Three Options for Ginny

Three Options for Ginny Ch 18--Back to School

Ginny needed less than ten minutes to explore their quarters at Salazar's Academy perfectly: there was only one room, combining the functions of a bedroom, a sitting room and an office. It was a shame for a single teacher's quarter already, and they were supposed to live here together! The office-part was hardly a third the size of a Hogwarts office. A set of thin, oaken, folded screens of scarcely 6 feet height shielded a minute private bedroom from direct sight.

Ginny sighed.

Behind the pitiful room divider their truly private quarter offered an armchair, a single bed as wide as Severus' at home, and one bedside table. The space in the wardrobe and shelves certainly sufficed for one person, but Severus' subject of Potions demanded that he have spare clothes at hand. Ginny herself would need spares and protection gear for the flying lessons and a space to work. She could just imagine how their stepping over boxes and crates every morning and evening--mouths well protected--would set them in high spirits! Regularly shrinking and expanding them did not appeal to her either.

Disillusioned, Ginny flung herself onto the bed, thereby swaying her wand which caused it to emit blue sparks.

"Watch it, sourpuss!" a shrewish, female voice called. In no time, Ginny jumped to her feet, wand drawn. Poised to fight (that is standing well centred and knees lightly flexed, wand had at shoulder level, index along the shaft of her wand), Ginny checked her surroundings. As she slowly turned on the spot, she found a minute, tarnished mirror in a dark corner.

"My, my, you're a fiery one on several ends," it mocked her.

She glared at the ugly thing as if it alone were responsible for their new circumstances, earning herself another scathing remark.

"You're really not much to look at, are you. It would be better for all concerned if you didn't gaze in any mirror too long," the mirror continued to mock Ginny.

"As if you were clear enough that I would want to! Now, shut your trap, stupid thing," Ginny snarled through clenched teeth. A permanent commentator was all they needed, really! Considering how little she knew about this institution, there was the additional risk that the object was a means of supervision, linking their room to the headmistress, the Dark Lord, anyone.

The mirror harrumphed at her and chose to ignore her, which suited her just fine.

What a place this was! They had ascended the curved path, until a building had come into sight that she had first mistaken to be a truly generous servants' home and stables, and suddenly comprehension had dawned that this was all there was. This estate did not compare with Malfoy Manor, and any comparison with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was bound to be comical.

A stern-looking witch with a straight hat had shrewishly ordered Severus to dispose of his 'luggage and paraphernalia' and immediately join the staff meeting.

Fuming internally at the poisoned atmosphere, Ginny eventually got up and started unpacking.

When Severus returned from the staff meeting, lips pressed in a thin line, he looked so annoyed that she didn't wish to say anything that might ruin the evening. "I've taken the lowest shelf for my clothes and yours are here. Let's see how we manage this week. We can always rearrange things later."

"It is all right," he offered before he inspected the walls of the room carefully. Using innumerable spell-detection methods, he found a semi-transparent spell, which he didn't dare remove. Instead, he created another spell that wrapped around it, blurring the sight.

Ginny followed his actions and thoughts. "What's the staff room like?" she asked, attempting to distract him.

"Staff room? One section in the library, equipped with two settees, is reserved for staff. I am supposed to receive my students here and must have the office for myself most of the time." He looked around, but there was no space for another desk.

A shrill tone called them to assembly before she got her reply.

Entering the Great Hall, Ginny had to breathe deep to not laugh. The place was about the size of the parlour and dining room at the Malfoys'. Gloomy, larger-than-life portraits of Salazar Slytherin, Herpo the Foul, and other Parselmouths covered the walls behind it and opposite the high, mullioned windows, and the silver-green ornaments decorating the low ceiling were hardly cheering up the sinister impression. Cold sweat drenched Ginny's back, as the monkey-like, gaunt builder of the Chamber of Secrets stared at her.

The high table for the staff was laid with silver goblets and cutlery, but it didn't look higher than the other tables. That's not so bad, she thought sarcastically. Colin and Hermione have often complained how humiliating it is for the pupils to have to crane their necks. Three long tables were meant for the pupils, and, in one corner, dishes were piled up on what might be a counter where three house-elves and an unknown woman seemed to wait for orders.

The elder students here, who had already passed their O.W.L.s, muttered as Ginny entered the hall. Their murmuring made it clear that they felt Ginny didn't belong with them. She was not from a proud family of Death Eaters, and her clothes weren't the elegant witch-wear either. Instead, they had Transfigured an old robe of Severus' in a rough-and-ready way, and she had donned the unflattering piece over the simple Muggle clothes she owned. She was received with a mix of calculating obsequiousness, icy coldness and hardly inhibited snickering.

