Smoke & Mirrors

Disclaimer The majority of the characters and the sheer genius belong to J K Rowling.

Any smut is mine, but I don't make a penny/eurocent/cent from my warped imagination.

A/N If you've read my story Happy Birthday Harry this chapter will look VERY familiar, as it's just about identical. Still, at least it puts it in context. And so you don't feel cheated, I'm putting up chapters 3 and 4 as well ;)

Chapter 2 Happy Birthday, Harry!

"OK," Ron said, "I've just about sorted the teams out for this weekend, I'm only one or two players short."

"Who've you got?" Hermione asked.

Ron waved a piece of much scribbled on parchment, full of crossings-out, under Hermione's nose. "Well, first things first, the Gryffindor All Stars - stop sniggering! - There's Harry as Seeker, of course, and me as Keeper. Then I conned Fred and George into being Beaters, they didn't need much persuasion actually. They're coming to the party anyway, and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are doing the fireworks for it. Then there's the Chasers - "

Hermione leaned over to get a better view of the parchment. "Oh no, Ron, really - you haven't asked Ginny have you?"

"Not yet," said Ron. "But she's my sister, she'll do as she's told."

"I don't think either Ginny or Harry would be comfortable with it," said Hermione. "Honestly, Ron, you've all the sensitivity of a steamroller!"

Ron scowled, reached for his quill, and heavily scored out Ginny's name. "That leaves us shy a Chaser," he complained. "I've just got Katie and Demelza, now."

"It won't matter if you're a player short, will it?" asked Hermione. "It's only a friendly match, after all - just a sort of finale to the weekend celebrations."

"Hermione," Ron said patiently. "You may have been misled by the term 'friendly'. Of course we want to beat the shit out of them."

"Who have you got as them, anyway?"

"Well, sorting out the Gryffindor team's a piece of cake compared to the trouble I'm having with 'The Rest'. For starters, I didn't want any Slytherins in it at all, but Professor McGonagall insisted we had to have 'a fair-r-r representation of the school as a whole'."

Hermione laughed at Ron's imitation of the Headmistress. "But she's right, you know," she said. "We may not like the Slytherins much, but they are a part of Hogwarts, and well, Harry is, um, close to their Head of House." Ron snorted. "So who did you get to represent Slytherin?"

"Crabbe and Goyle," Ron said. "Professor McGonagall ordered them to play, they wouldn't listen to me. Then we've got Cho Chang as Seeker -"

"Won't that be a bit embarrassing for Harry?" asked Hermione. "Not nearly as embarrassing as having Ginny play Chaser for us, of course, but still ..."

"Oh give it a rest, Hermione! Cho and Roger Black are representing Ravenclaw, and that's final. And I've got Smith and Cadwallader - they're both Chasers - representing Hufflepuff. But I'm buggered if I can find a Keeper."

"And which House are you going to get one from?" asked Hermione.

"That's part of the problem," said Ron. "No way I am having another Slytherin on the team. But if I pick a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, the Slytherins will complain."

"Pick a Gryffindor, then," suggested Hermione.

"That really would piss everybody off! They'd say I did it to nobble them, and that the Keeper would let our Quaffles in on purpose."

"Not if you pick Cormac McLaggen," Hermione said smugly. "Everyone knows he thinks he's a better Keeper than you, and is just dying to get the chance to prove it."

Ron stared at her. "You know, Hermione, that's not as stupid as it sounds," he said.

"It wasn't meant to sound stupid at all," Hermione said waspishly.

"OK, OK," Ron said hurriedly, scribbling McLaggen's name down on the parchment. "That leaves a Chaser to find for our team. Could be a problem - I've tried just about all the old Gryffindor Chasers I know. And, er, Hermione? Would you mind asking McLaggen to play Keeper for 'The Rest'?"

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An almost overwhelmingly hot July was at last coming to an end. The few students and staff left at Hogwarts had been enjoying a long succession of sunny days. The summer-school lessons often took place outside, with the students sprawled under trees on the edge of the lawn or beside the lake with the sun glittering on its breeze-ruffled surface.

