The Journey Cycle: pt 3: Australia *pt 3 complete*

Hi all.

Big-ups once more to stepmnstr and to bella-the-dark for their amazing reviews.

Enjoy a nice long chappie this week. The Squig xx

4

Despite the heat, Severus still awoke with a hot sweaty Harry plastered to his back. An equally hot arm was flung around his middle holding them both close with the hand soft and curled like a baby’s on the mattress before him. While Harry slept on, Severus played with that hand, stroking and kissing, using his tongue, sucking the tip of each finger into his mouth, one after the other. He felt Harry contract around him slightly and continued his teasing. Harry had the most sensitive hands.

He tickled the tip of his tongue around the palm then dipped between the fingers flicking at the delicate skin between and went back to sucking the fingers. There was definite movement behind him, a shift in Harry’s hips, a slow grind against his backside, murmuring, a smack of lips against his spine, the deep sleep version of a kiss then all quiet again as Severus paused in his actions. He used the movements to unpeel himself from his husband. He winced, Harry murmured some more. Severus turned over and was grabbed again around the middle. He smiled as he settled the corner of a pillow on his chest then lifted Harry’s head onto it.

Mmm, he could sink his nose in Harry’s hair and had both hands free now to stroke the man lying half on top of him. Severus made his movements slow and considered, determined not to wake Harry. Once his husband was in deep sleep once more, Severus turned them again until Harry was on his back. That was better. Now he could reach pretty much everywhere and started to feast on the delight that was the love of his life.

Using the most delicate of touches and kisses, he worshipped the somnolent body beneath him, adoring every plane, every ridge and bump, tonguing nipples taut then blowing over them making Harry shudder. Barely using his tongue as he mouthed over Harry’s belly just to dip in that tempting navel and tongue-fuck it slowly, nosing over the miniscule mound of flesh and inhaling along the line of hair until his nose was buried in the waistband of Harry’s shorts.

As quietly and as unobtrusively as he could, Severus undid the wee buttons and with a grunt from Harry hoicked his boxers down and off. Harry wasn’t bursting hard but was sporting the beginnings of a lovely stiffie. Severus continued to inhale his beloved’s scent. Sweaty like this, Harry was intoxicating. There was no overarching whiff from pits or feet just an amalgam of all his myriad scents, his essence. Severus buried his nose in the tangle of soft hair leading from navel to thatch letting his tongue trace a gentle line up and down, inhaling his lover’s musk, revelling in it.

Harry was awake but as usual kept eyes closed and body relaxed. If he gave away the fact that he was awake, Harry knew the attentions would change from Severus purely enjoying him to Severus trying to make Harry enjoy himself. Harry was quite happy to feel his lover’s delight in him without pressuring him to please him. Revelling in the attention, Harry stayed very quiet, releasing the occasional sleepy moan of encouragement. The questing nose buried into his sac. Harry could feel the faintest flicker of tongue as lips mouthed his balls. He knew he was standing to full attention now, such a good little soldier, and he had to repress a giggle as Severus’ ministrations hit a tickly spot on the inside of his thigh.

He was just on the point of declaring himself awake and was reaching down a hand to card through his husband’s hair when his damned phone rang. There was a cold spot where Severus had lifted his head away and Harry made a show of coming round, grumpy at the intrusion into his dreams. He lowered his head over the side of the bed and fished around amongst his discarded clothes for the wretched machine, squinting at the screen until a nudge to his side made him turn to his lover who held out his glasses.

“Neville?”, Harry yawned as he fumbled his specs onto his nose and flipped open his phone. “Hi, mate, how goes it?”, he said, still on the end of the yawn. Neville’s voice was slurred as he replied, “Shit, if you really must know. M’wife’s left me, but then you’d know that wouldn’t you? M’kid’s are acting up at school and me life’s gone to hell in a handbasket, but that’s not why I rang. Is Severus there?”

Harry frowned, “He is, yeah, d’you need to speak to him? Merlin, Nev, what time is it over there?” There was a broken laugh from the other end, “Six inna mornin’ an’, yes, before you ask, I’m pissed off me trolley an’ I have some news for your hubby. I had to get a bit pissed-up for Dutch courage, but I should tell him first although neither of you are gonna like what I have to say”.

Harry’s brows raised at this and he handed the phone over, “Neville. For you”. Severus’ frown echoed Harry’s as he placed the machine at his ear, “Neville. I’m truly sorry to hear of the bad times that you are experiencing”, said sincerely. There was a hoarse laugh from the other end, “Seems like I’m not the only one, Sev’rus. Sorry t’be the one t’break it to ya, but it seems as if someone else was playin’ away from ‘ome”.

Severus sank his hand in his hair, “I’m not sure I understand your meaning”, his tone cautious and wary. There was a silence for a moment, “Well, I got the results back from the tests I ran on ol’ mouldy Voldy. I took tons of tissue samples of the various bits of ‘im we still have pickled......and.....he didn’t have AIDS. Whatever it was that took Remus and Draco wasn’t passed by Voldemort if what they died from was AIDS”.

Severus released a long slow breath reining in the temper he could feel building behind his eyes, “Are you trying to tell me....?” Neville was almost cheerful, “Yup, ‘fraid so. Looks like your ex was also playin’ around, picked summat up and passed it to Draco. The wonder is, that you two don’t seem to have it but I’d hold off on the sharin’ thing though until you’ve been tested”.

“NO”, the word was bellowed. Harry flinched at the sound, his eyes widening. He put a carefully placed hand on Severus’ arm for support to have it shrugged away. He stayed close though, the waves of distress pouring off his lover were palpable in the sticky heat. Severus lowered the still-open phone to his lap and sank his head into his hands, “I don’t believe this. Talk to him, he’s not making any sense to me. He’s drunk”.

Harry took the phone off him, “Nev, what’s all this about?” Neville told him. “Are you sure?” Harry’s reply was tremulous. “’Fraid so, Harry. I’ve spent ages on this thing. I didn’t believe it at first. Did all kinds of double blind tests an’ everythin’. Seems like the sainted Remus Lupin was shaggin’ around, ‘arry and ‘e took your lover with ‘im. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidin’s an’ all that, mate”.

Harry was annoyed, “It doesn’t sound like you’re very sorry, Nev”, he snapped. The sound of sniffles came from the other end, “Sorry, Harry, it’s just....I dunno....feels like the whole friggin’ world’s gone mad just lately. Say sorry to yer ‘ubby for me will ya? Gotta go, think I’m gonna throw up.....”. The line went dead leaving a ringing silence behind.

He looked around to see Severus hastily climbing into clothes. Before he could muster any protest, Severus headed out of the open window, marching purposefully into the garden. Harry closed his phone, stunned. He thought over all that Neville had said. Somehow it all made more sense. But, surely, Remus was such an honourable man, he would never do anything like that? Harry sighed as he recalled his husband’s words saying how they were near the end of their relationship and that he only stayed with Remus as he nursed him in the final illness. Suppose Remus had met someone. Suppose he had every intention of leaving before he found out how ill he was. Harry knew that Remus wasn’t above a little subterfuge of his own, his seeming big-hearted innocence used for less salubrious purposes.

