Disclaimer: Not mine. So sad.
A/N: Set during PoA. Warnings for dirty-talking professors, an AggressiveDom!Remus just days away from the full moon, and a Weasley who sees and hears more than she should. Written for Nightmare Prince's "Awkward Moments" Competition at HPFC.
Ginny peeped around the corner. There was no sign of Mrs. Norris and Filch, nor any of the prefects and professors who often patrolled this part of the castle. She took a deep breath and scampered down the hall, sticking to the deepest shadows and avoiding the moonlight that streamed through the windows.
She knew she shouldn't be out of the tower at this time of night. If she hadn't already figured that out, the safety lectures from Percy, Fred, George, and Ron would have driven the point home. With Sirius Black spotted in the area, everyone in the castle was on edge. If she were caught out after curfew by Snape, McGonagall, or—worst of all Percy—she would surely lose points for Gryffindor and earn herself a week's worth of detention.
She might even end up with a Howler from Mum. That thought made her pause and was almost enough to send her back to her dorm, but she really wanted to talk to Professor Lupin and was hoping to find him in his office despite the hour.
Lupin was Ginny's favorite professor ever since he caught her kicking a wall after overhearing two girls gossiping about her and everything happened last year. He had invited her into his office for tea and chocolate biscuits, and he was such a good listener, so kind and supportive, and always caring. She hoped he wouldn't be too angry that she had left the tower after having a nightmare, but she really didn't think he would punish her once she explained.
Professor Lupin was always so nice.
She crossed the third-floor corridor and tiptoed past sleeping portraits on her way to the defense classroom. There was light visible in the crack under the door, and she smiled in relief. I guess Professor Lupin can't sleep, either.
She was poised to knock when she heard a sound from inside that made her hesitate. It sounded almost like…a groan? And a harsh voice—that couldn't be Professor Lupin—that said, "Gagging for it, aren't you?"
Ginny pressed her ear to the door. She heard a gasp and another groan. It sounded like someone was in pain. Her stomach contracted in fear. Was someone hurting Professor Lupin? What if Sirius Black had made it into the castle and was attacking him?
She took a shaky breath, ready to shriek an alarm and draw the whole castle to the third floor, when she heard "Lupin" growled in a voice she knew well, a voice she usually heard barking out brusque orders and biting insults, a voice that had her clapping her hands to her cheeks and taking a nervous step back.
It was Professor Snape's voice, and she recognized the groans she heard must have come from him.
Surely, Sirius Black can't be attacking both of them…
Ginny decided to risk a quick peek.
The iron chandelier was ablaze, illuminating every inch of the Defense classroom…and revealing far, far more than Ginny wanted to see.
She pulled back and covered her mouth with her hands to hold in a hysterical giggle.
I just saw my professors naked.
She rubbed her eyes to try to erase the image, but it was still there. Professor Snape was so white—but for the dark hair on his chest—like he never saw the sun, and Lupin had freckled shoulders and scars, and he was behind Snape with his hands—
She shook her head to dislodge the thought.
She wasn't completely ignorant about sex. Her room was right next to her parents', after all, and with six older brothers, she'd had plenty of chances to hear them talk about girls when they didn't know she was listening. She even knew that sex could be between two men or two women.
She just didn't know sex would look like that.
Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to return to Gryffindor Tower. Forget house points and detentions—if Snape knew she'd seen them, she suspected he might kill her.
She slowly eased the door shut and was turning to go when she heard a soft mrrew from around the corner.
Mrs. Norris!
If Filch caught her, he would report her to the professors. It would be just as bad as if they caught her themselves.
Making a split-second decision, Ginny flattened herself under the dusty tapestry hanging just outside the classroom. She was hidden from sight, but her ear was only inches from the door.
She could no longer hear Mrs. Norris, but she could Lupin, and he didn't sound nice anymore. Not at all.
"I love the sight of you, bent over and just waiting for me."
She tried to keep her eyes from popping out of her head at the thought.
"Does anyone else in this castle have any idea what a slut you are, Severus?"
Only me, she thought miserably, hearing Snape moan.
"Ah, there's that sweet sound. I love how you whimper when I'm breaking you open."
"Just shut up and fuck me, Lupin!" Snape snarled.
It was the same snarl he used in Potions, and Ginny suddenly imagined what it would be like to hear him in class: "Are you incapable of following simple instructions? Chop your dittany into a uniform dice. Shut up and fuck me. Lower your flame because your cauldron is scorching."
Despite sticking her fingers in her ears, Ginny heard a rhythmic scratching and thumping noise that just had to be caused by the teacher's desk scraping across the floor while they had sex on it. She ground her forehead against the wall and found herself wishing Sirius Black actually would attack the castle and maybe even kill her. She would never get these mental pictures out of her head, otherwise.
Snape finally made the most tortured sound, Lupin cried out, and Ginny decided she couldn't stand it anymore. She twisted the tapestry in her fist and poked her head out, trying to tune out the sounds from the room and listen for Mrs. Norris.
The hall was quiet, apart from snores from the portraits. She broke and ran, but all the shifting of the tapestry must have loosened it. The rod pulled free from the wall, and it fell with a huge clatter, burying her under heavy, dusty fabric. She couldn't kick free fast enough to run.
It was Snape who yanked open the door, fully dressed—Thank you, God—and armed with his wand. She didn't want to think about the missing buttons at his collar or how he had more color in his cheeks than she had ever seen. He glared down at Ginny where she lay, taking in the sight of the tangled tapestry and her proximity to the door. His face darkened like a thundercloud, and she saw his nostrils flare and his knuckles tighten around his wand.
Ginny's mouth moved silently, unable to come up with an excuse or cover story. I'm so dead.
It was a relief when Lupin appeared behind Snape's shoulder, even if she could hardly bear to look at him.
"Ginny?"
She saw him make an aborted movement toward her, but Snape remained in the doorway, seething and blocking his way.
"Ginny," Lupin said again, his voice gentle. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, mute.
Lupin saw the tapestry still bunched around her legs. He craned his head to look around Snape at the bare wall where it once hung and bit his lip.
Ginny saw something like dismay cross his face.
"Have you been…" he trailed off, uncertain. "Did you…um, did you-"
"I think it's quite obvious what Miss Weasley has been up to," Snape ground out through clenched teeth. "The question now is what to do about it."
Ginny flinched and finally kicked free of the tapestry. She climbed to her feet and forced herself to meet her professors' eyes. Lupin looked stressed. Snape looked like he wanted to rip off her head and spit down her neck.
"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor for violating curfew while a killer's on the loose," Snape said abruptly, "and fifty points for being a revolting 'Peeping Tom.'"
Ginny felt her jaw drop. Seventy-five points! Everyone would hate her!
"Severus," Lupin protested.
Snape crossed his arms. "Or, if Miss Weasley prefers, I will only deduct ten points for breaking curfew if," he raised one finger, "she returns to her tower now and agrees to forget everything she heard and saw tonight."
Ginny couldn't agree fast enough—it wasn't like she wanted to talk about this…ever—and scurried down the hall when Snape sneered and waved her away.
Just before she was out of earshot, she heard Lupin say, "That was unethical, Severus."
"Would you rather I had performed a memory charm? No? Then kiss my arse, Lupin."
Ginny cringed at the thought of Lupin doing anything to Snape's arse and raced for the tower. Maybe, in the morning, this would all seem like a nightmare.
A/N2: Awkward Moments prompts: That awkward moment when you walked in on your professors shagging on the desk; Characters: Remus & Ginny; (word) brusque, (word) breaking, object: chandelier