Harry stood at the Apparition Point at the Burrow, staring into the lake which surrounded it, the cat tails blowing seamlessly in the summer breeze. He was, yet again, lost in thought. His arse still pained him from where Severus had swatted him the night before, and he just couldn't wrap his head around what had happened. Still, he thought to himself as he made no move to move from his current position, didn't I ask for this?

He recalled his attempts to get in touch with Severus in the hours leading up to Hermione's graduation, in the hopes that the two of them could potentially clear the air. He knew how important Severus's work was to him, and that, whatever potion he had been brewing, was likely something extraordinary. However, when he got ahold of Penelope, his front desk secretary, he had been in for a rude awakening.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," Penelope had said warmly into the Floo. "How may I help you?"

Harry had swallowed, uncomfortable with the bubbly behavior. "I was looking for Severus," he said, hoping that he was permitted to call him by his first name to others.

"Ah, I'm afraid Master Snape is unavailable," Penelope said politely. "He finished a rather volatile potion he'd been working on for weeks just after midnight, and he's going to dinner with Professor Horace Slughorn this evening," she told him.

Harry blinked; he recalled how Severus had acted whenever Professor Slughorn was mentioned to him, and something shifted within him as he considered it. "Professor Slughorn?" he asked, hating that he was repeating himself.

"Oh, yes," Penelope said with a nod. "Master Snape learned at Professor Slughorn's knee while he attended Hogwarts, as Professor Slughorn was his Head of House," she said patiently. "Even after he graduated, while not as close as they previously had been, naturally, Master Snape always consulted with Professor Slughorn whenever he is working on something new. I expect they'll be going to dinner this evening to celebrate," she said brightly.

"Dinner?"

"Well, of course," Penelope said. "Professor Slughorn is, after all, his mentor, and his closest confident imaginable..."

Harry vaguely heard the kitchen door to the Burrow opening from behind him, and he hoped to Merlin that it wasn't Molly, begging him to come inside. He needn't have worried, though, for when the pair of arms came around his shoulders and the bushy hair tickled his left cheek, he knew exactly who it was. "Molly tell you to fetch me?" he asked, temporarily clutching at the hands of his best friend.

Hermione giggled. "Not in so many words," she replied, standing on her toes and kissing Harry on the cheek.

Harry nodded, squeezing her hands one last time before Hermione let him go, and stood beside him, watching the lake. "How was dinner last night with your mum and dad?"

"They had a list of phrases and objects for research purposes for Arthur," Hermione said, and Harry could tell that she was grinning. "They're really looking forward to meeting them this summer at your birthday, Harry."

Harry nodded. "It's a shame that they haven't been able to up until now."

"Well, since they own and operate their own dental clinic, it's the first summer that they haven't gone to the Dentistry Symposium in the States," she replied. "Why do you think I spent so many summers here with you and Ron?"

Harry smirked. "And here I thought you actually liked spending time with us."

Hermione playfully elbowed him in the ribs. "You men," she muttered, shaking her head. "But in all seriousness, Harry, you've been withdrawn..."

Harry lowered his eyes to the brown dirt and dead grass they stood upon. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied.

Hermione laced her fingers more tightly in his. "Something happened last night with Severus, didn't it?" she whispered.

Harry sighed. "There's a Fidelius..."

Hermione blinked. "Excuse me?"

"There's a Fidelius Charm on whatever we end up doing," he explained, his throat catching then, as his mind and body fought with the spell work in an attempt to stop him from giving away too much information. "He likes to keep his private life private. I promised him that I'd never reveal what happened between the two of us."

"Merlin, Harry!" Hermione breathed, dropping his hand and clutching at her face. "Please tell me he isn't hurting you!"

Harry turned and looked over at Hermione. "Hermione, everything he does, I've asked for it, really," he replied, although his eyes told a different story.

Hermione pulled her hands back and dragged them through her hair, shaking her head as her dark eyes sparked with anger. "I don't care how bloody famous or all the good he's done for the Wizarding World!" she snapped, and Harry could practically see her magic crackling around her in her anger. "That man had better not be hurting you—!"

