Chapter twenty-three - Your Finnish boyfriend

When Gina entered the Potions masters office on Friday night, Severus was sitting at his desk. He looked a little irritated.

'Where were you Wednesday?' he asked curtly.

'I had my period unexpectedly,' Gina said, putting her bag down. She felt a little jittery and was very tired. It had been a long, difficult day yesterday, visiting La Modelo with Alejandro. She had been so certain she would never enter the prison again, never do anything like that again, let alone together with Alejandro, and yet yesterday she had. She felt nauseous. She hadn't been able to sleep when she got to the carriage at four am, still full of adrenaline. She was extremely relieved they had not been caught and their idiotic plan had succeeded. Now they could only wait to see if it had done the trick. She had been really looking forward to seeing Severus on Wednesday, desperately needing some relief of the stress she had, en had been just as displeased by her unexpected period starting as he looked right now.

Severus gave her a calculated look.

'Were you in pain?'

'Not really,' she said surprised. 'Just a bit of cramps. But I thought-'

'Then do not let it happen again that you do not show up,' he said in a low voice, standing up.

'I-'

'Do I need to be clearer?' he asked in a low voice. 'You come. You don't just not show up. I wanted to see you. I do not care about a bit of blood Gina.' He pushed her over the desk.

'Answer me will you,' he growled.

'Yes Severus...'

'Do you want something for the cramps?' he asked curtly when he shoved her skirt up.

'No, I'm fine,' she said. She closed her eyes when he let his hands glide to the insides of her thighs. 'And I am good to go,' she said in a constricted voice, pressing against him.

'You don't need a lot to turn you on, do you?' He asked in a quiet voice, sounding amused. He loosened his trousers and pushed into her.

'You turn me on,' Gina said in a husk voice. She pressed him deeper inside her. 'I have been thinking about this all day. For a maldición week...' She groaned when he put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him in a slow rhythm. Being with him felt so amazing... She moaned when he suddenly pulled back.

'Why are you stopping?' she said panting.

'I want you to undress and go sit on the couch,' he said. He was smirking a little.

Gina squirmed in frustration and made to press herself back against him, but he did a step back.

'You are an awful person,' she said bitterly.

'We'll see if you still have that opinion in ten minutes,' he said slowly, smirking.

'I noticed that Weasley boy was waiting for you after class again,' Severus said grumpily, handing her a steaming mug of herbal tea. Gina was sitting on the couch in his chambers, wearing a half buttoned up blouse. She was still feeling very rosy after what they had done on the couch half an hour before, but she also felt a little overwhelmed. She had gotten the commitment she wanted from Severus, but now she was on unknown territory, a little taken aback by how predominant and possessive he could be. She thought of Jonne, and him warning her she had no idea what she was getting into with Severus. Gina pushed the thought aside, picking up the mug. She smelled the aroma of the rose petals and camomile.

'You mean Bill?' Gina said, taking a sip. 'We are usually going studying after my lessons.'

Severus looked intensely at her, apparently brooding on something.

'He is from Hogwarts. Your opponent,' he said slowly.

Gina shrugged. 'So is Jill. We just sit together and study you know. It's not like we discuss tactics or something. You haven't helped me either.'

'Weasley fancies you Gina,' Severus than blurted out suddenly.

Gina looked at him, surprised. 'No he doesn't. A lot of others guys hit on me but Bill never has. He sees me as a friend.'

Severus looked irritated but ignored the comment.

'So you never-'

'No, of course not. And we shouldn't meet so often after class. I'm getting comments.'

He ignored this.

'So what about your Northern boyfriend, did you sleep with him?'

Gina felt a little uneasy.

'I- Yes I did.'

His eyes flashed and she didn't feel rosy anymore either. She put her tea on the coffee table.

'Alright. Before you get the wrong idea, he wasn't my boyfriend. Most of what is in the papers about me isn't true. I only had one boyfriend, Alejandro, in my sixth year.' She really, really hoped Severus would not ask when she last saw him. Sixteen hours ago would sound just wrong... She continued. 'Beside him, I slept once with a boy during the summer when I was sixteen, with a boy last summer, and with Jonne. We had... sort of an arrangement.'

Severus looked at her with a hint of incredulity.

'What is that supposed to mean?'

Gina didn't feel like getting into ground rule details right now. Or at all for that matter. So she summed it up the shortest way she could think off.

'Like a friends with benefits sort of thing,' she said matter of factly. She now wished she could tell him this arrangement had reached it definite end when she started going out with Alejandro, but since that would be a downright lie, she didn't. 'It didn't mean anything, we are just friends now.'

'He is still all over you,' said Severus coldly.

'He is a very touch orientated person,' said Gina hurriedly. 'He is like that with everyone. You should see him with his sisters really.'

This didn't seemed to cheer Severus up at all.

'I do not care what that boy's habits are,' Severus said in a low voice. 'I want him to keep his hands off you.'

Gina frowned a little. 'He is my best friend,' she said softly. 'I'm not going to forbid him to hug me. But I'll ask him to kick it down a notch,' she added, startled by the look on his face. 'Can we talk about something else now?'

