Title: Baby, Oh Baby! (06)
Author name: Enchantress101
Author email: tobygirl2020@yahoo.com
Category: Romance
Sub Category: Drama
Keywords: Slash Harry/Snape mpreg
Rating: R
Spoilers: SS/PS,
Summary: Harry desperately wants a baby, and, like they say, where
there's a will there's a way! What happens when he asks Severus Snape to be his
you-know-what donor? WARNING: Slash of the SS/HP kind, Mpreg
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury
Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is
being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: I am finally updating this on astronomy tower.
Fanfiction.net deleted this fic from its site for no good reason, so, until I
can get that corrected, I will post here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry found himself thinking of Snape during the
majority of his Monday, and during the weirdest times and in some very
inappropriate ways and places. Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel
around his body drew back memories of being enveloped in the potion master's
robes from the night before. As he pulled on a shirt and brushed a piece of
lint off his shoulder, he remembered the feel of Snape's hands on his shoulders
and the heat they'd brought. Harry shivered and quickly finished dressing.
Harry went into the living room and began to
(reluctantly) clean up his apartment. Empty mugs went into the sink for
cleaning later, sheets of paper and magazines were picked up and either tossed
or set on the coffee table neatly. Shoes and other articles of clothing were
dumped back in his room, which he'd also have to straighten later.
As he went to pull his vacuum cleaner from
the closet, he mused, Now why can't my place stay clean like Snape's?
Harry sprinkled some carpet freshener on the
floor and began to vacuum. The floral scent he'd grabbed was assaulting his
nose, causing him to sneeze loudly every now and then. The way the substance
was irritating his senses made him, for some reason, think back to Snape's
pleasant, soothing scent.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?!"
he shouted, abandoning the vacuum. "Why can't I stop thinking about
him?"
I need to get out . . . that's right, get
out . . . I'll go grocery shopping. A nice walk should clear my head.
Harry grabbed his wallet and left his
apartment, heading for the small grocery on the corner. It was owned by an old
witch from one of the southern sates of
Besides the fact that everything was so
fresh, of course.
When he walked into the store, the old woman
suddenly appeared out of no where and promptly welcomed him before leaving him
to shop. She went to stand behind the counter, and he was sure that she was
watching his every move with her beady little eyes.
This made it a little hard to shop, but Harry
filled his basket with the things he needed and placed his items on the
counter. The woman began ringing up his goods while Harry stuffed them into
some brown paper bags, just as they did every time he visited her store.
"Nice day, isn't it?" she murmured,
glancing past Harry's shoulder hesitantly.
"I guess . . ." What was she
looking at? He was tempted to run around and look, but . . .
She ran a box of rice over the scanner
several times, totally missing the bar code on the side. "Saw you in the
paper this mornin' . . ."
He blushed. "Right."
Suddenly the old woman ducked behind the
counter and came back up with several boxes on condoms, placing them before Harry.
He turned even redder. "I . . . don't think I'll be needing any of those .
. ." he replied softly.
She grabbed his collar and pulled his face
very close to the boxes, then bent over so that she was at eye level with him.
The old lady picked up a box and turned it over to the back. "Someone's
followin' you, boy."
Harry froze. "What?"
The old lady proceeded to talk out a few foil
packets with a smile on her face. "Don't look so unhappy, boy! There's
nothin' to be ashamed 'bout! Better safe sex than no sex, I always say!"
she said quite loudly. "Let me tell you how ta use 'em!"
Harry choked but forced a grin. "Uh huh.
Now, about someone following me?"
"Some man came in after you . . ."
She slowly opened a packet. "Followed you 'round the store, pretendin' to
be readin' a magazine, but looking at you the whole time." She pulled out
the rubber and stretched it over her fingers. "Bet he's going to leave
when you do."
Shit . . . Why didn't I pick that up? A chill raced down Harry's spine. NOW he could feel
the guy looking at him. Snape would have my head if he knew . . .
"There are some other fun things you can
do with these!" The old lady blew it up like a balloon. "Besta watch
yer back, sonny," she whispered before tossing the blow up rubber to one
of her cats lying out on the floor. "He don't look too nice."
