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sua_layAuthor: Rimau Sua Lay
Rating: overall NC-17, Angst, Drama, Action/Adventure, First Time
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Harry/Snape, Ron/Draco, (Sirius/Remus)
Date: December 2002 - May 2007
Disclaimers: Not mine, borrowed without permission, am not making any money. Please don't sue. Sherbet Lemon?
Summary for Book Five: - It's time to try to save the world. Fools and idiots may be the wizards' only hope. Revenge does indeed taste strange. Kinda furry.
Warning: This part contains deaths, gore, total stupidity, explicit sex between men, disturbing themes and angst.
The earlier parts of the fic can be found here.
The atmosphere in the dungeons was exactly as freezing as it had been yesterday when Harry had come down here, but this time he didn't have to wonder why.
He knew that it didn't matter that Snape had accepted his offer rather graciously -- after all the arguing --, things wouldn't be exactly easy today when leaving this place behind became reality.
No words of consolation would be appreciated, and to be honest, Harry didn't have any phrases to offer. He would miss the dungeons as well, finding the windowless rooms a sanctuary of sorts, and could only imagine how difficult this was for Snape.
He waited patiently as Snape checked his possessions again and then made sure he wasn't in the way as Snape stormed out of the room with an angry look on his face.
With a glance around the room now empty of all personal items, Harry took a step towards the door. Then he turned to look at the chair he'd slept in those nights when he'd first come into the dungeons and pulled out his wand. His shrinking charm wasn't as good as Snape's potion, but the chair shrunk enough to be carried out comfortably.
He didn't say anything and simply followed Snape out of the dungeons.
They were quiet until half way to Hogsmeade. Then Snape broke the silence by asking, "I assume your godfather will be moving out then."
"No. I managed to convince Sirius that this is the best thing to do right now." Harry had been expecting the question as well as the very comical look of shock that followed his answer.
Snape was certain he had heard wrong. Reasoning with Black? That was as feasible as teaching a flubberworm to tap dance. "I hope you used simple words and short sentences." He hadn't known Harry would have the patience for that.
"Behave!" The chiding word escaped before Harry could think about what he was saying, but even with the glare, he did not take it back.
If Harry really expected him to stop hating the mutt, he was definitely not in touch with reality. Snape muttered, "I will certainly not hold my tongue in his presence." Or anyone else's. It was bad enough to agree on this, to leave his home and accept something that felt awfully lot like charity.
Harry didn't say anything. He just raised an eyebrow. It was an infuriating expression, especially since Snape suspected that the idiot had adopted it from him.
Snape's eyes shone with open malice. "Then you want me to join you and your friends in coddling your less than sane godfather." The look he cast at Harry was a very strange one.
"Not really." Unwilling to take the bait, even though he was definitely going to make Snape pay for that comment later on, Harry shook his head slightly. "You can be as evil as you want to be. As long as you don't do him any real harm." He made sure he didn't smile as he looked at Snape. "I trust you."
Hearing the dark words Snape muttered at that, he turned his head away and grinned. Sometimes it was almost unbelievable what a few words could do. Snape was definitely not going to go easy on Sirius, but wouldn't really hurt him either.
One day -- far in the future -- he would ask the two men just exactly how much they enjoyed their mutual enmity. Both would probably try to hex him for his assumption, but he wasn't completely blind. It was obvious how happy a well aimed barb could make them.
Like when he was out walking with Draco, Harry noticed people casting weird looks at him and his companion. He chose not to acknowledge any of the staring, keeping his attention on Snape instead, still amused by the grumbling.
They were going home; such a weird thought, especially since he'd already lived in the house for ages. Now it would really feel like a home with everyone he cared for gathering under the same roof, and the mere thought made him grin like an idiot.
A fact Snape commented on with dry sarcasm.
Holding the door open for Snape, Harry let him enter first and then stepped in as well, belatedly wondering if their entrance would startle someone inside. He didn't want to think that either Ron or Sirius would actually be waiting for them, but one could never really be sure with those two.
