Love Me Gently

A/N: Ron Weasley fans might hate me on this one. All I can say for my reason is that he\'s never been a favorite character of mine and though he\'s like a brother to Harry I always imagined he was a bigot and if he learned Harry was gay (in any of my fics -had written more long ago but they were lost when aff did the move years ago under same username-) he always turned a homophobic arse. Never remained so but I don\'t know exactly where this fic is leading me.



Fuu - Can I have cookie dough instead? ^_~



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Harry ignored the looks he received from his Gryffindor schoolmates and even some from the other houses. Since breakfast it seemed everyone knew to his admission of his unexplained feelings for Snape after Ron yelled at him in disgust. Hermione had a look of dawning over her face understanding why he’d been questioning her but she was the only one who stood by him. He stared at his lunch wondering idly why he’d ever thought Ron was a good person, he heard pointed whispered around him as people walked passed and he shoved his plate away no longer hungry.



“I’ll see you in class ‘Mione,” Harry said standing up and leaving the Great Hall. He had a double period of potions next and even that didn’t raise his spirits temporarily. Chewing his lip he flinched when he felt a person’s hand on his arm, but it was only a gentle touch. “You didn’t have to follow me Hermione.”



“I’m not Granger Potter,” a smooth voice drawled and Harry turned to the blonde warily taking a shaky breath as he looked into those grey eyes and waited for the boy to say something.



“What do you want Malfoy?” Harry asked finally when the boy stood silent a hand still holding his arm. He tried to pull his arm away but the hand tightened, he wasn’t in the mood to fight so he gave up.



“I’ve heard the strangest of rumors Potter,” Draco said to him his eyes narrowing in disbelief rather than disgust. “Are you truly in love with my godfather?”



“Everyone else believes it, why not you?” Harry asked he was done denying it, the moment the words left his mouth he couldn’t take them back and say he was joking. The damage was already done. If it made Malfoy hate him more, what was the harm? Malfoy smiled though and Harry glared when the boy did the opposite of what he expected. “You find it amusing then. That I’d fallen for the man that has picked on me from day one, who I wouldn’t stand a chance with in even normal circumstances.”



“No Potter, I’m just happy for him,” Draco retorted letting go of Harry’s arm and patting his shoulder gently as the brunette looked at him strangely. “You don’t understand it of course, but only one thing would make you change your mind about Uncle Sev so I’m happy it’s finally come up. He deserves to have someone, even if he doesn’t think so.”



“Would you explain it to me then?” Harry asked hating the way the boy was holding it over his head that he didn’t know what had made him like Snape but he did.



“I can’t, I have to leave him to explain it.” Draco told him shaking his head. Putting his arm around Harry’s shoulders he lead him towards the potions classroom to walk in on Snape bent over a cauldron. The dark eyes looked up and narrowed at the sight of Harry beneath Draco’s arm and Draco pulled away for the older man’s comfort if not Harry’s. “Hello Uncle, we thought we’d turn up early for a change.”



“Since when are you two buddies?” Snape asked watching Harry shift nervously in the doorway before heading to his seat. Harry couldn’t answer it and glancing at Draco he was curious as to why the boy’s attitude changed all of a sudden, but he was surprised to hear dialogue that didn’t hide a sneer beneath the words.



“Since a rumor is causing animosity towards our little Savior,” Draco said looking at Harry with raised eyebrows. Harry looked away confused by the changes in personality and didn’t know what to make of it. Harry wasn’t about to blurt it out to Snape even if there was some sort of connection between them that Draco had been hinting at.



“What sort of rumor would this be, Mr Potter?” Snape asked waving his wand setting it under a stasis spell and it disappeared to his work room. Harry looked up at the man who walked closer trying to ignore Draco who was leaning against the table he was sitting at as he stared up at the dark haired man. His cheeks pinked and he tried to look away but his eyes were locked with Snape’s, his body stood up and approached to a few inches away from the older man when he tried to get himself under control.



“Just.. a silly rumor Sir.” Harry mumbled trying to ignore Draco trying to hide a laugh behind his hand. So close to Snape he could breath in the man’s scent so readily and his mind was beginning to feel fuzzy as if he couldn’t think. “You know how kids are..”



Severus’ eyes narrowed as he watched Potter draw closer, trying not to draw away in case it made his godson begin to laugh more. He had an idea of the rumor at the mere fact Draco seemed to know what was going on between them. His lips pulled back sharply as he tried to think. He hadn’t thought about this predicament but as he stared down into Harry’s eyes he recognized the glazed look in his eyes and frowned. “Indeed..”



