing in his voice. Ginny laughed.
"Stop. You are embarrassing me." She laughed, he kissed her again bringing her giggles to a halt.
"Really." He told her as he pulled his lips away from hers "You are the first female Weasley born several decades, surely that means something." Severus said. After a short silence Ginny nodded in agreement.
"It does mean something!" She said finally "It means that the Weasley men have a severe lack of X sperms!" Severus didn't bother rolling his eyes or talking to her again. He just kissed her, pulling her closer to his body. When he tried to pull away from her and she didn't let go he looked at her questioningly.
"You have your potions exam next Monday!" He said warningly, she shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. But we have gone over everything a hundred and one times and I think I understand. What I need now is some loving." She said, she pushed Severus into his seat and straddled his lap, pressing herself against him provocatively. She trailed kissed from his lip to his ear, biting his earlobe playfully. "Do you know that it has been almost three weeks since we have made love?" She whispered, her breath hot on his face, tempting him.
"You really should be studying." He whispered back half-heartedly, he was enjoying her affection too much to mean what he said.
"Codswallop!" She hissed, she brought her hand down to carress him and kissed him passionately. "We are going to your room, and that if final!" She demanded. Unable and unwilling to resist any longer Severus nodded.
"Yes my love." He said. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rose from his seat, cradling her in his arms while kissing her. He made his way to the door of his office clumsily before he let her stand on her own two feet.
When they reached his bedroom they took each others clothes off and Severus lowered Ginny on to the bed. Kissing her softly. He pulled away from her, his eyes drifting over her naked body, consuming her.
"I still don't know why you love me." He whispered caressing her face softly. She smiled.
"Because I do, Severus, that is all there is too it." She replied as if it were the simplest concept in the world.
"Surely there is someone better for you, younger, handsome, richer." He said. She laughed.
"Don't be absurd. There is no one else for me besides you. I want you as you are, old, ugly and poor!" she laughed. He shook his head and kissed her again. Her legs parted to allow him to settle himself between them. "You are amazing Severus." She whispered, he thrust inside her, her nails clawed at his back.
"I love you." He moaned.
Two days later Ginny had finished her history of magic exam and joined the ceremonial note-burning on the lawns. Ginny grinned as she tossed all of her history of magic notes into the fire blazing red fire, the smoke rose and random letters formed in it.
"No more Binns!" Hazel cheered from beside Ginny as she cast her own notes into the fire. Ginny rested her head against Hazel's shoulder and watched as other students came down to burn their notes as well. After Ginny and Hazel felt satisfied that their notes had completely withered away they headed over to the lake. Ginny settled herself down on the grass by the lake, and Hazel sat by her.
"So, how are things with Colin?" Ginny asked, picking up a nearby stone and throwing it into the water.
"Very good!" Hazel replied happily "He said that he loved me at the quidditch match." She said, Ginny grinned.
"Ahh! Cool! Did you say it back?" Hazel laughed.
"No. I told him to shove his wand up his butt and cast a bat bogey hex." Hazel laughed. Ginny laughed as well. "No, I said that I love him back. I know I do."
"That is great, I am happy for you!" Ginny said, Hazel patted her on the back.
"Enough of that. Tell me all about it!" Hazel whispered taking Ginny's left hand and running her fingers over the invisible ring. Ginny smiled.
"What do you want to know?" Ginny asked.
"Everything! How did he ask…. When? Oh my gosh! How long were you engaged for before you told me?" Hazel said, Ginny looked away from her feeling bad, she should have known that she would be able to tell her.
"It was almost two months ago now." Ginny said.
"You should have told me earlier." Hazel tutted.
"I know. I should have. But it is really hard sometimes. We just have to be so careful. If anyone finds out Severus would loose his job, I would be expelled and who knows what else. I guess that I am so used to hiding our relationship that it just seemed natural. I am sorry." She said, Hazel rested her head on her shoulder and smiled.
"Don't apologise. Just tell me how it happened." Hazel said excitedly.
"I walked down to the dungeon for my remedial lesson and when I got there he wasn't there, so I sat down for a while, and then I realised that there was a note on the board saying that the lesson was moved to the astronomy tower." Hazel ooh-ed and Ginny shook her head "I thought that he wanted to go over the moon's effect of potions. When I got up there he had two cushions from the divination room and some butterbeer. We talked for a bit and then he used legilimency-"
"He can use legilimency?" Hazel asked amazed. Ginny nodded.
"Anyway, he did that whole 'I love you' speech and then he stopped using legilimency and asked me to marry him." Hazel sighed dreamily. And then sat up quickly.
