Ch. 4 – Ginny Weasley, Death Eater Extraordinaire

Severus was furious. How could anyone be such an idiot? There was no way around it now, if he wanted to live, he had to bring Ginny Weasley to Voldemort in a month. How could someone have exposed him in this way? How could someone have risked Ginny's life? That was what he was most furious about. He could take care of himself, but Ginny… there was not enough time to train her in occlumency, taking her to Voldemort risked exposure for everyone. There was no way around it: there was a mole inside the Order of the Phoenix. There was someone purposefully attempting to destroy them all.

It was probably a good thing that there were no students at Hogwarts. With Snape raging the way he was if a student had so much as looked at him it was likely the student would get detention and loose points for his house. "Fizzing Whizzby," he growled at the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. It jumped eagerly out of his way. Dumbledore didn't appear to be in, so Snape contented himself with pacing the room and mumbling curse words.

"Severus, so good to see you," said Dumbledore as he entered the room.

"There's a leak."

"Where? In the dungeons? I'll be sure to set Argus on it immediately."

"No damn it! There's a leak inside the Order," Snape shouted in reply.

"What makes you say that?" Dumbledore asked his blue eyes twinkling.

"Voldemort knew Ginny is my apprentice. He wants me to bring her to him in a month. How could he have known unless someone let it leak? Maybe it was an accident, you know, Arthur just mentioned it to…"

"I told them to let it out."

"You did what? How could you? What are we supposed to do now?"

"Hold on, Severus, hold on. Let me explain everything. My first meeting with Ms. Weasley was purely to ascertain the extent to which she wanted to help the Order of the Phoenix. I, like everyone else, thought that after being possessed by Voldemort she would prefer to work in the background like her mother, but we were wrong. Ms. Weasley told me quite resolutely that she wanted to be a spy. She believes that Voldemort will trust her and she thought that she could be accepted into his inner circle. So I began to teach her occlumency and legilimency to prepare her for her role."

"But this is insane… she's a child…"

"Come now Severus, you of all people should realize that she is no longer a child. This was her decision. She is more than prepared for her task, for as we know, Ms. Weasley is quite proficient in anything she puts her mind to."

"But…"

"Severus, don't argue with me. She's ready, and you are going to take her to Voldemort."

Severus couldn't argue with Dumbledore, but he didn't have to like it.

Ginny was listening to her Muggle CD collection, humming along, occasionally singing along, as she brewed a stock of Pepperup potion for Madam Pomfrey, who was stocking up for the beginning of term.

Severus was outside of her door, composing himself. He had no idea what he was going to say, although he knew that his first instinct ("What the hell were you thinking?") was not likely to go over well. When he heard a pause in the sounds of music and bubbling from her cauldron, he gathered himself and knocked lightly on the door. He jumped slightly as Ginny flung the door open and said, "Yes, Professor?"

He was shocked. She must have known he was there. "Voldemort demanded that I bring you to him in a month," he said simply and turned to walk away.

"Professor, would you like to come in… for tea, perhaps? You have been standing out there an awfully long time," she flashed him a grin.

He scowled in reply. "I never turn down an invitation for tea, Ms. Weasley." He stepped into her room, heart pounding. He felt as giddy as a school boy. What the hell was wrong with him?

He glanced around at her small room. It was nothing like the suite of rooms he called home. There was nothing dark and dank and slightly oppressive about this room. In fact, it could be called cozy. It could have been because there was so much…stuff. That was the thing about women, they invaded your life and filled it with stuff and suddenly everything was different. A woman's touch, they called it, meddlesome stuff to Severus.

"Have a seat, please," she said softly, nodding to her bed, as she hung the tea kettle full of water on the hook above the fire that her cauldron had occupied seconds before. She sat on the bed and looked up at him. "Well, are you going to sit?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you telling me that you are going to stand while we have tea? Professor, sit," she barked at him and tugged on his arm. Severus obeyed unaware that he did so. His heart was beating faster. He was sitting on a woman's bed. When was the last time this had happened? Damn it! She not a woman! She's your apprentice, he thought. That seemed to snap him out of it.

"Is there something wrong, Professor?"

"Of course not, Ms. Weasley. I'm just trying to figure out what possessed you…" he paused and looked awkward as if realizing what that particular phrasing might imply. "I mean… what made you want to do this? Don't you realize that you have placed both of us in considerable danger? What if one of us is discovered? Besides that, do you realize what Voldemort requires of his followers? He will want you to kill, Ginny, or be killed, and there's nothing you can do about. He will demand that you give him everything… your loyalty, your life, your soul… the people you care about if he asks it."

"Do you think I don't realize that?" she paused, a very long pregnant pause. "Did you just call me Ginny?"

"Don't change the subject," he snapped. "If something happens to you I will never forgive myself. So don't go and do anything stupid while you're playing your little spy game, alright?"

"Playing my little spy game? How could you say that to me?" she shouted rising from the bed. "I volunteered to help you, Severus. I volunteered to risk my life, just so you would have someone to help you in case of need, and you repay me by lecturing me? You bastard!"

"Don't take that tone with me, Ms. Weasley," he snapped while rising from the bed. He towered a foot above her. "I am still your professor, and it would do you good to remember it. In the old days an apprentice would have never hidden such a thing from her master, on penalty of death."

