A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.

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The Safe House

~ Part One ~

Chapter One

Ginny Weasley looked up into the dark black eyes of Severus Snape with a mixture of fear and hope.

"Please help me." Please don't hurt me.

"Miss Weasley, we have no time - you must do exactly as I say and follow me without question. Do you understand?" He spoke quickly and with more emotion than she had ever heard from the man that she had both feared and respected for many years.

She nodded her head and felt some pain in her body at the sudden movement. They had beaten her and thrown her roughly into the dungeon upon her arrival to some Death Eater's manor. She had expected to be raped, tortured, and killed. She never expected to be saved. And that is exactly what she was hoping with all her heart to be what was happening.

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Her experience with Tom Riddle had not left her unmarked, however, and Ginny was no fool when dealing with Slytherins. She wouldn't put it past this man to be toying with her emotions and getting off on some sick, twisted game. But something in his eyes, something in his voice betrayed his normal mask. It had been years since she had seen him, but it was common knowledge among the Order that he was their spy and Dumbledore's man in the end. Harry had confided in her late one night about the long interrogation with the former professor that had led to a shocking discovery of not only the truth of that terrible night on the tower, but also an undying love for the late Lily Potter. She had held Harry close and soothed him until morning.

That was her job. Taking care of Harry Potter. By any means it seemed. The search for the Horcruxes (another bit of information revealed by Harry) had taken so much longer than anyone would have expected. A kind of cat and mouse game had begun between the Boy-Who-Lived and Voldemort. She was the devoted girlfriend who could make it all better even if only for one night or sometimes one hour. She had felt like a concubine at times. That was the nice way of saying it, the way she would cry to her mother. She really felt like she was his whore. Especially when he would be gone for so long, refusing to take her with him, refusing to allow her to join the fight, insisting she stay safe to keep his bed warm and ready for his return.

This little arrangement lasted until Fred was killed. It seems Voldemort just may have noticed that his precious little bits of soul were being destroyed; so he returned to Hogwarts to retrieve the diadem. All of the Order of the Phoenix was called, and a large battle ensued. It really was a miracle that more were not killed. At that point, nothing was going to keep Ginny from fighting. Nothing. Not even the man that she loved. It had happened the summer of her 21st birthday. Ron and Hermione's wedding had just taken place the weekend before. Their opinion was that if they were going to die, nothing would stop them from experiencing as much as possible of their lives together as one. How very romantic, yet how much more it made Ginny's naked finger stand out as if to point at her and call her the whore that she was. Harry did not approve of her joining the war effort, even as a Healer, which she had been secretly studying during her non-Harry time. But she did join, right after she told him that they were over as a couple. Maybe after the war they could repair their relationship. She did love him and truly did want to share her life with him. But the fact that Ginny had stayed home alone, for Harry of course, whilst her brother lay dying alone on the battlefield, out-of-reach from her healing hands, was something she wasn't sure she could ever get over.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, the war really began. Ron and Hermione had destroyed the diadem before Voldemort could get to it, but Harry had waved the blackened and broken tiara in front of him. Voldemort decided that regrouping was a better option than fighting, and grabbing his beloved snake, he Disapparated from the Great Hall. All wards had been broken hours into the fighting. The game of finding Horcruxes, the old ones and then the new ones, had started and had lasted for years. Apparently, Voldemort couldn't come up with another way to become immortal. There were, however, some secretly whispered ideas floating around that he may have found a different solution to his problem.

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Severus Snape fired a hex at the Death Eater who was blocking the next door at the end of the tunnel. Ginny had become lost in her thoughts after quietly following him through many turns and hidden passages. He clearly knew where he was going. Still, he seemed surprised and upset by the encounter with the now-unconscious man.

"Obliviate," he muttered as he stepped over the unknown Death Eater. "Not that it will matter," he whispered to himself.

But Ginny had heard him, and did not hesitate to run with him as they hit the cold night air and crossed the darkened grounds. Her body was aching and crying out for her to stop moving. She didn't think she could take one more step when, suddenly, he grabbed her close to him and spun.

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"I don't care," the voice spat out. "She is not worth it. You are going to die. You cannot go back. Please, Severus. Please do not do this."

"I have already explained to you why I cannot stay and why she must. You are going to have to accept this. And who knows, maybe we will see each other again," Snape spoke calmly, but there was a hint of amusement in the last statement. A moment passed in silence. "I have survived this long."

Ginny felt dizzy and realized she was lying on a sofa in the same room as the two men speaking. Deciding to gain as much information as possible, she kept her eyes closed and listened.

"Then at least take me with you. I can help you. You will need it. I can help you. I can't take it anymore, being in this place. …I don't want to lose you."

"I know you could help me, Draco, but at what cost? I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself. We both know what I have done. Please, I'm asking you to complete my last mission. Protect her. Keep her safe. You don't have to like her. Do this for me. It could change everything. I love you, Draco. You are like a son to me. I cannot let you kill yourself for me. I love you. …Your mother is safe. She has joined the Order. I think your father might even be willing to change sides having lost both of you. I have to go. Stay here. Keep Miss Weasley safe. She is very special to me. She reminds me so much of her. I love you, Draco. You are a good man. Do not ever forget that… I'm so proud of you. I love you."

