Severus pulled on his black school robes and smirked. "Like you've just had great sex," he replied dryly.

"That's lovely. It's all your fault, you know."

Severus feigned innocence. "All my fault? I haven't the faintest clue what you are referring to."

Harry repressed the urge to smile. "That lotion bottle was not meant for that particular purpose, and you know it!"

"You didn't seem to mind it at the time," Severus stated nonchalantly.

"You're getting kinky on me, Sev. I didn't know you had it in you."

The potions master leered at him. "You scared?"

"Not in the least bit," Harry said, slipping his arms around his lover's waist. "It's sexy if you must know. I think I want you even more now."

"Yes, well, your friends are going to know what you've been doing at any rate. Now I'm going to the Hall." Severus kissed away Harry's protest. "Someone has to be there to put horrifying fear into the hearts of the students. Go set up the decorations for Remus' party. I doubt I'll see him or Black at breakfast this morning."

Harry kissed him goodbye and let him go. "His name is Sirius," he said lightly as Severus walked toward the door.

"I know that, idiot," Severus shot back, sending a slight smile Harry's direction before shutting the door behind him.

Harry smiled and shook his head, walking back into his own quarters.

"I know what you've been doing," Draco sing-songed as Harry walked in.

"Oh, shut up," Harry said lightly.

"It's kind of hard not to tell, since you left the doors open. Next time, close the door and use a silencing spell. Hearing what my uncle sounds like in the throes of passion is not high on my list of lessons to learn."

Harry grinned. "Sorry about that."

They heard a knock on the door. They turned as it opened, and Hermione and Ron walked in.

"Harry, what have you been up to?" Ron asked, a grin spreading across his face. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd shagged someone this morning."

"Oh, Ron, do leave Harry alone. Though, Harry, you do look a little flushed. Is everything all right?" Hermione asked, feeling his forehead for a fever.

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled his head back. "I'm fine. Let's eat breakfast now. We need to hurry; we have a lot of things to do today."

They all sat down at the table. Draco threw Harry a knowing smirk before turning the conversation to the task at hand.

* * * *

Severus walked down the hall, pondering the morning's activities. He was so sure last night that he'd finally won a round in the battle to get Harry to see reason, but this morning found that strategy once again all shot to hell. All it had taken was Harry's mouth on him, and he was undone.

What's more, the incident in the bathroom was entirely his doing. He and Harry had gone in to bathe, and that's just what Harry was doing until he…well…

Not that Harry had complained. In fact, he had enjoyed it immensely, rewarding Severus with one of the best blowjobs of his life.

*Why don't you just admit that you're never going to let him go. Get over yourself already, and allow yourself to love him completely, without reservation,* that hideous little voice in the back of his head said. Severus was once again amazed at how much his subconscious sounded like the Headmaster.

/Because Harry deserves more than an old, greasy bastard who has nothing more going for him than a job teaching insipid little brats the finer points of a difficult task. He deserves someone young and gorgeous, who hasn't seen nor done some of the horrifying things that I have done. Now shut up and leave me be!/ he shot back at the voice inside his head.

He thought about Harry once again. He loved the young man. Of that, there was no doubt in his mind. He would spend the rest of his life with the young man under other circumstances.

But he simply couldn't allow Harry to throw his life away. A part of him wished that he could just go back in time and stop Voldemort from killing Harry's family. That way, he wouldn't have realized how wrong he was about Harry. That way, Harry would never have come to live with him, and he would never have fallen in love with the young man, and the young man would have never revealed his crush on his teacher.

He couldn't change the past, however, and as loath as he was to admit it, he would cherish every memory he and Harry made together, long after Harry left him for someone younger, handsomer, and less broken. When he did go, and Severus knew it would be all too soon, at least he would have the morning's memories to look back on.

As he neared the entrance to the Great Hall, he forced the stupid grin off his face and screwed himself in formidable bastard mode. He burst through the door, robes billowing behind him, and scowled at the students as he made his way to his chair.

* * * *

"I'll see you in a few hours, Remy. Bye." Sirius kissed his lover goodbye before heading for his Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class with the first years.

He and Remus had a free period after their fourth class of the day. He wondered what he could do to make the birthday boy's day a little brighter.

A brilliant idea hit him as he stepped into his classroom. He'd be able to pull it off if he let his class out a few minutes early, and if he could get Harry to lend him a particular prop.

