Last Preparations

Last Preparations

Monday morning, Ginny silently saw to a substantial breakfast, as it was usually one of her morning tasks, before she went to discuss the questions and proposals she had listed the day before. She had slept rather well, albeit not soundly, and was ready to use the time she had been granted. The one thought troubling her mind persistently was she had no means at all to inform her family or friends of her whereabouts and how she was faring. She would so have liked to assure them that she wasn't being mistreated.

She clung to the thought that they possibly had realised that it had been Professor Snape who had taken her away in the end. They had hexed the other Death Eater away, but not him.

:*:*:*:

Legilimency was hard work for both of them, and his teaching style was just as caustic and icy as it had ever been. "If you only had the courtesy to concentrate on the task as much as on frying bacon and eggs, Miss Weasley! I am not willing to waste my time here."

She let the pictures of her father showing her his family tree flicker up, but it vanished when he probed harder. "Will you spare me the view of that bushy know-it-all perusing that ridiculous list of names?"

Ginny did her best to clear her mind again. She was now to explain a potion against corns on the foot from last school year. Why would she steep the whole herring scales in rattlesnake venom in this case rather than grind them as one does for wart ointments? While she concentrated on the difference, Snape moved and caught her eye. "Legilimens!"

Sure enough, he soon found a new reason to comment on her performance. "Miss Weasley, spare me the pathetic wailing of the glorious boy over ending your relationship. Have the courtesy and appreciate my efforts here."

She had hardly recovered from the attack on her mind when he asked impatiently, "Found the answer for the herring scales by now?"

"Uh, sir, yes, sir. The most active substance, the grewinster, passes into the ointment with both methods. The wart ointment is to go deep and must not spread sideways into the unharmed skin. The frugulan in the ground herring scales directs the ointments perpendicularly into the skin. It does not pass into the rattlesnake venom, though. Therefore this ointment stays on the surface of the skin and makes for a softer transition zone at the border of the treated patch of skin."

Her ability to concentrate and her eloquence when presenting her potions skills were... acceptable, but he would not tell her so. She must not become overconfident, he explained his actions to himself. Instead, he barely nodded in acknowledgement and immediately attacked her again. "Legilimens!"

She was absolutely unprepared this time and presented any kind of picture he searched for. "And through again! I am sick of seeing your pathetic brother holding the locket like a Quidditch cup. He deserves neither of them."

Breathing heavily, she recollected her thoughts once again. She now avoided eye contact as much as possible. The problem was he demanded her to get up and walk around, or do push ups, or carry books elsewhere, or build a house from Draco's Exploding Snap cards, constantly checking her on the last two years of Potions lessons.

Inevitably, he eventually broke through again. "Your mind is as smooth and creamy as today's breakfast porridge."

After two hours, they made a tea break. Heavily drenched in sweat, Ginny was more than satisfied to see that her teacher's clothes were as soaked as her own were.

Nursing his tea, Severus observed the young girl. She had grown physically as well as mentally. Her body showed the female features of the N.E.W.T.s students. It had always amazed him how the girls he remembered as spindly first-years with thin, elf-like voices transformed into young women standing their ground: very young, in her case, but developing into a woman nevertheless. With the thin, sweaty shirt clinging to her body... "Will you change into the warmer shirt Draco provided before I have to brew you a flu potion?"

The rest of their tea break passed in a comfortable silence.

Severus had to check on Draco in the lab, leaving Ginny to herself for maybe an hour. Before he left downstairs, he remarked shortly, "Draco understands that you search for items the Dark Lord keeps well protected, but he need not know what these items are called or what their property is. I assume I am one of very few Death Eaters who know, and this is how it shall remain. The Order operates in a similar fashion." Ginny nodded. Besides the quartet, only Mad Eye Moody and Headmistress McGonagall knew about the Horcruxes; Remus Lupin had a rather good idea what kind of items they searched for since he had joined them at Godric's Hollow, but he didn't know they were Horcruxes.

