A Princely Abode
by
Rating: NC-17, check warnings if you need to know more details than simply "explicit sexual content" is present in this fic.
Pairing: SS/HP
Word Count: 11,522
Disclaimer: All the characters are Rowling's. All the smutty scenarios are mine.
Summary: Nearly broken from the war and overwhelmed by his unexpected success in his chosen field, Severus Snape heeds Luna Lovegood's advice on needing a little change...
Warnings: highlight between brackets if you prefer story warnings: [post-war, references to near non-con wartime incident, angst, wanking, voyeurism, tub scene, frottage, first time, and a plot for which I most humbly apologize. ;)]
Severus thought he knew what hell was, but it turned out he was wrong. This was hell.
He quickly drew the shade over the window of Hogwarts' Infirmary using wandless magic and winced at the sound of tapping and scraping from owl claws and the belated and distinct sound of camera shutters. Bleeding ruddy hell!
"What the devil is that racket?"
Poppy Pomfrey was frowning as she came in with his afternoon potions. She took in his dour expression and sighed.
"Did you try to look out the window again?"
He looked away.
"There is a reason Minerva set those drapes in place, you know. The endless hordes have yet to cease descending."
"Bloody parasites."
"Now, now, Severus," she tutted as she gently propped him up so he could swallow his potions. "They're your well-wishers, your fans."
"The bane of my existence," he muttered and got the lip of a flask set to his mouth for his troubles.
Giving up with ill grace, he swallowed the medication and the other four noxious potions she had to give him, and then lay back on his pillows and tried to catch his breath.
Was it his fault he'd survived the final battle? Was it his fault Harry Potter and the Order had used him as bait? Did any of the bloody simpletons out there even know how he'd been sure he'd die as Voldemort and the Death Eaters tortured him even as the Order had carried out their plans? Seeing Minerva, Molly and Hermione amidst the other Order members had only increased his discomfiture, since Macnair had poured a lust potion down his throat and then bound him naked and spread-eagled to a grave marker, back arched, pushing out his genitals in an obscene fashion.
If they hadn't gotten there when they did, Fenrir Greyback had been about to lift his legs and bend his knees back in order to allow Macnair easier access. The man had intended to...
He gagged now, fighting back revulsion at the thought. If the Order had arrived only a minute later, they'd have seen him being--
"Professor?"
Never had Harry Potter's voice been more welcome to Snape, but despite this his reply was as acid as his currently churning stomach.
"What do you want, Potter?"
"Good afternoon to you, too, Snape. Sheesh. Rescue someone and this is how they treat you," Harry said only half-seriously.
Severus scowled. "You are, of course, ignoring the fact that you intentionally put me in harm's way in order to effect the so-called 'rescue', Potter."
Harry's pleasant expression hardened.
"Whatever. We wouldn't have let them hurt you."
"I was nearly r--" Snape pursed his lips tightly, clenching his teeth against the word. It had been the most humiliating, the most degrading moment of his life. And the entire bloody Order was feasting on it. Worse, they were congratulating themselves over it and telling the media, that being the reason so many were camped outside hoping for a glimpse of him, the man of the hour, the sodding martyr of the sodding Final Battle against sodding Voldemort won by sodding hero sodding Potter.
"Get out."
"Well, Sna--"
"GET OUT!"
* = *
...Two years later
The hands pushed his arms down. He could not move. He was cold and naked and the potion was already working. He could feel his erection growing painfully hard, a divining rod pointing to the twinkling stars. He thought reflexively of Albus and a pained look crossed his face. He whined and fought to get a purchase on the ground to move away, but his toes scarcely touched the trampled earth and the harsh stone beneath him scraped his shoulder blades and buttocks.
A hand slipped around his aching organ and he fought to keep from responding, but his body wanted touch so badly and he screamed aloud.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"
Sweat dripped down from his brow as Severus bolted up from his bed, panicked and uncertain before he fully woke, still fighting the restraints and his miserable fate.
The sight of the rusty, battered cauldron atop his dresser made him swallow tightly, forcing down tears. His voice was an agonized whisper.
"Thank you."
He wasn't sure whom he thanked -- Muggle gods or Wizarding forebears or the Fates themselves, but his supplication was heartfelt in that moment he recognized he'd woken from the dream.
The cauldron helped. It was once one of his favourites, but had been abandoned to his private laboratory at Hogwarts during his last year as a Death Eater spy. He'd collected it when he left Hogwarts Infirmary for good after he recovered from the Final Battle. It had been almost like seeing an old friend, scarred from their experiences, but still recognizable and an entirely welcome sight.
The first night on his own in Spinner's End had been bliss -- free of reporters and well wishers and bloody members of the bloody Order. Of course, the next morning he'd been absolutely besieged by owls and letters and howlers, but at least he was home and he could ward the place to a fare thee well and hex anyone who approached.
Still, he could not do the same to his own treacherous mind, which refused to allow him respite from the imagery. He refused to dwell on it and naturally his mind returned to it as he slept.
Potions worked, at first, then strong drink. Finally, Severus sought refuge in brutally hard work, always his final mainstay, and it worked so well he did not stop working. Every day he laboured on the most difficult theoretical concoctions, after he'd completed the medicinal potions that he sold in order to maintain his household, his potion supplies and keep himself fed. Not that bread, milk, butter, tea, marmalade, potted meat and tinned vegetables cost all that much.
The cauldron he'd brought up to his bedroom, ostensibly to use as a chamber pot. Instead, it had saved his very sanity each night he woke from the ragged dregs of that bloody dream.
Nothing bad had ever happened when he brewed alone. Nothing. Oh, he made the occasional mistake as anyone would, but no one ever taunted him or hissed at him or tortured him or restrained him or betrayed him when he brewed. Alone.
This realization did much for his state of mind and so the cauldron went atop his dresser where he could see it right off as he sat up, as he usually did during the dream. And if from time to time he'd heaved himself up out of bed and staggered to his dresser and clung to that cauldron, hugging its cold, battered copper to his bosom, no one was the wiser.
Since it was of an adequate size to brew enough Pepper-Up Potion for all the staff of Hogwarts, it also had another very comforting feature. Tears that fell in it swiftly disappeared into its shadowed depths, hiding his supposed transgressions, and by day, as the months went on, the evidence of his late night lapses became strikingly beautiful specks of blue-green rust.
* = *
When a man desperately needs something to focus on to shut out the world and his own feelings, a frustratingly difficult puzzle to solve can be a welcome distraction. When that same man forgets to eat and can scarcely sleep, he might apply that time toward his goal. And when that selfsame man is already a master in his chosen field, with a discerning and analytical mind, what he can accomplish is boundless.
Hence, it should have come to no one's surprise when Potions Master Severus Snape, nearly martyred hero of the Final Battle, followed up his creation of an amazingly efficacious Dementor repellant the first year after the war with a concoction to stop monthly lycanthropic morphing the year after. What did cause some surprise, to Severus at least, was just how lucrative Snape's Transformation Transfixation Potion (or TTP for short) became.