The old woman dropped two boxes of condoms
into his bag before ringing up the rest of his things. "Those babies are
on the house. Now run along." They shared a meaningful glance before Harry
scooped up his bags and left the store quickly, barely catching a glimpse of
the mysterious man. His face was hidden behind a beard and big sunglasses, his
hair covered with a hat.
So much for being able to recognize him.
As he headed for his apartment, he was sure
that the man was still following him. Harry was so preoccupied with his stalker
that he ran head on into someone. A bag tumbled out of his arms and fell to the
ground.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching . . ." he
mumbled, scrambling for his things. Was the man still behind him? He had to get
going- and fast.
"Harry! I was just looking for
you!"
"Oliver?" Harry had never been so
happy to see him. He let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god . . ."
Oliver began snickering as he picked
something up off the ground. "Harry? Is there something I should know
about?"
Harry picked up the fallen bag. "What
are you . . . oh . . ."
In his hand, Oliver held the box of condoms.
Harry flushed with embarrassment. "Umm . . . well, you see . . . I can
explain . . ."
"What's this? Already open?" Oliver
gave him a sly look. "Well, well, well! Harry, you hussy!"
Harry snatched the box away and shoved it
into the bag, raising his chin and walking off, knowing that Oliver would
follow. "It's not what you think. Really, it's not!"
The Quidditch player took a bag out of
Harry's arms and walked along side of him. "Uh huh." Suddenly Oliver
frowned. "I saw that article. You wouldn't happen to have another hot date
with Snape tonight, would you? Harry, if you're thinking about sleeping with
him, I must object!"
"I'm not going to sleep with anyone,
okay?" Harry hissed underneath his breath. "And there was no hot date
between me and Snape! I've a favor I need to ask of him, that's all. And
besides, why do you care if I go shag someone or not?"
" . . ."
"Well?"
" . . . because I just do, okay?! Damn
it Harry, NO ONE should loose their virginity to that man-"
"Woah, what makes you think I'm a
virgin?"
Oliver blushed. "I just know. You're not
the kind of person to have a fling, Harry. I . . . like that about you."
"Whatever."
"Well . . . are you, or are you
not?"
"This is NOT a conversation to be having
on the sidewalk!" He walked faster until they reached his apartment. Harry
unlocked the door and quickly put them back as Oliver stepped in behind him.
They went into the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter.
"Okay, we're not on the sidewalk
anymore," Oliver said quickly. "Will you tell me now?"
"I don't see why you need to know. I
mean, really . . ."
"Oh, I see. So you haven't lost it yet."
"I didn't say that!"
"You didn't have to," replied the
older man smugly. "It was all in your tone. I can't believe it! At age
twenty-one, the great Harry Potter hasn't gone to bed with anyone yet!
Amazing!"
Harry scowled and plopped down at his kitchen
table. "Shut up, will ya? I don't want the whole world to know!"
"Why haven't you done it yet?"
Sigh. "Would you believe me if I said
that I was waiting for the right person to come along?"
Oliver sat next to Harry, wearing a serious
expression on his face. "Actually, I do. Like I said, you're just that
type of person."
"A goody-goody, right?" he replied
sarcastically.
"What's wrong with that? Now that I
think about it, I wish I had waited. Really, Harry, it's good that you're doing
so."
Harry heard the sincerity in Oliver's voice
and smiled. "So, you said you were looking for me . . .?"
"Yeah I was!" He reached into his
pocket and drew out two tickets. "These are for the game on Saturday, the
biggest of the season. I thought you'd be interested."
Harry eagerly snatched them up and grinned.
"Interested? You BET! Thanks!"
"No problem. There are two, so you can
invite someone . . . if you want, of course . . ."
Hmm . . . kinda sounds like he doesn't
want me to . . . wait! Snape! I said I'd take him out that day. There ARE two,
so . . . there's no problem.
"I'll bring Professor Snape."
"Harry!" cried Oliver. "You
shouldn't be seeing him!"
"I'm not seeing him. Look, can we
talk about something else?"
"Fine. What do you want to talk
about?"
Harry looked around. "Dunno."
" . . . you seemed kinda anxious when I
ran into you. What was up? Was it because you had all of those condoms?"
He chuckled. "No . . . look, maybe I
should tell you this . . ." Harry hesitated. "I was being
followed."
