The Difficulties of Avoidance

by dead2self

A/N: I've really enjoyed getting into this story again. I doubt I have many people keeping up with it anymore, but if anyone gets a new chapter update and comes back, I hope you enjoy this!

It was a close thing persuading Ginny to wait even one night longer, but Colin managed to talk her down, leaving her to stew in her bed. By the time she woke up, she knew he was right. They needed to make a plan.

Seeing Riddle for his morning meal was the last thing she wanted to do, but at least her anger at Snape had eclipsed Tom's threat. She fiddled with her fake galleon while he ate, running through distractions they could create, what time would be best, how they would send the sword off to Harry once they got it. Blessedly, Riddle was not any more inclined to talk than she was. Maybe that had been his aim all along.

Ginny had risked sneaking into the kitchens for his breakfast so that when she joined her house in the Great Hall, she could devote her full attention to their plans. She remained insistent that they move fast.

"He's going to change the password," she repeated under the cover of a Muffilato charm. "And they're already tense over the graffiti. If we don't do it now, we might not have another chance."

"What happened to caution?" quipped Gregory.

"Hang caution; this is war." Their eyes all swung furtively to Snape, who was speaking with Alecto Carrow.

"We need to do it right," Colin whispered. "It won't do Harry any good if we get caught."

"Then let's do it right tonight. Luna will want to be a part of the D.A. again. She'll be able to tell us who is patrolling."

The others exchanged dubious looks and she gritted her teeth, willing them to understand that this needed to be done. To her surprise, it was not Gregory who spoke up, but Colin. "Alright. Ask Luna about the patrols. If we can get the galleons to work for communication and if you somehow come up with a way to make sure Snape isn't in his office, we'll do it tonight."

It was a tall order, but as he said it out loud, Ginny knew that he was right. It was the most simplistic base they would require to have any chance of success, and still she bristled against it because she had a hard time imagining even that would be ready by nightfall.

Best start straight away then.

"On it," she said, shoving back from the table. Her mind spun ahead of her. She would have to catch Luna alone, but that was easier on the weekend. Snape she could check on the Marauders' Map. Honestly, staging some sort of distraction was likely the easiest part of the plan. As for the coins, she knew at least one person who was intimately familiar with the workings of a Protean Charm.

"New homework dilemma," she announced, spinning the coin between her fingers. She had sneaked up to the seventh floor corridor not long after breakfast and determined to use every precious minute to coax a solution out of Riddle. "This one is tailor-made for you."

Tom was in her chair, the more comfortable of the two, with a thick volume open on his knees. Overt curiosity at her extra visit quickly gave way to exasperation. "Incessant. Can you not think for yourself?"

"You promised homework help until you inevitably betray me. How could I not take advantage of the greatest wizarding mind of our time?"

There was a visible struggle in the set of Riddle's mouth between easy acquiescence to the title and utter disregard for her opinion. Sliding her pleasant grin into a smirk, she amended, "Well, second greatest, anyways, but the most available."

He scowled, and for a moment she thought she had pushed him to the point of ignoring her. She had prepared herself for undignified begging when he finally spoke up.

"So are you paying me now or is that your assignment?"

"Payment, naturally. I know about your dire need for fake currency, what with the spiders starting to charge squatter fees." She perched on his wooden chair and held the coin up for him to see. "Protean Charms. You're the expert."

That drew a smirk from him and he held out his hand for the coin. She hesitated a beat; the coin suddenly felt personal, a connection to Harry that she did not want to glibly hand off. Then she flipped it to him, rationalizing that there was nothing he could do to it beyond swallow it. If he was crazy enough to do that, she was not above a vomiting jinx.

"It's a part of an existing set," she explained as he turned it over. "I need to make new ones and link them to the existing coins."

"I am familiar with the theory." His mouth was all sharp teeth and his left first clenched. Ginny felt a sudden jolt as she looked down at his arm. Was his mark connected to Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters? Didn't that mean he could alert them to his presence in the castle with a touch of his finger?