The Office of Magical Law Enforcement bought the formula for his Dementor repellent. Various wizards, especially those who had been in the Order, felt it was Snape's way of atoning for the things he'd had to do as a Death Eater. Snape himself would have denied this, although he'd felt a large weight roll off his shoulders when the Ministry had acquired the formula. To his surprise and satisfaction, it had been rapidly manufactured and distributed to every Wizarding household in endangered areas. The Dementors had not cared that the war had ended, and without Voldemort there was no one at all to keep them in check. Scrimgeour had zero intention of going the way of Cornelius Fudge. His politically astute action had secured the welfare of dozens of Wizarding communities, as well as ensured his re-election.
The Transformation Transfixation Potion, however, had begun in the weeks following this success. It was when the dreams had returned along with his utter inability to pleasure himself without memories of the Final Battle resurfacing.
Snape had needed a much larger and more complicated puzzle to occupy his mind and lycanthropy presented a thorny one indeed. That was really all it meant to him, although he'd guessed his discovery would be of benefit for some of the hundred or so werewolves in the country.
However, he had not reckoned on the many werewolves worldwide who would have need of Snape's Transformation Transfixation Potion... every month... for the rest of their lives. Some countries actually signed contracts for the right to purchase pre-made solution in bulk from him or a facility approved by him, for years in advance.
The solution itself was deceptively simple, could be easily made in large quantities, was shelf-stable for two years, and required only one drop of the werewolf's blood added just before ingestion to work. Drunk within twelve hours of moonrise on a full moon night, it made a werewolf calm and would not allow any magical physical transformation to occur for thirty hours.
A normal Wizard or Muggle could safely drink the plain solution with no more reaction than drowsiness and a very heavy sleep. The solution was every potions master's dream and Severus Snape had patented it.
In short, at the tender Wizard age of 42, he found himself a revoltingly wealthy sod and a half.
You'd think he'd be happy. That was what was most commonly said behind his back, and usually in tones of exasperated confusion.
* = *
The letters had never really stopped, despite his ignoring them. It was only after the Owl Master General had dunned his Gringott's account that he'd finally knuckled under and hired a private secretary to handle his correspondence.
The canny and highly circumspect Luna Lovegood fell into the job without a hitch.
To his surprise and gratification, she had set about sorting all his mail, including the backlog, into appropriate categories. She scripted over a dozen politely worded responses appropriate to each category as templates she then duplicated onto fresh parchment with letterhead she also designed, and answered every single one in order of importance. After looking over the first two days worth, Severus stopped reading them. Two weeks later when she handed him a purchase order for a magical rubber stamp of his signature, he did not hesitate nor question the expense. The rubber stamp was a clever bit of charms work that required him to give a single wave of his wand over a stack of completed correspondence to activate the inking charm and imprint his signature on each letter. It would do for the bulk of the mail, if not all of it, and relieved them both of a huge burden.
On her first weekend on the job, Luna had Floo'd in laden with groceries and sorted his larder and kitchen. Severus might have been more perturbed about this if it hadn't been for the fact that her unexpected presence helped him focus on something besides the damnable nightmare that still plagued him some nights. He watched, as she'd quickly set his kitchen to rights.
Then she had briskly gathered his garments, towels and bed linens with a clever little charm, sent them to be laundered, and freshened the rooms. This she continued to do each weekend thereafter.
The next month she had asked for, and been granted, an increase in salary and a change of title from personal secretary to personal assistant. She completed his years of backlogged correspondence six months later and now, eight months after her arrival, Luna was very much a part of his household, not quite a friend, but far more than a mere employee.
As such, her suggestion during one tea break that he might consider "doing up" the place did not fall on deaf nor indignant ears.
In fact, Severus Snape admitted as he sipped the wonderful tea she now stocked his kitchen with, he had been thinking of making some changes.
* = *
"Perhaps it is not meant to be."
Luna sighed.
"We just haven't seen the right renovator."
"That was what-- the sixth one we've had this week? It's bloody irritating and disrupts the whole afternoon. I've gotten nothing done all week."
"I did suggest you move to my place until the renovations were done."
"What renovations? They, whoever they might be, haven't even been hired. Besides, it's nonsense. I can stay in whatever room they're not working in."
"Then it's settled. I'll call the next one on the list."
Severus sighed now; aware she'd ably manoeuvred him into agreeing to see at least one more decorator.
"Which lot is this?"
She studied her neatly written list of mostly scratched off names.
"Residential Reparo & Rehabilitation."
"Same as before. You'll handle them."
"Of course, Severus. They'll think they've come to inspect the household of one Regis Dividius."
* = *
"Professor Lupin," Luna said with surprise as she opened the door the next afternoon.
"Why, Miss Lovegood! What a pleasure," he beamed at her. "But I'm afraid I've got quite the wrong house then. I'm calling on a Mr. Regis Dividius?"
"No, you've got the right house, Professor. The name is not entirely inaccurate; it's just a bit dated. I work for him."
"I see. Well, I'm here about a possible renovation job."
"Will you come in? You'll need to see the place if you're here to inspect it for renovation. It will be near enough for tea when you've done and we can discuss what my employer wishes and your cost estimates over a nice cuppa."
"Thank you, and yes, of course."
An hour and a half later, after Remus had inspected the entire house, including the small, fenced backyard, he and Luna were seated at the kitchen table where he'd spread out the parchment he'd jotted measurements and notes on.
"So, correct me if I'm wrong or have forgotten something but your employer wants the entire first floor turned into a master bedroom with master bath and a small guestroom and tiny washroom?"
"Yes."
"The cupboard below the stairs turned into a small toilet with hand basin."
"Yes."
"The front room redone with a hidden library and a small wet-bar for guests."
"Yes."
"This kitchen refurbished with more modern amenities."
"Yes."
"The coal bin is to be made into a combination laundry/storage area, including a cold box."
"Yes."
"The backyard is to be magically re-screened with a greenhouse built at the far end which is to have one corner devoted to a spa bath with a small wardrobe for towels and robes."
"Yes." Luna smiled dreamily, but her tone belied her expression. "How much do you estimate the material and labour to cost?"
Lupin sighed, sipping at his tea as he considered, then began writing figures by each item on his list.
"Well, it will be at least fifteen hundred galleons for the first floor work. Two hundred and twenty-five galleons for the small hall toilet. Six hundred galleons for the front room plus the reshaping charm work which could be as much as seventeen hundred galleons, depending on the specific dimensions and configuration desired for the library, twelve hundred galleons for the refurbished kitchen, two hundred for the coal bin remake plus a hundred galleons for the perpetual cold box. The backyard is the pricey one and it will be a minimum of three thousand galleons for the magical rescreening, but that would include needed touch-ups over time. The greenhouse and spa we can probably do for seven hundred and fifty plus another hundred for the wardrobe. So you're looking at a minimum of around ninety-four hundred galleons, probably closer to ten thousand galleons since prices on materials fluctuate and that estimate is based on material that is neither low-end nor high-end. It will, of course, depend on what your employer wishes us to use."
"Quality is more important than cost," she said with certainty and he nodded.
"In that case, it will be near to 15,000 galleons."