"Good morning," he said brightly to the students who had so far made it into the classroom. He started writing the day's assignments on the board as he waited for the stragglers to make it into class.

* * * *

Harry looked around the now fully decorated living room. "Well, we're all done. Good work. I thought it would take longer than it did."

Ron nodded. "This was a bloody brilliant idea, Harry. Professor Lupin's gonna be so surprised. Does he suspect anything?"

Harry shook his head while adjusting a bunch of balloons. "No. Sirius has been doing a great job keeping Remus occupied. Sirius left all the planning to me and Draco so that Remy wouldn't get suspicious." Harry turned to Draco. "Have you been practicing those songs?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, I got them down, but tell me again why we can't just play them on a radio?"

"Because it's Remus' birthday, and you know he loves to hear us sing together. Do you want to disappoint him and Sirius?"

Draco shook his head. "Of course not. I just wanted to be sure I knew why. And why these songs, just out of curiosity?"

Harry adjusted the banner that said 'Happy Birthday, Moony' once more. "Because they're his favorites, and two of those songs are his and Sirius' songs."

Hermione sighed dreamily as she plopped down on the sofa. "Isn't that so adorable? They have a song. That's so sweet."

It was lunchtime, and the four students were finishing up the decorations. Dobby had brought down lunch for them, and they had eaten while they worked. Now they were just waiting for their next class, Muggle Studies, to start.

Ron pretended to gag. "Yes, it's so sweet it's sickening," he quipped.

Hermione made a face. "You wouldn't know romance if it bit you on your arse," she said haughtily, flipping her long, brown hair over her shoulder.

Ron opened his mouth to shoot a rude comment Hermione's direction, but at that moment the door burst open and Sirius came running in. "Hey, Harry! I was wondering if I could borrow your invisibility cloak for a while."

"Sure," Harry said, running to his room. Not long after Severus gave it to Harry, he told his godfather about the gift. Sirius was surprised and touched that Severus would think of such a personal gift.

Harry brought the cloak to Sirius. "Here you go."

"Thanks. You four did an amazing job on this room. Remy will love it."

Harry beamed at his godfather. "I hope so. What do you plan on doing with the cloak anyway?" he asked, but once he saw a feral grin spread across Sirius' face, he said, "Nevermind. I don't want to know. Just bring it back in one piece, preferably without any body fluid stains."

Sirius blushed furiously but chuckled nevertheless. "I think that can be arranged. Bye!"

"Don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" Draco and Harry called out simultaneously as Sirius left the room. They turned around, took one look at Ron's face, and burst into fits of laughter.

"Ron, you look like you drank soured milk," Draco said.

"Harry, did you really have to mention the body fluid thing? Ugh! Now I have this picture of Professor Lupin and Professor Black…ew!"

"Come on, Ron, don't you find the thought of Sirius and Remus erotic," Harry teased. "Think about it…those two gorgeous men, naked, bodies pressed against each other, fully aroused cocks rubbing against each other, tongues entwining in a deep, passionate kiss…"

"STOP!" Ron yelled, pressing his hands over his ears.

Hermione giggled nervously. "Thanks a lot, Harry. Now I have the mental picture. As hot as it is, it's not going to help me when I see them tonight."

"Sorry, 'Mione. What's the matter, Ron? Is it such a horrible picture?" Harry asked, grinning at the dumbstruck redhead.

"No, but it's more than I want to know. Having a picture of what two of my professors look like when they're shagging, no matter how 'hot' they are," Ron added, sneering at Hermione, "is not a good thing when I have to look them in the face. I would rather do without."

Harry nodded. "Okay, then just put in your mind the mental picture of me and your brother together," Harry said helpfully. Draco looked at him, open-mouthed, and Harry blew him a kiss and winked.

Ron glared. "That's even worse! Can we change the subject now?"

Harry chuckled. "Fine. Let's talk about how hot Oliver Wood looks without all those unrevealing clothes."

* * * *

Remus sighed as he sat behind his desk watching his students quietly work in the essays he had assigned. It was an essay on manticores, a rather nasty and powerful man/lion/scorpion mix with blood-red eyes and three rows of teeth. It liked to feast on human flesh. Normally, this would more likely be something Hagrid would teach, but no one wanted to see a manticore anywhere near the school. The blast-ended skrewts, the offspring of a manticore and a firecrab, were more than enough for the children. Besides, tales were that Voldemort had kept a couple on hand, and now that he was dead, there was the possibility of these beasts showing up just about anywhere. Teaching the children what to do in such a case was a good idea. They were going to be discussing these creatures in their next class, and Remus had obtained some Muggle video equipment to play some tapes for the children. This way, they would be able to see these horrid creatures in action without fear of harm.