"Dumbledore did at least have some foresight," he growled, shoving his robe sleeve up to his elbow. Where his Dark Mark should have been was a patch of shiny, pinched skin. Only a dappling of mottled gray hinted there had ever been a tattoo at all.

"Merlin," Ginny breathed, leaning over his arm, their proximity forgotten. She could not imagine Dumbledore bent over Riddle, searing flesh, but here was the evidence. He stuffed the sleeve down before she could reach for it.

"Pity, Weasley? You'd all be dead."

She shifted back at the danger in his voice. "I'm glad you can't call down You-Know-Who on us. Don't read too much into it."

"It is a wonder you've survived the year, just thinking of it now. What other things have you overlooked?"

"I trust you'll let me know in due time," she answered, but now was not the time to focus on Riddle's threats or scare tactics. Taking out her wand, she focused on Conjuring a new fake Galleon to work on. She caught it deftly out of the air and by then Tom had resumed his false goodwill and professorial air.

"I will assume you know the incantation, small hope though that is—" She threw the Galleon at him and Conjured another. When she left the room, she was a handful of Galleons heavier and ready for a warpath.

Already bolstered, Ginny set out to find Luna. After checking some of the usual places, she spotted her on the lakeshore screeching into the dark water. As she approached, Ginny thought that she saw a figure beneath the surface dart away.

"Hello, Ginny. I was just singing, or at least I think I was. I do so wish I could speak Mermish. How are you?"

Giving a halfhearted shrug, Ginny handed over the letter from Fred. Luna scanned over it and then gave a small, sad sound, seizing Ginny's hand. "Oh, Ginny…"

Swallowing hard, Ginny squeezed her friend's hand. "I'm going to steal the sword," she whispered. "You in?"

Up close Luna was pallid and thinner than even the week before. Then her chin ducked and her eyes lit with mischief that was rarely there. "For Harry," she whispered.

Luna and Demelza's distraction was perfect, the coins told Ginny and the boys when to dart out of Gryffindor tower, and the password to the Headmaster's office was unchanged. And it was all for nothing.

When Snape marched them back into his office, Ginny thought he looked downright genteel compared to how she felt about herself. They stood in a line before his desk. Like a mantra tumbling over in her head, all she could think was I should have been more patient punctuated with the deeper, chilling He's going to kill me.

She still had no idea how he had found them out. He'd been clear down in the dungeons when they'd entered his office, and they had been so careful watching for jinxes and traps that would warn of intruders. But even if they had tripped some trap when they had taken the sword from its case – and still, Ginny was convinced they had not – an all out sprint would not have brought Snape up from the dungeons in time to intercept them leaving his office. How had he known?

The only good that had come out of the night was that only the three of them in the office itself had been caught in the act. Luna's part was undiscovered. Colin quivered to her right and Gregory kept his hands stuffed in his pockets to her left, but Ginny stared straight ahead at Snape. The Sword of Gryffindor lay across his desk between them. More than fear, her stomach churned with anger. She had been holding it, and now they would never get close to it again.

"What is to be done with you?" Snape said, slow and quiet. His voice was terrifying. "Breaking curfew, trespassing in the Headmaster's office, attempted theft. Some might find such infractions grounds for expulsion."

Behind Snape's head, Ginny watched Professor Dumbledore slide into the frame of his portrait. He peered at her, rather red-faced, but did not open his mouth. Nonetheless, the sight of him bolstered Ginny.

"It wasn't theft." Her voice sounded loud in her own ears, and next to her Colin startled. Snape raised one brow. "That's Gryffindor's Sword. It belongs to us."

"A fascinating perspective, Miss Weasley, but the sword is the property of Hogwarts School. I had hoped you understood your precarious position, but it seems you need reminding."

Ginny bristled. "Please, sir, remind me. I'm all ears."

Gregory stared openmouthed at her now, but all Ginny could see was Snape. She thought about him sighting George down the length of his wand, the light flashing, her brother screaming. His features went from cold to dangerous, and still she knew any punishment he might serve would be worth it. She sneered straight back, putting every ounce of her rage into that look.

