September 1998

After many hours of negotiation, mutual barbs and tension, Severus finally sealed the deal with Lupin for the supply of 30 doses of Wolfsbane per month at 120 galleons, 50 percent payable in advance.

In the first week the apothecary was open, Ginevra visited him every day, bringing him food and helping him with the customers and the potions. Together they discussed how they would divide the tasks to prepare the Wolfsbane when the full moon would come around. The customers were increasing; Severus suspected many of them were coming just to see Ginevra. He jealously watched her from a distance. He still couldn't afford a shop assistant, but as soon as he received his payment for the first batch of Wolfsbane he would hire one. He would like to spend more time with Ginevra alone. Her presence cheered him up and comforted him, and he was getting used to the feeling of having someone with whom he could share his joys and sorrows.

One night, however, when Severus was getting ready to sleep, he heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he saw Ginevra with a trunk in her hand and a pygmy puff on her shoulder.

"What... ?"

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Severus took the trunk from her and carried it inside, putting it near the sofa. "What happened?"

Ginevra sunk into the sofa. "My mum found out I wasn't going to Bill's every day, and asked me where I was spending my days. I told her the truth."

Severus sat beside her. The pygmy puff shyly approached him and perched on his shoulder. Severus was going to brush it off, but Ginevra's angry expression was his main concern now. "And how did she react?"

Ginevra embraced him. She wasn't crying, but her body was trembling. "She said the most awful things about you and forbade me to see you."

Severus firmly held her by the shoulders and looked at her. "So you ran away from home."

She nodded.

Severus stood up. "Did you tell your parents where you were going?"

"No. But she knows, of course."

Severus walked to the fireplace.

"Severus, what're you going to do?" Ginevra stood up, looking anxious.

"I'm going to call your parents through the Floo system."

"Oh... I didn't know your fireplace was connected to the Floo Network!"

"The cottage was already connected to the Floo when I bought it. You didn't know, but your father surely knows. Either I contact him, or I will have to disconnect it. And I don't want to disconnect it." Severus threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace. "The Burrow."

Arthur Weasley's concerned face appeared in the flames. "Severus?"

"Arthur, your daughter is here. Please tell Molly that Ginevra is well. Tell her also that I love Ginevra and want to marry her."

Arthur's mouth stayed open for some seconds before he replied, "W-what? What are you saying? You want to marry my Ginny? But she's still a child!"

Ginevra approached the fireplace. "No, Dad, I'm already of age and..."

Severus interrupted her. "We can talk later, when everyone has calmed down."

"Yes, I... I'll talk to Molly," Arthur stammered. "She's very worried. I... I'll have to think about it. Anyway, thank you for contacting us, Severus."

Severus closed the connection and, noticing the pygmy puff was still on his shoulder, took it into his hand and glared at it.

~*~*~

Now, that had been a surprise. Snape had talked to Arthur through the Floo and said he wanted to marry Ginny! That wasn't the marriage of Molly's dreams, but maybe Snape wasn't a complete bastard, after all. Snape's enormous face appeared on the screen, grimacing at her, and she recoiled instinctively.

"Molly?"

Reluctantly, Molly turned to her husband. He was gaping at the screen. "Molly, what you're doing?"

"Shh. Come here and we'll see if he's telling us the truth. If he doesn't respect our daughter, I'll Apparate there right now and cast an Unforgivable on him."

"Did you steal my Magically Modified Gidital Spy Camera?"

"Digital, Arthur. Yes. I glued it on Arnold before Ginny left."

"You've been spying on your own daughter!"

"Shh. Look. They're going upstairs."

Arthur sat on the bed by Molly's side and looked at the screen of the monitor that Molly had put on the dressing table. Molly could focus all her attention on the screen again. The unstable and unfocused images showed a wall, then Snape's back, a door and finally a bedroom.

"You may sleep here," said Snape's low, grave voice. "I am afraid I don't have fresh sheets to give you. But I have two blankets. You can have one, and I will take the other one with me. I am going to sleep in the office."

"But..."

"Ginevra, I do not share your parents' ideas on morality, and I cannot deny my past. But I want to be able to look into your parents' eyes tomorrow and honestly say that I did what they expected a honoured man to do."

The image bounced and wavered and Snape loomed on the screen. Then the image became completely black - the poor Arnold must have been crushed by Snape's body.

Molly looked at Arthur, and Arthur looked back at her.

"Have you heard what he said? He respects her," said Arthur.

Snape's image appeared on the screen again, walking away. A door was opened. Snape left, and the door was closed. Molly let out the breath she was holding, feeling relieved.

~*~*~

Ginny woke up to noises coming from the ground floor. She inhaled deeply. Severus's scent was on the pillow and sheets. She purred and snuggled beneath the covers. But a voice coming from downstairs started her. She would recognise that voice anywhere: it was the voice of her mother when she was very, very angry.

Ginny stumbled up and opened the bedroom door. Hearing her mother's voice again, she stopped to listen.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER? WHAT WAS IT? A LOVE POTION? SOME DARK SPELL?"

Severus answered in a voice so low that Ginny couldn't understand what he said. Ginny approached the stairwell to hear him better.

Molly's voice made itself heard again, loud and clear. "WHERE IS SHE? I'LL TAKE HER HOME NOW, AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP ME."

Then Ginny could hear Severus's grave and velvet voice. "If I were you, I would not speak so loud. If Ginevra hears you, she will be even angrier than she is now. She resembles you in a number of ways... She can be as... determined as you are. And we both know that you don't want to fight with your daughter."

Molly let out a strangled sound.

"Molly, calm down and listen to me," said Severus. "I love Ginevra and respect her deeply. I would like to ask Ginevra's hand in marriage according to the prescribed custom."

"Oh, God..." Molly was clearly uneasy. "If you make my daughter unhappy, I'll cast a curse worse than any Unforgivable on you, Severus Snape. I know she has her mind set to marry you, and there's nothing I can do to make her change her mind. But I'll be watching you."

"I didn't expect less from you. I hope you continue to look out for you daughter's well-being and interests. Our doors will always be open for you and Arthur. More than that: I expect you to participate in the raising of our children," said Severus.

Ginny almost bounced in joy. Severus had mentioned children! Apparently Severus's reply silenced her mother. Molly was perhaps terrified at the prospect of Snape being the father of her grandchildren. Ginny couldn't understand why Molly was so... calm.

"I would like to make our engagement official as soon as possible," said Severus, in a determined tone..

"If Ginny returns home tonight, we'll be waiting for you tomorrow night, in the Burrow," Molly finally said, in a resigned tone.

"Ginevra will return home tonight, and I will be in the Burrow tomorrow night to ask her hand in marriage."

Ginny heard the door open and then close, and went downstairs in her nightgown.

Severus looked bewildered. "I don't know how, but I convinced her."

"I can't believe it! That's impossible! My mother would never trust you without some proof!"

He pulled her into his arms. Ginny molded her body to his, feeling his warmth and inhaling his male scent.

"The only explanation I can find is that I exert an irresistible attraction on the Weasley women," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes," said Ginny, smiling. "Luckily, Weasley women are a rare species. I wouldn't tolerate the competition."

"I want only one Weasley woman. When will she be mine?"

"Er... If we'll have to wait until the wedding night, I think we should marry as soon as possible!"