2009_Snake_Charming_Clothing_Optional_by

Snake Charming (Clothing Optional)
by Lesyeuxverts

Severus woke to unexpected warmth and a naked man in his bed. They were spooned together, curled in a tangle of limbs, to ward off the dungeon cold. The stranger's spine was digging into Severus's chest and stomach, the smooth skin of his arse rubbing against Severus's morning erection.

Severus took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of sweat and skin and a musty cologne. No memories of the man from the night before returned to him and he closed his eyes and deepened his breathing, slow and regular, pretending to be asleep.

The man in his arms slept, his heartbeat strong against Severus's palm, his stomach smooth and warm. They were entwined, Severus wrapping the man in a close embrace, their bodies pressed together closer than one heartbeat and the next.

Feigning sleep, Severus took deep breaths and focused on soothing thoughts of the spells that he was going to use on the idiot that had lowered his wards to let a stranger into his chambers.

The man stirred, moving in his sleep and wriggling his arse against Severus. With a sharp exhalation, Severus bit his lip to stifle a moan.

He opened one eye and took a brief glimpse of the stranger – a young man perhaps twenty years old, with smooth white skin and a hairless body, muscular and unfamiliar.

Another movement, and the man's cock brushed against Severus's forearm. The stranger's soft breathing accelerated with a soft cry, and Severus felt the pulse jumping in the man's neck. He pulled away from the man and yanked the blankets to himself in a preemptive gesture.

The stranger woke, blinking and shivering in the cold. He stared at Severus, his lips parted and the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Whether it was an unconscious gesture or a provocative one, Severus didn't know, but he would not be enticed.

"Get out," he said. He drew the blanket around him like a billowing robe as he stood, using his height to intimidate the man.

The stranger stared at him, mouth still agape, making no attempt to cover his nudity. Severus forced his gaze away from the man's cock, its elegant curve, glistening with precome at the tip.

He looked instead at the man's face, which was flushed and uncomprehending, and said, with slow and careful enunciation, "Get out of my chambers."

"Are you witless or mute?" he asked when the stranger made no move to go. "I don't know, to be honest, who you are or how you came to be here, but you are not welcome."

Severus reached for his wand on the bedside table and pointed it at the man, who reacted at last.

He scrambled out of the bed in an awkward flurry of limbs, and fell toward Severus. "Nnnn ... " he said.

"Are you mentally incompetent? How did you get in here?"

Noises from his office interrupted his tirade, a girl's scream and a panicked call for him. He spared one glance for the stranger, tossing him a robe for modesty, and Transfigured his own blankets into his teaching robes before hurrying into his office.

"Professor Snape," was called again, loud and strident as though it might wake him when the previous shriek had failed.

His office door was ajar. Severus paid little attention to the irregularity until he saw that the snake's cage was empty, the lid shifted to one side. Standing next to it with a dead rat dangling from her fingers was his seventh year prefect, Cassiopeia Nott.

"Prof ... Professor Snape," she said. "Pythios is gone."

"I can see that for myself, Miss Nott. Was the door to the corridor closed when you entered?"

"Yes, sir." She looked faint, swaying and letting the rat drop to the floor.

"It wasn't your fault, Miss Nott," Severus said to reassure her that she would not suffer his wrath.

She shook her head, one finger coming up to point at the door behind him, and Severus whirled.

The naked man stood in the doorway, the robe Severus had thrown him clutched in his hand and covering nothing. His gaze was fixed on Miss Nott, and Severus raised his wand for a Stunner.

It was too late. The man dashed across the room and threw himself on the dead rat, making every attempt to devour it whole.

Nott backed away from him until she reached the wall, shaking and collapsing, her knees giving out.

"Stop," Severus said, orienting his wand on the man again. "Stop."

The man turned toward Severus, the rat's hind legs and tail sticking out of his mouth, his head tilted to one side.

"Do you understand me? Take the rat out of your mouth."

Blinking, the man obeyed, and stared at the rat with an unhappy expression. His foot twitched, curling around the rat and covering it, and he glared up at Severus.

"I believe that we have found our missing snake, Miss Nott. Would you be so kind as to fetch Professor McGonagall?"

She rose to her feet, clutching at the wall. "But sir," she said, looking at the naked man.

"He will be clothed by the time you return," he assured her.

Clothing Pythios was not as difficult as Severus had imagined. An attempt to persuade him to dress himself failed, but he was placid and unresisting, and allowed Severus to dress him. A flick of Severus's wand banished the dead rat, and after he was consoled for the loss of his prey with soft words and a brusque caress on his shoulder, Severus conjured a pair of boots for him.

Pythios was silent, leaning into Severus's touch as he had as a snake, skittish of his wand, affectionate and eager to please. Dressed, he wound around Severus, nuzzling and sniffing him. When he began to nuzzle his groin, his cheek pressing against Severus's cock and reawakening its interest, Severus put a stop to it.

"No, Pythios. Sit still – not in my lap – no, no, sit as a human being." Severus straightened him, arranging his limbs and encouraging him to straighten his spine and sit upright.

Pythios twisted his neck, cocking his head to one side, and studied Severus as though he could divine the purpose of his mysterious actions.

"You've absolutely no concept of being a human at all," Severus said. "Were you always a snake?"

He received no answer other than the gleam in Pythios's bright eyes, and he sighed.

Severus conjured a comb and began to work the tangles out of Pythios's unruly hair. It was long and dark, with a tendency to curl. Severus pushed it out of the way and saw a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

Frozen, he stood staring down at his snake. Green eyes stared back at him, unblinking, and Severus swore. "Harry Potter."

The man stuttered and cleared his throat. "Y-Yes?"

Severus reached out to trace the lightning bolt scar with his fingertip. "You were the one that defeated Voldemort? How did you become a snake?"

"I ... I don't know," Potter said. "It happens like so."

He shimmered, about to change forms to demonstrate, but Severus put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "That isn't necessary."

Potter smiled at him, open and happy, and laid his cheek against Severus's forearm, the scruff of his beard rough against the smooth skin. "I've never wanted to be human again since before I met you," he said.

"Your guardians were upset when you disappeared – they thought you'd been killed." Severus pulled his arm out of Potter's grasp. "Surely you wanted to remain human to stay with them."

"Serpente was my friend and he was my guardian."

"Serpente?"

"My guardian at the zoo," Potter said. "A boa constrictor from Brazil, he taught me to be a snake."

"Nonetheless, you should have stayed with your guardians instead of with a snake. They were panicked when they lost you that day, and when you did not come to Hogwarts, the entire world assumed that you were dead and that we had no hope in the battle against Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Potter asked.

Minerva entered, Cassiopeia Nott on her heels, with her wand at the ready and her boot heels clicking on the stone floor. "What's happened, Severus?"

A wave of magic swept through the office, the warm protective feeling lingering on Severus's skin like a slow-dissolving lemon sherbet, and he yanked his sleeve down to cover his bare forearm. A trio of Aurors, resplendent in their official robes, burst into the office with a large cage floating in their wake.

With a covert glance toward Albus's desk, Severus confirmed that all of the borderline-legal charms and trinkets were hidden by an obscuring spell before he stood, drawing himself up to his full height. A twitch of magic gave his robes an impressive billow, and he gave the Aurors his most intimidating glare. "What is the meaning of this interruption?"

The youngest Auror blushed and stammered, dropping the levitation spell on the cage, but Mad-Eye Moody returned Severus's glare in full. "We're here to see the Headmaster with important information. What are you doing here? What do you know about this?"

Severus refused to back away when Moody stomped toward him, wooden leg thumping in an irregular beat. "Don't ask ridiculous questions, you addle-pated Auror. How am I to know what you're referring to?"

The youngest Auror fidgeted and spoke. "P-Professor Snape can't have known about the trap, sir, or else he would have warned them."

"Trap?" Severus whirled, a spark of magic enough to control the dark swirl of his robes, and advanced on the young Auror. "What are you talking about?"

"The – the trap for You-Know-Who," the Auror said, casting a desperate glance at Albus. "It worked, sir."

When Severus drew his lips together into a thin scowl and looked down his nose at the Aurors, Moody thumped his wooden leg on the floor. "You'll be getting away with none of your tricks, you rotten Death Eater. Now tell me what you know or I'll take you to Azkaban to cool your heels before we question you."

Albus rose at the threat, drawing power to himself like a magnet. "You do recall, Alastor, that I have personally vouched for Severus's commitment to the Light."

Moody grumbled and glared, but Severus strode around him to examine the cage. The serpent inside twitched and drew its coils closer together, lethargic in the cold and cramped in the cage. The boa constrictor, its patterns dull in the artificial light, was long, as thick around as Severus's thigh, and the most beautiful snake he'd ever seen.

"Aurors, what is the meaning of this? Is cruelty to animals one of your official duties, or is it a mere hobby?"

Severus enlarged the cage and charmed a miniature sun into existence as a heat lamp for the snake, and then he turned to face the Aurors. "You can have no excuse for this cruelty other than sheer witlessness and unparalleled incompetence. Do you drown kittens for an encore at children's birthday parties, or do you content yourself with abusing animals during normal office hours?"

"Severus," Albus said, giving him a stern look.

Moody thumped his cane on the floor. "Keep your pet Death Eater on a leash, Albus. We are here, not to let one of Voldemort's cronies coddle a Dark and dangerous serpent, but to ask you, as the Head of the Wizengamot, to destroy it."

The boa, coiled under the heat lamp, gave a shudder. Tail twitching, coils undulating, it moved to press against the side of the cage closest to Severus. The tip of its tail tapped against the glass panel and its head bobbed in a convoluted pattern.