His lip curled. "You will serve detention in the Forbidden Forest. Deep in the forest. Hagrid tells me the acromantulas have been vicious of late. Perhaps you can assist him in calming the pack."

Ginny blinked, and then struggled against showing any vestige of spiteful laughter. She wouldn't fool herself that the forest wasn't dangerous, but on the whole she had stopped being scared of it around the time she rode a thestral out of it. If Snape thought he could threaten her with creatures that went bump in the night, he'd chosen the wrong tactic.

Luckily, Colin squeaked and Gregory gulped, and their fate was sealed. A thin smile curved across Snape's face, and Ginny braced herself for the rest. But that, to her genuine shock, was the whole of it.

The Headmaster told them the date of their detention and sent them back to the common room. Ginny trailed behind the two boys in a haze, trying to work it out. Perhaps Snape, with his wrongheaded ideas about Hagrid's magical creatures, legitimately thought he was sending them into dangerous territory.

It was not until they closed the portrait hole that Ginny let herself believe they had gotten away with it. Her breath went out of her in a whoosh and then she did not make it halfway into the common room before she was doubled over, cackling. Colin and Gregory froze, startled by her outburst, but Demelza flew at them from where she had been waiting on the stairs.

"What happened?"

"Nothing!" Ginny wheezed, finding that she could hardly breathe. She could not tell anymore if she was laughing or hyperventilating and found the back of an armchair to hold on to.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Snape caught us," said Colin. "We have detention with Hagrid in the Forest."

Demelza's face slid smoothly from horrified to confused. More or less how Ginny felt at the moment. "Are you serious? That's all?"

Gregory snapped at her. "Well, excuse those of us who prefer not herding manticores and werewolves and—and whatever horrors Hagrid stores in there."

"Manticores?" Ginny snorted, just as she started regaining her breath.

"The Carrows are using the Cruciatus on first years," said Demelza. Her voice pitched higher than normal. "I say you shouldn't complain."

All four of them swallowed carefully, and Gregory gave her wrist a short squeeze, nodding. Ginny imagined Demelza waiting on the steps alone when they did not come back on time. Taking a deep breath, she straightened.

"I'm sorry everyone. I should have let us wait longer."

"We all decided together," said Colin. He patted her on the shoulder, then pulled away as though unsure of himself. It was a sweet gesture. It sort of made her feel worse.

"But there's no way we're getting the sword now," she said.

"Maybe Harry already has a plan to get it."

Ginny frowned, but she could not help feeling she had failed her brother and Harry in one fell swoop. Even unleashing her anger on Snape had felt distinctly unsatisfying. They may have gotten off easily, but he held all the power.

Standing toe-to-toe with Snape, she did know one thing: Dumbledore's Army was not finished. "We can still do things to fight back. The other students need to know someone is fighting for them, especially the Muggle-borns."

"We'll just have to be even smarter about it," said Colin. "We probably shouldn't do anything until after our detention, but we can start planning."

"I'm still in," said Gregory. "Spiders and all." Demelza rolled her eyes, but agreed with them.

Before they climbed the stairs to bed, Ginny shot off a Patronus. It could not carry messages for her yet, but Luna would know that she was safe and alive. Exhausted, she trailed behind Demelza, and climbed robes and all into bed.

Unfortunately, lying still only allowed her mind to race. Her blood was pumping too fast to sleep and her thoughts spun with all the things she seethed to say to Snape. He was a miserable, callous, brother-maiming traitor and she had stood there, looked him in the eye, and had not even tried to curse him.

She seethed until her rage crumbled and she began shaking. Because she could not forget that she had looked him square in the eye and flung her emotions in his face. Tonight had been more dangerous than any of the others knew. Horror crept up her spine as – her anger evaporated – she instead imagined Snape reaching into her mind, laid open to him. All their best laid plans and all her work up in smoke because she charged into a warpath. Had he looked, Snape could have found Tom.

Her mind went to the copied parchment in her trunk, the dense text on Occlumency. She needed to decipher it and fast. Something told her this would not be the last time she stared down Snape, and the next time she did it, her mind needed to be defended.