The man’s hand drifted up lightly ghosting over Harry’s cheek and jaw bone. Harry shivered at the barest of touches and he remained standing where he was staring up at the older man waiting for him to make his move. Harry couldn’t move if he wanted to, towards Snape or away. He was locked in the man’s gazed and it was up to the man to let him go, the helplessness sent another shiver up his spine this time it wasn’t of pleasure and Snape caught the small scent of fear and he broke eye contact releasing Harry to stumble into a table.



A small whine escaped Harry as pain shot up his side from his hip, but it wasn’t the pain that made the sound escape but the need for something. Snape looked towards the door warily realizing the boy wouldn’t return to himself before the class started and there was one way to bring him back to his right mind. Draco got up silently and closed the door recognizing the wary look on his uncle’s face.



Severus stepped forward drawing Harry against his body ignoring the shiver and anxious excitement that ran through him as Harry looked at him expectantly lost beneath the spell that had hold of him. He leant down the small distance and pressed his lips to Harry’s possessively, kissing him rough and hard as his arms tightened around the too thin body and felt his robes tug as the boy grasped for a hold to return the kiss just as roughly, lips moving all too willingly. Severus knew it was the need for a mate making him feel this way, and the scent of pheromones making Harry so willing but at the moment it felt so right.



Those lips left all too soon and his hand gripped at the table as the body pulled away. Harry felt faint and as if someone had put a jelly legs curse on him as he watched with a sinking heart as Snape walked away up to his desk without a glance towards him. Harry heard the door open and somehow he managed to make it back to his seat too focused on the memory of Snape’s arms around him and the feel of the man’s lips to care about the looks of disgust he received and whispered gibes sent his way.



“Come eat at the Slytherin table Harry,” Draco told him after class without a glance at Hermione who was watching him suspiciously. Harry glanced at her though nervously, he was tempted to do so if only to have some sort of appetite. The Slytherins weren’t throwing gibes his way this time around, she shrugged and walked away with a last worried glance at Draco. “She could have joined if she wanted to stay with you so bad.”



“She’s just upset about everything.” Harry told Draco cautiously he was still uncertain about trusting the Slytherin who worked just as hard as Snape had to make his school years miserable. So far though Draco was being kind, and it was something he needed. “She mothers me too much and she doesn’t trust you.”



“Do you trust me?” Draco asked his near invisible eyebrows rising towards his hairline a true sign of curiosity.



“No,” Harry said truthfully a final thought on the matter but a person could hardly blame him. Draco only grinned though and Harry knew the blonde had already known the answer. “At this point though.. I’m willing to get to know you as it seems I’ve little friends now.”



Draco set his hand on Harry’s shoulder with another innocent look. How quickly a person could end up on the wrong side and in the wrong House when it comes to this sort of thing. “We’re not all bad Harry.”



Harry nodded and followed Draco to the Slytherin table ignoring the dirty looks that turned sour when the Gryffindors realized where he was heading. He sat down beside Draco slowly realizing not all the Slytherins were looking at him with welcome, but suspicion. Biting his lip he ignored it and looked at the empty platters as students continued to stream in to sit down. As he listened to Draco joke with his friends he picked at his food but still ate very little. He smiled some as Draco turned to him as he spoke knowing the boy was welcoming him to join in but he remained silent. Perhaps if he’d allowed the Hat to sort him into Slytherin he’d be truly comfortable in this group, but he had said no to it and it sent him to Gryffindor instead.



“Is everything alright?” Harry blinked realizing the blonde had whispered the question in his ear. He give a small nod as he glanced over at him, his friends were watching but didn’t say anything. “You should eat then, don’t let them see it’s bothering you.”



“Yeah.. you’re right,” Harry mumbled and had to chuckle when Draco’s response was his expected acceptance of the fact. Harry was anxious though, what if he’d lost his friends for nothing? He looked up to the head table where Snape was sitting and caught Snape staring at him in the process. The man’s eyes darted away but Harry’s cheeks warmed as he made another attempt at eating. If it was for nothing he was having a hard time placing the nothing part, the man was showing interest in him if the kiss hadn’t told him so already.



He began to focus on what was being said and was soon talking animatedly with Draco’s friends. He didn’t have to be a Slytherin to be accepted by this circle now that he was already invited to join and he realized that though he lost the friends he had in Gryffindor for the time being, he was making new ones in Slytherin. When Dinner was over he got up with the rest and made his way back down to the dungeons for his private lessons with Snape. Draco gave him a last pat on the shoulder and Harry spotted Snape walking down the hall and past his office to the portrait.



