Silk and Brocade

Chapter 4 - Obsession

On the following days Ginny felt more and more restless, specially at night. Although she had forced herself to remove the memory of that night with the Death Eater from her mind, there was something that kept haunting her. The images of her dream played over and over in her sleep, each time more vividly, each time with new details. By day things were just as difficult for her, as she had to meet Snape at meals or during her Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. She often found herself goggling at him, quickly looking away when his eyes met hers. Her gaze followed his every move, while his voice lulled her. More than once, Snape had taken notice of the girl's weird behaviour. He had never said or done anything about it, probably dismissing it as some odd side-effect of teenage.

After a particular tiring day, Ginny fell asleep on her books. She dreamed again of the twisting corridor, of the Arabic styled room and of the two lovers. But this time, the dream took an unexpected twist. When the observer-Ginny approached the bed, the female lover not only smiled at her, but she stretched her hand to her, inviting her to join them. As soon as there were two Ginnies in the bed with dream-Snape, the girl woke up with a start, feeling nervous and sweaty.

"Oh, my God! This dream is driving me crazy!" Ginny screamed inwardly, her hands pulling at her hair.

A few hours later, Ginny was having dinner in the Great Hall. She was not very hungry and limited herself to lazily chew a few bites. She kept throwing quick looks at the High Table. Hermione had noticed her friend's funny behavior and was about to ask her if something was wrong. But when she realised who Ginny was looking at, she changed her mind, convinced that the redhead had probably had a bad day in Snape's class, which was nothing extraordinary. Ginny kept staring and musing about what to do.

"Fine! Alright! I'll admit it. I'm obsessed with Snape!" Ginny thought with a sigh. "There's only one way out of this. I'll make the dream come true!" she took her final decision.

Before the starting of curfew, Ginny silently sneaked out of the Gryffindor Common Room with her school cloak on. She knew that at that time of the night Snape would be alone in his office, marking the essays they had handed in during that morning's class. Although it was still early, she took a few shortcuts and tried to be seen by as few people as possible. When she finally reached her destination, she paused in front of the door to Snape's office. She took a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in," a male voice said from within.

"Good evening, Professor," Ginny said timidly.

"Ah - Miss Weasley!" Snape exclaimed, surprised to see her. "What's the matter?" he asked, still holding his quill in his hand.

"I wanted to talk with you about the night I was kidnapped," she said, forcing her voice not to quiver.

"If that's what brought you here, then you can leave. There's nothing to say about it," he whispered coldly, returning his attention to the parchment he was marking.

"But there's something that's troubling me ever since," she said forcefully, refusing to be dismissed while she still had the courage to do what she had planned.

"Be quick, then. I'm busy and don't have much time to waste," he snarled annoyed, raising his stare.

"There is something I regret I didn't," she whispered simply, then she unfastened her cloak, which slipped to the floor with a swish.

Snape's jaw dropped as his eyes took in the sight of a Ginny dressed in that green odalisque attire she had been wearing the night he saved her from the Death Eaters. His quill fell from his dumbed hand, as he observed Ginny walking seductively around his desk.

"M-miss Weasley," he stuttered uncharacteristically, shocked by the girl's behaviour.

"What is it, Professor?" she purred. "Don't you like me?" she asked, trying to give him the same lascivious smile her dream alter ego had used.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Snape spat, trying to regain some control over the situation before it went too far. But he was sweating a bit too much for one being in a dungeon, while he was trying to look cold.

"Isn't that obvious?" she teased him, coming to a halt in front of his turned chair. "It's you," she added, bending over him with her hands on the armrests.

"Enough!" Snape shouted angrily.

He shoot up from his chair, causing Ginny to quickly move back to avoid collision. In the process, she inelegantly tripped and fell on the floor on her butt. She stared at him in disbelief, as she had not expected such a harsh reaction from him. He towered over her, boring his eyes on her, confused.

"What's the meaning of this acting? Have you gone mad?" Snape snarled, refusing to believe in what the girl was proposing him to do.

"Yes, I'm mad..." she whispered in a hurt voice, "mad to think I was as beautiful as those other girls, and that you would have felt attracted by me," she murmured before bursting to tears.

Snape stood there, staring blankly, flabbergasted by the girl's words, by her evident show of lack of self-confidence. His mouth opened and closed a few times, uncertain about what to say, his readiness of thought failing him for the first time. He had always been ready to face any kind of situation, but a girl crying because of his rejection was something he could have never imagined even in his wildest dreams.

"Miss Weasley!" he whispered softly, offering his hand to her.

He helped her to her feet, then motioned her to his chair. He conjured a goblet of water with a flick of his wand and offered it to her, who gratefully accepted. She slowly drank it, regaining some control, as her tears stopped.

"Listen - ah - Ginny," he began, kneeling down before her, "as a man, I'll surely regret it. But as a teacher I have to dissuade you to indulge in these - eh - fantasies," he whispered softly, trying to find the kindest way to say it.

"You don't like me..." Ginny lowly whispered in a hurt voice.

"It's not that," Snape hissed in frustration. "Ginny, you're a beautiful girl and soon to be an even more beautiful woman. Don't throw yourself away with an ugly greasy git like me!" he said, smirking as the last sentence left his lips.

"I never ... How...?" Ginny muttered, surprised.

"Come on, do you really think I don't know what you kids call me?" he sneered, causing the girl to giggle. "You're young, there's still hope for you. But you should first believe in yourself, if you want to succeed."

Ginny whipped her eyes with the back of her hand. She nodded at his words, giving him a big smile to which he answered with a small one. He straightened himself up and moved aside, allowing Ginny to stand up and move towards the door. She picked up her cloak and put it on. With her hand on the door handle, Ginny turned her head towards her teacher.

"Thank you, Professor, for everything," she whispered gratefully, before leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Snape sat in his chair again. He poured himself a glass of elf made wine and took a big sip of it. He abandoned himself against the back of his chair, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Albus, you do have a bad influence on me," he whispered, as a smirk graced his lips.

The End