"Let's not be hasty, Alastor," Albus said as he moved from his desk to the cage. "What reason do you have for proposing the death of a being that appears to be intelligent and able to communicate?"

Moody glared. "You would willingly leave that dangerous creature alive? It killed You-Know-Who and his evil snake as well, and you're willing to let it go free? You'll probably let it consort with your pet Death Eater, too."

"Severus Snape is no more a Death Eater than I am, Alastor, and he has my complete trust. Let's not obscure the matter with insults or accusations. Tell me more about this snake and the fall of Voldemort."

"It's no harmless pet, nothing to be coddled or cosseted. When we found it, it was coiled around You-Know-Who's body, trying to swallow Nagini whole. Of course it's the bloody Slytherin House mascot, of course the Death Eater wants to coddle it out of sympathy for the beast, but it's dangerous, I tell you."

"That's perfectly natural behavior for a snake," Severus said, glaring at Moody and moving to interpose himself between the Aurors and the cage. He spared one quick glance for the snake, defenseless in its cage. "You've yet to explain your unnatural behavior, this so-called trap or your inhumane treatment of an innocent animal."

"I suppose you'll next say that it's perfectly normal for a snake to deflect all of the curses a top-notch squad of Aurors can cast at it?" Moody shot past Severus and thumped his wooden leg against the cage.

"This beast is dangerous and needs to be destroyed, I'm warning you now. There's no telling what harm it will do if you let it live."

"It's true, sir," one of the other Aurors said, peeking around Severus at the snake. "Some of our best Aurors are still hospitalized from the hexes that snake deflected back at them."

"The snake was attacked and was defending itself," Severus said. "If it has defeated Voldemort, as you say, it is an ill way to repay it by killing it because you are as frightened as a first-year Hufflepuff crying for home and a mother's familiar comfort."

A whoosh of displaced air echoed through the office and Severus froze, poised for an attack. A second later, he felt a heavy weight twining around his legs. The snake, the beautiful pattern of its scales shining against Severus's dark robes, coiled its way up his body to drape itself around his shoulders. He stood stock still, careful not to alarm it, and was reassured by the deft flick of the tail curling around his wrist. The snake nuzzled him, rubbing its head against his shoulder, and Severus gripped his wand, raising it against the threatening Aurors.

"Gentlemen, don't brawl in my office," Albus said. He drew a cloak of power around himself, the air in the office rippling and hazy. "Alastor, it is true that you were the one who proposed the trap, is it not?"

Alastor pointed his wand at the snake, glaring at Severus. "It was the only logical course of action, with You-Know-Who interested in the zoo. How were we to know that it was a dangerous snake that interested him? Constant vigilance, the Auror's constant vigilance, is the only reason why that snake is our prisoner and not You-Know-Who's new familiar."

"You set a trap for the Dark Lord at a Muggle zoo, endangering the lives of hundreds of innocent animals and countless Muggles? Constant vigilance, indeed – it was irresponsible and negligent in the extreme, and exactly the kind of witless behavior I'd expect from the Aurors," Severus said. The snake undulated, his tail whipping in frantic motions in the air, and Severus stroked the snake, comforting him.

"You've a lot of nerve, you filthy Death –"

"If the snake has harmed no one except in self-defense," Albus said, "the guidelines set by the Wizengamot for dealings with Magical Beasts and Beings state that you can not under any circumstances kill it."

"But – but that thing killed You-Know-Who," one of the Aurors said.

"Then perhaps you had better file your reports, gentlemen. I'm sure the Minister will want to reward the destroyer of Voldemort with something appropriate – perhaps an Order of Merlin, First Class, would be adequate?"

Moody took the hint, leading the other Aurors out of the office in a disgruntled, thumping retreat.

Severus, weighted down with the coils of the huge snake, watched the Headmaster remove the protective magics and obscuring charms that had masked their investigative efforts. "Here's the answer to our question, then, though I don't think we could have anticipated finding it in this form."

"The answer to all of our problems, I imagine," Albus said. He stirred a spoonful of sugar into a fresh cup of tea and watched Severus unwind the snake from his shoulders.

It was docile, though it clung to his wrist with its tail when he lowered it into the cage. He spelled the lid shut and turned back to Albus, accepting a cup of tea.

"Pythios would be a good name," Albus said, "after Apollo Pythios, who killed the great serpent. Your friend seems fond of that little sun, making it doubly appropriate."

"I beg your pardon?"

Albus blinked and took another sip of his tea. "You were planning to give your new pet a name, weren't you?"

The house elves were frightened into procuring a supply of dead rats, the floor of Severus's office was cleared of various books and piles of unmarked essays to make room for the cage, and Severus found himself with a new pet. He sighed, the sound resonating through his empty rooms, and turned away from the cage. Sleepy and sated and warm, Pythios needed nothing more for the evening.

He dimmed the lights in the office before crossing into his rooms. The house elves had left his dinner under a warming spell, and Albus had been there as well, leaving a short cheery note and a plate of desserts. Severus took one of the pastries, and curled up in the armchair by the fire, ignoring his course plans and marking in favor of a quiet evening with the latest Potions magazine. Staring into the fire, the red of the flames a match for the brilliant patterns on Pythios's tail, Severus let his eyelids drift shut.

Severus groaned, curling into the warmth of his bed, when he felt the gentle flutter of Albus's summons against his wards. He turned into his pillow, slipping an arm under it and pulling it closer, and he froze when he felt it moving.

"I locked your cage last night," he told the snake. Albus's summons pressed against his wards again, and Severus rolled out of bed.

The heat lamp hovered over his bed, the light of the small sun dimmed but its heat unabated. Severus scowled at the snake. "I do not sleep with reptiles, and I do not need my bed warmed. The cold of the dungeons is rather pleasant."

He groped for his wand on the bedside table, finding it and sending the heat lamp back to the cage. Pythios traced the graceful arc of the sun through the air with his tail and then slithered out of the bed, following the lamp back to his cage.

Albus, cheerful in the early mornings and far more self-satisfied than he had any right to be, poured two cups of tea. "Would Pythios care for anything, do you think?"

The snake rose, head poking over Albus's desk, at the mention of his name. The tip of his tail jabbed at the plate of pastries and then he turned his head to nudge at Severus's forearm. "I imagine he'd appreciate a nice plump rat," Severus said.

With a flash of light, Albus Transfigured a sherbet lemon into a dead rat, throwing it onto the floor, but Pythios prodded it with his tail and then ignored it, coiling his way up into Severus's lap instead.

"I've heard from the zoo where Pythios was found, as well as receiving the reports about the incident from the Ministry," Albus said.

"I am not a log or a rock for you to warm yourself on," Severus said, pushing Pythios out of his lap. He conjured another heat lamp and set it to float in the corner. "Well? Will the zoo take this menace back?"

Pythios curled his tail around Severus's ankle. Albus smiled. "If the zoo took him back, the Ministry would only recapture him and execute him. Judging by their reports, they're terrified that the amount of power that it took to kill Voldemort was wielded by a snake. Half of their best Aurors are still in the hospital, recovering from their own curses, and they've never seen anything like the way he deflects spells. They'd leap at a chance to kill him. He's much better off here, I think."

"I refuse to nursemaid this scaly, obnoxious pest. He's worse than a first-year Hufflepuff, always clinging to me, refusing to stay in his cage – I woke to find him in my bed, Albus."

"Ah, yes. The zookeeper had mentioned that this particular snake is very intelligent but needs a lot of human contact. He pines away and refuses to eat when he's kept in isolation, isn't that sad?"

"Albus..." Severus said, and then Pythios crept back into his lap, his beautiful patterns gleaming in the light, his tail wrapping around Severus's forearm in a firm caress. "Very well."

"Excellent," Albus said. "I'm sure that Pythios will enjoy attending your Potions classes."

"Very good, Headmaster. I'll just toddle off with a sherbet lemon or two and take a dangerous magical eight-foot-long boa constrictor to class with me. I've always thought that there were too many brainless first-year students."

"My dear boy, did you want a sherbet lemon? You didn't ask for one, and I'm afraid I'd given up the hope that you would start to like them."

Albus passed him a packet of sweets and waved him out the door. Just as Severus was on the threshold, Pythios at his heels, Albus called after him. "Oh, and Severus? Not the first and second year classes, I think. I imagine that he can be separated from you for a few hours."

Classes were a disaster, from the third-years who shrieked and cowered to the Slytherin students who stared at Pythios to the point of exploding their cauldrons. Through it all, Pythios behaved better than any of the students. He stayed curled up in his cage and slept under the heat lamp, tail twitching.

With a suppressed sigh, Severus levitated the cage into the corner and dimmed the lights there before the seventh year NEWT class, setting a light concealment spell around that corner of the room. He began lecturing before they had even set out parchment and quills, distracting their attention from Pythios. "The reaction of ground moonstone with phoenix feathers is explosive to the extreme unless proper precautions are taken. What might those be, Miss Nott?"

"The addition of unicorn tears in dilute solution, sir."

"Ten points to Slytherin. Should you not take care at this step, I will be forced to console your parents with the knowledge that at least you were no great loss to the world, though I doubt that the thought of your incompetence will stop their tears. Now, the unicorn tears are effective because they balance the polar opposites of the moonstone and phoenix feathers, but this only occurs with a dilute solution of unicorn tears."

The students in the front row had seen the snake at last, and they pointed and snickered together. "Mr. Baddock and Mr. Pritchard, your attention. This is not a trivial potion and will likely be a part of your NEWT examination."

Severus risked a glance at Pythios as the students filed to the supply cabinet. The snake watched him with an open, unblinking stare, his tail tapping against the glass. Severus shushed him with a gesture.