"I'm not broken beyond repair, 'Mione, nor am I a fucking china doll," Harry said, annoyance peppering his tone, which directly caused her to back down. "Something happened last night, something I am not at liberty to discuss—per the agreement—that caught me off-guard is all. He had to get back to a potion, and so we didn't have time to resolve it."

Hermione sighed, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I don't like it," she said, wrapping her arms around her, and biting her bottom lip, hard. The lavender blouse she was wearing—bought for her as a gift for Easter from her parents—crumpled slightly as her arms tightened around her willowy frame; her pink knee-length skirt fluttered in the breeze, and her white sandals cracked ever so slightly upon the ground below. Pulling her lower lip further into her mouth, she allowed one arm to drop from around her, and twisted the golden necklace she wore, the star-shaped H rune dangling from the chain. "I just worry about you..."

"I know, Hermione."

"It's just that you've never been in a relationship before," Hermione said quickly. "I mean, you had that snog with Cho in fifth-year, but that was after Cedric had graduated and she was torn up because he'd broken her heart... All she wanted was a romantic interlude and a shoulder to cry on really, and the pair of you fell apart pretty fast after that..."

"I know about my romantic history, or lack thereof, 'Mione," Harry said, dragging his hand through his messy raven hair.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Not to mention Ginny fawning all over you..."

"Which thankfully ended once she started seeing Dean," Harry said quickly, remembering how relieved he'd been when their fellow year-mate had begun to pay court to the only daughter of the Weasley family. "Could've done without Ron's constant mutterings about him, but it all seemed to work out, didn't it?"

"You know very well that Ginny's not over you, Harry," Hermione said, her voice dropping down to a whisper, and Harry sighed. "No, I'm serious. I feel really bad for her, thinking that she can just string Dean along like that—he's a nice bloke, too..."

"Colin said that he wished that Dean would wake up and see what's right in front of him," Harry said ruefully.

Hermione smiled sadly then. "You mean Seamus?"

Harry blinked. "Was I the only one who saw it last?"

Hermione grinned. "Ron caught on eventually, but it was actually Neville who saw it first; at least, he was the first to talk about it. Luna mentioned it a time or two, and her eyes always drift between them whenever we're together. I think she thinks it's awfully sad that neither of them will own up to their feelings..."

"You think it's because Dean was raised by Muggles?" Harry wanted to know. "You think there's prejudice there?"

Hermione sighed. "I can't fully know, of course, given that there was never any prejudice when I was growing up in similar circumstances," she told him. "But I think it mainly has to do with Ginny, to be honest with you."

"His loyalty to her, you mean?"

"It's not just that, Harry," Hermione said gently. "You know as well as I do how long Ginny wanted to be with you. Michael Corner was a band-aid when you and Cho were together, but Dean seemed to be her first serious relationship."

"So, it's their history, then?"

"Partially," Hermione allowed. "I think it also has to do with the fact that Ginny wanted you for such a long time, and she ended up with Dean."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Dean felt a sense of accomplishment since Ginny chose him, for lack of a better term," she said softly. "Whether you want to admit to it or not, you were the most sought-after boy in our year, Harry, likely due to the fact that Riddle was given the veil after your parents' murders," she explained. "You're seen as a hero, a savior if you will, and so many people felt grateful towards you because of that."

"They saw me as a status symbol," Harry said bitterly.

Hermione smiled and reached over, pushing back Harry's fringe slightly, and got a good look at the curse scar that Riddle had given him, on the night of the deaths of James and Lily Potter. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it," she said. "However, you've got to understand that Dean saw it as an accomplishment, getting Ginny to say 'yes' to going out with him."

"You make it sound like she's a prize."

Hermione smirked. "Well, I suppose, in her own way, she is one," she allowed. "However, most people don't see the difference between a prize and a piece of property, unfortunately. I think that Dean is one of the rare individuals who does."

