Harry climbed out of bed, careful not to wake up Severus. He pattered across the room and grabbed his dressing gown. He put it on and headed for his old rooms, which were now temporarily occupied by Fred.

Harry quietly stepped into his old bedroom, but he wasn't surprised to find his bed empty. Draco was still having problems sleeping, and Fred always ended up staying in Draco's rooms during the nights. Harry was glad that Fred was so patient and understanding. Harry knew that there were some that wouldn't have the patience to wait for Draco to deal with the rape he had endured, but Fred wasn't one of them. He'd assured anyone and everyone who asked that he would wait fifty years if need be. He loved Draco, not the potential sex. Harry and Severus believed him, and more importantly, so did Draco.

Harry rummaged through the closet and found the gifts he had purchased for this special day. He made a few trips back and forth, until the last present was on the floor beside his bed.

He shed the dressing gown and gently crawled onto the bed. He placed a gentle kiss on Severus's forehead, and then his nose, and then his mouth. He pulled the down the eiderdown as he continued his downward journey.

Harry gave proper attention to his lover's neck, sucking ever so gently. He smiled as he heard a small moan escape his lover's beautiful lips. He slid further down and pulled a nipple into his mouth, sucking on it lovingly.

Severus moaned louder and shifted slightly, but he still didn't wake. Harry kissed his way down to the patch of dark hair that surrounded his lover's glorious cock, only stopping for a second to dip his tongue into Severus's navel and swirl it around.

Harry set up residence between Severus's legs. He nuzzled his nose in the patch of wiry hair, breathing in deeply the musky scent of his lover. Then he licked the tip of the hardening cock that was staring him in the face.

Severus stirred and let out a ragged breath as Harry's tongue ran up and down his shaft. Severus woke up to the sensation of his prick being swallowed and his lover's hand fondling his balls.

Harry slowly bobbed up and down, sucking the tip as he came all the way up, massaging the back with his tongue as he went back down. He was alerted to the fact that the birthday boy was now awake when he felt two hands running through his hair. Harry bobbed faster, his finger moving back to Severus's arse to massage the tight ring of flesh. He pushed his finger inside just as far as his knuckle and made a circular motion.

Severus moaned incomprehensibly, crying out Harry's name when Harry took him deep into his throat and hummed, sending him over the edge. Severus spent himself in his lover's mouth and Harry swallowed eagerly. Harry slid the softening cock out of his mouth, suckling the tip gently once more. He carefully licked his lover's cock clean and then slid back up to lay next to Severus.

Severus opened his eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Sev. Happy birthday." Harry gave him a big kiss. Severus could taste his essence on Harry's lips.

"Mm. Thank you. It's already the best birthday I've ever had. What a way to wake up. Everyone should be so lucky."

Harry chuckled as he played with one of Severus's nipples. "I'm glad you liked it."

"I did. But what about you?" Severus asked, trailing a long, delicate finger up Harry's shaft and twirling it in Harry's patch of hair.

"I can wait. Don't you want to open your presents first?"

"Presents?"

"Yes, presents. Did you honestly think I wasn't going to buy you anything?" Harry asked as he jumped off the bed and piled the gifts on top of it.

"Are all these for me?"

"No, some of them are for Remus and Sirius. I just forgot to give them to them, so I'm giving them to you instead," Harry said dryly, hitting Severus with a pillow. "Here, open this one first."

Harry handed him a package wrapped in green paper with silver ribbons. Severus opened the package and pulled out a pair of black leather trousers.

Severus gave Harry a surprised smirk. "Trying to tell me something?"

"Yes! I'm telling you that I think you in leather is a bloody brilliant idea. If you wear these for anyone else, however, you're a dead man."

Severus chuckled. "Only for you, love. Thank you. We'll try these out later, shall we?"

Harry nodded and handed him another package. Once opened, the Slytherin found several pairs of black silk boxers with the Slytherin crest embroidered on the lower right-hand side.