The sizzling and bubbling of the cauldrons, the deft addition of ingredients without a splash, the focused expressions on the students' faces – Severus stalked up and down the rows. He was at the end of the classroom, correcting Nott's stirring pattern, when disaster struck.

Baddock froze with his vial of unicorn tears poised over his cauldron. Pythios was slithering toward him, sinuous coils scraping against the stone floor. "Pythios, stop," Severus called out to him, but his words had no effect.

Pythios grasped Baddock's wrist with his tail, pulling the vial away from the cauldron. Unfrozen, Severus hurried forward, his wand at the ready. "Back to your cage now, Pythios," he said, and the snake obeyed without so much as a twitch of his tail.

After berating Baddock for attempting to add undiluted unicorn tears to his potion, soothing the fears of the students who realized at last the enormity of the explosion that had almost occurred, and tolerating the obnoxious clatter and clamor as they cleaned up and left, Severus sank into his chair. He did not look at Pythios.

"Sir?" It was Cassiopeia Nott standing before his desk. "Your snake is very brave, sir, to have risked coming close to the explosion like that. He's beautiful, too, with that lovely pattern on his tail. May I pet him, please?"

"Between the red coloring and the reckless behavior, Miss Nott, I can't imagine a more Gryffindor snake."

Severus closed his eyes and rubbed his temples when Pythios again made the walls of his cage disappear and slithered out to greet them. "Yes, you may pet him if you like."

The idyllic scene, Nott sitting on the floor with Pythios draped in content coils over her lap, was interrupted by the Headmaster's arrival. Pythios slid to the floor and slithered to his cage, Nott making a hasty exit with the promise of returning to feed him later. "Ah, Severus, I'm so glad to find you and Pythios here. I need the two of you to brew a potion for me."

Severus accepted the proffered scroll and stared at Albus. "Pythios is a snake. He's incapable of brewing a potion."

"Nonsense, nonsense. I heard all about this afternoon's incident. It sounds as though your Pythios is a natural at potions, Severus. You must be very proud of him."

"Nonetheless, a snake cannot brew a potion."

Albus smiled. "He can pass you the ingredients or help you stir. I'm sure that you only need to explain things to him and he'll be happy to help. I do need this for this afternoon, Severus, and it's vital that Pythios be involved."

After Albus had left, Severus rebuilt the wards around his room, strengthening the silencing wards. "Let that be a lesson to you, Pythios," he said at last. "There's no use whatsoever in denying the old man when he's made up his mind, and it saves time and grief to agree with him from the beginning."

With Pythios peering over his shoulder, Severus unrolled the scroll and weighted its edges down with empty vials. "This shouldn't be difficult," he told Pythios. The snake tapped the cauldron with the tip of his tail and Severus nodded.

"That's right, we're going to brew a potion. I don't suppose you can read the ingredients for me, can you? Perhaps you can stir the potion if I set up a directional containment spell to keep the liquid from splashing you. Would you like that, Pythios?"

Severus reached for the left-over ground moonstone and phoenix feathers from the class supplies, weighing them out with precision. Pythios's tail curled around the vial of unicorn tears, proffering it to Severus, but he shook his head.

"No, Pythios, a different reaction occurs in this potion because the ground moonstone will interact with the powdered amethyst first, forming a stable crystalline base. We'll add the phoenix feathers later, along with unicorn hair and dragon scales, to make a powerful purifying potion."

Pythios replaced the vial of unicorn tears on the table, slithering over to the supply cabinet. He returned with the ingredients that Severus had named, and was rewarded with a smirk. "So you do understand, hmm? No wonder those dreadful Aurors were afraid of you, they can't bear to be outdone by a snake. None of them did half as well in my class as you do already, Pythios."

Severus set up the containment spell and passed the stirring rod to Pythios, explaining the stirring pattern to him and helping him grip the rod with the tip of his tail. Once they had sorted out the difference between clockwise and counter-clockwise, Pythios proved to be proficient at his task, and Severus left him to it, chopping the phoenix feathers and grinding the dragon scales into a fine powder.

The snake draped around his shoulders, Severus added the last ingredient to the cauldron. The tip of Pythios's tail curled around the stirring rod, making smooth, adept motions as he stirred. Severus guided him, set the pace and controlled the last stir, a twirling figure eight, before he stepped away from the cauldron. A rainbow mist rose into the air, hovering over the cauldron, and Severus felt Albus's insistent tapping at his wards.

He shrugged Pythios off his shoulders and answered the door. Albus, his arms full of twisted, tarnished objects, strode into the room and commandeered Severus's workspace, spreading his clutter out on the table. "Excellent, excellent," he said. "I knew I could rely on you, Severus, and on you, Pythios. This potion will do the trick."

Albus's pointed hat was askew and wobbling in the air as he popped a sherbet lemon in his mouth, making a sweeping gesture. "Here we are at last," he said. "Rid of Voldemort for good, and this potion will remove the last of his threat."

With a clean ladle, Severus transferred the potion to a gleaming crystal bowl and passed it to Albus, who set it on the table in front of the row of twisted Horcruxes. Pythios wove between their legs, a low hiss escaping him as he lifted his head over the edge of the table to watch.

"Get back to your cage, Pythios," Severus said, pushing the snake away from the opalescent vapors. "You'll only be in the way here."

"Nonsense, don't hurt his feelings, Severus. This dear snake has more of a right to be here than any of us, after all. You wouldn't deny him the opportunity to see the final end of all Voldemort's wickedness?"

"None of your games, Headmaster," Severus said, caressing Pythios. The scales were smooth and soothing to the touch. "I'm sure that you were involved in the affair – you can't convince me that a mere snake defeated the Dark Lord."

Pythios curled his tail around Severus's forearm, brushing against the skin that once bore Voldemort's Mark. Severus pulled away from the touch and glared at Pythios.

"I think you'll find, Severus, that Pythios is no mere snake. He's rather special indeed, but this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it." Turning back to the table, Albus raised the first of the former Horcruxes over the bowl and lowered it into the potion inch by inch. The twisted metal of the gold locket burst into a pearly radiance, erupting from matter into soul and light.

With careful, steady fingers, Albus repeated the ritual six times, letting each of the Horcruxes dissolve into the purifying potion. The last one to be immersed was the heavy, blackened ring, and as it disappeared into the potion, Albus's withered hand was regenerated. He flexed the muscles and stretched his reborn hand out in the air, then bent down to stroke Pythios.

"Thank you," Albus said, and he banished the last of the potion with a complex incantation and a smile. "It gives me great peace to see the last remnants of Tom Riddle's soul released."

"Albus, your hand..." Severus stopped short when the man tossed him a sherbet lemon, flipping another one into the air and Transfiguring it into a rat for Pythios.

"It's of little matter, my dear Severus. Thank you for the potion, and do let me know if you and Pythios need warmer quarters or anything else – though perhaps Pythios prefers the dungeons, hmm? I once knew a man who kept Ashwinders in his basement and swore it was the best place for snakes."

Pythios slithered into his cage with an elegant fillip of his tail, settling himself to bask under the heat lamp. With a sigh, Severus shut the cage and locked it, admonishing Pythios to stay there for the rest of the evening. "I don't want to wake up to find you in my bed again, do you understand?"

Potter flinched every time a wand was pointed at him. Severus moved to stand behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder while McGonagall fiddled with her diagnostic spells.

She looked up with a frown. "Don't touch him, you'll interfere with my readings."

Potter whimpered, high and wordless, when Severus stepped away from him.

"Stop distressing him, you stiff-necked old cat. Check to see if he's an Animagus and be done with it."

"There are standard procedures to be followed when dealing with an unknown spell, Severus Snape, as you should know. Now hold your tongue and let me work." She raised her wand for another spell, and Potter whimpered again.

"Nnn ... nnn ... nno." With a clatter, Minerva's wand dropped from her fingers and hit the floor an instant before Potter shrank and coiled.

McGonagall gaped at the large snake. "Well, I never."

Potter slithered out of the chair, climbing up Severus to curl around his shoulders.

"Did ... did you see that?" McGonagall asked. "That was the most unorthodox Animagus transformation I've seen in decades. The ... the ... it isn't supposed to be done like that."

"Minerva," Albus said, entering with Cassiopeia Nott on his heels. "Good to see that you're here. Now, where is the .... ah, Severus."

Albus stopped short, the twinkle in his eye dimming. "I was given to understand that your snake had made a most extraordinary transformation, but..."

Severus scowled at him, sitting in the chair that Potter had vacated and soothing the snake. "This useless old biddy frightened him."

"It's all right, Pythios, you're safe here. No one will hurt you."

Nott giggled at his words, and Severus glared at her. "I'm certain that you have duties elsewhere, Miss Nott. See to them, and if you lack the ability to be discreet about what you've seen here, Slytherin will be down a hundred points."

She scurried out of the room, followed by Minerva's protests. "Well, I've never seen a more unfair system of House discipline in all my years at Hogwarts, and I..."

"Why don't you leave, then? Go tell your precious Gryffindors about the unfair slippery snakes lurking in the dungeons. Gossip and moan all you like, but do it elsewhere. You're frightening Pythios."

She left in a huff, and after the door had slammed shut behind her, Albus turned to Severus. "You could be kinder to her, Severus. The two of you have a lot in common. You could be great friends."

"Snakes eat nosy, interfering old cats, don't they, Pythios? You could swallow that old cat in one gulp, couldn't you?"

Shifting and shimmering, Pythios changed to Potter, and Severus found himself with a lapful of warm young man. Potter had his arms around Severus's neck, his face buried in Severus's shoulder, and Severus glared at Albus's snicker.

"Turn around now, that's right. Let the Headmaster have a look at you." Severus pried Potter's arms off his neck and turned him around, Potter wriggling and struggling against him.

