Some Days I Wish I Were in Slytherin

Chapter 1: The Malcontent

Exams were over, and the Hogwarts students were spending their last few days before the summer holidays in the usual pursuits of lounging outside, playing quidditch, swimming with the giant squid, and snogging in whatever secluded places they could find. Harry was still hiding from everyone, and Ron and Hermione were residing in the hospital wing under the care of Madame Pomfrey. Ginny's ankle had been healed, and she had been discharged immediately, so until her friends were better she had to look to other people in her house to keep her company. Hence she found herself waiting for Dean and Seamus to finish their game of chess in the corner. Dean had been giving her longing looks for weeks, and she was sure if she could separate him from Seamus for even an hour, he'd prove an entertaining way to pass the time.

Tonight, the Gryffindor common room was stifling. The remains of the hot, muggy June day were clinging to the twilight like wet sand; not only frizzing Ginny's hair, but also souring her demeanor. She pushed an impatient hand through the tendrils that kept escaping her elaborate braid and sticking to her sweaty neck. Her cheeks were flushed with both heat and exasperation, and she let a frustrated breath out sharply between her lips as she watched Dean agonize over whether to move his knight or his pawn. He'd never get done at this rate.

"Forget it, I'm leaving," Ginny said. She stood up and made her away across the common room to the portrait hole, pushing aside some first and second years who were trying to transfigure a toad into a ceiling fan. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dean wave goodbye negligibly as he moved the knight. Idiot, she thought, Seamus would have him checked in fewer than three moves, that is if the smarmy git was smart enough to pick up on the opportunity.

She snickered as she strode down the hallway, racking her brain for somewhere, anywhere she could go to escape the heat. When she reached the door to the Great Hall, instinct sent her in the direction of the stairs to the Astronomy tower. At least there she would catch a breeze or two, and maybe, with luck, the snogging couples wouldn't be out this early.

She climbed the steps two at a time, her ankle only giving an occasional twinge of pain. When she reached the top she noted with relief that she had the lonely tower to herself and settled down in a secluded corner with a restricted view of the lake. The muggy air was less pervasive up here. She undid the top buttons of her shirt and took off her shoes and socks. The cool stone of the castle wall cradled her head, and she placed her hands palms down on the worn flagstones, letting the cool breeze from the lake wash over her.

Ginny closed her eyes and let her mind wander. The events of the past week had shaken them all, but for some reason she felt something besides sadness. She hadn't known Sirius well, and although her heart ached for Harry's sake, she felt no sense of loss. Instead she was angry; frustrated at herself and at her inability to act when her friends needed her. Her months of practice in the DA seemed practically like wasted time. So she'd tossed off a few blocks, a few curses. So what? She'd have given anything to have hurt the Death Eaters like they'd hurt the others. Instead she'd been a weak, silly girl. That was the problem with all of her friends. They were too nice. They were eager to do the right thing, but they weren't prepared to accept the consequences, or to deal out as nasty as they'd been dealt. The only people truly capable of dealing with people like the Death Eaters were people like the Death Eaters. That was the problem. Too bad they didn't have people like Draco Malfoy on their side, now he could give them a run for their money.

A smile crossed Ginny's face at the thought of Malfoy standing up to the flying brains, and all of a sudden she sat bolt upright. Malfoy wasn't available, but someone else was. A person who'd been lying to her family since before she could talk, a person who most of the people at Hogwarts thought was only a sweet, innocent little girl. What if she could learn to be like him, to move in that world, to amplify her natural instinct to be cunning and deceitful? It was a mad idea. She wasn't even sure how she could make it work, but if it did, maybe there was a chance for her to even the odds. She was tired of always being the little sister, always playing nice for the adults and her adoring brothers. They didn't know about the dark urges which surged in her blood, her need to test the boundaries of right and wrong. What the order of the Phoenix needed was someone who didn't play by the rules; someone like her.

She'd never told anyone how the Sorting Hat had seriously debated putting her in Slytherin house. It was only fear of her mother that had given her the will to bully the hat into putting her in Gryffindor. She had ambition, and she could be ruthless. After all, she'd had more boyfriends already than most of the girls at school, even the seventh years. Growing up with six brothers gave you a knack for getting along with boys, but it also was a certain something; a willingness to put it on the line, to flirt, promise, and scheme to get her way, and most important, a willingness to follow through. The way she saw it, this was an extension of that, with obviously more serious consequences. Then again, what could be worse than seeing Michael Corner in a pink thong? Cho could have him, dear sweet little cross dresser that he was. The memory made her smile for a moment, and then her expression once again turned serious.

The only problem was that for this to work, she'd need an in. Someone who could show her the ropes per se, to teach her, guide her, someone perhaps who would see the wisdom of this plan and maybe, just maybe, help her keep it a secret. Because, above all else, this would have to be a secret even from her family and friends, that is if it would work. Of course Dumbledore would have to know eventually, but by the time he did it would be too late for him to put a stop to it.

Ginny pulled on her shoes and brushed off the back of her plaid skirt as she walked past a couple caught in a passionate embrace. She made her way down the curving tower stairs and into the bowels of the castle. There was only one person who could help her. But would he? She paused at the bottom of the stairs to run a smoothing hand over her hair and take a deep breath and then confidently approached the second door on the right.

She knocked on the oval shaped door and walked into the office at the curt, "Come in."

Professor Snape looked up from grading exam papers, pushed his lank hair behind his ear and said with a sneer. "Is there something I can do for you Miss Weasley?"