Ginny was copying ingredients for a complicated potion out of a text book. She sat at one of the desks in the potions dungeon, head bent, chewing on a fingernail. Severus was trying to pretend to write letters, but was distracted by the long expanse of white skin revealed by the gray skirt she wore over daintily crossed legs. She does this on purpose he thought to himself, gripping his quill a little tighter and trying to remember what he had been about to write.

"Done!" Ginny chirped, closing the text book. Severus sighed in relief and set down his quill.

"Good. We can start the potion tomorrow, then." He said. Oh God, she's standing up. Does she HAVE to smooth the skirt down like that? It's just not...fair. Severus clenched his jaw at his adolescent thoughts.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him, noticing the way he kept tensing up. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." He said, too quickly.

Ginny wasn't convinced, but she didn't push the subject. "Can I ask you a strange question?"

"All of your questions are usually strange." He replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Very witty of you." She shot back, "My question is, where do you live? I mean...you don't sleep on your desk."

"The rumors are true." Severus said, "I sleep in a coffin."

Ginny laughed, perching herself on the edge of his desk, "Come on. Be serious." A few days ago, those words would never have been directed at him. I'm making progress!

"I have living quarters just like all the other professors." He said, "Mine are just off my office."

"Oh. I just wondered." Ginny smiled, uncrossing and recrossing her legs, noticing that his jaw tensed up again with the simple action. An idea srang to mind. Usually, she would be too shy to even attempt it...but this was different, wasn't it? "Tell me, professor." She said, running a finger over the black surface of the desk, "Have you ever fantasized about making out with a student on this desk?"

Severus followed her finger, then looked up at her, "Once or twice."

"Oh? Which student?"

"Just the one." He murmured, leaning out of his chair, a hand on the desk on either side of her, "But why fantasize?"

Ginny smiled before warm lips descended on hers. By now, thoughts of how wrong this whole thing was were far, far away, having faded somewhere around the first day of vacation. Instead, Ginny was lying back on the desk and pulling him with her. He pulled away for a moment, meeting her eyes once before placing a softer kis on her lips. Ginny wondered if it was possible to actually melt into someone, because that was how she felt with that kiss. She wasn't just making out with her professor anymore. She was feeling...something. Her heart was beating faster with every caress of his hands on her ribcage, burning through the fabric of her sweater, and as his tongue brushed hers, millions of nerve endings stood and everything was intensified. Then, almost as if she was being pulled out of the haze she was sinkingin, Severus' fingers brushed over the skin exposed where her shirt had ridden up and she laughed into his lips.

"Are you...you are! Why are you laughing?" Severus demanded, and Ginny tried to stop laughing, gently pushing his hands away.

"I'm ticklish." She said, then saw the last hints of hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Thank God it's just that." He said, giving her a half smile before his fingers crept back to her midriff.

"Severus, no." Ginny protested half heartedly just before he attacked and she dissolved into giggles. "Stop!"

"What's the magic word?" He asked boredly.

"Umm...Stop, and I'll tell you!" She cried between giggles. Severus raised and eyebrow and stopped.

"All right. Out with it." He said, crossing his arms.

Ginny grinned and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down and kissing him softly. When she pulled away, she smiled, "I forgot the magic word."

"I guess that will have to do." He said with mock-reluctance.

"I have to go to dinner in a few minutes." Ginny said, trying to hide her dissappointment.

"You missed lunch. You should really put in an appearance."

Ginny nodded, "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"If you insist."

"Have you ever been really happy?" Please say yes...

"I was today." He said softly, then dropped a kiss on her forehead. Ginny closed her eyes, the intimacy of the action almost out of character for him But he has changed...Very quickly, and drasticly. Is this working?

"Me too." She said, before hopping off the desk and straightening her skirt, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Severus watched her go, then glanced at his desk. "I'll never look at that thing the same. Ever again."