"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter," Albus said, the twinkle in his eye rekindled.

Severus put his arms around the squirming man, holding him still, and stared at Albus. "You knew."

"I, ah ... I had a suspicion or two."

"How long have you known?"

"Is his scar still there?" Albus asked, leaning forward to brush the hair away from Potter's forehead. "Ah, so it is. How remarkable."

"Albus..."

"Yes, well ... I had thought that he was dead when he disappeared, of course. His guardians had taken him to visit a zoo for his cousin's birthday, they said; they swore that he'd been eaten by a snake, a giant boa constrictor that somehow got loose. He'd disappeared from the list of students, and I never thought to doubt their story."

Severus's hands tightened on Potter's shoulders until the boy yelped. He leaned away from Albus and glared at him. "You consulted only that list, Headmaster? You didn't use more sophisticated tracking devices or location spells to locate your precious little Potter?"

Albus ignored the interruption. "Of course, ever since the Aurors brought him here, I suspected. I knew he had to be alive when the Mark on your arm faded, because only Harry Potter could defeat Voldemort, and when the Aurors brought the snake in, I ... well, I had a suspicion that it was him."

"You had a suspicion that it was him? You deliberately arranged for me to care for the thrice-cursed spawn of James Potter." Severus stood, dumping Potter on the floor.

"Take care of the precious son of your precious protégé yourself, old man," he said, flinging a gesture at the door and opening it with a nonverbal spell. Albus sighed and shook his head at Severus before bending to help Harry up and pulling him from the room. Severus glared after them until they were completely out of sight, and slammed and warded the door shut behind them.

Ignoring the abrupt silence in his quarters, he settled himself before the fire with a pile of essays to mark. He took out a fresh bottle of green ink and sharpened his quill. The students were dull, lacking insight, passion, and the most basic rudiments of grammar, and the sharp quill gouged the parchment with his scathing remarks.

The silence pressed in around him and with a flick of his wand, he lit a fire. The pleasant crackle and warmth filled the empty air, and he Summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey and a glass.

Severus's wards shuddered and then broke, and he abandoned his Firewhiskey for his wand. "Meddling old man, I told you..."

He stopped short, seeing his office free of human invaders. He was checking the wards again when he saw Pythios slithering into his cage.

Severus slammed the cage shut. "I don't know how you got in here, and I hardly care. You aren't wanted here, do you understand me? It's back to the zoo for you first thing tomorrow."

Pythios tapped his tail against the glass, and Severus spun around, returning to his sitting room and his tumbler of Firewhiskey.

A tap on his office door roused him from his contemplation of the patterns in the fire, the red of the fire identical to the color of Pythios's tail, and he straightened his robe before answering the door.

Nott was standing there, another rat dangling from her fingers. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but it's dinner time and Pythios hasn't eaten. I was wondering..."

"That snake is no longer any concern of yours, Miss Nott."

"But, sir..." she protested when he banished the dead rat.

"I will take care of feeding the snake, Miss Nott. Nothing more need concern you."

Severus shut the door in her face and turned to the cage in his office.

"Well?" he asked.

The snake tapped its tail against the glass and Severus crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you can manage well enough on your own."

With a shimmer, the glass disappeared, and Pythios slithered out of his cage. Severus took a step backward when the snake approached him. Pythios morphed into Potter, and Severus strode into his sitting room without looking to see if Potter followed him.

He watched the man wobble, unsteady on his feet, and when the house elf popped in with a tray of food, Severus gestured for Potter to sit.

His only response was a blink, a flutter of dark eyelashes against his pale skin. Potter squinted at him, daft and helpless, and Severus sighed.

"What are you waiting for?"

Potter blinked again and tried to speak, one hand coming up to touch his throat. Severus strode forward to grasp his shoulders and guided him to a chair, while Potter leaned forward, eyes closed, and sniffed.

He was close, radiant with heat, his lips almost brushing Severus's neck, his shoulders bony under Severus's fingers.

"What are you doing?" Severus took a step back and watched him blink and flounder, helpless. Relenting, he guided Potter to the nearest chair, conjuring a pair of glasses for him. "I suppose it was only to be expected that you're as blind as your father was, but don't expect these to work as well as a pair of prescription lenses."

Potter raised his hands, tracing the rim of the spectacles, and then he looked at Severus with an awkward smile. "Th – Thank you."

Severus waved him to the tray of food and regretted it when Potter began to devour the meal, plunging in face first.

"Stop that, Potter," Severus said. "Potter. Pythios, stop."

Potter lifted his head from the plate of shepherd's pie, creamy potatoes smeared across his mouth.

"That is perhaps the single most disgusting sight I have been unfortunate enough to witness. Come here."

Potter clutched at the food, one hand in the shepherd's pie and another fisted around a handful of green beans.

Summoning a house elf for another tray, Severus banished Potter's mess to the kitchen before bending to wipe his hands and mouth clean. He captured Potter's wrists in one hand just as the house elf appeared.

Potter struggled to reach the food, but Severus held him in place. "Stop that at once, and you'll be fed as soon as you behave. Have you lost all memory of manners?"

Taking Potter's glasses, Severus wiped them clean and set them back on his nose. They tilted, adorable when askew, and Severus let his fingertips linger on Potter's face, tracing the slope of his nose, the arch of his cheekbones, the swirl of his ears. Potter subsided under the touch.

Severus sat on the arm of the chair, still holding Potter's wrists, and fumbled for the fork, scooping up a bite of shepherd's pie and bringing it to Potter's mouth. The curved pink lips stayed closed until Severus prodded them with the fork, and the sound that Potter made as he swallowed was indecent.

Potter's lips parted for more and Severus froze, the fork halfway to the plate, watching Potter lick his lips. "S-Severus?"

Nuzzling Severus's forearm with his face as Pythios had, Potter said, "S-Severus? I'm hungry."

Severus straightened Potter's posture and scooped up another forkful of mashed potatoes. "Stop lolling about like a snake. Sit and eat like a man."

Potter licked the fork clean, his pink tongue on the gleaming silver, and Severus closed his eyes. "You were human for ten years before living as a snake, Potter. Have you no table manners whatsoever?"

He grasped Potter's hand and wrapped his fingers around the fork, guiding it from the plate to his mouth. "Hold it steady, thus. No, do not smell the potatoes. Do not lick the potatoes. Put them in your mouth, chew, and then swallow. That's right."

Sated and yawning after the demolition of two trays, Potter leaned against Severus, wrapping an arm around his waist and half-sprawling across his lap. His weight was warm and not uncomfortable, but his breath tickled Severus's bare forearm.

"What did you and Albus discuss this afternoon?" Severus asked, prodding Potter awake.

With a sleepy smile, Potter said, "Oh, he told me about my parents and some wizard named Voldemort and magic. Can you do magic, S-Severus?"

"Of course I can, you've seen me cast spells often enough."

"You never..." Potter stopped, hesitating.

Potter's hair was soft to the touch, and Severus tangled his fingers in it, soothing the man's agitation. "I never what?"

"Those sticks – wands? – that the bad men have, I never saw you use yours. You never tried to hurt me."

"No, of course not. They should not have tried to hurt you either," Severus said.

Dozing off in Severus's lap again, Potter shimmered and shifted. Severus found himself again with a lap full of coils, the beautiful pattern of Potter's scales gleaming in the light. He stroked the snake, leaning back into the soft chair.

He blinked his way back to full awareness when Potter, still a snake, floated the heat lamp into Severus's bedroom and arranged himself in careful coils on the bed. "No, absolutely not," Severus said. "I do not sleep with animals, Mr. Potter, and I will not sleep with you. I'll Transfigure a bed for you in the other room, if you wish to sleep as a human, or I will put you in your cage if you choose to sleep as a snake."

The tip of Potter's tail twitched, and Severus crossed his arms over his chest, fingering his wand. "You are not sleeping in this bed, is that clear?"

Another twitch of his tail, and Potter resumed his human form, crouched on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Severus banished the heat lamp and grabbed Potter by the elbow, yanking him from the bed and into the other room. In short order, he had conjured a bed, pyjamas, and a toothbrush. He pushed Potter toward them and scrubbed his hand against his thigh, rubbing away the warmth from touching Potter's back.

"S-Sir?" Potter asked.

"Yes? You remember how to brush your teeth, I hope. I'm not interested in the rehabilitation of an inept toddler-turned-snake, you understand."

"I ... I don't understand."

Severus grabbed the toothbrush and steered Potter toward the bathroom. "Here, you clean your teeth thus. Do not swallow the toothpaste, do not bite the toothbrush, just use gentle motions to scrub your teeth clean."

Potter stood, staring at Severus in the mirror, the toothbrush dangling from his hand. The dollop of toothpaste fell off the brush and onto the counter, and Severus grabbed his own toothbrush. "This is how it's done, idiot boy," he said, and demonstrated.

"N-no, I remember this."

Severus dropped his toothbrush and spat into the sink, rinsing his mouth and washing his hands before he guided Potter from the room. "What don't you understand?"

Potter pointed at the new bed and then at himself. "Is that ... is that for me? Where am I meant to put it? Where is the c-cupboard, sir?"

"Of course you will sleep here, and there's no need to worry about a cupboard tonight, not until you have your own clothes to store in one."

Potter sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. "There must be some misunderstanding, sir. I ... I'm more than happy to sleep in the cupboard if you'll show me where it is."

Severus pulled Potter up onto the bed and sat next to him, jerking away when their thighs brushed together. "I'm tired, Potter, and in no humor for your incoherent babbling. Let me explain in small words, and don't ask any more questions. You will sleep here, in this bed, tonight. There will be no cupboards involved. Now brush your teeth and get changed for bed."

