It was hardly the time or the place for this. But, then, was there ever a time or a place for something so wonderful?
Ginny sat on the stone floor in front of the fireplace in the old office, her robes deserted in a pile behind her. Her legs were stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, bare from the knees down. The sleeves of her white blouse were rolled up above her elbows, and a book lay open in her lap. It was easy to see that she was clearly in her own world, undisturbed by the man looking on.
He reached down and picked up her shoes, which had been shed feet from each other, clearly on her way to the fireplace. Her socks lay in a pile across the room where she'd thrown them, and he crossed the stone floor to retrieve them, carefully folding them together and placing them inside of her shoes before he returned to his desk and set the shoes on an empty corner.
From where he sat, he could see only a silhouette of her back in front of the hearth. He tried not to stare as he reached beneath his robes to pull out his wand. He held it in his hand between two fingers, watching it carefully as he fingered it and twisted it this way and that. It was a welcome distraction from Ginny… for now. His patience had to hold until she was ready; he couldn't let his carefully practiced act slip now.
Truth be told, it took more than his normal self-control to sit here, across the office from this particular pupil. He wanted to speak to her, engage her… comfort her. Tutoring was hardly what she needed, although had her grades not taken a hit he probably would never have gotten to know how delightful she was. For this he was grateful. She reminded him of someone else…
Ginny had been coming here to his office to read his books almost nightly lately. He never offered to loan them to her, in fear that it would eliminate her reason to visit and so significantly reduce their time together. Instead, he encouraged her to read them here so that he could answer any questions that she might have… not that she ever had any. In fact, she seemed adept in the subject, and it was quite the wonder that her grade had slipped at all. But, then, one must suppose that was what happened when one's loved ones were in such danger constantly. For this he held sympathy for her. Initially, he had been sure that Slughorn had mistaken her for someone else, because she had never had a failing grade in any of his potion classes.
"Severus?"
Her voice was so soft and wonderful! She made him feel young again, and like there was no war raging around them. "Yes?" He answered, wincing as he noticed that he had used his usual sneer that he reserved for most students. He would have to work on that.
Ginny turned her head to look back at the man, grinning despite the negative tone of voice. After all, wasn't this part of what she loved about him? She shook her head. "Never mind," she said, closing the book and laying it on the stone floor beside her. She hadn't really had anything to say, anyway.
Ginny was glad that he wanted so much to tutor her, despite the fact that she didn't truly need it. All she really needed was to concentrate more on her studies and she would be fine. Regardless, Slughorn had persisted that he tutor her, since Slughorn himself had found little success in that regard. Severus seemed to take this job to heart completely, always so concerned that she do her studying here, lest she have any questions. Ginny, of course, never had any questions, and she doubted she ever would. In fact, she knew most of what was in these old potions books… with the exception of many of the hand-written notes scrawled in the margins. No doubt, it had been the half-blood prince himself who had written them there.
Ginny pulled her legs close to her body, crossing them beneath her. She roughly shoved her rolled-up sleeves higher, staring deep into the flames in the fireplace. She wondered what Severus was thinking, and if he felt as close to her as she felt to him. Her feelings for her were tumultuous, to say the least. She had never felt this way before, so desperate and needy for someone's approval. It was a nice feeling, but it also scared her… especially the way the rest of the world had decided that Severus was an agent of Voldemort.
The thought startled Ginny… she always seemed to forget what he was when she was here, in this room. She stood, turned to face the desk, and was surprised to find Severus standing only centimeters from her, wearing a soft look, one rarely seen.
"Ginny…." Severus' whisper seemed like a scream in the silence. He reached out his hand, as though he wanted to touch her face, but withdrew it at the last moment. His usual tone returned; "You should go now."
Ginny continued to stare into her professor's face, not wanting to go. She nodded without realizing it, mentally preparing to walk from the room. Her brain ordered her foot to move, but in some wild misfiring, instead her whole body moved, launching herself at the man. She threw her arms around his neck and brought her body close, laying her head against his chest. She expected he would push her away, but it felt good to have this moment even if it was the last.
Severus lowered his head next to hers, breathing hard in her ear for a moment. Suddenly, and quickly, he pushed her head up with his and his lips were on hers, working violently. As the two shared such a passionate kiss as neither had really experienced before (the innocent Ginny who had pined only after Harry, and Severus who had spent years in mourning over Lily), suddenly all the walls around them crashed down. Severus ceased to be a teacher, and Ginny was no longer a student.
Only seconds later, Ginny pulled back. She could feel the blush on her cheeks and her breath came in fast bursts. "Severus… I—" she found herself unable to say how she felt, the wonderful way that she felt. Severus just nodded, a rare smile forming on his mouth.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ginny. Sleep well." His sneer had returned by the end, and he turned and crossed back to his desk.
Ginny's insides jumped at the prospect of tomorrow, and she snatched her shoes up from the desk. Suddenly jittery and shy, she found herself nearly dashing from the office and out into the dungeon hallway.
Tomorrow. Ginny's mind chanted the word over and over as she rushed through the castle toward the Gryffindor common room, her smile growing steadily larger as she got closer. Tomorrow would be another welcome escape from the tumult growing steadily around them. Tomorrow would be another wonderful moment. Maybe tomorrow she could tell him how she felt… and maybe tomorrow his feelings would be returned.