"Harry. Professor Snape." Smiling politely, Draco stepped out of the kitchen, holding a steaming cup in his hand.
Snape inclined his head slightly. "Mr. Malfoy." He cast a look around. "I'm surprised there's no welcoming committee waiting."
"I believe most people here are awfully busy, sir. Planning classes and strategy as well as sulking in their rooms."
That made Harry laugh out loud. "Well, sulking is better than most of the things I could have imagined."
"Indeed." Snape nodded.
Draco agreed on that, knowing all too well how both Black and Weasley could throw tantrums at the mere thought of Snape. Of course there would probably be yelling and glaring and more sulking later on. "So true." After sharing a knowing look with Harry, he muttered, "It's good to see you, sir." Not waiting for a reply, he continued on his way to the living room.
Glad to see that at least Draco could behave normally, Harry grinned at him and then ushered Snape upstairs before Sirius could indeed come out of the room he shared with Remus and make things worse. He was a realist, after all.
He hesitated as he reached the small hallway, realizing that he'd just assumed Snape would indeed want to share a room with him. It was actually probable that Snape would want as much privacy as possible. How stupid of him to ignore that. "Um... I didn't actually prepare a room for you, but if you want to have your own place, it's all right."
Snape rolled his eyes. Did Harry really think he could convince anyone with that rather sad expression on his face? Probably. Delusional Gryffindor. "That will not be necessary." He wouldn't be able to keep the room as his own private area anyway.
"I meant what I said earlier." Harry didn't make a move to guide Snape to his bedroom. "This will be your home, but I won't order you to sleep with me. I'm not like..." Realizing he'd better not finish the sentence the way it was echoing inside his mind, he said lamely, "that."
"I see." Hearing both what was said and what was kept silent, Snape nodded. He hadn't really thought Harry would abuse his position like that. "Are you going to stand here all day or can we put my belongings into your room now?"
Harry grinned. "Our room." Saying it out loud made his stomach flutter. He didn't even mind the glare. His and Snape's room.
"I assume you also have the room down in the cellar for a work space for me." Seeing the nod, Snape let out a slightly pleased snort. That would be his own private area and it would be enough.
He didn't mind Harry's presence, but old habits died hard. Spending all time joined at the hip like some people seemed to do would never do with Snape.
"Here we are..." Harry muttered as he opened the door and gestured Snape to enter. He couldn't believe how insanely giddy he was feeling, but even though it was kind of embarrassing, he relished the feeling.
Snape looked around the room, his lips twitching slightly as he took in the green drapes and the clearly enlarged bed, both things different from his previous visit. He could see that the room had been thoroughly cleaned recently, the smell of various cleaning potions still faint in the air.
Casting a knowing look at Harry, he chose not to say anything about the faint fluster or the foolish grin on his lips. He should have known Harry would make some kind of a silly gesture and had as usual gone overboard with it. At least there were no Slytherin crests anywhere. "Lovely decor."
"You like it?" There was honest anticipation in Harry's voice.
"It's adequate." As long as Harry didn't insist on using red and gold on every surface, Snape was fine. "And I noticed you've cleaned as well. How unusual."
That made Harry glare. "I am not messy!" At least not compared to Ron. He knew how to hang his robes in the closet and not throw them on the floor.
Snape didn't look convinced. He stared for a moment before saying, "Since it seems I will not be rid of you, I will have to take your word on it." Seeing the ridiculous smile that spread to Harry's lips, he added, "However if your housekeeping proves to be as exemplary as your studying, we may have to discuss about our living arrangements again on a later date."
He wasn't surprised by the way Harry stepped closer to him to give him a fierce hug.
"Now, I assume you have cleared some space for my belongings." Enlarging the trunk with his clothes, he looked around.
"Yeah." Harry gestured with his hand at the wardrobe. "Lots of space in there!"
Snape cast an exasperated look at him. "Gryffindors!" He didn't even comment on Harry's exuberance, finding the unadulterated joy amusing instead of annoying, and went to hang his robes in the wardrobe.
