[Fic] A Summer Inheritance 13/21 (NC-17) HP: HP/SS
Title: A Summer Inheritance (13/21)
Author: faynia and stormypups
Pairing: Snape/Harry, Draco/Harry
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance, Humor, Drama
Prompt/Round: Round 5--Royalty & Nobility at thematic_hp: Harry doesn't know that he's royal. He also doesn't know that one of the teachers at Hogwarts is his bodyguard.
Warnings: Highlight for warnings * Reference to drug use, and an almost, but not quite a forced bonding*
Summary Harry thought his life would go back to normal once Voldemort was defeated, but on his 17th birthday he discovers a secret that will change his future.
Beta'd by rakina.
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
"Where were you, Harry?"
The noise in the common room stopped. Harry shifted uncomfortably as about ten sets of eyes landed on him in curiosity.
"Yeah, mate, ya didn' come back last night," Seamus piped up.
Harry shot him a dirty look as Hermione's frown deepened. "Why does it matter?"
Seamus' face fell before scowling at Harry. "Excuse me for caring, Your Kingship," he muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"I was...in the infirmary," he said, not feeling at all guilty for the lie.
"No, you weren't," Hermione said, now glaring at him. "Ron and I went and checked there this morning. No one was there and Madam Pomfrey says she hasn't seen anyone yet this year."
Harry flinched. "I've got to get my things for class," he said, brushing passed them.
Hermione grabbed his arm as he passed. "Harry, wait. We're just worried about you."
Harry looked at her, and the look in her eye was enough to inspire the guilt he should have felt before. "We'll talk later, okay?" he said, glancing around at the people in the room, most of which were staring at him.
"We will," Hermione agreed in a tone that clearly stated she wouldn't forget that promise.
Harry nodded, then took the stairs two at a time to his dorm room.
He had been half tempted to skip breakfast, but that would be hiding, and that was one thing he didn't want to do anymore. He spent the entire summer hiding, and while the break had been wonderful, it was over now.
He ignored the looks he got as he walked through the halls to breakfast, and tuned out the whispers as he passed. He entered the Great Hall, and everything got quiet, followed by a stream of whispers. He glanced up at Snape, who rolled his eyes.
Harry smiled, and sat down at the Gryffindor table, happy in the fact that someone else in the room found it all ridiculous.
"Harry," Hermione greeted cautiously. Harry looked at her oddly as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.
He took a sip of his juice trying to ignore all the stares. Something had happened, aside from the normal. "What?"
"Did you-were you with Malfoy last night?"
Harry nearly spit out his drink. "What?"
Frowning, Hermione handed him a napkin. "Honestly, Harry, you can't blame me for asking."
"Who told you that?" Harry asked.
"Everybody's been saying it," Ron muttered, not meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't seem to matter what I do, people are going to talk. I suggest you ignore them."
"That's not an answer, Harry."
"Hermione, I -"
"Good morning, Harry."
Harry turned to find Malfoy right behind him. "Morning Ma- Draco," Harry said, forcing a smile.
Draco bent down and whispered in his ear. "Smile and laugh like I told you something amazingly witty."
Harry did just that, and the whispering around him intensified, which actually made him laugh harder.
Draco was smiling smugly. "See you later, Harry."
"See you," Harry replied, still grinning.
He glanced up at the head table to find Snape's eyes following Draco. He looked like he wanted to kill him.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Ron?" He brought his gaze back down to his friends surrounding him and almost ended up laughing again.
"Glad you're finding this all so amusing, mate," Ron said, getting up from the bench.
"Ron!" Harry snapped in frustration.
Hermione gripped the back of Ron's shirt and tugged. "Sit down, Ron."
"I've lost my appetite," Ron said, shrugging away from Hermione.
"It doesn't matter, you are sitting down and you are waiting for the rest of us to finish."
"Fine," Ron muttered, resuming his seat and grabbing a muffin, ignoring Harry altogether.
Harry toyed with his glass for a few seconds, before slamming down his goblet and turning to face Ron.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"You really want to have it out here, Harry? In front of everyone?" Ron snapped, looking around them.
"I want to know what the hell I did that made you hate me," Harry bit out.