"WHAT?! Harry-"
"Did you see a guy with really big
shades, a beard and a black hat on behind me?" questioned Harry quickly.
" . . . yeah!"
"Well, that was him."
"Damn it Harry, you shouldn't be here
alone."
"I know . . . so how long can you stay?"
*~*
For the rest of the week, Oliver dropped by
in between Quidditch practices, interviews and photo shoots to keep Harry
company. There were no more stalking incidences or anything else like that,
however, since Oliver starting coming around frequently. Maybe the old woman
had just been imagining things. After all, she must've been quite lonely, not
to mention bored, with only her cats . . .
Even though there hadn't been an ounce of
suspicious activity, Harry still had his cell and home phone number changed,
partly due to Oliver's insistence.
Beside all of that, it was the strangest
thing . . .
He couldn't seem to keep his thoughts off of
Snape, whether Oliver was there to keep him busy or not. He surprisingly found
that he was quite anxious to see him again. After all, their dates- er . . . outings-
hadn't been that bad. Thinking back, they'd actually been . . . fun. And 'fun',
by any means, wasn't a word usually associated with Snape.
Harry enjoyed his sarcastic, witty comebacks
more than he thought he should. It was so much fun (there was that word
again) to argue with him. Something about his age intrigued Harry too. He
seemed so wise about some things, just as wise as Dumbledore. And Harry was
sure that he could con any woman into giving up her lifetime savings
just by using that voice . . .
The more he thought about it, the thought of
being attracted to his old potions teacher didn't seem to be all that hideous.
In fact, Severus Snape just happened to be the type of man that Harry was
looking for.
Harry wasn't stupid though. He didn't think
that there was any way in hell that he'd have a chance with Snape. The older
man would probably slap him into the next century if he found out . . .
So as Saturday finally came, Harry stood in
nothing but his boxers in front of his closet, trying to find something to wear
for the 'outing'. He'd decided to take Snape to see some highlights of Muggle
living, so jeans would be fitting.
He dressed in some rather snug jeans and a
red shirt and grabbed his robes, remembering that they would watch the
Quidditch game first.
Minutes later, Harry was standing outside of
Snape's chambers, playing with a loose string hanging from his robes. Before he
could even knock, the wall slid back and Snape waltzed past him and out into
the hallway, dressed in his impressive dark robes that engulfed his body.
"I hope you have Muggle clothes under
there," Harry said, eyeing him up and down.
"Of course I do." Severus lifted up
one side of his robes to reveal a denim-clad leg. "Now, where are we
going?"
"To see some Quidditch. Oliver invited
me," replied Harry as they began to walk.
Snape sneered. "Quidditch? These
infernal Muggle pants aren't needed for that."
"I know. The rest is a surprise. You'll
have fun, I promise."
"I don't have fun."
" . . . that's right. I forgot."
*~*
The Quidditch stadium was overflowing with
anxious fans of all ages, ready to see the match of the season. Harry and
Severus found that they had two of the best seats in the house, located in a
section reserved for special guests (or those with enough money to purchase
them). Harry was a little shocked, although he figured that he shouldn't have
been, to see Malfoy there, sitting not too far them, Omnioculars in his hand.
Harry sank down and turned his back slightly.
Maybe he won't recognize me . . .
Suddenly Oliver whizzed by on his broom, then
circled around and hovered a little distance from his fellow Gryffindor. With
one hand he waved and shouted loudly, "Oi, Harry! There you are!!"
"Oliver!!" hissed Harry
slightly ducking down.
Too late. Draco had already spotted them. The
blond stood quickly straightened his hair and clothes, then sat in the empty
seat next to Snape. "What a surprise, Professor! I didn't expect to find
you here!"
Snape's eyes followed Harry as he stood and
went to lean over the railing to speak with Wood. He noticed the way the older
Gryffindor's eyes kept running up and down Harry's figure as they spoke and
snarled in disgust. Was Potter that dense? Did he not notice the looks? It
appeared so . . . "The boy dragged me along."
"Is that so?" murmured Draco
curiously. Does Potter really have that kind of control over him already? I
see the way Severus is looking at him . . . maybe there WAS something to that
article! Potter, you no good, lying, scheming Gryffindor! I saw him first!
