Warning!- From here on there is the dangerous possibility of spoilers for the Half Blood Prince. If you haven't read the book, or heard the rumors, then it is best to be very careful about reading the reviews or the answers to reviews that I leave at the top of the pages. However, the story itself contains none, as it is AU. Enjoy at your own risk.

billiejoe : I know what you mean, I had never even read a Ginny fiction before I wrote this one. That makes it pretty cool, because I can't say I was influenced by any other ideas about what her adult personality would be when I started. Glad you approve of the pairing. . .I know there have been a few people who have been kind of skeptical!

SeverusSnape'sLove-grin I am not a temperamental person myself, so I can only hope I do her temper justice!And still make her come across as an adult.

LuSa-I hope too many people haven't spoiled the ending of the new book for you! Don't worry though, I am going to finish the story, unless my fingers get broken. Then I might type with my tongue. It would take longer. . .but you guys are worth it:)

s.m.rahl-Oh come on. . .we wouldn't like him if he wasn't a prat! He just does it so well!

A/N- Actually, I feel pretty mischievous today, and I must say that I think I actually like Snape better these days, evil grin!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a massive pounding behind his eyes. One of those annoying headaches that wouldn't disappear, no matter what you drank, or who you killed.

As it dragged him from what had been a dreamless and deep slumber, he thought groggily to himself that he must have really over indulged at some point during the day, because the only time he ever slept deeply was when he was intoxicated.

As he wallowed in the shallower sleep that is the prelude to the absolute moment of waking, he tried to recall just what he had been drinking, and why. All he had was rather blurry images though; Death Eaters. . .red hair. . .Death Eaters. . .some sort of red and white container. . .red hair. . .

He became aware of another noise, one that he could hear even over his throbbing head. It was the harsh sandpapery sound of whispering. . .

He reached beside him in the bed, trying to reach his wand. Whoever or whatever was making that atrocious and nerve-wracking noise was about to get blasted from the room. But his hand met with empty covers, and at his movement the whispering halted for a moment.

Then someone spoke in a low voice.

'' I think he is waking up."

" Do you really think?" asked a sarcastic female voice.

" You don't have to be so rude. . .I was only telling you." grumbled the other voice.

" No surprise, with you making all of that racket." he felt a little warmth spread through him, as he recognized Ginny's voice.

He was now fully awake, as the memory of their last meeting came flooding back into his mind. Followed shortly by the memory of his summons to Voldemort's side, and the special privilege of being tortured by his colleagues for awhile as they gloried in their recent bloodlust.

The whole filthy occasion came creeping back into this mind, from the moment he had been asked just why he had not been able to inform them that here was a spy in their midst, to the point where Lupin found him bleeding on the ground.( At least he knew who to blame for the hangover!)

He had honestly thought that by the spy, the other Death Eaters had been referring to himself, and he had been surprised when they had only tormented him a little, instead of killing him.

He wanted to tell all of this to Ginny, that he was innocent, and had not known about Gold. . .but there was something else nagging at him. It had to do with saying something to Lupin, about Ginny, but he couldn't quite remember what it was, even though he felt that it was direly important.

" I know you are awake." she said, and he detected an odd flat note to her voice.

With a great effort he opened his eyes, trying not to wince as the light seared his brain. As his eyes came into focus, he could see Ginny, standing beside the bed with her arms folded across her chest in a stubborn fashion. Behind her. . .near to the door, stood Ron. . .and behind him, Harry Potter, The-Twit-Who-Lived.

Ginny suddenly turned to face them.

" Go away." she ordered imperiously, and the two of them slunk from the room like kicked dogs.

" They were just concerned for you. . ." said another male voice, and Snape could just detect another Weasley form by the window.

" Using my distress and preoccupation as a good excuse for borrowing my new broomstick isn't concern, Charlie." she said, her voice a little more patient as she addressed this older, and apparently more respected brother.

'' I think I'll step outside, and see whether or not Fred or George are up up to any mischief. " Charlie said, patting her shoulder as he walked by. " Confiscate any Extendable ears, or such. You know where I am if you need me." he shot a rather harsh look in Severus' direction, before closing the door.

Snape was trying to work out what that was supposed to have meant, and Ginny mistook the pause for hesitation.

" You can just come right out and tell me to leave, if it would make things go more quickly." she said.

" Why would I tell you to leave?" he frowned.

" Well, you sent word for me to not come at all, and I assumed that you would be rather disapproving of

my. . .disobedience." her voice seemed rather loud.

Oh yes. He remembered now; and the elation he had felt at hearing her voice departed from him instantly.

" Never give an idiot directions when you are drunk." he grumbled.

" I don't think insults are in order. " she snapped. " No, I think I am wrong. Let me rephrase that to; Insults do not apply to people outside of this room."

" So you think insults are needed within this room?" he snapped back, a little more forcefully than he had intended.

"A few really good ones spring to mind." she answered, narrowing her eyes.

" Well? Go ahead then. It isn't like I haven't heard them all before." he replied, sullenly.

" Noooo...I have a better idea." said Ginny. His mouth opened to question her, but never managed to wrap itself around a word.

She was walking toward the bed, in a slow hypnotic manner, her hips swaying slightly. It was all too easy to recall how she had looked, naked. With a smooth ease, she sat on the bed, leaning halfway over him, her hair brushing against his face.

