Some Days I Wish I Were in Slytherin

Ch 12: Visions of Past and Future

"Through the darkness of future past,

The magician longs to see.

Once chance out, between two worlds:

Fire walk with me."

-Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Directed by David Lynch

Snape closed the door to Ginny's room and leaned back against the cool wood, grateful that she seemed almost normal this afternoon. He'd been afraid that the spell last night might have permanently damaged her mind. He knew, despite what emotional problems she might have, that her self control would never have allowed her to throw herself at him if her wits had not been addled.

A pity really, but daylight had only strengthened his conviction that he never would have taken advantage of her offer. A sharp pang in his stomach reminded him that if things had been different, if she was older or if he was a better man, perhaps the outcome would have altered. As his thoughts drifted again to the dream, he closed his eyes and Disapparated.

The numbing cold of being between places choked him, and he had just begun to feel the familiar gnawing sensation at his entrails when suddenly he was in Ying's elaborate formal gardens. He made his way through the maze of bamboo and ornamental grasses and approached the back of the house. Outside, on the terrace, he could see Ying seated on a mat, her graying head bent over a calligraphy project, her small delicate hand painting intricate brush stokes onto the plain parchment. Next to her, sitting in his chair, was Humphrey.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence and stepped from behind the fronds of a particularly tall purple grass. Ying looked up quickly, then relaxed and smiled in greeting.

"Hello Severus," said Humphrey. His sightless eyes stared straight ahead, but he inclined his head slightly in Snape's direction. "I heard you traipsing through the shrubbery ages ago. I keep telling Ying to stop rearranging the maze, but I think it amuses her for our guests to be lost in it."

"Humphrey," Severus said. He approached his friend and bent slightly to shake his hand. He squeezed the twisted, useless fingers gently and felt a light pressure in return. "Good to see you again." He straightened up, averting his eyes from the empty sockets before him, instead sniffing the air and smiling at Ying. The delicious smells of lemon grass and ginger were emanating from the kitchen. "Dinner smells wonderful," he told her.

"You are not telling me anything I don't already know, my friend," she told him, pushing her grey-streaked black hair behind her ears and regarding him thoughtfully. "Please, sit down; you're giving me a pain in my neck from looking up at you."

Severus bit back the obvious rebuttal which would have come easily to his lips with anyone else. Instead, he dropped down to share her woven mat, both of them facing Humphrey in his chair.

"Dinner won't be ready for some time," said the shriveled wizard. "Ying is still roasting the duck. There's plenty of time for conversation." He twitched the fingers of his left hand ever so slightly, and the tea set to his right began to pour three cups of flowery orange pekoe. A pair of tongs flashed like silver bird's wings and added a wedge of lemon. Snape reached out to take the cup as it floated within his reach.

"Thank you Humphrey." He took a sip. It was just the right temperature for drinking, and he held the small bowl-shaped cup in his palm as he waited for Humphrey to finish serving.

Humphrey's cup floated to his lips, and he took a careful sip to avoid splashing any tea on his robes. Not a drop was spilt, and the cup waited patiently at his side, enchanted, like many things in their home, to respond to the slightest motion on the part of the paralyzed wizard. Snape turned his eyes back to his cup and tried to suppress the memories that surfaced every time he saw the former divination instructor. While divination had never been a field that demanded his utmost respect, Humphrey was in a league far distant from that crone Trelawney. It was unfortunate that a fraud with only a few true prophecies to her name had survived, while many a competent diviner had ended up in Voldemort's hands. Humphrey had over a hundred prophecies in the department of mysteries. Although Voldemort had taken his eyes and left him for dead that night twenty years ago, he had survived; though blind, he still possessed the Sight.

The old man interrupted his thoughts, speaking in his harsh, garbled voice. "Severus, I won't pretend to know the details of why you are here. Obviously it pertains to that girl you and my wife have been teaching. I have scryed in my mirror, and although I saw no visions, I do sense she is deeply connected to you. Tell us, what brings you here with these questions?"

Ying put down her teacup and looked at Snape expectantly. He glanced back and forth from her face to Humphrey's as he spoke. He told them as much as he could remember about the dream, which was a great deal. The colors, the scents, and the impressions were still distinct in his mind. He finished with telling them how Ginny had awoken from a similar vision, but did not appear to think it was anything more then a dream.