He glared at Harry's back furiously.
A few minutes later, Harry left Oliver so
that he could join his team in the locker room before the match began and
returned to his seat. The glares that he received from the two Slytherins
confused him. "What?"
Draco leaned over Snape's lap, slapping his
hands on the older man's thighs and hissed, "I'm on to you, Potter! You
think you're so smart!"
Harry also leaned forward to peer around the
Potions master, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "I have NO idea what you're
talking about, Malfoy! Go back to your seat- you're already annoying me."
"Some Gryffindor you claim to be.
What is this, some twisted, weak plot of revenge for those years at Hogwarts?
You went behind my back, arranging this and that with him! You knew I that I
saw him first, you . . . you . . ."
"You what?" murmured Harry
dangerously. "Sod off, Malfoy, before I throw you over the railing!"
By now, Draco was practically climbing into
Snape's lap to get to Harry. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try!" he
snarled, face flushed with anger.
Harry's hands darted out for Draco's throat,
but were quickly slapped away by Snape. He pushed the blond back into his own
chair and stood up, facing the two younger men. While he found it quite . . . nice
to have two younger people arguing over whom would get to keep his company, he
DID have an image to keep up. The looks they were attracting were most
certainly NOT good. "If you two could please CONTROL yourselves in
PUBLIC?! Or do you not know the meaning of the word, hmm?"
"He started it!" cried both of them
at the same time.
"Stop acting like children. If you two
can't behave yourselves, then I'm leaving!" Snape almost laughed at the
startled, panicky look that crossed Draco's face. Almost. "Will you
behave?"
They nodded shamefully like five-year-olds.
"Good." Snape sat back down, just
as composed as ever.
There wasn't a word out of either of them for
the rest of the game, expect for the occasional cheer or groan, depending on
how the team was doing at the moment. Oliver seemed off his game a little, his
face marred with lines of worry, but still managed to stop most of the balls
from passing him. They won anyway, so it really didn't seem to matter at the
time.
When the Snitch was finally caught and the
game was over, Draco quickly left, pausing for only a second to give Harry a
dirty look.
They exited the stadium immediately upon
Snape's insistence, although Harry had wanted to stay for a while longer to
congratulate Oliver on his big win. After a tiny squabble, Severus had his way,
and they were off to the next destination.
*~*
"I am NOT going in there."
"Oh, come on, why not?"
"Look at it! Everything's . . . brightly
colored! What is that racket that they're blaring? The water in that fake
waterfall is dirty, not to mention that those plastic animals are hideous! And
there are children here!"
"Well, children usually come to places
like this, but, once and a while, us grown ups can come and have fun too."
"I refuse. I'm going back to Hogwarts."
"Come on!"
"You can't make me!"
Then minutes later, Severus Snape, with some
sort of stick in his hand, found himself standing before an oversized
hippopotamus, it's large mouth opening and snapping shut continuously. He eyed
the green ball at his feet, then the fake animal. "Please tell me the
purpose of this 'miniature golf' again."
Harry smirked. "You have to get the ball
through the hippo's mouth and into the little hole on the other side. Simple,
really."
Snape grumbled under his breath, shifting the
stick in his hand. "Damn thing . . ." He timed it just right, so that
his ball sailed thought the hippo's open mouth, bounced off of a wall and
glided right into the small hole. Harry gaped.
"What? Is that good?" questioned
Severus.
"Y-yeah! A whole in one! The objective
is to have less shots than me."
"Oh. Well, this doesn't seem to be very
hard." He stepped back so that Harry could take his spot. "Do your
worst, Potter."
Harry also got the ball through the mouth of
the animal, but couldn't seem to land it into the hole after that. "Stupid
blocks," murmured Harry as he swung at the ball again.
Severus snickered with amusement.
"Simple? What's wrong, you can't figure out a tiny math angle in your
head?"
"No! Leave me alone, I'll get it!"
"I'm sure you will . . . by the time I'm
as old as Dumbledore." Snape sighed an over-exaggerated sigh. "It is
quite obvious that I will have to take control of the situation, or else we'll
never make it to that pretty little windmill over there, or to that delicious-looking
mountain of Muggle treats, or . . ."