Harry felt himself drawing inward then, for he found that he was truly unknowing as to what Severus saw him as. A piece of property? A fucktoy? A boytoy? Someone who clearly was the submissive in the relationship, to the point where he didn't even bother to heal him properly, nor fully realize that he was not all right when he last left him...

"Harry?" Hermione asked, peering closer. "Are you all right?"

Harry shook his head at her, inwardly cursing himself as his eyes filled with tears again for the second time that week; he hadn't cried this much since he was fifteen. "No," he whispered, and let out a sob as Hermione wrapped her arms around him.

"Tell me what's bothering you, Harry. Please," she whispered.

"I can't, I can't," Harry sobbed into her shoulder, and stood with Hermione by the lake at the Burrow, allowing her to comfort him, until Ron eventually found them, letting them know that supper was ready.

~*~

Two days after Hermione's graduation and dinner at the Burrow, Harry Apparated from his flat and into the main thoroughfare of Godric's Hollow. He walked along the street, with green dotting every trees' surface, and saw the sun shining down onto the cobblestones. He stopped at the small wizarding bookshop, Storybook Significance, which was filled to the brim with both magical and Muggle stories for young children until adult age. Stepping inside, Harry was momentarily blindsided by the warmth of the atmosphere, and smiled and nodded to the elderly man behind the counter. Slipping through the rows and into the children's section, Harry was hit with a warmth of nostalgia for a childhood he had never had, and purchased The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter for Baby Hope, as well as a new edition copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Teddy.

Slipping from the store, Harry next trooped across the road to the local baker's, Chamomile's Cakery and Café, popping inside to pick up the cake he had ordered for pudding that evening, as well as a special blend of tea for Tonks, and the strongly-brewed coffee for Remus. Once all of his packages, save for the cake, had been paid for and shrunk, Harry continued down the lane of the small wizarding village and outside of town, where rows of the more well-to-do homes were lined, with generous pieces of land in between them. It was at the end of the cul-de-sac that the cottage, once belonging to James and Lily Potter, stood, in all of its restored glory. Harry, as he stepped closer, watched as the front door opened, and Teddy darted out, his hair a brilliant violet that day, and let out a squeal as Harry walked closer.

"Uncle Harry, Uncle Harry!" cried the child, bouncing up and down from within the doorway, and it wasn't too long after that Remus came up behind his son, likely to fully see what all the fuss was about.

"Oh, Harry, you're here," Remus said warmly as Harry finally stepped onto the property, the wards welcoming him immediately, and drew his godson into his arms. "Come in, come in. I know it's nice out now, but the Wizarding Wireless is calling for rain later this afternoon, due to linger until late at night."

Harry smiled and nodded, allowing Remus to take the parcel that held the cake and stepped inside, permitting Teddy to take his hand and lead him into the sitting room, as the door swung shut automatically behind them. Looking up from the beautiful Persian carpet, Harry smiled as he stood in Tonks, perched on the settee, holding onto Baby Hope, who was awake and alert and was staring at Harry with her impossibly large dark blue eyes.

"Hey, Tonks," Harry said, and Tonks patted the space next to her, which Harry promptly moved to fill, and kissed her on the cheek. "I hope you don't mind, I stopped at the bookshop and picked up something for Teddy and Hope."

"Not at all, Harry," Tonks said, beaming that Harry had considered them. "Books are always welcome here. You do spoil them, but at least it's considerate spoiling," she said, watching as Harry enlarged the book parcels, and handed over one to Teddy. "Teddy, what do we say to Uncle Harry?" she asked, staring down at her son, as Remus stepped back into the sitting room from the kitchen, and sat comfortably in the armchair by the fireplace.

"Thank you, Uncle Harry!" Teddy said, beaming up at him, before he immediately set to work in tearing open the package.

"Another book, then?" Remus asked, smiling over at Harry as Teddy managed to get the packaging off, and gazed down at the cover.

