The Journey Cycle Pt 2: New Zealand (pt 2 complete

11

Harry awoke to one of those delicious dope hangovers feeling all dreamy and spaced out. His lover awoke in roughly the same mood and they made love again as the sun rose, lighting Bessie’s insides in shades of orange. They showered singly if they wanted any hope of leaving the bus again. They shared a sizzling kiss before they opened the door, acknowledging their need for the previous day off and their delight in it. Both were somewhat sore this morning, they had salved and lotioned each other, kissing it better before spreading enough salve to allow them to sit this morning. They were sharing a private joke, laughing together as they exited Bessie and strolled over to the fireplace, arms around each other, with all the delicacy and tenderness that follows such an intense day still hanging around them. Severus planted a kiss in Harry’s hair before they both sat down with as much finesse as they could manage before turning to each other and smirking.

Frank saw all this and roared laughing, “So the honeymooners emerge. Had a nice day yesterday, did you?”. Harry nodded, grinning. Frank continued, “Well, a certain somebody neglected to tell me how strong was the confectionary that he had made, so I and a special person in my life ate a whole one each and gibbered at each other for about four hours until the aphrodisiac effect kicked in then we fucked the rest of the day. Hal, you simply have to give me that recipe”.

Harry listened to this and burst out laughing. “Sorry, at the time I sold you those first two, I had no idea how strong they were. I warned all the others I sold them to, it’s just that you were my first customer”. Frank grinned at him from under his walrus moustache, “Forgiven, Hal. It had the most aphrodisiac effect I’ve had from draw for a long time. Any left?”.

Harry laughed, “I think so. I vaguely remember people buying some at some point last night and I have the cash to prove it. If there’s any left, it’s in the fridge. Hang on a sec, I’ll go and check”. Harry leapt to his feet and shot off. Frank watched as he went. Watched how lithe the younger man was as he rose, he sure didn’t look like forty three. Then he jumped down the steps with a plate in his hand, “Still got eleven pieces. How many did you want?” Frank chuckled as he dug in his jacket pocket, “Hold on, need to consult the bank, here”, and counted notes then glanced at the tent doors, still firmly closed, Chris still asleep, “G’wan, give us four”, he counted out the dollars and handed them over, “Not only do you make a mean fire-pit, young Hal, but your hash flapjacks are the best I’ve had since I was twenty. They really do it. A quarter truly gets you wrecked”, he said as he broke off roughly that amount and popped it into his mouth, “Tastes good, too”, he mumbled around his mouthful as he crawled off and disappeared behind his tent flaps after winking lewdly at the others.

Severus quickly lit the fire and in moments had bacon and these locally made chicken sausages sizzling over the fire. The smell brought Sammy and Jed from their tent, yawning and stretching, and, Harry noticed straight away, reluctant to be apart from each other, grasping hands as soon as they could after they had been dropped, holding on again, sharing special looks. Frank had more or less intimated that aside from Mike and Matt who still hadn’t made it back from the hardcore field, the other six had been all hidden away having lots of sex and food, and at first Harry attributed their heightened levels of affection to this.

He served the meal out and the two thanked him absently as they took their food still concentrating on each other. Harry stood straight and stared down at them then knew. He leant down so neither of them could ignore him and he smiled at Sammy. “You asked him? Didn’t you?”, he flicked a glance at the two men as he straightened his back, then broke into a huge smile, “You asked, Sammy, and he accepted. It’s all over the pair of you. I can feel it”, he whispered.

Sammy glanced nervously at Jed, who just shrugged, “He’s one of these wizard types. I’m somehow not surprised. And anyway, we’ve been all over each other. I want to be all over you at this moment and for ever”. The look between them burned and they turned to Harry. Sammy’s arms around his man, holding on tight, “Yeah. And yeah”, he murmured, “I asked. Jed accepted. Thanks, Harry”.

Harry cut him off with a laugh, “Don’t thank me, you were already thinking about it or you wouldn’t have asked me the things you did. When you asked what you did, it looked like the final piece of the puzzle falling into place for you”, Harry smiled down at them then leaned forward and hugged them both, “Congratulations. It’s a rocky road but definitely one worth travelling. The most dangerous you will ever undertake. The road into your beloved’s heart. Be good to each other and forgive each other the small stuff and talk over the big things and you’ll be okay, if you have the love and the willingness to make it work. Marriage is so much more than a bit of paper. It’s the best thing I ever did”.