She was to clean around the sitting room and bathroom and prepare lunch. "You are my captive and should work like a slave."

His words might have appeared insulting, and his voice had carried much of its harsh teaching vitriol, yet Ginny felt at ease with these tasks, and thus the remarks had not hurt. This was nothing different from what she was used to doing at home. In fact, the rooms were rather clean: the three of them hadn't produced anything like the normal chaos in The Burrow, and lunch for three is hardly worth mentioning when one is used to preparing it for nine plus random guests.

She went about on the ground floor freely. She rearranged a bit what she found uneconomic, like the use of the kitchen drawers or the place for shoes. With a shake of her head, she considered the patterns of the sofa: a menacingly shrill green base with gold and black ornaments. Can give you the creeps, she thought. The armchair had once been an agreeable shade of navy blue but sported an oddly whirling pattern in a rather aggressive shade of orange. The once cosy curtains held a light crème showing a pacifying pattern in burgundy and navy. They would give the room a homely touch if the fabric was not so bleached from the sunlight and covered in cobwebs and dust. She found a tablecloth in a sideboard. It would only demand some simple transfiguration (for which she lacked the wand), but then it could cover the wear and tear of the sofa. She would ponder more about it, if only to keep herself from drifting into darker images.

They enjoyed a hearty lunch for three, each following their own thoughts, not finding the silence any uncomfortable.

:*:*:*:

Severus insisted that the afternoon begin with a session of Legilimency and Occlumency. This time, Draco was to entangle Ginny in a conversation or in simple activities while Severus would jump in to catch her mind.

Severus would have liked to distract her even more by demanding also Draco Legilimise her, but his skills were not so well developed that he would really represent a threat. On the other hand, a random success could provide him with information that was best hidden from him.

For the latter reason, Severus could not use Ginny to train Draco. She would, however...he had to grant her that...get deep into the boy's mind if she so chose.

It was exhausting work once again. Draco taught Ginny the theory of the first potions of the sixth year, constantly asking her and engaging her in a discussion. Severus interfered at random, addressing either of them with questions or giving further information or attacking either of their minds.

With satisfaction, Severus noticed that Draco's previously mediocre performance got a boost as he saw how well the girl withstood these attacks, and that she managed to answer Draco's questions or repeat concepts he had explained. One hardly got the impression she was doing anything else, although Occluding her mind should have taken all her energy.

Finally, their teacher called it a day. "Severus, should you warn Miss Weasley about the most potent Legilimenses among the Death Eaters?"

Severus regarded them both with a serious expression. "Yes and no. Yes, because indeed you must know that there will be others besides the Dark Lord himself attempting to intrude into your thoughts. This is what we've been training you for right now. No, because we can never know who else excels in a certain skill and who does not. It is dangerous to trust that somebody would be harmless. I will not give you a list of accomplished Legilimenses because it would inevitably be incomplete and thus dangerous. We can also assume that you would not recognise everybody." They both understood his arguments.

Lecturing again, he continued. "Remember to Occlude your minds every night. Do so repetitively also over the day. Make a habit to start and end each meal Occluding your mind. Occlude it on the way to the bathroom, and especially on your way out back into a group. It is in these transition moments where one hardly focuses on anything concrete that an unashamed Legilimens prefers to attack with force. He will get deep and learn much before being discovered and blocked. If he cannot risk discovery at all, the opposite is true: he lures his victim to concentrate on the matter he wishes to see and attacks then. He will have to attack more softly and with a sharp focus but will not have to scan through sundry thoughts before he finds what he looks for. Either method is equally dangerous for both of you in the company of Death Eaters," he finished. He noticed with satisfaction that the girl had identified her own actions in his explanations.

:*:*:*:

They spent some time with individual occupations. Ginny found herself thinking about her family and friends, the Order and of course Wednesday night. She was more confident now that she stood a chance...if they proceeded with the training as they had that day, and if she could stand the procedure at all. Voldem...no, the Dark Lord. Him. "Sir," she asked and waited for the professor to look at her. "Would you mind terribly showing me a picture of the Dark Lord as he will look on Wednesday?"