Harry sighed as he got up. He went for a shower. No sense in disturbing Severus in the middle of something like this. He’d go and find him later. He let the water batter down on his head as he thought it all over. It would explain the apparent gap between the Last Battle and when Remus became ill if he had caught this thing a lot closer to his death, obviously at a time when the four of them were still ‘sharing’. He felt bile rise at the thought and spat out in the shower. When he thought more on it, he vaguely recalled times when he would see a secretive smile on his godfather’s face when Remus thought no-one was looking, only to change his expression in an eye-blink when he was aware of being observed.

Dressing slowly, Harry could feel the sweat start again between skin and clothes. He ran a distracted hand through his hair and stepped outside to try and find Severus. A splash alerted him and he set off through the jungle to locate the source of the sound, coming across the huge swimming pool and his husband thrashing up and down as if Dementors were after him, eating up the lengths with his long arms, kicking furiously behind him. Harry sat at the shallow end, his feet dangling in the water until Severus spotted him after making a perfect turn in the deep end.

The two were of like mind as Severus drew level with Harry and turned red-rimmed eyes upon him, “The blasted conferences”, the dark man spat, shaking the water from his ears. Harry nodded. It was the only time when Remus and Severus were separated. Remus seemed quite glad to go to them, suppliers conferences held in London once a year, with all the attendant hi-jinks, dinners and drinks, schmoozing with the growers of ingredients and the suppliers of other potion-making ephemera. He always brought home goodie-bags from the various companies reporting back to his lover about ‘this idiot from Langleys’, or ‘that imbecile from Worralls’. Telling tales about the people he met, the seminars he had attended always accompanied by the sheaves of notes that he had kept in his sparse hand.

“Yes, it must have been then”. Harry laid a sympathetic hand on Severus’ wet head. This time he wasn’t shrugged off. Instead, Severus lowered his head onto Harry’s lap and howled in grief. Harry didn’t mind the wet legs, stroking his man’s hair, bending forward to rest his own head on Severus’. He murmured no words of comfort as he knew that platitudes would anger Severus. He stayed silent and lent his support by touch alone.

Severus moved so Harry lifted his head. The older man threw his arms around Harry’s waist and held him tight, “Please never do that to me, will you?” Harry didn’t need to ask what. He could only imagine the hurt Severus was feeling right now, “No, that’s what I made vows for, love, so both of us have to think before we go off and do something regrettable. That is if you’re sure it was an affair?” Severus huffed impatiently, “What else could it be? This thing is sexually transmissible, yes?” Harry nodded, “Yeah, but what if it was something else, like a blood transfusion, or, Merlin forbid, rape. HIV is passed in blood products not just sexually”.

Severus looked up into Harry’s earnest little face, “You are such an optimist, my sweet Gryffindor. I think I could have told if my lover had been assaulted, surely, that kind of thing is a hard secret to keep and it has ramifications in a relationship, does it not? Like refusing to be touched or disassociating or something” Harry sighed, “I s’ppose you’re right. In any case, look at Hermione and Neville, they made marriage vows and look where it’s got them”.

This made them both gloomy. Harry murmured, “I made those vows with every intention of keeping them, and I will too. I love you so much”, and squeezed Severus hard. He smiled against Harry’s chest, “I know you did. Me too. I had no idea. The bastard. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill the lousy sod. I’d love to know who it was that passed the disease to him but I suppose I never will now, it’s too late. I’ll kill them if I ever find out who it was”. They stayed quiet a few moments more. “You know, it could have been Drae. Who was the first to get it”. Harry’s voice was small. “I really have no way of knowing if he was faithful to me or not. He had so much time on his hands while I was working”.

Severus drew away slightly, “No. Surely not. He loved you to distraction”. Harry smiled wanly, “I know, but he used to get so restless at home all day, though, to be honest, I never saw any indications. Having said that, though, I’m dead easy to hoodwink in matters of the heart. I did trust him in the main but I wouldn’t have put it past him to have the odd random fuck in the pub bogs or spend an occasional afternoon in someone’s flat and I would have been none the wiser”.

Severus gave Harry a thoughtful look, “You really mean that, don’t you?” Harry nodded, “I think we operated on a don’t ask don’t tell basis but I was always faithful to him, well, except when the four of us were playing that is”. Severus sighed ruefully, “Me too, and, much as I would have liked you and I to skive off on our own”, he held his hand up to forestall the comment that was on Harry’s lips, “Yes, I did think of you often and would have enjoyed having you all to myself for the odd clandestine afternoon, but I never did so. I, too, believe in faithfulness in relationships. Huh, hark at me, like I’m so experienced in these matters. To use the vernacular borrowed from Esme’s generation. Not”.

Harry chuckled at this, “Know what you mean, lover. We’re both pretty hopeless in these things. Good thing we ended up together then, isn’t it?” This made Severus’ face relax into a smile. He raised a hand and stroked Harry’s cheek, “Yes, and I’ll never regret it. I only hope that you don’t too or else where will we be?” Harry returned the smile, “Up the proverbial without a paddle?” and planted a kiss on the wet head below him.

At this, Severus growled playfully and made a grab for Harry’s arse and pulled so Harry landed in the water fully clothed, “Augh!! Sev!! Ya git!!”, he yelled but was silenced with a deep kiss, wet arms snaking around him. He sank into them gratefully and moaned as his mouth was mined by his lover’s tongue.

They came up for air gasping. Harry took off his glasses and looked his husband in the eye, “I hereby promise that if I so much as look too hard at anyone else then you have my full permission to hex me into next century”. Severus held him close murmuring into his neck, “I also, light of my life. I want us to be together properly ‘until death us do part’. I meant every word I said of my vows and I will keep them, whatever the cost. You mean too much to me to do otherwise. Please don’t break my heart, Harry”.

Harry shook his head, “Deal. From now on, it’s me for you and you for me. No more sharing with others, that way madness lies although I’ll never regret the times the four of us had together, never, nor the times that Drae and I had, whatever he was up to when I wasn’t about. I wish you didn’t have to find out about it in quite this manner though”.

“I know, what was the idea behind Mr G-L getting so drunk first?” Harry smirked, “Oh, come on, Sev. It’s taken Nev an age to come to terms with you, love. He has a long memory and I bet he thought you would blame him or something. He told me he needed Dutch courage before he rang, though I bet he’s hurting so much over him and ‘Mione. He’s like you and I, faithful unto the end, even though that’s what’s splitting them up”. Severus shook his wet hair out, “No, Neville’s becoming boring in his old age. I bet that if he and Hermione had planned travel or something exciting for when the kids left home, then she’d be with him still, it’s not his steadfastness that’s driving her away is it?”

Harry had to admit that Severus had a point, “Please let’s not ever be boring to each other. Quiet, separate sometimes, having our own lives, but with enough togetherness and interest to keep us both going, you know, building on our common ground, that sort of thing”. Severus let out a long breath, “Well, You may have to keep me up to the mark on that one, Harry, but please, if I bore you at any time just give me a swift kick up the arse and pout at me and don’t let me sink into my glooms, those days are over now”.

He grew thoughtful, “Maybe that was part of the problem, these things don’t happen in a vacuum do they? I mean, I wasn’t the most interesting person to live with after all, always hiding in my dungeon brewing away even though it’s what I love. I was more than happy to pass off the shop side of things to Remus, he did quite well at it, the customer side of things, stopped me from scaring the idiots away”.