"You do want to marry him, though, don't you?" she asked, Ginny nodded slowly.
"Of course I do." Hazel nodded thoughtfully.
"You are going to tell your family aren't you?" Hazel said.
"Definitely."
"That should be interesting." Hazel laughed, Ginny knew that she was imagining the scene it would cause.
"Yeah, I am pretty sure my entire family will kill Severus." Ginny giggled.
"Well, it is lucky they don't see him then, isn't it?" Hazel asked. Ginny just nodded mutely, hating that she had to continue to hide things from her friend.
"Oh don't worry, they will hunt him down." Ginny reassured her.
A week passed and Ginny completed more of her exams. As she made her way to her Potions exam she smiled, she would no longer have any reasons to go down to the dungeons, no reason to revisit the place where her relationship with Severus had grown. In two days her Care of Magical Creatures exam would be over and she would no longer have any reason to return to Hogwarts. She walked into the Great Hall and looked for the desk with her name on it. She sat down and emptied her quills and ink onto the table. She looked around and saw Severus sitting at the front of the room impatiently. He saw her looking at him and winked. She grinned back at him.
When the last desk was filled Severus wished them all luck and announced that they could begin and Ginny flipped the test paper over. It was easier than she had expected. All of the work that Severus made her do when she would rather have made love to him had paid off. She focused on the test paper and dipped the tip of her quill in some ink.
Three hours later Ginny put her quill on the front of her desk and blew some ink dry. Severus was walking around the room collecting their test papers. As he was walking away from her desk his cloak brushed her shoulder and she grinned. One more exam and she and Severus were free.
Ginny took her time collecting the things on her table, knocking over her pot of ink. She fumbled around in her bag for her wand and looked around. The other students had left the room and Severus was sitting behind the desk at the front flicking through the papers. She cleared her throat and he looked up.
"How do you think you went?" He drawled, she shrugged.
"Oh, the usual. I think I failed miserably." She said playfully. She grinned.
"I think we should talk before you leave." He told her quietly. She agreed. They had much to talk about.
"Tonight, on the mirror?" She asked, he shook his head.
"No, you should study. Perhaps on Thursday." He suggested.
"No problems. Where?"
"My office." He replied.
"Can we talk tonight anyway?" She asked with a sweet smile.
"You are doing too well in Care of Magical Creatures. I don't want you to jeopardise that. You should study." He said in his best potions master voice making Ginny roll her eyes.
"Really, you and I both know that I am not going to study tonight." She sighed, he glared at her for a few moments.
"Fine. But if you fail I don't want to hear about it." He growled. Ginny grinned and used her wand to soak up the spilt ink. She shoved the empty pot in her bag.
"Fine." She said before skipping out of the room.
Later that evening after Ginny and her housemates had celebrated the end of potions she sat in her bed holding the two-way mirror. Throughout the evening Ginny had to control her temper when some of her friends expressed their happiness about not having to see Severus again. Hazel had tried to quieten them down at times but Ginny did her best to ignore it, after all, if she were not with him she would have probably said the same things.
"Ginny," Severus' came into view on her mirror, she smiled.
"Hey!" She replied happily.
"I won't stay for long, because I am sure you need to study… On Friday what time did you want to meet me?" He asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Severus, really! It is too late for me to study, and I am hardly in the mood. It can wait until tomorrow." She groaned "On Friday I don't mind what time I see you." She told him.
"Okay, how about six thirty?" He asked.
"No problem."
"In the morning!"
"Severus!" She howled, he laughed at her frustration.
"Fine. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?" He asked calmly. She shrugged.
"I genuinely don't mind. You are the teacher, you are meant to be setting the times. Do you have anything else to do on Friday?" She asked, Severus nodded.
"Yes, I have to pack as well."
"You are leaving on Saturday too?" She asked happily.
"No, on Monday. Teachers always have to stay back. That is also when I have to hand in the final marks for the O.W.L's and the N.E.W.T's." He explained.
"On Monday?" She repeated. She had hoped that she would be able to try and organise to tell her parents as soon as possible.
"Yes. That is why I need to talk to you on Friday." Severus told her, Ginny yawned "You should get some sleep." He said soothingly, she smiled.
"What time do you want me to see you on Friday?" She asked.
"What about two, after lunch?" He suggested, Ginny nodded.
"Two it is."
"Goodnight my love."
"Goodnight Severus." Ginny said, she tucked the mirror into her bedside table and leant back onto her pillow, eager to get some sleep.
