Love, Lies & Loneliness

Chapter 47
(The night before Newts)

“We’ve been invited to dinner.” Harry said matter of factly as he continued to read aloud the letter that Sirius had sent him. Harry lay stomach down on Snape’s bed his feet dangling about above him, as he leaned over the bottom of the bed to grab one of the sweets he’d brought from Honeydukes earlier in the day. Snape groaned from the bathroom emerging a moment later still tying up his hair in the leather strap he favoured. “Don’t groan like that. He sounds like he genuinely wants to talk.” Harry continued as he finished reading the letter to himself that contained the details of the dinner date and Sirius’ paw print signature. Severus didn’t say anything as he moved over to his wardrobe and spelled himself clothed having chosen one of his most comfortable robes. It was the last staff meeting before end of year exams started and Severus was sure it would probably last all night like most of these meetings did, discussing new cheating spells that had been discovered. “Severus, you promised you’d make the effort.” Harry whined and pouted dramatically. Severus knew better than to take notice of his young lovers moods and merely brushed it off as he stood in front of the mirror and straightened his appearance. “Oh come on Sev, it’s just dinner and you heard what Remus said in his letter. Maybe Sirius has changed for the better, he came back from St Mungo’s a different man and you know that.” Harry tried a different tact as he sat up from the bed and perched on the end of it, as he looked at Snape’s appearance in the mirror. Snape sighed heavily and turned around, finally satisfied with his look, which was nothing short of immaculate like always.

“Fine, I’ll think about it. It wasn’t too long ago when he tried to kills us both if you don’t remember Harry, and while it may not affect you I still don’t trust him. Breakdown or not he’s still Sirius Black.” Snape collected his paperwork from his desk before striding out into his crimson and cream living room, leaving Harry to trail after him quickly.

“Good, well at least think about it. You can tell me tomorrow what you decide, and I’ll write back tomorrow afternoon.” Harry spoke calmly to his lover who was just collecting his quill and some spare parchment from his lab. Finally ready to leave Snape came to a stand still in front of Harry his arms full of ‘professor’ things.

“Harry you have exams tomorrow if you don’t remember.” Harry rolled his eyes at Severus who glared sternly at him, with his now familiar potion professor glare.

“I know! How could I forget you’ve been shoving revision notes down my throat for the past six months?” Harry looked seriously at Snape who smiled and nodded in understanding. The past year had gone so quickly. With Harry having recovered from his injury at the beginning of the year, they had both returned to Hogwarts in a mad rush. Harry had hardly had time to himself, the professors pushing the seventh years hard with their studies. “Besides, what I don’t know now I won’t ever know.” Harry shrugged his shoulders idly and Snape grunted his disapproval of that statement.

“Well that may be the case but you can at least get an early night. A well-rested student performs at his best, so no staying up with Draco or Weasley. I want you in bed by 8.30!” Snape glared at Harry pointedly and watched as the boy smiled cheekily at him.

“Is that an order sir?” Harry winked cheekily at Snape and licked his lips seductively. Snape rolled his eyes this time and turned to exit his room, already late for the staff meeting.

“In your bed Mr Potter, and yes that is an order. If I catch you up and roaming the halls after 8.30, Gryfindor will be seeing negative points until mid next year is that understood?” Snape stepped out into the hallway his hands still full of paperwork. Harry stepped out after him his hand holding open the door so he could return. Even though Snape had changed the wards to allow the boy to pass through easily when Snape was in his rooms, he hadn’t told the boy his password so that if Snape wasn’t in the room Harry couldn’t get in. Harry was a little miffed about it, but then he supposed Dumbledore had trusted them to keep their relationship discrete and without Snape’s password Harry couldn’t go sneaking into Snape’s private chambers at anytime.

“You can’t keep threatening to take points Snape in order to get your own way, I won’t be a student in four weeks time. Besides why should I care if Gryfindor never see positive points again when I’m not a student?” Snape threw Harry a dark look over his shoulder one that said Snape wasn’t to be messed with. Harry obediently nodded in understanding and with a short wave saw Snape off down the corridor before returning into the man’s private chamber. No sooner had Harry moved back into the room than a hissing sound alert Harry to someone wanting to come in. Harry smiled at the snake in the mirror above the fireplace and turned back to Snape’s door, brushing his hand over the door to make it open. He instinctively knew whom it would be.