Harry laughed aloud at this, “You really must stop thinking of everyone who hasn’t got your mental acumen as idiots or imbeciles, love. I know people annoy you but they really are trying”. Severus smirked and rolled his eyes, “Aye, trying, very at times, that’s why I left them to Rem, he had the gladhanding thing down pat, bless him, no, damn his wandering eyes. Ah, bugger it, I can’t really hold it against him. At least he was discreet I suppose and let’s face it, none of us knew much about AIDS or HIV until the redoubtable Hermione filled us in. Even her hubby, a medic, knew nothing of the disease, or nothing worth knowing at any rate”.

Harry concurred, “We were such innocents in our way, weren’t we? I suppose magicals have this idea that the real world somehow can’t touch us, that we’re not flesh and blood like other mere mortals. You and I should know better than that by now. Be honest, If Remus hadn’t become ill then you would have never known, would you?” Severus rested his forehead on Harry’s , “No, love, you’re right. Oh Merlin, what a bloody mess. I almost wish he hadn’t told me but we did request the tests after all. Poor Neville, having to break that kind of news, can’t be easy, especially to friends or at least people he knows”.

“Come on, I bet he has to break bad news to all sorts of people, he’s a medic when all’s said and done, still, it can’t have been easy for him as you say”. They held each other in the cool water. Harry started to shiver in his wet clothes, and Severus muttered remonstrations to himself, “Look at you, all wet and shivery. Come on, let’s get you out of those wet things”. Harry gave a dirty chuckle, “Now there’s a suggestion”, he leered. Severus swatted his backside, “Oi, I meant....”, he got no further as he was kissed until his senses reeled, “No, I like the suggestion just as it stands”, murmured Harry.

They clambered from the pool and walked back to the house. There were no signs of life yet from their hosts. Despite the leers and the chuckles, Harry swiftly changed into dry clothes while Severus showered and went to Bessie to fetch the laptop and all the plugs and wires.

The day was turning to night rapidly as the two made their way to the kitchen to hunt up some food. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was a bit of a mess but not skanky and Harry tidied up with a quick flick or two of his wand, setting the dishes to washing themselves and wiping the counters magically. He had a feeling that their hosts would wake soon so Harry hunted around the kitchen for food to cook.

Most of the cookable food was in the freezers and needed defrosting, easily achieved with a touch of the old swish and flick with an additional minute or two in the microwave. In a relatively short time, Harry had a grill full of kofta kebabs cooking while he organised a salad from the bits and pieces in the chiller. These folk may not cook that often, the number of pizza boxes and other take-away containers lying about was testament to this but their kitchen was pretty well stocked. Severus spent the time mainly poking about exclaiming at the coolness of a particular gadget or other or simply finding out what various things were for and generally getting in the way. Harry would grin indulgently as he bustled about, a teatowel with one end stuffed into the waistband of his jeans acting as a pinny keeping the worst of the spillages at bay as he cooked.

Once everything was cooking to his satisfaction, Harry removed his teatowel and made to move into the lounge but was halted by his lover who gathered him up in a hug and kissed him enthusiastically. The kiss was just turning passionate, eliciting small back-of-the-throat sounds from them both when a sound from the doorway brought them round.

“Hey, real cooking”, came the comment. Severus let Harry alone for a moment to turn the kebabs as their hosts came stumbling in rubbing their eyes in the manner of tired children. Julia took in the scene at a glance, “Hey you two, you didn’t need to cook or anything, we could have ordered in but it makes a nice change, thanks”. Severus smiled, “Any time. Harry and I are quite domesticated. Well, Harry is and I get under his feet but it works for us”. Harry just rolled his eyes to the general amusement of their hosts, “Don’t believe a word of it. Sev is by far the better cook. After all he is a Master at what he does and Potions making is cooking of a very high order”. Severus raised a sardonic brow, “Flattery, my love, will get you everywhere”.

Jon sniggered at this, “Youse guys are quite the double act. Sorry for wimping out on you like that earlier, I hope you weren’t too bored. We’ve some folk over later to do a bit of rehearsing with us. As you know, Heike and Doug are the other members of the band but they’re in Germany at the moment visiting her folks while we rest before starting to shoot the next season. They won’t be back until the beginning of July. In the meantime, we have a whole bunch of new songs to write for the show. At the end of each season, the public’s favourite songs are released as a CD and sold for charity but in the meantime we have a couple of mates over to help out with the band and Josh gives us a hand with the writing. He’s good. Can either of you play anything?”

Harry was going to stay silent on the matter but his husband spoke up immediately to receive a dark look for his pains, “Oh, yes. I just discovered that the man I married is pretty good on guitar. We picked him up a bit of a bargain in Wellington”. Jon turned to Harry, “D’you play electric?” Harry shrugged, “Nah, strictly acoustic but if you’re game, I’ll have a go now that my lovely husband has dropped me right in it”, he gritted his teeth and gave Severus a feral grin. Severus mouthed, “Sorry, wasn’t I supposed to say anything?”

Harry leaned in and hissed, “Behave you, these people are professionals. I’ll be nowhere near their standard and now they’ll have to give me a go to be polite and I’ll make a right pig’s ear of it. This is work for these good folk not a pub gig, idiot”. Severus made a face and looked suitably chastened, “Sorry, love. Ah well, you can play for a minute, show them how utterly crap you are and then we can sit on the sidelines and watch”. Harry glared at him then narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t sure if his lover was having him on or not.

Harry set Severus to grilling pitta bread while he dished up and they ate with their fingers to enthusiastic snufflings from their hosts talking with full mouths, “Mmm, s’good. What did you put in the meat?” Harry smiled and told them the list of spices he’d used, “It’s only what you had lying around, no magic, honestly”. This got a laugh from everyone. Jon piped up, “Well, we have another rehearsal tomorrow but what say we check out this place in Melbourne the day after. We’ll have to go in daylight but if Jules and I cover up properly and wear the dark specs we should be okay and I really want to see a magical place”.

This sounded fine to the guests and they agreed. “We may have to cast a charm on you, Jon, so you can see what we do, because, as a rule, only other magicals can see these places. Hermione does them all the time on her parents who are also muggles, it does no harm and you can see a bit of our world for yourself. We’d appreciate it though, if you could keep the fact of our magic quiet from your friends”.

Julia laughed, “After knowing how famous you guys are? No way we’re telling anyone. It was real nice to be a pair of total nobodies in England and we’ll do the same for you, no worries there, dudes. Are you bothered about people knowing you’re gay?” Severus shook his head, “We are a respectable married couple of middle-aged queers and I am proud to call myself ‘husband’ to this man. In short, no”. Harry gave Severus one of his ‘moony-eyed’ looks, “Aw, Sev, that’s so sweet”, before turning back to Julia, “No, I don’t care who knows I’m gay but as an ex-paranoid I’m pretty close about the magic”.

