Standing Against the Tides

Last time I looked at my driver’s license, it did not say J. K. Rowling. Yep, it’s just me, an unpaid and unknown aspiring writer. The characters of the Potterverse do not belong to me and I am making no money from this endeavor.

A/N: Spoilers through OotP. As I am still in denial, I refuse to acknowledge the events of HBP or DH at this point.

Unbeta’d as BabyGurl is busy with her own life.


Chapter 16 Denial is a Nice Place to Live

Harry awoke the next day enveloped in a cocoon of warmth and a feeling of security. Blinking in confusion, the young man finally realized that he was being held in the firm embrace of another being. Another being who happened to have a rather strong grip and a rather warm and firm body. Sitting up abruptly, Harry took a deep breath before turning around to see just who his bedmate was. Oh no, it couldn’t be. Oh, but it was. Severus Snape. The man who lived to hate Harry Potter. How did they end up in bed together? And why had the man been hugging him in his sleep?

Running his hand through his already tousled hair, the young man tried to make sense of the situation. Everything was just too weird right now. Frowning, Harry considered this thing called his life. He had a megalomaniac after him, he was struggling to learn all he could so that he could defeat Voldemort; he had recently found out that the man they had all trusted had in fact been working against them; he had just woken up in the arms of his Potions master; and now he was the proud, if somewhat confused owner of a Phoenix. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that this all pointed to him being the next Headmaster of Hogwarts. Just how was he supposed to deal with all of this? Just how much more was he expected to be able to handle?

Quietly slipping out of the unfamiliar bed, Harry escaped to the solitude of the sitting room. Immediately the fire in the large fireplace flared to life, bringing the comfort of its flames to the bewildered young man. Try as he might, Harry couldn’t deny that it had felt wonderful to wake up in the embrace of the older man. Once again, those strange and new feelings rose to the surface. Sighing, Harry wondered why his sexuality seemed to think that this was a good time to awaken. And more to the point, why did his body seem to be fixated on the man who was still sleeping in the next room? A man who had never given any inclination of feeling anything other than utter contempt for him?

Harry tilted his head back and closed his eyes. What was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly finding the Potions master so attractive and sexy? While Harry had no problem with being gay, he had to admit that he found it rather disconcerting to be drawn to a man who had always shown great delight in tormenting him. Although, that voice was like liquid velvet and there was no denying that the man’s dark eyes were absolutely mesmerizing, and those elegant hands… With a start, Harry sat back upright and shook his head in an attempt at clearing the sudden haze of arousal he was feeling.


Severus stretched lazily as he slowly awoke. He truly couldn’t remember the last time he had slept as well. Opening his eyes, the Potions master realized that he was currently alone in his bed. Struggling to ignore the emptiness that particular revelation invoked, Severus sat up and decided he had better go and find Harry. Merlin only knew how the young man was handling all of the recent developments in his life.

The older man stopped in the doorway to his sitting room and silently watched as the Phoenix attempted to soothe its new human companion. The young man absently stroked the brilliant feathers as he sat staring vacantly into the fireplace. Severus was able to quietly observe his soul mate for several long minutes before the green-eyed man turned to look over to his Potions master.

For a breathless moment in time the two men regarded one another. Harry couldn’t even begin to understand, but somehow he knew that last night everything had changed between him and the older wizard. Shaking his head at the odd thoughts Flooding his mind, Harry stood and watched as the Potions master walked into the room. The young Gryffindor was finding it difficult to breathe as he took in the smooth and elegant gait of the dark-eyed man. How was it that he had never before noticed just how innately sexy the man truly was? And why was he noticing this now, of all times?


Severus struggled to squelch the sudden desire coursing through his system. How could it be that the younger man had no idea of just how delectable he was? For Severus had begun to understand that Harry really was guileless and had no comprehension of his sexual appeal. Firmly tamping down on his wayward thoughts and emotions, Severus walked over and tapped his wand on the table. Immediately a house-elf appeared with a large tray laden with assorted breakfast foods as well as a coffee carafe and a teapot.

Sitting down at the table, Severus looked up to see a strange expression briefly flit across the younger man’s face before Harry visibly forced the emotion down and schooled his features back into a neutral mask. Intrigued by the display, Severus found himself wondering when his student had learned to close off his emotions so well.


Harry grabbed hold of his much-vaunted Gryffindor courage and crossed the room to sit across from his professor. Unaccountably shy and nervous, both men suddenly found the plates before them to be most interesting thing in the universe and both focused all of their attentions on the plain and simple tableware.

All in all, breakfast was a quiet affair as Harry and Severus were each lost in their own confused and befuddled thoughts. Severus had known for a while now that his soul mate was Harry Potter, but the memory of holding the young man last night had rather successfully unhinged the normally stoic man.

Meanwhile, the younger wizard was busy trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts and feelings. While he had privately acknowledged beforehand that there was a certain attraction to the stern Potions master, Harry had never before felt quite so unnerved by another person’s presence. For the first time in his young life, Harry was acutely aware of every breath and every minute movement from the other man. The experience was heady and overwhelming and Harry felt that he could quickly become addicted to the rush of adrenaline flowing through his body.


As each man diligently worked to ignore his companion, Fawkes preened on his new perch on the other side of the room. Trilling softly, the Phoenix wondered what it would take to make the humans see the truth that was plain for all to see. But as Fawkes had been tied to a great fool for a great number of years, the Phoenix had learned to be patient. Even as he watched the men in their almost-courtship dance, Fawkes began plotting and planning on how to lead the men out of the land of denial and into each other’s arms.