The Serenading & Seduction of Severus Snape

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry and Co. Metallica owns the words to Unfogiven, and Elton John owns the lyrics to Your Song.





Harry went to his end of the table with his faithful companion, Killer, and Snape went to his. Harry ate quickly and exited the Great Hall giving Snape a smirk as he swept by. For most of the meal, Severus pushed his food around on his plate. He was nervous. What does that infuriating brat have in mind? Dessert! Ha!





Harry made his way to the dungeons and into this room. He felt grimy from sitting outside all day with the students and playing with his dog. He made his way easily to his bathroom, and started a hot shower. He allowed the steam to envelope him, body and soul. He relaxed under the flow and tried not to think about what he was scheming. He toweled dry and found himself a pair of cotton boxers and his robe. He preferred to cook in next to nothing. It was easier for Harry move around when he was only in his robe.





He decided on cooking an apple pie. What’s more American? He thought with a chuckle. Then he decided that he’d also make a pumpkin pie, just in case Sev didn’t like apples for some reason. He laughed and giggled and moved around his dog. As the apple pie was cooking, Harry summoned Dobby to watch it for him and take it out when it was done. Harry didn’t quite trust himself taking anything out of the oven just yet. He moved to his piano and played a few calming bars of Fur Elise and then paced some more. He decided that maybe a glass of brandy was in order to help calm his nerves.





After downing a glass, he asked Dobby to help him pick out his attire. Mostly, he wanted the house-elf to tell him what color shirt he was holding. He wore his brown suede leather pants, the same ones that he wore at the feast. He settled on a white cotton button down, shirt tail out, to cover his chest. Harry decided that he’d go barefoot, since he was at home, and he adored the feeling of the different rugs and carpet in his quarters.





Dobby finished the pies and set them to cooling. “Mr. Harry Potter, sir, the apple pie is on your left. The pumpkin is on your right. They both is on the counter by the sink, Mr. Harry Potter, sir.”





Harry smiled. “Dobby, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help.”





“If you is needing anything, I will come, just call for me, sir.”





“I’ll so that, Dobby. What time is it?”



“Mr. Harry Potter, it is five minutes until seven o’clock, sir.”





Harry moved to his piano again as he dismissed Dobby. He began playing a melody and quickly became so wrapped up in the music that he didn’t hear Severus enter. The older man stood listening to Harry playing. He knew this song well. He watched Harry’s fingers dance lazily across the keys as the younger man was clearly in his element. When he played the last notes, Snape began to clap. “I’m impressed, Potter, Fugue in G# is a beautiful piece. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers.”





Harry blushed as he turned around, embarrassed that he let the older man sneak up on him. “I…” Harry chuckled nervously, “I guess I got caught up in the music. I do that sometime times,” he added getting up from the bench.





“So, would you like to have dessert first and then drinks?”





It was Severus’ turn to laugh. “What have you got for us in the way of dessert?”





Harry moved with assurance toward his kitchen. “I’ve made a pumpkin pie, and an apple pie.”





“You cook?”





Harry shot an indignant look in the vicinity of the silky baritone. “Of course I do! That’s the one thing that will never change about me. I still love to cook!”





Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I do believe that I’ll have a slice of pumpkin, then.”





Harry washed his hands and grabbed a knife from the drawer with one hand as he took two small plates down with his other. “Pumpkin it is, then.”





Harry cut two pieces of pie and handed one to Snape as he reached into the drawer to retrieve two forks. He handed the older man one and led the way to the sitting room. Snape was impressed at the cream colored leather couch and matching chairs. He sat and took a bite of the slice of pie and groaned with delight. “Potter, this is really good!”





Harry laughed at his reaction. “Thank you, Severus. I learned the recipe while in the States. It’s an old family recipe that Jenn taught me.”





“So, tell me about your time in the States, Potter. You’ve come back the same person, only different, somehow.”





Harry smiled. “I’m actually very different now, Severus. I left England to find myself. I fulfilled my destiny, and I survived. I never imagined that I would. But, I lost everything that mattered to me in the process, well, all but one thing, but at the time, I didn’t realize it. I bought myself a plane ticket to the US and I traveled until I came to a place that I really liked the smell of. It was Dallas, Texas. With a little help from the Ministry there, I got into a program for blind muggles to learn Braille and to re-learn to take care of themselves. That’s where I met Jenn.