“Come along Mr Potter,” Snape told him and walked through the door behind the portrait. Harry following obediently behind.



“You seemed very at home at the Slytherin table tonight Potter,” Severus mused leading Potter back through the door to his private workroom where an empty cauldron sat awaiting his first lesson to the small brunette. After the kiss that afternoon it was harder to keep himself restrained around Potter when the memory of the sweet taste of his lips made him want to taste so much more.



Harry felt his cheeks warm, he knew the man had been watching but there was a difference with the man admitting it. He walked up to stand a small distance away from Snape and the cauldron remembering he wasn’t supposed to be near the cauldrons in that room. “Oh.. well I had a chance to be in Slytherin once.”



“Come closer Potter, I can’t teach you from there.” Snape ordered and smiled when Potter obeyed immediately. He couldn’t help but notice the natural submissive beneath the stubborn exterior. Snape blinked though at the admission and his brows furrowed as he took the young hero in. “You were to be sorted into Slytherin?” There was something he didn’t know about the boy. Severus had just assumed he’d been sorted to Gryffindor because both his parents had been, he had the Gryffindor qualities after all.



Harry nodded blushing deeper at the look he received from Snape and he looked down at the open book that sat on the work table. “The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but at the time I heard only dark wizards wound up there so I asked it not to.” Harry wondered idly if the man would have been different to him if he wound up in Slytherin rather than Gryffindor. It wouldn’t have changed what his father had done to Snape while they were in school, but Snape had always favored those in Slytherin.



Harry looked up at Snape when the man remained silent and his hand reached out to brush the man’s arm gently. Snape blinked at him for a moment than pulled away clearing his throat as he motioned to the text book which Harry focused on again. It was opened to a simpler potion than the ones they were working on now, but held a fatal key that everything needed to be put in at the right time and the correct order. “We’ll start out with this one Mr Potter, any small mistake might have dire consequences so I hope it’ll teach you to pay attention to the directions given.”



Taking a deep breath hadn’t been the best of ideas as he breathed in the scent of the older man. The scent made him flush as he tried to ignore the instinctive pull towards Snape and begin to work on the potion set before him with Snape’s constant supervision stopping him from making foolish mistakes. One time Snape’s hand darted out to grab his wrist to keep him from dropping in a pinch of the next ingredient. “You only need a small pinch Mr Potter less you want your arm to be covered in blood blisters from that mistake.”



Harry shivered beneath Snape’s touch and he looked up at the man. So far he had done fairly well with keeping himself under control but the sudden touch took him by surprise as he tried to shift closer as his wrist was dropped. He put the ingredient back into it’s bowl and looked at the man expectantly. Snape stared down his nose at him. “Get back to work Potter, we’re not finished yet.”



“Can’t we just.. take a break. Sir?” Harry asked reaching out to take that long fingered hand. He felt the man tense as he brought his hand to his lips kissing the top of his hand and slid down to a finger tip. The hand was quickly pulled away and gave Harry a gentle shove back towards the cauldron.



“That’s highly inappropriate Mr Potter,” Severus said trying to sound teacherly, instead his voice seemed like a hesitant school girl’s. He couldn’t focus on that now though, the boy could turn out rather seductive if Severus allowed him to continue. “Are you wanting to learn potions or not?”



“Y-yes sir,” Harry stammered looking away from Snape realizing he’d almost lost control of himself. Turning back to the cauldron he took a small pinch of the ingredient and dropped it into the potion that was for once looking like it should with help from the Potions Master. He took the spoon to stir it in like the book had told him to do in a slow clockwise motion but Snape took the spoon with his hand and all and guided Harry’s hand to move a little quicker and going counter clockwise every fourth stir until the potion turned the violet color that the text book was saying should come next. “Professor, that is the third time you’d corrected my stirring to something that is different in the text. How am I to know when it’d be more useful to do it in the way you shown me?”



“The extra counter clockwise turn speeds up the process Potter,” Snape told him his hand releasing Harry’s quickly before Harry returned to the seductive state he’d slipped into for a moment. “It’s not safe in all potions mind you. Going too slow with this one though could make the potion turn wrong though so even if you continued it might not have turned the color.”