He turned his head and looked toward the door. It was nearing the full moon again, and his nose was becoming more sensitive the closer it got. He could have sworn he smelled the scent of his mate drift through the door, but there was no one to be seen. He shrugged to himself, thinking that it was just wishful thinking, and continued to keep an eye on the children.

As he looked down at his watch to see there was only five minutes left, he caught the scent again, only this time it was stronger. He surreptitiously looked around, but he saw no one. He looked closer for signs of a possible obscuring spell, but he could see none.

He sat back in his chair and looked up towards the ceiling, trying to get his obviously overactive imagination under control. Just thinking of his mate was getting him hard, and that's the last thing he wanted his students to notice. This was their first class of the year, and there really was no need to traumatize them.

Remus gasped slightly when he felt something brush gently across his cheek. It felt like fingers through silken material. The touch was so light, just ghosting across the surface of his skin.

Remus mentally kicked himself. Of course, he now realized the Sirius was indeed in the room, and under Harry's invisibility cloak. He should have known something was up when Sirius gobbled his lunch and then said he had to go talk to Harry.

He tried not to groan as he felt Sirius settle in front of him. They were protected from the sight of the children by the desk.

"Children, you may go ahead and leave," he said, almost breathy, as Sirius' hands traveled under his robes and traced a slow path up his thighs.

The children gathered their things and said their good-byes to their Dark Arts professor. Remus nodded at them, trying not to indicate that his lover was under the desk with his hands up their teacher's robes, unfastening their teacher's jeans and pulling out his throbbing cock. It was quite hard not to cry out as Sirius licked the tip of his prick. With his luck, half the class would rush back, wanting to help him to the infirmary.

As soon as the last of his students left, he used his wand to close the door, and muttered locking and silencing charms. Then he let out a loud moan as he pulled his mate off of his cock.

"Sirius, what do you think you are doing, coming in here like this?"

Sirius took off the cloak and asked innocently, "What did I do?"

"You mean other than the fact that you came into my classroom and proceeded to give me a blowjob while my students were still here?"

"Yes," Sirius said bluntly.

Remus chuckled. "You incorrigible, you know that?"

Sirius smiled. "And you love me in spite of it, don't you."

Remus touched the animagus' cheek. "I love you because of it."

"Well, then, can I continue?"

Remus nodded. "By all means, continue."

Sirius lifted the werewolf's robes, revealing his lover's beautiful cock. He slowly ran his tongue up and down the long, thick shaft, sucking gently on the tip each time that he reached the end. He loved the little moans his attentions elicited from his mate. He blew lightly on the tip of Remus' cock and smiled as the werewolf's entire body shivered in delight.

"You liked that, didn't you?" he asked. He chuckled when all that he received was a breathy, 'mm-hmm'. Sirius bent back down and engulfed his lover's cock completely and swallowed.

Remus arched, his hips thrusting upwards. Sirius kept his throat relaxed, allowing his lover to continue thrusting into his mouth. Remus fucked Sirius' mouth, mindful not to harm his mate, until he spilled his seed down the animagus' throat.

Remus sat back in the chair with a shudder, completely sated. Sirius licked him clean and then slithered up his body to give him a kiss. Remus could taste himself in his lover's mouth.

"I love you, Sirius," Remus said as Sirius helped him off his seat.

"I love you, too," Sirius replied sitting down so Remus could sit on his lap.

Remus sat on his lap and wrapped his arms around the dark-haired wizard's neck. "Sirius, what did I do to deserve you? Honestly?"

"I keep asking the same thing about you," Sirius told him honestly. "I don't know why you put up with me, with my temper and all the stupid things I've done."

"I guess we're both lucky," Remus mused, placing his head on the animagus' shoulder and nuzzling his neck. "I couldn't live if you ever went away again. Promise me you'll never leave me."

"I promise not to leave, for as long as the fates allow," Sirius promised, kissing the werewolf on his forehead. * * * *

{7:30 p.m.}

"Hey, Fred, George. I'm glad you two could make it," Harry said, stepping back to allow the redheaded twins into the room.

