Chapter twenty-four - Toast

On Tuesday, Gina got a letter from Alejandro at breakfast. She ripped it open without detaching it from the owl first, making Jill, Lorene and Helen look at her with raised eyebrows. The whole owl shook and he gave an indignant hoot. Gina fumbled with the half ripped letter, impatiently getting out her wand and tapping the paw of the owl to free it.

'Don't tell Jonne I did that,' Gina mumbled, when the owl flew away indignantly hooting. She glanced around, seeing Severus watch her too from his seat at the staff table.

Great...

Gina opened the letter with slightly trembling hands, ripping the already torn letter in half.

'Very well done Gina,' said Lucian Bole sardonically, who was walking by towards his friends who were sitting at the Slytherin table. 'Have you ever received a letter before? You usually remove it from the owl first, and than fold it open after you got it out of the envelope.'

Oh for fucks sake... Shut up.

Gina ignored Bole, tapped the letter and it repaired itself. Her eyes devoured the words written in tiny, neat, slightly slanted handwriting.

Querida Ginita.

Preguntaste cuál es mi comida favorita en estos días. Es tostada. Sencillas y dulces tostada.

Dear Ginita.

You asked what my favourite meal is these days. It's toast. Plain, simple, sweet toast.

Gina closed her eyes and mumbled a 'gracias Merlin' under her breath. They had agreed on toast for success and beans for well... trouble. Toast with beans would have been a reason to meet again. But toast was wonderful. Toast was what she needed to hear. She had trouble not to kiss the letter, she felt so relieved.

She continued reading.

I have been thinking about you so much lately. About what your favourite meal nowadays is. Is it still pan con tomate? About how your year at in Scotland is going. About how you are. Ever since I met you, in your first year, you have never been so far away from me. You were so cute, and already so clever.

Seeing you again made me realise you have always been the girl -and now beautiful woman- of my dreams. I understand you are incredibly angry with me. I am angry with myself too. You opened up to me and I betrayed your trust. I am so, so sorry I hurt you.

Seeing the pain in your eyes when you look at me gave me a feeling I can't describe. Knowing I am the cause of that pain...

I never expected I would be able to miss someone so much. You have been my dearest friend for six years. I hope you are able to look back at our time together without the bad parts completely overshadowing the good ones. I know I cherish them.

I will always love you, Alé

Gina read the rest of the letter feeling a little dejected. She supposed Ale had made to write a logical continuation to the toast comment, but somewhere along the way he had gone all desperate love letter on her. She folded the letter. She hadn't experienced meeting Alejandro as very painful. She had mostly been incredibly angry. For what he did to Santacruz Londoño, but also what he did to hèr. It was all very well to feel bad about it afterwards, but he hàd slept with one of her best friends multiple times while he was in a relationship with hèr, and bothered her to great lengths after she had broken up with him. She wasn't interested in how he felt. And she thought it was telling he was writing her declarations of love while Lucía was pregnant with hìs child and supposedly living with him in Barcelona.

She looked up and glanced at the staff table. Severus was reading something, but looked up only a few second later, as if he felt she was looking at him. She felt a strong feeling of electricity waver through her when their eyes met. She quickly looked away, feeling warm and a little flustered. She would go see him tonight and she couldn't wait...

'Have you gotten good news Gina?' Lorene asked. Gina looked up, startled. She had been completely tuned out, but of course her friends had still been staring at her, after her weird owl shaking.

'It's nothing,' Gina said quickly. 'I am waiting for a... a letter from my parents and I got a little nervous, thinking it was from them. It wasn't. Just a... friend.'

That evening Gina was very relieved to enter Severus' study. She had ran into professor McGonagall in the dungeon corridor, and it had been clear professor McGonagall found it very... odd to see Gina there, even after Gina had explained she had forgotten her Potions book during her last Potions class, and she needed it to write her essay on Angel's Trumpet Draught. She supposed it wàs rather late to pick up a book for homework purposes half an hour before curfew on a Saturday evening... But it was the only excuse she could think off to explain her being in the dungeons, except that she was sleeping with a Slytherin. Which wasn't something she could just say to a professor...