At three o'clock on Thursday afternoon Ginny was walking out of the Great Hall having finished her Care of Magical Creatures exam. She looked around at the other people in her year and they all gave a cheer. Their exams were over. They only had two more days and their school life was over. Apart from the feeling of accomplishment Ginny couldn't help but feel sad about loosing Hogwarts, it was by far one of the biggest parts of her life, and now it was over. She hugged Hazel and they went upstairs to get changed. That morning the Head's of House had announced that there would be a party for the seventh years in the Great Hall at four, and it would finish at Seven.
After she had changed into her favourite long green skirt and lacy black top that Fleur and Bill had given her many Christmas's ago, she bit her lip as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't not wear clothes because Fleur gave them to her. But Bill gave them to her as well. She missed him. She sighed and slipped on a pair of black boots and waited for Hazel before they met the others in the common room and headed down to the Great Hall.
Severus watched the hall doors swing open, and the Gryffindors make their way into the room. He spotted Ginny beside Hazel and Colin, she looked stunning. She always did. They walked over towards the table with some sweets on it and took a few before joining the crowd in front of the teacher's table. Dumbledore stood.
"Has everyone arrived?" He asked, the students looked around and there was a general mumble of yes. "Very well. It is with great fondness that I farewell your year. You are all very talented and able witches and wizards. I hope that you all have the courage and strength to pursue your dreams. I also wish you the safest passage through life and encourage you all to stay strong in the light of the war… Let the party begin!" Music flared up through the hall and the students cheered. The students separated into groups and spread out across the hall, some remained to dance and others took a seat. After the first few songs he saw Ginny walk of to the side of the room and take a seat, probably to let Colin and Hazel dance for a while. She joined a conversation with a few other Gryffindors and spared a look in his direction. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He hated not being able to dance with her.
"Having fun Severus?" Dumbledore asked, Severus took in a deep breath. He never had fun at these events.
"Yes, thankyou." He replied politely, Albus laughed heartily and patted him on the back.
"Your time to dance will come soon enough." The older man said before standing and inviting Minerva to dance.
Ginny stood with Felicity, and two other Gryffindors Luke and Jason, talking about what they wanted to do after they had left Hogwarts. Ginny had finished explaining that she wanted to do magizoology and become a veterinarian. Felicity was talking about her plans to become a reporter and work for teen witch when Ginny felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Liam, a Hufflepuff boy standing behind her. She had talked to him at the library a couple of times and they sat together every so often in Care of Magical Creatures class.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked offering her his hand. She smiled.
"That would be nice, thankyou." She replied. He was one of the people that she felt she probably should have gotten to know better. He had a good sense of humour and was always willing to listen to whatever she said, and she realised that was a rare trait in a friend. He led her onto the dance floor and put one hand on her waist, Ginny brought her free hand up to his shoulder. They danced for a few minutes before he spoke.
"What are you doing after you leave Hogwarts?" He asked.
"I want to become a magizoologist. You?" She replied, he smiled.
"You'll make a wonderful magizoologist. I am not sure what I want to do. I think I will to become a prostitute." He said making Ginny laugh.
"Ah! A noble occupation for any young man." She replied. He smiled.
"Nah, I think I want to become a healer or something. Given that I get the marks."
"You are a pretty smart cookie aren't you? You should be fine." She replied. He smiled and they kept dancing.
"Just a question Ginny…" He said, she nodded to let him know she could go on "Is there a man in your life?" Ginny laughed.
"Liam, you forget that I come from a family with seven men." She teased, he rolled his eyes.
"You know very well what I mean." He told her. She nodded.
"Yes… I do." She said softly. He smiled.
"I should have guessed. Never mind, if you are ever available be sure to come and visit me on the corner of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley, I think the going rate will be eight sickles an hour." Ginny laughed.
"Yes, and you will attract all types of interesting Clientele there, wont you?" She asked.
"Definitely. I have always wondered what it would be like to kiss a hag." He said dreamily. The song ended and he smiled. "I am sure that there are many other men that want to dance with you, so I will take my leave. But before I can tell you, none of the men you dance with will be nearly as handsome as I am!" He kissed Ginny's hand chivalrously and walked over to his friends. Ginny wondered why Harry couldn't be the same way.
Two and a half hours later Severus was sitting at the same seat he had been sitting at all evening. Ginny had danced with a few people, he wished that he had been one of them. Dumbledore stood up and gave a second speech before calling off the music and inviting the students to come back for dinner in an hour. As he watched the students leave a grim smile crept onto his face. Their holidays were not going to be as good as they all hoped. There was always a calm before the storm, and this calm was as good as it would get.