Severus had already decided to let her in, only had all but forgotten about this, so his answer came immediately and quite amiably, surprising both youths. "No, of course not. I will think of some scenes that will help you. Give me a while."

While he never felt comfortable with the idea of someone intruding his mind, he did not fear she would misuse her allowance. He was an accomplished Occlumens who had to be taken by surprise to reveal anything. Potter had managed to do so; the Dark Lord luckily had not...or hardly ever...although he had explored Severus' mind most thoroughly and forcibly.

On occasions, Death Eaters used Legilimency to show each other what had happened, or, as it would be now, how a person looked like. Lucius' methods were by far the most distasteful. Even if he pretended that he wanted your co-operation, he thrust deeply and carelessly, never bothering if he hurt or destroyed anything left or right. He used Legilimency with the same disgusting ignorance he raped or took a prostitute, both situations he had forced the young Severus to watch.

Albus again had been caring, comforting. Not that he would have allowed any barriers, oh no! He had identified them immediately. Nevertheless, he had patiently coaxed Severus into opening them willingly, convincing the young man that it was what he really wanted: to be seen as a whole and be accepted, warts and all---his sins, scars and regrets.

Ten minutes later, they faced each other at the table near the window, alone in the room. Severus waved the lamps to a higher shine, which he normally avoided for saving reasons, and when he faced her properly and showed his readiness, she cast the Legilimens on him. He felt the shy and tender sensation of her investigation. It was nothing like the Dark Lord's or Lucius' brutal assaults, the more or often less skilful attempts of other Death Eater colleagues, and not even Dumbledore's persistent prodding. She didn't go any deeper once she felt the slightest resistance. She felt her way along the barriers he built: she explored, scanned through the pictures he offered, and somehow filled the space he gave her with her warm presence. His own memories now felt as if there were a second being very close, radiating comforting warmth. He allowed her access to four selected occasions and sent a very soft 'stop' in the end. She left his mind immediately, and he almost felt sorry.

She looked shocked. "It's incredible that this... this creature is the same person as the handsome teenager Tom Riddle from the diary. Have you ever seen him at the age of sixteen, professor?" Severus tilted his head, no, before he realised what invitation would come now. She straightened up in her seat. "I'll show you then. Let me see... yes, this will do, and that. Now, if you would... " It wasn't a question, and Severus could not truly reject this, could he?

And so he was permitted, invited even to share a picture with her. For the first time, he tried to share someone's memory as gently as he possibly could, carefully paying attention to the tiniest signal to stop.

First he saw the sinks in a pupils' toilet. A female teenage voice was wailing nearby, frequently giving a gurgling sound. There was a book, the diary. It felt incredibly attractive; he could not remove his eyes from it. Neither did he want to. Looming in or above the book, there was the small ghost-like shape of a boy for whom he felt an intimate familiarity and trust. The elder boy with his old fashioned but immaculate haircut encouraged Severus with an elegant flourish to say, "Open up!" Severus felt waves of Ginny's warm pride that she would call this boy her friend. On the third attempt, the tab of the nearby sink glowed white and began to spin. The sink sank away to reveal a large pipe. "Now we go in there. You'll be so surprised, Ginny," the boy coaxed. Oh yes, he would go there! Tom showed him what none of his...that is her...brothers knew! When Severus felt an incredible curiosity and excitement, the picture faded away.

Next, Severus saw a stone wall, pillars and the book. Some cloudy substance emerged from the book, became taller than himself and more concrete and finally took the form of that same handsome teenager...Tom Riddle. His clothes were clean, and his tall and slender body was moving elegantly. Admirable, Severus was forced to think. Initially, he was transparent. He started talking, neutrally first but then increasingly harder, finally sneering, so that his harsh voice and the insults touched Severus' heart. Tom called Ginny pathetic, not worth giving a further thought, a mere waste of time. Severus felt himself firstly at a loss with that new attitude; then he began to plea and beg desperately. He sobbed, feeling more weak and desperate. Finally he collapsed, drained of all life-force, too weak to cry or think. As the boy became more and more solid he dominated the view, and the background of the room faded away. In the end, all vision went out of focus and finally dark.