Severus watched Potter nod once more with the beginnings of a glazed look. Taking out his wand he set the potion under a stasis spell. He himself was having a harder time keeping himself away from the young sixteen year old that was stinking of arousal already knowing that the kiss was a mistake when he felt Potter’s body seem to call to his own to rid him of it’s arousal. Gritting his teeth he ignored it. “That’s all for tonight Mr Potter, we’ll continue on the morrow.”



Harry nodded an gathered up his bags and walked out of the work room a step after Snape. “Sir.. thank you again.” He was stalling because he didn’t want to leave the man’s presence. Snape merely nodded though and he had to leave so he made his way back up to the Room of Requirement for privacy.



He smiled at the painting on the wall as he set down his bag and pulled off his robes. The room was getting well used to these visits it seemed because it seemed to add a more comfortable chair for him to sit in as he stared up at the painting smiling some as he felt the cold eyes watch him as he unzipped his pants. He wished they were the real set, that it was Snape standing before him and touching him rather than his own hands. This time he could truly imagine what it was like to be in strong arms as those pale lips claimed his, the feeling of melting in that strong grasp as he allowed the Snape he imagined to do anything and everything. He came with a small cry when he knew it was only his hand making the pleasure.



In the dungeons Severus was driven to his knees gasping for breath. Unlike the few times before this one was different when he lived through Potter’s fantasies. The boy had been calling him to come to him and make the fantasy real. It had been painful to ignore and had taken everything in his power to keep himself from going up and finding him to give him what he needed. His eyes drifted shut as he felt the slight coolness of the stone floor against his forehead waiting for the effects to pass.



Harry was greeted in his common room by a fight going on between Hermione and the boys of his dorm. The loudest was the tall redhead who was standing before a trunk that he recognized as his suddenly realizing what the argument was about. Clenching his fists he took a step forward as the boys quieted when they noticed him, Ron turned to him and made a face of disgust.



“Gryffindor not good enough for you anymore Potter?” Seamus asked in a cruel voice that cut deep as the others around him nodded. “Slytherin more your style now that you’re in love with their head of house, right?”



“Why don’t you take your things and go to your precious Potions Master? We don’t want a fag sleeping in the same room as us.” Dean sneered and Ron pushed his trunk towards him with a foot.



Harry looked around the room hiding his hurt behind a mask. Ron couldn’t look at him without disgust written over his face and all but Neville seemed to be worried that he’d molest them in their sleep. Harry glanced at Hermione whose face was red with anger and tears coursed down her cheeks. He gave her a grim smile and picked up one handle of his trunk and pulled it through the portrait hole without a word to any of them, it was no use to argue. The question was though.. what was he going to do now?



Looking up he heard Ginny’s voice explaining what was going on to someone and as footsteps approached Professor McGonagall appeared to be the one the redheaded girl was talking to. The tall brown haired witch looked at him with a sigh and looked up at Hermione who made her way out of the Gryffindor common room wiping her eyes and saying apologies to Harry.



“Come along Mr Potter,” Professor McGonagall said waving her wand at his trunk and it levitated behind them as they walked. “You’d think the same generation would be much more accepting. We’ll have to speak to the Headmaster about this and figure out what to do with you. Ms Granger, you’ll remain with us to explain what happened back there to the headmaster, Ms Weasley you could return to your dormitory.”



“Yes Ma’am,” Ginny said and ran back to the portrait with a worried glance towards Harry.



“Harry, I’m sorry I was trying to end the folly before you returned,” Hermione said quietly as they walked. She looked horribly upset and Harry patted her shoulder awkwardly.



“I know ‘Mione, it’s not your fault.” Harry said with a sigh. They reached the stone gargoyle by now and were on their way up the revolving steps to enter the headmaster’s office.



“Minerva, Harry and Ms Granger,” Dumbledore said looking surprised to see them and the trunk that had followed them in. “What is it that has brought you three up here tonight.”



“We have a little predicament,” Professor McGonagall said stepping out from in front of the two students. “It seems Mr Potter’s dorm mates no longer want him in their dorm room.”



Dumbledore’s smile fell at this news and he waited for an explanation in silence. Taking a shaky breath Harry stepped forward to explain. “They’ve learned that I’m gay Sir. They seem to think of me as a threat if I remain.” It wasn’t the entire truth but he didn’t want to get Snape in trouble.



Hermione nodded going along with his story and explained what happened while Harry was taking extra lessons with Snape. Dumbledore sat in silence throughout the tale asking a few questions, one of them was why he’d sat at the Slytherin table that night. “Ron had learned of it last night Professor and I was uncomfortable by the looks I was getting from him and the others. Draco had invited me to sit with his friends so I didn’t have to hear anything they were saying.”