“When I told her my name, she did not know anything. It was nice to go somewhere and not have people fawning over me. She thought I was a muggle until I mentioned something about Hogwarts. I think she almost burst with joy when she found out I was a wizard. Jenn and her husband, Steve, are both squibs. She’s some distant relation to Helga Hufflepuff or something like that, but I digress.





“She and Steve taught me a lot about myself and how to trust my instincts. The two of them are responsible for my finding and learning to play music. The first time I heard her play was not long after I became their new roommate. She and Steve had gotten into a really bad argument. I’ll never forget that day. She sighed and told him she loved him and went to the piano. She started out playing a sorrowful melody; it brought tears to my eyes. When she finished, late into the night, it had morphed into several classic rock songs and laughter. I’ll never, ever forget it. By the time we all went to bed, Steve was strumming his guitar and singing.”





Harry sighed wistfully remembering that night. “So, are you ready for that drink now?”





Severus sat there quietly for a moment. “I do believe I am, Harry.”





The young man motioned for Severus to follow him to the kitchen. “I’ve got several different kinds of liquor.”





Harry reached into his cabinet and pulled each bottle down and sat it on the counter directly in front of him. Severus watched as he touched the first bottle. Harry felt the top, around the cap and said, “Ok, that’s fire whiskey.”





The second bottle he rubbed his finger across the label. “That’s brandy.”





The third, he grabbed the cap. “Amaretto.”





The fourth, he recognized it immediately from the texture of the bottle. “This stuff here is evil. It’s Jose Curevo tequila. If you think fire whiskey burns, have a shot of this stuff! I’ve also got a bottle of Merlot in the refrigerator if you’d prefer wine.”



“Harry, how do you manage to keep all of these bottles separate?”





Harry laughed, his now jade colored eyes twinkling. “Well, I have them marked. The fire whiskey I have and ‘X’ scratched in the cap. The label of the brandy is cut down the center. The Amaretto had a weird cap, and the tequila is a textured bottle. Easy as pie! So, what’s your poison?”





Snape looked at the man amazed. “I believe tonight I’ll have a glass of Amaretto.”





“Amaretto is it, then,” Harry answered as he pulled a drink glass down. “I’ll have the same!”





They took their drinks back to the sitting room and Harry settled back on the couch. He rubbed his bare feet across Killer who was lounging on the other end. Surprisingly, he was watching Severus. “Sev, what have you been doing all these years? I’ve prattled on about what I’ve done. It’s your turn.”





Snape sighed and sipped his drink. “I’ve been right here teaching. There really isn’t anything to tell. I’m still the greasy git potions master that all of the students hate.”





“Not all of them hate you, Sev. I’ve heard several 6th year girls commenting on how they love your longer hair. They speculate that it would be beyond silky if you’d pull it back when you brew potions.”





Severus laughed at this comment. “They do, do they? Too bad I’m not into women, those of age or not.”





Harry thought that comment to be very offhanded, so he thought he’d throw his own in there. “That’s ok; I know exactly what you mean. The girls are right, though. I just bet that your hair would be so soft to touch if you didn’t let it hang in the potion fumes all day.”





Snape’s eyes grew wide in shock, but he didn’t say a word. He was also unaware that Harry could see him. They drank for a while and Harry resumed his story, and the life he lived in Texas. “Why would you come back, Harry?”





“What do you mean, Severus?”





“If you life was so wonderful across the pond, why come back? You have no family, and your only friends are an ocean away now. What would bring you back to England?”





Harry sat in contemplation for a moment. “Well,” he answered, “I’m almost 30. I figured that it’s about time for me to settle down, find a job, and come home. Hogwarts is home no matter how long I’ve been away. That’s the sole reason I’ve kept in touch with Albus all of these years. I knew when the time was right he’d offer me the DADA job and then it would be time to come home.”





Harry smiled and poured himself another drink. He heard Severus pour himself another one shortly after. Harry suddenly stood up. “I’ve had a bit to drink, now. I think I’ll play you something. Are you up for it?”