Shaken from the experience, Ginny and Severus remained still. The sound of a question returned them to the here and now. Draco's voice nearly failed him as he asked, looking from one to the other, "What did he request you to do?"

"Open the way to the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny replied dully. "Probably it was similar every time I had to call the Basilisk, but he always made me forget those incidents. All but the last time, when he planned for me to die anyway." Draco's pale face relaxed gradually.

It took Severus a while to steady his breath and recollect himself. "He gained your trust, then he lured you, Miss Weasley?" he finally asked, working his muscles as if verifying that they were functional.

"He pretended to understand me so well. I have six elder brothers whom everybody knew already. No one made an effort to get to know me: I was 'just the next Weasley' for them." Severus tried not to react on the accusation, but he heard the sad triumph in her voice when she said, 'See?' and he nodded. Of course he had been thinking the same. "And there were the rich girls with fabulous brooms. Stylish new robes, beautiful quills and new books in fancy bags, while all my things were old and battered. Tom listened, he understood, he soothed me... only to shatter all my trust into pieces." She stopped herself before she came to the dormitory aspects of shampoo brands, soaps and underwear.

Being on speaking terms with Harry Potter had lifted her image a little, but she had hated using him. Him whom she had adored and wasn't actually able to speak to freely.

Severus sighed. "This is the way he works, even today."

They sat in silence for a while more. Severus did his best not to think how indifferent he had been to her. Another Weasley, yes, but a girl, and a strong one. No, not in those days. Back then she had been dreamy in classes, and they had not realised why that had been. Seduced by the Dark Lord at the age of eleven! "How have your experiences been attended to?"

"With a mug of hot chocolate."

Draco couldn't stop a huff. He did not dare to ask aloud, but his mind provided a picture of their late headmaster offering a lemon drop together with the chocolate drink. I've no right to criticise him, he reprimanded himself, but he had learned already that also Dumbledore had not been without failures.

Abruptly, Ginny stood up. "Enough of this. I've seen how he looks today, and I'm not to discuss the diary with him. It is one of the things I must not reveal to him lest he has an easy way to ridicule me and to really get at me," she declared with force. "Please try to probe also there tomorrow. I MUST NOT allow him to see me like this."

"We will work on it, Miss Weasley," he assured her with no edge in his voice. "It is late, and we are all exhausted. Let's skip tea and prepare an early dinner." His middle finger twitched in the direction of the kitchen.

Ginny perused the food, decided on pasta bolognese and set them all to work. "We'll make enough of the basic sauce, minced meat, onions and tomatoes to last for two days. We change the spices tomorrow, though."

It turned out that their professor wasn't ignorant of cooking. "It is close to Potions, after all," he commented. "But for every day, it just does not seem worth the effort." It was an idea that Ginny wholeheartedly opposed. "With the prospect of enjoying a good dinner together, it is fun to prepare the meal, especially if all join in."

Once again, Draco held his breath. The way she conversed with the ever-brooding stern head of Slytherin House would have cost her 50 points a day. But nothing happened; no reprimand came. There truly was a strange chemistry between them!

After an indeed enjoyable dinner, they let in fresh air in an attempt to replace a walk. Severus lit the fire against the disagreeable, cold and wet autumn air, and they took out their books once again.

Severus felt himself unable to focus on his reading. Experiencing how the feelings of an eleven-year-old girl had been shattered and crushed had touched him deeply. And the same young person would now have to face this monster again! From where did she take the strength? What made her go on at all? He had to admit he admired her composure.

:*:*:*:

They started Tuesday similarly to Monday; only they did the shopping tour all together.

