Traitors Gate: The Secret Slytherin

Traitor's Gate: The Secret Slytherin

By: Ginnysdarkside

Ch. 4 Conversations

Ginny Weasley stood in the shower of the Quidditch changing room and let the water pour down upon her. It was hot and forceful and, for a little time, managed to help her forget what she was supposed to be doing tonight. Periodically, throughout the past few days, she would be studying or eating her oatmeal or talking with Draco, and suddenly she would think, 'In two days I meet Lord Voldemort.' The thought filled her with dread. No matter how much Snape had prepared her, no matter the fact that she had once known a young Tom Riddle, a part of her was still desperately afraid of the Dark Lord. She forced herself to think of the good that could come from what she was doing, but that still didn't fully alleviate the feeling of dread that gripped her stomach.

The changing room was quiet now. Up until a few minutes ago, it had echoed with the laughter and joking voices of her teammates. She sighed, turned off the water, and reached blindly for her towel. Draco would be waiting for her. They had arranged to spend the day together, and she was grateful for the distraction it would provide. Somehow, he always managed to make her feel just a little better, even without really trying. Despite the fact that he was an almost ever present reminder of how much her life had changed, he also, strangely, was one of the few constants. He could always be depended on to be snarky and argumentative and then considerate with the next breath. It was easier being with him than with anyone else. He was really the only one besides Snape that she could be herself around without fear of discovery.

She wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower, bracing herself for the strong smell of used trainers and perfume that pervaded the space, and immediately jumped back when she saw someone looking at her. The changing room was not empty as she had thought. There was still one person there, waiting patiently beside her locker. Harry. He blushed and blinked hesitantly behind his glasses when he saw she was still wrapped in a towel.

"Don't you knock? I could have been naked," she snapped, trying to recover her composure.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I just needed to talk to you for a minute."

"Couldn't it have waited?" she asked. "This is the girl's side after all." He just continued to look at her, an unperturbed expression on his face that told her he wasn't going anywhere. She rolled her eyes and motioned irritably. "Fine then, just let me dress first. Well ... turn around and close your eyes."

Obediently, he turned around, and she saw him shut his eyes tightly. She dropped the towel, picked her knickers and bra up from the shelf, and began to put them on. She certainly wasn't modest after growing up with six brothers, but Harry was a different story all together. "So talk," she said, trying to control her irritation. If Ron had sent him to talk to her about Draco ...

Harry opened his eyes and started to turn around then whipped back around again when she glared at him. "Do you need your eyes to move your mouth?" Ginny asked. "You wanted to talk, so talk." She pulled her blouse off a hook, slipped it over her arms, and began to button it, ignoring the fact that her hair was dripping water all down the fabric in the back. Whatever he had to say she'd already discussed with Ron, so she might as well get it over with.

He hesitated a moment then set his lips in a firm line. "I wanted to talk to you about Snape."

Ginny's hands paused momentarily then quickly fastened the last button of her blouse. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it had certainly not been that. She pulled out her skirt and slid it on. "What about Snape?" she asked, keeping her voice deliberately casual. "You can turn around now," she added.

His eyes opened and regarded her with thoughtfully. "I don't know how to say this..." He took a deep breath and started again. "Tuesday night. I know you were with him."

Ginny managed not to snort. "The whole school knows that, Harry. It's my assistantship night." She cast a quick drying spell on her hair and then started to brush it out before slipping her robe on.

"Yes," he said. "But I think you were doing more than just assisting."

Her heart dropped into her stomach. He knew something. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," he replied. He lowered his voice. "Don't think I haven't noticed how different you've been lately. You're spending all you time with Malfoy and his crew, you're acting horrible to people you used to call friends ... Ginny, you even made Hermione cry."

His eyes were cold and angry now, and Ginny tried to interrupt him, but he stopped her. "Let me finish." He reached out his hand and pulled her down onto the bench next to him. "You once helped me when I hated myself, Ginny. You were the only one who got through to me last year when I thought Voldemort had possessed me." He shook his head, his eyes gentling. "I haven't forgotten that. Now tell me. What is happening? Has Snape ... Has he done something? Because if he has ..."