Fred looked around the room expectantly. He blushed when Harry sidled up next to him and whispered, "Draco is in his room. You can go and say hi if you wish. It's the last door on the left."

Fred nodded his thanks and walked to Draco's door. He looked inside and his heart leapt into his throat. There the blond god stood, in the leather pants Fred adored and no shirt on. He took a moment to admire the lithe but well-formed torso the object of his affection sported.

Fred smiled when Draco turned to find him staring. "Oh, Fred! I didn't realize you were here yet."

"Hi, Draco," Fred said, walking into the room. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I was looking for a shirt to wear," Draco said, blushing profusely at being caught without his shirt on. He mentally swore at himself for acting so pathetic.

Fred smiled and walked over to the closet. He pulled out the sheer white shirt Harry had given Draco, the one he wore to Harry's party. "This one. You look amazing in it," Fred told him, holding it out so Draco could slide his arms into it. When Draco turned around, Fred reached down to button the shirt. "I loved the way this looked on you that day. I couldn't keep my eyes off you." Fred chuckled as Draco blushed a deep shade of red.

"Thank you," Draco told the redhead. He gathered his courage and leaned in, pressing his lips softly to Fred's lips.

Fred moaned lightly, pulling Draco closer. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and ran his tongue lightly over Draco's bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss.

Draco opened his mouth invitingly, gently sucking in the redhead's tongue. They battled back and forth, tasting each other hungrily, until they heard chuckles coming through the door.

Breaking apart slowly, they turned to see Harry and Severus watching them with identical bemused expressions.

Severus smirked. "Well, well, what have we here? Planning to debauch my nephew, are you, Mr. Weasley?" Severus sent him his most menacing glare, causing the redhead to shiver slightly.

Harry rolled his eyes and slapped Severus on the arm playfully. "Oh, leave them alone, Sev. It's really rather cute, don't you think?"

Severus scoffed. "I don't do cute, Mr. Potter."

"Yeah, yeah. All I can say is it's about bloody time. I was wondering when you two were finally going to get together. What took you so long?"

"Now who's badgering?" Severus asked Harry.

"Do you two mind? I was having a nice snog before you came in," Draco said, his fingers gently running through Fred's hair. His arms were still wrapped around Fred's neck.

"Just wanted to tell you that more people are arriving, so unless you want the part to convene in here, you'll need to come out soon. And remember, we have things we have to do."

"Yes, Harry, I remember. But just because you won't get a decent kiss tonight doesn't mean that I can't."

"We'll see about that," Harry shot back lightly. "We'd better get back, Sev, before Ron comes in here and goes all red and stuttering on us because his brother is snogging his friend." Harry glanced out the door quickly before kissing Severus quickly, but passionately.

"See, I told you," Harry told Draco proudly, ignoring his glaring lover and his thunderstruck redheaded friend. "Come on, love. Let's leave these two alone for a moment."

Harry pulled a still-glaring Severus out of the room. Draco turned to look at his snogging partner and started to giggle. "I take it that was a sight you thought you'd never see?"

"Uh…no. Would you care to fill me in on this?" Fred looked expectantly at the blond Slytherin.

Draco pulled him over to the bed. "Harry's been in love with Severus for a while. He finally wedged his way past the icy exterior of my uncle and wormed his way into Uncle Sev's heart. They're very much in love. Sometimes I envy them, even though I'm thrilled for them. They deserve each other. I've never seen two people made for each other."

Fred nodded. "So I saw. Professor Snape looked mad that he kissed him, but I saw something else in his eyes."

"That would be his undying love for Harry. That's something he can't hide from people who know to look for it."

"How many people know about their relationship?"

Draco thought for a moment. "Right now, just you and me. We have to keep this secret until they're ready to reveal it."

"All right. Can I kiss you again?" Fred asked, sliding closer and wrapping his arms around the younger man.

"You'd better. We were rudely interrupted, after all."

* * * *

"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment in private?" Severus asked quietly. Harry nodded, following Severus to his rooms. Severus closed the door behind Harry when he walked through the door.

Harry turned and looked at Severus, expecting a large rant on why he should never have kissed him in front of Fred. Instead, the older wizard pulled him closer and kissed him long and hard.

"What was that for?" Harry asked him in a breathy voice, when Severus saw fit to let him breathe.

