Solitude No More
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
A/N: This is a response to the Challenge posted on Amortentia (http/ amortentia - potion. tk/), a website completely devoted to GW/SS. For details of the challenge, please visit the site (but remove the spaces in the address). Enjoy!
Severus Snape was a private man by nature if not by nurture. He'd always had only himself to rely on, and he intended to remain that way until he drew his last breath.
It was, therefore, quite a shock to him when senior members of the Order, namely Moody and McGonagall, strong-armed him into taking on one of the younger members as an assistant for the summer. His disillusionment rose exponentially when he realized that the only two reasonable candidates were Granger and the Weasley girl.
Both had scored "Outstanding" in their O.W.L.S., and Granger had achieved the highest score in her year for her N.E.W.T.S. The Weasley girl had just finished her sixth year at Hogwarts, but she showed great potential. Snape knew he could not stomach being alone with Granger for long periods of time, so Ginny Weasley won the position by default.
He sighed heavily at the thought and scribbled a note to the girl's parents.
"This is the storeroom; everything is arranged alphabetically," Snape barked. "If you use the last of something, it is your responsibility to refill it immediately."
Ginny nodded, busily taking notes and trying to cram all this new knowledge into her head.
Snape glared down at her, and she stared wide-eyed at him in return. He sighed in resignation and nodded to the table. "Let's begin."
They were to brew several batches of Felix Felicis to be used for upcoming battles. Snape would never admit it, but he'd gotten the idea from Harry after he'd given his leftover potion to his friends the night the Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts.
They worked in silence until it grew dark outside. Rather than allowing the girl to Floo home, he used Side-Along Apparition to return her safely to the Burrow.
Ginny gazed uneasily at the man in black beside her and gulped. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said quietly.
He nodded once stiffly and replied, "Tomorrow."
Their days quickly became patterns. She would arrive with another adult, usually her father, but occasionally one of her over-bearing brothers would knock three times on the door and quickly depart whenever he answered their ridiculously inane, "Ministry-approved" safety questions. Ginny would enter his home, hang her cloak up and begin brewing whatever potion Snape had set materials out for. Since she had a particular talent for Healing potions, most often that was her task for the day. When it became dark, Snape would use Side-Along Apparition to take her home.
Conversation eventually made its way into the fold after the first fortnight. And what began as awkward chatter, quickly became worthwhile dialogue.
When Ginny arrived one morning, she'd been expecting to brew a fresh batch of Strengthening Potion; however, the materials set out for her were consistent with the antidote for most love potions.
"Professor?" she questioned.
"The Dark Lord's followers are dwindling in number," he replied as he measured out a smoky liquid into a beaker. "His minions are being encouraged to use whatever means necessary to grow. That includes the use of love potions, Miss Weasley."
"Ginny," she said, tossing her cloak over a chair. "You can call me Ginny."
Snape wrinkled his nose at that. "Whoever thought of calling you that heinous nickname? However, if it is informality that you wish, I shall refer to you by your given name."
Ginny shrugged and began her work. After an hour, she sat back to let the potion simmer and accidentally leaned into Snape.
"You're hovering, sir," she said.
He glanced at her but ignored her comment. "Acceptable work, Ginevra," he said grudgingly. "I believe we can store this."
Inside, Ginny was beaming, but she hardly let it show to the Professor. He admired professionalism, and she wanted nothing more than to earn his respect.
It was early afternoon in mid-July when Snape and Ginny were brewing a highly volatile potion together. She knew that she could handle it on her own, but Snape was paranoid and insisted on doing the bulk of the brewing himself, while Ginny merely assisted.
As careful as he was, however, Snape wasn't perfect, and in a momentary lapse of control, he dropped one too many shrivelfigs into the mixture. Before he could even properly curse, Ginny shoved him out of the way as the potion exploded.
He fell to the floor with a grunt and watched as Ginny cast a spell into the air to make the potion dissipate. The dangerous elements evaporated quickly, and Ginny was left coated in a slimy concoction, though seemingly unharmed.
He gazed at her, slack-jawed and in wonder. How would a sixteen-year-old know that spell? He hadn't learned it until he was well into his twenties.
She returned his gaze, and, with laughter in her voice, said, "Sorry I pushed you so hard." She extended a hand to him. He glanced dumbly at it, but grasped it nonetheless as she helped him up.
"You look a sight," he said, his lips quirking, attempting to betray his mood with a smile.
Ginny couldn't help herself and giggled.
He looked at her black robes, drenched in potion and shook his head; he should have expected it. Redheads were always his weakness. And for the curmudgeonly Potions Master, a woman drenched in potion was his fantasy, though he was loathe to admit even to himself.
He chuckled and his eyes briefly filled with mirth as he cast a quick cleaning spell on her and the floor.