They were finishing the last of the meal washed down with juice when the entryphone rang. Their latest guests had arrived. Harry and Severus were introduced as fellow travellers met on the road to Josh, a mountain of a man with full long hair and beard to match and a tiny fey slip of a woman with a booming voice who was introduced as Nettie. “Wow, English”, was her first comment as she looked them over then drifted over to the table and started to pick at the last of the salad. Jon laughed, “For such a teeny thing, this’n can’t half eat”, he clipped her round the ear playfully. She lifted the last kofta and tucked in, “Mmm, these are nice, where did they come from, give me the number?” Julia giggled, “Ha! Home made by Harry here. Not everyone’s a slouch in the kitchen like me ‘n’ Jonny”.

The talk turned businesslike as the table was cleared and Josh spread several sheets of notation paper out covered in musical staves, the tunes roughly penned in with notes and crossings-out aplenty in the margins, a real work in progress. Harry was fascinated, he’d never actually tried to compose his own music before and was intrigued by the process. He listened respectfully and they both stayed out of the way. After all, they had dropped rather unsuspectingly on their hosts who could hardly be expected to drop everything for their guests.

They all moved into the practice space. Josh and Jon picked up acoustic guitars and Julia dragged towards her a set of small tom-toms. From the capacious bag she carried, Nettie withdrew a flute case and set herself up. She gently blew a ‘B’ and the boys tuned to her. Julia fussed with the keys tightening the skins on her drums that the humidity tended to warp and stretch before they launched into the latest song, a ditty about a boy finding real love after turning away from the lure of the surf, an upbeat poppy number that had Harry’s feet tapping.

This was obviously one of their more polished pieces and they played it straight through note-perfect. They set up and switched on the amplifiers for the electric instruments, did a short set of their older tunes to loosen up then began the rehearsal proper with stops and starts, arguments about tunings and keys with Nettie singing the words in place of Heike and Josh taking up the bass in Doug’s place.

Jon explained, “The other two are contract players and could feasibly be replaced at any time but as a unit we’re pretty hot so Jules and I rehearse with stand-ins until a week before the next round of filming begins then it’s nose to the grindstone time for the four of us when the other two return ‘cos we’ve got acting rehearsals too. Josh and Nettie are in another band and help us out at this time of year with the new stuff for each season and we just need to polish it before we’re due in the studio. Starting in the autumn, our third season airs on TV and we have a packed calendar from now until the end of November filming season four. Then me and Jules can bugger off for a bit, have a bit of a break, which is when you met us in Crete.

The Nikolides are mates of our parents and are quite happy to have us come and stay ‘cos they can adapt around our disability. We get to experience a bit of anonymity and a bit of physical work and the others get some sun and sea. Then it’s back here to do pick-ups and final shots before it’s into the production suite to fine-tune the whole thing. At Easter we get another break which was how we could get to London for your wedding then it’s back to the publicity trail and the signings and so on which takes us up to the end of May, then during the winter we do what you are seeing now, writing the new material and bringing it up to scratch. Sometimes during the winter we get to tour as well. We’ll be doing a few dates through August which takes us to September again and the ‘start’ of our year. Each season runs twenty four episodes, used to be thirty but as we’re about to syndicate in the States that was reduced to fit in with their scheduling. If we take off there then it gets busier ‘cos the Yanks will want us to do a season and a half each year so we’ll have to work double hard. So, there you go, the life of a sit-com band”.

Harry was impressed, “Wow, so you guys are busy all year then? Shame we can’t actually see you in the studio, I’d find that fascinating, but, never mind, eh?” Severus stayed quiet simply absorbing this new information. He knew little to nothing about TV and it’s making. Truth to tell, he secretly hoped to see the studios, too, as he had never stepped inside such an alien place.

As if Julia had read his mind, she chirped up, “When we go to Melbourne, we can stop by the studio and give you guys a tour if you like. If the producer doesn’t mind we can sit in on a rehearsal or two but it won’t be our show as we don’t go back to the studio until September but they’ll let us show you round. Maybe we can pretend that you’re a couple of big-shot British programming guys out to buy new shows for their networks, that way they’ll let you go absolutely anywhere”, she finished on a giggle.

Harry spoke up, “Maybe that’s not such a good idea. I’d love a tour, make no mistake. I’ve never been in a TV studio before but I doubt either of us could bullshit top-notch producer types into thinking we’re from the BBC or something, they’d suss us out in a nano-second, so maybe not the full tour but I’d really love to look inside a studio and watch the process if we’re allowed”. Severus seconded this, “Yes. Please don’t tell lies on our account but I’m sure we’ll find whatever you can show us fascinating”.

Then it was back to the rehearsal after a short break. Jon and Julia handed out drinks, strictly non-alcoholic, to the chagrin of Nettie and Josh, and they set to thrashing out the next few tunes which were at present no more than a few roughly scribbled notes to which they as yet had no words. One tune in particular caught Harry’s ear and he found himself drifting off to it. During a break he asked what inspired the words of the songs and Julia explained, “Oh, that’s where having some of the scripts comes in handy and we can tailor the songs accordingly. There’s no point in writing a love song when the action demands a driving song or a surfie number so we write a whole bunch of tunes and fit the words in later”. She sighed dreamily and stared off into the middle distance, “One day we can write what the hell we like but for now we write according to the dictates of the show. We still write our own stuff for the future but this is a bit like graphic design rather than fine art if you will. We’re given the parameters and we work within them. It’s crap at times but the discipline is good training for us as writers and musicians. Jon wants to produce for bands eventually whereas I’m more into folk songs and want to make albums either solo or with a backing band. Ahh, one day”.

Severus smiled at her, “I can understand that. While I taught I had to devise lesson plans according to the curriculum but once I went ‘solo’ so to speak, I had much greater freedom to create my own preparations, but there is a much bigger risk involved, you stand or fall entirely on your own merits. It is very liberating but much harder work and ultimately far more rewarding. Keep at it and don’t lose your focus. Once you go it alone there suddenly seem to be many more distractions to keep your mind off the job. One has to take charge of all the niggling details which can be a monumental bore at times but over all it’s worth it. I’m glad that I went into business for myself”.

She then enquired as to why he had stopped, “Well, my partner became ill and died. Once Harry and I became a couple we decided to travel as it was a long-held ambition that we both shared. One chapter closes, another begins. At first, after Remus died, I envisaged myself mouldering away in my little shop but Harry rescued me from that and here we are. If and when we finally do settle, I’ve no idea what I will do as a mode of making a living but my skills are in demand in our part of the world so I don’t envisage many problems in slipping back into it although I have discovered other things that interest me as greatly as my, er, making of herbal medicines. I have developed an interest in teaching adults rather than snot-nosed ungrateful brats so I may explore that as an option. Who knows”, he shrugged, at ease talking to this young untrained witch-in-waiting.

As the night wore on the music became more experimental and Harry and Severus dipped out leaving the musicians to it. Harry asked their hosts if there was anywhere he could plug into the Internet and Jon led him into the study area adjacent to their bedrooms. “It’s a bit noisy but if you....”, he got no further as he watched Harry withdraw his wand and cast a silencing charm over the area and the silence was ringing in their ears. “Wow, what was that? Where did the music go?” Jon asked. The wizards grinned at him as one, “A silencing charm, easily cast over small areas. It creates a bubble of silence around the caster, very useful when two live in as confined a space as Bessie. Harry can have music on full blast and I can be sitting quietly with a book”.