"Hmm, let's see: You basically tossed me out of your house… You're dating Malfoy, thanks for telling me yourself mate, really appreciate that... All this king bullshit it going to your head!... Oh, and let's not forget about Snape, your new best friend."
"I would have told you if you hadn't stopped writing to me!"
"If you had written to me, I would have written back!" Ron snapped.
Harry scowled. "Would you?"
"Yes! Maybe," he added, frowning. "I don't know, you were being such a prat."
"I was not!" Harry groaned.
"Personally, I think you're both being prats and you're making spectacles of yourself!" Hermione huffed.
"He started it!" They both shouted as one.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, eyes wide, then burst into laughter.
Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you two quite finished?"
"I'm done," Harry said, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.
Ron reached for the eggs. "Yeah, I'm done. Don't know why you get yourself so worked up, Hermione."
Harry grinned, and leaned over closer to Ron. "And for the record," he whispered so no one else could hear, "I'm not dating Malfoy."
"I might just have my appetite back," Ron said, reaching for the thick slices of ham.
"You mean it was lost?" Hermione asked, smirking.
Ron merely grinned, and for the first time in quite a while, Harry actually felt normal.
Classes ran smoothly that morning, which Harry was thankful for. Now that he and Ron had cleared the air, things were settling better. He promised both Ron and Hermione that during their first break he'd explain what was up with him and Malfoy, and suddenly he was nervous about that.
He couldn't decide if he wanted to tell them about his first 'date' or not. And if he did tell them, how much of it would he relate. For some reason, he didn't want to tell them about Malfoy's experiment with Snape. He still didn't understand Snape's reaction.
In the end, he told them the deal he and Malfoy had made, sparing any of the details of their 'date'. He was beginning to think of it as more like a business meeting. Harry would tell them about Snape when he had something more substantial to tell them. Telling them where he spent the night though, was another matter entirely.
"So if you weren't with Malfoy, where were you last night?"
Harry flushed and stared down at his hands that were clenched into fists. "I was with Snape," Harry mumbled.
"Come again?"
Harry looked up to see Hermione staring at him in amusement. Ron appeared confused.
"I said I was down with Snape last night, happy?"
"You slept with Snape?" Ron squeaked, looking horrified.
"Of course not!" Harry cried, looking around to make sure nobody had heard. "I fell asleep on the couch!"
"Couldn't he get into trouble for that?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. "I got permission."
"Dumbledore knows?" Ron cried.
"Ron! Keep your voice down!" Harry cried. "He's my Steward, or whatever, and it's not like I didn't spend most of the summer with him."
"You slept in Snape's rooms!" Ron continued as if he hadn't heard his last comment.
"On his couch," Harry repeated. "Please, I don't want to fight with you again."
Hermione put her hand over Ron's mouth.
"What are his quarters like?" Hermione asked, obviously curious. "I've always pictured them in deep greens with dark wood."
Harry sniggered. "Honestly, I saw very little green in his rooms. It had...I guess earth tones. Browns and grays and the like. There's really not much to see. His rooms aren't all that spectacular."
"Interesting. What about books? I always imagined he'd have loads of books," she continued.
"Yeah, there were a lot of those," Harry answered, smiling.
Ron gazed at Hermione, betrayed. "Why are you so interested in Snape then?"
"Oh come on, Ron, you've never been curious?" Hermione asked, exasperated.
Ron shook his head, eyes wide. "No, I try not to think of Snape at all."
Harry laughed outright. "Don't worry, Hermione, you really aren't missing much."
"Did you finish reading the journal? The one Carlisle wrote?" She made a frustrated noise. "I would love to get my hands on that. It's like a part of history, first hand."
"It's not just Carlisle who wrote in it," Harry said, glancing around the common room, "Snape made me read an entry from the 1800's in there, and I've sort of been writing in it too."
"Really?" Ron asked, smirking. "I thought only girls wrote in journals," he teased.
"Ronald!" Hermione said, elbowing him as Harry blushed.
"What?"
Hermione shook her head and smiled fondly at the redhead beside her. "You're exceptionally thick."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ron huffed.
Harry glanced down at his wristwatch and sighed. "Break's almost over guys."
"If we're late for Potions, can't you just order Snape to not give us detentions?" Ron asked hopefully.