Preparations for the coming weekend were almost complete. Invitations had gone out far and wide; old Hogwarts students would soon be heading for the castle, to finally celebrate their deliverance from Voldemort, and also Harry Potter's upcoming twentieth birthday.

As far as Ron was concerned, only one problem remained; he still hadn't found a third Chaser for his Gryffindor All Stars team. At this rate he'd be reduced to co-opting a player from another House.

"Oh, I've found you another Quidditch player for Sunday," Hermione mentioned casually as they strolled back to Gryffindor Tower after a rather boring Herbology lesson, which had seemed to consist mainly of watering Professor Sprout's wilting plants.

"Who?" Ron asked suspiciously. He'd already had to veto her previous suggestions of Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Marcus Flint.

"Dean Thomas!" Hermione announced triumphantly. "He's happy to play Chaser for you."

"How did you manage to get hold of him?" asked Ron. "I tried weeks ago but his family said he was out of the country."

"Well, he's back now," said Hermione. "He and Seamus are coming to the party, and Dean said he'll play in the match too."

Ron threw his arms round Hermione and hugged her. "Brilliant!"

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The following weekend dawned fine and warm. By the Saturday evening the lawns outside Hogwarts castle were covered with long trestle tables groaning with tempting food, pitchers of iced pumpkin juice and ice-buckets filled with bottles of champagne. More and more guests kept arriving.

Harry was in the middle of it all, hugging friends he hadn't seen for ages, everyone chattering away nineteen to the dozen trying to catch up on all the news. There was however a shadow over things for him ... Snape had disappeared a few days ago, muttering something about preparing for a wizarding moot at Durmstrang. As Harry knew full well that it wasn't due to happen until the autumn, he couldn't help feeling this was rather a poor excuse.

But he refused to dwell on it - not for more than a few minutes at a time anyway - and threw himself wholeheartedly into the celebrations. The tables were whisked away late in the evening, and everyone danced on the lawn to the music of the Weird Sisters until the small hours of the morning.

Everyone got up late the following day - it was afternoon before most people surfaced. They all met at six o'clock in the Great Hall for a light meal and a few speeches praising Harry for bringing Voldemort's reign of terror to an end. Harry, thoroughly embarrassed, was delighted when the speeches were finished.

People called out for him to make a speech too, but he just smiled all round and said "I had help from lots of witches and wizards - it wasn't just me - and unfortunately some of them aren't here to celebrate with us today -" He broke off, blushing, to ironic cheers from the Slytherin table. He'd meant Hagrid, mainly, of course, and others who had lost their lives in the war. But too late he realised his words could also be interpreted to refer to Professor Snape, whose continued absence at High Table had already caused a lot of comment.

Professor McGonagall came to his rescue. "And now, everybody, outside to the Quidditch pitch! We have a match scheduled for this evening which I'm sure you'll all enjoy."

The stands around the pitch were soon filled with spectators, buzzing with excitement as they waited for the teams to come out of the changing rooms. A loud cheer went up as the fourteen players came out onto the pitch, closely followed by the referee, Madam Hooch.

The Gryffindor team were wearing their usual scarlet Quidditch robes. The robes of their opponents had been Transfigured into a gaudy mixture of Ravenclaw blue, Slytherin green and Hufflepuff yellow. McLaggen, the Keeper, had an additional stripe of Gryffindor scarlet zigzagging across his chest.

Harry glanced over at the stands. There was Professor McGonagall, cheering the Gryffindor team. There were dozens of his old schoolmates, Hermione foremost among them, waving to him encouragingly. But there was no sign of Severus Snape.

Still, it was good to be out on a Quidditch pitch again. It felt almost as though the last four or five years had never happened. He circled the pitch, cheered by the crowd, many of them waving banners saying Harry Potter Saved Our World and Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Harry.

There'd been times over the past few years when he'd thought he'd never play Quidditch again, and yet here he was on his Firebolt waiting for Madam Hooch to start the game. Only one thing was needed to make it perfect, Harry mused, looking wistfully down into the Snapeless stands.