"No, Harry, he hasn't, it's nothing like that. Believe me, he would never do anything like that. I'm just working with him, that's all. And, as for the other things, I'm sorry I've been so horrible to everyone lately, it's just that Ron's being such a prat. I don't mean to take it out on you and Hermione; it's just that I wish someone would trust me for once. I don't have poor judgment, you know. Draco's not pulling some colossal scheme on me like everyone seems to think. He cares for me, he really does. He's not the horrible person you think he is." She looked at him intently and gently squeezed his hand. He was staring at her, his eyes puzzled; she only hoped he would believe her. "Honestly, Harry. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. The other night Snape was called to see You-know-who, I think. I was helping him with a potion, and he asked me to watch it until he got back so it wouldn't be ruined."

His features seemed to clear a little. "That makes sense," he said. He laughed softly, his gentle Harry laugh. "Here I thought he was seducing you or something."

Ginny found it extremely difficult not to flinch. "Of course not," she said, feigning a laugh. "As if I'd ever, Draco's bad enough, can you imagine Ron's expression if he thought I was involved with Snape?" The image made her genuinely giggle, although inside she was painfully aware of the irony of her words.

Harry relaxed. "I know. He'd probably choke on his own tongue." He looked at her and smiled. "You know though, that if anything was ever wrong, you could tell me. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm fine." She shut her cubby door with a slam and stood up. "Feel better now? Reassured I'm not being manhandled by the faculty?" She fastened her bracelet around her wrist then dropped Snape's pendant over her head. Her hands froze for a second as she saw Harry staring at her. "What?" she asked.

He cocked his head. "Nothing," he said, smiling quickly. "Did Draco give you that pendant?"

"Of course," she said, picking up the chain and quickly dropping the pendant into its usual hiding place under her clothing. "He loves to buy me things, it's embarrassing actually." She laughed then looked up at him, anxious to change the subject. It was ridiculous, but somehow she felt as if Harry could see through her act. "Don't you have something to do today?"

"Homework," he said with a shrug. "But I still need to clean my broom. I'll be along later. Have a good time with ... Draco." He let his voice change to a dreamy soprano, and she smacked him on the head lightly as she went out the door.

"Thanks, Harry. Have fun in the girl's changing room." She hurried off before he could answer and headed outside. Goyle, of course, was waiting for her, and she took the time to smile at him before they headed off to meet Draco by the lake.

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

Harry watched Ginny leave, managing to keep the smile on his face, but the minute she closed the door, he let the expression drop and regarded the door with narrowed eyes. She had lied to him. He had bought into her act too, been reassured that the he had blown the encounter he had witnessed the other night out of proportion. He had believed her too. Until he saw the pendant. As soon as he'd seen it, he'd known. Her reaction and her little lie about Malfoy having given it to her had only confirmed his suspicions.

He had seen a pendant like that once before. On the night he had served detention with Professor Snape.

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

Late that night, Ginny crept quietly down the corridors. They were empty, save for the flickering shadows the suits of armor made in the torchlight, but still she had an overwhelming feeling she was being watched. The charm Professor Snape had given her had worked perfectly, leaving a virtual replica of her in her bed. Earlier today, she had spent time with Draco down by the lake. They had watched Crabbe and Goyle practice dueling, often with hilarious results, and after Draco persuaded his friends to leave them alone for a while, they had found a secluded cove, far from prying eyes. He had been gentle with her, as he often was, his hands exploring her while his lips were searing hot. They'd sat staring at the lake for a long time after, and when it was time to go up to dinner he'd squeezed her shoulder.

"Be careful," he had said. She had nodded, and they had left it at that, although they both knew how much was at stake tonight.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs and peered down the dungeon corridor. The empty space mocked her, and she briefly entertained the idea of just going back up to her room. It was useless though. Her decision had already been made, and now she had to follow through with it.

Professor Snape opened the door almost immediately when she knocked. He was wrapped up in a long heavy cloak, and without speaking, he handed her one as well. She draped it over her head and shoulders, tucking her telltale Weasley red hair deep under its folds. He nodded once, as if satisfied, and the two of them walked through the door and out into the castle. It was eerie. They didn't run into a single person, and she wondered if he had done something to keep people away. Once they were out the main door, she turned to him.