"No!" Harry and Hermione answered together.
"Okay, okay, it was just a joke," Ron said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Mostly."
"I can, but I won't," Harry told him firmly.
"I know. I know!" Ron exclaimed.
~*~
Potions was odd for a variety of reasons. For one, it was strangely normal, all things considered. Snape was irritable and demanding and didn't cut Harry the least bit of slack. Harry was partnered with Malfoy, which wasn't bad at all. Apparently, deception made Malfoy a happier person. But the closer Draco got, and the more he flirted with Harry, the angrier Snape seemed to become.
"His eye is twitching again," Draco whispered happily into Harry's ear.
"You enjoy goading him, don't you?" Harry hissed.
"Yes, I rather do," Draco admitted, grinning. "I seldom have the opportunity, so this is just a bonus."
"Well knock it off!" Harry hissed back.
Draco smirked. "Why?"
"Because he won't get angry at you," Harry whined. "He'll get angry at me!"
Draco put an arm around Harry's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Which makes it more fun for me."
"Mister Malfoy! This is a classroom, not a social event! Keep your hands to yourself!" Snape snapped, though his eyes were boring into Harry.
"Yes, Professor," Draco answered congenially, going back to cutting up potion ingredients.
Harry kept his eyes on his work, unwilling to meet the dark eyes that he knew were looking at him.
After class, Harry hung behind, reluctantly letting Draco mime kissing his cheek as he left. Snape's eyes hadn't left him since the middle of the lesson. Once the last student left, Harry moved forward so he was standing before Snape's desk.
"Professor, may I speak with you?"
"Make it quick, I have another class," Snape snapped, turning to erase the board by hand.
"Sir, about Draco-"
Snape whirled on him, slamming his hands on the top of his desk. "I don't want to hear about your sordid love life!"
"What sordid love life?" Harry shouted back.
Snape was seething, that much was obvious.
"I have no bloody love life!" Harry looked around, lowering his voice. "I'm using him to keep the rest of the students off my back, and he's using me to keep his parents happy; not that I owe you any explanations!"
Harry waited, tension building in all his limbs as he fought the urge to follow Snape's example and slam his fist against the top of the desk.
"Oh."
"Oh?" Harry repeated in shock.
Two Ravenclaws chose that moment to walk in the door. "Good day, Potter," Snape said, turning his back on Harry.
Harry shot the two girls the nastiest glare he could muster as he swept by them out of the classroom.
~*~
Snape wasn't the least bit surprised by the pounding on his door shortly after dinner. Nor was he surprised when Harry brushed past him with a growled, "We need to talk." He was, however, surprised at how badly he wanted to flee.
"Well, spit it out, Potter, some of us have other activities we wish to pursue."
Harry rounded on him, pushing a finger against his chest. "What the fuck is your problem!"
"If you continue to poke me, your problem will be a missing finger," Snape growled, grabbing Harry's hand.
Harry glowered, tugging futilely on his trapped hand. "It might be worth the risk if I get to find out why you’re so angry with me!"
"I’m not angry with you, imbecile!" Snape growled, tightening his hold on Harry's hand.
"You’re not happy with me, that's for certain."
"I want you, Potter, you ignorant whelp!" Snape growled, shoving Harry.
Harry stumbled backwards. Gingerly he rubbed his wrist as he stared in bewilderment at Snape. "You-you what?"
"You heard me," Snape said, sneering. "Now would be a good time to leave, Potter."
"But-you hate me," Harry stressed.
"By all means, keep telling yourself that," Snape growled, sweeping past Harry. "You can see yourself out!"
"No, you hate me! You can't want me because you hate me!" Harry argued, reaching out for the back of Snape's robes as he passed.
Snape turned, pushing Harry backwards until he was pressed up against the wall. "I warned you," he snarled angrily. His lips met Harry's in a kiss that bordered on violent.
Harry stilled, his eyes widening in surprise. He let out a muffled protest that went unheeded. Snape stopped, stumbling backwards, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his robes. "Get out."
Harry didn't need to be told twice.
He had almost made to the stairs leading out of the dungeons, when someone called his name.
"Potter!" Harry turned and saw Draco walking towards him, an amused expression on his face.