A penetrating voice drew everybody's attention to the front. "Welcome, welcome to Salazar's Academy, my dear Sixth Form College students. I am Headmistress Mulciber. You are the elite of our ranks, the pillars upon which our lord will construct his new society. He bestows great honours upon you, granting you access to the higher science of warfare, defence on ground and in the air, and to the fine arts of supreme magic..."

After the pathos of the welcome, mixed with shrewish carping, she outlined their many social tasks and threatened them with expulsion if they crossed a line--or permitted the younger ones to do so. Feet shuffled in the group and from the back row, Ginny heard "What an old cow!"

"Remember--" Mulciber raised her voice and paused for effect. "--beyond fifth year, your career will depend on each and every exam you take."

Ginny herself would be a fifth-year, and she would finally take her O.W.L.s, which had not been conducted at Hogwarts at the chaotic end of the school year. After Easter, Ginny could become a sixth-year if... the conditions weren't clear to her. She frowned.

The shrill voice once again interrupted her thoughts. "You will now divide into four groups, and four teachers will show you around the building and the grounds." She conjured a green and a silver band which formed a cross in the air and descended in the throng of pupils, forming four groups.

"Professor Snape, will you take this group," she ordered, pointing to the front left quarter. The group in the left rear was gathered by Professor Flank, the woman who had earlier referred to Ginny as 'paraphernalia'. Draco's group was lead by Professor Stunt, a tall, dark man Ginny was sure she had seen before.

To her dismay--but not really to her surprise--Ginny was part of the group Headmistress Mulciber lead herself.

As they left the building, she pointed out the various security measures that had been taken. Among others, there were sophisticated detector spells for anyone crossing the borders. Crossing them in either direction, Ginny noted inwardly.

They reached a newly laid out area of the park and the headmistress opened a shed. A general murmur of approval rose at the sight of a few Firebolts, but she stared at them maliciously. "There is absolutely no need for you to comment unless you are explicitly asked to."

Back inside, they had a brief look at the dormitories, four for girls and five for boys. "You who prepare for your N.E.W.T.s are in your own dormitories; while we prefer to keep the younger years mixed," she declared. The dormitories were crammed and not nearly as cosy as at Hogwarts. Ginny didn't see a common room at all, but they took a glance at the library.

They returned to the Great Hall, where Severus was already waiting. When the other groups arrived, their teachers were scolded for their tardiness.

The headmistress pompously proceeded to illustrate the queuing system for meals. "Teachers first, then the older classes. The younger students queue behind you. You will spread out and place yourselves among the younger pupils to keep order. Again, any disruptions close to you will be considered your flaw."

The elves brought soup, bread and jugs of pumpkin juice, and Mulciber had them practice the queuing system. Murmuring quietly behind their hands, they formed a queue. Demurely they walked along the counter, taking a bowl and a silver goblet and holding them expectantly towards the elves who busied themselves with jars and ladles. The poor creatures squealed in agony when the stern voice of the headmistress forbade them to serve the hungry little masters.

With empty dishes, everybody was to find a seat.

"No dawdling, no shuffling; act your age!" they were admonished.

A swirl of Mulciber's wand lifted the glasses and stacked them neatly at the counter again, and then she called the empty soup dishes back in the same way.

As they queued for the second time, a silent fight erupted for the front positions.

Close to Ginny, a stomach growled loudly, causing the girls to snigger. When Ginny trusted herself enough to look up with a straight face, Pansy Parkinson was leaving the counter, grinning back at the queue, lifting her filled goblet in salute.

"Scourgify!" came the command from the high table, and her dishes emptied. "There is no reason at all for gloating. Parkinson, isn't it?"

The girl nodded silently, unsure how severely the school would consider her misdemeanour. Someone near Ginny hissed, "This is no good."

"Stop serving now," the headmistress barked towards the elves. "Parkinson to the end of the queue. Finish the drill."

As they queued for the third time, the headmistress checked her watch. She gave up and waved the elves to resume service.

"She said we ought to act our age," someone growled, causing more sniggering and grunting.

They seated themselves with wide distances, as directed, but Draco and Theodore arranged themselves quite near to Ginny, acknowledging her with a smile.