Harry made his way back to the fire and continued to dish up his and Severus’ portions, whistling tunelessly as he did so. He sat down heavily beside his husband and started on his food. After a moment, Severus nudged him, “Well, are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Harry speared a sausage on his fork and looked into space, munching thoughtfully. “Sammy and Jed are getting married”, he blurted quietly as they both ate. Severus nearly choked on his food. “I suspect your hand in this, you bloody romantic Gryffindor”, Severus tried to snarl but it came out all wrong. He really had lost his touch.

Harry looked up, the picture of innocence, “Sammy asked me a few things, the first night we were all here. He wanted to know how marriage differed from merely living together. And I told him my thoughts on the matter. Now he has asked his love to wed him and Jed has accepted. You’re right, it is bloody romantic, but Sam was already thinking about it. Let’s face it, he hardly knew me then”.

Severus had to cede on this point and pulled Harry to him, “So... All right, what did you tell him?” Harry looked Severus in the eyes and told him. “I feel safe with these vows and assurances. We are neither of us men who take such things lightly. I love that you wished to cleave to me for ever, that I am sufficient for you at the exclusion of all others”, he paused as he buried his face in Severus’ hair, “Damn it! You’re mine!! I’m yours and we made promises and it’s fucking brilliant....”, Harry’s voice softened as he dropped his head on his husband’s shoulder, “And I love being yours”, he mumbled.

He was aware of the rumble of laughter in Severus’ chest and lifted his head. Severus kissed him and squeezed him slightly, “I think bonding will suit these two admirably, although I will await their announcement to offer my congratulations. For your information”, the purred voice dropped a half register, “I love being yours, too, and, sentimental old fool that I am, the moment I pledged myself to you for life will stand as the memory I will always call forth in the event of requiring a Patronus as being the happiest of my entire life to now”. Harry felt himself redden all over at this and sank into his beloved’s touch, “Oh, I’m the bloody romantic, here?” he queried.

Severus shut up and kissed his hair, holding on tight. In truth, he truly didn’t know any more. It was rather looking as if he was more of a romantic than he had ever given himself credit for. And he liked this side of him. Severus Snape, the man who had hated himself as much as he hated others, going soft in his old age, but bollocks to it. A man able to love and be loved. And by the most powerful wizard on the planet to boot. He was one lucky, lucky man and he rocked Harry slightly as the force of his emotion washed over him, murmuring his love into messy dark hair before they parted and took up eating irons instead.

Sammy watched them and sighed at his new fiance, “That’s what I want”, he muttered. “A love that’s that big. A love that threatens to swallow you whole, reduce you to mush. A love you can give in to. Something bigger than us”. Jed glanced at him and rolled his eyes, “Sh’rup, you, before I nick your sausages. Eat your breakfast”, and Sammy subsided dipping his head trying to hide his shit-eating grin. He knew not to push it. He had what he wanted and now it was time to back off a bit, give Jed a bit of time to get used to it all.

As there was just the four of them around the fire, Harry quickly glanced around before flicking out his wand and casting a quick scourgify on the dirty pots and pans before piling them neatly. Jed couldn’t believe that they could possibly be really clean and came over to examine them. “That’s the last time I wash up, once we get ol’ fella-me-lad here a wand thing. S’quicker than a dishwasher and will save us loads on the electricity bill”, he mused to Severus’ amusement as he sat back down with his lover.

They chatted as Sammy rolled and passed round a couple of after breakfast blunts and he shyly told Severus their good news to be roundly congratulated in the man’s wonderful tones. He didn’t fancy either Severus or Harry but he could quite imagine Harry’s fascination with the man. He was good-looking in a louche Byronic poet sort of way but at other times, Sammy couldn’t rid himself of the notion of ‘large black bat’ when he regarded Severus. He never voiced this out loud. If he had he may have found himself hexed into the middle of next week and he was blissfully unaware of this.

Harry stood and stretched after breakfast, “I need exercise. Come for a walk with me, Sev?” The older man rose slowly from the comfort of his deck chair, “All right. My own legs could do with a stretch”, and they set off after bidding their new friends good morning.