Ginny had insisted on getting at least the most elementary supplies. Her list was short. "I'm really sorry, but I will also need some hair conditioner," she told them. "And no, it won't do with a disentanglement charm. Only boys believe in those. The only alternatives would be a hair clipping charm or a pair of really good scissors. But I don't trust either of you with that. I'd end up looking worse than the old hag in the creepy picture on the fifth floor."

While Severus didn't really see the problem, he inwardly had to admit that she had not made much of a female fuss around her appearance so far. In fact, he could hardly think of any of her female friends, or any young woman he knew, who would have demanded less. Further, he took it as a good sign that she had a will, considering how close she was to the all-deciding meeting. She would increase her chance to live if she looked agreeable, although she had to avoid drawing too much attraction from a certain type of men.

All in all, Severus was ready to spend a few pounds on items he would never permit himself. There was more. "You should have long, dark clothes for tomorrow night, a cloak or robe. We will ask Narcissa for help. Make sure that you have something reasonable for underneath," he reminded her.

He also noticed that the shopping list contained unspecific items like 'meat for 3 meals' and '2x vegetable, 2x salad'. His question was easily answered. "I don't know what they have in this Muggle shop, nor do I know Muggle prices. We'll have to check over there."

As she bent to lace her shoes, Draco murmured towards Severus, "Care to bet how long we will be shopping today?"

On their way to the shop, they held Ginny in the middle. She had received her wand (for emergencies only!) and felt much better for it. It would have been even better with a few rays of sunshine, but the Dementors saw to it that the weather would not endanger their young.

In the shop, they sent Draco for the general stuff while Severus stayed on guard close to Ginny when she went for clothes. A few critical looks were enough for her to get whatever she needed. He did not check the details except that he noticed there were no laces and frills in the shelves and hangers where she had searched.

Ginny was efficient with the food shopping as well, and even the avaricious Severus was satisfied with the bill. They found themselves on their way back much earlier than Draco had anticipated, although Ginny was very quiet, as if preoccupied with something. Severus observed her apprehensively for signs that her composure might falter. However, when around half the way her face cleared a bit, he hoped it was nothing.

:*:*:*:

Back inside, the men engaged themselves with security. Several wards had to be thoroughly erected, and meticulous precautions had to be taken.

Ginny dropped her bag and rushed to fetch the tablecloth from the sofa before anyone saw her. With a swish of her wand and a "Magnificato!" she had transformed the fabric into the right size. She slipped through her professor's grasp...he had to steer around her bag...went over to the window and held the sofa-wrapper-to-be next to the curtains. Tracing their pattern with her wand she uttered "Duplo Ornamento Originalis," then pointed her wand at the former tablecloth where she performed the partner spell "Repro Ornamento!"

Around the time of the third spell, Severus had caught up with her and found himself holding her tightly. "Miss Weasley, no! Do not do anything foolish now," he said in a reassuring, soothing voice. "Don't give up. You are not lost yet. We will find a way." He was murmuring softly into her hair wrapping both arms around her, enveloping her with his warmth and concern.

After the first moment of panic, he assessed the situation. He quickly let go of her and looked at the fabric, which was now a light crème colour showing the same happy pattern in brilliant burgundy and navy as the boosted up curtains. To his imagination two of the blue elements all of a sudden resembled eyes while a curved red line looked like a mouth. The face was regaring him with a twisted smile, happily mocking his emotional reaction!

His eyes moved to Ginny with the most menacing glare, "What is the meaning of this? How can you risk your life, our lives, for something as futile as this?" He turned and left the room without a further glance at her. He slammed the door of his bedroom closed.

:*:*:*:

Severus paced agitatedly for some time and then sat on the bed, head in hands to calm down.

This had been totally unexpected. Firstly, she had not made any foolish attempt to free herself, kill herself, or whatever it was he had feared. Certainly she should have checked if they were indeed alone. It was foolish to go so close to the window towards the backyard before they had verified it was empty. He would have to remind her of this. No, tell her for the first time how very different his house-safety was empty and occupied.

Secondly, what had he been thinking of, embracing her? He had never yet embraced anyone like this! Why would he? Who would want it?