"I figured you'd like them, especially since it's all you wear to bed, not that you usually stay in them."

"Mm…and the fact that you love to see me in black silk had nothing to do with the purchase?"

Harry attempted to look innocent and failed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. My intentions were 100 percent pure."

"I'm sure, but I like them anyway. Thank you. I'll put a pair on now."

Severus slipped off the bed and pulled the boxers on. Harry stood in front of him and ran his hands all over the boxers. "Oh, yes, these are very nice. I'm glad I bought these for you."

Severus smirked and pulled the Gryffindor's hands off him. He led him back to the bed and they sat down. Harry picked up the largest of the gifts next. "Open this. The other gifts kind of tie in with this one."

Severus set the heavy gift on his lap and untied the ribbon. He pulled off the paper and opened the box. His eyes practically bulged out of his head. His eyes flew to Harry and he said, "You're the idiot?"

Harry beamed at him. "Yes, I'm the idiot!"

"How? When? You?"

Harry giggled. He never thought Severus would surrender himself to incoherent babbling when there wasn't sex involved. He decided to take pity. "I bought it when we all went to Diagon Alley before school started, right before we all met back at the Leaky Cauldron."

Severus stared at the Egyptian cauldron, then at Harry, back to the cauldron and then back to Harry again. He finally said, "This is far too expensive, Harry. I can't accept this. It's too much."

Harry looked at him indignantly. "Why not? I wanted to buy it for you, and we're family, more or less. What's the difference if I bought it or if you bought it?"

"Because you used your money for this. I can't accept it."

Harry glared at him. "I'm not taking it back. I bought it for you, and you're keeping it. Full stop."

Severus closed the box and set it on the bed. "If you won't take it back, then I'll return it and have the money restored to your account somehow."

Harry sat there, looking at his hands and trying not to cry. This wasn't what he had in mind at all. He had never counted on Severus not accepting the gift.

"Harry, it's not that I don't appreciate the gesture. It's just too expensive." Severus didn't want to hurt Harry's feelings, but he refused to allow his lover to empty his bank account on gifts for him. Harry may need the money in the future.

Harry picked up the stray wrapping paper. "Don't bother opening the others, then. They go with the cauldron. There's no use if you won't accept my gift."

Harry wadded up the used paper and walked over to throw it in the bin. Severus followed and pulled Harry to him. "I'm sorry if I've upset you, but what if you need the money later on? I would feel guilty for accepting it, and you may resent me for it."

Despite his best efforts, tears fell from Harry's eyes. He pulled away from Severus and started searching for clothes. "Do you have any idea how much money I have? I didn't tell anyone, not even Sirius, but I was given a note at Gringotts when I went there to withdraw the money I would need for my shopping. The note was from my parents, to be given to me on my first trip to Gringotts after my sixteenth birthday. The money I've been using was my parents' money. There was a separate account set up for me with the vast majority of the Potter inheritance, to be available to me when I turned sixteen. There's at least thirty times more than was ever in my first vault. I'll never want for money again."

Harry whirled around and looked at his lover. His bottom lip trembled as he said, "All I wanted to do was give you something special for your birthday, something that you could use, that you would love. Draco thought it was a great gift, too. I bought it for you because I love you. Why can't you just accept it?"

Severus walked over and pulled Harry into his arms. "I'm sorry, love. I just didn't want you to be financially insecure because of me. I do love the gift, Harry. If you're absolutely positive that you won't be harmed by the extravagance, then I'll accept it."

Harry stiffened. "Don't placate me just because I'm crying."

"I'm not, love. I know better than that. Look at me." Severus pulled back so Harry could look into his eyes. "I love it. I'll keep it and use it as often as I can. I was simply thinking of your welfare."

Harry looked at him through narrowed eyes for a few minutes. When he was satisfied that Severus was telling the truth, he smiled. "Will you open the others now?"

