Author's note: BOLD words are Severus thinking. ITALICS are Ginny.

^_^

Later that night, after putting in an appearance at dinner and working on holiday homework, Ginny hurried down to the dungeon, butterflies fluttering away in her chest the entire way down. She was excited about seeing him again and it terrified her. She didn't know what she felt for Severus...it was still hard just to call him by his first name, let alone consider a relationship with him. Wait. A RELATIONSHIP? What am I thinking?. She had struck up her little idea as a way to figure out what had been happening between them and now it was a way to be near him. At the same time, she wanted to take away the pain that was always so evident in his eyes. I'm getting to be pathetic...

As soon as she came off the last step to the dungeons, Ginny felt and surprisingly well muscled arm pull her around the corner and she was suddenly pressed directly against a warm body.

"Professor..." She breathed in an innocent little school girl voice, "What if someone sees? People will talk!"

He looked down at her, not smiling at her joke. Ginny sighed, "You never smile, why don't you ever smile?"

Severus looked away for a moment, "No reason to smile, usually."

Ginny lifted a hand to his cheek, and he flinched slightly, but let her touch him gently, "Look at me." She whispered, and he reluctantly complied, "Look at me, and pretend you love me, that I'm...I don't know, something you've always wanted or something like that, and *smile*." Or, don't pretend...really feel it. Oh God I should be shot, I'm so pathetic.

Severus' heart skipped and he thought absently that pretending wouldn't be as hard as she would think It would be so very very easy, and he smiled. Ginny smiled back and said, "You have an beautiful smile. Has anyone ever told you you're a total hottie?"

"No." He laughed, pushing a stray bit of hair out of her eyes Gorgeous green... before kissing her softly, "But you can tell me whenever you want."

"I like this new, laid back version of you. Where have you been hiding this alternate personality?"

"Somewhere far away." He answered and kissed her again. In another lifetime. If you only knew.

Ginny giggled, "I think I'm starting to have an influence on you. Good or bad, who knows. But I like it."

For a moment, his eyes clouded over. No, no things were going so *well* She looked up at him with uncertainty before her gently pushed her away, turning his back to her as he retreated towards his office.

"Why do you do that?" She demanded, following him into the sparse office. Look at me!

"Do what?" Don't look at her...

Ginny groaned at the return of his cool, professor-like demeanor, "Why do you get tense whenever I'm close to you? It's like one minute you're fine, and the next you're back to square one. Did I do something?"

"No." Severus sighed, "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not used to..."

"What? Human interaction?" Why did I say that?

His head snapped up at her tone and his eyes narrowed, "I was going ot say having someone to get close to."

Ginny looked down sheepishly, "Oh. Sorry...But, what why is that?"

"Why is what?" Don't make me tell you.

"You're starting to annoy me." I'm starting to really want you.

He rolled his eyes, "I don't *know* why."

She stamped her foot slightly, "You have to know. I want to know RIGHT NOW, who screwed you up so bad that you stiffen up whenever you touch me. And NOT in a good way." Oooh, inuendo. I never use inuendo. Go me.

Severus stared at her for a moment, (Gutsy girl) smiled, and looked down, "You're a strange girl, Virginia Weasley."

She didn't smile, "And you are one messed up guy, Severus Snape. And I have every intention of fixing it."

"Don't try." He said suddenly, "It's a waste of time." Don't make me love you

"Not to me." No, not a waste of time at all