His heart had been racing; he had been so afraid she might kill herself, make an attempt to flee or just wildly hex everything she could reach. No, the last one had not been in his original thought! He would gladly let her hex whatever she wanted if it allowed her mind to focus, if it kept her alive, safe, unharmed... and close to him. No, nonsense: she should be away from people such as himself.

He wanted to know she was safe, and he found he liked her being close.

Where had he found this voice from, these words that were so alien to him? Tender, caring – this was not Severus Snape. He was not the caring type, now, was he?

She was a sixteen-year-old girl, a friend of Harry Potter. She happened to have ended up in his house by sheer luck. Bad luck. And she would leave the house the first chance she had. Not a foolish one, but a realistic one. She would return to her family and friends, who would welcome her with open arms and with all their warmth.

Severus found he could not fully enjoy this thought.

:*:*:*:

In the sitting room, Ginny was reflecting on the same situation while she draped the beautiful fabric around the old sofa.

Instead of being unceremoniously disarmed as she had expected, she had found herself in the arms of her professor. Strong arms, holding her almost desperately. The gesture had been most welcome: she longed for a touch, for a personal encouragement, but it was certainly not what one expected from Professor Snape.

She could still feel where his strong arms had touched her. All around her he had reached, warm and gentle. The whole wizard world would deny Severus Snape would even be able to behave like that. How his heart had pounded against her ribs!

His voice! What a strange idea that the strict professor could speak in such manners. Comforting. Reassuring. Caring. It had had that sound the day before, too.

In his (more or less) neutral lecturing mode, it usually rolled smoothly and, while he used to speak softly, it had always carried easily through the classsroom. She was glad that the icy, sharp, menacing variant of his voice had more often hit Colin or another of her classmates than herself.

There were more variants of his voice, one for berating students whose potion had gone wrong or whose defensive block had failed, one for the clear and strict commands after an exploding cauldron or a misdirected curse had caused mayhem in his classroom.

Now she knew of yet another nuance of his voice: soothing and gentle, but equally able to creep under her skin, especially from this close, as if his lips had brushed her ear.

It was a voice and gesture fitting to feelings most people refused to bring in association with Severus Snape. They saw the persona he had decided to show to the world. Yes, he certainly wanted to show this persona and nothing else, but that didn't mean other sides of him would not exist.

It was similar with all her brothers. One style was typical for Percy, another for Charlie. Fred and George were generally considered to be totally alike and never, ever like Percy. If Ron did something out of his persona, he was behaving "like Bill." What nonsense! Certainly they all had their main trail of characteristics, but everyone had the whole bonanza of behaviours available. It was just the question how often one would let which part rule and maybe how at ease one was with a given behaviour.

For Severus Snape, the assortment of feelings would be equally rich. He certainly felt pain and grief as everybody did. Considering what he was forced to do or watch, he would know much more about grief than your average wizard. That he didn't want to show it to the world didn't mean he could not feel it.

The same was true with positive feelings. Of course he had a heart, a capability for feelings of caring, joy, comforting. Somewhere...

He clearly showed a lot of pride. Demonstrating feelings of the softer kind, be it caring or grief, did not go well together with pride and dignity. Yet today he had done so.

In the last two years, Ginevra Weasley had observed people better than before and looked for the small signs of these softer feelings in her teachers as well. She had not found any with Professor Snape. Maybe I have been expecting too obvious signs? How has he treated me these two days? Wondering a little longer she found that even Severus Snape reacted on people, only not on the most standard ways. His look would linger just a fraction of a second longer on you than necessary before it was swallowed by a sneer. He would make a step shorter than his normal stride, to give you more room or time. His snide remark would, analysed carefully, not be an insult at all. Had he not complimented her on the bacon and eggs and the porridge for breakfast?

Ginny would not assume that her stern professor was ready to admit such feelings or such deeds. This wasn't the point, either: the sole point was that he was capable of them.

:*:*:*:

When the door to Severus' room had slammed closed, Draco had gone to the kitchen to handle their shopping.