Severus pulled Harry's face to his and kissed him languidly, running his thumbs along Harry's jaw line. "Yes, I will. Please come back to bed with me."

Harry and Severus climbed back into bed and Severus pulled the cauldron out of the box. It was beautiful, shimmering when the light from the fire and the torches hit it just right. "This is so beautiful, Harry. I don't know how to thank you."

"Just the fact that you like it is more than enough for me," Harry said, handing him another heavy package. "Open this one."

Severus reluctantly put the cauldron aside and opened the next box. He stared at the books, dumbfounded. "How did you know that these books had been written for that particular cauldron?" Severus asked.

Harry smiled. "The owner of the jewelry shop said that the Apothecary would probably have something and Draco confirmed that. I know I wouldn't have found them elsewhere, or I would have bought them at another shop. I know that they wouldn't sell these to you and that they won't sell you certain things. I can't stand that, but I knew that these were necessary."

"No, I can't buy some things, but such is my life, Harry. You and I may not like it, but that's what it is. It's what comes with being a Death Eater."

"A former Death Eater. I know what you're saying, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"I know. Thank you. Now all I have to do is learn ancient Egyptian," Severus mused.

"Actually, I've taken care of that," he said, picking up thick stacks of scrolls. "I had Professor Dumbledore make exact duplicates of the books and I sent them to Bill Weasley. He had some of his colleagues translate them. They were practically drooling, Bill said. These books are the original copies, the scrolls that Imhotep used. All of his scrolls were bound together magically sometime during the Middle Ages. That's what Bill's friends said, anyway. See…that's his personal signature of sorts. He placed it on all the scrolls that he owned."

Harry watched as Severus pulled the books to his chest protectively. "Bill told them not to even think about taking these from me, otherwise they may end up with the same fate as Voldemort," Harry said, laughing. "You don't have to worry about them."

Severus opened the books and looked at the hieroglyphic plates that bound the paper together. The scrolls inside, however, were written in Imhotep's own handwriting. The books were heavy, made out of a mixture of bronze and gold. Harry had cleaned them up after he bought them. He'd had a good laugh. Obviously the people that were now running the Apothecary had no clue as to their true value. Harry figured that's what happened when inept people buy a business that they shouldn't go near. They had been in a box on a shelf with the title 'Egyptian cauldrons', which Harry had found fairly self-explanatory. Harry had bought them at a little more than a tenth of their value. The books that had once been dirty and dull now shone brightly. "I'm still going to learn to read it. I want to make sure they didn't botch something up."

"I thought that you might feel that way," Harry said, handing him another package. Inside were ten different books for learning the language of ancient Egypt, each one a different level of difficulty. "I know you too well, Sev. I had the bookshop in Hogsmeade find these for me. There's four more that they've ordered for me, and they'll send them as soon as they come in. These three are for beginners," Harry said, pointing out the three smaller books.

Severus picked up one of the self-teaching books and thumbed through it. Harry let him look from the book to the Egyptian potion book for about five minutes before he pulled them away. Severus started to protest, but Harry kissed him. "Shut up and open this one."

Severus tore off the wrapping paper and lifted the lid. The box wasn't very tall, but it was very long and wide. Inside there were a hundred compartments and each one held a different potion ingredient, most of them expensive and some of them so rare that it was difficult to find them. "How in the world did you get all of these ingredients?" Severus asked in no more than a whisper. He pulled out one of the bottles and saw 'Norwegian Ridgeback Blood' written on it. "How did you get this?" he asked.

Harry giggled, leaning over and resting his chin on Severus's arm. He looked down into the box. "You know, the gaping fish look really is cute on you." He ignored Severus's indignant glare at being referred to as 'cute' and continued. "I bought some of these at the Apothecary. Some of these Remus bought in Knockturn Alley. Some of these Fred and George bought for me when they went to Greece on that business trip last weekend. My dear friend Firenze procured the unicorn tears and unicorn hair, and he also gave me a gift to give to you for helping that wounded centaur, Ronan," Harry told him, handing him a box.