"Because you weren't ashamed of showing some affection towards me in front of Fred Weasley."

Harry looked at him, completely confused. "I would have thought you would be mad. I don't understand. I thought we agreed not to tell anyone, and I broke that agreement."

"Fred Weasley is entirely different. If he's going to be in my nephew's life, we can't expect Draco to lie to him for us. He has to be honest. I'm just surprised you would willingly show such affection in front of him."

"Why? I love you. I would gladly send howlers to everyone, telling them how much I love you. Why wouldn't I tell Fred? And before you ask, I thought about Draco having to lie for us, and I didn't like it either."

Severus hugged Harry to him, and Harry was in heaven. It wasn't often that Severus instigated this kind of cuddly affection towards him, and he was going to take all he could get. He nuzzled his face into the older wizard's chest and inhaled his scent deeply.

"I'm just glad you aren't ashamed of me."

Harry pulled back. "Why in the world would I be ashamed of you?"

"Because you're young and beautiful, and I'm the old greasy bast-"

Harry kissed him to shut him up. He broke away and glared. "Severus, if I hear you talk about yourself like that one more time, I'm going to spend the next month tormenting you with various items from the Weasley joke shop every single class period. I hate it when you degrade yourself. You know that. Now will you please stop."

Severus looked into those emerald pools and saw the pain there, the pain he was causing. He kissed Harry lightly. "All right, I'll stop. I'm sorry. It's just that I still can't believe that you want to be with me."

"Well, I do. Now shut up about this." Harry buried his face in Severus' chest again. "Can I stay with you tonight? We don't have to make love or anything, I just want to wake up next to you."

"How can I say no to that?" Severus told him, hugging him tighter. Neither one noticed the twinkling blue eyes that watched them through the door.

* * * *

Albus shut the door quietly, chuckling softly. He thought that there was something going on between the two, but he had no idea it had progressed this far. Obviously even he had underestimated Harry's powers of persuasion, as well as his ability to crack the potion master's icy exterior that existed over his heart.

And for Severus to show such affection? Albus knew that Severus was deeply in love with the young Gryffindor heir. Not that he'd show such affection in public, but still…

Albus had no problem with the relationship between the two. After all, who knew them better than he did himself? Harry was old enough to take on this relationship, and there were no rules against a student/teacher relationship, so that was no problem. The thought that Severus would favor Harry in class was completely absurd. Oh, Albus knew that most of the children grumbled because they thought he favored Malfoy above all the others, but he'd had to keep up appearances for Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort, but all the good grades Draco received were strictly his own. Both Albus and Severus knew that Draco could become a leading expert in potions if he put his mind to it.

Albus walked over to Minerva McGonagall, who was talking to George Weasley. "You know, George, I'm so very glad that you and your brother are so easy to distinguish now. If only Fred had decided to grow his hair long before his seventh year," she said wistfully. "I would have had a much easier time figuring out which of you to punish more."

George chuckled. "And make you job easy? Never! But Fred does look good with his hair so long, doesn't he? As for myself, I've always liked my hair short. Believe me, you're not the only one who is happy with the change. Mum practically wept with joy," he told his former head of house. He glanced over at his brother and Draco, who had come out of Draco's room and were now talking with Hermione, Ron and Hagrid. Fred caught his eye, and George flashed him a smile, looking pointedly at Fred and Draco's clasped hands. Fred smiled triumphantly.

After George left to talk with his two brothers, Minerva leaned towards Albus. "Is there something going on with Fred Weasley and the Malfoy boy?" Minerva whispered to Albus.

"It seems a burgeoning love is in the air," he replied lightly, squeezing his girlfriend's arm. "It's always nice to see the young ones in love, especially Draco. His life hasn't been the best, and I'm glad he found someone special."

Minerva nodded in agreement. "I'm just grateful he's not followed in his father's footsteps. That man is an abomination. Now if we could just find dear Severus someone, life would be just wonderful. That poor boy's been alone for far too long."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Albus told her, nodding towards Harry and Severus, who had just emerged from the other room.

Minerva stared at the Headmaster incredulously. "You mean that he and Potter-"

"Shh. I don't think they want to announce their relationship just yet," Albus whispered. "But yes, they are. I just found out myself when I went to speak to Severus. I'll tell you all about it later."

* * * *

"Come on, Remus. You know we're supposed to have dinner with Harry tonight. We promised. He wants to give you the gifts he has for you."