"Okay, okay! Enough
already!" Harry gestured to the ball. "Fine, go ahead and do it,
since you're so bloody smart!"
"I don't think so. If I do this one for
you, I'll have to do the rest as they get harder and harder." Severus
slowly walked up to Harry's side. "Hold the . . . stick thing."
"It's a putter, Professor."
Severus gave him a 'just-do-it' look and he
quickly did. Harry gasped softly as Severus went to stand behind him, his
bigger, rougher hands slid over Harry's smaller ones in a most . . . sensual
way. Harry unconsciously leaned back against him.
"W-what next Professor?" whispered
Harry softly.
"Relax. You're too tense to do anything
properly."
Harry did the best he could, but with Snape
standing so close . . .
"That's better. Move to the right . . .
a little more . . . there you go." Snape guided Harry's hands back and
together they hit the ball with the putter. It rolled slowly, and directly into
the hole.
Harry quickly removed himself from Snape's
vicinity. "Thanks."
They continued the game without much more
trouble and, of course, Severus won rather easily.
*~*
Next it was off to a small dinner-and-a-movie
kind of place, where Snape found himself more than a little anxious to finally
get a glimpse at the Muggle's version of a moving picture. They were seated at
a small round table in front of a huge blank screen, and a waiter quickly took
their order. Harry ordered a Muggle dish for Severus, a slice of 'pizza' or
whatever it was called, while he himself ordered a hamburger with fries.
"Nice and fattening," mused Harry.
"I promise you'll like it."
Snape snickered doubtfully and sat back in
his chair, sipping on the wine that he'd ordered. He watched as Harry attacked
a brown liquid through a red and white bent straw. "What is that?" he
asked curiously, seeing the apparent delight on the younger man's face.
"A chocolate milkshake."
"Chocolate?"
Harry slid the tall glass across the table
and gestured at him. "You can taste, if you'd like."
Severus sent him a suspicious glare before
hesitantly taking up the glass. After one cautious sip, he was hooked.
"This is very good. I suppose Muggles aren't all that bad."
Harry raised an eyebrow as he continued to
drink. "Get your own, will you? That one is mine."
Snape passed the glass back to Harry, it's
contents now half gone. Where was that waiter? He had to have one of those . .
.
Their waiter then appeared beside their table
and placed their food before them, along with an extra large milkshake, this
one decorated with whip cream, sprinkles and two cherries and with two red and
white straws. The waiter winked at them and said, "If you wanted the
lover's shake, all you had to do was ask."
Harry promptly turned red and managed to
squeak out a meager thanks.
"I supposed we'll share then,"
replied Snape calmly, plucking a cherry from the cream and devouring it.
" . . . right."
The glass of wine sat abandoned for the rest
of the evening.
*~*
"The moving picture-"
"Movie, Professor. It's called a movie,
for the hundredth time."
"The movie was thought provoking,
something that I most certainly didn't expect . . ."
"Not all Muggles are blundering,
incompetent beings, you know."
" . . . entertaining, beautifully
scripted and performed . . . I must come back one day."
Harry grinned as they walked down the
sidewalk, side by side. He shoved his hands deep down into his pockets, the
cool night air whipping at his body and glanced up at Snape's sharp features.
It felt surprisingly nice to be in the man's company, to go places and to do
things with him. An envelope of security surrounded him, and the stalking
incident was now looming somewhere in the back of his mind. Harry inched closer
to Snape's warmth and led him around a corner.
"One more stop, Professor, then you can
withdraw to your caves for the rest of the night," kidded Harry lightly,
casually slowing down his pace.
Severus unconsciously dropped back so that
their strides matched, although it was a little difficult to do with his long
legs. Was the evening almost over already? It had certainly been more pleasant
than their last together, the memory of Potter underneath his robes, pressed up
against him still fresh in his mind. Crushing him at miniature golf and his
following reaction had been very entertaining, the dinner tasteful and the
movie a delight. Suddenly his chambers didn't seem so appealing.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"To a sweets store just around the
corner . . ."
Snape made a face. "Muggle treats do not
sound all that appealing."
"You liked the milkshake, didn't you?
I'm certain you'll find something you'll like."
