Areas of Expertise

--Got out of the meeting and decided on the drive home to write the next chapter. As I drove I had no idea what I was going to witter about, but it just flowed out, and the sub plot is starting to take off too. I have the feeling this is going to be the story without end *whimpers*. I so want to have a life!

--Shadowama: You're evil! You can't join me on the reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy long words! It'll drive poor HarryVik nuts. Still, glad you liked.

--LilRinnieB (can I just shorten it to LRB?) you da (wo)man! I quote:

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute ... that didn't seem like it was Harry and Sev. It seemed more like it was Draco ... and .... who?? LUCIUS???? Cause 'the boy' said he'd belonged to the man 'all his life' and he'd been having sex with him for a looooong time previous, so .... Could that be the secret????



*would really hate to think it's just her own twisted imagination at work here -- not that it would be surprising if that were the case*



Okay, so maybe I'm just a sick perv, *END QUOTE*

1) Yes, it is Dray and Luc!

2) You do have a twisted imagination and are a sick perv, but that's why I love you honey!

--Did anyone else read teh way you add a fave story? It made my head hurt!

--Sorry, this notes section has been a bit long. Now, on with the show! SP



Chapter Twenty-Two –



“Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you.” Aaron Douglas Trimble



***



January sped by. Locked away in the Room of Requirement most of the time, Harry had no idea what the rest of the school was saying about his sudden disappearance. It was Hermione who finally told him, one wet, cold February morning.



“Well,” she began, sitting in ‘her’ chair (which had been brought up from his dungeon chambers), “some of the school are saying you’ve gone mad and are locked up.”



Harry grinned.



“Others think you’ve had a curse back fire and have to go to St Mungo’s for regular treatment…”



Harry shook his head, still smiling.



“And some,” she finished, a sly smile on her lips, “think you’ve had sex with a teacher and are pregnant.”



“WHAT?!” Harry shrieked, then glowered as she started laughing. “God, Hermione! That’s not funny.”



“Honestly, Harry,” she retorted, “nobody would believe me even if I did tell everyone. Which reminds me, have you and Snape thought of a name?”



As he seemed to always be doing when he thought of the life within him, Harry stroked his stomach. “It has cropped up.” He said, smiling softly, remembering the way most of those conversations had ended.



Ron looked revolted. “Urgh! Harry, stop looking like that when you’re thinking of him. It’s disturbing!”



“You’d rather I thought of him and shuddered? Bear in mind I have to live with the guy.”



Ron frowned and muttered something that sounded like sorry, but which also sounded like, ‘but he’s still a git.’



Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron before turning to Harry. “So? Names?”



“Well, we both like Hamlet Silvain if it’s a boy, and Sapphire Harmony if it’s a girl.” He told his friends. “We’ve decided that we’ll practice the names. One day we’ll call it Hamlet, and the next we’ll call it Sapphire.”



Hermione smiled and gave a nod. “So, do you want to know what you’re having?”



Harry grinned. “I do, but I also want to be surprised. And anyway, we’re only just in Feb, I’m not due til June. I can wait a little while before I have to know.”



“What do you think you’re having?”



“I think I’m having a girl. Sev…erus thinks it’s a boy.”



Ron got up. All this talk of babies and domestic affairs was deeply boring to him. Instead he looked about the room. He had to admit it did look cosy, despite the occasional bursts of Slytherin green. The room had done itself proud and split into an entire apartment with a central corridor and five doors leading off. One led to Harry and Snape’s bedroom. The next went to the bathroom, although there was also a door from the bedroom as well. At the end of the corridor was the entrance to the kitchen and dining area. On the other side of the hallway were three rooms. One was Snape’s study, a second was Harry’s study. The last door led to a comfortable sitting room where he and Hermione were at that moment.



The sitting room had panelled walls and a Hogwarts school banner hanging down. Other tapestries covered the woodwork, keeping the room warm and snug. A large fireplace dominated one wall, and three chairs were grouped around it. Hermione was still talking to Harry about children, so Ron wondered over to a little side table and began fiddling with the radio there.



“I wouldn’t change the station,” Harry warned, “that’s Sev..erus’.”



“Why,” Hermione asked, “Do you always pause in the middle of his name?”



Looking a bit sheepish, Harry explained his partner’s aversion to ‘Sev’ and his insistence on being called his proper name.



“So I always add –erus cos I call him Sev all the time, and it drives him nuts!” He grinned cheekily at the girl and she matched his expression.



Ron sighed. He was very bored. “Mate,” he said, in some desperation, “d’you wanna know what Malfoy’s been up to?”



Harry nodded, suddenly alert.



Ron chewed his lower lip. “Me too,” he said, “he’s up to something.”



Hermione glared at her friend. “We don’t know that Ron,” she reminded him, “we’re just assuming it.”



“Yeah, well, look at the evidence: he’s not been hanging around with Dumb and Dumber; he’s not even been Malfoy-ish. No sneering, no taunts. It’s like he can’t be bothered anymore.”



“Maybe he grew up.” Hermione said, in rather a pointed way.



“Not likely,” Ron snorted. “Old blondey is up to something.”



Harry spoke slowly, “I remember, that day Malfoy found out about me. I took ages getting down to the dungeon, and when I did get there Sev was threatening Draco, saying he’d tell some secret.”



“I KNEW IT!” Ron shouted so loudly that both of the other Gryffindors clapped hands over their ears. “That sneaky little git is up to something, and Snape knows what it is. We can’t trust him.”



Harry shook his head. He was so tired of Ron’s attitude to Snape. “Ron, I want you to listen to me. Sev…erus is not helping Malfoy with anything. All he did was threaten him to make him keep quiet. And whatever it is Sev..erus knows,” he added musingly, “it must be really important to Draco.”



“He’s up to something,” repeated Ron stubbornly.



“Oh…put a sock in it!” Hermione suddenly snapped at Ron, surprising both boys. “Honestly, Ronald, can’t you see that Harry loves Snape. And Snape, I think, cares for Harry. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Harry or the baby.”



Ron made vomiting noises. “LOVE?” he yelped, “Of course Harry doesn’t love that evil, sarcastic, mean git!” He turned to Harry, “Right?”



The dark haired boy was silent for a long time, trying to analyse his emotions. Yes, he and Snape cared for each other, the incident the previous month had proven that. And yes, when he called Snape ‘git’ in bed (or anywhere) he did feel a surge of affection for the man. And yes, he did think about the other a lot. But love?



Ron’s eyes rounded at his friend’s continued silence. “Holy shit!” he breathed, “You do.”



Harry scratched his nose before replying, “You know, Ron, you might be right.”



-- All together now: AWW!
--Oh, and Rinnie - the reason I didn't include 'inc' in the warnings is cos the whole Dray and Luc thing blindsided me. And yeah, it isn't much of a surprise if it's in the warnings! maybe if people start flaming me for corrupting them (!) I'll alter it.
--Hope you enjoyed, everyone. *cough* review *cough* (HARRY: Oh, very subtle! SP: Hey, I'm a review whore!)