Remus unlatched his mouth from Sirius' neck and smiled sheepishly. "I know. Sorry, I just got carried away. I know Harry wants us there. Let's go before I lose my will to leave this room."

Sirius laughed, and pushed the werewolf off his lap. "Let's not keep Harry waiting. We said we'd be there at eight o'clock sharp."

Remus helped his lover up and they walked out the door hand in hand.

* * * *

"I think everyone is here," Hermione said to Harry and Severus as she looked around the room. All of the staff was invited, as well as the Weasley twins and a few select students.

"That's good, because it's eight now. Remus and Sirius should be here any moment. Harry strode to his room, dragging Severus along with him. He took the Marauder's Map out of his trunk and turned to face Severus, smiling.

"You wanted to know how it worked." Harry placed the tip of his wand on the map, saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map activated, revealing the inside of Hogwarts.

"So that's how it works," Severus muttered more to himself than to Harry. He watched all the tiny little dots moving all around the castle. "Blimey! There's a secret passage to Hogsmeade through there, isn't there?"

Harry snorted. "Blimey? Uh, Sev, have you been playing with Hagrid lately? That's the most un-Snape thing I've ever heard you say. I didn't know you had that word in your vocabulary."

"Mm. Nevermind that, prat. Sirius and Remus are about to turn down the hallway. We'd better get ready."

Harry nodded and tapped his wand on the parchment. "Mischief managed." The parchment went blank and Harry placed it back in his trunk.

Harry hurried out of the room and yelled, "They're coming!"

All of them watched the door excitedly, waiting for their Dark Arts teacher to arrive.

* * * *

"After you, love," Sirius said, pushing Remus into the dark room. As soon as he stepped in, the lights went on and everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!", causing the werewolf to jump.

"Merlin! I don't believe this! How could I not know you all were here?"

Harry smiled triumphantly. "I spelled the area around the door so you couldn't smell anything. Happy Birthday, Remy." Harry gave his adopted godfather a huge hug. "You like your surprise?"

"Of course I do. Thank you so much, Harry. Did you do all this?"

Harry nodded. "With a lot of help from Draco, Ron and Hermione. And of course, Sirius. If he hadn't kept you out of our way, you would have known something was up."

Remus laughed. "I can't believe you did all this just for me. You didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did. It's rule number 124 in the godfather-godson handbook," Harry quipped. "Seriously, I wanted to, just because I love you."

"Thank you," Remus said, beaming at his godson.

"You're welcome. Now go greet all your friends." Harry pushed Remus into the group of well wishers.

"You're a great godson, Harry," Sirius whispered, putting his arm around his godson as he watched his lover greet the guests with a blinding smile. "I think you've already made this his best birthday ever."

"He's such a wonderful person. It's the least I could do. I don't know what I'd do without either one of you. I look at him and I can't believe his parents would treat him so horribly, or that he has such a hard time making friends. He's the loveliest person I've ever met."

"I know, but I think tonight will make up for a lot of that. Now he truly knows he has a family."

Harry smiled warmly at his godfather. They hugged each other tight before mingling with the others.

* * * *

"Merlin help me, but I think I ate too much," Sirius moaned, holding his stomach.

The others laughed. "The elves outdid themselves tonight, didn't they?" Severus agreed, feeling much the same way Sirius did.

"That they did," Harry agreed. "Once I told them it was for Remus' birthday, they insisted that he have only the best."

"With all the food I ate, I don't think I could manage a piece of cake any time soon," Remus commented, looking at the enormous birthday cake.

The cake itself was beautiful. It was a three-layered vanilla cake with strawberry filling. It was iced with white icing and an intricate trailing of leaves made with green icing and flowers made out of strawberries.

"That's fine, because Draco and I have a surprise for you," Harry said, pulling his blond-haired friend out of his seat. He went over to the piano, which had made it out of Severus' room and into his sometime within the last two days, especially for the party. Harry was trying to convince Severus to leave it in the room for a while. So far Severus wasn't biting.

Harry sat behind the piano, cracking his knuckles elaborately. Everyone laughed when Draco slapped him in the back of the head lightly.

Harry placed his hands on the keys and started to play.

Remus smiled when he heard the familiar melody. It had always been one of his favorite songs, and he had been listening to it when he realized he was in love with Sirius. He moved closer to Sirius and rested his head on the animagus' shoulder as he listened to Harry and Draco sing.