Pushing the worries of McGonagall getting suspicious to the back of her mind, Gina walked across the empty, cold office, ignoring the many jars with floating... things in it as always, and hurried to the private chambers behind the office. Obviously having heard the door of his office open and close, Severus was leaning against the backrest of the sofa, waiting for her.

'Miss Aldaya,' he said in his low, cold voice.

Gina halted on the doorstep, her body tingling with anticipation. Severus pierced her with his black eyes for a moment, than his eyes wandered off to her chest, and the red cold-castle-proof dress she was wearing. She saw the corner of his mouth curl slightly upwards. Their eyes met again and she dropped her bag on the floor, closing the distance between them, not holding it any longer. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely, pressing herself against his hard body. He kissed her back hard, a hand in her hair and another on her waist. When she descended with her hand and stroked his crotch he suddenly lifted her up.

'You have no patience,' he said, smirking a little. She smiled, putting her legs around his waist and leaning in to kiss his neck, enjoying the sensation of him pressing between her legs while he took her to the bedroom. She started unbuttoning his black button-up shirt in the tiny hallway.

'Undress,' he said in a low voice when he lied her down on the bed in the dark bedroom. He got his wand of out of his pocket and lit the two torches on the walls.

'A fire would be nice,' Gina said quietly. She had sat up and pulled her dress over her head. She was wearing a new lingerie set, a rather sexy set with black straps around her waist and thighs. She had asked a girlfriend from Spain, Angelina, to get it in her size and send it to her, as she hadn't been able to think of another way to buy anything new. There weren't any lingerie shops in Hogsmeade... She could jùst make out Severus' pupils widening when he looked at her, pausing with his wand still in his hand. He swallowed, and than waved his wand absent-mindedly in the direction of the empty fireplace on the other side of the bedroom without taking his eyes of her, making a crackling fire appear. Warm air spread through the room and Gina felt her body relax in an instant. She smiled at him.

'You look...' He advanced on her, putting his hands on her knees and pushing her legs aside. He let a hand drift over the fabric to between her legs, rubbing her clit with his thumb. She saw his breathing accelerate when he realised he could push the fabric aside. He leaned over her and pushed a finger inside her, making her throw her head back and close her eyes in enjoyment. 'Breathtaking,' he said in a low growl, adding a finger. She moaned. Ever since he had called her white bralette 'cute' she had wanted him to see her in something a little more exciting. Seeing the longing and admiration in his dark eyes were definitively worth it.

Arching her back under his touch, Gina slowly continued unbuttoning his shirt. Halfway though she gave up, being very much distracted by Severus' fingers moving in and out of her. She grabbed his shirt impatiently, peeking at his hard chest, and made to pull it over his head.

He suddenly took her wrists and pushed her back on the bed.

'Severus, please,' she begged. 'I want-'

Ignoring her, he pulled the fabric of her panties aside and playfully licked, sucked and kissed her between her legs until she couldn't think straight, rolling her on her back and finishing the job. Feeling extremely satisfied and smiling widely, she closed her eyes when he lied down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

'Wake up Gina.'

She opened her eyes. 'What? Where- Did I fall asleep?' she said incoherently. She was still lying in bed. Severus was leaning on an elbow, looking at her with his intense gaze. He had a hand on her belly, drawing rounds around her belly button with his finger. To her amazement he was smiling a little bit.

'You have to go. You will be missed in your dormitory.'

'I don't sleep in a dorm,' she said sleepily. 'Never have.'

'Really?' he asked surprised.

'Yes.' She nestled to his chest.

'You still can't sleep here, Gina.'

'Why not?' She wanted him to shut up and put his arms around her again.

'Because you cant be seen leaving my office before breakfast, can you?' he said in a slightly sneering voice.

'Rìght...' she said grumpily.

Severus smiled when she sat up, stroking her thigh, following the lines of the lingerie strap with his finger.

'This is amusing to you, is it?' she said.

'A little. I've never seen you grumpy,' he smiled. He sat up too and kissed her, slowly caressing her lips with his. It made her lips tingle with electricity. He pulled back, grinning a little.

'Now get out before I jump on you again,' he said in a low voice. 'And be careful.'

She muttered a little under her breath when she got dressed.