"Not now, Malfoy."
"Why not now?"
Harry sighed. "Really, Malfoy, I'm not in the mood."
"As your ever-attentive boyfriend," Draco said, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders and steering him back toward the dungeons, "I must insist."
Harry groaned. "You're not going to leave me alone are you?"
"Nope, too many people watching. My parents would be sorely disappointed. So give, what happened? Did Snape hex you for being unfaithful?" Draco drawled, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Harry shook his head, feeling his face begin to burn. "No, he definitely didn't hex me."
"You're blushing! Harry, was there inappropriate touching? I've asked him not to do that."
Harry shrugged him off. "Fuck off, Malfoy!"
"Now, now Harry, none of that."
Harry stopped in the corridor and turned to face the arrogant blond prat. "Snape tried to suck out my innards through my lips. Happy?"
Draco blinked, then laughed uproariously. "Was it any good?"
"What do you mean was it good?"
"Was it any good?" Draco repeated, slower. "Come on, Potter, you've got to have kissed someone before."
"Y-yes," Harry stammered. "But never a guy!"
"Same concept," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Don't make me ask you again, Potter. How was it, because I can't even imagine."
"It was weird. He had me pinned to a wall," Harry mumbled.
"I always figured Snape liked it rough. Okay, pinned to the wall. What happened next?" Draco asked, and Harry couldn't help but think Draco was a little too excited about all of this.
"Like I said, he molested my mouth."
Draco grinned, his fingers trailing up Harry's arm. "If you'd like, out of the goodness of my heart, I can show you what a real kiss is like."
Harry froze. "You want to what?"
"Don't worry, I'm too much of a gentlemen to shove you up against the wall. Unless you're into that sort of thing. So how about it? Fancy a snog?"
"I-I," Harry stuttered as Malfoy advanced on him.
"Relax, Harry. You'll enjoy it, I promise," Draco whispered, pausing a hair's breadth away from Harry's lips, giving him a chance to say no, or shove him off.
Harry couldn't move and Draco took the opportunity to seal Harry's lips with his own. The kiss was certainly different from Snape's. There wasn't the fear that his lips were going to sliced open by Draco's teeth, for one thing, and the back of his head wasn't digging into a stone wall for another.
But beyond that...
"Potter, have you ever kissed anyone properly before?"
"Yes," Harry said, scowling. "Why? Am I complete rubbish at it?" he asked nervously.
"To put it nicely, yes, Potter; you're worse than kissing a pillow. At least pillows are yielding!"
Harry shoved Draco away, his face suffused with heat. "Oh, sod off!"
"You wanted the truth," Draco pointed out, staring at Harry contemplatively. "No wonder you thought Snape kissing you was weird."
"If you tell anyone, Malfoy, I swear…" Harry said looking around. "Just... show me how to do it right then!"
"It's not just about showing, Potter. It's not like learning a spell. It's about feeling."
"Well that's a problem seeing as how I don't feel anything for you," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Not that kind of feeling! Merlin, Potter, you're such a girl."
"Have I called you a prick yet today?"
"Probably. How about we pretend this night never happened, yeah?" Harry said, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Besides, if word got back to Snape that I was snogging you in the corridor, he'd probably tear me limb from limb. Or you."
"Were you thinking of Snape the whole time you were kissing me?" Draco asked, appalled.
"No! Well, yeah, but I was comparing really, so that's normal, right?"
Draco hummed, and looked down the corridor. "I think you need to evaluate some things, Potter. I promise not to drag you off into the alcoves down here if you promise to think about what happened tonight from an unaffected position."
"Try speaking English, Malfoy."
"You go back to your room and think about what happened tonight. Try to think about the events without letting anger or fear cloud your pathetically small mind."
Harry sighed and nodded. "I'll ignore the insult to my intellect, but the rest is probably good advice."
"Insult to your intellect? Really Potter, you've spent too much time with Granger."
"And Snape," Harry put in tiredly.
Draco straightened his robes and smoothed back his hair. "Go to bed, Potter. I think I'll go and see what Pansy is up to."
"So much for my devoted boyfriend," Harry scoffed.
"Friends with benefits, Potter," Draco said, winking. "Night, love!"
"Never, call me that again," Harry said, shuddering.