Severus opened the box and found slivers of unicorn horns. "He sent these to me?"

Harry nodded. "He collected these for you. The unicorns were glad to help, he said, when he told them of the work you've been trying to do to help the werewolves."

Harry pointed back to the box. "Now the dragon tears, dragon blood, and dragon scales are all from Charlie Weasley. There's two bottles of each item from the three different dragons that Charlie works with. There should be eighteen bottles in there somewhere. But the hardest ones to get were these," Harry said, placing a package in his hands.

Severus opened the box and found, carefully packed, eight small bottles. The first two were labelled 'Elven Blood'; the second pair, 'Elven Tears'; the third, 'Elven Marrow'; and the last two, 'Elven Hair'.

Severus looked at Harry. "Are these really what I think they are?" If they were what he thought they were, these items were from Elves. Not house-elves, but true Wood Elves, a reclusive and potentially violent race of people. Tolkien, a Muggle writer, had been right about their existence, though they were not as benevolent as the beautiful creatures in the author's works. To find a Wood Elf was extremely rare. Even rarer was their gift of their hair, blood, tears and marrow. Myth said that these items held great healing powers, but to be given this gift was extraordinary, for they didn't give this gift to just anyone. They could not be forced to give these things either. To try and force these Elves was folly, for they were more magical than even the most powerful wizards combined. The only thing that kept the Elves from taking over the world was the fact that they just didn't want it. They were content to live as they were, and they left others alone, unless provoked.

Harry nodded. "That was a real pain to find. I just lucked out on it, really. I even had to have Dumbledore use Veritaserum to make sure that the bloke was giving me the real thing, and then I had it appraised by Meritus." Meritus was the best potion creator in the world. He was very old, and to get in to see him was nothing short of miraculous.

"How in the world did you get in to see Meritus? No one gets in to see that old bastard."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "You should know. For one thing, I'm not just anyone, as you used to remind me daily, I'm Harry Potter. For another thing, he was most anxious to find out if I had the real thing. He'd been looking for it as well, and he wanted the name of the man I got this from. He checked it for me, and yes, it is real. What I didn't tell him was that the man didn't have any left. I bought all that he had."

"How did that man manage to get this?"

"Apparently he saved one of the elven children from a Bengal tiger. Elven children don't receive their magical powers until they are twenty-five years of age. The child had wandered off. He was only four. The parents were extremely grateful, especially since Wood Elves don't produce too many children. They even overlooked the fact that a human was in their territory. The man was obviously poor, and this was his gift from them, knowing that he could sell this to those who worked with potions. Hagrid was the one who found him for me. The bloke's a friend of Hagrid's."

"This must have cost you a fortune. I don't even want to know what you must have paid for this. I could never have afforded this, even if I'd had the opportunity to buy this."

Harry hugged him. "You're right. You don't want to know. But I don't care what it cost me. I love you, Severus. I know you'll use these things to help people, and I know that with these you'll surpass even that old grouch, Meritus."

Severus carefully laid everything on the floor and cast a spell so nothing could be broken. Then he turned and pressed Harry back into the pillows. He lay on top of him, his legs sliding between the Gryffindor's. "I can't believe you went through all this trouble just for me. All the time and money you spent…I don't deserve any of it, or you. How in the world I ever became so lucky, I'll never know."

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus's neck and his legs around his lover's waist. He pulled Severus's mouth onto his and kissed him languidly, his tongue stroking the other man's tongue softly. When they parted, he said, "I'm the lucky one. When I first started liking you, I never thought I would ever have a chance. Here was this beautiful, strong, older man and I thought, 'What could he possibly see in me? Why would he ever want me?' I'm definitely the lucky one."

Severus didn't know what to say to that, so he bent down and kissed Harry with all the passion and love he could muster, his tongue caressing every inch of the young man's mouth. They parted, panting for air.