Ginny took a look around. She recognised two seventh-years from the Slytherin Quidditch team and one she thought was a Ravenclaw. There were conspicuously more boys than girls, an unbalance she had never noticed at Hogwarts--how strange.

Or not, she reminded herself, for next year I will not be here anymore either. The thought alone made her cough, and she spilled a bit of her soup. She immediately felt several pairs of eyes upon her and preferred not to acknowledge any of them.

The shrill bell chimed once again, causing Parkinson to drop her spoon, its clatter reverberating loudly.

Severus left the hall. Soon enough he returned, now finally showing his very best teacher's mood. He herded the chatting throng of 'O.W.L.s students' inside.

Dressed in a lime-and-cerulean tartan robe with thin crimson lines, sporting massive shoulders and neck, Urquhart, last-year's captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, positioned himself not even three yards from the door, his legs slightly apart, his muscular arms crossed, stern eyes taking in the room. As the throng poured in, he reminded Ginny of a solid rock in the surf. If he was the prototype of his clan, the Loch Ness kelpie did not have a chance--they would wrestle it until they had the bridle in place!

Ginny spotted Harper, the little idiot who ignited everything he jabbed with his wand. In last spring's Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, he had taken money from Draco to sit on a broom and cast his racist insults towards Ron and her. If Quidditch had a lower standing here than at Hogwarts, he was in for a rough time.

As a group pressed past Urquhart-the-rock, a very familiar tall figure came into sight, with blond hair, nose upturned and a skinny, gangly appearance: here was Zacharias Smith! Well, wasn't the world full of surprises?

On Severus' order, they stood along the walls while Headmistress Mulciber addressed them in a similar way as the elder ones, only this time the threat to be expelled was replaced with the prospect of detention. She could not send these children home, because their parents were needed for the war! This was also why the periods started with dinner and ended with breakfast. It gave the parents two more nights for their secret activities.

The teachers made the lead to take the main course, the sixth form students following. Ginny now assorted herself to the O.W.L.s students where she belonged. She smiled at Bernhard Hunt, a Hufflepuff who, back at Hogwarts, had frequently shared her tray in Herbology, but he turned to look straight ahead.

Only when Severus and Ginny returned to their room did they realise that their washing facilities were across the corridor and had to be shared with other teachers living close by. Severus was outraged. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate that everybody had to make sacrifices during a war, but the headmistress had occupied a three room suite all for herself. Thomas Mulciber was hardly to be expected to join her, as she had already declared. With a grunt, Severus insisted that he would always accompany his wife on her way down the corridor to the women's bathroom. Silently, Ginny rolled her eyes.

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The next morning after breakfast, the year zero gathered around Mr Ollivander to be equipped with wands. Ginny hardly caught a glimpse of the old man before she had to go to her class. These eleven-year-olds get wands, but what about those not attending this school, Ginny wondered.

Fleur had told them how her wandmaker, the celebrity of the French speaking world, Monsieur Croivier, always wished to meet the wizard personally to assemble core and wood of their wand. He hardly produced on stock. Certainly, neither he nor Mr Gregorovitch, the famous wandmaker of the Balkan countries, would travel to Britain in these dangerous times.

Maybe two dozen fifth-years went upstairs to attend lessons in Charms and Hexes, including two boys and two girls Ginny had never seen. Professor Barnes was an elderly wizard, who preferred to be seated or rested against his lectern, but his mind was fresh, and he was witty. For the last two years, he had already been teaching Death Eaters, and he treated them like the twenty-year-olds he was used to.

"We have seven periods of four days to deepen, widen and strengthen your knowledge before you take your O.W.L.s here. This is more than you would have left of your school year, and the O.W.L.s test will thus be a tad more demanding." A pause and a glance at them all individually ensured they understood.

"We will use the remaining four periods before the Easter break to concentrate on Charming dead matter. Then we will start actual N.E.W.T.s lessons with those of you who have the guts for it. For another four periods, we look into Charms on plant life and animals." Sometime in the middle of his outlining the topics they would cover, Ginny noticed that he would not be using the board behind him at all, and she hastily scribbled down what she remembered.

Ginny found it easy to concentrate on his structured lecturing style. For her year, his lack of pedagogical skills was easily covered with statements like, "If you feel yourselves unable or unwilling to learn what I have to offer, I suggest you have a talk with those who did not make it into the N.E.W.T.s classes."