First, they made their way to Rosie’s bus to call Hermione who should be finishing her day about now. She was, as always, eager to hear from them and delighted to hear about the upcoming wedding. She was about to dispatch a parcel of books to their poste restante address in Wellington for Sammy. “I’ll send the revised version of ‘Hogwarts: A History’, I reckon you guys only have the older version and he should know who you really are. If you don’t want that, then give him your old version and keep this one. It’s up to you. The last three chapters are devoted to the last battle and are pretty accurate, the ‘History’ was never a sensationalist tome after all. As to Magical zones, New Zealand doesn’t really have one, the Magicals live largely under the radar over there from what I can gather. The nearest Magical area akin to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade is actually in Australia. There’s a hidden street in Perth and a few shops in Melbourne but even though Australia is fully independent now, the magicals would appear to cling to the old colonial structure and consider themselves part of the original Commonwealth taking wizarding governmental authority from London, so there is no Ministry over there and no wizarding schools. I’m trying to locate any that may be able to teach your Sammy but they’re a hidden lot, not persecuted or anything, but tricky to unearth. I’ll keep trying though. I looked at the pictures you sent and I’m not surprised you were shocked when you first clapped eyes on Sammy, he’s the spit of Draco and Sirius mixed. It gave me quite a turn, I can tell you”.

They chatted of this and that but Harry could hear a note of sadness in her voice and called her on it. “Oh, Nev and I are having a bit of a rough time at the moment. We’ll work it out, we always do”, she sighed heavily. It was plain that she was missing her best friend and Harry felt somewhat guilty being all this way away from her in what he was sure was her own hour of need but in true British style, she made light of her problems and Harry was determined to speak to his other ‘sister’ next. He wanted to know what was going unsaid.

He called Ginny next. She lived ‘out’ at school rather than in the dungeons where Severus had made his home. She was the Potions teacher but not the head of house so she was able to do this. Harry caught her at home marking work while Ernie cooked and in his mind’s eye, Harry could see the cosy room she was sitting in, imagining her at her desk with work piled high on either side of her, her reading glasses pushed up onto her head as she talked. She, too, had seen the pictures and they discussed this and the finding that Sammy and Draco were related. Harry mentioned having spoken to Hermione and the deep sadness in her mien.

“I reckon that she and Neville will split up before we’re all much older”, she sighed, “They row constantly. Hermione thinks she’s starting an early menopause and is waking up to life all around her, whereas Neville is thinking about retirement and taking things easy. He just potters about in that wretched garden all the time while his missus is wanting a bit of adventure and fun now she can see the end of active motherhood in sight. I always knew that these two would split eventually and I’m amazed they’ve stayed together this long but it was for the benefit of the kids. Once she’s got Ben, the youngest, in uni, then she’ll be eligible for early retirement as all DoM staff are and I know she wants to take it and set off round the world just like you and Severus. Nev didn’t mind the holiday breaks away, in fact I know he enjoyed himself a lot but he’s still a bit of a home body but our ‘Mione is an adventurer. Even our Ron’s thinking of something along those lines when he and Ollie can finally get away from the damn Ministry and can do a ‘Harry’n’Sev’ as it’s become known. It’s a kind of shorthand over here for buggering off around the world without a care”.

Harry had to laugh at this but felt a twinge of guilt at the effect their odyssey was having on others. Ginny must have heard the sigh for she instantly broke in, “Don’t you dare feel guilty for this, Mrs Snape, you just have fun and keep sending us back your tales. We’ve been missing your usual travelogues while you’re half-way up a mountain but we want lots of piccies when you get back to civilisation again, no excuses”. The mock-stern tone made Harry giggle, “Hey, how did you know about the ‘Mrs Snape’?” He could positively hear her roll her eyes, he could have sworn to it, “Oh, Ron told us on the way back from Crete last Christmas, he’d overheard something, he said”. Harry gasped, “Well, don’t any of you dare to call me that in front of him, it’s just a bit of a pet name between the two of us, you know, private”. Ginny’s tinkling laugh could be heard across the time zones, “Aw, come on, Harry, it’s very sweet. Do you call him Mrs Potter?” She could hear his blush, well, his slightly awkward stammer at any rate and he refused to answer. “Oh, all right, then, keep your secrets”, she sniggered and they changed the subject. She had a few words with Severus and then they had to end the call.

