Where Others Fear to Tread

Chapter 24

Harry sat quietly in the in the window seat of the darkened bedroom. It was cold in the bedroom, the central heating not working and the fireplace doing very little but blow drafts around the room. Behind him he could hear Mr. Weasley snoring loudly his hand knitted nightcap sticking ridiculously out from beneath the gray blanket. Mrs. Weasley slept next to him her knitting needles forgotten on the end of the bed. Harry had tried to find a room that was unoccupied but the three bedrooms upstairs were already full of resting occupants. There was no hint of privacy in the shared bathroom either and Harry had simply washed his face and swilled his mouth with water before returning to the only free bed left in the house. Harry had no idea what time it was or where he was. Downstairs he could still hear people coming a going from the house, not that he knew what they were doing.

Harry was still staring out of the window when he heard the door to the bedroom creak open and a familiar figure step inside.

“Harry?” Harry turned around on the window seat and smiled at Snape as the man glided quietly around the sleeping Weasley’s.

“You said you weren’t going to be long.” Harry whispered quietly as Snape sat down cautiously on the edge of the single bed, they were destined to share.

“There was a lot to talk about.” Snape whispered back, already beginning to pull off his boots and unhook the clasps on his cloak. Harry sighed inwardly still twisting his ring around on his finger as he’d done for the past three hours he’d sat here in the window seat. Snape seemed to notice the boys self injured finger and easily slid onto the cushion of the window seat beside Harry before taking the boys hand in his own. In the dim moonlight shinning in through the windowpane, Harry watched Snape slowly ease the ring off his finger. Harry hissed a little in pain only now realizing just how saw he’d made his finger with his habit. “You should stop doing this Harry.” Snape whispered as he took a potion vial from his cloak pocket and a handkerchief from within another pocket. Snape gently poured a little of the potion onto the handkerchief before proceeding to dab the raw, bleeding skin around Harry’s ring finger. Harry flinched a little as the first sting of the potion on his wound but Snape gently rubbed Harry’s palm in slow gentle circles with his thumb soothing the pain. The touch was gentle and caring, something Harry hadn’t expected. When he was done Snape cleaned the blood from the ring with the sleeve of his robe before carefully replacing it on Harry’s finger.

“Thank-you.” Harry whispered the redness of his wound already beginning to heal. “It’s a habit.” By way of explanation Harry went to begin twisting the ring again but Snape closed his hand over Harry’s stopping the boy from doing it.

“I know, you’ve had it for months. Every time you get stressed you twist it, it was quite off putting watching you do it in my class.” Snape smiled warmly and Harry shivered a little as he watched Snape raise Harry’s hand to his lips and press a soft kiss into the boy’s palm. “But you’ve got to stop it, or eventually it will scar.” Harry nodded gently his gaze locking with Snape’s. For a moment neither of them dared breath and Harry’s eyes automatically slid closed as Snape leaned forward to kiss him. Harry could feel Snape’s soft breath against his own as Snape’s lips locked with Harry’s. The kiss was different from the last, there was less hesitation but no less intensity. For saying it was only Harry’s second real kiss he’d caught on relatively quickly. Harry slid his tongue easily against Snape’s lavishly tasting every inch of the man’s unfamiliar taste. While Snape’s hand still held Harry’s the other had slipped up to gently card through the boy’s unruly hair. Harry surrender himself completely to Snape’s knee weakening kiss feeling as though every ounce of him was being enthusiastically devoured. If he died now, he’d die happy or at the very least content. For the first time in their relationship Harry could feel the familiar stirrings of arousal within in himself as the kiss continued, Snape now taking his time to suck and lick every inch of the boys sweet lips.

But the romance of the situation was soon stripped away as a loud warthog like snort ripped through the silent room, Mr. Weasley turning over abruptly in his sleep. Snape and Harry parted like caught teenagers to look over at the double bed the Weasley’s were sharing. When it was clear neither of the two red heads had woken Snape sighed and turned back to Harry.

“Bloody Weasley’s.” Snape muttered as he rose from the window seat and finished undressing, ready for bed. Harry smiled to himself as he too pulled off his jeans and climbed easily into the single bed. Snape climbed in behind him. The sheer lack of room in bed made finding a comfortable position for the two of them nearly impossible but finally the pair of the settled, Snape lying on his side with Harry spooned up against the other man’s chest. “Keep your rotten cold feet to yourself Potter.” Snape grumbled irritably as he let his arms wrap easily around Harry’s waist. Harry smiled and snuggled back against the man merely content to have the elder wizard holding him.

“You really aren’t a romantic are you.” Harry whispered cheekily as he pushed one of his ice cold toes against Snape’s already warm feet. Snape hissed in shock and pushed Harry’s feet away from his own.

