A Daring Request

A Daring Request

Rain drumming on the roof and water splattering out of the gutter woke Ginny up from uneasy sleep. The heated discussion in the Potions lab that had brought tension at dinner, and the glances the man had given her across the table, had followed her into her dreams. Considering that he was one of Greyback's pack, this row appeared in a very special light.

Silently, she stood and went over to one side of the window, sighing. A real downpour of rain! When in this dratted year has it done anything else other than rain? She kept herself next to the curtains, as Severus had advised her tonight. He had not been that concerned before. Are we under surveillance? Does Greyback employ or command wizards for his own purposes? Not even the average Death Eater ever trusted the man.

She visited the bathroom. Returning, she noticed that not only had Severus left his door ajar, but he had the light on as well. Parchment rustled. She knocked and received a hushed "Enter." Severus wasn't even undressed. He had merely slipped off his shoes. A blanket over his shoulders, he had propped himself up and read.

"Why aren't you in bed?" It was said before she could hold it. Inching half a step closer, she quickly amended, "I mean, has something come up?" The light from a candle floating on his side illuminated his book as well as his chest. He had opened a few buttons of his shirt, revealing a patch of skin so milky-white in contrast to his already pale neck it could never have received any sunlight. A few curls of dark chest-hair did not cover the beginning of what had to be an ugly scar. "Did your visitor hint at anything?"

"How so?" He tried to be calm, but Ginny wasn't fooled. When she voiced her thoughts, he insisted that the man was no threat. Yet, Severus admitted, there were rumours that a group of reckless Death Eaters were up to something before Friday. This was why he was keeping guard. "Now that you have rested, would you mind dressing in comfortable, but warm clothes?"

Dressed with almost all the clothes she currently owned and clutching her Potions text from the evening, Ginny soon returned to his bedroom, leaving the door ajar again. She fidgeted once, but then decided to go directly ahead with her request "Sir... Severus, could I have my wand?"

"Of course. My apologies." He gestured as he went to his cupboard, and Ginny obediently turned round.

"Should we warn Draco?"

Severus provided her with her wand, handle first, and quietly answered the second question. "Draco has retired to his room, but he is on guard." He extinguished the light in the sitting room with a wave of his hand. "When they come, they will assume you are in the sitting room. Their next choice might be the lab. This is not where you will be. Creep under the bed; search for the loose board in the floor." Ginny did so. A few dust clouds tickled her nose, and she squeezed it almost in time to avoid a sneeze. "Suppress that," he hissed. "Lie parallel to the bed. Press down and push the board towards the window."

The floorboard opened silently, and she peeked into an even more dusty chamber not more than twice her width and not longer than the bed. She sneezed immediately and cast two cleaning spells. "Come up again and replace the board. It is only a last resort. I'm positive we won't need it."

With a flick, he removed the clouds of dust under his bed, and with another he cleaned her clothes, noticing that she didn't have anything suitable for outside. He handed her a soft, woollen jacket (black, of course) before he hesitantly invited her onto his bed. She placed her shoes so that she could slip in rapidly and took up her book. A gust of wind rattled the door, adding to her anxiety and sending shivers through her body.

The warm body behind her felt reassuring. Severus was a strong wizard. She marvelled that indeed she had come to the point where she would trust him.

She had turned no more than three pages...to say that she had understood their contents would be too optimistic...when a tiny pattern of raps on their ceiling changed the monotonous clatter of rain. Ginny listened sharply. This bedroom should be under the left, thus free, room upstairs. But who knew what magic Severus had been able to include in this Muggle-built house?

Severus had been listening intently. "He says he sees at least four attackers."

"Are we sure they are attackers? Couldn't they be Harry and the Order?" Ginny's weak voice betrayed her mixed feelings about this prospect. The Order would curse her current hosts mercilessly before even listening to them or her. They would lose the ally they didn't believe they had. They would readily kill two men who did not deserve it.