“Hm.. this is quite the predicament,” Dumbledore was saying to no one in particular as he stood up and paced the room. “I may be able to give you a private room but others might complain about the special treatment..”



“Sir, I’ve a suggestion if I may,” Harry said interrupting the older man and apologized for it quickly. Dumbledore nodded for him to continue and Harry explained about the sorting hat his first year. “It was going to put me in Slytherin.. so I thought that Draco and his friends didn’t mind me and they know the truth so perhaps I could change houses?”



Dumbledore seemed to ponder about the idea and walked to the shelves where the sorting hat sat. Setting it on his head he seemed to deliberate with the hat silently and with a nod set it back on the shelf once more. “Alright, it seems you do have the abilities needed for Slytherin as well. Ms Granger can you go get Professor Snape for me and ask him to bring along Draco. He should be in his rooms by now.”



Hermione nodded and was about to turn to ask where she was heading when Harry smiled. “The portrait of a snake near his office is the entrance to his rooms.” She nodded after giving him a strange look but left to do as she was asked.



Harry looked towards the entrance as he felt Snape near and gave a weary smile as Hermione returned with Snape and Draco. Dumbledore thanked the two for coming at this time and explained the situation to the both of them. “Draco I asked you here to make certain that you and your dorm mates will be fine with Harry there so long as Severus accepts Harry into his house.”



“Mr Potter is welcome of course Headmaster,” Snape said courteously. Dumbledore didn’t expect any less even if Snape still had the animosity towards Harry still. Harry gave a small sigh of relief and he looked at Draco. “If anyone has any problems with him however they will answer to me.” Harry blinked and hid a smile, if one didn’t know any better there was a hint of protectiveness in Snape’s voice.



“I don’t think there’ll be any problems Professor,” Draco said with a small nod of his head glancing up at the Potions Master. “They all seemed to accept Harry at dinner.”



“It’s settled then,” Dumbledore said with a nod and Harry gave a small sigh. He was angry at the Gryffindors but he was still a little upset at having to leave the House he’d been in for five years and a month of his sixth. “Harry will be settled in to Slytherin from now on. Draco, Severus. I’ll leave it to you to show him the way to his new dormitory.”



Snape waved his wand at Harry’s trunk and it flew out ahead of them as with a last smile to Hermione he followed Snape and Draco to the dungeons in silence. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to Draco with a thankful smile as they lead him to the portrait that hid the Slytherin common room set beneath the lake. “Draco, go ahead for a moment and explain that we’ve got a new addition to our House I’d like to speak with Mr Potter for a moment.”



Draco grinned and with a password he was inside the common room with a wink to Harry. Harry looked up at Snape cautiously wondering what the man would say about the events of tonight. “Sir..”



“Mr Potter, know that I expect the best of efforts from the students in my House,” Snape told him his long fingered hand lifting Harry’s chin so those dark eyes were staring into his emerald ones. “There’s no excuse for anything less. You had better be on good behavior from now on, no more detentions.”



Harry nodded dumbly as he stared into those obsidian eyes and smiled as Snape leaned down to kiss him once more. His lips returned the kiss hungrily as he felt himself pressed back against the wall his arms slid up and around Snape pulling the man’s body against him and marveling at how great it felt to be so close to the older man. Snape’s lips pulled away far too soon and a whimper escaped him. “Shh Harry..” Snape said calling him by his first name for the first time. “Another time, now it’s time to head in to meet your new House mates and head to bed.. Understand?”



“Yes Sir,” Harry said but he couldn’t help but dislike it when Snape drew away but he followed Snape into the Slytherin common room and was greeted with friendly smiles from the group he’d been speaking with over dinner. Snape made a quick speech about if the Slytherins wanted to put on a similar show like the Gryffindors that they could all expect to be sleeping in the Forbidden Forrest and Harry could have the rooms to himself. The smile Harry wanted to have on his lips was hidden as he silently realized he was already mastering the emotionless mask that was famous to the Slytherins.



Snape left and Draco led him up to the boys dormitory and helped him unpack his stuff around his new green and black bed. “I’ll help you change your robes to the Slytherin colors tomorrow, but you look exhausted so I won’t keep you up. My bed is the next one over if you need anything.”



“Thanks Draco.” Harry said after a moment and the boy smiled before moving to his own bed and changing into pajamas. Harry did the same and crawled into his new bed. He was out like a light to uneasy dreams.