“Hi Potter.” Without waiting for an invitation Draco pushed his way in, his arms full of chocolate, sweets, bags of crisps, and muggle soda. Draco dumped his stash in the centre of the rug in front of the fire and sat down on the floor amongst it. “Grab us some glasses and I’ll see if I can tune in the fireplace.” Harry nodded and disappeared into Snape’s potions lab, returning a moment later with two of the biggest cleanest potion jars he could find. Draco laughed as he saw the glassware and gestured for Harry to pour the drinks while he continued to flick his wand at the fireplace, changing the images with each flick.

“When you said a pig out Draco, I didn’t think you meant us actually turning into pigs.” Harry surveyed the junk food with an enthusiastic gaze. How Draco had gotten his hands onto the muggle food was beyond Harry, but it certainly was welcome. Harry had hardly ever been allowed food like this at the Dudley’s and when Draco had suggested it as a treat before exams started he’d jumped at the opportunity to try it. Draco huffed a laugh and nodded having finally found the right image in the fireplace.

“There, Quidditch final between Ireland and Wales. I’m betting Wales flog their Irish Pixy arses.” Harry was amazed at how clearly Draco had managed to tap into the commentary of the Quidditch game and automatically sat back to watch having chosen a packet of cheese crisps for himself.

“Nah, Ireland are unbeaten this season, I bet you three chocolate frogs they win.” Harry picked up three chocolate frogs from his own wizarding stash of junk food and put them to one side. Draco laughed but nodded as he too settled back to watch the game with some salt and vinegar crisps. It was just what the pair of them needed having studied non-stop for the past month and a half. Relaxing before the stress of exams tomorrow was certainly worth it.

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“Oh come on that sucked!” Harry threw an open packet of chocolate at the fire as the image of the Wales team accepting their trophey became too much for him. Almost instantly the image in the fire faded and the chocolate wrapper went up in green flames.

“I win! You owe me frogs Potter!” Disgusted by his loss Harry threw the three chocolate frogs they’d been saving over at the blonde who greedily pocketed them for later. With the image gone from the fire and so full with junk food Harry and Draco lay back on Snape’s rug, which was now littered with empty wrappers. Draco finished gloating over his win and rolled over onto his side to smile at his friend who lay with his arms behind his head on the rug. “So, have you decided what you’re going to do after school?” Draco inquired. All seventh years had been to private interviews with their heads of house to discuss their employment after school. Harry had listened to McGonagall suggestions with curiosity but he still hadn’t decided as yet.

“Nup. Auror’s won’t take me for training now…” Harry held up his still tightly bandaged arm. Although his injury had healed it still needed constant attention to stop it cramping up and he got the shakes far too often to hold a wand still for as long as would be needed in Auror training. “…and I’m not really interested in being in the Ministry.” Harry trailed off trying to remember all the career paths that had been suggested to him. In honesty he hadn’t really thought past his exams, accept for living with Snape that was. “Snape suggested I become his apprentice but I’m not sure that’s a good career move. What about you?” Harry inquired hopeful of moving the topic of conversation from himself. Draco beamed brightly at Harry obviously happy with his own decisions.

“Snape’s got me a ‘traineeship’ with Charlie Weasley in Romania studying the dragons. As long as I pass Care of Magical Creatures this year and pass this medical fitness test I can go and stay with him for three months to see if I like it.” Harry smiled pleased that Draco was getting what he wanted. It had been the boy’s greatest dream to work with Dragon’s and it had been that selfish driving force that had seen Draco want Voldemort defeated so much.

“Wow that’s cool. You’ll have to write to me or I’ll get lonely.” Harry pouted dramatically and Draco laughed and swatted his friend playfully across his good arm.

“Of course.” Draco smiled and relaxed back down on the rug having kicked off his shoes to warm his cold toes by the fire. “So how are things with you and Snape going?” Draco inquired having a desire to change the topic. They’d heard enough about their careers and their education over the past three months without talking about it now.

“Good but it’ll be better once I finish school.” Harry whispered as he thought about what Snape was up to at the moment. Draco nodded understandingly.

“Have you, you know?” Draco made a rude gesture with his hand and Harry groaned and rolled his eyes in frustration.

“No! I’ve tried everything Draco, he just won’t crack.” Harry thumped his head back against the rug and Draco sat up unbelieving of what Harry just said.

“Everything? Even the bath thing?” Draco inquired still in shock that his godfather hadn’t fallen for that. Harry shook his head sadly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Yes, even that. Do you know what he said to me when he walked in? He said ‘don’t be too long I want a shower.’ Can you believe that?” Harry looked incredulously across at his friend who sat with his mouth hanging open in shock.

“No way?” Draco continued to shake his head in disbelief as Harry continued in frustration his fists tightening in the rug pile.

“Yes way. He just won’t crack under the pressure and it’s not like he doesn’t want it. I woke up yesterday morning and that wasn’t his wand I felt against my back but when I turned over to you know, encourage him, he just kissed me on the nose and got out of bed.” Harry shook his head mirroring Draco’s look of disbelief. “Then I went down on him after the Yule Ball in the corridor outside Charms. Got on my knees and sucked him all the way down, which is a scary thing let me tell you, but before he could, you know…” Harry trailed off his eyebrows rising in knowing question before continuing. “Well before he could do that he pushed me away and said that it wasn’t safe doing it in the hall. We’d been there half an hour and no one had been anywhere near the fifth corridor, and I’m sure in the five minutes more it would have taken for him to blow his load no one would have caught us.” Draco scoffed loudly and continued to shake his head disbelieving of his Godfather’s chastity. Harry rolled over onto his side to look at Draco seriously his voice lowering into a conspiratorial tone. “I’ve even played with myself in front of him, practically begging him to take me with my fingers up my arse and he’s just got up and left. I’m beginning to get a little paranoid that it’s me he doesn’t want.” Harry trailed off and watched as Draco shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

“Maybe he’s just really serious about not having sex until you’ve finished school, he is stubborn when he wants to be. I’m sure it’s not you, he practically mopes for you all day.” Harry sighed and shrugged his shoulders in answering reply unsure what to do or what Snape was thinking.

“Sex, yeah okay I understand that but playing about won’t kill him Draco and I’ve had it with these chaste kisses bullshit, I want tongue when we pash.” Draco tried not to screw his nose up in disgust at the image of his godfather giving Harry tongue, and as always tried to distance himself with whom it actually was Harry was talking about.

“Have you ever thought he doesn’t trust himself to just play about? Maybe he thinks that if he plays about he won’t be able to stop once he’s excited? I know my godfather and he’s a pretty passionate man, and as far as I know a dedicated lover but he might not be able to stop once he gets going?” Draco glanced across at Harry who pondered a moment on what his friend had just suggested.

“Like that’s an issue, as if I’d want him to stop!” Harry chuckled softly but Draco just glared at his friend who obediently wiped the smile from his face.

“Be serious Harry. You know Snape well enough now to know he has morals and is going to see them upheld no matter what. Just give it till you finish school, and I’ll bet you all the chocolate frogs in Honeydukes he’ll jump you the moment you get your certificate.” Harry nodded in understanding and settled back on the rug his eyes beginning to droop closed as he fought with fatigue.

“Well if he doesn’t I’ll hold you accountable!” Harry pointed a finger accusingly over at Draco, who huffed a contemptible laugh and pushed Harry’s finger away.

“Don’t be stupid Harry, like I have control over my godfathers sex life.” As in on cue both boys heard a rattling of someone coming in through the door. Glancing at the clock above the mantel Harry swore and the hand read, ‘Coming Home’ and Snape’s name.

“Fuck, clean this up and I’ll get my Dad’s cloak, if he catches us we’re dead.” Harry dashed into the bedroom leaving Draco to clean up the mess with a flick of his wand. A moment later Harry returned and draped himself and the blonde haired boy in the invisibility cloak just as a tired and weary Snape stepped into the room. Harry and Draco edged their way to the door as Snape stepped in and looked cautiously about the room. Harry heard Snape chuckle to himself just as he and Draco were leaving.

“Damn Gryfindor, wouldn’t jeopardise the house cup no matter what.” Harry frowned at his lover’s amusement. It was just like Snape to assume Harry had done as he was told to save his house from loosing the cup. Outside in the corridor, Harry grabbed his wand and with a vicious flick put back the mess he and Draco had made on the rug with smug satisfaction. Draco choked on his laughter as Harry began running down the hall, as Snape finally saw the mess. “HARRY POTTER!” Draco and Harry ran for their lives, the sound of Snape’s furious bellow echoing in the now silent corridors of the dungeons. Harry burst out laughing as they reached the point where the pair would take their separate paths back to their houses.

“You’ll cop it you will, that was really nasty.” Draco continued to laugh even as he began making his way down the corridor towards the Slytherin common room entrance. Harry rolled his eyes be resisted the urge to comment, instead he pulled the cloak tighter about his body and like a shadow in the night made his way upstairs to bed…

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