The last few words had been muffled by the embrace of the two men before Severus Snape had Disapparated silently. The lack of the resounding crack usually heard with Disapparation seemed fitting to Ginny. It was dark magic, but the combination of it with his beautiful parting words was somehow the perfect exit for this man. Ginny had not been able to resist looking towards them as the speech had progressed. She knew Snape was capable of love, he had lived a terrible life serving as a double agent, but it was done out of love for Lily Potter, out of penance. She did not know how he had felt about her. Tears were streaming down her face as she watched the man clinging to the only son he had known, telling him his last goodbye.

Beautiful grey eyes filled with tears suddenly met her own.

"You have only been out for about ten minutes in case you were wondering. He forced a potion down your throat so it may be feeling raw, and he performed some basic healing spells. You should sleep now. There is food in the kitchen. I am going back to bed. Don't bother me, and I won't bother you." His voice was gruff and his words were clipped as he spoke. Then with a look of guilt on his face, he said, "If you need anything, I will help you. I just need some time. I will explain everything tomorrow…Goodnight."

And with that he was gone. Ginny had not moved a muscle during his little speech. She was still rather shocked from the turn of events and even more shocked to see such an emotional Draco Malfoy standing in front of her. Questions were bubbling into her mind so fast she felt light-headed. Where am I? Why is HE here? Is Snape really returning to his death? Is my family safe? Will they ever know where I am? Am I safe with him? Stop it, Ginny! Stop it!

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and noticed that she did indeed feel better. Standing up and looking over her body, she discovered that her former professor had been very thorough in his healing of her body. She felt impressed and thought she would have little to do in order to completely recover. That little moment of happiness passed quickly as she realized that she did not have her wand. It had been taken from her immediately when she was captured. Oh God! Ron's birthday party! I am such an idiot! Damn you, Harry Potter!

The events of the night started replaying in her head. The family had gathered at the Burrow for Ron's party that evening. It had been a small feat getting everyone together during these dangerous times. Molly Weasley had looked overjoyed seeing her remaining children all together again. Hermione was radiant. Ginny thought maybe she was pregnant. I will never know now. Even Harry had been in attendance. It had been months since she had seen him. Days since she had heard yet again that he had been seen wandering off into some secluded place with Pansy Parkinson. Pansy Fucking Parkinson! I cannot believe he has been with that slut!

Pansy had mysteriously shown up at the Burrow seeking refuge about eight months ago. She said she had seen the truth and would do anything to help end this war. Harry was the first to believe her. Never really explained that one, did he? I guess now I know why. She had questioned him to no avail after a fairly violent sexual reunion days after Pansy's acceptance into the Order. This is what had become of her loving relationship. Random encounters that began with fighting and ended with a quick shag and then more begging from Harry for her to go back into hiding. It was as if sleeping with him again was going to make everything fine, and she would return to being the good little wife – oh except he couldn't propose and make an honest woman of her – so the good little whore. What he failed to understand was that each time that this happened, the more Ginny struggled to feel the love for him that at one time seemed to be at the very core of her identity. She just wanted to be his partner. But he had Ron and Hermione for that. He would share less and less information with her in another failed attempt at getting her to go home. He even admitted as much after their last "encounter."

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"If you would just go back into hiding, Gin, I would feel more like trusting you. I know you are just doing this to get my attention. Don't you know that you have it? I love you, Gin. But it's killing me to know you are out there on your own, unprotected." He reached over and brushed her hair out of her face. He gave her his goofy, boyish grin that he knew would go straight to her heart.

"Really? I am doing this to get your attention? You really think that after everything my family has been through, that I have been through, that Fred…that I am doing this for you? Harry, stop touching me! I am doing this for me, Harry! Me! If you can't understand that, then I don't know what else to say to you!" She grabbed her clothes off the floor and began getting dressed.

"Gin, please. Get back in bed. I'm sorry. I know I haven't been keeping you informed, and I admit that I was hoping that it would get you to try to compromise. I love you, and I want you to be safe. Please don't be mad at me for that."

"Take me with you. Let me really help you. I love you too, Harry. This is not what I want for us. I miss you. I worry about you, too. I never know where you are anymore. Please just let me go with you."

"I can't do that, Gin. I couldn't continue this fight if I watched you die. I just couldn't. Why can't you understand that? Please just go home."

"As you wish." And with a turn, Ginny Weasley left Harry Potter for the first time with no intention of ever coming back.

~.~

After wandering through the downstairs of the cottage, Ginny decided to head back into the sitting room and the worn, but comfortable sofa from which she awoke. She didn't want to relive any more of what had happened earlier that night. The hands pushing her and grabbing her. The spells searing into her flesh. The shock of being taken from her own land. The fear of what was happening at the Burrow. The look on Harry's face as she turned away from him. It simply could not be the last thing they said to each other. She would have to get back home. Lying back down and pulling an old afghan around her, she succumbed to the tears and cries that she had been holding in since her capture.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Constructive criticism please. This is my first fictional writing experience ever!