Ginny woke up at eleven the next morning after a long night of partying in the Gryffindor common room. She rubbed her eyes and walked over to the bathroom, eager to have a shower. She decided that she didn't want to go to lunch. She was far too tired and she had enough food last night to feed her entire family. She needed to pack. She hadn't even bothered packing earlier and now she wanted to make sure she didn't leave anything behind.
"Hello my love." Severus said as Ginny walked into his office. She looked around, he had started packing up the contents of his office as well.
"Why are you packing so much?" She asked. He shrugged.
"Did you have fun last night?" He asked, she nodded.
"Yes. I just wish that I could have danced with you. You looked so bored." She said as packed an assortment of jars into a box.
"I was. So, we need to talk." He said, he used his wand to move the box of his desk and sat behind it.
"We do." Ginny sighed.
"We need to think about what we are going to say, and when we are going to say it." He told her, she nodded in agreement.
"I think that maybe I should tell my parents alone. They will probably want to kill you, so it is best that you aren't there." She said with a laugh. Severus shook his head.
"No. If I am not there they will probably think it is a prank." He said. Ginny hadn't considered that, and now she did she knew it was true. They wouldn't believe her, they would tell her not to be so silly.
"Fair enough. But I want to be able to tell mum and dad at the same time. Is there any day that you all have off?" Ginny asked, Severus nodded.
"Tuesday." He replied, she bit her lip. It was so close now.
"Then I guess it has to be Tuesday." She said, she continued talking about how she thought she should tell her parents. Half an hour later she and Severus kissed each other goodbye and both returned to their packing.
The next morning Ginny was fighting to hold back the tears as she sat on the Hogwarts Express, chugging away from Hogwarts. She was sitting with her housemates as usual and she could tell that they were thinking much the same thing. Colin pulled out his camera and took one last photo of Hogwarts.
"This should be a happy moment!" He said with a laugh. Slowly everybody begun to talk about the things that they would remember about Hogwarts, and what they would miss.
When the train pulled into Kings Cross station Ginny said a teary goodbye to all of her friends, knowing full well that she may never see any of them again.
"Ginny." She turned around to see Liam.
"Hey Liam." She replied. He hugged her.
"Just wanted to say goodbye." He ruffled her hair before walking away.
"Bye." She called out after him. She turned back to Colin and Hazel.
"So Ginny, owl me as soon as you get home, okay?" Hazel said with a brave smile.
"Of course I will. And thank you so much for everything you have done for me in the past two years. Thanks for keeping my secret." Ginny said, a smile crept over her face, it would no longer have to be a secret.
"Ginny, do you mind if Colin asks you a question?" Hazel said with a wink, Ginny shrugged.
"Shoot." Ginny said, wondering what on earth Colin could ask.
"Why did you have so many detentions and remedial lessons? You were doing fine in potions." He asked, Ginny laughed.
"Did you think of that question all by yourself?" She asked him.
"No, Hazel told me to ask." Hazel elbowed him in the stomach and Ginny laughed.
"I will tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else, at least, for now." She said mischeviously. He crossed his heart.
"You have my word." He told her with a sincere smile.
"I had so many remedial potions lessons and detentions because I am seeing Professor Snape." Ginny said, for the first time she could tell someone out of her own free will. It felt great. Colin laughed.
"No, really Ginny, why?" He asked, she looked around the station to make sure her parents were not there yet. She took out her wand and tapped it against her ring finger while whispering the spell. She held it up to Colin.
"Severus and I are engaged." She said, Colin's jaw dropped. He looked at Hazel who nodded avidly.
"I….. Gee.. What do I say? Em- I guess congratulations…" He turned around, his parents were calling for him "Snape? Gee… how did that happen… Oh Merlin!" He said. He kissed Ginny on the cheek and Hazel on the lips before walking over to his parents. Hazel laughed.
"I will remember that for ever." Ginny slapped her arm.
"Oh look, there are your parents, you better go." Ginny said pointing to the barrier between the platform. Hazel looked over at her.
"You are alright here on your own?" she asked, Ginny nodded "Are you sure?"
"Yes, go. I will owl you when I get home!" Ginny said giving her best friend a tight hug. When Hazel was through the barrier Ginny looked around. The platform was quickly emptying. She spotted Liam standing by the wall and went over to join him. "Against the wall already Liam? People will think that you are already open for business!" Ginny said, Liam laughed.
