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Severus Snape was a cranky, pessimistic, distrustful person who disliked most people upon first sight and, for such an unpleasant man, had ridiculously high standards of what he expected of others. Severus Snape was intelligent, interested in various fields of knowledge and well versed in almost as many. He was a Capricorn and couldn’t have thought less about Astrology. Though a little less abrasive in personality after the war, he was still impatient and solitary. Severus Snape was heterosexual. He was also opportunistic.
He didn’t think anything of it when Potter approached him after the ceremony. There were things to discuss, after all: the necessary lies Severus had told, the information the late Headmaster had portioned out between them, Severus’ memories, the things he had had to leave behind at Grimmauld place. He expected Potter to ask about his mother, for more memories or keepsakes to remember her by and generally about the past.
Instead, Potter surprised him, asking about the future: where did Severus stay now, did he have need of Grimmauld place? Was he interested in returning to Hogwarts and would he recommend Potter finish his schooling there? Would he be terribly inconvenienced if Potter wanted to have tea and a chat with him someday? Did he need help with the Ministry’s inquiries that were sure to come now?
When he left, Potter shook his hand for a bit longer than necessary and with a very, very earnest expression.
It took one more chance meeting and a letter from Potter by owl for Severus to notice that there was an undercurrent of something between them. Potter had never behaved like he did then, not with Severus, nor anyone else. More and more, Severus found his focus stray from his morning papers and Potions journals and he wondered what the boy wanted. A parental figure? A connection to his mother? A mentor? A charity case?
A pint, a conversation and a moment of Potter leaning closer to him in his mirth later, the penny finally dropped.
It was highly unlikely, but stranger things had happened to Severus. In a split second he imagined various possible outcomes of any reaction he might show. Potter’s reaction to rejection, a gentle let down, an affirmation that his feelings were returned. Their mutual acquaintances’ reactions – would the Weasleys disapprove of Potter consorting with an older man, former teacher, former Death Eater, or support him and his wishes? How would Severus’ colleagues respond? The newspapers and broad public? Severus had plans to open a Potions business and possibly a trial to fend for himself in.
In the end it was an easy decision and an easier feat to lean in and put his hand on Potter’s waist, pulling him gently to his side before letting go again. The smile he received in return was blinding.
Now that he knew which game they were playing, Severus could properly engage in it. He suggested another meeting in public, delaying any bolder displays of affection until later. The bar he suggested was quieter than any pub he usually frequented, giving them their own table and privacy to talk. Potter told him about his many plans for the future and the difficulties he had deciding what he wanted for himself, ignoring everybody’s expectations. Severus considered his ideas, trying not to shoot them down immediately. It wasn’t how he usually conversed and he found himself out of answers more often than not. Potter didn’t seem to mind though, filling the silence with his chatting, and when Severus told him his mother – no, both his parents would be proud of him, no matter which path he chose, Potter went all quiet and looked at him pensively.
They walked to Apparition Alley together and lingered for a moment. Despite his growth, Potter was still a bit shorter than Severus, a fact that the boy seemed to like. He leaned in for a brief hug, turning his head up to Severus in a clear plea for a kiss that Severus ignored. He held his gaze and smirked at him before murmuring “Good night, Harry,” into his ear. Potter’s eyes fell closed and after a deep breath, he stepped back, not unhappy.
“Good night, Sir,” he answered.
“Severus,” Severus corrected before drawing his wand and Apparating away.
From then on, Harry blushed more easily in his presence and, at times, avoided extended eye contact. Severus could not resist exploring the source of his unease, sliding easily into the jungle the boy called a mind. He was unsurprised to find exactly the kind of fantasies a smitten teenager might conjure up, yet daunted by the explicit images.
Harry was likeable, entertaining and certainly handsome, for a man. Severus could tell he wouldn’t mind kissing him. He only put off their first kiss to tease Harry, enjoying the tension and the puppy eyes he was giving him, especially when saying goodbye. Also, kisses would make Harry want more and Severus wasn’t quite sure he was ready for that. He had never felt desire for a man, he much preferred the elegant curves of a smooth female body to the hard planes of a male’s.
But the advantages of consorting with the Boy Who Lived were already showing. When they walked the streets of Wizarding London, common acquaintances like former students and their families greeted them both, as if Severus had always been, without a doubt, on their side. The Weasleys extended invitations to him that Harry allowed him to pass up. The Granger girl bullied the Prophet into printing a photo of Harry and him shaking hands, that ought to help his case if there was indeed a trial, turning the public’s opinion in the right direction.
Severus had always prided himself on being a Prince, but if he took the next step with Harry, he would rise to queen consort, making him untouchable. He couldn’t imagine any sexual practice that would put him off enough to pass that up.
When Harry was frustrated enough to nearly despair, Severus invited him to a walk in the woods and Apparated them to the Forest of Dean.
“You have no idea how worried I was about you,” Severus said when they found the lake he had hidden the sword in. It was the truth, too, if Weasley had taken a few seconds longer, Severus would have dropped his disguise and intervened.