Harry still couldn't really believe this. Watching Snape unpack his trunk was making him almost light headed with relief and happiness. It was nice, really nice, and he was planning on savoring the feeling as long as it lasted.
"Do you have any plans for today?"
Jolting out of his thoughts, Harry looked up at Snape's question. "Not really. Don't need to go anywhere today, now do I?" It would have to be a pretty big emergency to pull him out of here. "Maybe we could..." He was certain Snape wouldn't agree on spending the whole day in bed, so he finished it lamely, "Er... I could show you the house."
"That is acceptable." Snape didn't bother to remind him he'd already seen the house. "Anything else?"
"Well, it's almost lunch time, so I was thinking... Lunch?" Grinning like a fool, Harry reveled in the exasperation in Snape's gaze. He was really too euphoric to even try to control himself right now.
Snape seemed to realize that as well, as he muttered a few words so quietly that they couldn't be heard before sighing, "That is also acceptable."
"And then later I was thinking..." Sex. Lots and lots of it. Maybe in the bathroom with the door locked and a few silencing charms protecting them, or in his bed, that nice and soft and wonderfully large bed he would never again sleep in alone.
This time Snape didn't even try to hide the sneer. "I know exactly what you are thinking of, Potter." He'd known this would happen and the only surprise was the fact that Harry hadn't suggested they spent the day in bed. Not that he would have agreed to that, at least without a few token objections.
Harry smiled. "And?"
"We should have lunch first."
There were sounds coming from the dining room when they finally went downstairs, and Harry felt a moment of utter panic as he realized that yes, Snape really was living with them now, and that the next few minutes would probably be an utter disaster.
Sighing, Harry cast a look at Snape. "You do know that..." He didn't know what to say, really, knowing that Sirius and the others were waiting just behind the door, and that he couldn't really tell Snape not to react to anything anyone said to him.
"Yes, I do." There was evident disgust and resignation on Snape's face.
Harry chose not to say anything, he simply pushed the door open and stepped into the dining room first, hoping that no one would hex him.
It was clear there had been some kind of discussion about the eating arrangements. Harry smiled a little as he saw Sirius sitting between Remus and Hermione, noticing also the empty seats that would place him and Snape between Remus and Draco. He refused to comment on the preemptive strike, glad that Snape went only with a raised eyebrow and a brief nod at Draco.
"Severus." Remus inclined his head politely. "Hope you found your new quarters suitable."
Taking the seat next to Draco, Snape cast a brief look at Sirius and then said, "Yes. They are adequate."
It was fairly obvious to everyone who was looking at Harry that Snape wasn't exactly talking about the empty room upstairs. Remus was just glad Sirius was keeping his gaze on the table. "Good. Juice?"
"Yes, please." Harry reached out for a glass.
"Severus?"
Nodding, Snape took the offered glass. "Thank you."
Ron was already used to the polite words, but Sirius glanced up, waiting for Snape to say something scathing.
When it seemed like the Slytherin was content on sipping his juice, Sirius returned his attention back to the table. He had given his word to Remus; he was going to keep it and sit here and try not to kill anyone.
No matter how difficult it might be.
The house elves chose that moment to come in. Banging the door open, Eppy wobbled in, carrying a tray while Bobbler hovered behind her holding a large kettle.
Setting the table looked as painstakingly exhausting as always, but all the Gryffindors knew better than to even offer their help. It would not be appreciated.
Eppy was making soft annoyed sounds as she placed the cups on the table, casting a glare at each man as she passed them by. When she saw Snape sitting next to Harry, she froze and her ears lifted in surprise. For a moment it almost looked as if she was pleased to see him again. Then she went on muttering from under her breath as she finished with the plates and cups and gestured Bobbler to put the kettle down on the table.
No one said a word as Snape cast a glance at Hermione, obviously expecting her to serve herself first. She smiled hesitantly, muttering, "Hello, professor," before reaching out for the ladle.
"Miss Granger," Snape answered just as softly.
The men attacked the food with various show of appetite, everyone concentrating on eating -- or pushing the food around the plate. Draco was the only one to behave normally, neither glaring or beaming at Snape.