"The new one, the new one!" Teddy crowed, bouncing up and down from where he was kneeling on his haunches, in between the settee and the armchair. "Daddy, look!" he said, getting to his feet and clamoring into Remus's lap, showing him the new book.

"That was very generous of Uncle Harry, wasn't it?" Remus asked.

"Thank you, Uncle Harry!" Teddy said for a second time.

"You're welcome, Teddy," Harry told him, and presented the other parcel to Tonks. "Would you like me to open this for Hope?"

"Please," Tonks said, watching Harry avidly, and Harry noticed that Remus and Teddy were even leaning forward slightly.

Harry smiled and made quick work of the parcel, soon revealing the cover with the intricate pencil drawings of Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, Mrs. Tiggywinkle, Squirrel Nutkin, Tabitha Twitchit and Tom Kitten, and numerous amounts of mice, which Harry assumed were from The Tale of the Tailor of Gloucester. Looking up, he saw that both Tonks and Remus were smiling in a nostalgic manner, and Harry knew then that he had made the right decision about what to get for Hope.

"What's that book, Mummy?" Teddy asked, breaking the silence.

"A very special book, Teddy," Tonks told him.

"When your mummy and I were very small children," Remus said, pulling Teddy closer to him on his lap, "we learned that my mother and her father were Muggles. Because of this, we had the best of both worlds when it came to books. Tonks and I have often spoken fondly of what we had read to us as children," he said, looking up at Harry, "and your uncle Harry seems to think that passing on the tradition of such stories is a good idea."

"Which was your favorite?" Harry asked.

"Jeremy Fisher," Remus said with a smile.

"I always liked Jemima Puddle-Duck," Tonks told him wistfully. "She was a bit scatterbrained, just as I am."

"What about your favorite, Harry?" Remus queried.

"The Tailor of Gloucester," Harry told him, opening the book and finding the page, and ran his fingers along the illustrations. "It was one of the only belongings I had that Vernon and Petunia didn't destroy," he said softly, remembering the small book he had as his own copy, as he had had the individual stories, and kept it with him at all times.

"Will you read it to us, Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked quietly.

"Of course I will, Teddy," Harry said, looking up at his godson with a smile, before bending his head down towards the book again. "'In the time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets—when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta—there lived a tailor in Gloucester'," Harry said softly, and felt all eyes of the Lupin family upon him, save for Hope, for she had fallen asleep.

Harry finished the story in good time, with Tonks venturing upstairs with both the children to put them down for naps, encouraging Harry and Remus to go out for their tea and look around the town for a bit. Harry, upon Remus's assent, banished his belongings to the guest bedroom upstairs and followed Remus out of the cottage, making their way down the street and into the tearoom called Amaranth's Assam.

It was a cozy establishment, with carpets adorning the dark wood floors, and a stone mantle fireplace on one half of the room, with an impressive portrait above it, wherein Amaranth Caprine, the former owner of the establishment, peered down at her various customers. Harry took the seat beside the window at Remus's urging, and they ordered a plate of shortbread and a pot of black tea. Once the tea and biscuits arrived, Harry took a biscuit off the china plate and watched as Remus poured the tea for the both of them.

"You were very sad the other night when we last spoke," Remus observed, setting down the antique teapot once he'd finished pouring, and helped himself to a biscuit, although this one was of the chocolate-dipped variety. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Harry bit his lip; he should have known that coming to Godric's Hollow would likely result in another interrogation session. He leaned back in the Victorian chair and crossed his legs, and appeared suddenly disinterested with the steaming cup of tea and the biscuit placed before him, and all the while stared at the perfectly-polished wood of the table. "It's not something I'm allowed to discuss, Remus."

Remus, who had been sipping at his own cup of tea, promptly lowered it and stared at Harry, a look of unease in his expression. "Harry..."

"What?" Harry asked, knowing what was coming.

"Turn around," he said only, and, when Harry did so, saw that, in another room of the establishment, Severus himself was sitting, a steaming cup of tea in front of him, and a plate of Ginger Newts just beside it.

