Secret-Keeper

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and universe are property of JKR, Scholastic & other assorted publishers, and the WB.


Severus has been following him for the better part of an hour now, and James is having quite the time leading leading him about by his overly large conk on a wild Prongs chase. While James isn\'t exactly sure what Severus wants with him, he is sure that he will not be besting James tonight. James takes his time wandering down corridors, occassionally glancing down at the Marauder\'s Map and snickering to himself when he spies Severus do something particularly ridiculous, such as hide behind a suit of armor or duck into a closet to being seen when James unexpectedly turns about and head right back in the direction from whence he came.

When James reaches the fourth floor, he takes pause, leaning against a garish painting of a landscape. Pulling the map out of a robe pocket, he unfolds a few sections until he finds his location and grins, eyes scanning for the miniscule figure labelled \'Severus Snape\'. He keeps watch, but the figure doesn\'t appear. James frowns and pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Surely Severus is still stalking him. It isn\'t as though he has anything better to do, the git. James unfolds another section of the map and snorts. \"Oh ho, crafty are we, Snivellus?\" James says softly, shaking his head and pushing off the painting. A tap of his wand and a quick \"mischief managed\" takes care of evidence, and he crams plain-looking parchment back into a pocket before trotting off down the corridor. All it takes is a shortcut through the library - normally locked after-hours to students, but James is a Marauder, so he knows how to enter the library at night undetected - and James surprises Severus, cutting him off in front of a narrow corridor no one ever uses.

\"Hello, Snivellus,\" James says as casually as can be. \"Fancy meeting you here.\"

Severus starts, then catches himself and scowls. James only reaches a count of one-one-thousand in his head before Snivellus whips out his wand and thrusts it in his face. \"Leave off,\" he snarls, and James cannot help but to laugh. Oh, he tries to help himself for perhaps one or two seconds, but his lips twitch and twist, then the first bit of a giggle bubbles up and he gives in, laughing a great big belly laugh while Severuss\' wand-hand trembles. \"What is so amusing, Potter?\" he manages to ground out through gritted teeth. \"Managed to Divine your pathetic future full of disappointments and filthy Mudblooded half-breeds?\"

James sobers instantly and stares at Severus, barely able to see him for all the red hot rage blurring his vision. While he can take insults about himself or his mates or just about anything, really, the one thing he cannot take is someone, especially Snivellus, disrespecting Muggle-borns. James knows Severus isn\'t just insulting Muggle-borns; he\'s insulting Lily, sullying her because of her parentage, and James won\'t stand for it. James won\'t stand for it, and, if he has any say in the matter, Severus will not be be able to stand by the conclusion of their meeting.

With a supreme amount of self-control, James forces himself to flash Severus a small smile, then runs a hand through his hair, pushing it up in the back as he always does when there is an audience, and deliberately places his wand in an inner robe pocket. Severus\' own wand lowers a fraction, almost as though he is testing James, and then he raises it again, thrusting it in James\' face. Anger threatening to boil over, James pivots and feigns starting down the corridor, then swivels round quickly and connects an open-hand fist with Severus\' jaw. Severus\' wand hits the floor with a clatter and he gapes at James for a long moment, and then shoves him against the wall. This irritates James and he fights back, taking a fistful of Slytherin robes in his hands, hauling Severus up and throwing him against the opposite wall. But Severus isn\'t as weak as James thought, and he launches himself at James. They struggle and they claw and James hears fabric ripping, then the sound of money and dungbombs hitting the floor. His glasses dangle precariously on one ear but he doesn\'t care; he will not let Severus get away with this - this being speaking ill of Lily, this being besting him in a fight, this being simple breathing his bloody air.

Hands claim fistfuls of greasy hair and James yanks hard. Severus\' head falls back and James knees him, missing his target by mere centimetres, the force of his blow sending Severus reeling against a door. James slams up against him but Severus bucks back, trying to throw him off, and James freezes. Severus is panting heavily, his breath hot against James\' ear, and he bucks again and again, and James does not understand it nor does he want to believe it, but he his hard. Severus is thrusting his hips against James and James is hard, his cock straining against his trousers, pressing against Snivellus.