****

They decided that today was the day they were going to explore the top field. There was a custom bike competition being held there that afternoon and they could see various machines being ridden or wheeled up there in preparation. Going back to Bessie, they greeted Chris and Frank having some breakfast around the fire. Jed and Sammy were nowhere to be seen. Harry wrapped all the rest of his flapjacks stowing them in his army shoulder bag, packed a bottle of water for them both and they set off after locking Bessie for the day.

Arms wrapped around each other they picked their way around small camps all over the field making for the top left corner where the path could be seen winding around a couple of large boulders before snaking away uphill past a small dense copse of trees tucked into a dip well above the treeline and this they made for.

~~~~~~~~~~WS (mention)~~~~~~~~
Severus ducked off the path and into the trees to relieve himself and emerged looking shocked after a very few moments. Harry asked what was wrong, “There’s a lad in there, handcuffed to a tree. He wanted me to piss on him”, he said in an affronted tone, “I told him ‘no thank you, I only piss on my husband’ and shot off out of there. Dirty boy”, he muttered as he freed himself and pissed against a rock instead. Harry was sniggering as he did himself up, “Well the others did say it was pretty hardcore up here, we were warned”. Severus rolled his eyes and they continued on.

~~~~~~~~~~~WS (end)~~~~~~~~~~

The earth wasn’t quite as bare up here, in fact most of the field was quite grassy and soft underfoot. There was a clearly marked latrine pit to one side of the space and a large marquee tent at the other housing what looked like a cafe bar type of arrangement. Rows of bikes were being neatly laid out in accordance with the barked instructions of a heavily tattooed man wielding a clipboard ushering the riders into lines and issuing each rider with a label and a number.

Around the edges of the field was a mish-mash of brightly coloured tents grouped into small camps similar to the larger camping field below, the odd van or pick-up in evidence parked here and there. As they wandered, they came across a tattooist and a piercer sharing a large scout tent and doing an active trade. There was a price list tacked to a tree that Harry perused. He had no idea what half of these piercings meant. What the hell was a ‘Prince Albert’ anyway? They wandered on.

There was another large tent tucked away serving hot vegetarian food and chai tea so they sat at a table and were politely served with a delicious lunch and a pot of the sweet milky Indian drink of chai with it’s blend of aromatic spices. Harry got talking to the two men running the cafe and it was quickly established that he was the purveyor of the nifty hash flapjacks. He did a discount to them for four slices and they got their lunch for free. Once the word spread that the man with the flapjacks was around, Harry quickly sold out and was also reintroduced to the man with the black hash. He scored another half ounce mentally reckoning up their food stores and realising he had enough oats and stuff for another bake that night.

There were a few tents up here with cloths laid out on the ground, the owners selling a wide variety of wares from hard to find bike bits to jewellery crafted from silver cutlery. Harry treated himself to a bangle made from a fork, the tines twisted and bent into elegant spirals with small turquoises set into the centres. At another such stall, Severus fell in love with a white slit-necked shirt made of the finest gauzy Egyptian cotton and covered with delicate white-on-white embroidery and bought it for himself.

Thus fortified with lunch and purchases, they went to the centre of the field as the show was declared open. More folk flooded onto the field during the course of the day. The show was stunning and some of the artwork on the bikes was truly breathtaking. Everyone was given a slip of paper as they entered and asked to vote for the three bikes they liked best and why. At the end of the show, there was a crate of beer for the winner of the best design and a small prize for the viewer who guessed all three bikes in their correct winning order.

The paint jobs were largely magnificent, some showing some real artistry. There were others that were crude and a bit wonky but with evident passion behind the renditions. Some of the designs were a bit commonplace, winged bikes, eagles, stallions, death’s heads, skulls and the like but others were daring to be different, like the bike where all the metalwork that didn’t bear weight was spun into a series of delicate spider’s webs complete with dainty wrought iron spiders lurking within. This was at the top of Harry’s list.

Severus favoured a woman’s bike painted all over to look as if the machine were covered in exquisite black lace, the extended front forks painted to look like suspenders gripping the ‘stocking tops’ of the wheels and the seat covered in black leather artfully stitched to look like a basque with all the accompanying lacings. Another had fins and scales all over it, a dragon’s head complete with fire spewing from the mouth adorned the petrol tank and a perfectly curled tail swept around the side of the rear wheel over the rear mudguard. Another for Harry’s list.

