Chapter 5: Finding Out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ginny stood, staring after Severus, wondering what she should do.
//Why am I wondering?// She asked herself //Just go back to the dorm. But Hagrid's been hurt. I won't
be able to sleep without knowing what's happened. And surely I'll be safer if I just stay here. So that's
what I'll do. I'll wait until Severus - Proffessor Snape- gets back.//
Mind made up, she sat down and tried to start marking the essays again. It was no use, she was too
worried. But she wasn't just worried about Hagrid, she was worried about Severus out there while
Voldemort was obviously still around.
As the minutes ticked by, she could concentrate less and less on the papers, but was continually
glancing at the clock, waiting for the sound of footsteps. In the end, she threw down her quill and
picked up the book that Severus had been reading.
'Greek Legends Of Magical Origin' read the title. It looked fairly interesting, so Ginny opened it on the
page that Severus had marked and began to read the story of Persephone and Hades.
~~~
An hour passed and Ginny was asleep, her head resting on her arm, still holding the book. Suddenly,
she heard the footsteps she'd been waiting for and jerked awake. She lifted her head just as Severus
walked in. As she saw him, her heart lifted with relief and she subconciously realised her feelings for
him were deeper than friendship.
He was covered in mud, and under the layer of grime he was even paler than usual. His eyes looked
slightly glazed.
"G-ginny." He muttered, "I thought I told you to go."
"I wanted to stay here." She answered.
He swayed unsteadily and she rushed to support him. She helped him sit down on the couch and
looked at him warily.
"What happened?" She asked.
"It was Voldemort." Severus said quietly. He sank his head into his hands, "Hagrid's dead. I couldn't
save him, it was Avada Kedavra."
"No..." Ginny whispered. Hagrid was dead.
Severus began to shake uncontrollably.
"Voldemort's back. That was a warning." He said, "He's warning us that we're next."
"No..." Ginny repeated, "Hagrid..."
"I'm sorry," Severus whispered, "I failed. I couldn't save him."
Ginny snapped out of her trance.
"It wasn't your fault." She said sternly. No one could have done anything."
"It was just like old days. When he killed Lily and James." Severus said sadly. "I couldn't do anything
then, and I couldn't do anything now."
"Don't say that, sir!" Ginny said. She put a hand on his arm gently and when he didn't move, she kept
it there. "You need to get cleaned up, you're filthy."
Severus raised his head and looked her with a strange expression on his face.
"Do you understand?" He asked.
"What?"
"This. Do you understand this?"
"I don't know what you mean." She said, moving her hand away, but he caught it and held it, looking
at her with a strange intensity.
"Do you feel it too?" He asked her.
"What?" She asked again, knowing pefectly well what he meant. She felt it too.
"This link between us. It's like... you know me."
"I know what you mean." She said quietly.
Ginny was amazed at the transformation she saw. Now he looked human, and sounded human,
admitting he had feelings. Her heart leapt at what he could mean.
"Good."
She looked into his eyes for the first time and was shocked to see openess, as if he wanted her to
know him.
"What..." She began "What do you feel about me?"
"Truthfully?" He asked. She nodded. "I think there's a deeper link between us. A link that there
shouldn't be between a teacher and a student. At least I feel that way. You?"
"I... I guess I feel the same way." She paused, afraid to ask the next question.
"What do we do now?" He asked, as if reading her mind. "Now we know how we feel, do you think
we should leave things as they are?"
Ginny nodded, silently disappointed. But what else had she been hoping for?
"And listen," He said, "I'm sorry about Hagrid."
"Oh God. I forgot." Ginny said, shocked that she'd been more interested in what Severus had said.
She felt tears well up again. "How could he die? He never hurt a fly." She brushed the tears away,
not wanting to cry in front of Severus. To her suprise, he placed his hand on hers.
"He didn't feel any pain." Severus said gently.
Ginny nodded, sniffing.
"Here." He held out a handkerchief to her and she took it gratefully, wiping her eyes.
Severus watched her, and felt terrible because he couldn't do anything to help Hagrid. Truth be told,
Hagrid was the one member of staff other than Proffessor Dumbledore that Severus had the slightest
respect for. There was something in Hagrid's gruff manner that made Severus have a kind of grudging
respect for him. He was suprised to feel a minute sadness at the loss of Hagrid.
