The Midnight Hour

CHAPTER SIX: One Good Reason.

As the sun rose over Hogwarts the next morning Severus Snape's eyes flickered open. He got out of his four-poster bed and walked into his en-suite bathroom and turned the tap on. He splashed some of the icy cold water on his face and wiped it down with a towel. Slowly, recollections of the past evening drifted into his mind. What happened between him and Ginny was completely inappropriate. He was foolish to have been led on so easily. He had to tell her that it was over. I've already tried that, he thought, I did a great job of it too. There was something about Ginny that appealed to him. She captivated him and, Merlin knew, that it had been years since he had had female company of that kind.

Severus turned the taps for the shower and decided that it was best to cancel Ginny's remedial potions lessons. He could not get into a relationship, not now… and especially not with a student.

In the Gryffindor common room Ginny scribbled the last few words of her transfiguration essay. She had not completed it the night before and did not want detention with McGonagall. She had woken up early and had a shower, and then decided to complete her homework. As she was writing she had to make sure not to drift off into her memories of last night. There was something about kissing Snape that she thoroughly enjoyed. She knew that she had started to like him, and had failed miserably every time she tried to convince herself that she didn't.

Ginny adjusted her position in the over-stuffed lounge when she heard footsteps. She looked up to see Harry walking into the common room.

"Morning Harry!" Ginny said, he looked at her.

"Morning Ginny." He replied and walked over to her, he plonked down onto the seat beside to her and yawned.

"Why are you up so early?" Ginny asked, especially without Ron and Hermione.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied looking at her roll of parchment.

"Just finishing off an essay for McGonagall." She stated pointing to her work and started to write furiously. She tried to look busy and was well aware of Harry beside her. He wanted to talk to her.

"Ginny, can I ask you something please?" He asked, looking around the common room for other students, Ginny continued writing, trying to ignore him. The purpose of tran-species transfiguration is… Shit. Ignore Harry… I wonder what Snapes doing… Ignore Harry… "Ginny."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Harry. I was concentrating." She said, it was hard to ignore people. Especially growing up in a family like hers.

"Can I ask you something?" He repeated.

"Too late, you already did… Question up… sorry." She said quickly and continued writing. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. After all these years, he wants to ask her now.

"Gin, do you wan-" He stopped, and he swallowed, "-think I need to change quidditch tactics?" Ginny sighed.

"No… they're fine Harry!" She replied, feeling relief seeping through her like an egg has been cracked on her skull.

"Oh- ok… cool." Harry stammered and stood up before stumbling back towards the boy's dormitories.

Ginny watched him go. She didn't know what to do.

Ginny was walking towards the dungeons after lunch on her way to potions class. She had left Hazel in the Great Hall when she refused to leave without finishing her drink. As Ginny walked the familiar route in a zombie-like state she was left to think about Snape. He is a good kisser, Ginny thought, and a teacher, not to mention a death eater… What if mum found out? Ginny felt a blinding pain in her side as she fell to the floor.

"What the hell?" Ginny asked looking around to see Snape struggling to keep his balance. When he got his footing he looked at her body on the floor.

"Weasley- ten points off…." He stopped.

"Hey, you ran into me." She cried, Snape's blank expression gave nothing away but a blank expression.

"Very well." He said briskly and walked off.

"HEY!" Ginny yelled after him. He whipped his wand out and turned to face her.

"Lervinutri." He muttered, and Ginny's books piled themselves. He turned and walked away. Ginny got to her feet and followed after him.

As Ginny opened the dungeon door a few minutes later she noticed Snape was alone in the room standing at his desk looking through some papers. He didn't look up to see who had entered the room.

"Professor." Ginny begun, his faced turned towards her quickly. "I think I deserve an apology." She gave him a cheeky grin.

"It was an accident." Snape said curtly. Ginny rolled her eyes and walked over to him.

"I guess that is the best I will get." She sighed, and before she could say anything else Snape has begun talking.

"Miss Weasley-"

"Ginny"

"Miss Weasley, I have decided it is in our best interest to cancel remedial potion. It would be a good idea to cancel your detentions as well, I think you have served your time well enough." That hurt, thought Ginny. She looked at him. Why was she attached to him? He stopped talking and looked her in the eyes. "Don't even think about it We-" he was cut off by Ginny's lips pressed against him own. Ginny kissed him furiously. She couldn't believe what she was doing. As he pulled her body close to his own she felt a nervous stirring in her stomach. After a few moments she pulled away from him.

"Why?" was all she had time to say before she heard the classroom door swing open, but by the time that the group of gaggling Slytherins entered the room she had begun to walk quickly to her normal spot.

Shortly after the Slytherins had interrupted, the rest of the Gryffindors had entered the room and the class had commenced. The lesson was about colour-change potions, one Ginny knew Fred and George had used numerous times in their trick sweets.

"So Ginny, what are you doing tonight?" Hazel asked, Ginny shrugged as she tipped some sliced leeks into her cauldron. "Do you want to go to the library and study for the History of Magic test next week?"

"I don't know if I have detention or not. If I don't I will come and study with you." Ginny replied, Hazel rolled her eyes.

"I think you have had more than your fair share of detentions lately. Snape should just lay off." Hazel whispered to her, so that Snape (who was pacing around the classroom inspecting the simmering potions) couldn't hear.

"They should be over soon." Ginny replied a few moments later as Snape observed her cauldron.

"Miss Weasley," he drawled, she looked up at him with a sarcastic smile. "why is your potion yellow?" He asked, Ginny's brow knitted together in confusion.

"It is meant to be yellow." She said and gave Hazel a sideways glance, Hazel nodded in agreement. "Isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But why?" Snape asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Um… because… er…" Ginny stammered "Because it just is!" She grinned and he looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"I understand that it is yellow. I am asking you why it is yellow." Ginny looked lost. He slammed her potion book on the table in front of her. "Page three hundred and forty eight Weasley. I want you to tell me why the potion is yellow after the bell rings." He said and stalked away.