"Make love to me, Severus," Harry panted. "I want you so much."

Severus didn't say a word. He silently slid out of his new boxers, reached over to grab the lubricant off the bedside table, and poured some on his fingers. When he reached down to prepare Harry, Harry stopped him. "No, I want you to take me now, please."

"I'll hurt you," Severus protested.

"I don't care. I want to feel you, all of you, now!" Harry pulled Severus closer and kissed him brutally. He thrust his hips upwards, rubbing their erections together and sending wave after wave of pleasure rocking through Severus's body.

Severus quickly oiled his erection and positioned himself. He thrust into Harry with one quick motion, causing Harry to cry out in both pain and pleasure. He waited only a moment to make sure that he didn't spend himself too soon, and then he pulled out and thrust deep inside Harry with a savage force, angling himself to hit Harry's prostate every time.

Harry's pain soon passed and he arched his body toward his lover. "Oh, God, Severus!" he yelled when he felt his lover reaching for his throbbing prick.

Severus could feel his climax coming on. He had never been this forceful with his lover before, and he was bombarded by exquisite sensations. The tightness of Harry was all consuming, lending their lovemaking an intimacy different from any other time.

Harry was in heaven. He loved this previously unexplored aspect of their sexual relationship. He'd thought about how it would feel to have his lover just take him without preparation, and he loved it. The pain and the pleasure were so different from anything he'd felt before. He felt a deeper connection to his lover, and he never wanted to let it go.

Harry leaned his head to the side, exposing his smooth unblemished neck to his lover. He cried out when Severus bit down on his neck hard enough to draw blood. Severus licked the little trickle of blood from the wound and the feeling sent Harry over the edge, screaming out his lover's name as he climaxed.

Severus felt Harry's climax hit and he thrust even harder, prolonging the younger man's climax for as long as he could before finally surrendering himself to his own release. As he emptied himself inside his lover's body, he heard Harry whisper, "I love you."

Harry felt his lover spend himself inside his body. Throughout both their releases, Severus had licked and sucked on the wound he'd created. Even now, as they tried to recover from their lovemaking, Severus continued to suck on Harry's neck. Finally he pulled his mouth away and looked up at Harry.

Harry chuckled. "See, I was right when I was younger. You are a vampire."

Severus smiled and reached for his wand. "Yes, my big secret is out. I did get a bit carried away. Let me heal this for you."

Harry pushed the wand away. "No! Leave it!"

"I don't want it to leave a scar," Severus protested.

"I don't care. Leave it. I hope it does leave a scar. I like the thought of you making your mark on me."

Severus sighed. "Can I at least make sure you won't get an infection?"

"Okay." Harry leaned his head to the side while Severus pointed his wand and muttered a spell that would remove and keep any germs out of the wound.

"There," Severus said. "Now, let me check you for any wounds."

Harry rolled to his side obediently. Severus parted Harry's cheeks and frowned when he saw a small trace of blood. He aimed is wand and quickly chanted a Healing Spell.

"You can turn over now. It looks like you may have had a small wound, but I fixed it." Severus put his wand away and gazed down at Harry distractedly.

Harry grinned knowingly. "You want to look at your gifts again, don't you?"

Severus buried his face in his hands. "Yes. I know I'm pathetic. You don't have to tell me."

"No, you're excited about the ability to create new potions that I know you've been dying to try. Go ahead and look, but please put your boxers back on first. Draco and Fred will be invading our territory soon."

"I will if you will," Severus replied, grabbing his boxers and throwing Harry a pair.

"These are yours," Harry protested, throwing them back at Severus. "I bought these for you. I'll wear my own."

Harry dug in his drawer and found a pair of Slytherin green boxers that Severus liked. He put them on and turned around to find Severus with a rolled out piece of parchment on his right, an Egyptian potion book on his lap and a teach-yourself hieroglyph book in his left hand. Harry chuckled and headed for the toilet. When he came back out, Draco and Fred were seated on the edge of the bed. Draco, as usual, had a cup of coffee in his hand. Harry poured a cup of coffee for himself and Severus from the tray that magically appeared every morning.