"That's probably a good thing," Ying interrupted. "The young have not the perception or the experience to face their past lives for what they are. Only time will give her the self-awareness to accept them. Like many in this world, the knowledge may be kept hidden from her, or she may choose not to believe it when it is revealed. So is the way of karma. Only those with the need to know of the past travels of their souls will be granted the understanding of them." She looked at her husband for a moment and then her eyes went back to Snape, her expression serious. "This has been revealed to you for a reason, Severus. Am I correct?"

"I believe so, although what it is about, I have no idea."

Humphrey's lips pressed together in a thin line, and he looked pensive. "Did something happen between the two of you, Severus? Something to trigger this?"

"Yes," Snape admitted. His voice broke for a moment, and he feigned sudden interest in a small hole in the sole of his shoe. He swallowed hard and continued. "The girl ... offered herself to me - I didn't accept," he added hastily. "I couldn't."

Ying put a hand on his shoulder, her dark eyes penetrating deep into the reaches of his soul. A strange look came over her face, but then she shook it off and nodded briskly. "Yes, I understand. Do you?"

"I'm not sure." He paused, and before he could stop himself the words came out in a rush. "The way I'm feeling isn't right Ying. She's too young. I shouldn't be feeling this way."

"Yet you stopped yourself," said Ying. "You did the right thing by her. A debt has been repaid now perhaps?" She smiled at him as if she knew something he didn't. "Besides," she added, "she is not so very young. I wasn't much older when Humphrey first met me."

Snape felt a smile rise to his lips. He squeezed Ying's hand gently. "You were never that young, Ying."

She slapped his hand away. "Show some respect child. I most certainly was." She peered at him, her eyes keen and glinting as a hawk and added, "And don't forget my friend; you were once that young as well."

Snape shook his head at her, but felt the laughter vanish from his eyes. She looked at him as if she understood and turned to her husband. "Humphrey," she asked. "Would you mind if Severus and I went inside for a while?"

"Not at all," he replied. "I will go back to my meditation." His head sagged against the padded back of the chair, and Snape and Ying made their way quietly into the house.

They walked through the wide, airy kitchen and down the long hallway that led to Ying's study. A curious word for the room, Snape thought as he paused in the doorway, given that there were no books or desk of any kind, only soft rugs and lovely painted screens. A large silver brazier heaped with coals resided in the place of honor on an elevated dais. The overall impression of the room was one of cool, quiet peacefulness. Bamboo shades covered the windows giving it a look of perpetual twilight. He slipped off his shoes and followed the tiny witch to the center of the room.

Ying sat down in front of the brazier and threw a handful of herbs from a small pouch onto the coals. She pulled out her wand, and with a muttered incantation, the fire blazed into life, igniting the herbs and filling the room with a dense, greenish smoke. She gestured for Snape to sit opposite her, and after he folded himself into a sitting position, she grasped his wrists and held them loosely in her hands.

She gave him one last mysterious smile, then closed her eyes and began to speak, first in Mandarin, and then again in English. "Oh masters of the four elements, keepers of the light and the eternal flames. I beseech you to hear my supplication. Grant this mortal an audience, that he may understand the paths he has trod, and those he will yet tread. Give him insight and knowledge if it is thy will. Give him guidance, for he is a seeker of answers." She began to hum under her breath. Wordless, tuneless notes issued from deep inside her throat, and her features became slack as she rocked slowly back and forth.

Without warning, her hands clenched down on his wrists like a vise, her fingernails digging bloody crescent moons into the skin. Her eyes snapped open. Deep swirling pools of rainbow colored light regarded him, and a voice that was unlike hers issued from her lips.

"Who seeks the knowledge of the paths?" The eyes regarded him thoughtfully, and he felt no fear, only peace.

"I do, masters." He said the words in a way that he had never spoken to anyone, without malice, or forethought. The need to bare his whole self to this unknown being reared inside him, and he bit down on his tongue hard in an effort to stay it from saying too much.

"Why do you seek the knowledge that for most remains hidden?" Shadows and light vied for attention as the eyes glittered in the wildly flaring light of the brazier, and he had the sensation that he was speaking to not one being, but many, hundreds, perhaps thousands.

Snape inclined his head in respect and replied, "To better understand my place in this life, and that of another."

"The girl?" the voice asked.

"Yes."