Madam Hooch blew a shrill blast on her whistle, and they were away. Harry rose high into the air on his Firebolt, scanning everywhere for a glimpse of the Snitch.

"And I'd like Gryffindor All Stars to win, what do you think, Lee?"

"Well, Luna, I believe we're meant to be unbiassed here, but yes, they have a fine looking team today."

Hardly believing his ears, Harry looked down. Sure enough, Luna Lovegood and Lee Jordan were sharing the commentary podium.

Luna Lovegood's amplified voice echoed dreamily across the field. "And Zacharias Smith has the Quaffle, I remember Ginny Weasley crashing into him at the end of one match. Does anyone know what's happened to Ginny? I haven't seen her lately ..."

Harry winced, momentarily distracted from his search for the Golden Snitch. It got worse.

"She and Harry Potter were an item once ... I wonder why they spl-"

Then Lee Jordan, hurriedly cutting in: "And Smith is lining up for a shot at goal - oh well done Fred, or is it George, a well-timed hit from a Bludger and Thomas is in possession for Gryffindor All Stars - shame Angelina Johnson isn't playing, I really fancied her - "

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Prof, quite like old times this, isn't it? Now Black in possession for the Rest, oh neat, side-slipped a Bludger no problem - and he scores - the Rest ten, Gryffindor All Stars nil, come on Gryffindor ... "

Several hours later the score was Gryffindor All Stars three hundred and ten, the Rest two hundred and fifty - and neither Harry nor Cho had come even close to catching the Snitch, which seemed to be particularly elusive today.

The evening shadows were lengthening across the pitch, but still the game went on. At last, circling high above, Harry caught sight of a golden gleam down near the spectators stands. He dived towards it, closely followed by Cho Chang. As he neared the stands, he realised that a newcomer had joined the crowd. Gazing up at him, black eyes intent, was Severus Snape. When he saw that Harry had recognised him, he moved a hand in a tiny gesture of greeting.

Harry's heart swelled, the day was a special one after all ... he swooped joyously down, scooping up the Snitch just inches from the grass and rose back into the air, head thrown back, holding his prize aloft to resounding cheers from his friends.

He performed a lap of honour, still holding the Snitch, while Fred and George, without even bothering to change out of their Quidditch robes, started letting off a special selection of fireworks from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

At last Harry landed and handed the Snitch over to Madam Hooch. "You'd better give me your broom to put away too, Mr Potter," she said. "You should get changed and cool down a bit." Harry nodded, passed over his Firebolt and started to head for the changing rooms. He hadn't gone far, however, when he was intercepted by Snape.

"You look hot," Snape commented, eyeing Harry with a dark intensity which made him blush. Was the comment deliberately ambiguous? Harry wasn't sure: things had been strained between them recently, thanks to Draco Malfoy's machinations. He chose to reply to the less sexually charged interpretation.

"Yeah, pretty warm playing Quidditch this weather. I'm off to the showers."

"I've a much better idea," said Snape, placing his arm lightly round Harry's shoulders and guiding him off the pitch. The pair began to walk slowly towards the lake, closely followed by one of Fred and George's fireworks in the shape of a fiery dragon.

Snape pointed his wand at it and it performed a backflip then sped off towards the grinning Weasley twins.

The shouts and laughter from the happily celebrating Gryffindors gradually died away into the distance as Snape and Harry neared the shore of the lake. The July sky blazed with stars but there was no moon to light their way. Snape pointed his wand at the lake and instantly a track of phosphorescent water appeared, leading across to a small bay.

"Gosh, how did you?" Harry began, but Snape hushed him. With an intent look on his face he charmed away their clothes then pulled Harry into the water. The phosphorescence ran like fire down their bodies as they swam along its track towards the bay.