"Why is the potion yellow? Who cares why it is yellow? It just is. He needs to get a life!" Hazel mocked, Ginny's barely heard what Hazel said but agreed anyway, watching Snape's retreating back.

When the bell rung Ginny emptied out her cauldron and packed all of her books away. She looked up at Snape's desk to see him marking some essays. Hazel tapped her on the shoulder.

"Gin, I am going to go ahead, I need to talk to Flitwick about something." She said and walked out of the room. A few minutes later the rest of the class had filed out of the dungeon and Ginny walked up to the teacher's desk.

"So." She said, Snape looked up from the essays he was marking.

"Miss Weasley, as I said. I don't think that it is a good idea to continue on with your detentions…" He begun.

"But, you said-" Ginny interrupted.

"I know what I said miss Weasley-"

"Ginny."

"Miss Weasley, but I have decided that what has happened in the past few evenings shouldn't have happened and was irresponsible and wrong." Snape finished in an end-of-conversation tone. Ginny was not going to leave it alone.

"Who said it is wrong?" Ginny asked.

"The ministry of magic for one." He said, slightly angrily, Ginny laughed.

"They don't have to know. No body does." She whispered, he shook his head.

"They don't have to know, I agree, but somebody will find out sooner or later. It is not worth the consequences." He told her firmly, now it was Ginny's turn to shake her head.

"We will be careful. I promise." She said, he looked away from her, and Ginny said it. She didn't mean to. It just poured from her mouth. "I like you. I like you a lot." Snape turned to face her again, she could see a battle raging behind his eyes.

"I- Ginny… Miss Weasley. I don't think- it isn't….I…" He begun.

"You like me too. I know it. There is no use denying it." Ginny cried.

"It isn't-" Snape said before Ginny cut in.

"It isn't what? Appropriate? Right? Sensible?" snapped Ginny "Don't even try to tell me you don't want this." Snape looked away from her, for the first time in all of her years of Hogwarts he was lost for words, for graceful comebacks and cool remarks.

"You know what miss Weasley." Snape said after a few minutes of charged silence. "I do want it. I want you. But do you know what else?" He asked her.

"What?"

"I can't have you. I can't want you." He told her.

"Why? Give me one good reason." Ginny demanded exasperatedly.

"I have given you plenty of reasons!" He said, trying to remain calm, but the vein throbbed away and let Ginny know he was getting impatient.

"Yes, you've given me plenty of reasons but none of them were good." She hissed, Snape slammed his hands down on the desk and stood up, he towered over her. She looked up into his eyes, felt their lips drift closer together and within moments they were kissing. Ginny pulled away from him and he looked at her.

"We need to discuss this further." He said "See me tonight for detention."

Ginny ran out of the room as fast as she could hoping she wasn't too late for charms.

Later on that evening, Ginny had excused herself from the common room after breaking the news to Hazel that she had detention. After some complaints about Snape from her best friend, Ginny headed down towards the dungeon. When she entered the room she noticed that Snape was sitting on a chair in the front row. He motioned for her to sit on the seat next to him.

"Before you say anything Weasley," he begun as she sat down, "I want to apologise for everything that has happened in the past few days."

"Why? Didn't you like kissing me?" She asked.

"Yes, I did." He replied honestly.

"Any didn't you say you liked me?"

"Yes, I did."

"And did you not also say that you wanted me?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, what more is there too it?" She asked, he shook his head.

"It isn't meant to happen." He replied, she reached for his hand and entwined her warm fingers around his cold ones.

"It is meant to happen," she whispered. "And it will be good," she said before she looked at him pleadingly. "What will it take to make you understand?" she asked.

"Will you ever give up?" he asked her, a little breathlessly, she shook her head defiantly.

"No."

Snape lowered his lips onto hers and kissed her.

When Snape pulled away from her she jumped off her chair and wrapped her arms around him, his warm body radiating heat onto her own. He smoothed her vibrant red hair with on hand and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"I don't know how you talked me into this," came his low hiss in her ear, she looked up at him.

"I can be quiet persuasive some times." She stated evenly and pecked him on the lips.

After an hour-long detention Ginny returned to the common room, feeling light headed. She and Snape had agreed to be with one another. Most of her detention was filled with a satisfied silence with her head leaning on Snape's chest. As she entered the common room she spotted Hazel and walked over to sit with her.

"Ginny!" Hazel said loudly and welcomingly.

"Hey Hazel." She replied with a smile. Hazel inspected her closely.

"You have that look." Hazel determined.

"What look?" asked Ginny.

"The 'I have a boyfriend and I am so in love' look" Hazel replied, Ginny laughed.

"Hazel, I don't have a boyfriend, and if I did I would tell you straight away" Ginny reassured her, lying of course. This isn't going to be easy, Ginny thought.

When Snape returned to his bedroom he sat at his desk, with his head in his hand. He has been making excuses that morning, trying to think of reason for not liking the fiery red-head, as he had years before. He couldn't help it. He liked her, he liked her a lot and wanted her as his own. She was what he had always wanted, only younger. Nothing will go wrong, he told himself. A split second later a weary owl slammed into his window and he rushed to retrieve it. After opening the window he untied the letter from the owl's leg and opened it.

Oh no, not again. He thought….

A/N: Sorry about the long wait people, but Wendelin and I have had exams and assignments coming out of every single orifice. I would like to take the time to thank each and every one of the reviewers, your words have meant a lot. I have tried to take some of the constructive criticism and put it to good use, I hope this chapter was better for you to read.

All feedback is welcome…

Love,

Sinister Spiders