A warm body settled onto the mattress, curling up next to Severus and jolting him out of his half-doze, and he rolled over to look at Potter. "I thought we discussed this," he said, brushing the hair away from Potter's face.

"Please," Potter said. "There are too many n-nightmares in the bed without you."

Severus sighed and rolled over again, turning his back on Potter and tossing him a blanket and a pillow. "Stay on your own side of the bed."

Potter had kicked off the blankets during the night, and spooned up behind Severus. The warm, moist breath on Severus's neck, the warm fingers splayed on his abdomen, the pressure of Potter's hard cock against his thigh – it was a warmth he'd not allowed himself in years – and Severus jerked away from Potter, wrapping the blankets around himself. The blankets billowed, hiding the signs of his reaction to Potter's touch. "Get out of my bed."

Potter woke, blinking, his eyelashes delicate and dark against his pale skin, and shivered. He reached toward Severus, his fingers closing on the blanket. Severus felt the warmth on his upper thigh and jerked away.

He stood, scrambling over the heaps of discarded blankets on the floor. "Get out of my bed. There will be no repeat of this distasteful scene, is that understood? I refuse to be sullied by the touch of James Potter's witless spawn."

Without a word, Potter rolled out of bed and headed out the door.

"Put on some clothing," Severus called after him, shutting his eyes against the sight of Potter's bare arse and insolent stride.

Albus arrived in the wake of the house elf who brought breakfast, helping himself to a cup of tea and ignoring Potter's nudity. Severus rolled his eyes when Albus selected the sweetest pastry, and smirked at the startled yelp Potter made when a quick spell conjured clothing for him, the cloth popping out of thin air. He managed to dress himself well enough, though he fumbled with the fastenings and needed Severus's help.

Slytherin green was a suitable color for Potter, Severus decided, and another flick of his wand tightened the clothing, sizing it down to fit. Potter still flinched when the wand was pointed at him, and Severus leaned over to murmur in his ear, "You know that I don't intend to hurt you. Don't overreact to harmless spells."

Albus set a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table, unfolding it with a loud crinkle, and Severus turned to glare at him.

"Now, Severus, it is important to keep on top of the news, and reading the paper..."

"News is hardly the word for it."

"I know your opinion of the Prophet, but Harry here hasn't had a chance to acquaint himself with current events in the Wizarding world yet, and given the amount of time that he spent as a snake – ten years, wasn't it, Harry? – I thought a refresher course in how to read wouldn't be amiss. Although perhaps you'd prefer to be the one instructing your protégé, Severus?"

Severus turned away from Potter's green eyes and the impossible, hopeful curve of his lips. "The pleasure is all yours, Headmaster, I'm afraid. I have exams to mark."

He abandoned his toast and tepid tea, settling near the fire with a pile of essays and a fresh bottle of green ink.

"Do come here, my boy," Albus said. "I can't teach you when you're halfway across the room, can I? Sit with me and we'll see if we can make heads or tails of this newspaper together."

Severus paused in his marking, his quill splattering the parchment with fat drops of green ink, when he heard Potter's first stumbling attempt at reading. "S-Secret Keeper Sw-Switched, Black Inno-Innocent."

The drops of green ink ran together into one blob on the parchment. Severus bent his head, as if in concentration, and scratched his quill against the parchment in mindless circles.

"What does that mean?" Potter asked.

Severus heard the clink of china and looked up to see Albus pouring another cup of tea, sweetening it and tasting it before continuing. "Well, Harry, your parents were under the Fidelius Charm when they were hiding from Voldemort – do you remember me telling you about that yesterday? They were betrayed, and after Voldemort killed them, Sirius Black was put into prison because we all thought he was their betrayer. He was more loyal than that, though. He's your godfather, and a good, noble..."

Severus felt the quill snap between his fingers and he tossed it aside. "Out. Get out of my quarters, Albus."

"But Severus, surely..."

"No. I'll teach the brat how to read, I'll answer his questions, tell him about the heroic martyrdom of his parents and cater to his every spoiled whim, but I will not sit here and let you fill his head with lies about the nobility of Sirius Black."

Albus stared at the fragments of the quill and sighed, his disappointment filling the air. Severus only scowled, familiar with all of his tricks, and crossed his arms.

"Come here, Harry," Severus said after the door closed behind Albus. "There's no need to be afraid. I'm not angry with you."

Potter sat at Severus's feet, leaning against his legs, and Severus reached down to ruffle his hair.

"Will you tell me about my parents?"

Harry shifted into Pythios, curling up in Severus's lap, but Severus eased him over onto the couch. "You're a human, not a snake, Mr. Potter, and I refuse to have this conversation with an animal."

Changing back into his human form, Harry leaned against Severus again, his head on Severus's shoulder and his hand curled around Severus's forearm. "Tell me, please?"

Taking a deep breath and inching away from Potter's warmth, Severus said, "Your parents loved you enough to die for you. Your mother was a good woman, and your father ... your father grew up to be a man who was worthy of her love."

Potter turned Severus's arm over and began to trace the blue veins on his wrist. "You didn't like them very much," he said.

"No. I did not."

Potter resumed his serpent form then, slithering up the back of the sofa and draping himself over Severus's shoulders, clinging to the heat. Severus permitted the contact, summoning a new quill and turning his attention back to his marking.

Severus was teaching Potter how to read when Black burst into his chambers, breezing through the wards with Albus in his wake. Black stopped short, his mouth gaping open, and Severus closed the book that Harry had been reading.

He tightened his arms around Potter, pulling him closer and regretting it when the soft curve of Potter's arse was pressed against his groin. He took a deep breath. "What is the meaning of this interruption, gentlemen?"

Black drew his wand and pointed it at them. "If you've put my godson under Imperius, you'll regret the day you were born, Snivellus."

"Now, Sirius," Albus said, putting a hand on Black's shoulder and plucking the wand from his fingers. "I did tell you that Harry and Severus had become quite close."

"Close? You call that close? I call that a pedophile molesting my godson. Come here, Harry."

Severus tightened his arms around Potter. "I'm impressed that you learned a three-syllable word while you were in Azkaban, Black. It's a pity you couldn't have stayed longer – you might have learned what it means."

"Don't insult my intelligence, you greasy, sniveling bastard, or I'll tell Harry everything about you, every Dark spell you cast over the years, every prank you used to humiliate his parents, everything. He won't cling to you then, not after he knows the truth. What, have you poisoned my godson's mind against me already, you filthy Slytherin?" he asked when Harry made no move to come to him.

"Come here, Harry. You don't have to let that greasy git touch you if it disturbs you, you don't have to live here with him, and you don't have to put up with his ugly gargoyle face and foul breath."

Harry turned in Severus's lap, putting his arms around Severus's neck. "Please don't make me leave."

"You may stay here for as long as you like," Severus promised him, gentling his fear with a soft touch to his shoulder. Potter pressed closer against him, his heartbeat echoing through Severus's chest.

"Harry," Black said, striding over to the sofa, but Albus restrained him.

"Sherbet lemon, Sirius? I think you'll find that a spot of tea and a good night's sleep will give us all some much-needed perspective. You can talk to Harry later, perhaps after you've seen Remus and the rest of the old crowd."

"Remus is all right?" Black asked, allowing Albus to pull him out of the room.

Harry picked up the book they had been reading, leaning back against Severus's chest and draping one of Severus's arms across his stomach. When they were arranged to his satisfaction, he resumed reading, his breath warm on Severus's neck, his voice vibrating through Severus's shoulder as he stumbled on the longer words.

That evening, as Severus tucked Potter in for the night, a ridiculous ritual that Potter insisted was enough to soothe him and keep the nightmares away, the quiet acceptance melted away and Potter gave vent to his curiosity. "What was that man talking about?"

"Hmmm?" Severus smoothed down the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, ruffling Potter's hair.

"That man Black, who was upset with me. What was he talking about?"

"Black is an idiot and I doubt that even he knows what he was talking about." Severus bent down to press a kiss on Harry's cheek, and Harry reached out to capture his wrist, holding him there.

"What's a pedophile, Severus?"

Severus leaned away from Potter, looking for traces of mockery in his bright green eyes. "A pedophile is a person who sexually molests children, and before you ask, I am not one."

"Why did that man Black call you a pedophile, then? Why was he upset?"

"He ... ah..." Severus stopped, watching Potter fidget with the blanket.

Harry blinked and reached out to touch Severus's lips, his finger gentle and warm.

"He was upset because he doesn't like me very much and he doesn't want to see you with me." Severus stood, bending down to straighten Potter's blankets, ignoring the stab of guilt engendered by Black's wild accusation.

"That's enough questions for tonight, Harry. Get some sleep – in your own bed, if you please. I don't fancy waking up to your cold feet and giggles again."

It was not unpleasant to fall asleep with Potter curled on the far side of the bed, his breathing echoing in the silence, his warmth seeping into the blankets. It was not altogether unpleasant to wake to the discovery that the space between them had been bridged overnight. Potter curled around him, arms wrapped around Severus's chest, his legs twined with Severus's legs, warming the morning chill away from the dungeons.

Severus shoved the blankets over onto Potter, smirking when he yelped, and strode barefoot to answer the door, fastening his dressing gown as he went.

"Albus," he said. "It's a surprise to see you here this morning, I never imagined that you'd be the one to call at the most inconvenient hour possible."

Nothing perturbed Albus's good humor in the morning, and he ignored Severus's barb with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. "Good morning, Severus. I'm glad to see that the regimen of beauty sleep and stress relief that you've taken up since Voldemort's defeat is doing a world of good for your charming personality. Now, where is Harry?"

"Still asleep, I imagine."

