I only hope to live up to the great stories of JKR. Please, it's not my original idea, but my spinoff.
Chapter Five: Cautious Offering
Ginny wandered into the Great Hall, feeling slightly dazed. She sat near the end of the emptying Gryffindor table away from her friends. She served herself some shepherd's pie, but merely picked at it. How could she have let him do that? True, it was quite enjoyable, but that didn't make it any better. He was her teacher. She knew she couldn't possibly pay attention in Potions now. She groaned, shutting her eyes against the truth.
"Oy, Ginny!" She looked up to see Harry and Ron calling her over. Ginny stood, walking to the two boys. "What took you so long?" Ron said as he pulled her into the seat between him and Harry.
"I . . . had to put something in my trunk," Ginny lied. Harry smiled at her and placed his hand over hers. That hand, Ginny thought, it was last combing through my Potions professor's hair as he kissed me. Ginny blushed and pulled her hand back into her lap.
Harry looked slightly hurt, but Ron apparently missed this exchange and accepted Ginny's excuse. "Cool. So, you ready for Quidditch tomorrow?" Harry went of into an excited rant, and Ron listened with a foolish grin on his face. Ginny was slightly distracted by their discussion, sometimes offering hopes that Katie Bell would be slightly more lenient than Angelina, but her head was still full of unanswered questions as well as a feeling of guilt.
Ginny stood, muttering something about having to talk to Hermione. Harry offered his arm jovially, and Ginny took it without thinking. Ron looked at the two of them and laughed. The three walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room, two of them happily discussing Quidditch, one brooding silently. Ginny walked over to the stairs quietly, but Harry stopped her.
"You alright, Gin?" Harry asked, looking genuinely concerned.
"Yeah," Ginny said a bit too quickly, "I . . . I just have to work some things out. Bye, Harry."
Harry leaned in and gave Ginny a faint kiss. Ginny froze. She had surely wanted this for the past six years, but now it didn't seem so amazing. She managed a weak smile and dashed up the stairs. She threw open her door, planning on collapsing in her hopefully empty dormitory, but a girl with bushy brown hair and a huge mischievous smile on her face.
"I saw your little kissing escapade, Miss Weasely," Hermione giggled.
Ginny blanched. How had Hermione seen her kiss him? Had she been in the dungeons? Was that her prefect corridor this week? Hadn't the door been shut?
"Don't look like you're in so much trouble, Ginny," Hermione said as she stood and pulled Ginny to her bed and sat. "You've wanted Harry to kiss you for ages!"
Ginny sighed, relieved. "Oh," she managed to mutter.
"'Oh'?" Hermione cried, "You have the boy of your dreams finally kiss you, and al you have to say for yourself is 'Oh'?"
"Well. . ." Ginny trailed off. The fact that the last person besides Harry to touch her lips had been Professor Snape was slightly off-putting.
"You fickle little vixen!" Hermione said, playfully tossing a pillow at Ginny. Ginny caught the pillow deftly and hugged it tightly.
"He called me a vixen," she muttered aloud.
"Who called you a vixen?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"No one," snapped Ginny. "It's been a long day, Hermione. I want to sleep." She rolled over, facing the doorway and hugging the pillow tighter to her.
"Ginny," said Hermione delicately, "it's only one o'clock."
Ginny rolled over. "Oh, sorry, 'Mione." She grumbled. "I'm just a bit confused right now."
"It's ok. Just know that if you want to talk, I'm here. I'll always keep your secrets, Gin.
Ginny sighed. She knew her friend was right, but this one was a bit too big and strange to tell anyone just yet.
Six o'clock on Saturday morning found Ginny, Harry, Ron, Katie, and the rest of the team in the air. Ginny and Katie had been flying top-speed at Ron, who had managed not to duck out this time.
"I'm sure that's what the Slytherins are planning," yelled Katie over the wind. "I heard Malfoy talking about it in the Library."
Ginny nodded as they all landed to hear the play reviews in the locker room. For nearly an hour and a half, Katie pointed at wiggling diagrams and droned on about complicated quaffle passes. After they were done, everyone seemed to wake from a stupor, and they all walked back to the castle. Katie walked along next to Ginny and lectured on chaser discipline.
As the entered the castle and walked along the fifth floor, Katie turned to Ginny and said, "I've gotten just as bad as Oliver, haven't I?"
"I don't know," Ginny said. She and Katie were close friends, but she did tend to ramble when it came to Quidditch. "I was never under Wood."
"Well, he was--OOF!" Katie fell backwards, sending whoever had been in front of her to the floor as well. Ginny offered a hand to Katie, and the other walker stood, dusting himself off.
"You had best watch where you're going, Miss Bell," came the silky tones of the Potions Master. He looked at Katie with disdain, but Ginny could have sworn she saw his eyes flicker over her for an instant. "Good day," he stated and with a swish of his black robes, he began to walk down the corridor.