Jon was impressed, “Bloody hell, I wish we’d have had those when we started out. Jules and I shared a house in Sydney with the rest of the band and you can imagine how popular we were with the neighbours particularly as we come to life at night when most good citizens are trying to sleep. The landlord of the house ended up booting us out on our arses after loads of complaints. Bummer”. He grinned widely at them and ducked back to the other side of the glass partition leaving them alone but not before experimenting with stepping in and out of the silent space measuring it’s limits to the laughter of his guests.

Once Harry had set up the machine and was waiting for it to boot Severus pulled him into his arms for a kiss that was long, deep and passionate. “Mmm”, he murmured licking his lips as they parted, “I haven’t kissed you for hours and I was in need”. This made Harry smile broadly, “Don’t think I’ve told you how much I love you yet today”, he whispered before sitting at the desk reluctant to let go of his man. He held Severus’ hand in one of his own kissing the fingers and delicately licking his palm delighting in the shivers that he could feel running through Severus’ body at his attentions as he used his other to manipulate the mouse opening up their e-mail account.

There were long e-mails from Hermione and Jed outlining the training so far. Hermione’s was practical and was illustrated with photos she had taken of the devastation wrought on her office. They both winced as they saw the mess, “Bloody hell, whoever did this made a right old state of it” Harry mused. Hermione stated that they were no nearer to finding out who had perpetrated the crime but she assured them that the most secret items as well as their pensieve memories were safe as was Graciela’s wand that she had still to fully investigate.

She had, however, finally come around to translating the bulk of the conversation that Rick had had with his German counterpart and it wasn’t comfortable reading. “Jesus, Sev, these people are bonafide racists. I wonder how they’re getting on with Kingsley and what they really think of him. I’d hate for him to be uncomfortable teaching a pair of folk who would rather he were another colour or something. I hope he’s okay”. Severus transfigured another seat from a nearby pad of paper, sitting beside Harry and winding his arms around him, “Don’t worry about ol’ Kingy, he can take care of himself. It won’t be the first time he’s been exposed to racism, nor will it be the last. I’ve heard him refer to whites as ‘lily-livered bloodclaats with no soul’ a time or two, so I’m well aware that he can hold his own. Being over six feet five has it’s advantages too, it certainly doesn’t hurt”

Harry chuckled as he closed Hermione’s latest missive and opened Ron’s next. He and Ollie were currently in Germany undertaking some highly dodgy undercover surveillance work with a small team of their hand-picked Aurors trying to infiltrate some of the German wizarding world’s spaces and groups in order to root out the source of the dissensions. This was proving difficult owing to the basic racism intrinsic to their world but Ron’s own background as a pureblood, albeit impoverished, was helping some as most of the European cadres knew of the pureblood families of British extraction and respected his lineage.

He was more disturbed when he read of Ollie passing himself off as Harry’s dead ex, Draco Malfoy. The note ran, “Sorry about this, Harry, but being a Malfoy carries far more weight than being a Wood. I’d be a liability to Ron otherwise as I’m a wizard born of a witch and a muggle and most of the bludgers over here aren’t aware of Draco’s demise. Sometimes our insularity works for us rather than against. We’re trying to figure out the links between the Germans and the Spanish. We have a meeting with the teacher, Drescher, in a few days to try and piece together Graciela’s last few days and why her wand was ‘wiped’. The investigation but for us would be moribund at best. I think that they want to sweep it under the carpet as quickly as possible”.

This disturbed Severus profoundly, “It would appear as if a conspiracy of silence is at work here. I cannot believe that the Germans are not aware of Draco’s death, after all, his mother has extensive German connections of her own”, he scooted his chair in front of the machine and started to type a reply.

“Oliver,

Desist at once from using Malfoy as a cover. If you must use some such, then feel free to use the identity of Septimus Prince, a cousin of mine who died in his infancy. If you need a visual alibi, then you are about the right height for our family, assume black hair like mine and you will need to glamorise the nose I’m afraid as even in infancy it was plain that Septimus would inherit the family’s hooter. Additional information: Septimus’ eyes were brown like Jed’s not coals like my own and keep the hair short. His father was an ex-army man and would never have allowed sons of his to ‘nancy about’ with long hair such as mine. Had he lived then Septimus would have been groomed as a fighter so make sure that your unarmed combat skills are up to scratch. Invent a wife somewhere, a giddy society lady with plenty of money as our family, when they did wed, always married money. Love played no part in the Prince dynasty which is why my own mother ended up being married to the disaster that was my father. Please leave the Malfoys out of this as you could in fact put Draco’s sons in danger if your investigations hit a nerve somewhere and as I am the last of my line, I will feel better being all this way away while you continue with your enquiries and there is less of our family to hurt if it all goes horribly wrong. I hope that you will take this to heart as being a Slytherin or ex-Slytherin will be of assistance to you in your infiltrations as folk like these will respond more favourably to those from the dark side as I’m sure you are aware, having chosen a Malfoy as your disguise. Forget not that Draco’s mother has many Germanic connections and it would be a matter of a few minutes to uncover you in your present incarnation. I hope that this is useful to you and I remain,

A friend in absence,

SS”.

“Wow, Sev, that’s really good of you to give him all of that”, Harry murmured as he read over his husband’s shoulder. Severus turned and kissed him, “Behave, love of mine, I don’t want us to have to rush back to Europe to dig your best friend’s arse out of whatever pit of trouble he has landed himself in as I know you would do if they were in any real bother. My motives, you see, are entirely selfish, not guided by any altruism at all”. Harry shook his head, “Not so, idiot. You still fight for the light and you thought all that up on the spur of the moment. I suppose that’s what makes you a superb consultant, my love”. Severus smirked and applied a light kiss to the end of Harry’s nose, “Rubbish. I want to stay on this side of the planet a little longer. I want my helicopter ride and my studio tour”. Harry batted his arm playfully and subsided. He knew there was a noble side to his beloved.

There was a long admonishing mail from Ginny exhorting them to get in touch as soon as they could find a fireplace as she now had a couple of books on bonds and other processes that she really thought they needed to read. She had a plethora of questions for Severus on the run-up to the NEWTS as the Ministry were being pig-headed as usual as to the curriculum she should be teaching and was questioning the need for some of the Potions she was having her seventh years brew, positing them as too dangerous for various reasons, not the least of which was that as they were no longer on a War footing so why the need for....and she reeled off a list.

Severus smiled as he set about replying, dispensing advice with his usual wisdom, his fingers flying over the keys. Harry sat back and watched his husband’s comfort at using a computer, comparing him to the timid man who had taken his first baby steps with it all not two years ago. Blast him. Severus was now a faster typist than Harry and had seemed to take up touch typing with his usual aplomb whereas Harry still had to look at the keys as he typed.

Severus caught him looking and enquired, “A sickle for your thoughts, Harry?” but Harry just smiled enigmatically and they carried on catching up with their friends. Harry typed out a newsy letter that he was sending to Hermione but that was to be printed out and sent on to Minerva about staying with the great niece and nephew of her old friend Irma Pince, a little background on the boys she was teaching back in England along with a few interesting places to visit while she was in New Zealand.