"A Compulsion Charm," he said, his black eyes meeting hers as if he could read her mind. "Everyone in the immediate vicinity had a pressing need to be somewhere out of our path."

Ginny nodded serenely as they walked, but inside, she felt a sensation of unease. That was Dark Magic, the type of thing she would be expected to do more and more frequently in the months to come. As they headed down to the gates, the inky blackness of the night encompassed them, the soft lapping of the lake against the shoreline doing nothing to drown out the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

At the gates, they stopped for a moment. Professor Snape turned to her. "You're certain, Ginny?" His face was impassive, but she thought she saw something of fear there. He'd put his trust in her, believed in her, and she would not betray that.

"Without question," she replied. He nodded slowly and then pulled a battered pocket watch out of his robes. She looked up at him as he extended it to her, and as soon as their hands met, she felt the sudden pull of the Port Key activating. With a sickening whirl and rush, they traveled, and just as suddenly, they were there.

The house loomed up before them, its battered brick exterior covered with climbing vines which seemed to strangle the very windows. Ginny felt a tiny chill run down her back, as if the air itself was thick with malice, but then Professor Snape put his hand on her shoulder. "Breathe, don't forget to breathe."

She put her hand up and gently squeezed his fingers, reassured by the warmth there. "I can do this, Severus."

"I know you can." His deep voice gave her strength, as did the knowledge that he believed in her.

A wry smile crossed her lips. "Are you ready to go in?" she asked him, arching an eyebrow. "If you're not, we could always stand out here a while longer, you know, enjoy the beauty of the garden." She let her eyes fall on an obscenely large venomous tarentacula which was rotting on its vine.

Something almost like a laugh caught in his throat. "As much as the thought of strolling in a moonlit garden with you appeals to me, even such a poor example of one as this, one doesn't keep the Dark Lord waiting." His words made her eyes open wide, but when she tilted her head up, she saw a pleased gleam in his eyes.

She started towards the steps. "Then let's get this over with."

The door opened at his touch, and they walked down a narrow hallway. The walls were lined with paintings, much like the interior of Grimmauld Place, but here they were not portraits. These were landscapes. Dark, twisted visions of deserts and poisonous looking lands blasted clean of all life. Ginny swallowed hard as she realized the vague movement in the bottom corner of one of them was the hair of a bloated corpse blowing in an unseen wind.

Before they reached the end of the hallway, a door opened, and they were approached by a woman. Her long black hair was swept up from her face, and she regarded them with deep set eyes, her lips twisted in a sneer. "Severus, I didn't think you'd show up this evening." She turned to Ginny slowly, her eyes narrowing. "And I see you've brought your ... protégé." She held out her hand to Ginny.

Ginny hesitated a moment before taking it. "We've met before." She kept her voice calm and lifted her chin a little.

The sound of a laugh escaped Bellatrix' lips, but her eyes were void of any emotion. "That's right. I had almost forgotten." She turned away and looked up at Snape. "She's just as I remembered. Apparently contact with you hasn't improved her disposition much." Her robes fluttered behind her as she turned and walked through an arched doorway, her long fingers beckoning them to follow.

Ginny felt herself stiffen, but Snape's hand on her arm was a steadying reminder that she had to be strong and unfeeling. She forced herself to remember the rat inside the cage, screaming after being tortured. If she could endure that, she could endure this. Snape released his hold and started through the door. Ginny took one final breath to calm her nerves and followed him.

The moment she walked into the room, she was hit by an almost dizzying sense of malice. It tapped with curious fingers along the sides of her temples, spreading into her airways, turning the blood in her veins into frigid water. She raised her eyes to those of the man sitting on a chair near the fire and froze.

His dark eyes regarded her thoughtfully, his black hair, graying at the temples, was brushed back from his face almost casually. He smiled, and then she knew him. Tom. From the corner of her eye she saw Snape drop to one knee and genuflect, and she quickly copied him, keeping her eyes upon the floor. She could feel his gaze boring into the top of her bowed head. A tentative tendril of thought invaded her consciousness, but she kept her mind smooth, unwilling to let him in. Still, the thoughts caressed her, and she heard a voice say, "I know you." She looked up in confusion, unsure if the words were spoken or inside her head.

