And All Thanks To Snape

Ginny was in love with one of the trio. The problem about this was they didn't know. In fact, the person she was in love with was absolutely so clueless it left her breathless. And naturally, even more infatuated than before.

The person was good, kind, funny, smart (oh YES!), sweet and adorable. In Ginny's rather biased opinion, you could go on that train of thought for an indefinite amount of time. Which Ginny did a lot.

Ginny spent hours just thinking about them. It would start out small, just the odd wandering thought when she was meant to be doing her homework, then it would slowly change to a full out fantasy festival. Which usually got to the point where she was astonished at herself.

So Ginny would end up putting her homework down, and begin plotting on how she would let the object of her admiration know how much she adored them.

The problem, as stated above, was that they were clueless. Mind numbingly clueless. Don't think that Ginny had not tried getting their attention. In fact, Ginny had spent countless months trying to get their attention.

She'd tried everything that she could think of. Also what 'Teen Witch' had come up with. Ginny had worn shorter skirts, skimpier tops, brighter colours and even hot pants.

The only reaction she had got was a rather vague, 'Aren't you cold in that?' the person had then given her their cloak. Ginny had tried not to read too much into that rather innocent gesture. Tried, of course, being the main focus of the before stated sentence.

Ginny had dyed her hair, joined the Quidditch team so they could spend practises together and purposely lowered her marks so she'd need help. It got to the point where she even considered flying around the pitch with a sign strapped to her head proclaiming her feelings. The only thing that had stopped her had been that the Quidditch match was against Slytherin. Everyone was aware that when there was a Quidditch match against Slytherin it was not the time to go around proclaiming your true love.

Now Ginny was the end of her tether. She'd tried everything in the books and even started into the restricted section of dating. Nothing. The person was still blissfully unaware that their friend next to them was controlling her urge to jump them right then and there at the breakfast table.

Well, she was sick of it. It was Friday afternoon and it had not been Ginny's day. It had been the type of day where cauldrons collapsed at a crucial stage and Snape issued you with a detention. A day where you crushed you hand in the greenhouse door and nearly broke your thumb. The day where all teachers snarl at you and the Slytherins' attempt to trip you up and succeed. That day where Neville acts on his undying love for you and it results in an embarrassing and hasty withdrawal from where you happen to be at the time. One of those days where you tripped over a stair and all your books fell out of you bag of their own accord. Where Malfoy happened to decide that it would be fun to bug the hell out of you until you put him in the hospital wing with a broken nose and burned ears.

All of the above things had happened to Ginny today and she was nearly in tears. She was angry, embarrassed, sore and had several detentions and nearly three digits worth of points taken from Gryffindor.

That afternoon a very harried Ginny ran out of DADA in tears, where for some reason they’d had a reliever. The reliever happened to be Snape, who had spent the lesson quizzing Ginny in front of the class about things she wouldn’t learn until her seventh year. He also had the cheek to remove another point from Gryffindor each time she got a question wrong.

Ginny ran. She ran away from her sympathetic class mates to her room. The room she’d found on a wandering when she’d zoned out whilst thinking about a certain someone. This room was perfect. It adjusted herself to her mood and what she needed. There was only one other place in the school just like it and the trio were using it for Dumbledore’s Army meetings. When the trio weren't using it, other people were making use of it's interior design talents for things that were not homework. Needless to say, this Room of Requirements was a secret. All hers.

Ginny pushed open the door, tears of anger, embarrassment and humiliation streaming down her cheeks. She slammed the door behind her and took a moment to absorb the room. It had changed to a wooden panelled space with a roaring fire in one corner. There were overstuffed couches and chairs scattered around the room. In the middle sat a mahogany table with ornately carved legs, on it was a plate with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate.

Ginny almost collapsed in relief to be back in her sanctuary, finally a place she could cry in peace. She glanced around the room in and apreaciative way and her eyes fell to a huge wooden bookshelf in the right hand corner of the room. Someone was standing in front of it with a surprised expression on their face.

"Ginny!" Hermione dropped the book she’d been glancing at in a slightly guilty looking action. " What’s wrong?"

Ginny only cried harder. Concern immediately crossed the older girl’s face as she looked at her friend, realising just how upset she was. Hermione hesitated a minute then quickly moved across the room and put her arms around the upset girl, pulling her into a hug.

"What’s wrong?" Ginny looked at Hermione in slight shock. Was Hermione really hugging her? Or was this some bizarre fantasy charm that Malfoy’s cronies had cooked up in revenge for breaking his nose? Still, it felt awfully good to have Hermione’s arms around her and the fire was very warm.

"Snape...c-c-called me a-an ignorant W-Weasel not w-worth t-teaching magic to at Hogwarts..." Ginny’s emotions overflowed causing another torrent of tears and a lot of stuttering. Hermione’s grip tightened around Ginny’s slight form, her concerned face had abruptly twisted into one of rage.

"How dare he!" she hissed in fury, arms still around Ginny. "How dare he! I’m going to see Professor McGonagoll! I’ll kill that slimy bastard myself! He’s overstepped his boundaries! I’m going to throttle the ignorant little fu-"

"Hermione?" Ginny was amazed to hear her friend about to use the word she was going to. Hermione checked herself and looked down at the small and pretty face that was turned to hers.

Ginny gazed up at Hermione and her heart began to pound as Hermione’s lips descended on hers. Fire rippled though Ginny and her arms went around the girl to hold her back. Tingles had begun working their way from the bottom of her stomach to her throat. Hermione’s hair smelled so good, like apples and cinnamon. She shivered as Hermione’s hands threaded their way through Ginny’s untameable red mane.

A while later Ginny pulled away and looked at the person she adored in slight wonder, still reeling from the emotion packed lip lock she’d just shared with her.

"I’ve wanted to do that for a long time," Hermione breathed. She then noticed Ginny’s expression. "I can’t believe I just did that. Look Ginny I’m-"

"It’s fine," Ginny interrupted. A strange gleam had entered her eye, a gleam that Hermione had noticed she herself got each time she thought about the red haired Ginny.

"Ginny, what do you mean it’s fine?" Hermione said tentatively, as if afraid of the answer she might get.

"I don’t mind. I’ve been...wanting to do that all year as well," Ginny said shyly, biting her lip in a way that Hermione found completely adorable.

"You, you have?" Hermione didn’t know whether to breathe, just in case Ginny stopped talking.

"Yeah."

"Why?" Hermione had a feeling that if she spoke too loud she’d ruin something.

"I...I love you Hermione." The words fell out of Ginny’s mouth before she could rephrase them into something more tactful. Hermione’s expression had changed from a look of slight caution and awe to amazement and elation. She wrapped her arms around Ginny again and kissed her soundly on the lips.

"I love you too, Gin," Hermione whispered into Ginny’s ear. Ginny smiled against Hermione’s lips. This was all thanks to Snape. She really ought to get that guy some flowers.