“If Ron hadn’t come….” Harry echoed his thoughts and shuddered. “And shit, it was cold then.”
“You didn’t have a spare ounce of fat on you,” Severus commented, drawing a look from Harry.
“You looked, didn’t you?”
Severus hummed and reached for Harry’s face, stroking down his cheek and holding on to his chin.
“I like you better healthy,” he said, eyes on Harry’s mouth.
Slowly and deliberately, he closed the distance between them, savouring the hitch in Harry’s breath. And it was fine, Harry’s lips were soft and his body pliant in Severus’ embrace. Of course, the little Gryffindor took that first kiss as an invitation to let many more follow, but such was the natural progression of a relationship. Or so the romance novels Severus’ mum had sometimes secretly read said.
With the invitation to visit Severus’ flat came another step of intimacy. Harry pestered him with an abundance of questions about former relationships, expectations for theirs, plans for their future. Severus refused to talk about former lovers and, when nothing else helped, silenced the boy with kisses. Tongues met and hands wandered and Harry’s glasses were discarded.
“Can I?” he asked, sliding his hands under Severus’ shirt.
“Yes,” Severus said, then again, in a more strained voice, when Harry had a nipple between his teeth and a hand on Severus’ cock.
Getting a handjob was just as nice from a man as from a woman, he found. Harry’s grip was firm and he was eager to please. Giving a handjob was not much different from wanking, if he ignored the gasps and groans that, honestly, were a bit flattering. He teased Harry relentlessly, slowing down when he was getting into a good rhythm, stopping altogether when Harry complained, until the boy was reduced to a shaking, quivering mess on Severus’ couch. When he stroked him to completion, it was with an angle that made Harry paint his own stomach with come, which was a sight to behold.
Hermione and Ron were introduced about the same time that Harry’s toothbrush found a way into Severus’ bathroom. He didn’t mind either, the Granger girl had good ideas about a future Potions venture and Weasley was good natured and easily pleased with a good meal.
Beginning with autumn, Harry spent the weeks at Hogwarts to finish his schooling while Severus dedicated himself to drafting up applications for a licence to operate an official Potions lab. He wanked to thoughts of bouncing tits and slick cunts but never sought out women. The last thing he needed was a messy break-up that would defeat the whole purpose of their relationship.
On the weekends, he dealt with a randy teenager – hardly a hardship, especially when the teenager left his books and clothes on the floor where he dropped them and greeted Severus with an enthusiastic blowjob.
Severus never returned those, but Harry didn’t seem to mind too much. He looked quite content kneeling in front of the couch or lying on the bed at waist-level, sucking and licking until Severus couldn’t hold back thrusting and emptied himself into his mouth in hot spurts. Why any man would enjoy being on the giving end, Severus couldn’t fathom, but he wasn’t about to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
One evening, running his hands over the boy’s body, Severus made an offhand remark about liking his smooth skin. The next weekend, Harry returned from school with a book about cosmetic magic and the results of a perfectly executed depilatory charm. It extended far down, over his balls to his arse. In addition to the book, a new tube of lubricant appeared.
Harry set it on the nightstand and crawled into bed, already naked and standing to attention.
“Don’t you – I mean, wouldn’t you want to-”
He wiggled his arse.
Severus pretended to inspect the tube of lubricant through his reading glasses while he thought about it. He found he had no objection. He had enjoyed anal sex before with one or two of his partners. And while Harry lacked a few body parts he would enjoy to fondle during sex, his newly flawlessly smooth skin was enticing enough to say yes.
He took his reading glasses off and threw them on the nightstand.
“Thought you were never going to ask,” he said and clicked the tube open with one hand while spreading Harry’s legs with the other.
One of the perks of sex with another man was that Severus felt he didn’t have to be so careful not to hurt his partner. Not that women were more sensitive than men. On the contrary, Harry stopped him before he could penetrate him the first time, asking for fingers first, and wincing when he went too fast. But Severus had no qualms about pounding into him, pinching his nipples, slapping his arse in a way that left the skin flushed.
Severus finished quickly and made Harry stroke himself off while still sitting on Severus’ cock.
One day, a reporter ‘caught them’ leaving the flat together, sharing a quick goodbye kiss. Once his camera clicked, Harry’s gaze shot to Severus, gauging his reaction. He didn’t know which anonymous source had tipped the newspaper off. Severus gave him a mildly inconvenienced look that made Harry grin and they parted ways.
Afterwards, there never actually was a trial and apart from the expected, disappointed outcry of Witch Weekly’s readership, there wasn’t any negative press about their relationship either.
No, Severus thought, putting the newspaper down and concentrating on the head moving between his legs, this wasn’t a future he would have imagined for himself. He wasn’t hung up on the Potter or Evans family, nor was he homosexual. But he was an opportunist and this – fuck, that boy was good – this was the best he could have imagined for himself.