"Factor this in, Lupin," Snape suddenly spoke from the doorway where he'd appeared unseen a few moments before. "I will do the backyard rescreening myself, and what would have been spent there will turn my root cellar into a fully stocked laboratory with several equipment and ingredients cupboards and light and temperature-controlled potion storage capability."
Remus barely blinked at Severus's sudden appearance, merely nodding his greeting and considering what he'd said.
"In that case, I'd say it would add another two thousand galleons to the lot."
Snape stepped into the room and poured himself a tea before sitting beside Luna and across from Lupin.
"This is excellent, Miss Lovegood. White peony with green-cut orange pekoe and a touch of ginger?"
She nodded, smiling at him. "Mountain Wreathed In Starlight. I'm afraid I can't pronounce the actual name."
"Only the Tibetan monks who grow it can," he assured her before turning back to Lupin. "I'll be glad to sign your company for the work, Lupin. When can you start?"
Remus looked startled. "No arguments over costs?"
"There is no need. Quality, honesty and discretion are my prime considerations. Your assessments were sound, you can provide quality materials, and I know I can trust your discretion as to who you are actually working for."
"So you're Regis C. Dividius?"
"You know Latin as well as I, Lupin."
"A prince divided? What's the C stand for?"
"Cognatus."
"Ah, very clever. A prince by blood divided. A half-blood prince."
"My mother's maiden name as I'm sure Potter told the Order. Quite frankly, I feel a far greater affinity for her than for my father, but be that as it may, the name serves to provide me much needed privacy these days."
"Ah. Well, I'm flattered, but please keep in mind I won't be doing all the work. In fact, I do very little of the actual renovating. My partners are the ones who do most of the grunt work."
"So long as they are discreet."
"We'll allow you to put us under a geis of discretion if you like."
"A simple contract will suffice. Just keep in mind if I hear of this venture anywhere but in this house or read of it in a letter or the news--"
"I get the picture, Severus. Not to worry, discretion is our middle name." Lupin smiled. "By the way, in case I don't have a chance to say it later and before I forget -- thank you."
"For what?"
"Allowing me, us, the ability to stay sane and unchanged during full moon. You've no idea how much that means. We owe you so much. Your name is becoming legendary among the werewolves."
Snape rolled his eyes, but his tone was only mildly sardonic, and Lupin chuckled when he said, "Then my life is complete."
* = *
"What in Merlin's name is that racket?!!"
"I think Professor Flitwick is having some trouble with the dimensional portal," Luna did not try to yell to make her voice louder, she merely pressed her wand to her throat and amplified it a little bit.
Just then the last person Severus wanted to see stepped into the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?"
Harry's expression grew hard, even as his eyes got a peculiar emotion that Severus couldn't quite pinpoint.
"I was just coming to apologize for the noise. The dimensional folding charm is very delicate, difficult and time-consuming and whilst Filius is testing the extensible limitations of your living room it will be unavoidably noisy," he said, his voice readily amplified without visible means. "Our standard silencing spells are holding just fine outside, but there's not much we can do in here, unless you want some earmuffs?"
Before Snape could say anything, Luna quickly nodded. "Yes, please! I can't concentrate to answer correspondence."
Harry waved his wand at a spare piece of parchment and it transformed into a set of fuzzy purple earmuffs. She smiled thanks and slipped them on, then picked up her quill to answer another letter.
Snape watched him, uneasily aware of the man's power and vibrant personality, and far more aware of his incredible physique. Harry Potter no longer looked like a boy, and he was, in fact, older than his father had ever become. He was also very much a man. Not tall, although Snape did not consider this of any importance when he considered Potter's near-tangible aura of magical power. And his body radiated health and vitality and was far too impressive-looking for the long-deprived Snape.
He cleared his throat now, and pressed his wand to his throat to ask, "How long will this take?"
Harry shrugged. "Usually three or four days."
"What?"
"I said--"
"I heard you, Potter. What the devil am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
"Well, if you've nowhere else to go, I'll be happy to let you stay in a room at Grimmauld Place."
Severus considered this unhappily. He could stay, he knew, with the Lovegoods in their lovely guest bedroom, but he ran the risk of possibly disturbing them with his ever-present nightmares and his need to work or walk when they wouldn't allow him respite. Or he could do the same at Potter's place.
"Luna can come to work there, too, while this is all going on. In fact, you should probably consider staying even after Filius is done. Otherwise, we'll just be in each other's way constantly." He added, "It's no bother. If it matters, I'm rarely there. I'm usually busy elsewhere.
Probably chasing as much tail as he can grab with both hands, thought Snape. With looks like those, he probably has to beat them off with a Bludger Bat. Still, at least it keeps him away.
"I accept."
* = *
True to his word, Grimmauld Place was practically empty. Potter assured Snape no one lived there, but him, and even then, his time there was limited. He was running the Three R's, as Residential Reparo & Rehabilitation was known and, unbeknownst to Snape, undertaking Auror training.
Not his own, but Harry was actually training some of the Ministry's Aurors in defensive and offensive magic. There were very few spells that were effective against him and he was fast, powerful and accurate, hence he was a very good sparring partner.
The heavy and practical training he'd received from the best people they had available in the Order before the Final Battle had served him in far better stead than the training Aurors typically had. He had, in fact, been taught most necessary and many experience-acquired Auror skills by Moody, Tonks and Shacklebolt long before he'd stepped foot inside the Ministry's Office of Magical Law Enforcement. He'd seen more battles, taken place in more combat and accrued more practical experience in assessing a scene for clues and dangers than most young Auror's did in all their training and first few years combined.
Hence, the head of the MLE, one Mr. Arthur Weasley, his erstwhile father-in-law-to-be, had proudly given him honorary Auror status not long after the war was over, and Harry's long-desired wish had come true. With it had come the realization he did not desire to do battle or fight evil wizards for a living. He felt he needed to help repair the damage the war had done, and hence, the Three R's was born.
The fact it helped provide work for many of his friends who could not otherwise work, such as Remus, was a happy bonus. Harry was content with his life so far.
If only, his many friends thought, he could find himself a nice man.
* = *
The hands pushed his arms down. He could not move. He was cold and naked and the potion was already working. He could feel his erection growing painfully hard, a divining rod pointing to the twinkling stars. He thought reflexively of Albus and a pained look crossed his face. He whined and fought to get a purchase on the ground to move away, but his toes scarcely touched the trampled earth and the harsh stone beneath him scraped his shoulder blades and buttocks.
A hand slipped around his aching organ and he fought to keep from responding, but his body wanted touch so badly and he screamed aloud.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"
Sweat dripped from his brow as Severus bolted upright in bed, still fighting remnants of the dream. His eyes sought his cauldron, but it was not here, and he remembered now that he slept at Grimmauld Place.
He jumped as his door opened to let in a harried looking Potter, wand drawn, tired eyes alert and focused to danger.
"Everything okay?"
Snape felt his face burn with shame, but he merely waved a hand.
"I'm fine. Get out."
Harry lowered his wand, but assessed Severus carefully. He frowned.
"Are you all right?"