For Ginny, Potions offered little surprise, although she had dreaded her status in this class more than in others. Severus paid her no extra attention, and he kept the same discipline as he had always done around hot cauldrons. Severus had assigned the four Durmstrang pupils with capable partners, and they worked diligently. Frowning over the textbook every now and then, they shyly asked their partners for a demonstration, and Ginny wondered about the lenience Severus showed over the discussions arising.

The first lesson ended up with three of them cleaning the Great Hall and the corridors for detention. Ginny stared into her bag as she packed it, fighting hard not to smirk. How stupid had they been, snipping trout scales into another group's cauldron. The fact that the targeted pupils had been Hufflepuffs back at Hogwarts was totally irrelevant here, other than that it seemed to annoy Zacharias Smith more than she'd have expected.

Ginny was pleased to see Narcissa Malfoy and the elf she knew handing out the lunch. The queuing system worked much better now, and this time the food was exquisite. Ginny told her so when taking seconds, and Narcissa quitted the following student with a smile as he confirmed the assessment. Well, I wouldn't want to impose myself on you, Ginny thought in annoyance.

Draco had beckoned Ginny to sit opposite to his neighbour, and now that the first hunger was sated, he involved this student in a discussion. The third-year kept looking down into his dish as he replied. Draco then also engaged Ginny's own neighbour. When he tried to also draw Ginny into the discussion, it died with monosyllabic replies from the younger ones.

With a sigh of resignation, Ginny fell silent for the rest of the meal.

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After a session of quiet Prep, the day continued outside with the flying lessons for students in years one to five, totalling about ninety pupils. Their lessons would differ considerably from Madam Hooch's. In fact, she was scoffed at for her mollycoddling approach.

A snub-nosed boy a head smaller than her gesticulated wildly as he explained just how he would swerve and glide and spiral on his broom. Sporting a roguish grin, he explained, accent thick, "I fly so, and high, and zisch, like... like..." When the words failed him, his arm described a sweeping curve, right into Mandy's nose.

"Stop that, you little idiot," she scolded. "Maybe you should use words next time."

"Oh, Entschuldigung, I mean, err, I am sorry," he stuttered.

"What are you drivelling about?" Mandy snorted.

"'Drivelling'?" he repeated, bewildered. "Gerhard, was heißt das?"

"Sh, speak English. I don't know what it means," an older boy, obviously also from Durmstrang, answered with a shrug.

"Tsk, they can't even express themselves," the girl taunted.

"You better not say tat!" Gerhard flared up, protectively laying his arm on the scallywag's shoulder. "Tis little boy is Bulgarian and speaks Tjerman and Russian. Now he must learn English. Tere I like to see you."

Once outside, the boys put a lot of space between themselves and Mandy.

One flying instructor, John Missile, taught a subject called Combat Flying and trained them in defence and attack while airborne.

The other teacher was Bartleby Stunt, a former captain of the Slytherin team and previously Chaser of the Aberdeen Dragons. Ginny remembered praising his performance in a game against the Chudley Cannons and how it had annoyed Ron. His subject at the Academy, however, was called Flying Techniques.

"We will cover formation flight, flight under Obfuscation and flights with loads, be it dead matter or," pausing for effect, "incapacitated people."

The last statement caused the assembled to shudder and murmur.

Under the eyes of these two teachers, they were sent over an obstacle course to assess their flying skills. The less experienced flyers would form Group One, while the experienced flyers would make up Group Two. Their credits would be measured on two scales, actual performance and relative improvement from now on. "Not having been trained so far is not your fault, but being trained and still failing is not tolerated," Stunt explained. It sounded fair enough, although Ginny seriously doubted Severus would have agreed, back at Hogwarts.

Most of the pupils had brought their own brooms, and Ginny held Severus' broom in her hand, a Nimbus 1001. It had been half a year that she had last had a decent chance to fly, and her whole body itched in anticipation, a state that resonated with the broom's own.

The tests started with the first-years, called alphabetically, followed by the second- and third-years. Most of them went to Group One, some even failing to get the broom up into their hands. A few, however, including snub-nose from Durmstrang, were remarkably skilled in dodging and flying tight curves in high speed and made it to Group Two.

One of Ginny's new classmates from Durmstrang showed a spectacular performance, dodging Bludgers and other objects the teachers threw at him, while he was still able to send green sparks precisely onto the targets on the ground. Ginny started swaying along with him: left, right, down under the branch of the tree, now rise high and hit the mark on the top of the next tree before he had to turn sharp to the left and into a dive. After three laps with hardly a mistake, he was sent to Group Two and walked over with a confident stride. Ginny wondered how she could work her wand this well at high speeds. She had never done so before. Would a moving caster change the direction of a spell? Would it somehow depend on the velocity with which the spell propagates, or possibly even its character?