Silence cloaked the room for a moment. The smoke was getting thicker, more cloying, making him feel a bit dizzy. The room seemed to suddenly tilt on its axis as the eyes closed for a moment and then reopened. Snape had the sensation he was being regarded by a large hungry beast; a sphinx perhaps, or a dragon.

"We have decided," said the being. "We will tell you that which you seek. But first, you must abide by the rule that this knowledge is for you alone. The girl is not to know. It is not her time. Her path does not require it. If she reaches a time when this knowledge is needed she will have to seek it on her own."

Ying's grip on his wrists tightened, and he felt as if scorching, liquid metal was spreading though his body. "I pledge it masters," he promised fervently, clenching his teeth in pain. "No word of this will ever fall to the girl from my lips."

"Very well. First, you will see."

Snape felt his eyes closing, and unbidden images began conveying themselves on the inside of his eyelids. Some of them were too quick to catch, brief flashes only, a scrap of cloth, a hand, a pair of eyes. They lasted mere seconds, not even giving him time to catch his breath before proceeding to the next, dizzying memory. Eventually though, the images slowed, and he had the sensation of being suspended in time, of possessing an odd binocular vision as he watched two sets of the same memory. It felt as if he was reliving it, but also watching from a great distance.

He saw two brothers walking in a field of knee high yellow grass. The dew was damp against his bare feet. A strong gust hit them and sent them laughing and running into the wind ... A mother held her small son in her arms, singing him a soft song in an ancient language as lightning shook the very chair she sat on and thunder crashed outside ... A pair of acolytes served the contents of a silver chalice to the multitudes in a great cathedral, beneath great stone beams which arched overhead, as brilliant, multihued light shone though elaborate stained glass windows ... A young girl murdered her father in his bath. He cried out as the blood blossomed around his outspread fingers and turned the bath water crimson, the sharp, deep pain of the knife twisting in his bowels. The image of his daughter's face, twisted in hatred, filled his vision as a dark-haired woman laughed beside her ... There were others as well, too many to remember, but finally the sickening shifting of light and shadow ceased, and only a final memory remained. The shepherd and his wife, raising their daughter, tending their flock, growing old together, dying in each others' arms as Roman soldiers burned their house. The two old people were unable to raise a hand when their throats were slit by a Roman soldier with dark black hair and terrible, shining blue eyes.

The image of Pelagia's face, the last thing he remembered from that life, felt burned into his soul as the images faded and his head cleared. He felt a sense of unbelievable loss and despair, and his eyes were wet as he opened them.

"You have seen now, our pupil. You and the girl have shared many lifetimes together, sometimes mere seconds, the cloak of a passerby on the street, gone in a moment, never seen again until the next time. Other lifetimes you have been together from the beginning, or until the end. Your threads are eternally entwined together, husband and wife, mother and son, father and daughter, brothers, comrades, lovers, enemies. I can not tell you what you are to her in this life. That is for you to discover, but know that whenever you come together it is to learn something, to teach the other. Know too that as you have met in the past, so too will you meet in the future, in a life not yet glimpsed. At the beginning of time you were created together, two parts of the same flame, which diverged to grow and mature in their own time, yet come together on this plane to learn and evolve. Think on these words; reflect on who you are, and what you will be. Help the girl, but remember, reveal nothing."

The voice slowed, and the rainbow colors in the eyes began to fade as it spoke a final time. "Remember what you saw in the visions, for she is not the only one you have met before."

Ying's eyes cleared, and her head sagged to her chest. She lifted it slowly and released her grip on his wrists. She regarded him thoughtfully as the smoke cleared from the room. He released his breath, realizing he'd been holding it for some time, and slowly became aware that light from the hallway was shining into the room, and the sound of house elves setting the table for dinner was emanating from the kitchen. He looked across at his friend in silence for a moment, then as one they rose and made their way out of the room.

******************************

Ginny turned slowly in front of the mirror, inspecting every inch of her reflection. Since she'd gone with Draco on the shopping trip she'd taken extra care with her appearance, especially when they were together. She smoothed down the plain front of the lightweight sundress, feeling strangely exposed. It bared her arms and legs in a way her old clothes or robes never had. As she tugged on her hem in an effort to make it a little lower, she thought it was a good thing none of her brothers were here. They probably would have made her put on a robe. A long, thick robe. She pulled on a pair of delicate sandals and ran a brush through her hair which was softly curly thanks to the charm the beauty witch had shown her. She thought of the Muggles she'd seen at the Forbidden City. At least she'd blend in today.