Next Chapter: Chapter Fourteen
Author: faynia and stormypups
Pairing: Snape/Harry, Draco/Harry
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance, Humor, Drama
Prompt/Round: Round 5--Royalty & Nobility at thematic_hp: Harry doesn't know that he's royal. He also doesn't know that one of the teachers at Hogwarts is his bodyguard.
Warnings: Highlight for warnings * Reference to drug use, and an almost, but not quite a forced bonding*
Summary Harry thought his life would go back to normal once Voldemort was defeated, but on his 17th birthday he discovers a secret that will change his future.
Beta'd by rakina.
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
"Where were you, Harry?"
The noise in the common room stopped. Harry shifted uncomfortably as about ten sets of eyes landed on him in curiosity.
"Yeah, mate, ya didn' come back last night," Seamus piped up.
Harry shot him a dirty look as Hermione's frown deepened. "Why does it matter?"
Seamus' face fell before scowling at Harry. "Excuse me for caring, Your Kingship," he muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"I was...in the infirmary," he said, not feeling at all guilty for the lie.
"No, you weren't," Hermione said, now glaring at him. "Ron and I went and checked there this morning. No one was there and Madam Pomfrey says she hasn't seen anyone yet this year."
Harry flinched. "I've got to get my things for class," he said, brushing passed them.
Hermione grabbed his arm as he passed. "Harry, wait. We're just worried about you."
Harry looked at her, and the look in her eye was enough to inspire the guilt he should have felt before. "We'll talk later, okay?" he said, glancing around at the people in the room, most of which were staring at him.
"We will," Hermione agreed in a tone that clearly stated she wouldn't forget that promise.
Harry nodded, then took the stairs two at a time to his dorm room.
He had been half tempted to skip breakfast, but that would be hiding, and that was one thing he didn't want to do anymore. He spent the entire summer hiding, and while the break had been wonderful, it was over now.
He ignored the looks he got as he walked through the halls to breakfast, and tuned out the whispers as he passed. He entered the Great Hall, and everything got quiet, followed by a stream of whispers. He glanced up at Snape, who rolled his eyes.
Harry smiled, and sat down at the Gryffindor table, happy in the fact that someone else in the room found it all ridiculous.
"Harry," Hermione greeted cautiously. Harry looked at her oddly as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.
He took a sip of his juice trying to ignore all the stares. Something had happened, aside from the normal. "What?"
"Did you-were you with Malfoy last night?"
Harry nearly spit out his drink. "What?"
Frowning, Hermione handed him a napkin. "Honestly, Harry, you can't blame me for asking."
"Who told you that?" Harry asked.
"Everybody's been saying it," Ron muttered, not meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't seem to matter what I do, people are going to talk. I suggest you ignore them."
"That's not an answer, Harry."
"Hermione, I -"
"Good morning, Harry."
Harry turned to find Malfoy right behind him. "Morning Ma- Draco," Harry said, forcing a smile.
Draco bent down and whispered in his ear. "Smile and laugh like I told you something amazingly witty."
Harry did just that, and the whispering around him intensified, which actually made him laugh harder.
Draco was smiling smugly. "See you later, Harry."
"See you," Harry replied, still grinning.
He glanced up at the head table to find Snape's eyes following Draco. He looked like he wanted to kill him.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Ron?" He brought his gaze back down to his friends surrounding him and almost ended up laughing again.
"Glad you're finding this all so amusing, mate," Ron said, getting up from the bench.
"Ron!" Harry snapped in frustration.
Hermione gripped the back of Ron's shirt and tugged. "Sit down, Ron."
"I've lost my appetite," Ron said, shrugging away from Hermione.
"It doesn't matter, you are sitting down and you are waiting for the rest of us to finish."
"Fine," Ron muttered, resuming his seat and grabbing a muffin, ignoring Harry altogether.
Harry toyed with his glass for a few seconds, before slamming down his goblet and turning to face Ron.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"You really want to have it out here, Harry? In front of everyone?" Ron snapped, looking around them.
"I want to know what the hell I did that made you hate me," Harry bit out.