Missile continued, "Smith, Zacharias!"

The Quidditch player from Hufflepuff and most dubious member of the D.A. was up in the air in no time. He flew a lot faster than Mandy Sands before him, but could not score nearly as much as the best ones.

Instead of following his second lap, Ginny prepared herself, glad that her new family name had moved her at least two places forward.

"Thompson, Larry!" Stunt called.

The Ravenclaw boy was as startled as Ginny. He wasn't really prepared yet and had to rush to get his gloves on before he shouted "Up!" and took off. He did well enough on two laps. Ginny recalled that he had been a candidate for the Ravenclaw team for two years. His frustration at not making the team must have prompted him to train even harder, and now he wasn't caught by any Bludger. His wand work was not precise, but he made it to Group Two.

"Urquhart, Darren!" Missile called the last boy waiting with Ginny.

Urquhart manoeuvred so wisely through the challenges that his somewhat crude spells scored well enough. After their instructors politely indicated Group Two, Missile took this group and headed towards the dressing rooms. Consequently, Stunt was left with Group One plus Ginny who had not been assessed even at the letter W. She stubbornly remained where she was.

They were training transportation. First they did ground training, where they ran an obstacle course levitating a small piece of wood. All pupils assorted to Group One made two laps, but again, Ginny wasn't called. Many pupils sneered at her, while maybe one third had at least the grace to look elsewhere.

They continued with heavier loads, first alone, later in pairs, which turned out to be a lot more difficult. Lifting an object over a bush was a clear task for a single person, but two together had to agree when to start lifting it and how high exactly. When they had to form groups of four, only the Durmstrang quartet passed acceptably. Stunt declared one per quartet the leader, who had to trigger when to lift and where to stop. All teams were a lot more successful then.

"We'll need heavier load now. You there," he addressed Ginny as if seeing her for the first time. She was too perplexed to react and found herself rolled up to simulate dead matter. Each of the quartets had a go with her. Gloating over her humiliation, the younger Slytherins dragged her about in a rough manner, rolled her and dropped her quite often at will.

Ginny was fuming inwardly, but she didn't say a word. It just wasn't worth it.

:-:-:-:

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The following days went along smoothly, except for the fact that Ginny was scolded for not having her assigned books in Transfiguration and Herbology. "But it seems we are to make an exception for her as long as she joins us," Professor Flank, the Transfiguration teacher, said with a smirk that repeated itself on the faces around Ginny.

Geography and Beasts of Britain turned out to be a challenging subject, mixing the geographical aspects of Muggle and Wizard Britain. Where the major Muggle cities were located, how to identify them from afar, how they were structured and what their industrial centres looked like from above. What did such a settlement mean for a wizard? For example, how to beware of tall smokestacks, airports and planes when flying. Similarly, they needed to apply special measures near magical wildlife enclosures, like the natural reserve for the Welsh Green.

Most pupils in Ginny's year understood to behave and not risk their O.W.L.s grades or the chance to continue after the test. The elder ones were even more diligently following the strict regime. Being expelled to the rank and file of the Dark Lord's army, the obvious punishment for the male students, hung like a Damocles sword over their heads. The few girls who had made it so far were not ones to enjoy a quick marriage and pregnancy either.

In sharp contrast to that, there were immediately a lot of pranks going on in the years one to four, where scrubbing and polishing cauldrons or the floor was all that awaited a culprit. A group of third-years attended lunch sprouting rhubarb instead of hair, having fun clipping the leaves and watching them re-grow. On another day, dinner saw small girls limping in, their left legs Transfigured into a canine form. The classrooms of Professors Windeye and Barnes could be drenched in pink liquids or smell like a pigsty. The headmistress delivered detentions at high speed, but the professors had no time to supervise them, and when left alone, the culprits hardly did what they had been assigned to do.

At dinner Ginny would make it a rule to be late, eat slowly and stay longer. On the fourth night, however, when Severus was not at dinner, several fourth-year students stalled and circled around her purposefully and remarked how odd it was that nobody seemed to be in the dormitory of the Gryffindor.

"Let us join you and see what murky corner they assigned to you."