"Oh, Merlin," Harry said, sinking down lower in his chair, until he could hear the distinct clip of Severus's shoes from beside him, and looked up. "Hello, Severus," he managed to get out, his face flushing a deep red.

"Good afternoon, Harry," Severus said warmly, before turning to look at Remus. "Hello, Remus, you're looking well."

Remus gave him a nod. "Thank you," he replied.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, hating that his voice was trembling.

"I came to see you, Harry," Severus responded.

Remus got to his feet. "I'll just Floo Tonks, see how she's getting on with the children," he went on, leaving the table.

Harry gritted his teeth at Remus's departure, and watched from the corner of his eye as Severus methodically snapped his fingers, bringing over the black Victorian chair he had been sitting in before. "How did you know I was here?" Harry asked, waiting for the man to sit and erect a Silencing Charm around them.

"I popped by your flat to see you, and met Mr. Weasley there," Severus told him. "Mr. Weasley informed me of your trip to Godric's Hollow. Of course, I myself would have guessed it, as you left your Apparition Coordinates behind," he said softly.

Harry forced himself to pick up his cup of tea in an effort to distract himself. "I see," he said, and attempted to get an unimpressed air about him.

Severus noticed Harry's hands were shaking, and so he reached out and took the cup from him, and returned it onto his saucer. "I knew you were feeling off the other night."

Harry turned to look at Severus and glared at him. "We mentioned exclusivity and rough sex, Severus," he said, growling through his teeth, "but we never mentioned punishments of any kind, not that I recall, anyway."

Severus inclined his head, waiting for Harry to continue.

"I was beaten enough by my relatives growing up, until I was permitted to go into the custody of Ron's family," Harry continued, and was relieved that Severus appeared guilty. "Do you honestly think that I would ever want to be in any kind of relationship, with anyone, where they seemed to get off on hitting me?!"

Severus sighed. "I apologize. You're right. I shouldn't have spanked you. We should have discussed the situation like adults..."

"But instead you treated me like a child," Harry said, his eyes filling with tears as he deliberately turned away from Severus.

"Is something else bothering you?"

"Shouldn't your behavior the other night be enough?" Harry asked, his tone bitter, and he hated himself for allowing it to crack at the end.

Severus laced his hands into Harry's, and Harry immediately felt his cheeks bloom with a flush and his heart hammer more rapidly from within his chest. "Harry, please tell me what's bothering you. We cannot move on from here if you don't."

Harry swallowed, lowering his eyes and staring at their hands. "And... And you're sure you actually want to move on from here?" he asked.

Severus squeezed his hand. "Of course I am, Harry," he said, and gently tugged at his hand, to the point where Harry was looking over at him. "Please, Harry. Talk to me."

Harry dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, knowing that it would have come out eventually. "I spoke to Penelope before I had to leave for Hermione's graduation ceremony," he said quietly, and hated that he felt guilty.

Severus nodded. "Miss Clearwater has access to my schedule, of course, given her position at the bureau. I take it you were looking for me and were in touch with her instead?"

Harry sighed. "I was looking for you, but..."

"But what, Harry?"

"But she told me that you were having dinner with Professor Slughorn," Harry said, his voice catching slightly then as Severus's eyes flashed.

"He is my mentor and confident in the field of potions, Harry. I've known him since I was eleven-years-old, and he taught me everything he knew..."

"But that's not it, isn't it?" Harry asked, his voice trembling. "There was something else between the two of you, wasn't there?"

Severus sighed. "I will readily admit that Horace is the person who took my virginity," he said quietly, and Harry tore his hands away from his.

"Merlin, Severus! Do you realize how wrong that sounds?!" he demanded. "You said that you were sixteen—were you even in your sixth-year yet?"

Severus's jaw set then. "No. It was just after the Christmas holidays of my fifth-year."

Harry shook his head. "That man is a predator."

"Harry..."

"No, nothing you say can justify this," Harry told him, blinking back the tears which threatened to overtake his vision. "Tell me—did you actually want him?"