"Good morning," he said to the newcomers as he handed the cup to Severus. He laughed as Severus glared and pulled his scroll and his books away.

"What? I don't want coffee spilled on my gifts," Severus growled.

Draco sighed. "Now that he's seen these, I doubt he'll even notice the gifts the rest of us have for him," Draco teased.

Harry and Draco grinned at each other. Harry had Meritus write out a list of equipment that Severus would need for the Egyptian cauldron, since Meritus was one of the few who actually owned one. Harry had given the list to Draco, Fred, Sirius and Remus, who had split the list in half. They had gone on a sort of scavenger hunt to find the long list of items. Sirius found the last item only yesterday. They knew full well that Severus would love the gifts.

"I'll love anything you give me, Draco," Severus assured him.

"I hope so, but I won't give them to you until after classes."

"Oh, bugger! What time is it?" Severus exclaimed.

"Relax, Sev. It's only 6:15. We've got plenty of time. I made sure you had enough time to drool," Harry teased.

"I don't drool!" Severus scoffed. "That's your specialty."

"Yes, it is," Harry agreed, kissing his lover's bare shoulder. "I'm going to bathe. You can sit here and not drool for a bit longer."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure we can't throw you a party?" Sirius asked as he sat down next to the Potions professor. He grinned and shrugged at Severus's deadly glare. "Just asking."

"If I see so much as a balloon in my presence, the offending person will find himself hanging from the Whomping Willow," Severus growled.

"Quit tormenting him, Siri. It's his birthday," Remus chastised his fiancé cheerfully. Remus smiled at his colleague. "Happy birthday, Severus. We've put your gifts in your chambers. You can open them whenever you wish."

Severus looked at the two with genuine surprise. "Thank you. Are you two coming for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, of course," Sirius said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"What are you planning?" Severus growled.

Remus hit Sirius playfully. "He's not planning anything. He's only trying to push you into paranoia. Don't pay him any mind."

"Mm…well, if you two will excuse me, I have to prepare for class." Severus walked out, looking back at Sirius with suspicion before he walked out.

"That's not nice," Remus chuckled. "You shouldn't torment him like that. Harry's going to hurt you."

Sirius grinned. "I'll lay off Severus, okay? I just enjoy teasing him. It's the only thing that I've got left since I promised Harry that I would play nice."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mr. Potter, would you please stay after class? Mr. Malfoy, please stay as well," Severus said. "The rest of you are free to leave."

As soon as the students left, Severus's gaze fixed on his two students. "I asked the two of you not to plan anything for my birthday. I trust that you have obeyed my wishes."

Harry and Draco looked at him, their confusion apparent. "Severus, I have no idea where this is coming from. Draco and I already said that we wouldn't plan anything. It's just going to be dinner for the six of us, just like you agreed to."

Draco nodded. "We wouldn't do anything to make you uncomfortable. Why do you ask?"

"That mangy godfather of yours keeps alluding to some surprise and he's driving me to distraction," Severus replied, glaring pointedly at Harry.

Harry laughed loudly. "Of course he did! Severus, you know that he's trying to irritate you. He knows you don't want a fuss made of your birthday. Don't pay him any attention."

Severus looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "If I wasn't enjoying your paranoia so much, I might actually be hurt that you don't trust me."

"I trust you. I'm just making sure that I'm not going to get blindsided by that godfather of yours. You two may go now," Severus said, dismissing them with a wave. "I have essays to grade."

Harry and Draco exchanged amused glances. When they reached the door both turned and stared at Severus. When he looked up and gave them a 'What are you up to?' glare, they both smiled wickedly and scampered out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus peeked inside his chamber, making sure there was no one waiting to sabotage him. He sighed in relief when he saw no one and stepped inside.

He found Harry in the bedroom. "Good afternoon, Harry."