Severus, who was feeling the effects of the alcohol himself, laughed. “Going to serenade me, Potter?”





Harry took the older man’s hand and pulled him out of the chair. “If you’ll let me I will,” he answered with a lopsided grin.





They moved toward the piano, Harry staggering a little, and he sat on the bench. Wandlessly, he summoned the chair that Snape had just vacated. “I would play you some classical music, but then you wouldn’t be able to hear my beautiful voice,” Harry slurred with a giggle. “How’s this for a great song?”





His fingers began playing a slow melody. He closed his eyes and could see the scene around him. He felt the music in his soul. At the appropriate point, he began to sing.





It\'s a little bit funny this feeling inside

I\'m not one of those who can easily hide

I don\'t have much money but boy if I did

I\'d buy a big house where we both could live





He looked toward the man next to him with his unseeing eyes. Harry could feel that the song was having an effect on the older man, even though he couldn’t see him.





If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

or a man who makes potions in a traveling show

I know it\'s not much but it\'s the best I can do

my gift is my song and this one\'s for you





He winked at Severus as he sang the second line, knowing that it would go straight to the man’s heart. It did.





And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple but now that it\'s done

I hope you don\'t mind

I hope you don\'t mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you\'re in the world



I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Well a few of the verses well they\'ve got me quite cross

But the sun\'s been quite kind while I wrote this song

It\'s for people like you that keep it turned on



So excuse me forgetting but these things I do

You see I\'ve forgotten if they\'re green or they\'re blue

Anyway the thing is what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I\'ve ever seen





As he finished the song, he smiled at the older man. He knew that this song would convey the exact reason Harry came back to England.





Snape sat there for a long moment and wiped a tear from his eyes. He’d heard that song many times in his life, and not once had it touched him like this rendition did. He was moved to his soul by the emotions shown in the blind eyes in front of him. “Harry,” he croaked before clearing throat, “that was beautiful. It’s also one of my favorite songs.”





“Elton John fan, are we?” Harry chuckled. “So am I.

There aren’t many of his songs that I don’t like to play on the piano. That man has a style of his own.”





“Harry, why’d you really come back?”





The younger man moved toward Severus. “Honestly? Well, I realized that in America there was one thing I was missing. I’d met a few men, had many lovers, most amazing, too, but the one thing I couldn’t find was a proper Englishman. I wanted someone who could handle anything that I threw at them, my fits of anger, my child-like glee, and my nightmares. Yes, I still have them at times. I came back because I wanted someone who saw just Harry. Even in America finding a good wizard was hard because of whom I am. Mostly, I came back because I wanted to be close to you.”





Snape let these words sink in for a moment. “Why me? I did nothing but give you hell all through your school days. I was nothing but a bastard to you until you disappeared. I’m old enough to be your father!”





Harry put his hand on Severus’ knee. “Sev, I’ve seen more than a wizard my age. I’ve been through more than most wizards your age. I want a companion that will keep me grounded, but love me for me. I don’t want someone who fawns over my every move because I defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nor do I want someone who holds me back because they are scared that I’ll get into something that I can’t handle because I’m blind. I want a chance at a normal life and have a normal husband and normal children. That’s what I want.”





Severus put his hand over Harry’s and just sat there. He was drunk and what Harry was telling him was overwhelming him. Harry came back to be with him. Harry chose him! His expression was blank, as always, and Harry sat there. He could sense that there was some sort of struggle going on within the man, and he didn’t want to disturb it.



Severus didn’t know when Harry moved his hand and got up. The young man’s padding across the room didn’t faze him. What brought him from his thoughts was the click of the latches on Harry’s guitar case opening up. He brought his guitar back to the piano bench and sat down with it. “I heard a song in the States that made me think of me and my life, then it made me think of you. I don’t want you to end up hating the world when there is so much out there for you to do. I don’t want you to be alone when you don’t have to be. This self-imposed isolation will drive a person mad, believe me, I know better than most. It speaks volumes to just how parallel our lives are, and always have been, even if you chose not to see it.”





Harry strummed his guitar softly and began to sing.