Harry’s exclaimed “Wow”, brought Severus back to his side, they had meandered apart until the sound and the shocked look on Harry’s face impelled Severus to him. They both looked down. The bike itself was fairly unprepossessing, a smart black and gold paintjob but nothing out of the ordinary. It was the top of the wide tank and the segue into the seat that caught the eye. And how!

Hugging the tank was a pair of black leather clad legs. As the eye moved up the legs, the flies of the trousers were open, two clenched hands wearing fingerless leather gloves held the sides of the zip apart. Up and on to the seat was portrayed a lovingly rendered and very lifelike extremely erect and dripping cock complete with surrounding dark thatch and crab ladder up to the deeply recessed navel. The whole thing had been spray painted on and was a brilliant job. Harry ran a tentative finger down the cock, “I wonder if that’s the owner’s or his boyfriend’s?”, he chuckled, “Not as pretty as your dick, sweetie”, he murmured as he took his hand away again. Severus caught his eye and smirked, “Imagine that parked up outside the ‘Broomsticks? Half the wizarding world would have a coronary”, he muttered to hear a peal of laughter from Harry.

Who butted his shoulder lightly, “Yeah, while the other half would be wriggling on it or giving it surreptitious licks”. Severus flung his arm around Harry’s shoulders, “You, my love, have a filthy mind”. Harry smirked again, “Oh, and you don’t, I suppose?” Severus turned Harry to him and kissed him, “I would never have thought that the innocent purveyor of the Light could harbour such sexual darkness within and be such a corruptor of innocent old blokes into the bargain”. Harry snorted, “Hah! Innocent! You?! I don’t think so, sweetie. You’re as filthy as me, if not more so and I intend to plumb the very depths of your secret lusts and depravities, so there”, he ended on a cheeky note and stuck out his tongue, to have it sucked gently into Severus’ mouth again.

They parted slightly and carried on down the rows, passing comment and making notes. Severus stopped suddenly making Harry turn in his tracks. “What is it, love?” Harry looked at the frown on Severus’ face. The older man hesitated before speaking. “You know that the wizarding world runs parallel to this one?” Harry drawled, “Yee-eesss”. “So hex me for being stupid here, but does a gay world run beside this one, like our world? One where I can kiss you wherever I want and walk down the street like this with my arm round you. The only place I’ve ever known remotely like that is Canal Street in Manchester”.

Harry smiled, “Wish there was, lover, but there isn’t. I think as more and more of us marry and demonstrate that we’re not a feckless bunch of rampant cottagers, it’ll become easier but I doubt it’ll be in our lifetime. History can be awfully slow sometimes, but I bet if we wanted to hold hands on a Sunday walk in the park, even today in England’s larger cities, I bet we could without being beaten up or anything. Still, I know what you mean, it would be good to be as open as this all the time. I’m married to you and straights can do this without thinking twice. Maybe we should have a house in Brighton or somewhere, if we want a house in England”.

Severus was quiet for a while before murmuring, “Damn shame really. I think that’s what I’m enjoying most about this festival. The bikes are fun but it’s the fact that I can be totally gay here. Just me as a gay man with the love of my life at my side”, he swiped a kiss over Harry’s forehead. Harry glanced up and returned it, “Mmm-hmmm, know just what you mean, you old romantic”. Severus took a hand from Harry’s shoulder long enough to whack his arse gently, “Oi, less of the old, if you don’t mind. For a wizard, I’m barely middle-aged”.