"At the time, of course I did," Severus said quietly, seeming to understand Harry's outburst, and wasn't going to stop him from feeling the way he did. "Horace taught me what I really wanted in the bedroom, and although I was the submissive party during our relationship, I soon realized that I was not a natural bottom, so to speak, and I knew I was a top."

Harry shivered from within his chair. "Severus, you can't honestly think that you were the only student he did this to?"

Severus sighed. "I had my suspicions, but I don't have any evidence to the contrary," he replied, spreading his hands.

"Oh, please," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You know as well as I do, from what I told you, how terrified Neville was of him. Now, it all makes sense," he said bitterly. "One of my closest friends was also a target for his abuse."

"Harry, what you've got to understand here is that Horace and I, what we had when I was a teenager, ended a long time ago. Now, we're merely colleagues in the same field, who go to each other for advice and whatnot..."

Harry threw up his hands. "How can you just sit there and even try to defend him, let alone the apparent professional relationship the two of you supposedly share?" he whispered. "He's a child molester, Severus, plain and simple. And the notion that you two were actually at dinner together, and socializing..."

"Harry, were you jealous?"

Harry sighed. "He's a potions expert, Severus," he told him. "And while I was proficient at the subject whilst at Hogwarts and at Flarmerth, I'll never be on the same level as either of you. Not to mention the fact that Professor Slughorn raped you..."

"It wasn't rape, Harry."

"You weren't yet over the age of consent..."

"Harry..."

"The age of consent in the United Kingdom was established in the late-nineteenth century," said Harry in an annoyed tone of voice. "Don't even try to tell me that no laws were broken when the pair of you were...were..."

Severus sighed. "The laws of the Wizarding World are different," he said, and reached out to take his hand again. "What do I have to do to persuade you?"

Harry sighed, shaking his head. "I can't ask you never to see him again, I suppose," he said, and hated how childish he sounded. "Well, first of all, can we not discuss him again?"

Severus nodded. "Of course we don't have to."

"Good," he replied. "Second..." He looked up at the man, and shook his head. "I'm sorry to say this, Severus, but I want more."

"More?"

"More," Harry said. "I know that it's not what you want to hear, but I don't know how else to tell you this. You say that I'm yours, but I don't feel as if you're mine. I don't want to be your dirty little secret, because that's what I feel like."

"What are you saying?"

"I want to go places, do things with you," Harry told him. "I know that's encroaching onto typical couple territory, and that you don't really do things like that, but how am I supposed to be happy in this relationship if you're only getting what you want?"

Slowly, Severus reached upwards and cupped Harry's face in his hand, tracing his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. Leaning in, Severus brushed his lips gently to Harry's, and was pleasantly surprised when the younger man wrapped his arms around Severus's neck and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss. "You're right, Harry," Severus whispered as they slowly broke apart, and he soon became lost in those captivating green eyes. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "Did you know that this is also an inn?"

Harry blinked, and shook his head. "No."

Severus smiled at his apparent innocence. "I've a room here, upstairs."

Harry scoffed. "Well, I hope you'll be very comfortable in it."

"You're welcome to share it with me, you know."

Harry sighed. "All right. But someone has to get my things from the cottage..."

"It will be taken care of," Severus told him, holding him close. "What are you doing for breakfast tomorrow?" he asked.

Harry blinked. "Breakfast?" he asked. "Why would I have plans for breakfast? I'm not some diplomat..."

Severus chuckled. "So, no breakfast plans, then?"

Harry shook his head. "None whatsoever."

"Meet me in the fields behind the town square tomorrow," he said, and kissed Harry's nose. "I think that we can make love, and see you back to the cottage in time to spend the night there, and then you can meet me for breakfast tomorrow. All right?"

Harry found himself willingly getting to his feet. "All right," he replied, and was pulled from the room and up the lavish staircase, before he was pulled into a luxurious-looking suite of rooms and looked around, his mouth going dry at the richness. He shuddered automatically as Severus wrapped his arms around him from behind, and instantly leaned into the embrace.