She hid her wand sheath in her hand bag and left the room, making her way to the back entrance of the inn. There on the access road was a sleekly polished sedan. The door opened at her approach, and Draco's silvery hair glimmered as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. His eyes traveled slowly from her head to her feet, and he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Those shoes make your ankles look nice," he whispered in her ear.

"Why yes, they do don't they?" she said. She took in his appearance. He looked immaculate as usual, clad in neatly pressed charcoal slacks and a silky grey shirt. "You look nice too." She peered into the dark confines of the car. "Are we ready?"

"We're picking up Grandfather and the others at the hotel. I thought we could steal a few moments in the back seat."

"Why Draco as if I'd ever..."

"Yeah, yeah, save it for those Gryffindors who still think you're a sweet innocent little girl." He pulled her towards the car and helped her in. "For the next few minutes you're mine. Did I mention I missed you?" He closed the door and sat down next to her on the long seat as the car began to move.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice in your letter." Ginny pretended to brush invisible dirt off his shirt and let her hand linger on his chest for a moment before trailing her fingers off one by one and letting her arm rest on the leather upholstery. "I didn't realize you'd succumbed to my charms so quickly."

Draco smirked. "I thought it was the other way around. Look at us, we're here in the car for only a few minutes and already you can't keep your hands off me."

"Your ego should have its own country Malfoy," she said, turning away and pretending to pout. "You're insufferable."

She looked out the window at the passing buildings and felt a shiver run up her back as his hand pushed her hair up off her neck and he whispered in her ear. "I told you before. I know you like me that way." She felt the warmth of his breath on her skin, then his lip

"Malfoy," she started.

"Don't call me that."

"Draco." She leaned back against him and nestled her head on his shoulder, drawing his arm around her waist. By tilting her chin, she could reach his neck. She felt him tense as she kissed the tender flesh at the hollow of his throat. "You know the thing about bad boys don't you Draco?" she murmured, running her palm lazily up his arm. "They always get what's coming to them."

He swallowed nervously. "What's the matter Draco?" she asked. "Did you forget that I'm not a sweet innocent little girl?" His grey eyes were wide, the dark pupils large. She noticed the car slowing and a group of people waiting on the sidewalk. She smiled and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll take it slow." She brushed her lips gently against his and pulled back just as the door opened.

"My, what have we here?" Erasmus Flint was peering in at them, giving her a look that could only be described as amused. Daisy looked over his shoulder, her features enraged. Ginny smiled at them both and snuggled down next to Draco, who had regained his usual expression of smug satisfaction.

"I hope we're not interrupting." Daisy said in an insincere voice, sliding in across from them. She looked annoyed as Erasmus took the seat next to Ginny.

"I don't suppose you're giving those away are you Weasley?" Erasmus asked.

Draco shot him a glare, but Ginny smiled sweetly. "Sorry Erasmus, no free samples. Better luck next time."

He opened his mouth to reply, but Daisy kicked him in the shin as Julian stuck his head in the door.

"All ready in here?" he asked. "Virginia, so nice to see you're feeling better. Draco moped around in his room all yesterday after he received your note." He smiled graciously at her and nodded to them all. "The rest of us will be following in the other car. We'll see you there." He closed the door, and went to join the five older witches and wizards waiting behind them in a larger car.

The ride out to the Great Wall began in silence. Early on, Draco wrapped his arm around Ginny and pulled her as close to him and as far away from Erasmus as possible. She spent most of the time pretending to gaze dreamily out the window at the passing scenery, but was fully conscious of the soft brush of Draco's fingers on her arm and of the piercing glances sent their way by Daisy. Eventually though, the slim blonde grew tired of glaring, rested her head against the window, and fell into a light sleep.

"That looks like a good idea," said Draco. He stretched out between the two seats, using Ginny's lap as a pillow. Soon the soft sound of his breathing told her he too was asleep. She gently pushed his hair out of his face and repositioned him more comfortably. Beside her, Erasmus had pulled out a boring-looking business journal. The rustling noise the pages made as he turned them and the soft snores of Daisy were the only sounds as the car nosed its way further into the country.