Severus finally sat down next to her and Gina picked up her tea again.

'When did you stop your little arrangement?' he asked in curt voice.

'Before I tried to kiss you,' said Gina, looking at him. 'Can you let it go, please?'

'When?'

'Sever-'

'I asked you whèn.'

'A week before I made to kiss you,' she said, feeling it was best to round it up with a few days. 'Listen,' she said hastily, putting her hand on his arm. 'I've had a hugh crush on you since the moment I saw you. I wanted you so bad, but I could hardly jump on you right away could I? Jonne was thère, it was uncomplicated, and well, I used him. It didn't mean anything, I swear.' She felt like she was rattling. She wanted to tell Severus that she did have feelings for him, but she didn't want to tell him like this, whilst apologizing for her escapades with Jonne.

'I only want to be with you,' she added, blushing for real now. He started to look less angry. She bend forward and pressed her lips against his, kissing him slowly. To her relief, he kissed her back.

Late that evening, Gina had a girls night at the Beauxbatons carriage with Jill, Gabriela, Lorene, Helen and Hannah. Madame Maxime was away for the weekend, having to tend to an urgent matter at Beauxbatons. The third task would not take place for months, and apparently Madame Maxime believed she could leave her students alone for a day or two. Louis and Samuel had left early that evening, undoubtedly to a party or some quiet corridor with a girl, and Jill had said at dinner she'd love a fun night with just the girls. Gina had -with permission- raided Jonne's hard liquor cabinet he had hidden in a toiletry bag. Magic was wonderful sometimes.

When Gina and Gabriela made their way to the Beauxbatons carriage, Gina hoped señor Gonzalez would think she was asleep. She was pretty sure Gabriela would go back before curfew, so the carriage wouldn't be completely empty.

They had a great time talking and drinking Elderflower wine and Blishen's Firewhisky mixed with grapefruit juice , which Lorene had sneaked away from the dinner table. Being ambitious and talented women, they talked about careers and life plans they had for a long time, but after midnight, all being pretty tipsy right now, and Gina positively exhausted from lack of sleep, they decided to play truth or dare.

They laughed very hard at Helen's story about her worst date, which had been during her summer holidays with an French wizard who was one quarter vampire, and who had wanted to kiss her neck all evening.

Gina hoping Gabriela would give her a 'truth' made Gabriela do an impression of señor Gonzalez, which was quite hilarious. She wasn't really surprised Gabriela didn't trust her. Not even drunk.

'Alright Gina... truth or dare?' Helen asked

'Truth.'

'When did you have the best sex you ever had?

Gina didn't have to think about that.

'Today.'

The girls yelled with mirth.

'With who?' Lorene yelled immediately. 'Tell us!'

'No follow up questions the entire game!' Gina reminded her grinning. Next!'

Gina almost cried with laughter when Jill confessed to having a gigantic crush on her grandparents house-elf as a child.

'That's so cute,' Gabriela hiccuped grinning widely.

When Jill asked Helen about her first time, Helen just blushed scarlet. 'I actually haven't...'

Jill looked stunned. 'You never had... sex?

'That's not weird,' Helen said defensively.

'No, I know,' Jill said quickly. 'I just thought you did it all the time.' She turned scarlet too when Lorene howled with laughter. 'I didn't mean it like thàt. It's just, you are very pretty and everything... I have never... too.'

Helen looked a little relieved she wasn't the only one in the group.

Jill tool a gulp of Elderflower wine and looked around. 'What's it like? Is it true it hurts?'

'It can a bit,' Lorene said.

Gina thought about this for a second. For her, it had sometimes hurt a little bit with Alejandro. But it never had with Jonne or Severus. 'Not when you are relaxed, with the right person and he knows what he is doing,' Gina said. She smiled widely. 'Than it is very, vèry enjoyable.'

'So you and Jonne...' Jill began.

Lorene and Helen screamed.

'Did you...'

'It wasn't your turn!' Gina protested.

'Oh answer the question,' Lorene and Helen said together, grinning.

Gabriela rolled her eyes. Gina thought Gabriela must have heard them quite a few times. They had been rather lax with sound blocking charms and Gabriela had had a room next to Gina's for six years.

Gina hesitated for a moment. She suspected Helen fancied Jonne. But she didn't want to lie.

'We did. But just as friends.'

'Oh, I'd like a friend with benefits,' Lorene said.

'It is quite nice,' Gina said grinning.

Lorene wasn't done swooning. 'Especially one like Jonne. He is so sweet to you. I saw him hold your hand one day... And kiss your nose...' she mused. 'So Jonne is that good in bed huh?'

'He is. But I'm not doing that with him anymore,' Gina said quickly, not looking at Helen. 'Just back to friends.'

'So who was it today-'

'No follow up questions,' Gina cut her off.

'We'll get it out of you,' Lorene said with a double tongue. 'Or we'll guess.'

Oh, you will not... Gina thought, smiling.