A Man Cannot Control His Dreams
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Snape
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
32
Views:
59,061
Reviews:
275
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Snape
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
32
Views:
59,061
Reviews:
275
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Mixed Signals
A/N: thanks for all your support, readers! I really enjoyed planning these next few chapters.
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Neville paced in the Gryffindor common room. Should he confront Harry? It was so colossally unlikely that there was any reason to… but the not-knowing was tearing him apart. And Gran was insisting he return for Christmas this year. She thought Hogwarts was too dangerous – as if anywhere else in the whole country wasn’t more dangerous than the castle. Neville thought he’d go crazy, spending the entire holiday away, without having done anything to resolve the situation. He would. He’d go crazy. That resolved it.
*
Neville opened the door to the dormitory just as Harry was pulling his shirt over his head.
“Hey Harry I- ”
“Neville!” Harry yelped as he hastily jerked his shirt down over his exposed stomach, nearly tangling himself in it. “…Hey.” There was a shocked pause. ‘He didn’t see. He didn’t see. He didn’t.’ Neville’s expression neutralized, mercifully.
“Hey, I was just going down to eat, you wanna come?” he asked. Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. What an unbearably close call. There were at least three, three marks between his collarbone and hips.
“Oh. Yeah, sure. Give me a few minutes,” he managed, and gave a friendly smile.
“Sure.” Neville turned on his heal and left the room, closing the door behind him, and Harry sat heavily on his bed, with a resolution to be more careful with his dressing habits in the future. This whole business was likely to give him a heart attack before he came of age.
****
Neville stood in the hallway, shocked.
“Okay, okay,” he muttered to himself. “That doesn’t prove anything.” But that had been the darkest hickey Neville had ever seen. Even the tiny glimpse he’d gotten had left no questions as to what it was. Getting, say, hit in the stomach with something just didn’t leave that sort of mark. But it didn’t mean anything. Maybe Harry just had a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Or something. It didn’t mean that Harry… with Snape… it just didn’t necessarily mean that. Even if that’s how it was really starting to look. But it was still damned impossible!
Just then, though, he was struck with an idea. If anyone knew whether Harry had a girl/boyfriend, even a secret one, it would be Ron and Hermione. So off to the great hall he went, in search of a concrete answer or two. He only prayed the answer would be ‘yes.’
****
Thankfully, Ron and Hermione were sitting together, bickering as usual. Neville made a b-line for them.
“Hey, guys,” he started, attempting to break up their little spat. It sounded something like a complaint of Hermione’s study schedule. Trivial though the argument was, they didn’t seem to hear him. “Hey!” Nothing. “Oi! You guys!!”
“What?” Hermione asked suddenly, exasperated. Her face was bright with indignation, and Neville faltered under her clear annoyance. How Ron could keep exacerbating it was beyond him. Hermione was just scary when she was mad.
“Hey, I was just wondering….” He trailed off. “um…” Hermione’s face softened.
“What is it? Is something the matter?” she asked, and Ron sighed in irritation. Why couldn’t she treat him like that?
“No, no,” Neville answered, though he thought there probably was something very, very the matter. “I was just wondering, does – does Harry have a… girlfriend?” The pair stared at him; looked at each other for a moment, then back again. Neville shifted uncomfortably.
“No,” they replied together.
“Why?” Hermione added and, under her scrutinizing eye, Neville realized that maybe that was an odd question for him to ask.
“Oh, no reason,” he answered awkwardly. So, no girlfriend. But he didn’t dare ask about a boyfriend at the moment. And, after all, if Harry did have one, they probably would have mentioned it. He filed the information away. “Well, I’ve got to get going. Gran always wants me to pack a few days before I leave so I have more time to remember things I’ve forgotten. You know.” He stood, and waved with forced cheer. “Bye guys!”
“Bye Neville.”
“Bye Mate.”
As he left, Hermione and Ron looked at each other in confusion, their argument forgotten entirely.
“Well,” Hermione said. “That was odd.” But Ron didn’t have a chance to reply, as just then he caught sight of their missing third friend.
“G’morning,” Harry said.
“Good afternoon,” Hermione corrected. Then, with humor, “Sleep well?” Harry laughed. He had overdone the whole vacation-sleeping-in thing, he supposed.