Ginny looked over at Erasmus. This might be a good opportunity to get to know him better. From what Julian had told Draco, she knew she couldn't necessarily count on them for information about the Dark Lord's activities. It would benefit her to cultivate other sources. She gently lifted Draco's head off her lap, and carefully placed her handbag under it. She then slid out from underneath him and closer to Erasmus's side of the car.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"Galleon and Sickle," he replied, barely looking up at her and scowling a little at the interruption.

She frowned and searched her brain for something to say to get him talking. If he was anything like Percy, all she'd have to do was get him interested. Then he'd probably spout off to her ad nauseam. She thought for a few moments, until the memory of a conversation her father and Bill had been having last month during a family dinner inspired her.

"Do you think the Muggle European Union will have an effect on the Gringotts Industrial Average?" she asked.

Erasmus looked up from his journal with the expression of a man whose owl has suddenly decided to talk. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know something of the market Weasley?"

"A little ... My brother Bill's in finance," she added by way of explanation.

Erasmus looked skeptical, but then apparently the desire to expound on his favorite subject won him over. He tossed his journal to the side, his features thawed a little, and he pressed the tips of his fingers together as he leaned back in his seat.

"Actually," he said. "It's interesting that you ask that. Julian and I were discussing that the other night after dinner. The European Union is going to be a whole new era for the wizard banking community. Why it will enable stockholders and depositors to ..." he broke off and looked at her ruefully. "But I digress. You probably find all this boring."

"Not at all," Ginny said, smiling and moving closer to him on the seat. "I've often wished I knew more about it. My brother always makes it sound so interesting, but he never has the time to explain anything. I'd love to hear more." She lowered her lashes and then raised her gaze to meet his eyes, managing to look hesitant yet eager at the same time. "That is, if it's not too much trouble. I wouldn't want to take up your time." With the ease of a practiced flirt, she smiled at him and pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Erasmus looked stunned for a moment, but then smiled widely, his crooked teeth incongruous in his otherwise patrician face. "No. It's no trouble at all," he replied.

The rest of the ride was spent with him talking animatedly about his work for the Ministry in the Department of Finance, as well as his outside business interests. After a while, their conversation woke up Daisy and Draco, who spent the rest of the ride trying not to glare at the two of them talking. About an hour and a half out of Beijing, the scenery began to slow, and the car came to a halt. The surrounding country was harsh and rocky, and a large section of the Great Wall stretched before them. The four of them stumbled out of the car's darkened interior and stood blinking in the bright sunshine. Daisy took Erasmus' arm possessively, sent Ginny a scathing look, and started towards the Wall. Ginny started after them, but Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her back against the car.

"What was that about?" he asked. He had a strange expression in his grey eyes, and she wondered if it was jealousy or something else.

"Jealous, Draco? I don't know why, after all I'm yours remember?" She let her voice drip with sarcasm and laughed at the anger that flashed across his face. "Really Draco, this is Erasmus we're talking about, remember? I was only doing it to irritate Daisy. Besides, you told me I should try talking to him."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw yourself at him." He pushed her away from him, his normally handsome features twisted with rage, and she was suddenly reminded of how much he looked like his father.

"If I'd thrown myself at him you would have known it," she replied. "Get over yourself Draco. Just because you've decided for some insane reason to lay claim to me, don't think it means you get to rule my life. Now I suggest you calm down. You're making a scene." She strode over to Julian and his friends, Draco following in her wake.

Julian offered her his arm. "Sorry the ride was so long, Virginia. Unfortunately, Portkeying or Apparating here was out of the question," he said. He frowned at the car. "I'll never understand how Muggles can stand to travel this way." He shuddered and looked at Draco. "I do hope my grandson has been acting like a gentleman." She sensed rather then saw the look he shot Draco over her head.

"Of course, Grandfather," Draco said with a tight smile.

Ginny pretended to be unaware of the unfolding drama. She smiled and took Julian's arm. "Draco's just overexcited from the car ride. You'll have to pardon his behavior." She gave Draco an icy smile.