"No, for two reasons. With the exception of Albus, I never revealed this house to the Order." Ginny nodded. "Further, I have an idea of whom to expect." His voice or posture didn't give her any clue of his feelings, but at the same time, Ginny felt helplessly exposed to his scrutiny.

A house protection spell chimed, and Severus said, "Five yards." Another four similar chimes followed. Both furrowed their brows at the last one.

"Remember: You are not supposed to have your wand, and you are my servant. I've had ample time to drill you into obedience!" She rolled her eyes while she stashed her wand up her sleeve, put on her shoes and buttoned up the jacket. Thinking of the rain, she applied an Impervius Charm on the shoulder parts and on the back of her trousers...in case she would have to sit down. Adding more would have rendered her clothes crisp, and the rustling might give her away. Severus approved of her actions and added cushioning knee spells and elbow spells on them both.

A silvery mask appeared at the left edge of the bedroom window. Severus shook his head at the ignorance. The windows gave perfect view from inside out, but the other direction was blurred. How could a guerilla fighter not know of such charms? Severus stood silently and gestured for Ginny to move back to the right corner of the outer wall. From there she could just see the profile of the man through the window, as he was illuminated by the street lights. On Severus' request, she indicated the location to him, and he inched to the corresponding place inside. With several gestures, she navigated his wand to point at eye level, wondering what spell could be powerful enough to pass through the bricks. When Ginny nodded, Severus prodded forcefully and chanted a sharp tunnelling spell that would temporarily make the wall conduct a spell. Another sharp incantation of a Sleeping Curse followed. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve. With a grin, Ginny pretended to drowse off and glide down the wall as had the man outside. Severus nodded, breathing heavily, and when he assumed the wall was solid again commented, "Can't hex him severely through the wall. Half an hour."

"Another guard could be at the kitchen window."

Again, Severus nodded. "But we cannot risk moving there. And no talking now."

Creaks upstairs indicated that Draco was moving towards the kitchen side. Severus didn't look pleased, and indeed, a red sizzle shot upwards through the sitting room, aiming at the location of the noise. Ginny remembered that they usually reinforced the house protections on Thursday morning. Thus Wednesday evening was a perfect timing for the attack. Draco's next step sounded heavier than before, but they could not make out more. There was hope that he had not fallen.

Suddenly the main door broke open, and three men burst into the sitting room, creating murky puddles on the wooden floor. Glass shattered on the opposite side where the window exit to the terrace was. Severus ordered Ginny close to himself, and they inched to the side of the door. The intruders rapidly noticed that there was only one other room on this floor and entered it together, wands at the ready but not firing.

"What is the meaning of this?"

A mock-friendly voice replied, "Oh, you see, Severus, it is custom to invite your comrades for a party when you have a beautiful girl. Since you failed to follow the rite, we invited ourselves before she's gone. You know how reluctant Greyback is with sharing. You might be easier to convince." The speaker's drawling voice had a metallic touch through his masking charm.

"You'd better leave, Sullivan, before I recognise all of you!" Indeed, the stocky one of his companions showed nerves at this quick identification.

Not Sullivan, though. "You surprise me, Severus, fully dressed at night. And the young lady doesn't look so sexy in her attire either. Haven't had much fun tonight yet, have you?" He lifted the book. "A Potions text, how... er, stimulating. Hey, you, chit, tell me, is it the stirring rod that arouses you? As much as Severus' own? Or hasn't he shown it yet, shy as he is? Maybe then I could..."

"Shut up. Leave. Now."

"Oh, Severus, it would be a shame to give a virgin to old Greyback. He has no style; he cannot honour them."

"We don't need you. Go."

Mock-appraisal in his voice, Sullivan went on. "You don't? Well, you surprise me, positively, I dare say. Why don't we move to the... eh... sitting room of sorts and have a chat about the details and then enjoy ourselves before Greyback can."

"He won't get me!"

Severus hastily gripped her lower arm to stop her, but too late. She had given Sullivan a cue to dig deeper.