"Hmm, let's see: You basically tossed me out of your house… You're dating Malfoy, thanks for telling me yourself mate, really appreciate that... All this king bullshit it going to your head!... Oh, and let's not forget about Snape, your new best friend."
"I would have told you if you hadn't stopped writing to me!"
"If you had written to me, I would have written back!" Ron snapped.
Harry scowled. "Would you?"
"Yes! Maybe," he added, frowning. "I don't know, you were being such a prat."
"I was not!" Harry groaned.
"Personally, I think you're both being prats and you're making spectacles of yourself!" Hermione huffed.
"He started it!" They both shouted as one.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, eyes wide, then burst into laughter.
Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you two quite finished?"
"I'm done," Harry said, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.
Ron reached for the eggs. "Yeah, I'm done. Don't know why you get yourself so worked up, Hermione."
Harry grinned, and leaned over closer to Ron. "And for the record," he whispered so no one else could hear, "I'm not dating Malfoy."
"I might just have my appetite back," Ron said, reaching for the thick slices of ham.
"You mean it was lost?" Hermione asked, smirking.
Ron merely grinned, and for the first time in quite a while, Harry actually felt normal.
Classes ran smoothly that morning, which Harry was thankful for. Now that he and Ron had cleared the air, things were settling better. He promised both Ron and Hermione that during their first break he'd explain what was up with him and Malfoy, and suddenly he was nervous about that.
He couldn't decide if he wanted to tell them about his first 'date' or not. And if he did tell them, how much of it would he relate. For some reason, he didn't want to tell them about Malfoy's experiment with Snape. He still didn't understand Snape's reaction.
In the end, he told them the deal he and Malfoy had made, sparing any of the details of their 'date'. He was beginning to think of it as more like a business meeting. Harry would tell them about Snape when he had something more substantial to tell them. Telling them where he spent the night though, was another matter entirely.
"So if you weren't with Malfoy, where were you last night?"
Harry flushed and stared down at his hands that were clenched into fists. "I was with Snape," Harry mumbled.
"Come again?"
Harry looked up to see Hermione staring at him in amusement. Ron appeared confused.
"I said I was down with Snape last night, happy?"
"You slept with Snape?" Ron squeaked, looking horrified.
"Of course not!" Harry cried, looking around to make sure nobody had heard. "I fell asleep on the couch!"
"Couldn't he get into trouble for that?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. "I got permission."
"Dumbledore knows?" Ron cried.
"Ron! Keep your voice down!" Harry cried. "He's my Steward, or whatever, and it's not like I didn't spend most of the summer with him."
"You slept in Snape's rooms!" Ron continued as if he hadn't heard his last comment.
"On his couch," Harry repeated. "Please, I don't want to fight with you again."
Hermione put her hand over Ron's mouth.
"What are his quarters like?" Hermione asked, obviously curious. "I've always pictured them in deep greens with dark wood."
Harry sniggered. "Honestly, I saw very little green in his rooms. It had...I guess earth tones. Browns and grays and the like. There's really not much to see. His rooms aren't all that spectacular."
"Interesting. What about books? I always imagined he'd have loads of books," she continued.
"Yeah, there were a lot of those," Harry answered, smiling.
Ron gazed at Hermione, betrayed. "Why are you so interested in Snape then?"
"Oh come on, Ron, you've never been curious?" Hermione asked, exasperated.
Ron shook his head, eyes wide. "No, I try not to think of Snape at all."
Harry laughed outright. "Don't worry, Hermione, you really aren't missing much."
"Did you finish reading the journal? The one Carlisle wrote?" She made a frustrated noise. "I would love to get my hands on that. It's like a part of history, first hand."
"It's not just Carlisle who wrote in it," Harry said, glancing around the common room, "Snape made me read an entry from the 1800's in there, and I've sort of been writing in it too."
"Really?" Ron asked, smirking. "I thought only girls wrote in journals," he teased.
"Ronald!" Hermione said, elbowing him as Harry blushed.
"What?"
Hermione shook her head and smiled fondly at the redhead beside her. "You're exceptionally thick."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ron huffed.
Harry glanced down at his wristwatch and sighed. "Break's almost over guys."
"If we're late for Potions, can't you just order Snape to not give us detentions?" Ron asked hopefully.
"No!" Harry and Hermione answered together.
