Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Heart and Soul

Dumbledore looked at Severus, and then at Ginny and then back at Severus, he frowned and wiggled his mouth before speaking.

"Well Severus." Dumbledore said in a low voice. "I will be off. I will leave it to you to sort out your own affairs." Dumbledore walked towards the door and looked at Ginny rather soberly. "Enjoy your lesson Miss Weasley." And with that he walked out of the room. Ginny walked over to Severus slowly, catching his eye.

"Affair?" Ginny asked, panic flooding her.

"Yes." Severus replied taking her hand. Please don't tell me he knows, Ginny thought taking a deep breath.

"He doesn't…?" Ginny asked softly, Severus shook his head.

"No… well, at least I don't think so. We were discussing my mission; he was just trying to be secretive. Ginny let her shoulders collapse and let out the breath she was holding, relief replacing panic.

"So… A last minute remedial lesson?" She asked with a grin, he nodded and pulled her close.

"And you can expect a detention tomorrow evening." He whispered before kissing her passionately, she relaxed in his arms and allowed him to take control. After a few minutes she pulled away.

"Are you sure you don't need tomorrow night to pack?" She asked. Severus shook his head.

"I have finished packing," he told her.

"Have you double-checked everything, because if you forge-" She was cut off by his mouth being pressed against his own.

"Yes, I have triple checked." He hissed, before nuzzling his head into her neck and leading a trail of kissed up to her ear.

"You have forgotten something." She said softly.

"And what would that me my love?" He hissed, warm breath caressing her ear.

"Me." She whispered before kissing him again, he snaked his arms around her waist and slowly working them down her lower back to her backside. She pulled away from him and smile. "Are you going for a feel?" she asked, He looked down into her eyes and nodded. "I think I'll have a go at that too." She said before letting her hands wander to his backside. She kissed him again and held him tightly. Severus' hands travelled back up to her head and he entwined his fingers in her soft red hair. He pulled his lips away from hers and pulled her head towards his chest, hugging her gently.

"I love you." He told her, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. His arms wrapped around her, and hers around him. He pulled away from her and Ginny felt some of her happiness go with him, draining out of her. He sat down on his seat and pulled her onto his lap. "You do know that I don't want to go?" He asked, she nodded.

"I know." She replied.

"But I have to. It is important." He explained, she put her ear against his chest and listened to his heart beating steadily. "But I will be back, I won't be gone for long. A week isn't a long time." He told himself more than her.

"A week together isn't very long," she whispered "but a week apart will be like an eternity." His wrapped his arms around her tighter and kissed the crown of her head lovingly.

Ginny say on his lap for the remainder of the detention in silence, she couldn't think of anything to say. Severus, too, was at a complete lost for words. He was now regretting giving Dumbledore his word that he would go, circumstances change. But he had no choice. He wished he knew where he was going, so that he could tell her and relieve some of her anguish. He said goodbye to her with and went to his room and straight to bed. He closed his eyes in hope to wake up and find a better day ahead of him.

Ginny woke up the next morning with a heavy heart, she did not want to say goodbye to Severus. She had no idea whether he would return, but tried with all of her heart to believe the promise that he made to her. It was hard for her to think that the trip was a harmless as he treated it. Death Eaters were ruthless, cunning and incredibly deceitful, she would not trust them to tie their own shoelaces let alone have faith in Severus. She sat at the end of the bed with her head in her hands for a long while.

"Gin?" Hazel asked crouching in front of her, "You okay?" Ginny nodded and looked up with a fake smile plastered on her face. "Are you worried about…" she trailed off, looking around the room suspiciously.

"No!" Ginny said waving her hand in the air "It's only a funeral Hazel, what is there to be worried about?" She said boisterously, I hope it isn't his.

"MISS WEASLEY." Severus boomed across the dungeon, Ginny resisted the urge to smile, the potion she deliberately sabotaged covered three quarters of the dungeon with a glistening hot pink slime. He walked over to her rigidly and looked around. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" He boomed, she gave him an awkward smile.

"Redecorating?" She said unsurely shrugging and motioning to the stone walls covered in pink goop.

"CLASS DISMISSED!" He yelled "See you in detention!" He snapped at her before heading to the front of the room. She took her time to pack up and was the last one to leave the room.

"Have fun cleaning up!" She chirped before skipping out of the room.

Ginny sat in the Great Hall eating her dinner, she ventured down late, hoping to avoid her friends. Instead she found herself sitting with Harry, who had come down late for the exact same reason. He looked irritated and poked at his food in a bored way. She knew exactly how he was feeling, she barely managed to keep her drink of water down, and didn't dare try to make the same effort for solid food.

"How are Ron and Hermione?" She asked, he shrugged. "What's wrong?" She said.

"Nothing really." He shrugged.

