Tequila

Chapter 6

Harry had avoided Severus as much as he could over the previous few days, particularly in the great hall at meal times and in the corridors surrounding the dungeons. What hurt Harry though was the fact that Severus didn\'t seem to be seeking him out, despite the fact that he said he wanted to talk to him. There was no way he could avoid him today though, he had double potions right after breakfast, starting in about 5 mins time actually.

Harry sighed and pushed his uneaten toast towrards Ron, who, without even noticing, picked it up and shoved it in his mouth with the rest of his breakfast. Hermione, however, was not so unobservant.

\"Harry, whats wrong with you? You\'ve been distant for weeks and you\'ve been in a really shitty mood for the last few days. You\'ve not been eating and you\'ve been avoiding everyone outside of class and you\'ve been snapping at everyone. What\'s going on?\"

Harry could never trust Hermione to be as unobservant as Ron.

\"Nothing\'s wrong \'Mione, just not looking forward to potions as per usual.\"

\"I don\'t know what you\'re worried about, Professor Snape has been leaving you alone a lot over the past few weeks. In fact I don\'t think he\'s once taken points or given you detention or a zero for your potions.\" Hermione frowned suddenly, just noticing something. \"I hope he\'s ok. He hasn\'t been himself for a while.\"

Ron, who hadn\'t gotten a good enough grade for NEWT potions, snorted. \"He\'s not taking points? Christ somethng must be wrong. Maybe he\'s finally getting laid!\"

Harry, who was taking a drink of pumpkin juice, started choking noisily, while Hermione punched her boyfriend on the arm muttering, \"Honestly, Ron.\"

Ron laughed heartily, \"Yeah, you\'re right Harry. I can\'t imagine anyone shagging him.\" Ron shuddered at the mental images running through his brain.

Harry composed himself and wipe the pumpkin juice he\'d accidently snorted through his nose off his face.

\"Come on,\" Harry said, glad of the change of subject, \"we\'re gonna be late for class.\"

Harry sat in his potions class and deliberately looked everywhere but at Professor Snape. He wanted to look at Snape, he wanted to watch his interaction with Draco, and see if it was obvious in class how \"close\" they actually were. Not really paying attention to what he was doing, he dropped more than 10 times the amount of monkshood he was supposed to and proceeded to turn his so far ok potion into a stinking gloopy mess that belched off bright pink smoke. And because in NEWT potions they didn\'t use partners, he had no one to blame it on but himself.

// Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck //

Harry knew that even if Snape had been avoiding him and acting weird for the past few weeks, there was no way he could ignore this.

\"Potter,\" growled Snape. \"You have managed to turn a potion that even a 3rd year Gryffindor could manage into a nuclear disaster. 20 points deducted Mr Potter and detention this evening with myself.\" Snape magically removed the offending potion and left Harry\'s cauldron empty. \"8 pm, and don\'t be late. I may even give you opportunity to make up for the failure of this class.\"

Snape smirked, his usual smirk that Harry hadn\'t seen in weeks, and suddenly Harry felt better. They could get past this. They could go back to being whatever the hell they were before. Loathed enemies or tentative friends or what ever it was. Just as long as they were both semi-comfortable again. Harry almost audibley sighed in relief. Hermione looked over at him and Harry wasn\'t sure if it was sympathy or relief on her face.

\"Guess he\'s feeling better,\" Harry mumbled in her direction and saw a tentative smile returned.

// Detention with Snape might be a probem. Will he want to talk? We should talk. I want to know if he remembers the sex!!! //

Harry\'s teenage mind was playing tricks on him again as it had for weeks, conjuring images that Harry didn\'t know were memories or hormones. He looked at the clock. He still had 45 minutes of potions left so it probably wouldn\'t do for him to be getting a hard-on. Shying his mind away from his erotic imaginings, Harry thought about how he was gonna approach the subject with Snape.

// For Merlins sake, I\"ve had sex with the guy, I should at least be able to talk to him about it! //

More determined than he thought possible, Harry settled in for the rest of the class.

Severus glanced quickly at Harry, noticing the determined look in his eyes.

// Oh Merlin, what have I done? //

Severus wanted to speak to Harry. Wanted to confirm for definite that he hadn\'t pushed the boy into anything that night. He definitely wanted to know what Harry was thinking when he\'d sneaked into his room 3 nights previously. He wasn\'t sure what he wanted in regards to the boy himself. Severus cared for Harry, there was no doubting that. He had spent a lot of time with him during 6th year, teaching him occlumency and dark spells to help him with Voldemort. During thier private time together, Severus had found Harry to be a hard-working and inteligent young man. He\'d also found that Harry had a lot of anger to work out in regards to his parents and his godfathers death. Dueling with Severus had given Harry an outlet for his anger and Severus had found Harry to be a formidable and passionate opponent.Once Harry\'s anger had been worked through, the almost nightly dueling practice had been fun and exhausting for both of them. A grudging respect had sprung up for Harry that Severus was sure was reciprocated. While they both still maintained their outward snarkiness towards each other, they both realised it was more teasing than anything.