Ron mouthed to Hermione, "Awkward!"
She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't really disagree. This was definitely weird.
For a while the only sound in the room was spoons clicking against porcelain.
Harry was glad to see there was not going to be a scene. From the way it looked, Sirius wasn't even going to acknowledge Snape's presence in the room, and even though it was a bit annoying, Draco had been right; sulking was much better than most of the things he could think of.
He had the weird notion that if they managed to survive this first lunchtime, they could probably survive all living together.
"Pass me the juice, please."
The cold but polite tones coming from Snape startled everyone, and both Hermione and Remus reached out for the pitcher that was resting right in front of Sirius. Their clumsy attempts to grab the pitcher made it teeter dangerously, and only Sirius' reflexes prevented a disaster.
Sirius curled his hand tighter around the pitcher and then slowly looked up.
Snape stared right back at him.
"Snape."
"Black."
The two of them kept staring at each other.
"Help!" Ron mouthed at Hermione, wondering if he should prepare for an all out name calling or just crawl under the table. It looked awfully like there would be a food fight any moment now, or at least an expensive glassware hurtling towards Snape's head.
Crawling under the table sounded better every moment.
Remus reached out calmly and took the pitcher from Sirius and then poured Snape more juice.
"Thank you." Breaking the eye contact with Black, Snape nodded at Remus and then resumed his eating. He pointedly ignored the way Black was still staring at him.
After years of eating in the Great Hall he was used to dining while people were staring daggers at his direction.
Harry looked from Sirius to Snape, relaxing when Sirius lowered his gaze a moment later and continued pushing his food around his plate. This was going better than he had dared to dream. No one had yelled or cursed or thrown things.
That would probably come later.
As soon as Snape seemed to be finished with his meal, Harry decided it was time to go before anyone could say anything that would lead into a fight. "That was excellent as always."
Eppy, who was slowly gathering dishes away, huffed at that.
"Anyway, I think we should continue our tour." Harry looked pointedly at Snape. "Would you like to see the rooms in the cellar now?" It sounded more like a command than a suggestion.
"Of course," Snape murmured. He was perfectly willing to leave insulting Black until a later date. This was more important than amusing himself with foolish Gryffindors.
Sirius raised his gaze again, his expression full of disgust. "Going to play with your chemistry set again, Snape?" he sneered, as if it was impossible for him to keep his silence anymore.
It was better to continue with the open hostility than to think about Harry showing Snape the house that was going to be his home. Dear Merlin! He hoped Snape was going to live in the spare room upstairs.
He had no idea what to do if Snape was staying somewhere else.
The answering sneer on Snape's face was just as malicious. "Yes, Black, I am. What about you? Chase any brooms lately?"
Harry rolled his eyes, ignoring the barely hidden amusement on Hermione's face. "Very clever. Now let's go." He shooed Snape to the right direction, muttering quietly to himself.
He was a bit surprised to have Snape walk down to the cellar without protests or even an offhand remark about Sirius and idiotic Gryffindors.
Choosing to concentrate on his new laboratory, Snape allowed himself to be guided down a set of stairs, keeping an eye on every detail in the rooms below ground level.
The first room was inadequate for any real work, but would probably serve well as a storage. He could already picture various jars and bottles here and there, all he needed was a few shelves and maybe a cupboard or two.
Nodding to himself, he walked to the smaller room, approving of the place immediately. The ventilation system needed a slight improving, but that would be easy to fix. Everything else was suitable; the lighting was good with the small window near the ceiling even letting in natural light, and the table at the far side of the room was of a pefect height.
Harry smiled as he saw the obvious enthusiasm. Trying not to sound wistful, he asked, "So do you want to try out the room now?" He knew for a fact that Snape had brought all his equipment with him, and would undoubtedly want to start working immediately.
Oh well. Maybe he would be allowed to help somehow, like by carrying things around.
"Maybe later." Turning his attention away from his new domain, Snape let a smirk spread to his lips and then gestured at the door. "I do believe we already have other plans for the day."
