Just Punishment

Again, this chapter was red-moused by Jilliane. Thanks J.

As the Stomach Turns...

Severus Snape's shade was certainly glad that his non-corporeal form no longer contained any manner of digestive organs that could become sickened by the mere sight of what he had just witnessed between Potter and his oldest friend's son. If ghosts could shiver, Severus knew he would be quaking for quite a while over that little scenario. He was further heartened that his internal organs were interred elsewhere when, in an endeavour to escape the first disgusting scene, he had to witness the second, between Potter's rather succulent wife and the (super)man of the hour, Draco Malfoy. Severus was surprised that the younger Malfoy wasn't dessicated from all the fluid he had pumped between the two Potters this afternoon.

Severus floated back out into the hallway that led to the Quidditch stands and away from the hare-like tendencies of Malfoy the Younger, when he caught sight of familiar green eyes.

"Shit," he said, as Potter turned, his young face bearing a stricken expression.

Why did he still feel an obligation to look after Lily's son, even in death? Fucking hell... Why? And then Severus saw the upside to the entire fiasco. A way to exact his own revenge on the Malfoys, all three of them, the haughty nobs. All effected while completing his mission on this plain.

"Potter," he said. "Look at me."

Potter's head rose as he met the now gunmetal silver of Severus' eyes. "They're cheating on me," Lily's son said, his voice disbelieving.

Severus tried to work out an answer that spoke to the issue, while still commiserating with the imbecile, but failed. Trust Harry-Bloody-Potter to make him speechless, even after death. Severus opened his mouth once again but shut it firmly over whatever inanity he was going to say as Potter started laughing.

"They are cheating on me, and I'm cheating on her... and she's cheating on me... and we're both cheating with the same person." Potter's voice took on a creaky, wheezing tone as he spoke between laughing huffs of hysteria. "We're all cheating on each other, with each other..."

"Yes," Snape agreed. "Yes, you are. It's all rather Byzantine, if you ask me."

"Basil... what?" Potter's rejoinder was rather senior-Potteresque with a twist of Black at his best, or worst, depending on what end of the wand you met with the illiterate mutt. "Whatever. Do you think... no. Do you think... that fucking little ferret! He approached me about an affair and... I bet he approached Ginny too!"

Severus gestured for Potter to be silent as Malfoy opened the door to the office and made his cocky, whistling exit. Potter's eyes followed the man hungrily.

Snape made a gusty sound and snapped his (air quotes) fingers (end air quotes) in front of Potter's face, having to make the clicking sound with his teeth and tongue as he did. Snapping was not one of the skills he had mastered in this realm of existence. He was set to work on it next. Giving up on that method of attention grabbing, Snape passed a hand in front of Potter, accidentally breaching the end of his nose. It felt disgusting and quite nice at the same time, and Severus thought he might have to do it again with full body contact. Preferably with a female. When the dunderhead finally looked at him, rubbing his nose as he did, Severus said, "Would you be interested in assisting me with some revenge on your familial paramour?"

"As long as it's Draco, and very public..." Potter paused for effect as he cast a hard look at Severus. Really, the boy shouldn't do that. It made him appear quite moronic. "Yeah."

Snape outlined the plan as Potter began pacing back and forth before him, punctuating his steps with sharp, angry cackles. Draco Malfoy would pay for all his and his family's sins of commission and omission. Not only would he pay for what he had done to Potter and his little luscious morsel of a wife, but he would also pay for his mother's little scheme when Draco was in sixth year, his own stupidity during that time, and for Lucius' machinations during Snape's tenure as the Dark Lord's right hand man. It was a win as far as Severus was concerned, even if it did have the unpleasant side effect of helping a Potter.

&*&*&

"Erm...I have something to tell you..." Harry began as Ginny poured his tea. "I know about you and Draco."

Ginny's face went white and she dropped the tea pot. It shattered into a million tiny shards as she stared at her husband, her hand poised as if the teapot were still in it. She finally said, "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry... I feel as though..."