"Ah, the little pure-blood prefers Muggles? Do you think our master honours Gryffindors so much that he keeps his promises as they do? Oh, no, my sweet, he will have the last word," he drawled.

While the metallic voice still grated on her auditory nerves, Severus prodded Ginny, breathed, "Now!" and issued a full body bind at the speaker. Ginny, correctly assuming he would head for the spokesman, focussed on the stocky man and hexed him with the very Nerve Twitcher Hex Hermione had used on Crabbe. It rendered him unable to send focussed spells. It was non-tracing, meaning it worked without revealing the caster, a value she had learned to appreciate in discussions with Draco.

"B-bring them i-in here!" the incapacitated man stuttered as loud as he could, clenching his hand hard so he would not drop his wand as his limps twitched in spasm.

Meanwhile a third Death Eater had gone between the two. The bluish Blocking Shield he established reverberated like a gong, its fringes flinging two books from Severus' bedside table to the floor. Severus soon engaged him in a fight; blocks and curses flew between them.

Ginny surreptitiously fortified the twitch so that the stocky intruder keeled over. He knocked his head and groaned. She was about to issue a Cutting Curse at the fighting man when she heard a familiar, rattling and everlasting breath. Her sweat froze on her forehead, and this time she knew the cold was genuine.

A Dementor swept into the room, hood deep over his face, turning towards the two of them and sucking in the air. The intruders quickly retreated to the sitting room with the command, "The man! Go for the man that holds the girl!"

Next to Ginny, Severus' whole body stiffened. Try as he would, he had never managed a corporeal Patronus...only a vague cloud. "I'm sorry," he said, while the cold surrounded them, clouding Ginny's mind. In the small room, the Dementor was so close that its powers threatened to overwhelm her. "Expecto Patronum!" she shrieked. She didn't have a clear enough positive image in her mind, so only an undefined silver cloud emerged from her wand. Yet, it startled the attacker for just a moment, allowing Ginny to take one normal breath. Remembering her father cuddling her, she incanted the spell again. A new cloud of silvery mist whooshed out of her wand tip, its density surprising Severus. It formed into an animal, some sort of cat, Severus thought. Ginny held her wand point steadily to her blurry, feline Patronus, which drove the Dementor to the other wall, but then faded.

A hand sneaked around her waist from behind. "You're doing excellent work," came Severus deep voice from close behind her ear. "Once again!"

She regrouped, as Tonks had trained her and caught Severus' left hand with her left, forgetting completely who it was behind her as she felt the soft body warming her from behind. Determinedly, she shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" This time, the cat showed distinct black rosette markings...a leopardess of maybe four feet, who defended them as if they were her cubs. Like every good leopard-mother, she held the whitish tip of her tail upright towards them. She cornered the Dementor, paced in front of it, ready to strike. When it made to advance towards them, she hissed and spit and finally roared, driving it away.

A second Dementor entered the room, and the edges of Ginny's Patronus faded. "No! You're strong!" Severus urged and encouraged her.

"Expelliarmus!" came Draco's voice from the other room. "Petrificus Totalus! They are knocked out, Severus."

Severus tried to argue with the Dementors. "Go. We are on the same side. Our master did not order you to attack us. He will be outraged. Go! You have been listening to fools, maybe traitors. GO!" They were clearly irritated, because there was no counter-command coming. But when Ginny's Patronus faded once again, they advanced further, their rattling breath bathing them in ice.

"Ginevra, you can do it," she heard Severus' deep soft voice again, and then he gave her a peck on her cheek that warmed her skin. "Start again," he told her, and she cancelled the spell to re-initiate it with fresh force. The memory had been good enough, and the little kiss gave her a positive boost.

While she shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" she felt his wand at her right shoulder blade and murmurs of which she only identified "forte". New energy flooded her wand arm and hand. The erupting leopardess was noticeably larger. She launched herself at the dark creatures in front of her. With awe, they observed how she gave them blow after blow with her paws, hissing dangerously until the Dementors retreated in haste.