" I want you to tell me exactly why you didn't want to see me again. After so much determination on your behalf, are you going to tell me that sleeping with me disenchanted you?" she asked in a light tone, that belied the cold fires in her blue eyes.

" It is nothing so mundane." he stated.

" Really?"

He had to swallow twice before he could speak again. Having her in such close proximity was making his mouth water uncontrollably, and his heart beat just a little too quickly.

" Perhaps you have been so grief stricken at my absence, that you did not hear about the death of the spy Gold? " his voice was bitterly sarcastic now.

She only glowered at him.

" Well, the Dark Lord, and a few of his most loyal followers decided that I should have alerted them to his presence. They suggested that perhaps I might have done so, had I not been seemingly preoccupied with something else. "

He paused and waited, expecting her to make a remark at this point. However she just sat, still incredibly close to him, and waited for him to get around to his inevitable point. He looked as though he were having a very difficult time in getting to that point. . .which was true.

If she could have read his mind, she would have seen '' Good Snape '', who wanted to be noble, battling with '' Bad Snape '', who didn't care about consequences. However, " Bad Snape '' seemed to think that if '' Good Snape '' were going to be depressingly noble and forfeit all of the chances for a future of good shagging, then there was no reason to be polite about it.

" So I believe that you should go away."

None of Ginny's friends or family would have believed that she sat there, so stoically, letting his words sink completely in. There was nothing but a cool calmness in her voice when she spoke at last. She was the very definition of calm, in fact; the coldness in her voice so sharp that it could have sliced through skin.

" Go away. Shall I go away from this room, this country, or this world?" she asked at last, and he detected a note of his own trademark venom in that question.

" I meant go away from me."

" Ah, I see. So. . .that you can continue with life without being preoccupied?"

" Yes. No. . .I mean, I didn't mind being preoccupied, I just believe that it was too dangerous." he admitted.

" For whom?"

" For us. For everyone. I was tortured. If they had known about you, they would have found you and killed you as well. And you couldn't say that it wasn't dangerous for Gold.''

" I am not going to be guilted into believing that a careless man, that I never knew, died because you and

I. . .distracted each other." she snorted.

He scowled at her.

" You are not making this easy!" he snapped childishly.

This time her coolness was broken slightly by the look of faint surprise that crossed across her face.

" Make it easy? " she asked with incredulity. " That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard! No wait, that is the second most preposterous thing I have ever heard. It comes in a smooth second place though. "

" What is the most preposterous thing that you have ever heard?" he suddenly challenged.

" I'll give you a BIG clue'' she said confidentially before leaning over him so close that her lips brushed against his, probably not an accident. " You said it, in this room, within the last few minutes. "

She kissed him so swiftly that it made his head spin and his stomach fall. Just as he was reaching up to give in, and to take it further, she pulled away. Away from his kiss, and away from the bed. She stepped backwards towards the door.

" And with that, I will leave you to figure it out, all by yourself." she gave a little smile.

" GINNY WEASLEY! Do not leave this room!" he shouted indignantly, upset to find that he had been charmed to the bed so that he couldn't accidentally abuse his wounded leg. " We are in the middle of an argument!"

" No ' we' aren't." she answered sharply.

" What do you. . ? What then, do you call what has been transpiring? " he managed to shrink his ever increasing frustration back down to where he could mask it behind his old tone of condescension.

She still did not look angry, and for some reason that bothered him. More than anything else had in a long time. She didn't yell, or protest, or even. . .cry. She just contemplated him in a way that made him feel very obtuse.

Then she smiled. The oddest smile of victory, shot with anger, and laced with irritation, before she shook her finger at him in a very Molly Weasley way, like a mother reprimanding a child who won't admit to misbehavior, and said;

" You were arguing. I was simply listening; stunned. Now if you'll excuse me, you need your rest, so I'll just. . .go away. " and she opened the door, stepped through and then looked back over her shoulder at him.

" Just so you know, I am very glad to see you alive and well. I was hoping to test my theory on the healing properties of sensual massage. . .but, no worries. I was never cut out to be a healer anyway."

And with that last word, she closed the door softly behind her.

He was tempted to roar her name. . .but he had the strangest feeling that it wouldn't do him any good whatsoever. She had walked out of that door with a look of determination, and nothing short of dragging her screaming and kicking was going to get her back inside.

" I'll show her! I'll be the one dragging her. . .right back into my . ..Oh no I won't either. She isn't going to pull any tricks. This is for her own good, and she'll just have to accept that fact!"

He wasn't entirely successful in convincing himself of his own words.

So he simply lay, straining against the magical restraints, and glaring heatedly at the door. He was amazed that it didn't burst into flames under his

eyes. . .at least that would have made him feel better.

Dammit! Why did she have to listen to him?

There were things that he would never know. And one of them was that, after she reached the other side of the door, she had laughed.

Silently, but surely, she had laughed. Not because the situation was funny, because in a way, she was sure that it should be serious. She was laughing because. . .she knew men. And she knew boys. And she knew when grown men were behaving like boys.

And for some reason she instinctively knew that despite his overly immature attitude, Severus Snape was far from finished with her.

What she didn't understand though, was how come, after these past weeks of skepticism on her part, she was so eager to have him back!