"Okay, okay, it was just a joke," Ron said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Mostly."
"I can, but I won't," Harry told him firmly.
"I know. I know!" Ron exclaimed.
~*~
Potions was odd for a variety of reasons. For one, it was strangely normal, all things considered. Snape was irritable and demanding and didn't cut Harry the least bit of slack. Harry was partnered with Malfoy, which wasn't bad at all. Apparently, deception made Malfoy a happier person. But the closer Draco got, and the more he flirted with Harry, the angrier Snape seemed to become.
"His eye is twitching again," Draco whispered happily into Harry's ear.
"You enjoy goading him, don't you?" Harry hissed.
"Yes, I rather do," Draco admitted, grinning. "I seldom have the opportunity, so this is just a bonus."
"Well knock it off!" Harry hissed back.
Draco smirked. "Why?"
"Because he won't get angry at you," Harry whined. "He'll get angry at me!"
Draco put an arm around Harry's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Which makes it more fun for me."
"Mister Malfoy! This is a classroom, not a social event! Keep your hands to yourself!" Snape snapped, though his eyes were boring into Harry.
"Yes, Professor," Draco answered congenially, going back to cutting up potion ingredients.
Harry kept his eyes on his work, unwilling to meet the dark eyes that he knew were looking at him.
After class, Harry hung behind, reluctantly letting Draco mime kissing his cheek as he left. Snape's eyes hadn't left him since the middle of the lesson. Once the last student left, Harry moved forward so he was standing before Snape's desk.
"Professor, may I speak with you?"
"Make it quick, I have another class," Snape snapped, turning to erase the board by hand.
"Sir, about Draco-"
Snape whirled on him, slamming his hands on the top of his desk. "I don't want to hear about your sordid love life!"
"What sordid love life?" Harry shouted back.
Snape was seething, that much was obvious.
"I have no bloody love life!" Harry looked around, lowering his voice. "I'm using him to keep the rest of the students off my back, and he's using me to keep his parents happy; not that I owe you any explanations!"
Harry waited, tension building in all his limbs as he fought the urge to follow Snape's example and slam his fist against the top of the desk.
"Oh."
"Oh?" Harry repeated in shock.
Two Ravenclaws chose that moment to walk in the door. "Good day, Potter," Snape said, turning his back on Harry.
Harry shot the two girls the nastiest glare he could muster as he swept by them out of the classroom.
~*~
Snape wasn't the least bit surprised by the pounding on his door shortly after dinner. Nor was he surprised when Harry brushed past him with a growled, "We need to talk." He was, however, surprised at how badly he wanted to flee.
"Well, spit it out, Potter, some of us have other activities we wish to pursue."
Harry rounded on him, pushing a finger against his chest. "What the fuck is your problem!"
"If you continue to poke me, your problem will be a missing finger," Snape growled, grabbing Harry's hand.
Harry glowered, tugging futilely on his trapped hand. "It might be worth the risk if I get to find out why you’re so angry with me!"
"I’m not angry with you, imbecile!" Snape growled, tightening his hold on Harry's hand.
"You’re not happy with me, that's for certain."
"I want you, Potter, you ignorant whelp!" Snape growled, shoving Harry.
Harry stumbled backwards. Gingerly he rubbed his wrist as he stared in bewilderment at Snape. "You-you what?"
"You heard me," Snape said, sneering. "Now would be a good time to leave, Potter."
"But-you hate me," Harry stressed.
"By all means, keep telling yourself that," Snape growled, sweeping past Harry. "You can see yourself out!"
"No, you hate me! You can't want me because you hate me!" Harry argued, reaching out for the back of Snape's robes as he passed.
Snape turned, pushing Harry backwards until he was pressed up against the wall. "I warned you," he snarled angrily. His lips met Harry's in a kiss that bordered on violent.
Harry stilled, his eyes widening in surprise. He let out a muffled protest that went unheeded. Snape stopped, stumbling backwards, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his robes. "Get out."
Harry didn't need to be told twice.
He had almost made to the stairs leading out of the dungeons, when someone called his name.
"Potter!" Harry turned and saw Draco walking towards him, an amused expression on his face.
"Not now, Malfoy."
"Why not now?"