*~*
The candy store was cold, Snape noticed. And
there were those bright colors again, and a lot of white. The tables were funny
shaped, not your regular circle or square, but all squiggly. Ice cream was
being sold to the left, but after the milkshake, Severus was not in the mood
for that.
He stood beside Harry in line, behind a
Muggle mum and dad who were buying their already overweight child a bunch of
sweets. Disgusting . . . giving him everything he wants, so he'll grow as
big as a house. Muggles have absolutely no sense.
Snape was about to comment quietly on the
fact to Harry, but stopped when he noticed that the younger man wore strangest
smile as he watched a young mother and father walk out of the shop, pushing a
stroller with a napping baby inside. This was not the first time Harry had
become distracted by little babies and their parents- as they strolled down the
sidewalk earlier, he'd been looking then, and had even stopped to comment to
one family about how adorable their son was.
Potter and babies?
Harry wanted to be a father?
Probably. It WOULD explain a lot . . .
Wait . . . could that have something to do
with what Harry wanted to ask him?
Snape's eyes flickered quickly as he came to
a realization. He saw it now, he knew what Harry wanted . . . So why didn't he
just ASK already? It was nothing big, just a yes or no question, and of course
he would, but not before making the boy squirm a bit.
Well, I won't bring it up. After, it wasn't HIS job. If Potter wanted it so bad,
he'd have to grow a little backbone and open his mouth!
He became distracted when it was their turn
to order, and he had no idea what to get. Harry seemed very excited when he
immediately ordered something called cotton candy, so Severus just got the same
thing.
"What on earth is this?" he
demanded when the Muggle behind the counter returned with two big bags full of
a colorful fluffy mass. "This isn't a sweet."
"Yes it is!" Harry paid and took
the bags, handing one to Snape before he tore his open and stuffed a piece of
fluff into his mouth. He practically skipped out of the store, leaving the
potion's master to follow.
They walked down the street in silence, Harry
munching on his treat with Snape watching. I suppose its safe. Potter's
still alive . . . wait a minute. This IS the boy who survived the deadliest
curse around . . . Severus snickered to himself softly. He removed the tie
from the bag and slowly opened it, removing a tiny portion of the lime colored
section of the sweet and put it in his mouth.
"What the . . ."
It had dissolved! Right there on his tongue,
leaving behind a most pleasant taste. Tasting a bit more, he vaguely wondered
if he should save Dumbledore a tiny bit . . .
A shrill noise erupted from virtually
nowhere, startling Snape into battle mode. His hand was but an inch from his
wand when Harry slapped his arm roughly and grinned. Taking out some sort of
small silver box, Harry waved it around.
"Don't worry, it's just this. A cell
phone." He flipped back the cover and raised it to his face. "Hello?
Oliver, congratulations on your big win! That was some fancy flying!"
Snape sighed heavily and shook his head.
Those comments meant nothing- Harry had flown better in his days. If those two
were going to mindlessly flirt over that contraption all night, then . . .
Suddenly Harry stopped in the middle of the
sidewalk, gripping the phone so tightly that his hands whitened. Severus
stopped, too, and watched the younger boy's face carefully.
"Are you sure you heard . . . Okay,
okay! I'll- What? Where am I?" He glanced up at the Potions master.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Professor Snape is here with me . . . I'm glad
that makes you feel better." That was sarcastic. "I'll go straight .
. . uh huh. No, that's not necessary, Oliver. Really! You'll only be putting
yourself in danger. I'll get him to . . . right. Okay . . . okay . . .
bye." Harry hung up and quickly began to walk.
"What was that all about, Potter?"
Harry glanced around cautiously and spoke in
hushed tones. "In the locker room, Oliver overheard some guys from the
other team talking about some things . . ."
"What things?"
"Seems like more than a few Death Eaters
aren't too happy about the outcome of the war, and now they're going to try to
finish me off. Maybe you too."
Well, that most certainly wasn't unexpected.
But why now? Or had the plans been in the works for years? "How far along
could this be? How much time . . ."
"I don't know. Oliver said that the two
guys were discussing some sort of secret meeting for those interested . . . I
guess they've just gotten their forces back together."
Snape swore underneath his breath. "I
must tell Albus as soon as possible . . ."