Harry smiled. "Hi. So, how was your day?"

Severus smiled softly. "The gods were on my side today. Not one cauldron blew up today…and I didn't have to hand out a single detention."

"I told you that things wouldn't be so dreary on your birthday," Harry said, pulling Severus toward the bathroom.

"May I ask what it is you are going to do with me?"

"Pamper you until you're red with embarrassment," Harry teased.

Severus groaned. "If I come out of this room smelling like daisies, I'm going to hex you into oblivion," Severus protested as Harry helped him out of his clothes.

"I promise, no daisies," Harry assured him. Harry showed Severus the lavender bath salts he was using. Severus nodded his approval.

Severus stepped into the tub and sunk down into the hot water. He looked over and watched Harry pull off his school robes. Severus licked his lips as he watched Harry reveal his body to him slowly.

Harry grinned as he watched his lover watch him. Severus, the self-proclaimed non-drooler was drooling. Harry turned his back and wriggled a bit as he slid his boxers down with excruciating slowness. He laughed when he heard Severus suck in a breath.

Thinking he'd teased his lover enough, Harry slid into the bathtub behind Severus and grabbed a flannel. He grabbed the liquid bath soap that smelled of lavender and he slowly started to clean his Potions master from head to toe.

Severus leaned back and opened himself to Harry's affections. He wasn't used to being pampered, but every now and then he could definitely make an exception. He smiled softly as Harry's hands gently rubbed the flannel across his chest.

"Enjoying yourself?" Harry whispered in his ear. Severus moaned his agreement and Harry smiled and nibbled on his lover's earlobe. "I'm glad. I love you." Harry softly scrubbed Severus's neck and arms, kneading out little knots of tension as he went along.

"Sit up for a moment," Harry said. Severus did so and Harry washed his lover's back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Harry pampered his love with his affection, Draco and Fred, who had left work early to help Draco prepare for the dinner, went to the kitchen to make sure the house-elves had made Severus's favourite dinner. The house-elves were making lasagna, garlic bread, and a tossed green salad with sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots.

They also made a birthday cake for him. It was a small white two-layered cake with a little potion cauldron on top. It was half-filled with dry ice, so it looked as if there were a potion really brewing in it. Around the cauldron it said, 'Happy Birthday Severus'.

Draco reminded them to bring dinner down to his chambers at seven-thirty.

Fred and Draco walked down the hall in a comfortable silence that was all too soon broken by Peeves, the resident poltergeist. "Look at the ickle Draco," Peeves sneered. "Is ickle Draco still having bad dreams about the four big bad boys?"

Draco simply smiled and pointed behind the poltergeist. Peeves turned around and screeched wildly. The Bloody Baron was floating directly behind him, sending him a warning glare. Peeves quickly took a dive through the nearest wall and the Bloody Baron followed quickly behind.

"That poltergeist is a menace," Fred muttered, shaking his head.

Draco smiled. "My uncle desperately wants to rid this castle of Peeves's presence, but for some reason, Dumbledore won't have it. That's life, I guess."

"I'm sure Dumbledore would change his mind if he knew that Peeves was trying to upset you," Fred said.

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. What he says is far easier to take than what I've been through. Don't worry. Peeves can't hurt me. I don't care what a ghost thinks anyway."

Draco leaned in and kissed Fred softly on the mouth. "The only people I care about are all going to be together tonight. I mean, I like Ron and Hermione, and even Dumbledore, but the six of you are my family right now. You're the ones that take care of me when I need you to."

Draco stepped closer to Fred and kissed him again, this time wrapping his arms around Fred's neck. Fred tentatively placed his arms around Draco's waist as Draco deepened the kiss, ready to step back the moment Draco tensed.

For once, Draco didn't tense up the moment he felt Fred's arms around him. He licked Fred's bottom lip, asking to explore the other's mouth. He wanted to try this, to see if he could at least kiss his boyfriend without the urge to run screaming into the night.