:*:*:*:

"Chocolate!" was her first word while she tried to stabilise herself with his arm.

She received a tender stroke on her cheek instead. "Certainly, and let's see to our visitors."

With his unexpected attack, Draco had overpowered the last unharmed Death Eater, who had apparently been occupied with the scene in the bedroom rather than watching his back. The man outside under the bedroom window was gone, as well as any potential guard at the kitchen's side.

"The best they could do," Severus muttered. He bound the four Death Eaters and cancelled their masking spell. "Avery, Sullivan, Marshall, and... Flint?!" Severus uttered in disgust. "Married for how long, two months, or three? Already bored?"

"What is it to you?" spat the youngest of the men.

"You disgust me too much to invent punishments right now. I will report you." Severus levitated them out of his house. He tossed their wands in different direction along the dark street and dropped the men hard on the asphalt. They quickly made their leave after a shell shocked Draco unbound them.

Chewing her chocolate, Ginny sat and watched the men carefully repair the door and windows and reinforce one of the wards. They swiftly dried the mud but decided to leave cleaning up the demolished sitting room for the morning.

With a whole bar of chocolate and a mug of hot tea in her stomach, Ginny found herself lying next to Severus once again, still feeble and shaking.

She turned her back to him to give him space, but reached out and pulled his left arm over herself so that he held her just as he had done when fighting the Dementors. She took his hand and laced her fingers through his. Slowly, his body heat seeped through her, and she let herself be enveloped in it. "You're really good at encouraging," she murmured before she drifted off, exhausted.

Severus couldn't but wonder over the witch in his bed. She had saved their lives without even realising it. And here she was again, slumbering in closest proximity to him, touching his left arm, the Dark Mark on her shirt, as if she had never done anything else.

Physical contact normally called back painful memories from his past. Had there been happy moments as well? The simple physical interaction most people took for granted had been out of his reach. He had convinced himself that he had no need for such feelings, such weakness. Now he discovered that she was ready to share them with him, and that this actually pleased him.

With her hair tickling his cheek, he fell asleep. In his dreams, the Dementors entered again, and he held the young witch tight, while she produced one leopardess after the other. The most beautiful and powerful ones appeared after he had kissed her.

:*:*:*:

Thursday passed rather uneventfully. The men reinforced the house spells and repaired the furniture, but did not allow Ginny outside, which frustrated her greatly.

For the afternoon and night, Draco had an appointment with father and son Nott. They were to explore an empty estate upon its possibilities as a new stronghold. To Ginny's surprise, they came in person to fetch Draco and even offered to help with the last spells. Theodore, never the talkative one, was yet more reserved, even timid, than she remembered him. Already a glance from his former Head of House had him cowed.

Theo's father was not a man of many words either, but Ginny repeatedly sensed his look upon her. It was intense, gauging her somehow. She did not feel threatened, although she was not sure what he was looking for. His face was unreadable, and Ginny found he might be her own father's age. While he had lighter eyes and hair than his son, his voice and posture resembled Theo's greatly. His relation to Severus was businesslike, but not unfriendly.

Severus asked the man about their schedule and enquired on the risk level until Draco rolled his eyes towards Ginny. Aloud he said, "Severus, this isn't a battle. We have clear instructions. They do not include any potion making either," he noted with a grin towards Theo, who cringed, while his father uneasily shifted from side to side.

"That certainly is a relief," Severus said. "Still, you are my charge, entrusted to me by your mother as well as our master. I want to know what you're getting into."

Nott's last penetrating look at Ginny even had a component of Legilimency. Then he raised an eyebrow at Severus and ushered the two boys out.

While Severus silently worked with a set of books and a scrapbook, Ginny recalled how Nott had been a topic at the Order. They had mentioned his first name, too: Paul. Together with Draco's father, he had been caught at the Ministry and imprisoned. Several times the Ministry had the prisoners interrogated, at Azkaban, but also elsewhere. On one of these transports, Paul Nott had spectacularly escaped. He had taken down one of the guards, injured two more, and together with one other rather irrelevant captive, he had fled. For days the Order had been furious at the lack of security, especially her father. He had, for once, agreed with the sharp comments written by Rita Skeeter. Eventually, the daily business had pushed this event aside, although Paul Nott had been oddly present at the family's dinner table.