Harry sighed. "Really, Malfoy, I'm not in the mood."
"As your ever-attentive boyfriend," Draco said, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders and steering him back toward the dungeons, "I must insist."
Harry groaned. "You're not going to leave me alone are you?"
"Nope, too many people watching. My parents would be sorely disappointed. So give, what happened? Did Snape hex you for being unfaithful?" Draco drawled, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Harry shook his head, feeling his face begin to burn. "No, he definitely didn't hex me."
"You're blushing! Harry, was there inappropriate touching? I've asked him not to do that."
Harry shrugged him off. "Fuck off, Malfoy!"
"Now, now Harry, none of that."
Harry stopped in the corridor and turned to face the arrogant blond prat. "Snape tried to suck out my innards through my lips. Happy?"
Draco blinked, then laughed uproariously. "Was it any good?"
"What do you mean was it good?"
"Was it any good?" Draco repeated, slower. "Come on, Potter, you've got to have kissed someone before."
"Y-yes," Harry stammered. "But never a guy!"
"Same concept," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Don't make me ask you again, Potter. How was it, because I can't even imagine."
"It was weird. He had me pinned to a wall," Harry mumbled.
"I always figured Snape liked it rough. Okay, pinned to the wall. What happened next?" Draco asked, and Harry couldn't help but think Draco was a little too excited about all of this.
"Like I said, he molested my mouth."
Draco grinned, his fingers trailing up Harry's arm. "If you'd like, out of the goodness of my heart, I can show you what a real kiss is like."
Harry froze. "You want to what?"
"Don't worry, I'm too much of a gentlemen to shove you up against the wall. Unless you're into that sort of thing. So how about it? Fancy a snog?"
"I-I," Harry stuttered as Malfoy advanced on him.
"Relax, Harry. You'll enjoy it, I promise," Draco whispered, pausing a hair's breadth away from Harry's lips, giving him a chance to say no, or shove him off.
Harry couldn't move and Draco took the opportunity to seal Harry's lips with his own. The kiss was certainly different from Snape's. There wasn't the fear that his lips were going to sliced open by Draco's teeth, for one thing, and the back of his head wasn't digging into a stone wall for another.
But beyond that...
"Potter, have you ever kissed anyone properly before?"
"Yes," Harry said, scowling. "Why? Am I complete rubbish at it?" he asked nervously.
"To put it nicely, yes, Potter; you're worse than kissing a pillow. At least pillows are yielding!"
Harry shoved Draco away, his face suffused with heat. "Oh, sod off!"
"You wanted the truth," Draco pointed out, staring at Harry contemplatively. "No wonder you thought Snape kissing you was weird."
"If you tell anyone, Malfoy, I swear…" Harry said looking around. "Just... show me how to do it right then!"
"It's not just about showing, Potter. It's not like learning a spell. It's about feeling."
"Well that's a problem seeing as how I don't feel anything for you," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Not that kind of feeling! Merlin, Potter, you're such a girl."
"Have I called you a prick yet today?"
"Probably. How about we pretend this night never happened, yeah?" Harry said, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Besides, if word got back to Snape that I was snogging you in the corridor, he'd probably tear me limb from limb. Or you."
"Were you thinking of Snape the whole time you were kissing me?" Draco asked, appalled.
"No! Well, yeah, but I was comparing really, so that's normal, right?"
Draco hummed, and looked down the corridor. "I think you need to evaluate some things, Potter. I promise not to drag you off into the alcoves down here if you promise to think about what happened tonight from an unaffected position."
"Try speaking English, Malfoy."
"You go back to your room and think about what happened tonight. Try to think about the events without letting anger or fear cloud your pathetically small mind."
Harry sighed and nodded. "I'll ignore the insult to my intellect, but the rest is probably good advice."
"Insult to your intellect? Really Potter, you've spent too much time with Granger."
"And Snape," Harry put in tiredly.
Draco straightened his robes and smoothed back his hair. "Go to bed, Potter. I think I'll go and see what Pansy is up to."
"So much for my devoted boyfriend," Harry scoffed.
"Friends with benefits, Potter," Draco said, winking. "Night, love!"
"Never, call me that again," Harry said, shuddering.
Next Chapter: Chapter Fourteen