This can\'t be happening. James doesn\'t want it to be happening. But it is. It is and he shifts, trying to get away from Severus, but Severus\' long, spindly fingers are clutching onto his forearm and...there it is. James feels it against his leg and he knows. He knows and he\'s sixteen and God if it doesn\'t feel brilliant when the bulge in Severus\' trousers rubs right up against and up and down his.

James grunts, Severus hisses, and James doesn\'t give a flying shrivelfig if he\'s Severus Snape or Professor Slughorn; he needs to get off now. He needs to get off, so he twists his fingers in Severus\' hair and rolls his hips and Snape\'s mouth falls open, moving soundlessly.

\"Fuck,\" James gasps, grinding into Severus long and slow and hard, so much so that he feels Severus lift his hips off the door and press back against him. If feels good - too good - and James falls forward, his cheek pressing against Severus\' shoulder, his mouth moist and lipping the column of Severus\' throat.

\"Never,\" Severus groans, working his hands between their bodies. Before James realises what he\'s doing, Severus has parted his robes, undone his fly, and is leading his cock out of his shorts. The touch sends a jolt right through him, and James glances down, staring at Severus\' potion-stained fingers, watching the way they curl around his cock, all red and hot, the foreskin stretched and slick over the glistening head. Severus gives him a firm, cruel squeeze and James shouts, the shout turning into a throaty moan as those fingers move lightly and precisely over his length as though Severus were playing one an arpeggio on his skin.

\"Do it,\" James says, arching his hips, needing that contact.

Severus grows silent, staring at him, and James does not look away. He does not look away, not even when Severus does start to do it, does start to pump. James sees something in Severus\' eyes, and it isn\'t the familiar hatred or fear. It\'s something...it reminds him of the way Sirus looks at him sometimes, and James suddenly feels very dirty. Very dirty and ashamed and--

\"I said do it,\" James repeats, his voice low and hard. \"And I mean do it, Snivellus. None of this half-arsed shit.\"

And then the look is gone, replaced by the glittering hate James is used to. This look is safe. This look doesn\'t mean anything other than natural order, and James feels a bit cleaner as he fucks Severus\' palm, his cock sliding against the grooves in his palm. It isn\'t long before it\'s going to be over; James can feel the pleasure mounting, spiralling higher and higher inside, and he doesn\'t want to come in Severus\' hand. That\'s too good for him.

\"Enough,\" James says roughly, shoving him back so hard that Severus falls to his knees. James pauses long enough to right his glasses and then he sneers down at Snivellus. \"You\'re a pathetic hand-job, Snivellus,\" he says, pulling himself off the rest of the way. Severus looks up at him, hate positively oozing out his pores, and begins to scoot back, but he isn\'t fast enough. James gasps and jerks and then his seed is spilling out, shooting over his hand, some spilling on the floor, but most spraying right on Snivellus, coating his cheek and hair.

With a great sigh, James slumps against the door, one hand feeling for the wand in the inside pocket while Severus sputters and curses. Down the corridor, James hears something that can only be Mr Filch patrolling the halls, and he hastily rearranges his clothing, crouching on the floor to retrieve the money and other assorted things that had fallen out of his pocket earlier. Snape is charming his face clean and James is shoving the last dungbomb when Filch appears in the narrow corridor. Filch\'s eyes light up and his mangy cat meows as he picks up a plain bit of folded-up parchment from the ground.

James curses and drops the dungbomb on the floor. While Filch is distracted by the smoke and stench, bellowing about punishments, James takes hold of Severus by the elbow, dragging him through the smoke screen to the shortcut through the library.

Severus threatens to hex him, but James ignores him and tucks his cock, which hadn\'t been tucked properly in the first place, back in his pants. He doesn\'t know how he is going to tell Sirius what had happened just now with Snivellus, and he sure as bloody hell doesn\'t know how he is going to explain why Filch was able to confiscate the Marauder\'s Map.

On second thought, maybe he\'ll just keep those things to himself. After all, everyone keeps a secret or two.