"Oh, now you threaten my life do you? How dare you? You have no right to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. You're not my father!"

"No, I'm not. But I… I… care about you, damn it, and I don't want to see anything happen to you!" Severus went pale. Dear God, what did I just say, he thought. The silence was interrupted by the whistle of the tea kettle. Ginny pulled it off of the hook and set it on the nearby table.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about it now. I'm entering the Death Eaters as a spy, and we'll just have to take it as it comes."

Ginny knew that Snape regretted what he had said as soon as he said it. He turned pale (more so than usual) and left in a hurry. The following month was torture. She could feel their already tenuous friendship falling to pieces. Snape rarely talked to her unless entirely necessary and looked at her even less frequently. Even his instruction to her had become strained, it was no longer fluid and enjoyable; lecture, research, and practicum became painful, and if (the Gods' forbid it) they happen to brush hands or bump into each other, Snape pulled his hand away immediately and looked at her as if she had tried to set him on fire.

Of course, life wasn't entirely bad… she had mastered occlumency; the one nice thing Snape had sad to her was that her mind was like a fortress, almost as well protected as Hogwarts itself. Now that Snape was ignoring her, she had plenty of time to brew Dreamless Sleep, which meant that she was now getting full a night's sleep every night, and she even had the time to learn a few songs on her guitar. But none of that soothed the discomfort she felt at having lost her only true friend.

She was nervous. She had dressed as instructed, black pants, black boots, black long sleeve shirt, and black hooded cloak (summer-weight, of course). She stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room. "Black is not your color dear. Makes you look like death warmed over," it said sadly. She sighed, but had to agree; she looked like a small, female version of Severus Snape with one difference – she had red hair.

There was a light knock on the door. "Ready?" Snape whispered.

She didn't reply, but walked out into the hallway. "Portkey," he said holding out a drawstring pouch. She put her hand on it. "One… two… three…" she heard Snape count. She felt a sickening lurch as the Hogwarts dungeons disappeared and a very dark forest appeared. Severus pulled the hood of his cloak up, and she did the same.

"Stay close," he whispered. "Wait," he said abruptly. "Ginny, I... I…" he fumbled over his words.

"Professor," she replied curtly. "We don't have all night."

"Right. I just wanted to say… I meant what I said. I care about you… as a friend, of course… and I don't want to see you get hurt. Don't hold anything that happens against me."

She nodded in reply, and felt a knot jump into her throat. Did he know something she didn't? It wasn't as if his speech had helped to ease her nervousness. She thought that if Lord Voldemort didn't kill her, she might have a heart attack from her heart pounding so quickly. They made their way slowly to a clearing where a magically enhanced fire was blazing. The blue flames cast an eerie glow on the clearing; she sensed rather than saw the Death Eaters' presences. Shortly after they arrived at the clearing a tall cloaked figure made its way to the center near the fire. With a flamboyant motion the figure dropped its hood, revealing the face of Lord Voldemort.

Severus had tried to warn her – the spell from the Egyptian Book of the Dead had worked too well – not only did Lord Voldemort look human again, he looked young. In fact, if Ginny didn't know any better, she would have guessed him to be about 20, he looked very much like the 16 year old version of himself she remembered, except that he was taller and much more muscular.

Silently, he pointed to Ginny and motioned for her to come to him. Nervously, she crossed the gap to him. When she reached him, he grabbed her left arm and pulled the sleeve up.

"Kneel in front of your new Lord," he commanded. Ginny kneeled. A searing pain started where his hand wrapped around her left arm and traveled up into her shoulder, down her spine and slowly up into her brain. Her muscles began to spasm. Do you come freely?, she felt Voldemort in her brain searching.

Of course I come freely, Tom, she thought back.

I am Lord Voldemort. I am no longer Tom. He pulled her roughly to her feet and spun her around so that her back pressed against him. He displayed the Dark Mark now present on her left arm. Aloud he said, "I want you all to welcome the newest member to your ranks, my queen, Ginny Weasley. Say hello to Lady Voldemort."

There were audible gasps as he pulled her hood down. Ginny's heart jumped to her throat. Lady Voldemort? What was he talking about? He spun her around and began to kiss her; his tongue moved snake-like in and out of her mouth.

Ginny had to fight the urge to get sick. Waves of revulsion surge in her stomach. She was receiving her first kiss ever from… from Lord Voldemort. She wanted to kick him in the crotch and run screaming into the night. She had to fight to keep her mind shielded her revulsion was so strong. Her nightmare replayed in her mind.

Snape wanted to shout. He wanted to force the Dark Lord to stop touching Ginny. She was his damn it! How dare he? He fought the urge to run across the clearing and pull Ginny away. It was torture watching Voldemort so thoroughly enjoy the woman of his dreams. His face twisted into a grimace and he had to struggle to keep the mask he wore impassive and emotionless. For once he was glad he wore a hooded cloak.

The torture seemed as if it would never end.

A/N: The story has taken a much, much darker turn, and it will continue to get darker, but I am going to focus a little more on the relationship between Ginny and Snape in upcoming chapters. Please, please, please, read and review! My reviews have tapered off and I'm finding it hard to keep writing… I've actually finished the story in my head, but without reviews I'm finding it hard to get it out of my head. If you liked it or hated it, please tell me so that I can strive to do more of what you like or less of what you hate.