New blood joins this earth

and quickly he\'s subdued

through constant pain disgrace

the young boy learns their rules



With time the child draws in

this whipping boy done wrong

Deprived of all his thoughts

the young man struggles on and on he\'s known

a vow unto his own

that never from this day

His will they\'ll take away



What I\'ve felt

what I\'ve known

Never shined through in what I\'ve shown

Never be

Never see

won’t see what might have been



What I\'ve felt

what I\'ve known

Never shined through in what I\'ve shown

Never free

Never me

so I dub thee unforgiven



They dedicate their lives

To running all of his

He tries to please them all

This bitter man he is

Throughout his life the same

He\'s battled constantly

This fight he cannot win

A tired man they see no longer cares

The old man then prepares

To die regretfully

That old man here is me



What I\'ve felt

what I\'ve known

Never shined through in what I\'ve shown

Never be

Never see

won’t see what might have been



What I\'ve felt

what I\'ve known

Never shined through in what I\'ve shown

Never free

Never me

so I dub thee unforgiven



You labeled me

I\'ll label you

so I dub thee unforgiven





When he finished singing, Harry heard a soft sob. He put his guitar down and gathered the older man in his arms. “You know you’re free now, don’t you? No more fighting, serving two masters, and most importantly, you can live your life with no more regrets of things you’ve done.”





Harry’s hands found Snape’s face. He gently wiped the tears away from the usually stoic man’s cheeks. “Severus, please say something.”





The older man grabbed Harry in a crushing hug and pulled him onto his lap. Harry wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck and held him tight. “I don’t really know what to say to you Harry,” Snape mumbled into his shoulder.





Harry pulled back a bit. “Yes you do,” came Harry’s kind response.





Tears still leaked from his obsidian eyes as he looked into Harry’s unseeing ones. “I’ve missed you since you left England. You can’t imagine how many times I begged Dumbledore to tell me where you were. All he’d tell me was ‘he’ll be back soon enough’ and then his eyes would twinkle and drive me insane.”





At this, both men laughed. Harry ran his fingers through Snape’s hair. “As much as I know I shouldn’t tell you this, I’m going to anyway. I asked him specifically not to tell you where I was. By seventh year, we’d spent so much time together training I’d developed feelings for you. I went to the States thinking that I’d forget about you and find someone who’d accept me for me. I never once thought you’d even remotely have me…”





Snape silenced Harry with a finger to his lips. “You thought wrong.”





Severus’ finger was replaced by a gentle kiss. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to quit my job and use the Snape fortune to find you. I never did, though. I’d make up my mind to and then get a weird dream or a funny notion that if I left you’d come back, and then I’d be searching for naught. There’s a reason I was a Slytherin and not a Gryffindor.”



Harry chuckled softly and tightened his arms back around the man’s neck. He spoke softy into his ear. “I think that what really matters is that we are here now. My own stupidity and pride is what caused this wait.”





It was Harry’s turn to kiss the older man. He tenderly swept his tongue across Severus’ lips begging entrance. The older man gasped and Harry slipped into his mouth. He explored the wet cavern. This mouth had been the star of many dreams and fantasies over the years. The taste of the liquor lingered in Severus’ mouth while the scent of green apples over took his sense of smell. Harry knew what heaven was and he never wanted to leave.





Severus was the first to break away, panting. He looked at Harry and then ran a finger across his lips. Harry rose from his seat on the man’s lap. “Let’s go some place a little more comfortable,” he whispered barely audibly taking Severus’ hand. “We’ve got a decade of lost time to make up for.”





Harry led him to the bedroom. The two men fell on Harry’s bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Their kisses morphed from eager, hungry ones to gentle flutters. Severus unbuttoned Harry’s shirt and worshipped every inch that was uncovered with his hands and lips. Harry moaned with pleasure. “I need you, Sev.”



The older man stopped his exploration long enough to say, “Harry, we’ve waited a decade, another few minutes won’t kill you.”





As he resumed worshiping the tanned torso in front on him, he dipped his tongue into Harry’s bellybutton. Harry arched his back into the touch and whimpered, “It might.”





Languorously, Severus unbuttoned Harry’s pants and stripped Harry down to his boxers. “At least you’ll die happy.”