The cool water swirled caressingly about Harry's naked, sweating body. It felt wonderful. He remembered Severus, weeks ago in the hospital wing, murmuring when I see you, all my doubts are laid to rest; and realised that at this moment he felt the same way. In the power of the older wizard's presence, all his doubts and fears were being swept away, just as his naked body was being washed clean by the swirling waters of the lake. He did wonder, hazily, whether the doubts would return when the overwhelming, charged presence of Snape was no longer close; then that thought too drifted away and was gone.

At last they reached the little bay and waded half out of the watter. Severus skimmed the tips of his fingers lightly across Harry's chest, then combed his long fingers through the youth's hair.

"But how did you make the lake glow like that?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I know a little about water magic," Severus replied. "This, for instance..." He gestured with his wand at the lake. Harry gasped at the sensations he was producing. In the past when they'd made love, Harry often had the illusion that Severus's hands were everywhere on him at once. Now Severus had charmed the lake water to do just that - caressing and stroking every part of his body. Precum streamed away from the tip of his cock in swirls of phospherescence.

Severus grasped Harry's erect cock and began to stroke it. He made one last gesture with his wand before carefully placing it and Harry's on a ledge of rock behind them. "Lumosemen!"

" What does that do?" gasped Harry. The sensation of the lake water stroking him all over had been wonderful, but Severus fondling his cock was better still.

"You'll see," Severus whispered.

There was a sudden rumble in the distance. "Sounds like a storm brewing," Harry said.

"How ... appropriate," murmured Severus, pressing his own hard cock against Harry's and starting to rub them together. There was another crack of thunder, closer now, and rain began hissing into the surface of the lake.

The fiery trail which had led them across the water had gone now, but as more precum began leaking from Harry's cock he realised that it had a luminescence of its own, as bright golden streaks ran off into the water, to be joined by silvery ones from Severus.

"You gave us luminous spunk in our house colours!" laughed Harry. "Wow, you are full of surprises ..." Then he fell silent, his whole being taken up with the waves of ecstacy thrilling through his cock and then spreading to his entire body.

Streaks of phosphorescent cum in the dark waters of the lake were mirrored above by lightning splitting the black sky. The rain pelted furiously down on them, the thunder crashed and rumbled, and the evidence of their passion streamed away in great luminescent whorls into the surrounding water.

At last Harry floated limply on his back, eyes closed, almost unconscious from the intensity of his orgasm.

Severus swam closer again and took Harry in his arms. He kissed and stroked him repeatedly until Harry found himself starting to get hard again, his cock floating lazily between them.

Severus lifted himself up and wrapped his legs around Harry's waist; using the buoyancy given him by the lake he slowly rose and fell with the water, brushing his arse against the head of Harry's cock each time. He murmured a velvety deep enquiry into the youth's ear. "Yes?"

"Oh, YES," Harry groaned against his lover's neck.

"Will you do the honours?"

Harry nodded, and reached behind to the ledge of rock. Grasping his wand he pointed it towards Snape's arse. "Lubricio!"

Snape moaned, and lowered himself with exquisite slowness to impale himself on Harry's cock. Harry nearly dropped his wand. Recovering, he tossed it carelessly over his shoulder to clatter back onto the ledge, then leaned back against the smooth rock with a long, blissful sigh of contentment.

Severus rose and fell in a glorious, leisurely rhythm, tightening himself to gently squeeze Harry's cock with each stroke. If Harry hadn't climaxed already tonight, he would have come almost immediately; as it was, he was able to relax in the water and enjoy his lover's sexual ministrations.

The storm had died away now and the scene was in complete darkness apart from the occasional firework still rising into the sky over by the castle. A stray rocket whizzed over the lake towards them and exploded over their heads in a lengthy shower of red, green, gold and silver sparkles.

Severus chuckled, and gripping Harry's cock still tighter with his arse muscles, began to plunge down on him more and more rapidly until Harry threw his head back, screamed in ecstacy and orgasmed as the last of the sparks died away.

The sound of a bell tolling filled the air, seeming to come from the depths of the lake itself.

"What's that?" asked Harry, startled.

"Midnight," Severus murmured in his ear. "Happy birthday, Harry."

TBC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>