They wandered the field again, eliminating various choices until they had the three they wished to submit and the light was starting to fail. They filled in their little voting slips and handed them to the steward before meandering back towards their own field.

~~~~~~~~~~~WS (explicit)~~~~~~~~~

Passing the knot of trees, Harry giggled, “I wonder if that lad’s still there waiting to be pissed on”. Severus pulled him close, “Why, Mrs Snape, would you like to oblige him? Perhaps the mite needs a drink, it’s been a hot day today”. Harry tilted his head, his cheeks burning, “And would you watch me?”, he whispered. Severus lowered his mouth to Harry’s, “Only if you watched me”, Harry barely heard before he was soundly kissed. They drew apart breathing heavily, “If I see his mouth touch your cock, I’ll hex you”, Harry hissed, as, hand in hand, they left the track and dove into the trees.

The remains of food scattered about and the strong smell told them they were in the right place but the boy was gone. Harry lit his wand when they were sure they were on their own and they took a shortcut through the small wood anyway. At the other edge, Harry pulled Severus to him and kissed him, “Its a shame that guy wasn’t there. If you need a piss, baby, I’m here”, he purred. Severus held him tighter, “I’m glad he wasn’t there, actually, I can’t believe we nearly indulged like that, and with a complete stranger, too. Are you really sorry he isn’t here?” Harry shook his head slightly, “No, nothing beats pissing on you anyway”, he tapped Severus’ arse before resuming the embrace and the kiss.

He leaned back against the trunk of the tree pulling Severus after him deepening the kiss and feeling hands at his crotch undoing him. He shrank away minutely to give Severus some room and was rewarded by the fresh air on his growing cock as his pants were partly pulled down. As he plunged his tongue into his beloved’s mouth, he heard Severus undo his own zip, a rustle of cloth, the clink of loose change then the warm wet heat of liquid over his cock and balls, running in rivulets down his thighs, soaking his jeans. A hot cockhead rubbed over his own leaving wetness in it’s wake, a gush against his belly soaking the hem of his t-shirt and the last few spurts drenching his bollocks that dripped piss into his undershorts.

Harry moaned as he was instructed to his knees, “Clean me with your tongue”, the hoarse command as he obediently took Severus’ cock into his mouth and sucked joyfully. He knew Severus was close when he felt the cock leave his lips with a wet pop. “I was enjoying that!”, he whined. Severus smirked in the gloom above him, “I know that, dirty boy, but I want you to stand now and face the tree. I’m going to fuck you”.

Harry shivered at the low command in the voice and silently did as bid. Severus bit his shoulder through his shirt, “Hang on to that branch above your head and come up onto your toes”, Harry did so, his cock jutting out before him. Severus kicked his legs apart, murmured a lubrication charm over Harry and himself and impaled Harry on his cock in one fluent move with no stretching or prep. Harry shrieked and pushed back, bearing down at the invasion, then a sharp thrust and the nudge to his prostate nearly launched him into space.

Then he was fucked, long and hard and aggressive and noisy, bruising and sharp, wet slapping fucking sounds escaping, neither caring as Severus wrapped a fist around Harry and pumped him as he fucked him and both came sweatily and loudly, Harry first all over Severus’ hand, then Severus a moment later with his come-y fingers stuffed in his mouth.

They let the tree hold them up for a while until they had the use of their legs once again, extracted wands from pockets and cleaned each other up in between kisses and lazy words of love and sated lust. Zipped up, pink-cheeked and clean again, they sauntered the rest of the way to camp hand in hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WS (end)~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jed was the first to see them as he stood over the fire, “Hi, dudes, your timing’s excellent. Dinner in about twenty minutes if curry is all right?” Harry nodded, “Smells good, curry’s fine by me”. Severus also agreed and the two unrolled the groundsheet around the fire with the other six.

Conversation was centred around everyone’s day as usual. Frankie and Chris had once more been assisting in the lower field for the next race events, Jed and Sammy had mooched about all day but one look at their faces told how they had really spent their time. Mike and Matt were sporting new tattoos and a piercing each. Matt had had a nipple done and Mike an eyebrow before checking out the custom show, “Loads of those bikes are frauds, they just tote ‘em from show to show, they never go on the road at all. Gimme good custom road bikes any day. Did you see that sissy spiderweb thing, try and start the engine and the whole fuck’n’ thing’d shake to bits”. Harry pulled a face, that had been his favourite. Ah, well, what did he know?

“I quite liked some of the paint jobs”, he ventured, “The one with the guy with his cock out was good”. Frank laughed, “Aye, but it’s a friggin’ Jap bike”, he sneered in his graveliest voice. “At least he rides it though, has to retouch the paint job several times a year, says it gets vandalised every so often, people write on it, phone numbers and signatures and graffiti and shit. Apparently the guy in the picture is a guy he lost to the big ‘A’ many years ago”. So that cleared that one up.