Finishing with that, he closed the machine down sensing Severus brooding at his side, his mind elsewhere. Harry stood and lifted his lover’s face to his and saw the frown. Severus uncrossed his legs and patted his thighs in a mute appeal. Harry straddled him and leaned in threading his arms around Severus’ neck being held in turn, in none of the e-mails had they mentioned Neville’s bit of news and Harry wondered if Hermione knew yet or if they had been the first he told. He nuzzled the top of Severus’ head, “Are you still upset, lover, about earlier?” Severus nodded, “I almost wish he’d never told me. Even after all this time it fucking hurts although it shouldn’t, I know. The man’s been dead over five years now. I think I’m more angry than anything but if I’m honest, I’m not sure what’s pissing me off the most. The fact that he cheated on me or the fact that I didn’t suss it out. Oh, I don’t know”, he huffed. Harry just rubbed his face gently against Severus’ head and kept quiet. Secretly he had no desire to ever find out if Draco had cheated on him, he would prefer to remain in ignorance.

“I can’t stop thinking back. Was there an occasion where he behaved differently, guiltily perhaps after one of these do’s but I’m wracking my brain and nothing comes to mind. He used to bound back in like the goddamn pup he was and leap all over me after being a weekend away, towards the end he was less effusive but I thought that was age or dignity or something. When he couldn’t attend these shindigs any more he seemed fairly equable about it, didn’t seem to miss it at all, in fact seemed quite glad to not have to attend. I can’t remember any times in the shop when I caught him out or anything. In fact I’m finding it hard to believe. Am I just denying the obvious to myself?”

Harry shook his head slightly, “I really don’t know, love. I can understand your upset though if that helps. What I don’t understand is why we don’t have it”. Severus looked up into Harry’s eyes, “While we were in Europe, you were so tired some of the time that I had the suspicion that you did for a while, sometimes you would be off your food and you spent long times asleep but you’ve been different since you installed that new seat. I see what you mean, why not us? Was it pure chance? And why did Rem do the dirty on me? It’s fucked up my memories of him”, There was a gulped sound to the end of this speech and Harry held on tighter as Severus’ shoulders shook, “I had no idea and I should have done”, he wailed softly.

Harry kissed his hair, “Why? I would have been none the wiser had it been Draco”. Severus humphed, “Oh, no, don’t you think he’d have rubbed your nose in it a bit? He always did like to brag, but Rem ....Rem was a fucking Gryffindor”, this last spat out incredulously as a form of shorthand. Harry had to smile at this, “Oh, come now, Sev, there was never a duplicitous Gryffindor? Think about Pettigrew. Come on, love, maybe it was a pissed up one-off and the guy obliviated him afterwards. I do find it hard to believe that Remus would be that two-faced. As you so rightly pointed out, the man was a Gryffindor, he’d have never been able to hide his guilt. Remus was nothing if not loyal”. Severus slumped in Harry’s arms, “Which then begs the question of how he got infected in the first place and we’re back at square one”.

Turning his head, Harry rested it on top of Severus’. “The only other solution I can come up with is that Draco did the dirty on me and passed it that way. There’s no saying how long HIV takes to sero-convert. Draco may have been the first to get it after all and that is a thing that I’m having difficulty with, but, like Remus, he never showed any signs of double dealing and he never seemed to tire of me. I mean I had no intimation that we might have been about to split or anything”, by this time, Harry’s tears were as copious as his husband’s and they presented a sad sight as they clung together, “But I know he could be bloody whimsical. Look at that near debacle in London in Pride Week. He was no innocent, my Drae, and he had loads of time on his hands to take a secret amour but somehow I don’t think.....I dunno, I could be being a babe in the woods about all this. We could worry ourselves into the ground about it but now we’ll probably never find out for sure unless we are lucky.....or maybe not. Fuck it. I vote for keeping our memories intact. They got it. It killed them. Does it really matter at the end of all things?” Harry sniffled.

He lifted Severus’ face to his and they regarded each other with red-rimmed eyes, “We lost them both, Sev, whatever our futures would have been and I heartily hope that they’re together in the beyond. We loved them and that has to be enough whatever our faults, doubts or shortcomings. We shared that slice of time with them and but for the nature of their deaths, I wouldn’t change a moment I had with either of them and nor should you”.

This drew a watery smile from Severus, “Ever the Gryffindor optimist, my sweet. You are right. The past is the past and we’re here now, whole and reasonably hale, and I have you in my arms, your ring on my finger and my heart is yours now”. Harry leaned down to kiss him gently, “That’s the main thing. I will keep it safe, I promise”. They held on a bit longer then drew back, Harry distracted by movement out of the corner of his eye. Jon signalling to them through the curtain of silence that they had cast. Of course, as a non-magical, once he was beyond it’s sphere the silencing charm acted like a ward.

Harry waved his wand and the charm dropped away, “Sorry about that. I forgot it seems like an invisible wall to you once you stepped outside of it and the charm closed. Did you need to speak to us? Sorry for being a bit anti-social”. Jon took in the reddened eyes and apologised in turn, “Sorry guys, was I butting in on something? You both look a bit upset. I only wanted to say that you have inspired my sister and she’s cooking. Dinner will be in about twenty minutes or so”. Harry thanked him, “We’ll be there. We’ve had a bit of bad news from home. Nothing too bad but, yeah, it’s upset and angered us a bit, thanks for asking. We’ll be fine”. Jon backed out of the space and turned away.

When the blond had disappeared round the partition again, Harry pulled Severus to him, “You’re fuckin’ mine from now on, matey, and I’m yours, okay? No-one else, just us”, he whispered, his tone almost savage. Severus bit his lower lip, a thing he did rarely and Harry knew he had hit a chord.

Severus ran his hand into Harry’s hair and tugged his face to his, “Mine, Harry, all mine. All yours, my love and no-one else. Ever. Understand?” Harry nodded and parted his lips before claiming his lover’s in a bruising kiss full of ownership, possessiveness and sheer overwhelming want, “Yes, forever”, and they kissed so hard, so fiercely, claiming, needing, owning. Harry ground his hips into his beloved’s groin feeling the need there, the hardness, the desire and they gave it up to each other murmuring ‘mine’ around each other’s tongues, feeling the fire in their bellies and the heat in their pressed together bodies, the tightening arms, roaming hands diving under t-shirts toying with hard nipples, tugging at short hairs, “Want you here, now, like this, don’t care where we are”. Harry grabbed his wand roughly and without looking round cast a notice-me-not to spare the sensibilities of their hosts then stood backing away.

He ripped off his jeans, “Undo yourself, pull your pants down”, he muttered urgently. Severus shuffled red-faced in his seat as he obeyed, easing his pants down over his erect cock letting it pop free of cloth and bump his belly. “Oh, gods, so beautiful”, Harry spelled himself wet and slick before straddling his beloved once more, “Hold yourself while I ....Aaah”, Harry lowered himself unstretched onto the thick length held rigid below him, wincing at the tightness, needing that burn, revelling in the fullness as he sat hard on Severus’ cock and they were fully joined at groin and mouth.