Harry started to sing first:

Then it was Draco's turn:

Then Harry and Draco sang together:

Harry took the next verse:

And Draco sang:

Then they both sang:

As the two sang, Harry's eyes locked onto Severus' and never looked away. But all of the guests were so intrigued actually listening to the song the two young men sang, or on their significant others, no one really noticed, with the possible exception of Albus and Minerva.

And of course Severus. Severus couldn't take his eyes off his lover. Harry tended to have that effect on him, from the first time he heard him play the guitar in his house.

When the two finished their song, everyone applauded loudly.

Harry and Draco sang some more of Remus' favorite songs, including 'Human Touch' by Bruce Springsteen, 'Angel' by Aerosmith, 'Wind of Change' by the Scorpions, 'A Matter of Trust' and 'River of Dreams' by Billy Joel.

Afterwards Remus cut the cake, and Harry got a request from the potions professor. "Harry, play 'Music of the Night' for us."

Draco clapped Harry on the back. "You're on your own, handsome. This song I do not know."

Harry shrugged. "Okay, if you insist," he said lightly as he took his seat behind the piano once again.

His hands moved slowly over the keys as he played the soft melody.

"Lovely, Harry," Minerva exclaimed, applauding. "That's one of my favorite songs, and you sing it so well."

Harry blushed from the praise his head of house heaped on him. "Thanks, Professor McGonagall. Remus, I think it's time you opened your gifts."

Remus spent the next hour opening all the gifts bestowed upon him by his friends. Remus was amazed how many gifts were given, especially from Harry. "Really, Harry, you shouldn't have spent so much on me. I would have been happy without any gifts. Your love is more than gift enough for me."

"Nonsense," Harry said. "I wanted to buy you all these things. Now I don't want to hear anymore about it!" Harry motioned for Remus to follow him. Harry led him into his room. When he got there, he picked up a small package that was sitting on the bedside table. "I wanted to give this to you as well. I had one made for Sirius as well, but he won't get his until his birthday, so don't tell him I have one for him."

Remus took the gift and opened it. "Oh, Harry, this is beautiful." It was a gold band with sapphire and opal gems lining the outer area. On the inside of the band was the inscription 'Sirius loves Remus'. "I love it. Thank you so much."

Remus slipped it on the ring finger of his right hand and then hugged Harry tightly. After he released Harry he held out his hand so he and his godson could admire the ring's beauty. "It's incredible. I've never had anything this pretty before. I really do love it."

Harry beamed. "I'm glad you like it. Now if you could just keep Sirius from buying himself a matching ring, I'll be all set for his birthday."

"Don't worry, I will. Come on, I think it's time to say goodnight to the guests. There are classes tomorrow, in case you didn't remember."

"I know, and you're right, Remy." The two walked out of the bedroom. Everyone was getting up, preparing to leave. Remus said goodbye to everyone as they left, making sure to thank them for coming, and for the gifts. Finally, Harry, Severus, Draco, Sirius and Remus were the only ones left.

"What's that?" Sirius asked, seeing the ring on Remus' finger.

"Another gift from Harry. Isn't it lovely? You can get a better look at it in our rooms. I think these three are ready to call it a night. Good night gentlemen, and thank you very much for the party. I enjoyed myself immensely." With that he pushed Sirius out the door and closed it behind him.

Draco yawned widely. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep. Good night. Love you two," he said, kissing each of them on the cheek.

"Good night," Harry and Severus said. Harry took Severus' hand and guided them into his room.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "We're staying in your room tonight?"

"I thought we might as well. It's closer, and I don't plan on you sleeping in anything tonight," he said, shutting the door behind them and placing locking and silencing charms on the room.

"Have plans for us, do you?" Severus asked dryly.

"No, not really. I just want to feel your naked body next to mine, that's all. Now can I undress you?" Harry asked, reaching up to disrobe his lover.

"I don't think I need to answer since you've already taken it into your own hands," Severus remarked, allowing the younger man to take his clothes off.

"Aren't you going to undress me?" Harry asked his lover as he slid the robes down his professor's arms. He casually threw the robe onto the chair in the corner and started unbuttoning Severus' white shirt.

"I suppose it would only be fair," the older wizard replied, reaching for the buttons of his lover's shirt. He quickly unfastened the buttons and slid the shirt down Harry's arms.