“Yeah, thanks. Hey,” he looked around. “Where’s Neville?” Ron and Hermione shared another glance.
“You just missed him, mate,” Ron said, and raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason. Just thought he’d be here ‘s all.”
“Right.”
****
Three days later, Neville was on the train back to London, feeling very dissatisfied with the state of his mystery. The answer was staring him in the face, of course, but he refused to see it. After all, Harry was his friend, and a normal teenage boy. And therefore, could not have been sucked on by Professor Snape. And that was that.
****
Harry was reclining on the couch in front of a roaring fire, idly watching the first snow of the season fall on the grounds, when Hermione cornered him.
“Hey Harry,” she said, sitting beside him. “Can we talk for a second?” Harry sat up at once, his heart jumping into his throat. But he forced himself to relax. There was no way she could know anything. Best not to give her any clues by freaking out. He settled himself, and forced a calm, level answer.
“Sure, ‘Mione. What’s going on?” She dropped her voice confidentially, though Harry noted with nervousness that they were alone.
“Listen, Harry, there’s nothing wrong with it, I mean, I care about you, I’m just wondering…” well, that proved she wasn’t talking about anything that was actually happening, as no one Harry knew would have describes his doings as “nothing wrong.” “Harry, are you seeing Neville?” She suddenly blurted, and Harry could only stare at her dumbly.
“Seeing him do what?” he asked. Hermione sighed.
“Are you and Neville, you know, together?” She laid a hand on his shoulder.
Harry choked on the breath he’d been halfway through taking. He was almost too shocked to answer. Almost.
“Am I WHAT?”
“It’s alright if you are, Harry, I mean, I’ll love you no matter what and I just –“
“No, for the love of Merlin, I have NOT been ‘seeing’ Neville! Why in the world would you even ask that?” What an absolutely bizarre idea. And Harry had been worried at the beginning of this conversation. “What could possibly lead you to believe that I – “
Hermione cut him off by hooking one finger in his collar and pulling it aside. She looked pointedly at the mark revealed. Harry’s heart sank. How – when had she seen it? But then, another absurd thought overrode his momentary horror at her discovery.
“You think Neville gave me that? Neville Longbottom?” Finally, Hermione looked sheepish.
“Well I…” she seemed to think for a moment. “I guess that does seem a bit unlike him.”
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tbc
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Neville paced in the Gryffindor common room. Should he confront Harry? It was so colossally unlikely that there was any reason to… but the not-knowing was tearing him apart. And Gran was insisting he return for Christmas this year. She thought Hogwarts was too dangerous – as if anywhere else in the whole country wasn’t more dangerous than the castle. Neville thought he’d go crazy, spending the entire holiday away, without having done anything to resolve the situation. He would. He’d go crazy. That resolved it.
*
Neville opened the door to the dormitory just as Harry was pulling his shirt over his head.
“Hey Harry I- ”
“Neville!” Harry yelped as he hastily jerked his shirt down over his exposed stomach, nearly tangling himself in it. “…Hey.” There was a shocked pause. ‘He didn’t see. He didn’t see. He didn’t.’ Neville’s expression neutralized, mercifully.
“Hey, I was just going down to eat, you wanna come?” he asked. Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. What an unbearably close call. There were at least three, three marks between his collarbone and hips.
“Oh. Yeah, sure. Give me a few minutes,” he managed, and gave a friendly smile.
“Sure.” Neville turned on his heal and left the room, closing the door behind him, and Harry sat heavily on his bed, with a resolution to be more careful with his dressing habits in the future. This whole business was likely to give him a heart attack before he came of age.
****
Neville stood in the hallway, shocked.
“Okay, okay,” he muttered to himself. “That doesn’t prove anything.” But that had been the darkest hickey Neville had ever seen. Even the tiny glimpse he’d gotten had left no questions as to what it was. Getting, say, hit in the stomach with something just didn’t leave that sort of mark. But it didn’t mean anything. Maybe Harry just had a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Or something. It didn’t mean that Harry… with Snape… it just didn’t necessarily mean that. Even if that’s how it was really starting to look. But it was still damned impossible!
Just then, though, he was struck with an idea. If anyone knew whether Harry had a girl/boyfriend, even a secret one, it would be Ron and Hermione. So off to the great hall he went, in search of a concrete answer or two. He only prayed the answer would be ‘yes.’