"Professor," Ginny called. She didn't know why she did it as she saw Snape freeze in his tracks, but she had to speak to him. "Could I have a word about our Soothing Serum essay? I don't really understand the part about steaming the Aconite."
Snape turned quickly, surveying her, sizing her up. "Change into something a bit cleaner," he said, looking at her mud-spattered robes, "Then come to my office if you want to talk about the essay." The way he emphasized "essay" led her to believe that he knew her true intentions. Ginny dashed up to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Katie to call after her, but she didn't care. She dashed up to shower quickly and change into her jeans and a low-cut blue sweater. Then, thinking of her previous encounter in Snape's office, she swung a gold scarf around her neck.
She was soon walking down the dark corridor to Snape's office. She knocked on the door, and this time Snape opened the door a crack to look at her out of one cold black eye. He nodded and opened the door to admit her.
"So," Snape said coldly as he sat at his desk, motioning for a chair that was right across from his seat. Ginny say and waited for him to start apologizing for his behavior or to confess his attraction. "You didn't understand how to stew the aconite? It is a very simple process. You should find it in your book." He stood to open the door.
"Wait," Ginny called. Snape turned to look at her with his cold, questioning stare. "You just . . . But, why didn't you just tell me that in the hall?" She was sure he had understood her meaning of this meeting.
"I assumed you didn't want to discuss your essay," Snape said as he locked the door and muttered, "Silencio. Feel free to talk, Miss Weasely. The room has been sound-proofed, and you are wasting my free Saturday."
Ginny took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you know what I'm here about, sir."
"Naturally."
"I, well, sir, I can't stop thinking about it." She looked down at her feet. "I just want to know, was it a mistake or. . ." she looked up at Snape expectantly.
Snape took a long time to answer. "Miss Weasely," he said, weighing every word carefully, "it would be a bold and obvious lie if I told you I wasn't attracted to you, no matter how much it repulses me. After your little, ah, display yesterday, I assume you feel similar unless you were merely making a mistake?"
Ginny shrugged. "I'm not sure of what I feel yet. This," she shivered involuntarily, "my feelings frighten me."
"So, you feel something more than fear at the thought of me?" Snape asked nonchalantly as if they were merely discussing steamed aconite.
Ginny gulped and nodded slowly.
"Well, you know very well that nothing could happen, don't you?" Ginny nodded again. This was not the answer she had been thinking of. She was glad not to get detention for kissing Snape, but she couldn't lie to herself by hoping this would not go further. Snape stood and walked around the desk to pull Ginny to her feet. They were close again, much too close.
"Don't you see, Ginny?" he asked. She loved when he used her first name, the way it rolled in the air like silk. "We could never be together." He leaned in to whisper softly into her ear, "No one could ever accept it. If we were to even consider it, we would have to be of the utmost caution, but we won't try anything, will we?" His tongue darted delicately onto her ear, making her tremble like a leaf. "I just love the way you tremble when I touch you," he whispered as he lifted the scarf from her neck and tossed it to the floor.
"We. . ." Ginny was breathing very hard by now, leaning against this stronghold of a man, "can't do this. . ." She tried to pull back, but Snape had his arms around her now.
"Isn't that why you came down here?" He asked between soft kisses on her cheek, "To tell me we couldn't see each other like this?" He released her quickly. "Go, then. Either leave and don't play like this anymore. Or stay, if you wish. You are old enough to know the consequences of your actions." He sounded so matter-of-fact that Ginny considered leaving for one brief moment. However, she knew she couldn't. Both of them wanted this. "I would assume you are experienced enough to know what this will lead to, Miss Weasely."
Ginny started. Did he mean . . . he thought . . .? "What exactly do you mean by 'experienced'?" Ginny asked slightly angrily.
"I'd imagine you and Potter--"
"Oh, no!" Ginny said, a harsh laugh escaping her lips, "He doesn't like me that way." A thought went through her head. "You knew that I. . ."
"The entire castle knows, Miss Weasely," Snape said. That cruel smile was playing around his lips again. "except for Mister Potter, it seems."
"Well, I don't. . .I think that's over, now." She grinned sheepishly as she said, "Nothing happened between us."
"Good," grunted Snape, then softer, he said, "I didn't want to be a sloppy second to Potter." He walked back to the gargoyle and whispered the password, causing the archway to appear. Snape took Ginny's hand and led her to his room. He sat her on the bed and pulled off her sweater to reveal her camisole. Ginny was shaking in fear of what she was doing here and in anticipation to what was to come. He stepped back, tracing her face, breasts, and stomach with the tips of his fingers. A low moan escaped from Ginny's lips as he traced a small circle over her hips. He threw off his robes and unbuttoned his shirt, and then he pushed Ginny back onto the bed, kissing her softly.