This wasn't Voldemort. This couldn't be Voldemort. Voldemort was supposed to have red eyes and five heads. He wasn't supposed to be normal. He wasn't supposed to look like Tom.

There was a moment of silence during which he watched her, during which it seemed anything could happen. He could kill her in an instant, she knew, and nothing Snape did would be able to save her. He could torture her, leave her to die. The thought made her heart clench, and she heard a soft laugh emanate from the other side of the room. The soft rasp of Snape's breathing rattled low in his throat beside her, and she clung to the sound. It meant that this wasn't a dream. .

When the Dark Lord stood up, she felt fear pounding in her, threatening to consume her. "And you must be Ginny," he said as he approached them. "You may rise. We needn't stand on ceremony tonight."

His voice was cool, like water running off a stone. "Severus, please assist Bellatrix with the wine." Snape immediately crossed the room to where Bellatrix stood next to a tall mahogany cabinet. He didn't send a single glance Ginny's way, and she realized with potent certainty that she truly was alone. It was up to her to convince him now.

The Dark Lord looked down at her for a moment then gently took her hand in his and brushed his lips across the backs of her fingers. The sensation was vaguely repellant, like spiders crawling on her skin, but she managed to fight the urge to snatch her hand back.

"Please, be seated." Tom ... No. Voldemort, she told herself, indicated the chairs grouped around a small ornate table. "I took the liberty of ordering a light supper. Have you eaten?"

He pulled out her chair for her as she nodded and sat down hesitantly. Her mind blanked out for a moment as he put his hand on her shoulder, and she tried not to shudder when he spoke. "I do hope you like duck."

The absurdity of the comment brought Ginny's mind back into sharp focus. This whole situation felt vaguely surreal, like a bad dream. She practically expected to see George or Fred come popping out from around a corner shouting "Made you look!"

"Of course, I do," she said politely. "Severus and I often ate duck in China."

"Of course you did ... I understand a great many things happened there." His voice was soft, but she picked up the underlying tone of cruelty in it. "To say I'm surprised would be an understatement. I had thought your allegiance was with other parties." He took a glass of the wine that Bellatrix brought to his side and looked back at her expectantly.

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "People often think things of me that aren't the truth."

She saw Snape freeze for a fraction of a second as he poured the wine, but he relaxed as the sound of the Dark Lord's laugh washed over her.

"I am more than familiar with such misconceptions. I too am often misread by the general populace."

The look in his eyes was one of amusement as he swirled the wine around in the glass. "People have this notion that I am set on harming them, when really, nothing could be further from the truth. I am but a leader who has recognized certain deficiencies within our society and would like them to be eliminated. What is the harm in that?"

Ginny met his eyes. "I assume you refer to the Muggle Borns, My Lord." She noticed that neither Severus nor Bellatrix had yet tasted their wine, so she followed their lead, keeping her fingers securely in her lap. "Severus has told me of your views on the subject. Would it be too much to ask for you to share your opinions with me?" The room was silent for a moment, and when the Dark Lord smiled, she almost thought she heard Severus take in a breath of relief.

"I'd be delighted to, my dear, but first, let's sit down and begin to eat, shall we?" He waved his hand and sat. As if waiting for this signal, the others seated themselves, and a silent, rather frightened looking House Elf began to serve the meal.

When all of them had been served, Voldemort took a sip of wine and looked at Ginny, who was seated at his right. "In the time of our forefathers, the Muggle and magical worlds were kept apart. It was for our survival, of course, as well as theirs. The religious persecutions alone would have decimated us, and then there was the fact that we were already small in numbers. To this day we are but a minute portion of the world population. Diluting our stock with Muggle blood only makes for weak wizards and witches. In time we will be wiped out entirely." His eyes met hers, and she saw something almost rational in his words. It was easy to see how he could sway people with his rhetoric, and that he had methods other than torture at his disposal to bring people to his side.