"Yeah. You should get back to the
castle, I guess."
"What about you?" This came out
quickly, surprising Harry and even Snape. What happened to thinking before you
spoke?
Harry smiled a tiny smile. "I think
you're concerned about me. It's true, isn't it? You worry?"
"No! Albus would have my head if he knew
I let you return to your apartment before it was properly secured! That's all,
nothing more."
"Sure. If you say so. But I think it
would be best if I went to Hogwarts with you."
"Come along then. We'll find a
fireplace."
*~*
It felt like the old days, the days where
they went out and did missions, then came back and reported to the Headmaster.
Dumbledore listened carefully, twirling the end of his long beard with a
finger.
"Hmmm . . . you were right to come here
for the night, Harry. Perhaps you'll consider staying longer, for your
safety."
"W-would that be alright? I mean . .
."
"Of course it'll be alright! Severus
will be more than happy to share his rooms with you!"
Snape sat up. "What?! Now, wait a
minute-"
"That way, you two will know where the
other is, you can keep each other safe-"
"With all due respect, Albus, I can't .
. . its not . . . I-"
"Not to mention keep Severus company! He
gets lonely down in that dungeon, with nothing but smelly old potions. Of
course, he won't admit it, but . . ."
"Albus! I'm sitting right here!"
"What do you say, Harry? How does that
sound?"
He looked from Dumbledore's sparkling,
encouraging eyes to Snape's glaring ones, then at the floor. Oh, boy . . .
"Well . . . That sounds great to me! I've found the Professor to be much
better company than I'd originally thought."
"Splendid! You two run along now, and
get some sleep. Maybe you can accompany Severus to classes on Monday . .
."
Snape snarled and jumped up, stomping over to
he door. "Let's go, boy! You're taking the couch, just so you know!"
Harry grinned. "Fine with me." He
took his time getting up, stretching, then shaking Dumbledore's hand.
"Thanks again."
The two were halfway out of the door when
Albus called, "Harry, how was that play?! What did you think?!"
He stuck his head back into the room and
frowned. "It was okay . . . I guess. The singing was extremely corny,
though. That needed some work." Snape then yanked him back out into the
hallway by the back of his shirt and dragged him away.
Once they were gone, Albus stuck his bare
feet in front of the fire, a perplexed look crossing his face. "I thought
the musical scores were quite . . . touching . . . hmmm . . ."
*~*
"You. Sleep here. You. STAY here. Don't
go in there, there, there or in there, and most certainly not in there
. . . don't touch that, that, this, or that . . ."
Harry watched as Snape pointed and gestured
to the things that were off-limits . . . basically every single room and object
imaginable. "So, what? Am I supposed to not move from the couch?"
"Why, that sounds like an excellent
idea! I'm so glad you brought that up!"
"Ha, ha. I hate it when you're
sarcastic."
"That's just too bad. Now, a few ground
rules. Don't bother me when I'm sleeping. I-"
"Let me guess. You require a certain
amount of sleep to obtain your maximum sarcastic-ness for the day."
"Does sleeping out in the hallway sound
appealing? I didn't think so. Next, don't touch the liquor. I can't spend all
of my days brewing you out of la-la land. The books, no matter how appealing or
tantalizing, shall not be touched under any circumstances. They are all in
perfect order, just the way I like them and if one, JUST one is moved, I'll
know."
"What if I get bored?" protested
Harry.
"Do what Gryffindors do best. Look
completely lost and blow bubbles with your tongue."
Harry sighed heavily. Maybe he shouldn't have
taken Dumbledore up on his offer, but It seemed like the perfect chance to get
even more acquainted with Snape. "Can we just go to sleep now?
Please?"
"Yes. Go to sleep." He stalked down
the hallway and disappeared into a room at the very end, slamming the door
behind him.
Harry plopped down on the couch and stared
into the fire for a while before curling himself up into a ball, shaking
slightly from the cold of the dungeon. He grabbed the thick green blanket that
hung over the back of the couch and wrapped it around his body.
Why now? Why did this have to happen now?
Just when he was about to realize a dream . . . a baby. Could he carry a child
while something was stirring? When he might not be around long enough for it to
be born, or to see it grow up if it was?