Head held high, Ginny went to the library and engaged herself in the medical area where she believed she'd be left alone soonest. During her extensive excursion into the Aztec rituals of cleansing and their medical potions in a translation from Nahuatl, her unwanted company gradually dropped off from boredom. When she returned the book to its shelf, she quickly snatched yet another book--Japanese first aid guide--and noted with a grin that all but two had given up and turned to leave. With a smile, she perused the index of the tiny booklet that had been her saviour. Why had it insisted on falling into her hand? It had felt tempting, too tempting maybe? But when she tossed it onto her desk in fright, it opened to the description of a spell for oral hygiene in case of contagious diseases like Stomatitis, flu, sneezing or cough. The membrane-like, flexible spell placed itself over the mouth and nose like the cloth the Japanese Muggles used, but could not be wiped away as easily. Air passed through it with ease but liquids could not. One would not be able to eat or feel through the spell. This is it, she realised in delight. The spell for every night!

Booklet in hand, Ginny sprinted down to their quarters in anticipation. She didn't even hear the accusations of her last followers as to how she had wormed herself into the honourable Academy. They left rapidly when she turned into the teachers' corridor.

Severus met her at the door to draw her in. He started scolding her about her foray, but when Ginny proudly showed him her discovery, he approved of the spell, and they worked on it for a while before he had to take up the grading waiting on his desk.

He soon turned as moody as during the previous evenings at the Academy. Ginny could read the word dunce on his face all too often while he went through Potions essays.

When he was extremely disgusted at an essay in Defence, she glanced over his shoulder. A sixth-year was elaborating torturing techniques. For minutes he paced the length of his office before he took up the next essay from the high pile to his left.

There were various other problems causing Severus' annoyance. Their cramped living conditions for one, and the character of the headmistress and some colleagues for another. Class discipline certainly wasn't his concern. Ironically, the atmosphere among the staff was poisoned just because he had his classes in check when others failed. And, more importantly, his current position left him with few opportunities to follow the war going on and even fewer chances to collect information or search for ways to transport the news to the Order.

Ginny had no need to hear this from him, it was all too obvious. It was the right choice to keep her petty, little struggles to herself.

:-:-:-:

:-:-:-:

It was long after eleven on Sunday night, and Severus had not returned from a staff meeting. Ginny's Transfiguration essay benefited from the silent concentration, but eventually she felt too tired to add value to it. She checked her other assignments for the following period. She would preferably do Potions at home, where there was ample literature available. In Charms and Hexes, they worked on the difference between charming huge solid bodies like rocks or whole logs of timber wood and bulk goods like sand or loose soil. Next week, they would Charm liquids and gases. Ginny had trouble recognising the difference between them. The teacher had noted that they needed to appeal to their Muggle sense of things to grasp the concepts. Easy to say! Those of them who had had Muggle Studies at Hogwarts (which the Academy did not offer) and the half-bloods with contacts to their non-magical family were suddenly in advantage. While Ginny enjoyed this fact, she still faced the trouble that she was not that privileged. I'm bloody living among Muggles, and my husband is a half-blood, she told herself. She would have to ask Severus, she decided, and packed away all her books and parchments and made for the bathroom.

The corridor was utterly silent, and the few juvenile, whispering voices that did not belong there carried along undisturbed. They were to her left, towards the Great Hall and the staircases. Students planning a prank while the teachers were busy? Ginny decided not to be the victim and set up two strong wards they would not crack without waking her.

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When the exhausted and annoyed Severus Snape, Edward Barnes and Simon Slash returned to their corridor, they found the floor and walls covered in smelly, yellowish mud and the doors to their respective quarters sticky with slimy goo. It had found its way inside and already covered Professor Slash's desk and carpet. It was nearly two in the morning when Barnes checked his quarters, discovering that even his bed was gooey. He admitted to having forgotten one of his general wards. Together they cleaned the mess and removed the smell in the private quarters of the two men.

The men were reluctant to enter with Severus. They waited at a polite distance when he went in--or tried to do so. He was utterly surprised to find his room most heavily warded. It took him all concentration he could muster at three in the morning to find a resonance in the ward and finally enter.

Neither smell nor goo had found their way inside. With a smirk, he bade his colleagues a good night. What problem was a tiny bed if it was clean and you were allowed to share it with such a wonderful girl? Woman! Witch! Soon he thanked the Japanese medical wizards, snuggled close to her and fell asleep.

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After a hasty breakfast, the pupils at long last left for home. Ginny and the three teachers were kept back to attack their mucky, smelly corridor with wands and brushes. They got support from Professor Flank and Headmistress Mulciber, who silently discussed discipline problems when they assumed Ginny would be too far to listen.