The Dark Lord gestured with his fork. "As for the Muggle Borns, they are but aberrations. Sports. Mutations resulting from Wizards or Witches who long ago married out of our kind and were lost to us. If they had been left alone, they would have grown up in the Muggle world and not exposed the rest of us to the taint they carry in their blood. They would never have known what they had lost, so how would this have been cruel? Meanwhile, we would be protecting our world for our people. Ensuring that each generation will be stronger than the last."

Bellatrix nodded along with his words, her dark eyes narrowing. "People like your father would have us mingle with them. It is an abomination." She took a sip of her wine. "It is strange that you do not share his views, child."

Silence gripped the table as three pairs of eyes were upon her. Ginny looked up and met Snape's first. "My father is too kindhearted for his own good." Her fingers clenched the stem of her wine glass, and she took heart from Snape's presence across the table. "It is his involvement with them that has led to him being overlooked time and again at the Ministry. He could have been an influential man if he had chosen to." She raised her chin and met the Dark Lord's eyes. "I intend not to make the same mistakes."

Much later that night, she and Snape took their leave. Ginny was aware of Bellatrix's dark eyes following her as they left the room, almost as if there were two red hot coals burning into the flesh of her back. When they reached the garden again, she started to speak, but Snape stayed her with one brief, forbidding look. She waited until they had returned to Hogwarts and the safety of his rooms before speaking.

"How did I do?"

Snape paused in the process of removing his robes to look at her. His lips parted for a moment then shut as if he was thinking of the appropriate response. While she waited, she watched him fold the robes carefully, his long fingers shaking out the wrinkles, then smoothing the material and putting it away in his wardrobe.

"I think you did well," he said finally. "You were convincing, and he seemed pleased with your responses." The room was silent for a few moments as they stared at each other. His eyes went back and forth between her and the fire, and she wondered what was making him so anxious.

"But ..." she prompted.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he dropped into one of the chairs before the fire. With a wave of his hand, he indicated for her to take a seat in the other. "There was something. Do you think he knew who you were? That it was you who had his diary?"

The thought made her shiver, and subconsciously she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "I don't know. I suppose it's possible if someone told him, but I don't know who would have done that."

Snape's eyes took on a distant expression, and he stared into the fire for a moment. "I do. But it is of no matter. If he does know it was you, he will only take that to be further confirmation that your interest is genuine. He would imagine you to have already been corrupted."

The thought made her pause. Was that what she was? Corrupted? Her fingers traced a pattern on the well-worn leather of the chair as she lowered her eyes to the floor. Certainly she was not the girl she was before she had opened Tom Riddle's diary her first year. She was changed forever because of what he'd done. There had always been awareness somewhere inside of her that she was darker than she should be because of him, but she'd never thought of it in that way. Could he really have tainted her?

"Do you think I am?" she asked. She raised her eyes to his almost hesitantly. The only sounds in the room were the almost harsh sound of her breathing and the gentle crackling of the fire.

"Of course not," he replied. His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly in his lap. "You are who you are, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are a good person."

Ginny found herself to be less certain about that. She managed to give him a small smile. "Thank you," she said. After another moment of silence, she cleared her throat. "Where do we go from here?"

Snape tented his fingers in front of his chest and pressed his lips together. He looked as her brother Ron looked when he was examining a chess board during a particularly competitive game. "If the Dark Lord is indeed pleased with you, then I expect I will receive word from him that you are to attend the ritual with the other initiates."

Even the word made her feel uneasy. She ignored the sick feeling in her stomach and kept her eyes firmly upon his. They stared at each other for a moment, and she could almost sense his unasked question. Was she truly ready for everything this meant? Would she be willing to undergo this ritual, whatever it was, and continue baiting the trap for the Dark Lord? She forced her thoughts to go back to everything Voldemort had done during his first rise to power, to remember the almost hypnotic affect of his words on her this evening. In his presence, she had felt the darkness within him. It oozed from his very pores, thick and cloying in his musty chambers. If she had it within her to help somehow, to perhaps provide even a little contribution towards his downfall, then she had to do this. There was no choice.

Ginny nodded at Snape and took a shaky breath. "Then that is what I will do."