To his horror, the breath he drew in was shaky and his face burned even more as his eyes flooded.
"Get out!"
Potter never could listen to his teachers, Snape thought now as he turned away from the stubborn prat and fought a miserable fight first to keep the damnable tears from falling, and then to keep the damnable boy from seeing them.
"There's no shame in having nightmares, Severus."
Snape did not respond, knowing his voice would be a dead giveaway. He merely waited, not touching his face and fighting to keep his breath even and steady.
"I have them, too. From the war. From the killing."
Snape swallowed, cursing himself when it was audible. He clenched his hands into fists.
"I imagine yours are even worse."
"You've no idea," Snape finally whispered, damning himself silently for the choked and raspy way his statement came out.
He could hear the footsteps, but he did not move. He couldn't get any further turned away than he was and if the price he paid for accepting Potter's offer to stay as his house was renovated was the revelation of his nightly travails, then it was steep but he'd pay it.
The indrawn breath finally made him look briefly over at Potter. To his surprise there was no triumph or derision or even amusement on his face. There was obvious sympathy and concern and dismay.
"Wh--"
"It's always the same," he managed to say in a tightly choked voice. "It's that night. The night you s-- rescued me."
He said nothing further, but from the look on Potter's face he did not have to.
Snape angrily swiped at his face with his hands and huffed.
"I suppose you think it's foolish of me to be having the selfsame nightmare lo these many years."
Harry shook his head, a troubled expression on his face.
Severus drew in a shaky breath, struggling for equilibrium.
"You may as well get it over with, Potter. Gloat. Jeer. Or better still; laugh at your pathetic old professor. Or was what you did to me, what you made of me, a big enough joke at my expense?"
Harry frowned now.
"What are you talking about? Of course I wouldn't gloat, nor would I laugh at you. I've been there, where you are, too many times to count and I wouldn't appreciate anyone laughing or gloating at me, so why would I do that to you?"
"Indeed. What you did no doubt provided much amusement for all involved."
"Snape, what are you talking about?"
His expression grew hard and bitter and angry.
"Stop this game, Potter. You know very well what I mean. That night. The lot of you, the whole bloody Order saw me. Greyback holding me down. Macnair..." his throat choked up tight on the words and he looked down to his clenched fists and fought to swallow down the humiliation, the despair.
He ignored Harry as he knelt before him, until he felt those rough, warm, capable hands rest lightly over his fists and he looked up into those clear green eyes.
"Severus. No one saw you but me."
Snape stared.
Harry explained, "I came ahead under my Invisibility Cloak. I'd been scouting. I didn't know they planned to do anything that night. The last I had seen that day when I'd been spying was that you had been thrown in that oubliette. I thought they were through with you for the time being. I was expecting action the next day and I was scouting to check on booby-traps and looking for places of concealment. We'd planned an attack for dawn.
"When I got there, though, I saw what they were going to do. I was terrified because it was too early and we weren't ready. I did the only thing I could. I cast a glamour over you and then I sent a Patronus message to the Order for immediate assistance. I knew they'd be able to rescue you. I went on to find Voldem--"
"You cast a glamour?"
Harry nodded. "Yes. I didn't want them to see you that way."
Snape swallowed. "How did they see me with the glamour?"
"I made it appear you had clothes on to anyone but a Death Eater. It looked like you were being tortured. That's what Hermione told me later. She said Fenrir was holding you down and Macnair had bent you back and was forcing some kind of potion down your throat when they got there and stopped them."
Severus shivered. He suddenly remembered one specific about that night which had long bothered him. When the two Death Eaters had released him, when the Order had rushed up after immobilizing them, the Granger girl had hurried over to help him up and guard him. Then Minerva had stepped up to him and squeezed his arm comfortingly before placing a Portkey in his hand that had sent him straight to Hogwarts Infirmary where he had landed with a graceless splat! on the stone floor. Pomfrey had swiftly levitated him to a waiting bed where he lay exhausted, battered, suffering from torture and still stunned by the suddenness of his rescue.
He had finally allowed himself to lose consciousness, but not before he'd wondered why neither McGonagall nor Granger hadn't at least thrown a robe over him. It had seemed out of character for either of them. McGonagall, he was positive, would have transfigured him some form of garment for decency's sake. Yet she had not.
The only thing his tired and fragile mind could conclude was that they held him in contempt. But Granger's actions had been of concern and McGonagall's had been kindly, so his mind had never been able to muster a proper answer.
Potter's quiet confession finally solved this puzzle and to his surprise, he could almost literally feel a monstrous burden lifted from his shoulders. He blinked.
"You-- no one saw me, then?"
Harry shook his head. "I didn't think you'd want anyone to see you like that. I knew you were on our side by then. I didn't want anyone to see you like that, either. I feel bad I didn't stop them myself, but I had to go on, not risk an alarm being sounded."
"You don't have to explain. It was war."
"Maybe I do. It bothers me sometimes. Things I didn't do. Things I did. I have dreams. Bad ones. Not like you, but bad enough."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Potter scowled slightly now. "I tried! I came to see you, to tell you, but you threw me out. You got so agitated Madam Pomfrey made me swear I wouldn't visit you again."
Severus remembered that moment, the look on Harry's face and he groaned now.
"What a bloody stupid fool."
"Yes, well, I also tried to write, but you didn't answer my letters. Hedwig kept bringing them back."
"I didn't answer anyone's letters."
"Maybe you should have. You'd have had better sleep."
Snape conceded his point, but was still stunned by the revelation. All this time...
"I appreciate your telling me now." He sighed. "Although, I'm not sure you'd be right about the sleep. The incident preyed on my mind for more than that reason."
Harry tilted his head now, brows raised in inquiry. He began to stand again.
"I, uh," Severus stammered and to Harry's surprise, began to grow red. "It bothered me, because if they had succeeded in what they were trying to do... well... I'd, er, never actually done that before."
Harry frowned now. "Anal sex?"
The blush grew crimson and Snape shook his head rapidly.
"No, I mean sex at all."
Harry froze. His face was a study in uncertainty.
"You-- you're saying--"
"Yes, damn it, I'm a virgin."
"Oh."
It was all he said, but Snape could sense no amusement or derision in his tone.
When Harry spoke again, though, all he said was, "In that case, I'm really glad I stopped them."
Then he quietly left the room.
* = *
The late night or early morning depending on how one looked at it, revelations between them, leavened the atmosphere at Grimmauld Place as the house renovations continued.
Harry kept reporting to Snape and/or Luna about the progress and twice they both went to check on the renovations directly.
"The toilet under the stairs is giving us fits," Harry admitted during one visit.
"What's the problem? The Muggle pipes run right through that space."
"It's not the plumbing, it's the height. Right now, only Filius could use it without knocking his head on something. You didn't specify re-spacing could be done, but I'm not sure how we're going to put a small privy in without it. Seamus's idea so far is best, but I have to ask you -- can we tear down and rebuild the stairs?"
Before Luna could speak, Severus swallowed a groan to say, "Just use re-spacing spells, Potter."