Fred opened himself to Draco, allowing the blond to completely control the moment. This was the first time Draco had really kissed him since the attack occurred. Sure, he and Draco had kissed each other on the cheek, or the forehead, and they had even given each other little pecks on the mouth, but this was the first time Draco had wanted more. Fred wasn't going to ruin the moment by being remotely aggressive. Instead, Fred focused on the feeling of Draco's tongue in his mouth. His boyfriend was tentatively exploring his mouth, probing gently.

Draco finally broke the kiss and stepped back. He smiled at the redhead shyly. "That was nice."

"Yes, it was," Fred said. "This is our first real kiss in a long time. I love you."

"I love you, too," Draco said, taking Fred's hand. "Come on. We'd better get back to the rooms. I have some homework to do before dinner tonight."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Now, Sirius, I want you to be nice tonight. Severus was very cordial on your birthday. Do the same, would you? And no cracks on his relationship with Harry, or you'll be sleeping in that doghouse Severus bought you, understood?" Remus lectured as he buttoned his fiancé's shirt.

"If I behave, will I get a surprise tonight?" Sirius asked, eyeing the werewolf lustfully.

Remus smiled. "If you're a good boy, you can have anything you want," Remus promised. "Remember: no comments when you see a tender moment between the two."

Sirius chuckled ruefully. "As long as I don't see what I saw in that bed a few weeks ago, I think I can manage that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After their bath, Severus had tried on the leather trousers that Harry had given him for his birthday. The trousers stayed on his body for one whole minute before Harry pulled them off abruptly and drug Severus over to the bed for a quick shag. Afterwards, Severus laughed and said that he now knew what to wear when he wanted to get Harry into the mood. Harry agreed whole-heartedly.

They were ready for dinner when Sirius and Remus arrived at seven o'clock. While they waited, Severus opened the gifts that had been given to him.

From Albus he received a new book on ancient potions of Egypt and Greece. He also received a box full of black socks with the Slytherin emblem. Severus shook his head. He wondered what it was with that man and socks.

From Minerva he received a bottle of Fine Napoléon. He smiled. It was a very good year.

Ron and Hermione, much to the Potions master's shock, had combined their resources and bought him a large journal. It was large, perfect to keep all his notes in when he started to experiment with potions in his new cauldron. Harry had told them about his gift of the cauldron and the others looking for the list of items, so they thought this would be a perfect gift. It was.

Aside from Harry's gifts, Severus loved best the gifts that Draco, Fred, Sirius and Remus had given him. He now had a vast supply of basic potion ingredients, dozens of vials of uncommon potion ingredients, utensils, vials, jars, gloves, robes that would give him protection as he experimented, a quill that could dictate his exact words while he threw out ideas, and even more items that only a creator of potions could love.

Harry had to hide a smile. He could see the wheels turning inside Severus's head. He knew Severus was wondering whether or not Harry would allow him to get away with playing with his new toys tonight. As predicted, Severus looked up. Harry merely raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Of course, Sirius couldn't help but retaliate with a gag gift of his own. Severus smirked when he opened a box that held a year's supply of the leading shampoo specifically for the oily-haired.

Remus and Sirius left soon after Severus opened his gifts, and Fred and Draco retired to Draco's room to give snogging another go. That left Severus and Harry alone.

Harry helped Severus carry his gifts into their room. When that was done, Harry wrapped his arms around Severus. "You can do one of two things: you can go play with your new things, or you can come bed with me and make love until we're completely exhausted. Either way, I won't be offended. It's your birthday, and you can do whatever you wish."

Severus sighed. "As much as I want to work with my new supplies, tonight I would much rather be with you. Do you know what I want? I want to feel you deep inside me. You haven't made love to me in a long while. The last time was before Draco was hurt and I-"

Harry pressed his lips to his lover's. "I think I can live with making love to you," Harry said as he pulled Severus toward the bedroom.

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