****
Thankfully, Ron and Hermione were sitting together, bickering as usual. Neville made a b-line for them.
“Hey, guys,” he started, attempting to break up their little spat. It sounded something like a complaint of Hermione’s study schedule. Trivial though the argument was, they didn’t seem to hear him. “Hey!” Nothing. “Oi! You guys!!”
“What?” Hermione asked suddenly, exasperated. Her face was bright with indignation, and Neville faltered under her clear annoyance. How Ron could keep exacerbating it was beyond him. Hermione was just scary when she was mad.
“Hey, I was just wondering….” He trailed off. “um…” Hermione’s face softened.
“What is it? Is something the matter?” she asked, and Ron sighed in irritation. Why couldn’t she treat him like that?
“No, no,” Neville answered, though he thought there probably was something very, very the matter. “I was just wondering, does – does Harry have a… girlfriend?” The pair stared at him; looked at each other for a moment, then back again. Neville shifted uncomfortably.
“No,” they replied together.
“Why?” Hermione added and, under her scrutinizing eye, Neville realized that maybe that was an odd question for him to ask.
“Oh, no reason,” he answered awkwardly. So, no girlfriend. But he didn’t dare ask about a boyfriend at the moment. And, after all, if Harry did have one, they probably would have mentioned it. He filed the information away. “Well, I’ve got to get going. Gran always wants me to pack a few days before I leave so I have more time to remember things I’ve forgotten. You know.” He stood, and waved with forced cheer. “Bye guys!”
“Bye Neville.”
“Bye Mate.”
As he left, Hermione and Ron looked at each other in confusion, their argument forgotten entirely.
“Well,” Hermione said. “That was odd.” But Ron didn’t have a chance to reply, as just then he caught sight of their missing third friend.
“G’morning,” Harry said.
“Good afternoon,” Hermione corrected. Then, with humor, “Sleep well?” Harry laughed. He had overdone the whole vacation-sleeping-in thing, he supposed.
“Yeah, thanks. Hey,” he looked around. “Where’s Neville?” Ron and Hermione shared another glance.
“You just missed him, mate,” Ron said, and raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason. Just thought he’d be here ‘s all.”
“Right.”
****
Three days later, Neville was on the train back to London, feeling very dissatisfied with the state of his mystery. The answer was staring him in the face, of course, but he refused to see it. After all, Harry was his friend, and a normal teenage boy. And therefore, could not have been sucked on by Professor Snape. And that was that.
****
Harry was reclining on the couch in front of a roaring fire, idly watching the first snow of the season fall on the grounds, when Hermione cornered him.
“Hey Harry,” she said, sitting beside him. “Can we talk for a second?” Harry sat up at once, his heart jumping into his throat. But he forced himself to relax. There was no way she could know anything. Best not to give her any clues by freaking out. He settled himself, and forced a calm, level answer.
“Sure, ‘Mione. What’s going on?” She dropped her voice confidentially, though Harry noted with nervousness that they were alone.
“Listen, Harry, there’s nothing wrong with it, I mean, I care about you, I’m just wondering…” well, that proved she wasn’t talking about anything that was actually happening, as no one Harry knew would have describes his doings as “nothing wrong.” “Harry, are you seeing Neville?” She suddenly blurted, and Harry could only stare at her dumbly.
“Seeing him do what?” he asked. Hermione sighed.
“Are you and Neville, you know, together?” She laid a hand on his shoulder.
Harry choked on the breath he’d been halfway through taking. He was almost too shocked to answer. Almost.
“Am I WHAT?”
“It’s alright if you are, Harry, I mean, I’ll love you no matter what and I just –“
“No, for the love of Merlin, I have NOT been ‘seeing’ Neville! Why in the world would you even ask that?” What an absolutely bizarre idea. And Harry had been worried at the beginning of this conversation. “What could possibly lead you to believe that I – “
Hermione cut him off by hooking one finger in his collar and pulling it aside. She looked pointedly at the mark revealed. Harry’s heart sank. How – when had she seen it? But then, another absurd thought overrode his momentary horror at her discovery.
“You think Neville gave me that? Neville Longbottom?” Finally, Hermione looked sheepish.
“Well I…” she seemed to think for a moment. “I guess that does seem a bit unlike him.”
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tbc