He bounced in his lover’s lap meeting the resistance of upward thrusts as he descended, hands holding him hard enough to bruise clutching at his hips, slamming the straining cock into his arse again and again as he rose and fell, their tongues at war with each other, moans escaping being reined in as much as possible but the abandonment of the moment making them forget where they were and neither cared. This was what mattered, the urgency of their frenzied fucking, the sweet heat that threatened to set them afire. Harry clamped hard around the thick base. Severus hissed making a strangled sound deep in his chest, trying not to bite Harry’s tongue, “Won’t last”, he mumbled, his mouth half-full. Harry smiled around the intrusion in his own mouth, “Me either. Make me come, come so hard all over you”, and his cock was roughly grabbed and wanked as he bounced, once, twice and Harry ripped at Severus’ t-shirt, hiking it up over his belly as he sprayed him with his sticky essence and was filled to the brim with Severus’ hot jism.

Panting, they came back to earth muttering words of love mingled with vague threats and imprecations should either of them stray or betray, hands hot on back and in hair. Harry’s come liquifying and trickling downwards, messing up Severus’ pubes. Severus’ own come leaking from his Harry’s sweet hot hole back over the bollocks from which it had erupted not moments before. They both sat forehead to forehead, laughing and red-faced before Harry lifted himself slowly from Severus’ lap and cleaned them both with a flick of his wand. He found his jeans and scrambled back into them, Severus wriggling back into his before pulling Harry back across his lap and kissing him senseless.

“Why do I feel the need to mark you as mine in some way?”, he murmured, licking the outer rim of Harry’s ear. Harry chuckled, “Me too. I want something to show that you are mine and off-limits to everyone else. More than our wedding bands, after all, they can be removed. Something permanent. Would you consider a small tattoo?”

Severus kissed him again, “Only if we both get the same one, then yes, I’ll let you mark me. I want your brand on me, but not like that evil bastard, no, any of those evil bastards. A mark of ownership but one of respect as well, one of love, just about us and what we share”. Harry chuckled, “I would never mark anyone else, only you. We’ll design our very own and have someone ink us. Australia is mainly built around her coast so we’re bound to find a good tat-man. Yeah, let’s do it”. He was pulled into a sweeter kiss this time, less bruising to his sensitised lips, “Sweet Gryffindor. For you I’ll submit willingly”.

Harry raised his eyebrows at this, “Oooh”, he deadpanned, “Submit, eh? Hmm, as I suspected, a bit of a sub on the quiet are we?” Severus growled and slapped Harry’s denim-clad arse, “Hmm, dunno ‘bout that, exactly but I’m willing to get a tattoo done for you, for us”. Harry pouted, his lower lip jutting out. Severus bit it gently. “I’ll never be a submissive, my Harry and I don’t need a Dom. Just you and all we can give to each other”. Harry rolled his eyes in a mock aggravated way, “Damn and I thought I would have you as my love-slave”. Severus grinned, his face still red, “I’m already that, berk”, and they kissed again.

There was a polite cough somewhere off to their left, “Dinner is served, gentlemen”, said archly and they looked up to see the grinning face of Julia tipped to one side as she regarded them. “You know, for older guys, you two sure are hot together. It gives me hope for my middle age”. Harry pulled his tongue out at her, “Cheeky cow! Middle-aged indeed. I’ll have you know that for us wizard types we are mere youngsters”. She rolled her eyes at him before narrowing them, “You just keep thinking that, boys, now come on, I’ve cooked tonight, so come and get it before it gets cold”. With a wink, she left them alone.

Eventually they could bear to part. Both were nicely relaxed from the tensions of the day and Harry knew that they could put this betrayal behind them. Damn it all, it should always have been them anyway, every one of their friends knew that. So they had pasts, had experienced hurts. It had brought them to this place hadn’t it? And this place was so good, so right. They shared a last kiss and a long look before untangling again and making their way to the kitchen and the smell of food.

A quick glance around the table at the various shifty looks told them that their interlude had been overheard. Harry cast a glance at Severus and neither of them could keep the daft grins from their faces. Harry thought to apologise but decided against it. Sod it. Middle aged people had sex. Get over it, he thought wickedly as he caught Nettie’s eye. He shrugged at the assembled company, “Whoops, hormones got the better of us. Yes, even middle-aged queers fuck, ‘specially when we’re on our honeymoon still. Sorry about that, chaps, the moment got away from us a bit”, but he didn’t look in the least bit apologetic.

Julia started to laugh, “I have to admit, it sounded bloody hot, though we were going to be polite and not say anything”. Harry rolled his eyes, “Oh, don’t be so buttoned up. I thought only us Brits did that tight-lipped Victorian mock-morality thing. Sorry if we upset anyone though. Hmm what’s that expression about folks who live in glass houses?” Jon and Josh nearly choked on their food as the ‘Brits’ came to the table and seated themselves.

Nettie giggled, “Don’t get your panties in a tangle. I think queer guys are hot anyway. Regular ol’ fag-hag, me”, she laughed and met their gaze head-on. “Here, Jules has made us ratatouille, dig in before Josh scoffs the ruddy lot”, and the atmosphere eased. The rest of the table grinned at them and each other and Harry took a moment to realise that these youngsters had barely grown past adolescent awkwardness. He suddenly felt very old and saw remnants of his own gaucheness in the face of rampant sexuality that he had felt at that age. Ah, so this was wisdom was it? He smirked inwardly and helped himself to food.

The tension was further eased by Jon who handed out beer to his four guests while he and his sister remained chastely tee-total sharing secret grins with their two magical guests. Yes, the gesture said, we are being good and Harry and Severus duly noted it silently with a nod and thanks as they took their drinks.

Dinner was lively and chatty. They discussed the music and the progress made that day. Julia declared to her two temporary band-mates that they were taking the next couple of days off to show Harry and Severus round a bit. “We’ve promised them a chopper ride and we’re gonna take a trip over to Melbourne too. Reminds me, must call Pete later and book the chop before it gets too late”, and the meal continued.

Harry made a short mention of the bad news that they had received from England without going into specifics and some of the funnier parts of the e-mails that they had received, leaving out any mention of the magical. “We send ‘em all travelogues over the Web, have done since we started this over two years ago. All over Europe and now New Zealand and here”. He was asked on further destinations that they might travel to and he mused, “Oooh, dunno yet. We’ll point Bessie at somewhere and say ‘go’. Asia next? Maybe the Americas? We haven’t decided yet and we’ve only just got to Aus. We’ll spend a few months here, probably, travelling around. I want to see a desert. I’ve never seen a desert before, although we plan on Africa too at some point”.

Josh sighed, “Actually you two give me hope that one day I’ll do the travelling I always meant to. I take it that the Merc outside is yours then?” Severus nodded, grinning, “Aye, that’s Bessie and she’s looked after us all over Europe and now here at the other side of the planet”. Nettie burst out laughing at the name, “Bessie!! Wherever did she get a name like that? That’s so cute”. Severus rolled his eyes, “Harry named her and it sort of suits her. I didn’t see her in the state she was in when Harry purchased her but apparently she looked like a down-at-heel old lady with, what was it, love? Wrinkly stockings?”