"They can think what they want. It will only work out well for me!" He replied. "Are you waiting for someone too?" He asked.
"Yeah. My parents. You?" She asked, he looked away.
"My uncle. My father was killed in the attack on Diagon Alley and my mother is taking care of my grandfather." Ginny nodded.
"Sorry to hear that." She said, she knew what it felt like to loose someone in the war.
"You don't need to be sorry. You are not the one who did it? Or are you? Cause if you are I am going to open a can of whoop-arse on you right now!" Ginny laughed.
They waited for over half an hour, and the station had completely emptied out. Ginny looked around and spotted Remus walking through the barrier. Her heart skipped a beat.
"I- I have to go now." Ginny said quietly. Liam looked around.
"Your parents aren't here." He said. "Oh look, there's my uncle." He said. He walked over to Remus and shook his hand. Ginny looked at Remus questioningly. She never knew Remus had a nephew. But then again, there was a lot she didn't know about the people in the order. Remus greeted his nephew and walked over to Ginny.
"I have come to pick you up as well, Ginny…." He said. She looked around suspiciously. It could be a trick.
"Where are my parents?" She asked him. If he was really there to pick her up she knew what his response would be. It was a code that she and her parents had figured out before she left for her sixth year. She waited for Remus' response…
A/N: Yay! Chapter twenty two over and done with. I hope you liked this one. Well, I can now tell you that the number I gave you last chapter has reduced to one. So, take what you will from it, but don't say I didn't warn you. I better go before I say to much! Until we meet again!
XXX Sinister Spiders XXX
Thanks to:
BlueRosesAtMidnight: Thankyou for reading and reviewing. I hope that you liked this chapter. Stay safe!
fluff: Thankyou for reviewing! The next update shouldn't be too long. It'll be worth the wait though.
Nyah1: I liked Bill too, but it had to be written. My Christmas and New Years were pretty good as well, spent with family and friends, and that made them great!
Agar Loki: I couldn't make Severus disappear in the last chapter, not after all they had been through. Sorry for stopping where I did. I hope you will take this chapter as an apology!
Mistress of Eternity: Thankyou m'dear! As much as I would love to write a jillion more Midnight Hour chapters, it has gotten really taxing lately. I have been trying to keep the chapters long, and believe me, a twenty page chapter can really kill your enthusiasm. Although I am tempted to add a few numbers to the 2 and now 1… I don't know. Reading the chapter while you had a hang over must have been pretty interesting. I really hope that you liked this chapter!
puresilver: Thankyou so much! I was hoping that the story didn't seem to generic, because I know in the beginning it was the typical Ginny gets detention thing, but I wanted it to be more than that. I feel sorry for Harry too, I usually barrack for Ginny and Harry, but in this case I have made an exception. I couldn't bare to kill off Fred and George, they are such good characters to work with, I couldn't let them go! And the squid thing, no, I wasn't high, but I am seriously considering doing it just as a joke. Keep a look out for it, it will be up soon, 'Oh my Squidness!'
pink-flame-kit: I hope that this chapter answered your questions well enough. And I am so happy that people use manners on this site! All the pleases… wow. You don't see enough of that these days! Thanks for the review, take care!
Angelic Bladez: Yeah, I was really excited when I wrote the engagement part, because it had been in my mind since I wrote the second chapter, and then finally getting to write it was amazing. Good luck to your cousin and her fiancée. As a matter of fact, my cousin got engaged on Christmas day too. It is about time, there hasn't been a wedding in my family for over twenty something years. And soon, there shall be a baby, well, there better be or I will poo on someone. Don't worry about the dictionary, fantastic is fine! Well, have a nice day!
HarryGinnyfan23: I am actually really happy that I have kept this story updated, because on my other account I haven't updated in years (literally), but I am exceedingly keen on finishing this story. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it soooo much!
sOmEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR: I know, it is good that he proposed, but I wanted to show that he was waiting until he thought that both he and Ginny were ready for it. Thanks for the review, and I hope that the update clears up who was killed! Until next time….
I Love Nerds 919: Here you are, now you know what happened. The next chapter will be up soon and it will hopefully answer all of the questions you have! Stay safe!
maddudewalking: You pretty much guessed it all in your review, it is lucky this is not meant to be a suspense fic, otherwise I would have failed miserably! Thanks for reviewing, it is always good to hear from you!
Angelique Collins: Thankyou soooo much. I really hope that you liked this chapter as well, I am sure the next one will be fun to read. Hopefully it wont take to long to update! Thanks again…