During the months living with his former Head of House, Draco had learned more about the man than in the six years at school. And yet, an outburst like this had not been in the palette of emotions he had ever shown before.

After stowing the salad and tomatoes in the cupboard, Draco cast a Keep-Fresh over them and considered their near future while he busied himself with tea.

The fates didn't mean well with any captives the Death Eaters made. Every time one of them was tortured or killed, it had affected Draco and Severus, but this time it would be much worse. Ginny Weasley had lived here with them. Not only waited for her doom, but intensively interacted with them. With Severus mainly and in ways that Draco had not believed possible. Truth be told, she had brought this 'female touch' into the house his mother had considered missing. With incredible ease, she had imprinted herself on all rooms here.

Our rooms? What about our souls, then?

Meals were enjoyable now that the food looked and tasted inviting. Every dish motivated him to take second helpings even beyond what hunger demanded. Evening readings were nicer in company, and she had managed to create an atmosphere by simply drawing the curtains closed, serving them all a drink with a nice gesture, arranging fruit or crackers invitingly. Or she simply scented the air with a shy smile.

Although Ginny Weasley had never entered the Potions lab, even this place had benefited from the generally lifted mood. Once, Draco had happened to look at Severus when they heard Ginny announce dinner. The expression on his face had been... more than relaxed. Anticipating? Happy? Maybe these words did not quite fit, but something positive it had been.

Draco reached for the tea and the kettle.

Today, Ginny's unexpected spell work had of course taken Severus by surprise. Normally he would have disarmed and berated a student. Instead he had displayed fear for her person and for her mental wellbeing. Even under the given circumstances, he had reacted more personally than Draco would ever have imagined possible.

:*:*:*:

The sofa looked friendly and inviting against the dark wall of books. Ginny was satisfied with the result, but her insides churned when she remembered how Professor Snape had reacted.

It was impossible to work on her own with the list of thoughts she should or should not reveal to the Dark Lord. She needed help but didn't hear anything from her professor's room for a very long time. Resolutely she stood and then faltered. Apprehensively she went over to his door, hesitated a moment and rapped softly.

A tentative rap woke Severus out of his reverie. No, he could not face her. What must she be thinking?

After another series of raps, a little longer, but not louder, he heard her ask tentatively, "Professor?"

Following a third rap and his growl, the door opened slowly for a few inches. "I need to apologise, Professor. I had been carried away with this idea, ignoring that there is too much at stake." Again, her voice was as tentative as the raps.

Grunting lightly, he answered, "Indeed, Miss Weasley."

"I know that I'm depending on your support, Professor. Could we... Would you..."

"Full sentences usually help in communication."

"Y-yes, sir. Would you please help me prepare for meeting the Dark Lord, sir?"

"We can continue in a few minutes."

"Thank you so much, Professor."

He gathered himself. They had to continue; they had to prepare her for the meeting. She would not be safe, and he could not bear the idea that it would have been his fault: that he could have done more and possibly saved her but failed.

Severus made his way to the bathroom. Avoiding a glance into the mirror, he splashed a gush of ice-cold water onto his face. Concentrate on what you must do!

When he reappeared in the sitting room, Draco was bringing tea and grapes from the kitchen towards the table between sofa and armchair. Severus looked around, trying in vain to avoid recognition. The crème coloured sofa did make a difference to the room. Some of its ever-present suppressing gloom was lifted, and the ceiling felt higher. There was more space, more air to breathe, even now that there was this tension between them. What nonsense! The dimensions of the room have not changed!

Over their second cup of tea, Draco exerted himself in small talk about the shopping centre, which was so different from the small shops in Diagon Alley. "I've never been to a place like it," Ginny cottoned on. "The light is aggressive, and the music isn't much better than Mum's favourites, but I'll admit they had a good selection."

"Where do wizards actually go shopping for groceries?" Draco wondered not for the first time since he lived at Spinner's End. Ginny looked up in utter irritation. Sheepishly he explained, "I'm not used to the whole idea. The elves did all that in Malfoy Manor or wherever I was."