Albus's gaze darted over to the Transfigured bed in Severus's sitting room, the covers rumpled and the pillows thrown onto the floor. "I see. Do promise me that you'll be careful with the boy, Severus. He hasn't got very much experience with the world yet."

Potter emerged from the bedroom, yawning, a blanket draped around his shoulders. "You always talk over me as though I'm still a snake and not part of the conversation," he said.

Albus smiled. "As a matter of fact, I came here to have a conversation with you, Harry, about what you want and need."

He snapped his fingers and two house elves appeared, their trays brimming with tea and breakfast. "Shall we discuss it as we eat?"

Severus intervened, sending Potter to shower and change first. He refused to be distracted by the blanket slipping down to bare that pale shoulder, Potter's delicious, rumpled appearance, his tousled hair and sleep-sated grin. Pouring himself a cup of tea, Severus listened to the sound of the shower and clenched his free hand into a fist, hidden in his lap.

"I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do, Severus," Albus said. "Harry is an adult, and so are you, but I do think that you should consider your actions with care. Not only is the Ministry likely to interfere when they hear of your relationship with the Boy Who Lived, but Harry's godfather is a force to be reckoned with as well."

"I have no relationship with Potter."

"Severus, be honest with yourself if you will not..."

The door slammed open and Harry rushed to the table, flinging himself into one of the chairs and grabbing one of the pastries. "Mmm, so good," he said with his mouth full. "I thought that I'd never like anything half as well as I like freshly killed rats, but breakfasts here are just wonderful."

Severus shuddered. "We've discussed inappropriate mealtime conversation before, Mr. Potter. Do I need to refresh your memory?"

Harry looked up at him, hurt visible in his shining green eyes, and Severus shook his head. "Not now," he mouthed.

"Well, now, Harry, I must admit that we do take a certain amount of pride in the food we serve here at Hogwarts. We do try to employ the very best, the most skilled house elves, and they provide us all with delicious meals."

Harry nodded, reaching for another pastry. "Yes, sir, I can see that."

"So if it would ease your readjustment to the human world, we'd be more than happy to have you stay here at Hogwarts indefinitely, Harry. You could enjoy all the benefits of Hogwarts cuisine, the attention of the professors at Europe's finest school of witchcraft and wizardry, and moreover, you could take this opportunity to develop your own magical powers."

Harry sprayed crumbs all over the table, coughing. He apologized when Severus gave him a stern look, but continued to splutter. "You – You said that I could stay here, Severus. Why would I leave? Do you want me to leave now?"

"No, of course not," Severus said, not daring to glance at Albus. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like."

"No one was suggesting that you leave, my dear boy. I was merely suggesting that we formalize your position here."

"What?"

"I was hoping that you would agree to join the students here for classes, Harry. After all, we can't have you lolling about Severus's quarters all day long, and the sooner you get your wild magic under control, the safer it will be for all of us here."

Blinking and uncertain, Harry looked to Severus for reassurance before he nodded.

Afternoons were quieter, without Harry reading aloud or Pythios filling the room with the scrape of his scales against the floor as he slithered around, dragging the heat lamp through the room with him. Severus ignored the silence, filling it with the heat of a new fire in his fireplace, and ignored Harry's absence. Tired of pacing, he settled in his chair with a new book, opening it to a random page and staring into the flames.

Severus spluttered, spitting tea onto his book, when Harry bounced into the room, dropping his bag and asking him, "What does wank mean, Severus?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What does wank mean?"

Severus pulled out a handkerchief and mopped up the spilled tea. "No – No, I heard you the first time. Why do you ask?"

"Dennis was late for Transfiguration, and Minerva asked him why he was late, and he blushed and then Jimmy said that he was probably wanking. What does it mean?"

"I..." Severus stopped, looking at the bright-eyed, curious expression on Harry's face. "It's a slang term that refers to the act of self-pleasure."

"Self-pleasure? Like when I'm pleased with myself because you smile at me?"

Severus coughed. "Not quite."

"What is it, then? It sounds nice. Can you show me?"

Severus coughed again, looking away from Potter's smooth skin and bright eyes. "It isn't normally discussed in public, Harry."

"You're turning red, like Dennis did."

"So I am," Severus said. "Do you have any homework today?"

"Well, I asked Professor Minerva what wanking was, and she told me to go to the library and look it up, and then Jimmy said he'd help me with the research, so I guess I'd better go do that."

"No," Severus said. He put his hand on Harry's arm, swallowing to moisten his throat. "That won't be necessary, Harry. I can explain it to you."

"Can you show it to me? Jimmy said he had a book with pictures, because it was too complicated to explain without them."

"I ... no, I don't think that a demonstration is necessary. Jimmy was–" Severus faltered, looking away from Harry. "Wanking is a slang term used to describe masturbation, as I said, and that's all that it is. Jimmy was being ... a little crude. It's not normally discussed in public."

"Why not?" Harry asked, and although Severus stared at him, he detected no hint of mockery in his expression.

The house elf popped in with a tray for dinner and Severus cleared his throat, adjusting his trousers. "There are some things that are private, like using the loo or getting dressed. We've talked about that, remember?"

It had been a hell of a time, teaching Potter that he had to dress himself in private and couldn't loll around Severus's rooms naked, shifting from serpent to man whenever he pleased and sunning himself under the heat lamp in either form. This promised to be even worse – Severus closed his eyes and stifled a groan when Harry just looked at him, apparently uncomprehending.

"Let's eat," he said, gesturing at the tray.

Severus was half-hard during the meal, watching Harry's soft lips, his pink tongue, the tilt of his chin and the sparkle of his eyes. Their fingers brushed together as they passed dishes, the warmth of Harry's touch burning an imprint into Severus's skin. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes, flooding his brain with oxygen in an attempt to restore self-control. Harry was not meant to be a sexual being – he was not meant to ask Severus questions about wanking – he was not, emphatically, not meant to look that alluring.

Harry put a hand on his shoulder and Severus opened his eyes, his cock hardening as his attempt to divert blood back to his brain failed. "Are you all right?" Harry asked, his tongue licking a smear of chocolate from the corner of his mouth.

"Fine," Severus said, his voice cracking.

"Are you ready to explain this to me now, then?"

"Of course." Severus banished the dishes to the kitchen and stood, his robes billowing around him to hide his erection. He led Harry to the sofa, placing a casual hand on his shoulder.

Severus shrugged off his heavy outer robe and rolled up his shirtsleeves before sitting on the sofa next to Harry. "As I said, wanking refers to the act of self-pleasure, known more clinically as masturbation."

Harry blinked. "I still don't understand. Maybe I should ask Jimmy..."

Severus stopped him with a hand on his elbow. "There's no need, Harry. I'll explain things clearly, but I want to make sure that you have all the appropriate vocabulary first."

"I want to make sure that everybody's not laughing at me in class like that again," Harry said, but he settled back onto the sofa, watching Severus.

Severus leaned toward him, brushing a fingertip along his jawline and down his throat to his collarbone. "I'm sorry they laughed at you."

Bright green flashed in Harry's eyes, resolution firming the curve of his lips. "Then will you make sure that it doesn't happen again?"

Nodding, Severus said, "I'll try. Now stop interrupting, please, and pay attention."

"Yes, Severus."

"There are various different forms of intercourse for humans – most of them involve one or more partners, but masturbation is autoerotic, and can be performed alone. Although there's nothing wrong with mutual masturbation, of course, depending on your choice of partner and location. It's..." Severus paused, waving a hand in front of Harry's eyes, which had begun to glaze over. "It's important to make rational, careful decisions about sex in any form, Harry, masturbation or any other form of intercourse. There are times and places where it's inappropriate or unwise–"

"Severus." Harry put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Can you please tell me what you're talking about?"

"I ... perhaps Madam Pomfrey has some literature on the subject. I'll just Floo her and ask, shall I?"

"No," Harry said. "You said you'd explain things to me so that the students don't laugh at me again. You promised."

Severus took a deep breath, closing his eyes again. "It's ... self-stimulation, Harry. When you touch your penis to achieve an orgasm."

"Oh." Harry sounded as though he didn't quite understand, and Severus waited a heartbeat before opening his eyes. "What's an orgasm?"

A talk with Madam Pomfrey was definitely in order. Severus rubbed his temples, keeping his eyes firmly closed. He couldn't bear to look at Harry. "A sexual climax," he said.

After waiting, Severus opened his eyes when it seemed that Harry had no more questions. The sooner this interview was over and Harry was ushered off to a remedial class with Pomfrey, the better.

Harry had his trousers down around his knees and he was stroking his cock to full hardness, his eyes closed and his breathing quick. "Like this?" he asked, when he opened his eyes and saw Severus watching. "Is this wanking?"

Severus closed his eyes as quickly as he had opened them, but he couldn't shut out the image of Harry with his face flushed and his hand on his cock. "Yes," he said. "And as I mentioned, there's an appropriate time and place for actions like that, Harry. Never in public or where someone might see you."

"But you said that two people could do it together," Harry said. He reached over and put a hand on Severus's groin, stroking his cock through his trousers. "Don't you want to? You've looked like this since we started talking."

"Two people can do it together if they're lovers," Severus said, batting Harry's hand away. "I'm not – you're – it's inappropriate, Harry. You're in my charge ... I'm responsible for your well-being, like your guardian."

"I don't need a guardian," Harry said. He had inched closer until he was pressed against Severus's side, and he was warm, and Severus could feel the motions of his arm as he stroked himself. He stifled a groan.

"Nonetheless, I am taking care of you until you are able to join wizarding society as a fully-functioning wizard."

"I'm of age. Albus told me so."

"You're chronologically of age, but you're neither mentally or emotionally ready to enter into a sexual relationship, Harry." Severus had to push his hand away again and force himself to remember that this was a bad idea, even though his cock thought otherwise.