“No I’m not. Now get some sleep” Was the curt reply. Harry closed his eyes with a smile and it was only as he was drifting asleep that he felt a soft kiss on his shoulder blade before slumber finally took him.

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Harry awoke to a familiar aroma and sense of warmth wrapped around him. The spicy scent of only one person he knew, hung around Harry like a cloak and the boy luxuriated in it for several moments still on the breach of being fully awake. Finally though Harry opened his eyes, squinting a little in the sunlight streaming in through the curtain less window. Groping for his glasses on the window seat beside the bed Harry easily slipped them on, his eyesight coming back into focus on the man that was now hovering above him.

“Morning.” Was the whispered reply from Snape. Harry smiled and leaned up to steal a kiss from the moist lips of his lover. Snape rolled his eyes at Harry’s stupidity so early in the morning but said nothing as he continued to stare down at the boy lying in bed beside him. Harry suspected Snape had been watching him sleep for sometime but he didn’t mind. Glancing over Snape’s shoulder Harry took in the empty double bed across from them. The Weasley’s were obviously early risers. “They got up about half an hour or so.” Snape whispered softly as Harry settled back against the pillow they’d shared to look up at Snape.

“You didn’t tell me what you talked to Dumbledore about last night.” Harry had been dying to know what Snape and Dumbledore had talked about and had been set to ask just that when the wizard had arrived back to the room, but it hadn’t seemed the right time then so he’d held his tongue. Now however in the warm sunshine of the morning Harry was desperate for information. Snape groaned and rolled easily out of bed. Harry sighed having become very used to Snape’s moods in the morning. The man certainly wasn’t a morning person. Sitting up in the single bed Harry watched as Snape washed his face from a bowl of steaming water someone had placed on the dresser for them.

“Why did I know that was coming? It’s been killing you all night hasn’t it?” Snape through accusingly over his shoulder as the man rooted through the pockets of his cloak, pulling out with ease a small shrunken trunk that Harry and he had hastily thrown together before fleeing the school last night.

“Well I want to know that’s all. I hate being kept in the dark especially with things that concern me, for godsakes I don’t even know where we are.” Harry defensively gestured around the room as he too rose from the bed and went to the basin to wash his face and hands. Snape had resized their trunk and now had it open on the end of the bed, searching through it to find some clean robes.

“For your information we are in a muggle house in Surrey.” Snape pulled out some clean trousers and a black shirt for himself, before stepping back to allow Harry room to search for his own clothes. Harry quickly chose a pair of black slacks and a blue t-shirt from amongst his belongings thrown into the trunk and began to dress.

“Are we staying here long?” Harry inquired as he moved over to the mirror on the back of the door in an attempt at taming his wild hair. Snape was sitting on the window seat lacing his boots.

“We will not be staying at all, but this place will be the headquarters of the order until such time as Hogwarts becomes safe again.” Harry looked around at Snape in confusion as the wizard rose from his seat and wrapped his cloak back around his shoulders.

“Where are we going then?” Harry inquired a little puzzled by Snape’s explanation.

“We are going to Scotland.” Striding across the room Snape easily opened the door to the bedroom and walked out onto the veranda. Downstairs Harry could already hear the buzz of people talking and chattering, the house obviously full again.

“Scotland?” Harry followed Snape downstairs still quizzing the man about where they were going. Harry practically ran into Snape’s back as the man came to an abrupt halt outside the closed door of what Harry assumed was the kitchen.

“Yes Scotland, I have a friend there who is willingly taking us in.” Harry frowned but kept his mouth shut as he noticed Snape’s rising irritation. “This place is simply a muggle house sealed off with an apparent rodent infestation to ward off nosey neighbors. It is designed to not draw attention to itself and in no way differs from the other muggle places of residence which surrounded it, save from it’s wizarding visitors, who are coming and going as ‘pest inspectors’.” Snape paused allowing Harry to comprehend everything he was saying. “This place isn’t safe for us Harry, not now my head is just as hunted as yours. We will be traveling to Scotland on the 6.15 muggle train to Glasgow this evening. Where we will stay in a little cottage on the moors. Does that satisfy your curiosity enough to allow me to eat breakfast without your persistent questioning?” Harry nodded quickly feeling like a chastised student under Snape’s angry gaze. It struck Harry then that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to be questioning Snape first thing in the morning when the man had an empty stomach. It was a mental note Harry would be careful to remember in future. With a nod Snape turned and strode into the kitchen, Harry trailing behind him……..

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

A/N *looks at her depleted stock of brown paper bags* Shit people I didn\'t know heart failure was catching.... We\'re back to 2 chapter posts a day, again until something good happens.....*winks*