It was Harry’s turn to laugh, “Yep, she was previously owned by a fishing club and she stank inside. She was all bare and knocked about, hadn’t had much lurve in her life until I rescued her. I bought her for a song, mainly for the engine which at first, I was going to lift and put in another vehicle, but she’s a perfect size for this kind of travel and once I’d done her up...well...if you like, I’ll show you round her later”.

This was greeted with some considerable enthusiasm by the others, Josh in particular, “Man, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do but Real Life keeps getting in the way”. Harry grinned, “Us too, but when our previous partners died, it was like a new start. We both had to nurse them through terminal illness which, as you can imagine, was pretty grim. Draco, my ex, was reluctant to travel. He was a bit of a snob, truth to tell, but I had always wanted to explore the world”. Severus joined in, “My ex, Remus, was a bit shy of the wide world, though he wasn’t a snob or anything, but he was wary of stepping outside his comfort zone, flying blind, so to speak. He had not the courage for an expedition of this nature, the looseness of it all would have undone him, he liked schedules and timetables. He would have insisted on guidebooks and organised tours, that sort of thing. We don’t even own a guidebook to Australia. We’ll make it up as we go along, buy something on history to give us context but that’s about it. We often rely on locals that we meet to tell us of any interesting places to visit and there’s nothing like being shown around by the natives, after all, you people know more about your locale than some damned guide book”.

Josh rested his chin in his hands and stared at them dreamily, “That attitude is so cool, guys. I friggin’ envy you both. One day, Josh old man, one day and that’ll be me out there in a converted wagon of some sort. C’mon, show us”.

Nettie rejoined, “Sorry to hear that about your exes, that must have been awful, you know, caring for a dying lover”. Harry agreed ruefully, “It wasn’t nice for any of us. Actually it fuckin’ really hurt if you must know. I hope none of you ever have to go through that and if you have, well you’ll know whereof I speak. You feel so friggin’ helpless and they feel like a burden to you. It’s horrible and I wouldn’t wish such a thing on my worst enemy”, his voice was a bit wobbly as he finished.

Nettie extended a hand and squeezed Harry’s gently before retracting it. She said nothing but they shared a smile. She found herself warming to these two older men and Harry knew he had another friend in the making here. The meal was finished and the pots washed and tidied away before Harry led them all into the early day to the van sitting silent under the trees.

They all ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ as they were shown round, Josh asking many pertinent questions as to the conversion and what was under the bonnet. Harry started her up, offering a silent prayer to any passing deity who may be listening, glad that she started first time. He ran the engine as they continued the tour. He took Josh up onto the roof showing him the water tank and the roofrack plus the skylight that he had fitted to allow more light into the interior. Josh declared the whole van ‘brilliant’ and Harry glowed with pride.

“She really is a work in progress. When we went back to England to marry, I had new high-tech windows and screens made for her to keep the inside quieter as we drive and to keep the sound of howling gales out. One or two of her windows were a bit leaky too, not nice when you’re half way up an Alp in driving snow. I need to move the water tank though, bit of an oversight fitting it to this side as the combined weight of it full and the wood-burner makes her list to starboard a bit. Next time I’m within reach of welding kit, I’ll have to move it so the weight balances better”.

Josh grinned widely, “I can help you out there, mate. My dad runs a boat yard. It’s not posh like a fancy marina or anything but folk from all over can come and do repairs of their own using dad’s gear or we do the repairs for them and charge accordingly. We have a full ramp and welding gear if you need a borrow, mate, and we’re just down the road”.

Harry was ecstatic, “Oh, that would be a real help, Josh, thanks. I’ll take you up on that as at the moment, I can’t fill the tank more than half full before I can feel it in the steering and as I’ve just renewed all that while we were in Germany, I don’t want it to wear unevenly. If it’s treated right, the new track rods and column bushes I changed should last for years now. Do you have a riveter too, as she’s popped a couple to her port side on this roof panel here that I put on to help the roof carry more weight”. Josh took a look at the problem, “No probboes, mate, we’ll soon have that fixed. You’ve really done a job of work on this old lady, she’s a fine bus”, they high-fived, two fellow engineers of like minds.

Nettie was impressed with the small library and Julia declared her ‘fair dinkum’, high praise indeed. “We need something like this, you know, to carry the band around on tour. We hire these dead expensive fancy coaches which have all this cool kit on board but nowhere to stow the gear. This way, it’s tailor made to your own specs”. Severus laughed, “Well, Harry does keep making modifications. He made the shower stall bigger”. Nettie giggled, “I see, so you can have cosy showers together, you pair of randy romantics. That’s so cool, really rad. I love her, she’s beautiful. You made this old lady dignified again”. Severus grinned at her words hearing Harry say something very similar in his mind, what seemed like many years ago now as he had shown him Bessie for the first time. “Quite”, he grinned as they clambered down again.

Jon was also impressed, “We never really saw her in Crete. You’ve done a great job on her, Harry. Did it take you long?” Harry joined the others back on the ground, “About six months all told. I had to strip out all the seats and scrap ‘em first, that gave me a bit of cash to start with and then I took it slowly. It took a while to source all the spare bits for her and I still carry around a selection of spares. It was how I was able to renew the steering so far from home, though I was in her birthplace at the time. I have all sorts of spares for her. Josh, if your dad has a ramp I could do with looking at the axles as well. I’m not worried as such but I know there’s wear on the right front and I have the bits with me. I’d hate to break down in the middle of nowhere like we did in Germany. That was pretty scary”.

As he and Josh continued their inspection around her outsides, Harry knew he had another friend-in-the-making. Josh was quite a keen mechanic with vehicles being more of a speciality than boats with him. This man would be a useful friend to have.

Later on, after a few more beers, the other two finally left as the sun was rising higher hoping that they would see their new friends later. “We’ll see you in a couple of days then, yeah?” Josh enquired. Harry grinned, “Dead right. I’d be grateful for any help you can offer me. We can pay your dad for the loan of the welder, I’m no scrounger or anything, you know, expecting something for nothing”. Josh waved him off, “Nah, no worries, dude. See you in a day or two”, and they took their leave.

Julia nudged Severus on the way back to the house, “Looks like you guys made a coupla new pals tonight”, and grinned at him. Severus glanced down at her upturned face, “We didn’t mean to embarrass anyone, you know, earlier”, he mumbled. Her grin widened, “I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you. I won’t. I think Jonny was a bit put out but he’s not anti-queer or anything. I think you took us by surprise”. Severus tried to look sheepish and repentant but found himself returning her grin instead, “Oh well, what’s done is done. I should have reminded Harry to re-apply the silencing charm. We’ll try not to embarrass you further. It was a reprehensible way for us as guests to behave”. Julia shoved at him gently, “Ah gerroff. Net and I thought you were hot. I think Josh did too. Poor guy, he can’t decide what side of the sexual fence he sits on. I think you were a turn-on to the three of us”. Severus raised his brows, “Well in that case, glad to be of service”, then executed a mock bow. She howled her mirth and they were back at the house.

They split up to retire shortly afterwards. Harry commented, “It’s weird to be back on British time again. Another few days of this and we could go back to England with absolutely no jet-lag”. Severus grinned at his husband, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather be back to daylight hours before too long. I don’t mind living at night for now but even this old denizen of the dark likes the sun these days”.

Stars and/or reviews are always welcomed.

See you next week.

S2