"But I want to have a sexual relationship with you. I like you."

At that, Severus opened his eyes and met Harry's gaze. "I don't think that you're old enough to know what you want."

"I know that you want me. I can tell from the way you smell. And the way your bed smells after I've slept in it with you. Why won't you admit it?"

Leaning back, Severus watched Harry fondling himself, his breathing quick and uneven. He was delicious – debauched – there were too many reasons for Severus to say no, but somehow he couldn't say anything.

Harry touched Severus's arm, his eyes fluttering shut as he came. "I want you, too."

He wiped up his semen with a handkerchief from his pocket and tucked himself back into his trousers, patting Severus on the shoulder as he stood. "Wanking is very nice," he said. "I will wait until you want to do it with me ... how did you call it? Mutual masturbation?"

Severus started to splutter, but Harry only nodded, patting him on the shoulder again. "Yes, I will wait for that."

Severus woke to a cold bed, and he reached out for Harry, his hand fumbling with the neat blankets and undisturbed pillows on the other side of the bed. He opened his eyes a crack, and when he was greeted with the distinct absence of Harry, he rolled over and buried his head in the pillows.

Damn his dreams and his traitorous body. It wasn't Potter – it was just that he was sleeping with a warm body – it meant nothing.

"Good morning, Severus," Potter said. "This time I have saved some of the hot water for you as you asked."

He came around to the other side of the bed, fumbling for his glasses on the nightstand, and froze. "Oh. You were wanting to sleep late instead, then?"

Dropping to the bed in a graceless sprawl, Potter reached out to touch Severus's cock. His fingers were gentle, still wet from the shower. "Perhaps you would like to wank instead? It is still an offer ... I would like very much to do it with you."

"Enough," Severus said, brushing Potter's hand aside. "Have you no concept of privacy, no sense of common decency? Have you no classes to attend? Get out."

Severus banished the come from his sheets and stretched, making his tired way to the hot shower. The image of Potter's bright, eager expression and the memory of his gentle touch lingered with him.

Potter was oblivious to Severus's regard, and unlikely to return his interest – a few brief glances, unguarded intimate touches, it was no more than an open affectionate nature unused to the norms of society. Severus sighed, buttoning his formal robes, and resolved to have another talk with Potter to remind him that his easy affection and sheer licentiousness made him easy prey. He simply could not go around offering to masturbate with other people.

Severus's self-control was tested when Albus suggested that Potter have even more contact with the predatory, harsh world. He set his teacup down with a distinct, loud clink, and turned to Albus.

"A room of my own? Are you serious?"

Severus took a deep breath and closed his eyes at the look of unadulterated horror on Potter's face.

"Why yes, of course, my dear Harry. I think you've learned a lot from having Severus as a mentor during your initial readjustment, and I'm sure that you're ready to experience the world on your own, without his, shall I say ... stifling influence?"

Severus's tea was too strong, bitter now that it had cooled. He stalked over to the tea service, pouring himself a fresh cup.

"Of course, your godfather would be happy if you were to live with him, and as you're a non-traditional student here you could Floo into Hogwarts for classes every morning. Otherwise, I can offer you one of the spare Prefect's rooms here – I think that both the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors have rooms that would be suitable, considering your course schedule and needs."

Potter's needs did not include being near Slytherin territory or a bitter, stifling mentor. Severus gulped his tea, wishing for something stronger.

"My godfather – that man who came here – he's happy, isn't he? Living with that man Remus?"

"Why yes, I think that he is happy," Albus said. "But..."

"Then I'd like to stay here at Hogwarts, please, sir," Harry said, reaching for another pastry. "I want to stay with Severus."

"Of course, of course, everything is already arranged..." Albus spat his sherbet lemon out onto his saucer. "Wait ... what?"

"I said, I want to stay with Severus."

"Nonsense, my dear boy," Albus said. "You'd be much happier without him. You've only to pack your belongings, and perhaps a last quick trip to Hogsmeade with Professor Snape if you want anything special for your new rooms, and you're all set."

"I'm certain that an adult like Potter can handle the ardors of a Hogsmeade trip without assistance," Severus said. "With your leave, Headmaster. Mr. Potter."

Stalking out of Albus's office, Severus headed for Hogsmeade himself. At the rate that Potter drove him to distraction, he needed a new bottle of Firewhiskey.

Even Firewhiskey was no consolation after Severus watched Potter remove the cage from his office. Blushing and shy, timid as he'd been that first day when words had come to him with difficulty, he stuttered something about needing it "just in case." Severus closed his eyes and nodded his assent. He had no use for a snake cage in his office, no need for the branch that Pythios had coiled around or the water bath that Pythios had loved.

The glass cage scraped against the floor as Potter made a clumsy attempt to levitate it, and Severus opened his eyes, adding his magic to the task. With a zip as their powers combined, the cage floated out of his office, followed by a bashful Potter. Severus retreated to the silence of his quarters, his Firewhiskey and his books. Enough Firewhiskey would erase the image of Potter in his rooms, Potter's voice and warmth and smiles.

He nearly dropped the bottle when he heard a knock at his door. If one of his Slytherins had–

It was Harry, who slipped through his wards after knocking a second time and waiting a minute. "S-sir?"

Severus closed his eyes and tossed back the rest of the Firewhiskey in his glass, swallowing hard against the burn. "What is it?"

"You ... you told me once that you wouldn't make me leave."

Severus's throat still ached from the Firewhiskey. He set down his glass, keeping his fingers curled around the rim, using the phantom warmth that still lingered in the glass to steady himself. "Did I?"

"You did." Harry came closer, trailing his fingers up the length of Severus's arm. "Please don't make me go away. I don't like that room in the Hufflepuff dorm – it's noisy and the bed is too big. I'd rather sleep with you."

"It's inappropriate."

"It was never inappropriate before."

"It was always inappropriate. You are now my student, and it is doubly inappropriate."

"You said you wouldn't make me leave. You promised."

Severus jerked his arm away from Potter's touch and stood, wobbling a little as he strode to the other side of the room. He reached out to steady himself on the wall, dizzy from the whiskey. "The Headmaster thinks that it's best for you to stay there, and so it–"

"I will stay as a snake, if you like Pythios better." Harry had darted across the room and was suddenly pressed against him, his arms flung around Severus and his head resting on Severus's chest. "Or as a human. Whichever you want. And I'll remember my table manners, and do all my homework, even for the boring classes, and stop saying inappropriate things, and I'll do whatever you say, just please let me stay."

Severus pried Harry away from him and held him at arm's length. "The Headmaster has said that you should move. Your godfather – who your parents wanted to take care of you, and who has your best interests at heart – would want you to live anywhere on this planet except my chambers, even if it be at the center of an erupting volcano. You should let them be your guide until you understand the world well enough to make your own decisions. You may think that you want–"

"I know I want to stay with you," Harry said. "I do."

"You can't," Severus said flatly. With the Firewhiskey hot in his veins, it took all of Severus's willpower to push Harry away. "You can cling to that old promise all you like, but you don't even know what you're clinging to. In spite of your pretty illusions about the world and about me, I am not a nice man. I don't keep my promises and I don't intend to keep you now that there's no advantage for myself in it."

Hurt shone in Harry's eyes, but Severus pushed him away. It was for the boy's own good – he didn't know his own mind. He didn't deserve to tie himself to an old Death Eater.

Severus waved Harry silent when he started to speak, and opened the door with a wave of his hand. "You've stayed here long enough, Mr. Potter, and taken up my valuable time. Get out."

And when he was gone – well, if Severus's rooms were quiet and cold, there was always the Firewhiskey to warm them.

Potions class, with Potter in the front row, was torture. Severus clenched his hands into fists and strode down the aisles, his robes billowing around him. "Take care not to add the ground moonstone too soon," he said. "The potion should be a pale blue. Do you call that blue, Mr. Ackerley? Have you been tested for color blindness?"

Potter sat with the Gryffindors, almost a part of the group but set apart because of his age. Severus felt a pang of sympathy for the man attending classes with third years and stifled it before it could blossom.

"Wrong consistency, Miss McDonald. Do you consider that an adequate attempt, Mr. Potter? I trust that you were not relying on your vaunted celebrity to earn you a passing mark in my class, no matter how blind and lenient your other professors may be."

In spite of Severus's harsh words, Potter lingered after class, his eyelashes fluttering as he looked down at the floor. "Mr. Potter, if there is a foreign substance in your eye, I suggest that you see Madam Pomfrey about it. If you are not having any medical difficulties, then go to your next class."

Potter blinked, looking up at him with watery eyes, and Severus frowned. "Are you well?"

"S-Sir? Severus?"

"That's Professor Snape to you, Mr. Potter."

Severus turned away, intent on restocking the supplies for the next class, and when he looked up again, Potter had gone. A vial of phoenix feathers fell from his hands, smashing on the floor, and he banished the mess.

Sirius Black charged down into the dungeons as if a demon from hell were after him – or, given his character, an angel from heaven. Severus smirked and set down his mortar and pestle, turning calmly back to the supply cupboard and ignoring Black, who had rushed to stand in front of Severus's desk and was panting like a dog.

"Yes?" Severus asked, not turning around to look at Black. He had his hand on his wand, hidden in his sleeve, just in case. "Was there something that you wanted, or did you come here to slobber all over the clean floors?"

"What the hell did you do to my godson, Snape?"

Severus pulled down a vial of moonstone from the top shelf and turned to set it next to his cauldron. "I've done nothing to him."