Harry took Severus' shirt off him and unfastened his pants. He slid them down until they hit the floor. "Sit on the bed so I can take off your shoes."

Severus sat down and Harry took off his shoes and socks, and then he finished removing his pants.

Severus looked pointedly at his young lover. "You still seem to be overdressed."

"You're right," Harry replied, kicking off his shoes and sliding his unzipped jeans down his legs. He stepped out of them and took off his socks. "How's that?"

"Much better," Severus said, holding his arms out invitingly. Harry slid into his arms eagerly, pressing the older man back onto the pillows. He situated himself on top of his lover and kissed him long and unhurried.

Harry slid off Severus and pulled him to his side, so that they lay next to each other, face to face. Harry slid his hands up and down his lover's arms lazily. "I love you, Severus Snape."

"I merely tolerate you," Severus replied, smiling playfully.

Harry chuckled. His eyes traveled over the older man's body. He noticed something odd on Severus' arm, and he looked closer. His brow furrowed when he realized what it was. "Severus, I thought you said this was gone. If it's gone, why is it here?"

Severus looked down and mentally cursed himself. In the day's hectic schedule, he had forgotten to check the concealing spell he had placed on his arm. Every so often it needed to be reinforced, and he had forgotten to check it that night.

"Well?" Harry glared at him.

"Harry, it isn't going to go away simply because Voldemort did. It's dormant, but once a new dark lord takes Voldemort's place-"

"The mark can be reactivated. Fuck, Severus, why did you hide this from me? Why didn't you tell me? I thought it was gone! Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't want you to worry, and you shouldn't have to look at the ugly thing all the time. I know it doesn't look as bad now, but it's still abhorrent in what it represents."

"What else are you hiding from me? Any other spells on your body?" Harry asked angrily. When Severus wouldn't look him in the eyes, he yelled, "Take them off right now!"

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, young man! I am older than you and you will give me the respect I deserve!" Severus roared right back, getting up off the bed and throwing his robe on.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going back to my room until you can learn to treat me with respect."

Harry jumped up and stood in front of the door, glaring at the other wizard. "Oh no you don't. You're not getting off that easy. Quit being defensive and show me what you've been hiding from me. I've hidden nothing from you! Be honest with me, please!" Harry pleaded, his eyes filling with tears.

Severus sighed, closing his eyes tightly. He slid his robes off and pointed his wand at himself, muttering under his breath. Harry watched as long scars appeared on his lover's body.

"Oh, Severus, what did they do to you?"

Severus laughed mirthlessly. "Just the typical torture: whips, knives and swords."

Harry walked over to Severus and traced the scars lightly. "Why did you hide these from me? Why didn't you let me see?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought you'd run screaming if you saw them. That you'd been through enough with your family already without being forced to witness the scars of my repentance."

"Nothing you did made you deserve this."

"I killed people, Harry. Maybe not directly, but my potions cause the horrifying deaths of many wizards and Muggles."

"I know that, Severus," Harry said, pulling his boyfriend back to the bed. "That doesn't mean you should have been beaten and tormented. You saved countless lives while you spied for the Order. I know that." Harry climbed into bed and yanked Severus down on top of him. "You didn't deserve it." He flipped them over so that he was on top, and he slid down so he could kiss the mark on his lover's arm. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere. Don't hide anything from me anymore, okay."

Severus nodded. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't want to scare you."

"The only thing that could scare me is you leaving me. I don't think I could live if you stopped loving me. Will you hold me, please?" Harry slid back up Severus' body and snuggled into his chest. Severus wrapped his arms around the young Gryffindor and the two fell asleep.

* * * *

The next two days passed uneventfully, with the typical pathetic threats coming from the Slytherins and the Trio's defense of Draco.

Friday night found Harry making love with Severus and falling asleep in the arms of the man he loved more than life itself.

(1) This quote is from MST 3000, and from the plot/quote challenge of Gothique Plastikmoon It sounded like something Sev would say! (2) This song is called "To Make You Feel My Love". It was written and sung by Bob Dylan, and Garth Brooks also sings this song, which can be found on the "Hope Floats" Soundtrack. (3) 'Music of the Night' is from 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Andrew Lloyd Weber, as if you didn't know …*grin* Lyrics are by Charles Hart. Additional lyrics by Richard Stillgoe.

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