"But of course," said Julian. "Now, let's see what all the excitement is about shall we?" They began to follow the crowd of people who were heading for a large stone staircase that emptied out onto the top of the ancient structure. The place was packed with Muggles of many nationalities. They seemed to be everywhere; taking pictures, buying food from the vendors and having makeshift picnics, or examining the maps and displays that detailed the extent and the historical significance of the wall. Ginny mentally compared her own group to the Muggles and wondered what impression they were making. A gaggle of older men and women wearing dark, somber suits and dresses, one of them holding the arm of a much younger woman, and Draco bringing up the rear, slogging along with a look of vague distaste on his features. Daisy and Erasmus were far ahead, but she'd noted several tourists taking snaps of the blonde's purple polka dot dress and elaborate floppy white hat with black ostrich feathers. She looked nervously at the guards stationed here and there. They hadn't appeared to notice anything unusual about Daisy; hopefully they would take her for an eccentric American.

They climbed slowly up the worn stone steps, careful to avoid a few places where the rock was crumbling. The ancient chiseled stone reminded her of the weathered material that made up Hogwarts' walls. At the top, Julian led her to a shorter section of the wall on the right that was less crowded. The rest of the group paused at the top to admire the scenery and get their bearings. Ginny was painfully aware of Julian's thin sinewy arm under her hand as they walked. He climbed the steps with a surprising amount of spryness for an old man, leaning only occasionally on his cane, and she reminded herself that his mind was also very agile. Underestimating him, she thought, could be deadly. She noticed the others, including Draco, purposely head in the opposite direction, and she wondered whether they were under orders.

Her question was answered almost immediately. They reached a small semicircular overlook, and Julian paused to lean against the rough stone. She released his arm and looked out over the rugged countryside. The day was fair, and the warm sunshine felt good on her skin. They stood in silence for a moment until Julian spoke.

"I think I don't have to tell you that I have great hopes for my grandson."

Ginny struggled to keep her features calm, to look dispassionately at the landscape, but her eyes flickered ever so briefly to him. He was considering her thoughtfully, his grey eyes detached and cold, as one would consider a rat before choosing it to feed your pet owl.

"No, sir. You don't," she replied, turning slightly and meeting his gaze.

Something like a smile crossed his face. "I'm glad to know that you, unlike my grandson, know how to be respectful." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his bony fingers before continuing. "He is a great disappointment to me, Virginia. He stands, like my son before him, to make some very foolish choices if he is not more careful. He doesn't seem to understand the need for prudence and diplomacy." He paused here for a moment as if making sure she was paying attention. Ginny raised an eyebrow to indicate she was listening.

"I think you will be a good influence on him. He could go far with you at his side."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Julian," she said, fixing her gaze primly on some trees in the distance.

He laughed, and she managed to keep herself from flinching when he threw his arm around her shoulders and gave her a stiff one armed hug. To anyone else, she thought, they probably looked like a father and daughter having a nice chat about the scenery. His fingers dug sharply into the soft skin of her upper arm as he said in a pleasant voice, "Oh, I think you do."

"Tell me, my dear," he added. "Haven't you wondered what it would be like to have everything you ever wanted? The world at your fingertips, to be wealthy, respected, to have the entire of wizard society looking to you as their queen?"

Ginny wisely kept her lips shut, instead only raising her eyes to his. Her mind was racing, what game was he playing? Why exactly was he telling her this?

"You've thought about it, I know," he said. He patted her shoulder in what he probably thought was a confidential manner, but which left her with a vague impression of dry, moldering feathers brushing across her arm and a slightly nauseous sensation in her stomach.

"It's all possible," he said. "It's all within your reach. Do you know where I'm going with this?"

"Yes," she replied. She did know; she'd heard his conversation with Draco, known what the old man was planning, but wondered why he felt a sudden need to confide in her.

"Good," he smiled and pulled his arm away. "We understand each other my girl. I know there's more to you than just a pretty face. I look at you and I see the hunger in your eyes. I can feed that; I can give you what you want."

"An even trade," she said in a cool voice. "I help your grandson stay in the good graces of decent wizarding society and you ..."

"Make all your dreams come true." He pursed his wrinkled lips together smugly. Ginny pretended to be thinking it over, but inside she was laughing. How little he knew of what her dreams were. How transparent he was; just like Draco, he assumed that money and social status were all that mattered.

They stopped talking for a moment while a group of tourists swarmed past them, talking loudly in Italian and giving them curious looks. Ginny waited until the people at the rear of the group were past them before leaning nearer to Julian.

"And what if Draco doesn't want me?" she asked.