"All right. Oh, here," Harry handed him a parchment. "These are the spirits Aberforth can supply your new wet-bar with. The costs were figured in up to 200 galleons worth, so have fun choosing. Whatever's left over, if anything, will apply to your laboratory."
* = *
"You'll be happy to hear the coal bin has been cleared out and we start work on the laundry/storage room tomorrow," Harry informed Severus as he sat by him at the table in Grimmauld Place.
He helped himself to tea and the lone sandwich from the plate Luna had left before she went home for the day. Now that Snape was sleeping better, his appetite had also improved, so Harry did not know he was lucky to have been left one to eat.
"Not as happy as Luna, no doubt. She dislikes having to send out the laundry."
Harry considered this as he chewed. "What did you do before she got there."
Snape lifted a brow. "I used freshening charms."
"No washing? Gad!"
"I had little time. If I'd taken time to do laundry, Potter, your werewolf friend would not now be able to enjoy the pleasure of a walk in the moonlight of a full moon night."
He didn't expect an answer to this acerbity, so he was surprised a few moments later when Harry laid a hand over his arm and squeezed. The gesture reminded him of Minerva and he looked up into those warm green eyes.
"If no one else ever says it, I have to. Thank you, Severus. For the Transformation Transfixation Potion alone, I would owe you a huge debt."
Snape frowned. "You're no werewolf."
Harry smiled. "No, but one of my closest friends is, and thanks to you, his health has increased and the full moon holds no horrors. Men shouldn't have to live with horrors. Sours the belly. Strips us of sleep. So for that kindness, intended or not, I thank you."
He let him go and returned to eating with gusto as Snape watched, disquieted.
*=*
Luna actually hugged Harry the next time they checked on the house.
"Oh, this is wonderful!" she enthused over the new kitchen.
"Just wait until you see the laundry/storage room," he replied with a smile, returning her hug with one strong arm.
Severus watched this display in silence, noting the play of wiry muscles on that arm. He could see those muscles ripple up and extend beneath his snug Muggle-style tee shirt, accentuating those broad shoulders. The shirt was tucked into equally snug faded jeans that accentuated other bits which Snape also appreciated. It was what Potter had often worn as a boy, but he was no longer a boy and the image of the strong, vital man in his kitchen made Snape's mouth go dry. He blinked and looked away.
"Care to join us, Severus?"
Harry paused at the new door that led to, not stairs, but a ramp down into what was once a coal bin.
He followed the pair into the now bright and airy room. Two washing machines, one for regular clothes and one for heavy items such as rugs and blankets, plus a large dryer stood in the corner by a convenient counter with a small in-set sink. Two cupboards were on one side and Harry went to them first. He opened one to demonstrate the clean linens folded within.
"These were Remus's idea and we did it free of charge. These cupboards will correspond to the ones on the first floor and later, in the one by the spa in the greenhouse. So when you put anything in them here, the item can be retrieved from either of the other cupboards. Clever, eh?"
"What about a person?"
"Pardon?"
"Could a person sneak into the cupboard in the greenhouse and be able to come into my house?"
"Oh! No, not at all. Well, not really. They can't be opened from the inside, only from the outside. So if someone did that, they'd only be able to come out again if someone opened one of the other cupboards."
Snape nodded, satisfied, and began to assess the storage area which was large, spacious and far beyond what he felt the house needed, but was all to the good. He could always use some of the extra space as stable potions ingredients storage. He turned.
"Why the ramp?"
Harry smiled. "It's easier for laundry. When you carry stacks of clothes, you can't really find your footing for stairs. The ramp cuts down on accidents."
Luna beamed.
"That's very clever, Harry. Who thought of that?"
Severus was intrigued as Harry blushed.
"Well, uh, I did, actually. I remembered having to do laundry for the Dursleys. It was one thing I give my aunt credit for - she insisted on a ramp leading down to the laundry room and I really feel it kept me from breaking my neck or a leg more than once when I was a kid."
* = *
"The kitchen looks fabulous, Severus."
Snape arched a brow at Luna over his Potions periodical and said nothing. He, Luna and Harry were having dinner.
"Well, you may think it's silly, but the kitchen is the heart of a home. You eat there, you talk over the table, you go there late at night or during emergencies and nosh and cry and gain strength from your friends or just watch the rain softly falling through the windows."
"I assure you that aside from the first, I have never done any of those things in my kitchen."
Luna smiled knowingly. "Maybe not there, but you have here."
"She's right," Harry said between spoonfuls of stew.
Severus considered the kitchen now here at Grimmauld Place and had to concede she was right, at least so far as the talking, the late night emergencies and the friends, or rather, colleagues, gathered to discuss events.
"There are no windows."
"There are at Spinner's End." Luna reminded him.
"You can only see through those if you're standing at the sink."
"Not anymore." Harry smiled.
* = *
"Potter, when is my bedroom to be done?"
Harry paused and the huge bag of fertilizer he was levitating waited obediently by his left shoulder.
"Well, the ground floor and below ground stuff had to be done first. When we're done with the greenhouse--"
"Wouldn't it make more sense to renovate my rooms so I can move out of Grimmauld Place and back into my own house?"
"I guess, but I figured you'd want the whole thing done before you moved back."
Snape sighed. "Delightful as it has been reacquainting myself with the moth-eaten mausoleum Black bestowed upon you--"
"Hey! A little respect for my house."
"I'd really like to sleep in my own bed."
Harry nodded.
"All right. I'll have Seamus come in and we'll start on your bedroom tomorrow."
"Excellent."
Harry continued walking toward the rear of the house.
"By the way, Severus -- what sort of bed were you thinking about?"
"Bed?"
"Yes. Four-poster. Canopy. Small. Medium. Large."
"My current bed will suffice."
Harry paused again and turned.
"No. That won't do at all. It won't fit with what we have in mind. Besides, don't you want a nice large bed? You know, for company's sake?"
"What company?" Snape groused, annoyed.
Harry smiled and it made Snape feel flushed all of a sudden.
"Well, you never know when company might come over."
* = *
"Severus, you should really try your new spa bath."
Snape paused in his signing of correspondence Luna had completed for him to arch a brow at Lupin.
"I intend to, once I've moved back in and you lot are gone from the house."
"So modest. No worries. It's entirely private. The effect, which I'm quite sure you were going for, is rather like a private jungle enclave. Plants all around except for the area immediate to the spa bath, and the spa bath-- oh, Minerva outdid herself."
"Minerva?" Snape frowned now, setting down his quill. "What is this outfit of yours, Remus? A refuge for castoff Hogwarts boffins?"
Despite his sarcasm, he was grateful he had not run into Minerva (or Molly or Hermione) before Harry's confession of a few weeks ago.
"We contract out and there are many of our friends who are still capable of working, despite having retired due to their war injuries. They may not be able to do steady work, but they enjoy helping out and it helps them keep earning an income. Besides, I'll have you know it's not my outfit, but Harry's. Harry is the majority owner of the Three R's."
Snape frowned. "Who else owns it?"
"Filius, myself, Minerva, Moody, the Weasleys and Mrs. Granger-Weasley. Seamus, Firenze, Hagrid, Aberforth and Sprout are all contract-employees."