"Harry, you are a bad liar." She said with a smile.

"It's just that every night before bed I talk to Ron and all I hear about is Hermione, I mean, nothing has changed, but… It is just different now, it is hard to sit there and listen to him talk about all of the fun he is having with his girlfriend when I don't have one-" He stopped and looked away from her, reddening significantly. She smiled.

"Harry, I am sure that there are hundreds of girls in this school alone that would be willing to get their greasy hands on you." She laughed, he looked at her coldness in his eyes.

"I don't want those girls. The only one I do want doesn't want me." He told her, it was her turn to look away. He shovelled the last few spoonfuls of mashed potato into his mouth before walking out of the Great Hall. Ginny tried to swallow, but her mouth was far too dry, she looked at her watch and stood up slowly.

Severus sat in his office nervously, Ginny would be there any moment. He had everything ready for his departure. He didn't want to say goodbye to Ginny, for fear that it would be his last. Remain positive, he told himself, it was hard. Ten minutes went by, Ginny now five minutes late. His heart began to beat at a quicker pace. Another ten minutes passed and his heart was searing with anticipation. He hoped desperately that she didn't decide not to come. He had to see her one last time. As he reached breaking point the door to his office opened to reveal Ginny standing there, red hair flowing down past her shoulders gracefully. She looked at him and gave him a weak smile. Severus glided across the room in two swift steps and swept her into his arms. He kissed her briefly before shutting his office door. He looked down into her eyes.

"I had begun to think that you wouldn't come." He whispered, holding her desperately. She smiled at him.

"It took me a while to get here. I thought that if I didn't say goodbye, you couldn't possibly go." She whispered, and kissed him softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. He held her. "What time do you leave?" She asked.

"I don't want you to be there." He told her, voice faltering.

"What time to you leave?" She persisted, he kissed her on the forehead.

"At two thirty in the morning." He told her, her body shook as she began to cry.

"Where from?" She asked. He hesitated for a moment.
"The forbidden forest, but-" she interrupted him.

"Near the Quidditch pitch?" she asked, he nodded. She knew of a spot not too far into the forest from that point that was home to a small clearing.

"You apparating?" She asked, he shook his head.

"Portkey." He replied.

"I will see you off." She whispered.

"Ginny, you cant." He told her, she looked up at him. "Professor Dumbledore will be there." She smiled.

"I will have Harry's invisibility cloak. I will be by the oak tree." She whispered, he smiled back at her and kissed her softly.

"I can't stay with you for too long, I have to see Professor Dumbledore soon." He told her, she nodded and kissed him passionately. He held her as close to himself as was possible, she ran her hands over his body, as if trying to get one last memory of how it felt for him to be in her arms. He ran her right hand over his chest, stomach, abdomen. "Ginny…" he breathed as her hands ventured lower. Her hands continued on their path. "You shouldn't…" He told her, he breathed in sharply, her hand caressing him.

"Shhh." She hissed, bringing a finger to his lip before kissing him further. After a while he pulled away from her and she looked at him forlornly.

"When I come back…" he begun, she nodded, knowing full well what he meant. He swept her into his arms one last time and kissed her passionately, desperately. He lowered her onto the ground and slipped a deep red rose into her hand with a note attached to it, before he swept out of the room quickly, not looking back. She lowered herself onto the floor slowly and unravelled the note, she began to cry as she read his writing.

Ginevra,

I am not good at this type of thing. It is hard for me to say goodbye to you. So I wont. I will be back, I promise. But just in case something happens I wanted to tell you how much I love you. I want you to know that since we have been together every breath I have taken has been for you. I have never known a love as pure as the love I have for you. When close my eyes all I see is you, beautiful, angelic. And though we may be apart, my heart will be with you. Take care my love.

Heart and Soul,

Severus.

A cold wind blasted Severus' face as he walked across the snow-covered fields towards the Forbidden Forest in the black of the night. He pulled his cloak tighter around him and looked over at Dumbledore who seemed undeterred by the icy cold weather, his face hard and pallid. Dumbledore stopped at the line of trees that symbolised the edge of the forest and Severus clutched his bag close to his body. Dumbledore looked at him and nodded solemnly.

"Goodbye Severus." He said soberly, Severus nodded.

"Goodbye Albus." He replied and walked towards a gap in the trees, he stopped and looked back one more time. Eyes focussing on the oak tree by the quidditch pitch. Through the darkness he saw a lone red rose petal float down onto the snow. Blood red on white. He took a deep breath before turning to the forest once more, he stepped into the trees and was gone.

A/N: This chapter is different to how I originally planned it. It was meant to continue, but I felt it would be better to leave it like this. I promise that I will update soon. I don't have much to say really, but I would like to dedicate this chapter to my Love.

Hugs and Kisses,

Sinister Spiders

(Atalanta Zora)