After dinner the group broke up again heading in all different directions. Harry yawned and stood up. He and Severus were the only ones left around the fire. Severus expressed a preference for lighting one of the large outdoor candles and settling in the deckchair for a read.

Harry kissed him and went indoors. Munching on a sliver of flapjack, he sprawled out on the bed, booted up the laptop and selected a movie putting on the headphones as the credits started to roll and was soon engrossed in Monsters Inc, the silliness and the humour perfectly suiting his mood. Once, Severus came aboard to ask Harry something but seeing how absorbed Harry was, he just watched the play of light from the screen on Harry’s face for a while before going back to his book.

The book wasn’t holding his interest and as usual these days, he found himself thinking of Harry instead. Merlin!! Where had his brain gone? But, hell’s bells, he was on holiday, nay, honeymoon. If he wanted to spend time contemplating the wonder that was Harry then he would jolly well do so. He smiled at the stars as he laid his book open over his chest and settled down for a good old think as those incredible green eyes swam into his imagination.

The next thing he knew, he was being shaken gently awake, a voice far away from him was calling his name, getting closer now and consciousness returned with a thud and a heavy heartbeat or two. He sat up suddenly, blinking rapidly, his hand going for his wand but stilled when he realised it was just Jed standing over him. “Whoa, mate, no hex things. It’s just me and Sammy. You were asleep, mate, and it’s pretty late”. Severus shook himself like a dog then felt for his glasses. Jed handed them to him and he looked up and thanked the man, collecting himself and smiling. He noticed the fire was now out. He must have been asleep for some time. “Blast! I’ve been out cold for ages. Thanks for waking me, chaps. Brrr, I’m cold. The fire must have been out a while. Sorry about that, the book must be boring, went to sleep instead. Hmmm”, he mumbled as he stood stiffly. He scanned about, just the three of them, drew out his wand and lit the fire again, “There you go, good for a couple of cups of tea before it dies again”, he yawned and stretched then wished them goodnight as he climbed onto Bessie.

Sammy grinned, “I wanna know how to do that, Jed. I’ve got a feeling that’s nothin’. But I still want to do it”. Jed could do nought but agree, still completely gobsmacked by the slightest bit of magic. Sammy shrugged and put the kettle on for a late-night cuppa.

Severus closed the door as quietly as he could but it still made a thunk as it hit home. Harry never moved. The screensaver was on, the headphones askew as well as his glasses, forced half on to his back as a result and snoring for Britain. Severus grinned at the sight and carefully extracted Harry’s phone from his jacket pocket on the back of the driver’s seat. Severus had to think a minute to remember how to operate the little camera but he got the hang of it on the second try, capturing the wonky glasses and headphones, the open mouth, the glisten of the drool making a track from the corner of Harry’s mouth to the quilt beneath him. Ah, his sexy husband. He shot a few frames from different angles and placed the phone back in it’s pocket.

He then unplugged Harry and then the machine, closing everything down and stashing it all in it’s cupboard, removing the ‘phones, winding the cable up and hanging them on their little hook. He had to hand it to Harry, every little thing on Bessie had a proper home and he insisted that everything be put there after use. This suited Severus just fine. He had oftentimes thought Harry scattershot, particularly while he was still at school, but it was later that he realised that Harry was a consummate risk-taker with an impeccably tidy mind and habits, his few possessions organised with military precision and the whole place kept neat and shipshape.

Severus thought it may be a throwback to ‘the cupboard’. The tiny space that Harry had been forced to live in as a child, but maybe not. It just might be that the boy (he couldn’t stop thinking of him as ‘the boy’) was naturally tidy. The cottage that Harry and Draco had shared was in a perpetual state of semi-untidiness but Severus realised early on that it was Draco’s mess not Harry’s. Remus was a bit neater but had a tendency to put things away in the wrong places that drove Severus up the wall, and now, here he was, sharing a tiny space with someone who thought exactly as he did on matters of order and neatness. It may seem like a mere silly quibble to others but to both Harry and Severus it was a vital component to co-existence.

He removed Harry’s glasses carefully, placing them on the tiny night table before stripping him and levitating him into bed. He made sure that the blinds were all closed tight and everything locked up. He went for a piss and flushed. He looked down at Harry as he slept and felt so protective, locking up their tiny homestead and making sure they were safe inside before snuggling under the covers beside his man and taking him in his arms, knowing that this would be how Harry would wake in the morning, feeling safe and loved. Knowing this made Severus feel about ten feet tall as he smiled into Harry’s hair, gently brushing his mouth over Harry’s crown, “Merlin. I love you, Mrs Snape”, he mumbled as his eyes closed again.