Eventually, Severus and Ginny had cleaned the immediate area around their door. Severus deliberately turned his young wife to face him. "This is not your task. Go have a rest."

Mulciber frowned but Barnes came to his colleague's aid. "Take your girl home now, Severus; we'll manage the rest."

Slash supported him, noting, "It was her who saved us from cleaning your bedroom and office in the first place." Seeing the odds against her, the headmistress quickly swallowed her protest.

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In the days before the next period, Ginny and Severus were busily searching for ways to ease their life at the Academy. They would have to shrink their belongings to fit into the small cupboard; Ginny needed books and a robe. They saw little chance for these things. Severus was somewhat surprised that she did not miss protective gear for flying lessons, but with grading and a household to keep up, he forgot about the issue.

Severus asked Ginny to join him in the lab. They discussed when to use knives with a blade from stainless steel or carbon steel, when a flint blade was recommended, and how the cutting directives often harmonised with the stirring patterns.

Ginny had had more than just a glance at the Potions book of the Half Blood Prince and saw that all this must be like second nature to him. For her it was mainly facts to learn, but being shown the patterns and symmetries helped a lot.

:-:-:-:

:-:-:-:

They had an invitation to the Sands for Tuesday night. It was as annoying and boring as Severus had already promised such events would be. The Sands' manor came close to the estate of the Malfoys', and every five minutes one of the guests made sure the Snapes noticed it. Ginny wondered why on earth they bothered inviting them at all, but it dawned on her soon enough: all their money had not ensured Gregory Sands a place in the Inner Circle yet.

The Snapes sat at the same end of the table as Marcus Flint and his wife Serina. She had lost much of the arrogance she had shown when Ginny was being equipped with a wedding dress. Instead, she was moody and tired. Marcus hardly addressed her at all, and certainly not with any nice words as suits newlyweds expecting a baby. Appalled, Ginny realised that his little brother Albert, her arrogant fellow fifth-year, was merely a weak copy of his elder brother and their father. The whole family gave nourishment to every prejudice Ginny had ever heard about Death Eaters, including the colourless appearance of the two women. She was thankful to have Severus' position as a protection against the loathing that they wanted to throw at her but didn't quite dare.

After the two hours of dinner, Severus suggested that Ginny might move to the lower end of the table where the younger people had gathered, Albert Flint and Mandy Sands among them. Their parents quitted the proposal with a smile that was maybe meant to appear benign, and she left. Possibly he wanted to talk business?

Far from that, Severus faced an interrogation of sorts. Bellatrix tried to get him to justify why on earth he hadn't managed to impregnate the girl yet. Another pair wed with them was already happily looking forward to a baby.

"As for you, Bella, may I remind you that you haven't been very productive in providing the Dark Lord with young blood either?" She glared daggers at him, and he drew new energy from the short moment of revenge.

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Hours later, Draco insisted on Apparating Ginny back, watching with concern how Severus' brows furrowed deeply when he concentrated.

They waited a long time in the Apparition spot. "Don't fret, Ginny," Draco said. "On his own, he'll be fine."

"I know. I have a few elder brothers, remember," she replied dryly. "Thanks for handling the Side-Along Apparition, though."

Ginny had to pull her husband upright since he struggled after reappearing more than a foot above ground. He didn't walk straight on their way home. "Those people juss' leave me unnerved," he said, slightly slurring.

Ginny did not grace the obvious remark with a reply.

Very early in the morning, Ginny made muesli for herself and deftly whipped up a headache cure for her husband. She placed it forcefully on his bedside table to wake him up. Taking the cure from the table he looked sheepishly at Ginny before swallowing it.

Ginny did not speak, but her glare penetrated his sensitive eyes worse than any sunshine could have done, if there had been any.

Minutes later, Severus was up and about. All morning he busied himself with grading, not quite sure what to say. With almost furious motions, Ginny turned pages or corrected sentences as she worked on her own essays. Twice she had to extinguish flames from her harsh effacing spell.

Around lunchtime, Ginny had calmed down and glanced at Severus, who did not look up. She dropped her work, proceeded towards the kitchen and prepared rolls and a salad. From the gradually softening sounds of her cuts, Severus deduced that her fury was leaving her. He exhaled deeply, only now noticing that he had been holding his breath. They had not even had an argument. Why had he felt so depressed? Because her opinion matters. It matters a lot. He stood.