He was just about to attempt to say something witty when Ginny recognized Tonks' wolf Patronus as it darted from Snape's Floo to the table where they'd been working.
The color drained from his face, and he turned to Ginny and said sternly, "Go and wait in that room." He pointed to a closed door across the room. "And close the door."
Ginny didn't wait to ask the numerous questions now filling her mind. Wordlessly, she fled into the room and slammed the door behind her. She found herself in Snape's bedroom as far as she could tell.
She'd always assumed that he would have ornate and opulent possessions, but she discovered his tastes ran much simpler. Everything was so meager that she would have thought she'd stepped into Remus Lupin's personal quarters. She mused that being both an out of work Potions Master and Death Eater obviously had its disadvantages.
She crossed to sit on the bed and sat there quite a while before a knock sounded through the door. There was a moment's pause before Snape entered, his expression grim and somber.
She stood, but he waved a hand at her to return to the bed. He came and sat beside her and drew in a deep breath.
"Ginevra," he began solemnly, "I'm afraid I have some shocking news."
He sighed and reached a hand to awkwardly grip her shoulder. "It seems your brother Charlie was killed this morning," he said finally. "I'm sorry."
"Death Eaters?" she whispered in fear. But the professor shook his head.
"A dragon was ill and attacked him," he replied.
Ginny breathed in and out quickly, trying to stifle the sobs rising up in her chest. The shock and sadness hit her all at once, though, and she began to cry in earnest. For his part, Snape allowed her to draw close to him and smoothed her hair as she cried.
"I know it isn't much," he murmured, "But your brother died doing what he loved. The rest of us should only be so lucky."
She nodded against him and pulled back. "I should get home to my family," she said.
When he took her home that night, Snape held her hand a moment longer than usual and gave it a squeeze before releasing her to the arms of her family.
It was four days before she returned to him. He suggested perhaps she needed more time with her family, but she told him that to feel really useful, she needed to be back with him. That's what Charlie would have wanted, she explained.
Weeks passed, and they returned to their easy rapport. Snape never would have admitted it, but the four days without her were difficult. He'd grown used to her and found that he looked forward to her arrival in the morning and dreaded her evening departure.
Of course, his feelings would go away once she returned to school. He held onto this thought each and every day; otherwise, he'd have no reason not to act on his urges.
Finally, one afternoon, they'd working in unusual silence when Ginny cleared her throat.
"My birthday's tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly. She sneaked a glance at him, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Do you expect me to buy you a present?" he drawled.
She hid a smile by biting her lip and shook her head. "No," she said as she went about slicing some daisy stems and adding them to the cauldron. "Just letting you know that tomorrow's my birthday. My seventeenth birthday."
Snape's wand clattered to the floor, and his eyes shot to hers in surprise. "Your seventeenth?" he questioned. "You're of age then," he reasoned. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," she said with a bright smile.
Snape retrieved his wand and began to stir the cauldron. They were silent for several more long moments before she spoke again.
"I gather you're not returning to Hogwarts," she said conversationally.
Snape managed to snort in a most dignified manner. "Hardly, Ginevra," he said dryly. "I'm wanted by the Ministry and the Dark Lord. And I think you realize that Hogwarts is indeed not safe at all."
Ginny picked up a phial from the table and twirled it in her fingers. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "So you won't be my teacher anymore. That's interesting, isn't it?"
Snape cleared his throat loudly and practically growled at her. "Exactly what is so interesting about that?"
"Nothing," she replied innocently. "I just think it's highly remarkable that I'm no longer your student at the exact same time as I turn seventeen. You don't think that's remarkable?"
She smiled at him cheekily through the phial of pig urine.
"What I think is remarkable, Ginevra," he hissed, "is your complete lack of subtlety. Just what are you trying to imply?"
"I'm not trying to imply anything," she retorted. "I'm saying very plainly that you're obviously attracted to me, and the feeling is entirely mutual. I also know that you're the type of man who wouldn't dream of having any sort of inappropriate relationship with a student. But as I will be of age tomorrow and you are most assuredly no longer my teacher, there wouldn't be anything inappropriate about it. Would you care to disagree?"
Snape carefully set his wand onto the table and looked at the young woman thoughtfully. "I will not disagree with your presentation of the facts of the matter, Ginevra," he conceded. "But you must realize that there are varying degrees of inappropriateness. You are a girl of 17. I am a man of 39. That's quite a difference, even in the Wizarding world. That is without even mentioning the fact that I am not the most popular wizard in the world at this moment. That may all change when the war is over, but by then, another suitor will have undoubtedly captured your heart. So, pray tell, what would be the point?"
"This would be the point," she insisted before planting a firm but gentle kiss on his lips. It was innocent enough to not be considered inappropriate, but it was enough physical contact that Snape was rendered speechless when they parted.
Ginny smirked at him and said confidently, "Now, stop arguing with me and get back to work."