He suprised himself even more to find himself reaching for Ginny and pulling her towards him. He held
her in a fatherly kind of way as she sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair and waited for the
sobbing to subside.
Eventually, Ginny sniffed and drew away from him. Actually, Ginny had quite enjoyed Severus holding
her, as had he, and had therefore 'cried' for longer than was neccessary.
She wiped her eyes, and Severus looked at her worredly.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yes." Ginny nodded, "Thank you."
"What for?"
"I don't know." She smiled.
"I'll walk you back to your common room." He said, forgetting that he was covered in fifteen litres of
mud.
"Not looking like that you won't." Ginny said.
"Oh. I'll go and get cleaned up." He said. On the way out of the room, he felt a sudden urge to smile,
something that he hadn't done for a long time. Turning back to Ginny, he smiled at her, and the effect
of it on his face was amazing.
Ginny smiled back, then was left alone, wondering about what had happened.
//I've just basically told a teacher I'm in love with him.// She thought //And how come I am? I've only
'known' him five minutes. Even for my standards, this is weird. And how different he is. I'd never
thought of him as having feelings, let alone ever saying things like he's just said to me. Hasn't this all
happened a bit fast?//
Minutes later, Severus came back into the room, rubbing his hair with a towel, now in mud free robes.
//Oh my god,// Ginny thought, //He's washed his hair.//
Having just discovered how to smile again, Severus had decided to do it more often, and started by
smiling broadly at Ginny. The look on her face was priceless.
~~~
Meanwhile, Voldemort (still in Harry's body) was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, cursing the
blazing fire under his breath, wishing he could be in the dungeons, in the cold and dark with the
Slytherins. But, being in Harry's body prevented him from being able to do so, and he could not give up
the strategic advantage that came from using Harry as a host.
He thought over what his next action would be.
First, he would make sure that the girl and the traitor were significantly attatched until starting on
the next step.
Second, he would make his way to the holding place, and find the casket.
Thirdly, he would announce his dominance to the world, and no one would be able to stop him.
Inside harry's head, the laughter exploded once more, causing Harry's conciousness to shrink with
pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ginny stood, staring after Severus, wondering what she should do.
//Why am I wondering?// She asked herself //Just go back to the dorm. But Hagrid's been hurt. I won't
be able to sleep without knowing what's happened. And surely I'll be safer if I just stay here. So that's
what I'll do. I'll wait until Severus - Proffessor Snape- gets back.//
Mind made up, she sat down and tried to start marking the essays again. It was no use, she was too
worried. But she wasn't just worried about Hagrid, she was worried about Severus out there while
Voldemort was obviously still around.
As the minutes ticked by, she could concentrate less and less on the papers, but was continually
glancing at the clock, waiting for the sound of footsteps. In the end, she threw down her quill and
picked up the book that Severus had been reading.
'Greek Legends Of Magical Origin' read the title. It looked fairly interesting, so Ginny opened it on the
page that Severus had marked and began to read the story of Persephone and Hades.
~~~
An hour passed and Ginny was asleep, her head resting on her arm, still holding the book. Suddenly,
she heard the footsteps she'd been waiting for and jerked awake. She lifted her head just as Severus
walked in. As she saw him, her heart lifted with relief and she subconciously realised her feelings for
him were deeper than friendship.
He was covered in mud, and under the layer of grime he was even paler than usual. His eyes looked
slightly glazed.
"G-ginny." He muttered, "I thought I told you to go."
"I wanted to stay here." She answered.
He swayed unsteadily and she rushed to support him. She helped him sit down on the couch and
looked at him warily.
"What happened?" She asked.
"It was Voldemort." Severus said quietly. He sank his head into his hands, "Hagrid's dead. I couldn't
save him, it was Avada Kedavra."
"No..." Ginny whispered. Hagrid was dead.
Severus began to shake uncontrollably.
"Voldemort's back. That was a warning." He said, "He's warning us that we're next."
"No..." Ginny repeated, "Hagrid..."
"I'm sorry," Severus whispered, "I failed. I couldn't save him."
Ginny snapped out of her trance.
"It wasn't your fault." She said sternly. No one could have done anything."
"It was just like old days. When he killed Lily and James." Severus said sadly. "I couldn't do anything
then, and I couldn't do anything now."