"I reiterate - are you a refuge for castoff Hogwarts boffins?"
"Why?" Remus asked now, a decidedly fiendish look in his eyes. "Do you want a job?"
Severus snorted and finally said, "Very well. I will inspect the spa when I'm done with my correspondence."
* = *
"Harry, there you are!"
He turned and smiled at Pomona Sprout, who carried a rather large potted orchid.
"What can I do for you, Pomona?"
"This lovely is for the Spinner's End greenhouse, but it had a vexing case of greenfly mould and I've been nursing it until it got better. It's well enough now and if you're going to the job site, I'd appreciate it if you took it along."
"Of course. I was just going to check on Seamus's progress, so it'll be no trouble to leave it in the greenhouse."
"That's a boy," she smiled, patting his cheek and making Harry feel, for a moment, about 12 years old.
* = *
Severus had to concede that the spa was quite lovely.
It wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned but it was even better and as such, he found himself wondering if he shouldn't, as Lupin suggested, try it out for himself. He was alone here, after all. The work here was completed and any work was being done in the main house.
There were folding screens which when opened revealed a tropical print that was quite fitting with the surroundings. He waved his wand and opened them, setting them near the spa.
Another flick of his wand and the tub was filled with water. He perused the settings inset into the tub and pressed the one that read "effervesce". The tub immediately began to bubble and froth and he could smell mineral salts. Just the thing, he thought, for his tired legs.
Without further concern, he began to strip.
* = *
Harry set the orchid down on the hall table and checked on Seamus's progress. The sturdy and cheerful young man was carefully laying in carpeting.
Having given him reassurance of a job well done, Harry went out, got the plant and headed out the back yard.
* = *
The water felt so good.
Severus's head fell back on the tub's built-in headrest and he groaned.
The warm effervescing water tingled and stroked along his skin like tiny fingers, gently soothing his aches away.
He'd already made up his mind to enjoy his spa every night before bed.
He wondered now how much more it would add to the cost to have Filius magic in a warded door that would lead straight to his bedroom.
A new cycle of bubbles began and he decided the cost did not matter. He was ludicrously wealthy and if he wanted a door leading to his bedroom, he would bloody well get one!
* = *
Harry heard a noise as he entered the greenhouse, but before he could call out, he noted the privacy screens were in place and he wondered if Severus or Luna was trying out the tub.
He set the plant down and began to head toward the screened off area, when he heard a moan.
* = *
Sweet Merlin, it had been so long!
Severus had both hands between his thighs now, one rubbing and gently squeezing his bollocks, the other toying with his foreskin. He moaned as the effervescing water tingled over his bared glans before covering it again with two trembling fingers.
He had not had a decent wank for years. The damnable dreams had killed all desire, and it was only when he could not stand his sexual needs any longer that he gave in and had a quick and perfunctory wank in his bath tub. Even then, the feeling of being somehow soiled by his experience had left him feeling disgust after and he'd not been able to enjoy even that small comfort.
Now, though, finally freed of the unreasoning guilt and shame, the sinful sensations of the spa tingling about his unfettered genitals gave him a raging erection and yearning desire.
He fisted his aching cock now and began to stroke, cupping his bollocks and groaning with pleasure.
* = *
Harry was flabbergasted at the sight. Severus was naked, not so surprising in a tub, but he was also wanking!
To his chagrin, the momentary heat that flooded his face raced down and soon his jeans were growing rather too tight.
I should really leave, he thought now through the distracting pulsing sensation between his legs.
His legs refused to listen to his conscience, though, and he found himself casting a silent Disillusionment Charm instead and moving closer so he could see more clearly.
Guilt ate at him, as it had since the night he'd wandered upon Greyback and Macnair readying Snape for a terrible and dehumanizing assault. At the time, he'd done what he could and it had helped assuage his conscience, but the feelings it had kindled had remained.
To Harry's great shame he had been aroused by the sight of the then-naked and straining Severus, being manhandled and then pressed to the cold stone. It had taken a great deal of soul-searching and finally a visit to a Muggle psychologist to help him work through the complex ball of feelings.
He'd told the earnest young man he'd witnessed a near rape walking through a park and had called the authorities in time to stop it, but that it continued to bother him. He admitted his feelings, as well, to the sight, and together they had unwound the tangled knot of miserable guilt that ate at Harry.
He had learnt that the sight of what was being done had sickened him, and that it wasn't the situation that aroused him, but the sight of Snape's pale naked body. He'd been actually relieved that the feelings were his abrupt realization that he was not so heterosexual as he'd once assumed.
Of course, he'd not said a thing to Snape, despite having tried repeatedly to let him know what he'd done that night. Nor had he said anything to anyone else.
Neville's capture along with Ginny and their subsequent long imprisonment had ended that same night Snape was rescued, but it was quite clear as soon as they'd been released that they were also now a couple. This had shocked a few members of the Order, but Harry had understood.
He did not grieve his loss. He wished them both well and hoped one day to find similar happiness. Then he'd buried himself in his work and the Three R's and until now, had satisfied himself with short but sweet morning and pre-sleep wanks.
Until now.
Looking on Snape, Harry realized it would never satisfy him again.
He itched to touch that pale skin, to kiss those damp lips, to feel that long, slender body against his own, to be the one making him groan.
Harry swallowed tightly now and turned from the incredible sight before him to exit the greenhouse as quietly as he could.
As soon as the door closed behind him, he fumbled his swollen cock from his trousers and stroked it to a rapid and powerful orgasm. It was just enough to take the edge off, but he knew he'd need to do this again soon.
Still, at least he'd be able to face Severus without wanting to press him against the nearest firm surface and fuck him through it.
The man might be bent, but he deserved better than that.
He's a virgin, Harry reminded himself. He's been through a lot in his life and he deserves a good first time.
He sighed now, feeling relieved, but sad.
I wish it could be me.
* = *
Severus did not hear the door close, lost in his own pleasure at the time, as he began to climax to the mental image of a shirtless Harry Potter.
"Harry..."
He felt himself spilling in a dizzying rush that left him dazed.
He sat for a while, catching his breath, then stopped the tub effervescing as he prepared to climb out.
Yes, the tub was quite satisfactory.
* = *
"If you truly want that door in the greenhouse, you won't be able to move in tomorrow like you planned. It will take another few days for Filius to map it."
To his surprise, Snape seemed unfazed.
"That's fine. I'm amenable to remaining here until the work is complete," Severus replied.
He finished up his correspondence and handed the stack to Luna along with the quill. He still signed the most important letters himself, but let her use the stamp for general correspondence.
"I think he likes it here," Luna murmured sotto voce to Harry as she passed by him in the kitchen doorway.
Harry brightened at this comment, as she'd known he would.
* = *
"It's done."
Severus paused in his notations to glance at the gregarious young man.
"I'll inspect the work tomorrow, if that's all right. I really would like to finish annotating this document."
Harry's grin slipped a bit.
"Don't you ever stop? You know, I don't think I've seen you relax once since your stay here."
He studiously tromped on the mental imagery that reminded him of one particular moment he'd unexpectedly witnessed. This started a familiar pulsing sensation between his legs, but he ignored it and waited for Snape's response.