'And come see me on Monday,' Severus said. Gina nodded, smiling a little, and left his chambers, checking the hallway before closing the door behind her and walking quickly through the corridor and up the stairs to the Entrance Hall. She walked straight past Filch, the caretaker, who was standing next to the entrance to the dungeons, out of sight for anyone climbing the stairs. She jumped when he spoke in his wheezy voice, whipping out her wand.

'Well, well, well. Miss Aldaya, isn't it. Wondering around at night, again.'

Gina turned around in alarm, looking in Filch' pouchy, red veined face. She felt very shaken and lowered her wand.

'Well you are in trouble now,' Filch wheezed, obviously enjoying the moment very much. Come with me. He started walking up the stairs that led to the first floor. Gina looked around at the front doors in desperation.

'But-'

'Come with me or we'll go straight to the Headmaster,' Filch spat. 'And then you can tell him why you keep sneaking around the dungeons at night.'

Gina turned a little pale and she followed him.

'That's what I thought,' Filched wheezed, a horrible grin on his face. He glared at her when they made their way up the marble staircase. 'I don't know what kind of sissy pants regime you are used to in Spain, but at Hogwarts we don't let brats like you get away with rule-breaking. Especially back in the day. You wouldn't dream of sneaking around at night if you had known I had it in my power to hang you from your thumbs in the dungeons. You wouldn't go near there again if I could whip you raw, would you?' Gina didn't respond. She wondered where they were going. She didn't know where Filch his office was...

When they finally halted next to a wooden door in a cold, narrow corridor on the second floor, Gina felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She didn't want señor Gonzalez to start keeping an eye on her. He couldn't know she was spotted in the dungeons again...

'Filch.'

Gina heard a cold voice behind them. She felt extremely relieved when she saw Severus walking swiftly towards them. He was wearing his black cloak again, looking as unruffled as always.

'What is this, Filch?' he said in a curt voice, looking at Gina.

Their eyes met for a moment.

'Miss Aldaya was out of bed after hours professor Snape,' Filch wheezed. 'And it isn't the first time. Professor McGonagall already warned her. I'm getting her now.'

'You will do no such thing,' Severus snapped. 'Get miss Aldaya back to the Promodores carriage. 'I'll discuss this with her Headmaster tomorrow morning.'

'But-'

'I will discuss it with mister Gonzalez Filch,' Snape repeated coldly, interrupting him. 'This is not up to you. She isn't a Hogwarts student.'

Filch looked longingly at his office for a moment, than seemed to accept the order.

'You wait here,' he growled at Gina. He looked furious. 'I'll get my cloak...' He opened the door and Gina could see a dingy, windowless office stuffed with file cabinets. Her eyes widened when she saw the highly polished collection of chains and manacles hanging from on the wall behind a cluttered desk. So he hadn't been kidding about that...

'Are you okay?' Severus asked her quietly when Filch entered his office.

Gina nodded. 'I'm sorry,' she mouthed. He was in the entrance hall, I didn't-'

'It's alright,' he said curtly and very quietly. 'Just get back to the carriage.'

She nodded again. 'How did you know I-'

'I always check that you don't get caught,' he said curtly. Gina looked in his dark eyes for a long moment. Than Filch returned wearing a thick, mouldy looking black cloak. They left Severus on the second floor, and didn't speak during the walk through the castle and over the dark lawn. Filch looked seething. Gina almost ran the last few yards to the carriage, glad to be rid of Filch. She watch him shuffle back to the castle through the tiny hall window. When he was out of sight, she made a detour to the bathroom and then made her way to her room, but stopped in her tracks abruptly. The door of her room stood ajar. Gina pulled out her wand, her heart beating in her throat, but she saw in the blink of an eye no one was in her tiny room. Gina looked around frowning. She was certain she had locked her door when she left this morning, but everything looked the same as usual. Had señor Gonzalez realised she wasn't in bed and had left the door open as a warning? Or had someone been in her room? She locked the door and sat on her bed, too tired to get too worked up about it, as nothing seemed to be missing. Her desk didn't look messier than usual. Yawning, she waved her wand to dim the light and fell asleep a moment later.