"Do you really have no idea?"

Draco cleared his throat and blushed when he continued, "Father took me for wine degustations," The word sounded very French, "that's wine-tasting, and into cheese caves in France, and we have orchards of our own. Elves handle those, and the fruits end up in bowls on the table or in cakes. That's all I needed to know."

"Really, Draco, you're so spoiled!"

Draco relaxed. Yes, she had taken up the talk. "Until recently, yes. So, where? Or how?"

He wanted to do small talk, did he? Or, maybe, Ginny thought, he was seriously considering a life outside of the safe haven of Malfoy Manor? As their hostilities had ceased, she decided to provide a proper explanation. "Mum has a subscription for the every day stuff. You know, bread, milk, cheese, basic vegetables and the like. The shelves are charmed to refill to a defined level. All she needs to do is check the state of the supplies, what we have to eat before it gets stale, sour or dry. The money is withdrawn from the vault directly. At times, Mum reduced the list of these things, because Charlie was hungry all the time and helped himself out of her control. Later on it was Ron. With the refill charm, this got terribly expensive. Even today we don't have biscuits or chocolate regularly."

"And if you want them?"

"Why, Mum places an additional order on the order board at the wall. Her wand contact serves as a confirmation. I had to write orders sometimes, but my wand is not registered, and she would never let hers lie around. Well, she tries not to. Fred and George have tricked her on a few occasions with one of their fake wands. Not only did she hate it when her wand turned into a wobbling rubber chicken, she also knew how ridiculous their orders could be. Once we ate carrot and beetroot salad for two weeks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. They had had the idea that our hair would need a colour boost!"

"It certainly does not."

Ginny let go a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you, Professor. Or should I be offended?"

"You may chose freely," he offered, glancing around the curtain of black hair with a daring expression.

Did he tease her? She would pretend so. "I'm not ready to be offended," she declared, "and, just so you know, I don't mind the colour of my hair any more. A pity it clashes with Gryffindor red. But honestly, that can become too heavy, especially together with gold."

"Amazing to hear it from a Gryffindor."

"Why ever not?" she wondered. Another look like that. Maybe this was his way of apologising? Offering a ceasefire, even? She could do that, too, she decided and asked, "Does that mean your favourite colour is green, sir, the sole reason being that it is Slytherin's colour?"

Draco held his breath. Never had he heard anyone daring to ask the Head of Slytherin House something as personal as that. With the tense atmosphere of ten minutes ago, this could cause another outburst. Instead, Severus commented dryly, "It is expected. I have never bothered with colours myself, as you should have noticed, although I do have a green and silver-grey scarf for Quidditch matches." He looked up at her, and she showed a small smile for him. Draco preferred not to check his mentor's face. If indeed it had an amiable look, this would change immediately when he felt observed, a risk Draco would not take now.

The peace having been reinstalled, they proceeded well for the rest of the day. Snape worked her hard once again, but she parried well enough, she thought. He also gave her general hints on how these gatherings usually were conducted. He spoke in a neutral voice, showing no feelings in either way. When he descended into the lab, Ginny took up her Potions text again. He also showed her a shelf of Muggle literature. She needed to take her mind off the coming event, and the house did not offer anything else than books.

In the evening, Ginny allowed one more Legilimency on herself to give her teacher the images of all the memories they then Obliviated. She felt a little befuddled after that operation, but since even the memory of the preparation had been removed, she recovered soon without realising what had happened.

They would sleep in on Wednesday and have an extended late breakfast so that the day's wait would not appear too long. Draco had owled his mother for the robes, and she had promised to join them and bring all the food along. "There's no risk that she would offer you a red robe!" Draco grinned.

When they retired, Ginny took a Dreamless Sleep potion to make sure that she rested properly. Severus had been impressed enough that she had not needed it the other nights, but this night he would have insisted. Ginny, however, had not refused it.

:*:*:*: