The Day Ahead

Chapter 5 is finally done





Chapter
5 is finally done! I hope you all like it. Sorry about the long wait. I'll try
to get chapter 6 done quicker.

 

 

Upon
landing, Severus was slightly disoriented as usual and swayed slightly. He
quickly realized he was being steadied by Lupin's hand on his arse. He shook
his head and stepped away from the offending appendage.

"All
right, Severus?" Lupin asked sweetly.

"Fine,"
he growled in reply.

Severus
announced that their first stop would be at the coffee shop as he was in
desperate need of caffeine. Severus led the men down the main street for a
couple of blocks, then turned down a smaller street. He stopped at a small café
that his second cousin, Sarah, owned. Sarah had always been his favourite
relative. She never judged him or expected anything of him and she always
treated him with respect. Severus also knew she was as much of a flirt as the
men with him and he had always had fun with her without any pressure. Perhaps
he could get a little revenge.

"Sevvie!
Darling!" A voice cried out before Severus even had the door open all the
way. Severus gave a genuine smile as he saw Sarah rush towards him. She leaped
into his arms, nearly knocking him over, hugging him tightly. He was laughing
as he set her back on her feet.

"Sevvie!
I've missed you so much!" She cried out, hugging him again. She was short,
with long curly black hair and bright hazel eyes. She was wearing a simple red
dress with a white apron.

"It
hasn't been that long, Sarah." Severus smiled as he gently pushed her
back.

"Oh,
you brought friends. You mean I'm actually getting to meet some of your
friends?! Its about damn time!" Sarah smiled at the two men standing
behind Severus. The older one looked amused, while the younger wizard looked
stricken.

"Yes,
dear. I've brought friends. This is Harry Potter and Remus Lupin," Severus
said gesturing to each man in turn, then nodded at the lovely young woman.
"This is my one true love, Sarah." He gave her a wink. Out of the
corner of his eye, he saw Harry turned deathly white.

Severus
almost felt bad about crushing the young man's hopes but it was probably for
the best. Harry was young, he didn't need to be tied down to an old man. He'd
get bored with Severus eventually and leave Severus holding a broken heart. He
couldn't set himself up for that.

"Ah,
so you're Harry Potter, the bane of my Sevvie's existence!" Sarah said
with a smile and a wink to Harry. Harry gave a forced smile and sat down at the
little table the woman had led them to.

As
Severus sat, Sarah's hand came to rest on his shoulder. He was feeling a little
less stressed already. Sarah always had a calming effect on him. She gave his
shoulder a light squeeze before going to get the coffees the men had requested.
Severus knew he should be enjoying the saddened look on Harry's face, but
instead it made him feel guilty. He was beginning to wonder just how honest
Harry's flirting had been.

"So,
Sevvie, where's our first stop going to be today?" Remus asked with a
bright smile, laying a warm hand on Severus' thigh, rubbing lightly in small
circles. Severus nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt it. He glared
menacingly at the werewolf and batted his hand away.

"There
is a furniture store directly across the street from here. I thought we should
start there." Severus' voice was tight with stress and anger. All thought
of pity for Potter went away in a cloud of frustration. Severus wasn't used to
such attentions and decidedly didn't like it. He didn't know what the game was
these two men were playing with him, but he was tired of it.

They
spent several minutes in blissful quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Lupin
was the first to break the silence.

"Sarah..?"
he said thoughtfully. "Sev, don't you have a cousin named Sarah?"
Severus saw Potter's face light up slightly.

"Yes,
I do."

"I
thought so. Didn't she own a small restaurant or something?" Severus could
tell that Lupin had already figured it out but wanted him to come out with it
himself. He wouldn't make it easy for Lupin.

"Yes,
she does."

"I
thought so." Lupin again put his hand on Severus' leg as he leaned in to
talk to him.

"Would
this ha to to be the same Sarah?" Lupin snickered. Potter's small smile
turned into a grin as he realized Sarah wasn't Severus' girlfriend, but his
relative.

"As
a matter of fact, she IS my cousin. Now get your hand off my thigh before I
break it!" Lupin and Potter laughed loudly while Severus sneered. This was
going to be a long day, indeed.

Half an
hour later, they were standingsideside of the furniture shop arguing.

"I
do not require a babysitter. Just go do whatever you have to do, Lupin."
Severus was tired and frustrated and it was only 9am. He really didn't see how
he was going to get through an entire day shopping with these two.

"Severus,"
Remus insisted, "I promised Albus I wouldn't leave either of you alone.
There are too many Death Eaters out there still after both of you, but YOU
especially! I'll not risk your life just so I can go visit a friend for a few
minutes. It can wait."

"We
will not be alone, we'll be together!" Severus responded smartly.
"Now, go away!" He grabbed Potter's hand and pulled him into the
store, closing the door in Lupin's face.

Severus
looked around the spacious room until he spotted the bedroom furniture and
pulled Potter along with him over to it. Stopping in front of a small oak set
with just a twin size bed, Severus realized he was still holding Potter's hand.
He relaxed his grip but Potter didn't let go. When he looked at him, Potter
gave another heart melting shy smile.

As a
salesman approached, Severus pulled his hand free. He talked to the salesman
while Harry took a seat on the bed.

"This
set looks fine. You can bill Hogwarts School for it."

"Um,
Sev?" Harry asked a bit nervously. "Why don't you just get a rug and
sleep on the floor. It would be just omfoomfortable and probably cost
less."

"Really,
Potter. It couldn't be THAT bad."

"Have
a seat and find out," he challenged.

Severus
cautiously sat next to the younger wizard, sure he was exaggerating or had some
plan for sitting next to him on a bed. As he sat, he realized that Harry wasn't
exaggerating at all. He stood up and told the salesman they would keep looking
for a few minutes.

Harry
led the way over to another set that was bigger. This set had a double bed and
was all in cherry oak. It looked quite nice and far more comfortable than the
first. Harry sat down and fell onto his back laughing.

"This
is fine if you like the idea of sleeping on a marshmallow!"

Severus
rolled his eyes and sat next to him. He, too, immediately fell backwards onto
the extremely soft mattress. If Severus wasn't so tired, he might have laughed
with Harry. As they tried to get off the bed, they found the softness of the
bed made maneuvering very difficult.

Harry
was laughing much harder and even Severus started to snicker until Harry rolled
into him and they were facing each other, their lips just inches apart.
Severus' breath caught as Harry leaned in and kissed him for the second time
that day. It was just a soft pressing of lips, but Severus could feel the
weight of it deep in the pit of his stomach.

By the
time they had managed to get off the bed, the salesman had returned. Severus
could feel his cheeks burning but hoped no one else would notice it.

"Perhaps
you and your partner would care to see our lover's suite?" the salesman
asked with a light smile. Severus' eyes opened wide with shock.

"No,
we most certainly would NOT!"

Harry,
being bold, looked at him and batted his eyes. "Please, sweetheart? We
don't have to buy it, just look at it." He was grinning wickedly.

"No,
Darling, we don't have the time right now. Perhaps on our next trip,"
Severus said with tightly controlled anger and humour. He couldn't believe the
salesman's audacity to suggest such a thing when there were so many obvious
years between them, but was also pleased that it was so easily accepted.
Harry's playing it up also amused him but worried him again, as well. He really
couldn't tell just how serious Harry was about him.

Severus
refused as politely as he could, then moved on to another set. This one was
also cherry oak. It had a queen size bed, which is what Severus had had before,
a large wardrobe, two bedside tables, a dresser with mirror and a
chest-of-drawers. It looked perfect, especially when Harry first sat, then
stretched out on the bed.

"MMM...
This one is perfect, Sev. I think you should get this one."

Severus
sighed and rolled his eyes again. He told the clerk he would take the whole set
with a second wardrobe and asked to have it sent to Hogwarts with the bill. He
offered his hand to Harry to pull him to his feet, then found the young man
didn't want to let go. Severus sighed again. Mumbling under his breath about
teenagers and hormones, he resigned himself to his fate. He led Harry out of
the store and back onto the street.