:*:*:*:

Since Severus worked in concentration, Ginny observed him rather than disturb him. How could a life with this man possibly work out? Here in his house and in their predicaments, he was certainly easier to approach than the scowling teacher at Hogwarts had ever been. While he might not consider her intruding, she still felt more like a guest than an inhabitant of this place. Soon they would be tied together more closely than a loving couple would wish for. She could not afford to upset him. On the contrary, any positive feeling would be hers to create, for Severus did not need this as much as she did. He would not miss a nice word every now and then or consideration or respect towards his person, since he has never been used to them.

Severus' eyes could still be as cold and blank as she knew them, but every now and then, his look was warmer, kinder than normal. In these moments, Ginny hoped that she had reached through his shell. How was she to cause these moments more frequently and to last longer? In retrospect, his openness had mostly occurred after she had been successful in something, not because of her weakness or of her needs. He was a demanding person, and she would have to earn his respect.

What about love? Could she love him? Actually, it felt easier than she would have thought, although she wasn't sure if relief and gratitude overwhelmed her right now. A Severus clad in a Muggle outfit or simple robes was not unapproachable. Nor was he repulsive. True, his hair needed washing, and Toothflossing Stringmint would hardly be advertised using his smile, but he didn't keep himself untidy or filthy. Allowing or inviting Severus to come closer, to touch her, had not been agony.

In her isolation, Ginny craved for physical kindness as much as for words of encouragement. That Severus had touched her back, if only once, on his own initiative was a start.

Intimate contact? Women did survive that, didn't they? Surely, Severus would not enjoy being cruel to her in bed. His attacks had always been verbal.

The excitement of snogging and groping, Ginny knew well. True love, however, was not a matter of physical intimacy. It could not thrive without respect and honest interest in each other.

A glance around the kitchen told her that if she wanted to earn some of his respect, she'd better clean it up before he would do it. She placed plates and knives into the sink, and her thoughts went to her family. Being deprived from all connections filled her with empty sorrow. Nights ago it had driven her into bouts of agitation.

:*:*:*:

After an early dinner, Ginny reconstructed the exchange with Sullivan from the previous night. Would he be right in the end? Would the Dark Lord really give her a choice or would Greyback get his wish granted? She couldn't help remembering how those two werewolves had looked at her on Monday. Pitying her, but somehow also... gauging her... wanting her.

"What is it, Ginevra?"

"Sullivan," she started and explained her fears.

"I don't dare promise anything," was Severus' honest answer.

"I cannot stand Greyback touching me!" She shuddered at the image of his greyish talons or his canine teeth on her skin, close to her mouth or... she ran.

Returning from the bathroom, stomach empty, she asked, "Can't you brew some poison, or... kill me?" After a short reflection, she answered herself. "No you can't, for we need you as a spy. I'm sorry, I'm ranting."

He crossed over to her, stood behind her armchair and was about to place his hand on the back of the chair. Remembering his premeditation, he forced himself to lay his hands on her shoulder instead. In silence, he made his thumbs circle over her back. "Do not think about this now. Sullivan might not even have known about Draco's idea. I do believe the Dark Lord will follow it."

"If not, Greyback will gloat in his triumph," Ginny said. Reflecting further, she suddenly pushed away, stood like petrified, her eyes widened in horror. "Oh Merlin, Severus! If Greyback boasts around how he got hold of a virgin, you are in danger as well!"

Severus froze momentarily but then found words he hoped would soothe her. However, he was unable to find the right tone of voice as he said, "It is of no importance." What he didn't want to tell her was that Greyback would harm her enough to not recognise her virginity. The thought alone froze the blood in his veins. "I'll try everything I can to help you and to find a way around this."