"Don't say that, sir!" Ginny said. She put a hand on his arm gently and when he didn't move, she kept
it there. "You need to get cleaned up, you're filthy."
Severus raised his head and looked her with a strange expression on his face.
"Do you understand?" He asked.
"What?"
"This. Do you understand this?"
"I don't know what you mean." She said, moving her hand away, but he caught it and held it, looking
at her with a strange intensity.
"Do you feel it too?" He asked her.
"What?" She asked again, knowing pefectly well what he meant. She felt it too.
"This link between us. It's like... you know me."
"I know what you mean." She said quietly.
Ginny was amazed at the transformation she saw. Now he looked human, and sounded human,
admitting he had feelings. Her heart leapt at what he could mean.
"Good."
She looked into his eyes for the first time and was shocked to see openess, as if he wanted her to
know him.
"What..." She began "What do you feel about me?"
"Truthfully?" He asked. She nodded. "I think there's a deeper link between us. A link that there
shouldn't be between a teacher and a student. At least I feel that way. You?"
"I... I guess I feel the same way." She paused, afraid to ask the next question.
"What do we do now?" He asked, as if reading her mind. "Now we know how we feel, do you think
we should leave things as they are?"
Ginny nodded, silently disappointed. But what else had she been hoping for?
"And listen," He said, "I'm sorry about Hagrid."
"Oh God. I forgot." Ginny said, shocked that she'd been more interested in what Severus had said.
She felt tears well up again. "How could he die? He never hurt a fly." She brushed the tears away,
not wanting to cry in front of Severus. To her suprise, he placed his hand on hers.
"He didn't feel any pain." Severus said gently.
Ginny nodded, sniffing.
"Here." He held out a handkerchief to her and she took it gratefully, wiping her eyes.
Severus watched her, and felt terrible because he couldn't do anything to help Hagrid. Truth be told,
Hagrid was the one member of staff other than Proffessor Dumbledore that Severus had the slightest
respect for. There was something in Hagrid's gruff manner that made Severus have a kind of grudging
respect for him. He was suprised to feel a minute sadness at the loss of Hagrid.
He suprised himself even more to find himself reaching for Ginny and pulling her towards him. He held
her in a fatherly kind of way as she sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair and waited for the
sobbing to subside.
Eventually, Ginny sniffed and drew away from him. Actually, Ginny had quite enjoyed Severus holding
her, as had he, and had therefore 'cried' for longer than was neccessary.
She wiped her eyes, and Severus looked at her worredly.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yes." Ginny nodded, "Thank you."
"What for?"
"I don't know." She smiled.
"I'll walk you back to your common room." He said, forgetting that he was covered in fifteen litres of
mud.
"Not looking like that you won't." Ginny said.
"Oh. I'll go and get cleaned up." He said. On the way out of the room, he felt a sudden urge to smile,
something that he hadn't done for a long time. Turning back to Ginny, he smiled at her, and the effect
of it on his face was amazing.
Ginny smiled back, then was left alone, wondering about what had happened.
//I've just basically told a teacher I'm in love with him.// She thought //And how come I am? I've only
'known' him five minutes. Even for my standards, this is weird. And how different he is. I'd never
thought of him as having feelings, let alone ever saying things like he's just said to me. Hasn't this all
happened a bit fast?//
Minutes later, Severus came back into the room, rubbing his hair with a towel, now in mud free robes.
//Oh my god,// Ginny thought, //He's washed his hair.//
Having just discovered how to smile again, Severus had decided to do it more often, and started by
smiling broadly at Ginny. The look on her face was priceless.
~~~
Meanwhile, Voldemort (still in Harry's body) was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, cursing the
blazing fire under his breath, wishing he could be in the dungeons, in the cold and dark with the
Slytherins. But, being in Harry's body prevented him from being able to do so, and he could not give up
the strategic advantage that came from using Harry as a host.
He thought over what his next action would be.
First, he would make sure that the girl and the traitor were significantly attatched until starting on
the next step.
Second, he would make his way to the holding place, and find the casket.
Thirdly, he would announce his dominance to the world, and no one would be able to stop him.
Inside harry's head, the laughter exploded once more, causing Harry's conciousness to shrink with
pain.