"You can't live without him?" Harry finished. "As though he's a drug that you can't get enough of, and when he's gone, even though you're with someone you love equally, you feel like you're missing a piece of yourself?"

Ginny sat back in the chair heavily, her brown, tear dampened eyes searching her husband's face for some sign of forgiveness. Finally she said, "Yes, how did you..."

"I've been with him too, for the last six months," Harry said, and waited for the Weasley temper to erupt. When it did, he flinched back. Ginny threw the first thing that came to her hand at the door. The pot of ink exploded spectacularly. His wife had always been the athletic sort.

She rounded on him and then asked, "When was the last time you were with him?"

"This afternoon." Harry's shamefaced reply was directed to his lap. "We meet every Wednesday during your Quidditch lessons."

"Fuck," Ginny said. "We meet every Wednesday too, during your sixth year DADA lessons. Do you think he comes to me with your... wait a minute," she said, then turned an interesting shade of green as she asked, "Who fucks whom?"

"Most times I... make love to him... and give him... oral sex to get him off, twice, sometimes three times." Harry glanced up and was not at all happy to see the impressed look on his wife's face at Draco's stamina. "I get off the same amount of times! You don't need to look so..."

"What?" Ginny shouted. "Don't need to look so what?"

"Awestruck," Harry said, his anger deflating as Snape's ghost flicked through the ruined door and settled behind Ginny's seat. Harry watched as the ectoplasmic perv peered down her blouse, noting with some irritation that Snape's ghostly equipment was still in working order, and quite as impressive as it had been rumoured. "Stop that!" he snapped.

"Stop what?" Ginny's tone had reached the high end decibels of one of Molly Weasley's Howlers. "I won't stop if you don't. I like fucking him just as much as you do!"

Snape's ghost smirked at Harry and drew closer to Ginny's hair, sniffing it as he rubbed himself with abandon through his dark silver robes. Harry spat, "Disgusting old perv!"

Severus pulled himself back, banishing the celestial hard-on with a wave of his hand, as Ginny finally looked around, smiling brightly at Snape. "Severus! I should have known it was you, you devil."

"Ginevra, I have been remiss in my visitations. Perhaps if I had been corporeal, I could have taken you away from this drama." Severus bent over Ginny's hand, his eyes sweeping to Potter's as he did so. "I must say, I was quite shocked to learn of your mutual man troubles."

"Yeah, about that..." Harry began, still seething at Snape's open lechery. "Gin, Snape and I, we've come up with a plan to get back at Malfoy. He's used both of us, and Snape... I'm sure he has his reasons for wanting revenge, whatever they are."

"Wait...," Ginny said, "whatever this is, let's do this together. I want in."

Severus' phantom smiled openly, the expression transforming his features from plain to striking. Harry watched as Ginny simpered at the ghost, "Oh, Severus, no wonder you never smiled at us as students, if you had, you might have had your own fan club."

The entire situation was too surreal for Harry and so he did what he always did when confused, he blustered until Snape made that weird movement with his hand and the clicking noise from his mouth. Harry wondered if the gesture and sound were something only ghosts understood. Maybe it was a way of incanting a spell. He had stopped shouting during the thought process, almost forgetting why he had chosen to throw a fit in the first place, until he saw Snape's attention on Ginny's bum. Pervy git! Hitting on Harry's wife while in on the planning of taking revenge on their mutual lover. Snape was right, the situation was too Basil-teamed or whatever.

"Snape, if you can pull your eyes off my wife for a moment, we can go over our plan with her." Harry's teeth were clenched as he spoke, hoping that Snape would quit his disturbing flirtation. It was just downright strange that Snape would fixate on Ginny. It was like history repeating itself, kind of. Snape and Harry's mum, Snape and Harry's wife. He shivered, consoling himself with the thought that it wasn't as if Snape could do anything about it, anyway.


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