"Relaxation is not a requirement, Potter. One must eat, must sleep, must eliminate and breathe, but one can choose whether to relax or not."
"Don't you ever get tired?"
"That is what coffee, tea and Pepper-Up Potion are good for."
Harry sighed noisily. "Fine. I give up. You work yourself to death if you like. I just thought I'd go with you so you could see the work we've done and maybe you could even sleep in your own bed tonight."
Snape sat up. "You mean the renovations are completed?"
"I said it's done. What did you think I meant?"
"I assumed you referred to the work on the first floor. My lab--"
"Is done!" Harry beamed now again, looking rather like a little boy waiting to see what his Christmas packages held, all curiosity and joy and excitement.
The sight made Snape begin to harden unexpectedly. He cleared his throat.
"Well, in that case, perhaps I should inspect it now."
* = *
"What about sex?"
The sound of head striking a hard surface was followed by an indignant, "I beg your pardon?"
"Sorry," Harry said, not the least repentant. "You said before that we need to eat, to sleep, to eliminate and breathe. What about sex?"
Severus finished rubbing at his head and paused in his inspection of a cabinet in his laboratory to carefully rise from his squatting position.
"What about sex? It's hardly required for life."
"Yeah, but without it, one becomes a miserable sod," Harry pointed out. Then he paused and a slight grin stole across his face.
"Say what you just thought and get hexed, Potter."
Harry's grin grew wider, but he kept his thought to himself, saying instead, "All right. But you didn't answer my question."
"I did not think I was required to answer to you."
"You're not, but... it seems lonely to me."
"It is restful."
"But don't you get... randy?"
Snape's face grew thunderous. "Potter, this conversation is entirely inappropriate, and also over."
"Oh, come on! You told me you were a... well, you know."
The thunderous expression changed to an incredulous one.
"An admission made under duress and in confidence that it was not only to be kept private, but never to be mentioned again. More fool I to believe that!"
"Severus," Harry pleaded, hands held up in a placating way. "I'm not trying to make you mad. I... I just want... I hope..."
"What? To bedevil me as you and your friends used to when I was teaching? Trying to irritate me and amusing yourself at my expense?"
"No, you idiot! I just wondered if you could ever feel anything for me!"
The silence that fell at this was heavily weighted and Snape's expression was utterly stunned.
"You--"
"I just wondered if... if maybe, possibly, I could... you know," Harry winced at his lack of facility with words.
"You could what?"
Severus was closer now and Harry looked up into those intense black eyes.
"I, uh, I'd like to be your, uh, first," he finally admitted with a nervous swallow, even as his stupidly eager cock began to swell.
He watched Snape's face, hoping for some sign, some hint of what he was feeling, but he was disappointed. That grave, angular face gave nothing away. Then he looked back to those eyes, and swallowed.
They burned with heat.
"My first what?" Severus asked in a low and devastatingly silky tone.
Harry could not tell if he was angry or aroused. In for a penny...
"Your first lover," he whispered almost inaudibly.
* = *
Somehow, they made their way up to the still not inspected master bedroom.
Severus did not spare it a second glance, hand still pulling an unresisting Harry along behind him.
He did not cast Lumos or summon any light. He did not bother with the closet or cupboard. He merely turned in the dim room and removing Harry's glasses, bent his head and let himself taste the man who had once been the Boy Who Lived.
The kiss made them both swoon. It was firm and slightly damp and tasted of the wine Severus had been sipping at Grimmauld Place and the honey-sweetened tea Harry enjoyed.
They shifted their heads slightly to taste each other from a different angle and the sensations became heady.
Severus had never kissed anyone like this. He could practically count on both hands the number of kisses he'd ever received in his life, the majority of which he could classify as maternal in nature.
There were only two he'd ever experienced that were not nurturing or comforting, but expressed desire. Unfortunately, the person desiring had not been someone of his choosing.
He forced down these thoughts now to open his mouth to Harry, welcoming his first voluntary snog.
He moaned and choked out Harry's name into that warm and responsive mouth and felt it swallowed up by the answering groan from his lover.
A shudder ran through him at this thought and he pulled back to look at this young man, this sturdy, attractive and desirous young man who gazed back at him myopically.
"Severus. I want you. D-do, uh, do you want me?"
"Foolish boy."
Snape stepped closer again, this time to begin undressing his newfound lover. He kissed every spot of skin he exposed, murmuring aloud as he did so.
"Can't you tell. How much. I. Want. You?"
Soon they were both undressed and Severus could not wait much longer. He was so hard he hurt and he did not know what he wanted more - to take or be taken. Either way, he did not think he'd last.
"I'm--"
"I'm really close," Harry interrupted, admitting, "I don't think I can hold off."
"Then don't."
Severus pulled him with him atop the magnificent bed and fell back, reveling in the feeling of that firm, young flesh and the heady scent of aroused Harry Potter.
"I may never have done this, but it is my understanding," Severus murmured as he stroked his hands along Harry's sinewy torso. "That a couple might find momentary pleasure by pressing together. Then, later, through intercourse."
"Frottage. Hermione said that's called frottage," Harry whispered breathlessly.
"Yes."
That was the last coherent thing both said as Harry lay atop Severus and instinctively began thrusting his hugely swollen cock against Severus's long, slender erection. Snape grasped his buttocks and pushed them as close as was humanly possible, trembling on the edge of what felt like a massive climax.
Far, far too soon thick bursts of semen erupted from the gasping Snape, followed immediately by thin strings of white from Harry, which decorated them both.
* = *
"It's never been like that," Harry admitted softly, some moments later as he nuzzled into Severus.
Snape drew in a breath and sighed. "How many others have there been?"
Harry stilled.
"Not as many as you probably think. The Daily Prophet was usually way off base or else just lying through their journalistic teeth. I've only ever been with Ginny and, uh, well, uh--"
"Just tell me, Harry. It scarcely matters now, does it?"
"Well. Malfoy."
Snape sat up. "Lucius?"
"God, no! Yech! No! Draco!"
"Draco?" Severus relaxed, but a puzzled look crossed his face. "He's married."
"Yes. Now. But before. We were both, well, questioning. We decided since we turned out to be on the same side, that maybe we could be more. It didn't last, but it answered both our questions."
Harry laughed suddenly and Severus lifted a questioning brow.
"Oh, it's just that Draco thought he might be gay and he realized that he was really totally straight. I, well, I knew I wasn't totally straight, but I realized that I could be with a man that way and that it was, uh, good."
"Just good?"
Harry smiled now and pressed into Severus, nuzzling his chin and smelling his warm, slightly sweaty skin.
"Amazingly good. I'd say fantastic, but I want to save an adjective for the real thing."
"Prat."
"Git."
They kissed then, and soon were gently rubbing against each other, feeling their returning erections pressing together once more.
Harry pulled back soon and eyed his lover.
"Severus, I've never done more than what we just did. Draco and I, we never fucked."
Snape considered this. "Good. And not just because I'm glad to not be the only virgin here, but because I don't plan to fuck you, Harry."