Silently, he crept up behind her, gripped her around her waist and caressed her gently. With the care to avoid lip contact that had become second nature for them, he swept her hair back and murmured close to her ears, "I promise you this will not happen again, if I have any choice."

Ginny's stiff body relaxed in his hands. Severus gently increased his effort, and when she started turning in his embrace, he stopped her, swiftly moving his hands under her shirt and further up, magicking her breath to rise and little moans to escape her. Soon her knees were about as steady as jelly, and she gave up all resistance.

When she pressed her head on his chest, arching her back, he suddenly stopped and took his hands out from under her garments.

"My apologies."

Ginny barely gathered her wits quickly enough not to fall. She turned and saw him retreating, head bent in... shame?

"What is it now, Severus?"

"I... " he broke off. He looked more embarrassed than he had in the morning as if shocked over himself.

"Look at me, Severus," she ordered. He stopped in the doorway and lifted his eyes for a mere second. Ginny, still aroused, closed the gap between them. "That was nice, Severus. Please, why did you stop?"

"I swore to myself never to assault you again, and yet... I should have asked."

"Ask me now! Quickly!" she suggested, reaching up and unbuttoning his shirt.

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They remained in bed for lunch.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Severus stroked her cheek, reached over her for a roll and said, "If I had kept my wits at this party, I could have asked the Sands for a set of school robes for you."

"I won't wear anything that insulting dimwit has touched!" It was out before she had time to think.

"Insulting? What did she say?" Severus demanded, his body stiffening.

Ginny tried to avoid the answer, but Severus prompted repeatedly. Finally she huffed. "If you must know: at the Mulcibers' she declared she can't even stand imagining being touched by you. Yesterday she told us all she would have chosen death over you."

"You never tol... of course. How did you react before Christmas?"

"I told her I could not stand the image of you touching her either."

Severus turned away. "You defended me even then... and you did not even have your wand." Yet another reminder of how he had wronged her.

"As if I had cared," she said drily. "Yesterday Draco was quicker with an answer. Along the lines he regretted he hadn't proposed matching her and you. He could not be too direct in their own house, but I bet she won't say anything else so soon."

To enjoy the rare bit of dry weather, they had just decided to get up and stroll through town when their cosy get-together was sharply terminated. Severus clutched his left arm and hissed in pain. Quickly they set up a timetable for their return to the Academy.

Sudden calls were dangerous ones, but there was nothing Ginny could do. To distract herself from her fear, she decided to stroll around alone. She had at least three hours, so, after carefully re-erecting their wards, she headed for the town centre. She stretched her legs on a park bench, trying to unwind a bit.

"Hi, again!"

It was the girl from a few houses up on Spinner's End.

"Hi, Maud, finished your homework as well?"

They engaged in a small chat. Ginny artfully steered around most problematic topics but eventually had to pretend being in a hurry to return home.

"Care to come over for a chat at the weekend?" Maud asked on their way back. Ginny had to decline, but they agreed that she would try next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Panting, Severus arrived home only to transport them to the Academy. He would not reveal what had happened, and Ginny would not ask.

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A/N:

My warmest thanks go to Jingjingchiquita and Savine_Snape for their great help in putting this chapter into shape. Whatever reads smoothly, you bet they have made it do so. Whatever makes you frown is entirely mine!

Some comments about canon:

Ginny was in the library, preparing herself for her O.W.L.s exams, when A. Dumbledore called Harry to go for the locket. Returning, A.D. died, and chaos broke lose. The funeral was arranged, and no one had any interest in holding exams.

We never hear anything about her O.W.L.s.

I've also been assuming that the castle needed a lot more repair than what we see in DH: In the first chapters of this story, Ginny reported to Draco that they slept in Slytherin quarters since the tower was completely destroyed, but the dungeons were not damaged. This is my taking, and I think after HBP it was justified enough.

Urquhart is the canon Slytherin Chaser from HBP. He crushes Harry's hand when shaking it, which implies his physique.

Urquhart is a Scottish clan, but for today's Muggles, Urquhart castle is merely a ruin, the family living elsewhere. The six hundred foot deep waters of Loch Ness surround the formerly huge structure on three sides. To me, this shows that the magic branch of the Urquhart clan has done thorough work, although I'm sure they are annoyed with all the tourists!

According to Newt Scamander, getting a bridle over the head of a kelpie renders it docile and unthreatening. While he suggests a Placement Charm, we cannot be sure how the Urquhart family deals with it.