// When did respect turn into sexual desire? //

Had Severus been alone he would have groaned and cursed himself for allowing his boundaries to be moved. Thank God he would be able to talk to Harry tonight, and hopefuly sort this mess out once and for all.

Promptly at 8 pm, Harry stood outside his Potions Masters office. Harry had been undecided for a few minutes, wondering if he should head to Snape\'s private quarters, but had realised how silly he was being. Detentions never took place in Snape\'s private quarters and Harry knew Severus would probably treat this as a normal detention.

// Which it is. You messed up, you\'re getting punished. You might want to talk to him, but don\'t see this as more than it actually is. //

Harry knocked on the door.

\"Enter,\" Severus growled.

// God, that voice, orgasmic....Stop it. //

Harry composed his thoughts into something more appropriate and entered his professors office. Instead of finding Snape grading papers behind his desk and the stack of dirty cauldrons he was expecting, Harry was surprised to find 2 large armchairs, facing the fire and a small table with tea set on it.

\"Come in, Mr Potter.\" Severus stood and gestured to the other chair. \"Would you like something to drink?\"

Harry, too surprised by the sight in front of him, cold only nod dumbly as he sank into the chair opposite Severus. Harry remembered this set up well. While he had been training with Snape through his 6th year, they would often come to his office afterwards and have a cup of tea while resting from the dueling. Often they would discuss what Harry had learned during the lesson, or what he would learn during the next one. It was a situation Harry was extremely comfortable with and one which he had not been in for several months. He appreciated Snape trying to put him at ease, but this only implied that things might get uncomfortable later.

\"Professor....\"

\"Mr Potter, I thought we might continue our conversation from the other day. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, we can find some menial task to occupy your time until detention would normally be over. If you do feel comfortable discussing then please feel freeto start or indicate that I may start so that we may sort this out once and for all.\"

Harry closed his eyes for a moment. Sure, yeah, this was a conversation they needed to have, and he\'d come down here specifically to have it. Being here, though, was a different story. He hadn\'t been expecting to find the office this comfortably set up. In such a familiar way as well. He certainly hadn\'t been expecting Snape to treat him as an equal, a friend or lover. He\'d been more expecting Severus to treat him like a student. Lecture him or ask him questions. He wasn\'t entirely prepared to just talk.

\"Ummm, yeah I want to talk. I don\'t want to start though, I want to hear what you have to say before I say what I have to.\"

Severus leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea, composing his thoughts. He wasn\'t entirely sure what to say or how to begin. He didn\'t know how Potter felt. He knew that he didn\'t like him as a Professor, anyone could see that. His words that morning had proved that as well.

// Most hated professor //

Those words had haunted Severus. He recalled again the hours of training they\'d done, the hours of talking in this very room. He realised that that\'s where the spark of feeling had begun. He had feelings for the boy wonder. It had taken a long time for him to admit that to himself, but when he\'d woken up in bed beside him, looked into those jade eyes, he had realised. How was he ever going to tell Harry?

\"Harry, I want us to get one thing straight before we discuss anything else. If I pressured you into anything after the party, I\'m sorry. It was never my intention to force you into something you didn\'t want.\" Severus lowered his eyes and hid his face behind his teacup.

\"Oh, no, Professor. It\'s ok. I might not remember much of what happened, but you wouldn\'t have had to coerce me into anything.\" Harry hastened to reassure Snape. \"I don\'t want you to think you pressured me. I would have been up for it.\"

Severus sat for a few minutes, his brain not quite coming to grips with what his ears said he was hearing.

\"You would have been up for it?\" he asked ponderously.

Harry blushed. Brightly.

// Oh Gods. So much for self control. //

\"Professor Snape....\"

\"I think Harry, considering what has occured and given the conversation we are about to have, it would be best if you called me Severus.\"

Harry felt a warm stirring in his stomach at the potions masters use of his first name.

\"Harry, I think we should be entirely honest with each other in regards to what has happened between us over the previous few weeks. I would like to know certain things about yourself, and I\'m sure you would like to ask me some questions as well.\"

\"Yes, Pro....Severus. There are things I would like to ask you,\" Harry thought of Draco, \"and not that I\'m saying I don\'t trust you, but I wouldn\'t know if you were answering truthfully. I know you would answer any question you could honestly, but I know thqt if there was something you felt I shouldn\'t know you would simply lie. I don\'t feel I can have this conversation with you with so much uncertainty.\"

Harry looked up at his Professor cautiously. Would he take the bait?

\"Harry, I do want us to begin whatever this may be with trust and honesty, and I understand your reluctance to see both together at this moment. If you really feel this way, we may both take some truth serum, a less invasive version of veritaserum. That way we will both know exactly where we stand.\"

Harry bowed his head gently to show his aquiesence, and hid a smirk that would rival Snape\'s own. Now he would get what he wanted from the Potions Master.

// Like a fly to honey. //