Harry frowned as Severus leaned in close to kiss him again.
"I plan," Snape murmured against the warm, alabaster column of Harry's neck. "To make love to you. Thoroughly."
"Oh, God..."
"Summon whatever deities you like, but I assure you that I am going to make love to you."
* = *
No longer desperate with need, the two men slowly explored each other.
Mouths tasted, hands pressed and caressed and lingered, tongues slid over different areas, testing the textures to be found.
Soon Harry was panting and waiting impatiently as Severus worked two salve-slicked fingers deep within him. There had been a moment of panic when both realized they had no lubricant, but Severus had thought briefly and summoned the hand salve he used to protect his hands from chemical burns. It was slick and membrane-safe and currently it was driving Harry wild as Severus worked a salve-coated finger deep within his arse.
As he removed the finger, it slid over an area that made Harry gasp and squirm and when Severus slid it back along with another finger, he made sure to rub along that area. Harry twisted and moaned.
"Severus! I think I'm going to come!"
Snape smiled.
"That's all right, Harry. Go ahead if you feel the need. Don't hold back."
He twisted those fingers and Harry cried out, thrusting his hips up. A pearly drop pooled on the tip of his arching penis and he screamed when Severus gently licked it off, fingers still twisting inside him.
"Oh, God! Oh, God!"
Severus pulled his fingers free and spread salve over his own rigid cock and then pulled Harry's knees apart and pushed them back, lifting that fine, firm bottom up for easier access.
"Ready, Harry?"
Harry squirmed. "Yes! Oh, Severus!"
Without further preamble, Severus closed his eyes and felt himself sliding deep inside Harry.
He gasped, fighting off the urge to thrust madly and waited for Harry's response.
"Oh, Severus! Fuck me! Fuck me!"
He smiled, unoffended at the declaration, and withdrawing slightly, he lifted Harry's knees over his own shoulders, bent his head and began to thrust fast and deep within his lover.
The sensations made them both cry out. It was so heated and tight and incredibly erotic and before either of them could credit it, the need began to build. Snape worked a hand between them and grasped Harry's cock.
"Severus!!!" Harry shrieked as his cock began to spurt copious strings of pearly white, spattering both of their necks and torsos.
His arse was clenching tight, unrelenting and Severus felt himself lose control, shooting convulsively deep within Harry.
It was like nothing he'd ever known or even imagined. He had masturbated many times to imagery, but he'd never been able to imagine anyone willing to be with him, much less anyone so responsive. It was mind-blowing in its intensity.
He withdrew now and fell back and to his dismayed confusion, Severus began, helplessly, to cry.
* = *
"Hush."
Severus sniffed with consternation.
"I don't understand why that happened."
"It's called happiness, Severus love. It's called happiness," Harry whispered, gently kissing the fine black hairs along Snape's temple.
"Wonderful. So I take it if I'm ever ecstatic you'd best break out a bucket?"
Harry chuckled. "I don't think so, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll put a glamour on you and transfigure all the buckets you need."
Snape snorted.
"You and your glamours."
"Well, aren't you glad I used one?"
Severus sighed. "Yes."
"So am I. I wouldn't want just anyone to know how lucky I am."
"Pardon?"
"Well, if any other bent fellows were to learn how wonderful a lover you are and what you're hiding under those robes of yours, I'd have way too much competition. Who needs it?"
Snape relaxed, although he privately scoffed at the thought. He knew what he looked like and it had barely been their first time. How would Potter know if he was a good lover or not?
"You were amazing, Severus. Fantastic."
He smiled shyly now.
"It was... wondrous."
"There's a good word. Wondrous. I like that," Harry murmured, then stifled a yawn. "Sorry. I'm afraid I don't have the energy to show you all the work we did. I'll have to show you tomorrow."
"Hm. Tomorrow I plan to make love to you again, followed by, hopefully, you doing the same to me."
"All day?"
"Well, at least all morning. I realize now just how much I've missed and I insist on catching up."
"In that case, I'd best sleep as long as I can and have a nice big breakfast. Do you mind if I bring a house elf over? If we're going to be together, it could come in handy."
Snape stilled, suddenly disquieted.
"What?"
"Well, I'd rather not get rid of Luna. She's the finest assistant I've ever had the pleasure to work with."
"Well, she could do your paperwork. Let the elf do housework."
"I should really give her another pay rise."
"He could bring us our breakfast in bed."
"I should really Floo her and give her tomorrow off."
"Good idea," Harry smiled. To his amusement, Severus hurried off the bed and headed to the sitting room and its fireplace. "Um, Severus love?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"You might want to throw some robes on. I don't think Luna needs to see all that."
"Oh! Of course."
Snape grabbed up a robe and slid it on as he continued walking.
Harry smiled drowsily and listened to his lover's quiet voice calling through the fireplace.
"Luna! Yes, good evening to you, too. I'm just calling to tell you that you needn't come to work tomorrow. No, I feel fine. Yes, the work on the house is done. Yes, truly. No, I'd rather you not come over to inspect it just at the moment. Tomorrow is soon enough. No, not after breakfast. Later, please. I plan to have a lie in. Yes, I'm feeling all right! Can't a man have a lie in? What? Oh. Yes, Harry is here, why? Oh, for Merlin's sake you little conspirator. I don't find that funny. What? Yes. Yes, it uh, look, we can talk about that tomorrow, so if that's all-- What? Oh, very well. Go on. Yes. Yes, I'll wish him a good night, too. Good night, Luna."
When Severus returned it was to the sight of a gloriously nude Harry Potter stretched out on his (his!) bed, fast asleep. It was a sight he never thought he'd see and it made him smile. Then he slipped his robe off and turned to put it on his dresser, and froze.
His battered old copper cauldron was perched there, on a small strip of rubber that protected the dresser and kept the cauldron from sliding.
Severus swallowed now, and glancing quickly back to the bed to see if Harry was still sleeping, he set his robe down and picked up the cauldron and hugged it to him tightly for a moment. There were times it had felt like his only friend, and while that was no longer the truth, he still felt comforted by its presence in his bedroom.
"Should I feel jealous?"
He started, and then turned to see a sleepy Harry smiling at him. The smile was not derisive in any way and he relaxed, setting the cauldron down carefully on the rubber strip.
"No."
"Luna said you'd want it on your dresser. I thought the rubber was a good idea - keep it from sliding."
Snape nodded. "I appreciate it."
"I could use a hug, too."
Severus smiled a little, still a bit shy to the newness of it all. He went to his new bed and lay beside his newfound lover and held out his arms. To his bemusement, Harry slipped right into them as if born there and sighed his relaxation.
Soon, he felt Harry slip back from him until he was curled into his side, head on the pillow. He could hear Harry softly snoring.
When he turned to get more comfortable, he could feel the warmth from his lover's body, and it made him sigh, too.
Severus fell asleep to the thought that he'd already been through hell, so this, this must be heaven.
* = *
FIN
* = *
written for merry_smutmas 2006 exchange.
Definitions:
geis
boffin
For those that wish to know what these terms are. You don't usually find them in standard dictionaries.