"I don't want him to hold a trump like this over me...or over you. Oh, Severus, I want to experience at least once, what it is like to make love with someone... before he rapes me." She pulled him tight, not daring to look up at him for the demand she had just uttered. She didn't know where it had come from, but all of a sudden it felt immensely important. If anyone here was to take her for the first time, then yes, only Severus!

Severus' heart beat in his throat, in his head, in his stomach, everywhere. What demand was this? He couldn't possibly... she could not want him to... His posture stiffened, and she felt it.

"Severus, please?"

He cleared his throat, wiped sweat from his forehead only to realise that his sleeves were drenched already, as was the back of his shirt. Knees weak, he turned to the sofa, but she turned with him, faced him, pleading eyes, close to tears, her hands trembling; one still on his back, the other finding its way to his chest.

His blood thumping in his neck, Severus opened two buttons of his frock to get air. He could sense that she was still looking at him. "Ginevra, I... I don't know what to say." It was a weak attempt to stall for time. This is not like me. Either I do it or I don't. I'm not shirking or searching for excuses. In another bout of sweat, he quickly decided, "All right then."

Absent-mindedly they cleaned away the parchment, the teapot and cups. When Severus noticed that they were again stalling, he decisively took her hand and motioned her to the bathroom.

:*:*:*:

Ginny was too shocked to protest. She moved mechanically, getting ready for... bed. After her quick shower, she noticed she didn't have Draco's clothes and put on her knickers and t-shirt again.

Before she left the room, she composed herself. This is what she had asked for, and if tomorrow brought a terrible decision, she would hold the memory dear. If she were to be allowed the best option...or the third-worst, to be honest...she would only have rescheduled the unavoidable for a few days. And there was still a risk he would refuse her after... No, she decided, Severus Snape isn't superficial or picky. He'll set other priorities. Keeping this thought in her mind, she held her head high and went to his bed.

While he was gone, Ginny's mind raced through her knowledge. Hear-say as it was, she did know a bit. Returning from Egypt, when Ginny had been twelve, Bill had been desperate since his girlfriend had left him. He and Charlie had had a talk in their sitting room, not noticing that their little sister was once again not allowed to play Quidditch with her brothers, but curled up in the grandfather chair staring out of the window, sulking.

The assistant Bill had been dating for a while had accused him of being a lousy lover. He and Charlie had exchanged some experiences. Petrified, little Ginny had listened to what seemed incredible to her. For the rest of the holiday, both of her eldest brothers had made her feel squeamish, until she had pushed the words...and the juicy or suggestive pictures her imagination had formed...into the back of her mind. She tried to remember as much as possible now.

:*:*:*:

Seeing her walk over boldly, Severus felt even more uneasy. Was she expecting a spectacular performance?

He hadn't had a woman in years, and he had never had any who simply enjoyed being with him. In his early Death Eater years, the loner Severus Snape had been coaxed to the corresponding houses of women to 'cheer him up'. It had not appealed to him, and some woman there was probably surprised that a young man didn't want to do anything but wait for the time his friends were busy.

Between the wars, he would have had the chances at Hogsmeade, but again only with women who took money or aimed at nothing more than a one-night-stand. Worst of all had been those searching for the thrill to 'do it' with a dangerous, suspicious, but supposedly very experienced and creative Death Eater. They had sobered quickly, and after a few Memory charms, he had preferred his research in the dungeons.

Now he scanned through his brains what he had memorised from all the glorious moments he had been told about that at the time had not held any importance. Today he would need to know!

It was only so long he could spend in the bathroom, even with a shower. Oh, he could still... clip his toenails? Ridiculous! Fingernails? Better, but not really needed. Shave? Yes, he could settle for that. But even this activity was eventually finished.

With trepidation, he approached the bedroom.

:*:*:*:

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My betas, Pennfana, Jingjingchiquita and schönes Mädchen, have worked their special magic on this chapter. You would not want to read it without their improvements on language issues, and I'm thankful that I have their support.

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