"Draco's wishes do not concern me in the least," he replied. "Besides, if what I've heard of you is true, I believe I can trust you to remedy the situation. I've been doing a bit of research into your background. Apparently, you've done an excellent job of keeping your family and friends believing that you're nothing but an innocent girl." He nodded sagely and smiled at her. "I apologize for underestimating you Virginia, it won't happen again." He squeezed her arm briefly a second time and she concentrated on not rubbing the tender, bruised flesh. She pressed her lips together and remained silent.

He appeared to mistake her silence for approval and continued, "Severus tells me you're quite the quick study with the more ... unusual forms of magic."

So that's what this was about, Ginny thought. Snape. He must have decided to push her cause with the Malfoys. "I suppose I am," she said.

"Don't be bashful my dear. Severus never over exaggerates about people's talents. He seems to think quite highly of yours."

Ginny felt her heart tighten imperceptibly in her chest. She managed to control a nervous twitch near her eye. "Does he really?" she asked.

Julian laughed. It was a cold, humorless noise that was a laugh in name only. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. You really should be more careful though. Anyone could have seen the two of you on the balcony last night."

"And apparently someone has," Ginny replied. She felt heat rising to her cheeks and wondered what exactly Snape had told Julian, and to what purpose.

"It's not important," he said.

Ginny looked at him incredulously and wondered for a moment if the old man truly was losing his mind.

He smiled at the look on her face, his expression almost conspiratorial. "I don't care about your little dalliances, Virginia," he said. "However, I would make sure that Draco doesn't know. The boy has an appalling jealous streak. He doesn't seem to understand how things work in a civilized society." He shook his head as if disappointed and added, "Of course, if our arrangement proves mutually beneficial and we decided to formalize the arrangement, I would trust you to eliminate the possibility that any heirs might not be his."

Ginny fought the sensation of disgust rolling over her at his insinuating comments. He didn't seem bothered in the least that his grandson's prospective fiancé might be having an affair with a man almost three times her age; he seemed to accept it as normal. She felt a small pang of remorse at the thought that if it was not for Snape's resolve, Julian would have been right.

"But of course, Julian," she answered smoothly. "You don't take me for a fool do you? Besides, I'm very careful with those things already. I don't intend to end up a broodmare like my mother; stuck with an endless string of dirty nappies and crying babies."

Julian cocked his head at the disgust in her voice and gave her one of his charming smiles. "No, I don't think you will." He gave her a discerning look that had an odd, almost parental quality about it. "Yes, I think you will go far my dear, I think this will prove to be a beneficial understanding indeed."

"One question, Julian," she said, looking at him with guarded eyes. "Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't you have preferred to keep me in the dark?"

Julian sighed. "Under normal circumstances? Yes. But I'm afraid I don't trust my grandson not to ruin everything with his impetuous temper. You, on the other hand, seem like a driven, strong minded girl. I thought perhaps knowing the ... benefits of an association with my family would overcome any difficulties that could arise."

An appalled look crossed her face before she could control it, but Julian mistook her meaning. "Don't worry my dear. I don't expect you to fall in love with my grandson. That only complicates things. For now though, let's just keep this to ourselves shall we?"

She nodded her assent, and he guided her back along the top of the wall and down the stairs. The rest of the group was gathered in a loose knot at the bottom. Draco rejoined her and gave her a puzzled look as Julian went over to speak to one of his colleagues.

"What did Grandfather have to say?"

"Oh, the usual," she said. "He wants me to be a good influence on you, he thinks you're a jealous fool who's going to drive me away ..." she trailed off and smiled at him innocently.

"Touché," Draco said. "I get the point." He cast a look over to where Erasmus and Daisy were talking to one of the guards. "Besides, it's not like he's any competition. I mean, after all, what girl in their right mind would choose Flint over me?"

Ginny smirked, "Draco darling, you're a legend in your own mind." She stepped in front of him, tugged playfully on his shirt, and added quickly, "Thank goodness you're good looking."

"Ah ha!" he said. "Admit it Weasley. You're falling for me."

"I never said that. Since when does saying you're handsome automatically segue into a declaration of love?" She stared at him for a moment waiting for him to respond, but he was looking absorbedly over her shoulder. She started to turn around to see what had distracted him, but he stopped her, a frantic look on his face.

"Quick," he hissed. "Get out your wand!"