Erumpent skin, asphodel, feverfew – he gathered the ingredients and set them out in order, pretending to be deep in concentration. "Now, if that's all–"

"If you've done nothing to him, then why is he leaving Hogwarts?" Suddenly Black was at Severus's side, pressing his wand into Severus's neck. "If you molested Harry–"

Severus slid his wand out from his sleeve and Disarmed Black with a simple flick. "Careless," he said with a curl of his lip. "Trust me, I've done nothing to him. I'd not lower myself to touch Potter's spawn–"

He flicked his wand threateningly at Black when he moved to protest. "Not a word. I'll say anything I like about your so-called friends – Potter made my life miserable at Hogwarts, and doesn't deserve the respect of a grave, let alone–"

"If you're tormenting Harry in your classes because of what his father did, then let me tell you–"

"I have treated him as I would treat any other student."

"Then why is he leaving? Harry's a good boy – he wouldn't do something like that unless – I know you're at the bottom of this, Snivellus. I know you and your greasy tricks–"

"Gentlemen." Albus entered the room, clapping his hands together. "I think that's quite enough of that, don't you?"

There was a spell on the tip of Severus's tongue – he was at the point of cursing Black, and sorely tempted to do so in spite of Albus, but he lowered his wand. He'd keep peace for Harry's sake at least – Salazar knew that the boy needed someone to look after him.

Albus conjured chintz chairs and steaming tea, motioning all of them to sit. "Now, let's see if we can discuss this rationally, why don't we?"

He looked over his spectacles at both of them. Severus fought the urge to fidget, and smirked when he saw Black looking like a chastened schoolboy. Some things never changed.

"Now," Albus said, taking a sip of his tea and breathing out a long sigh that sent steam puffing in the cool dungeon air, "Harry has agreed to stay at Hogwarts on one condition."

"Yes!" Black said, his fist raised in the air. "I knew he would–"

"He wants to be allowed to stay in Severus's chambers again."

"No," Severus said immediately, at the same time that Black said, "Bloody hell, no."

They glared at each other, and then Black said, "I don't want that greasy pedophile touching my godson."

"Sirius, Severus is not a pedophile – I would hardly employ him here at Hogwarts if he were – and childish insults do not accomplish anything. Don't you think–"

"I'll have you know, Black," Severus said, drawing out every word, "Harry is the one who wanted to touch me, not the other way around."

"What?" Black was out of his chair, his hands halfway to Severus's throat, before Albus froze him in place with a wave of his wand.

"Really, Severus, that was hardly helpful either. Don't you think that it's time that you and Sirius came to peace with the past and learned to work together as adults?"

"No."

Sighing, Albus levitated Black back to his chair and released him from the petrifying spell. "We all want what is best for Harry's welfare, gentlemen. I think we're all agreed that a Hogwarts education is the only way for him to regain the future that he has lost, and I think that we can all work together to make that happen."

"I refuse to work with him. And I don't want him to touch Harry, ever again."

"Sirius, Severus is one of Harry's professors–"

"Then I want him in another class."

"That's not really an option, Sirius. Potions is a required portion of our curriculum here."

"A fucking stupid part of the curriculum, if you ask me. Harry will never need to know how to brew any of those useless potions – if he ever does need something, he can just get the greasy git to brew them for him. Snape's gagging to do it, he's so eager–"

Severus stood, pushing back his chair and knocking over his teacup. "I don't need to listen to this," he said. "Send the boy to Beauxbatons – let him take up Quidditch or some fool sport that requires no education – let him live in the zoo as a snake, if he pleases. It has nothing to do with me."

On that note, he stomped out of his classroom, slamming the door and smirking when he heard a glass vial teeter to the floor and shatter. There was a good reason to stock a cupboard full of empty vials next to the door – it made for the best exits.

Pythios attended Potions class the next day, a miniature heat-lamp following him around at the flick and beckon of his tail. It hovered over his cauldron until Severus lost his patience.

"Mr. Potter, you will join the rest of your classmates in human form for this lesson. The potion is not improved by the addition of external heat – in fact, you run the risk of blowing up this classroom."

Potter, shifting into human form, blew a raspberry at Severus. "I know what I'm doing, and I wasn't going to do that."

"You will show some respect for me while I am your professor." Severus clenched his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. "You may be a boy with the brain of a snake, but you know full well that that is not appropriate behavior."

"It's not my fault my godfather made me stay in school."

"No, but it is your fault that you spent half your life as a snake and have the manners of one. You will behave in my class, Potter, or you will leave."

"Fine."

Reaching over his shoulder, he threw a handful of pixie dust into his cauldron as he left. He had paid attention as a snake – he knew that the heat lamp would've done nothing to the potion.

Worse luck, he knew that adding pixie dust would create a flashy but harmless explosion. Severus glared at the door that had slammed shut behind Potter and started trying to calm his half-hysterical students.

Detention with Potter was no more pleasant than Severus's cold bed. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him until he scrubbed cauldrons, sighing and sulking the whole time.

"It doesn't matter that you knew the explosion would be harmless, Potter. It does matter that you were disrespectful, that you came to my class as a snake, and that you exploded your potion. Deliberately exploded it, I might add. What were you thinking?"

Potter only shrugged, looking up at Severus through fluttering lashes. "Were you worried about me?"

"Hardly. If you manage to kill yourself in a potions explosion, it's your own damned fault."

"Were you upset when you thought I was going to leave Hogwarts?"

"Pleased at the thought of being rid of you and your pestering, perhaps." Severus rapped his wand against the rim of the cauldron Potter was scrubbing, pointing at a dirty spot he'd neglected. "Is that what this is about? You're acting up in order to get my attention?"

"You sent me away."

"The Headmaster–"

"You don't do anything the Headmaster says unless you want to, you stupid old bat. I heard Sirius say so."

"Charming," Severus said, taking a step away from Potter. "I imagine that Black is also responsible for the sudden expansion of your vocabulary."

Potter looked stricken, dropping his sponge into the scummy water floating in the cauldron. "Oh, Severus, I'm so sorry–"

"No need." Severus brushed it away, turning back to his desk and the stack of papers he had to grade. "I've no interest in your puerile insults or insincere apologies."

"I am sorry ... whatever it is that I did to make you send me away ... and for what I said just now ... and for acting so badly in class. Please, Severus, let me come back. Please."

"You are harbouring an irrational, sentimental attachment to me because I cared for you as a snake and eased your transition into the wizarding world. I fed you rats and taught you how to use the loo, and that is all. Hardly reason for all of this nonsense."

"It's not nonsense." Harry stopped scrubbing altogether and came toward Severus, shaking dirty water from his fingers and splattering the floors. "You did so much more than that – and it's not nonsense, anyhow."

He stopped only when he was leaning over Severus's desk, close enough for a kiss. "If it's because I'm your student, I'll go to Beauxbatons or wherever you want. I won't listen to a word Sirius says. I'll wait, if it's just that I'm too young. I'll be Pythios, if you don't like me as a man. Whatever it is you want, Severus ... tell me, and I'll do it."

Severus pushed him away from the desk with a light spell. Potter was standing too close – too close, too tempting. It was not to be borne. "You've read too many romance novels in your spare time, Mr. Potter. A twelve-inch essay on the use of pixie dust in recreational potions, due to me by next week. Trust me, I'll find ways to fill your time and empty your brain of that romantic dribble."

"It's not–"

"And another essay on the effect of heat on delicate potions, twelve inches as well. You're dismissed, Mr. Potter."

Severus woke to find Harry naked in his bed. He fumbled for his wand, igniting the torches on the walls, and scowled at the man. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" Harry rocked his hips, his hard cock brushing against Severus's groin, his fingers coming up to grasp Severus's shoulders. "I'm convincing you."

"Potter, stop."

Leaning forward, their bare chests pressing together, Harry placed a trail of kisses along Severus's jaw, from chin to ear. "I liked it better when you call me Harry," he said, his breath warm and moist against Severus's chilled skin.

"I liked it better when you didn't break through my wards and invade my bed." Severus held himself rigid, refusing to yield to the warm temptation offered by the body undulating against him.

Harry leaned back, but continued to thrust, the tip of his cock hitting Severus's thigh. Deep breaths did nothing to quell his rising interest, and he leaned away.

"You never minded sharing your bed with me before," Harry said. "Please, Severus, I want this. I want you."

"More romantic dribble," Severus said, pulling a blanket over himself. "You don't know what that means."

Potter grinned. "Oh, but I do. Madam Pince let me into the Restricted Section and showed me where the books on sexuality were, and I spent the entire day in the privacy of my new rooms, doing some research. I know what I want."

"Get out," Severus said.

Bridging the gap between them, Harry kissed Severus's shoulders, his arms and his neck, soft frantic kisses that did nothing for Severus's self-control. "Why not? I love you and I think you love me."

Severus put a hand to Potter's mouth, interrupting the flow of kisses. "You were put in my charge, first as a snake and then as a human, and I discharged my duty by caring for you, that's all."

Potter's tongue flickered out to caress Severus's fingers. "If it was just duty, then why were you hurt when I moved into my own quarters?"

"I wasn't."

Harry grasped Severus's hand and guided it to his breastbone, to the strong steady pulse there. "You were. And I do love you."

When Harry pulled Severus's head close for a kiss, Severus tasted the sweet, soft lips that had tormented him. He pushed his tongue past Harry's defenses and claimed Harry as his own with a long kiss – he pulled Harry close and wrapped him in an embrace. There was no reason to resist this, not when it was offered so freely.

"Foolish boy," he said. "You have your whole life ahead of you. You could do better–"

"This is what I want."

They lay spooned together until Severus felt Harry's breathing slow, his eyelashes flutter shut, and then he allowed himself to drift off to sleep. He'd wake up with Harry in his bed again, warm and comfortable as he always had been, sleeping curled around Severus. He always would be.

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