No. No! Screw them! Voldemort and those
Death Eaters have ruled my life for long enough. Every time I made a decision,
I had to think of THEM and of what THEY might do. Well, now it's my turn! I'm
thinking about ME this time, and what I want.
And I want this baby. I want Snape's and I
will . . . I WILL . . .
And then a small voice said . . .
. . . have them both . . .
Scary. Had he just thought that? He wanted
both a baby AND Snape?
Maybe . . .
*~*
A little more than half an hour had passed
since Snape left Harry alone on the couch, and now he paced back and forth in
front of his dimly lit fireplace, dragging his hand over his face roughly as he
berated himself.
Stupid . . . I could have given more of a
fight. This is MY home, and I don't want him here, invading my privacy, my
SPACE, my life . . .
But he already has, hasn't he?
Since our first mission, no, since the day
we met, he's been a major factor in the things I've done, so I suppose it
shouldn't be that big of a deal now . . .
God, I need a drink.
He stalked over to the door and yanked it
over, hesitating just before he moved out into the hall. But he's there . .
. sleeping already? I don't want to disturb him . . .
What the hell? I'll do what I bloody
please!
Snape walked down the hallway quietly,
pausing to glimpse at Harry who lay on the couch in a dead sleep, curled up in
a fetal position. He forced himself to keep going, over to his minibar, grabbing
a decanter of brandy and a glass, pouring the liquid slowly . . .
Harry stirred, mumbling something soft
underneath his breath. Snape jumped, some of the brandy sloshing out of the
glass and onto his hand.
"Damn."
He nervously patted at the spill with,
shamefully, the end of his robes as the boy continued to move. Just go back
to sleep . . . don't talk . . . please.
" . . . professor? That you?"
"Yes. What do you want?"
" . . . nothin'. This couch is just . .
. uncomfortable, s'all."
"Hmmm . . ."
A soft sigh released itself from Harry's
lips. "Are you nocturnal or something?" he asked lazily, stiffling a
strong yawn.
"No. Not usually. Just when there's a
disturbance of some . . ." He stopped a little too late.
"Sorry. I'll be gone by tomorrow, I hope.
If the headmaster will let me leave."
"No, I . . .This is the safest place.
You should be here . . ."
Harry snickered delightfully. "You feel
bad. About what you said. You DO care."
"So I care if you get hexed off the face
of the earth. Is that a big deal?" questioned Snape, his back tensing as
he glared down at the glass of liquor. What was WITH this boy? Why was he so
annoying?
"Yes! I'm surprised! And . . . well . .
. flattered, kinda. Severus Snape, showing some concern for ME! Not everyone
can say the same."
" . . . you can take the bed, if that'll
get you to shut up."
Harry got off of the couch and dragged his
feet over to the bar. "You sure?"
"Go, before I change my mind." Spoiled
brat . . . obnoxious brat . . .
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Harry's
arm seemed to purposely brush Snape's as he turned around and slouched warily
down the hall. He entered Snape's bedroom and stood in the doorway, staring at
the bed. He didn't seem to remember much of the room from when he was there
last time, but the bed seemed so familiar and welcoming.
He bounded over and slid underneath the thick
blankets, pulling them up to his chin, then rolled onto his side and stared at
the other side of the bed, barren and cold. Poor Severus . . . he must hate
to lie here alone every night. I know I hate it . . .
Harry yawned out loud, then grinned impishly.
"Say, Professor . . .!"
"What is it now?" he growled from
the living room where the Potion's master was downing his third glass of brandy
at the bar.
"There's enough room for two here . . .
would you like to join me?"
Severus choked, sputtering and coughing until
he turned blue. "GO! TO! SLEEP!!" he roared once he regained his
voice. "NOW!!!!"
"Yes, sir! Goodnight, sir!"
Damn, damn, damn . . . that sounded all
too inviting . . .
Read? Review!
Author's Note: * Snicker * Sev THINKS he's
figured it out! Close, but no cigar.
Next chapter: After a rather 'small' misunderstanding between our
to leading men, Harry pops the question! Snape's undecided (at first), Albus
just HAS to add his two cents and, lets not forget what Oliver discovered. THEN
. . . certain events in Snape's past will lead him to make a rather startling
agreement with Harry . . .