"Do you know what you do to me, Harry?" Severus whispered against his neck, and gently pressed his lips to the soft skin there, before he bit at it.

Harry let out a moan in Severus's arms, never knowing how sensitive his neck was up until things with Severus had begun. "Severus..."

Severus soothed the ache with his talented tongue, and Harry continued to melt in his arms at the older man's ministrations. "Such a beautiful boy," he whispered.

"Ugh," Harry moaned, arching himself with the proficiency of a dancer up against his lover's firm body, never wanting to leave his arms.

Severus painstakingly began unbuttoning the buttons of Harry's shirt, one by one, and marveled at the paleness of his lover's skin. "Beautiful," he said, running his fingers up and down the defined muscles, and chuckled instinctively when Harry mewled in his arms. "Such a beautiful body you have, my Harry... It means the world to me that I'm the first one to see it...touch it...experience it," he whispered, wetting his thumb and index finger, before he proceeded to lavish attention onto one of Harry's erect nipples.

Harry croaked out a sob of a moan, his eyes snapping shut on a wave of pleasure. He could feel his cock engorging upon the placket of his trousers, and he had never been more aroused than he had been in that moment.

Severus waved his hand then, causing Harry's eyes to snap open, and Harry watched as a floor-length mirror appeared before them. Severus smirked at Harry's surprise, and gently eased off the younger man's shirt. "You open yourself up to me so readily, my Harry... Almost as if you were made for me," he said, almost as if he was wondering aloud, and gently eased down the zipper of Harry's trousers. "Already so big for me, my Harry?" Severus queried, and Harry swallowed, not trusting his voice to speak at a time like this. Severus dipped his hand into Harry's trousers, while the free one worked them down around his ankles, and rubbed the head of Harry's cock through his boxers.

"Severus..." Harry whispered.

"Yes, my Harry," Severus replied, and suddenly tore down Harry's boxers with a startling amount of efficiency. He took ahold of the engorged member of his younger lover, and rubbed the head and the slit with his thumb, Harry practically melting in his arms again. "So, my Harry, do you like this?" he asked.

Harry nodded, wrapping his arms around Severus's neck. "Yes," he whispered.

Severus made a tunnel with his hand and gently moved it back and forth along Harry's sensitive cock, and Harry moaned happily against him. "Do you want me to make you come, Harry?" the man asked softly.

Harry nodded. "Yes, please," he whispered again.

"Say the words, my Harry."

Harry slowly managed to open his eyes, and stared at Severus's onyx ones in the mirror opposite him. "I want you to make me come, Severus."

"How would you like me to make you come, my Harry?" Severus asked.

Harry swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he fought with his brain and his mouth to say the words, to convey to his lover what he so desperately wanted. "Severus, I want you to stroke my cock until I come...please, please," he said, the final two words coming out as whimpers, for he almost couldn't stand it anymore.

Severus smiled against Harry's neck, his tongue coming out to play as he tantalizingly licked at the shell of his ear. "Very well, Harry," he replied, and suddenly began stroking faster, so quickly that Harry barely was able to keep up with the man. "Do you like that?" Severus whispered to him, his voice husky. "Do you like that, Harry?"

"Yes, yes!" Harry moaned.

"Watch yourself, Harry," Severus told him, his voice like a balm in his ear. "Watch how beautiful you look when you come..."

Harry arched himself against his lover, forcing his eyes not to roll backwards and up into his head, as he fought the inner battle to please Severus. "Oh... Oh, Merlin..."

"That's it, Harry," Severus whispered to him. "Allow yourself to feel all the sensations... Allow it to ripple through you, and then allow the tidal wave to take over, ripping through you as you take that step over the edge. Come, Harry. Come for me."

"Severus!" Harry suddenly shouted, never taking his eyes off of himself in the mirror, but did manage to catch a glimpse of Severus in the glass frame. He was shocked that the man appeared in awe of him, and Harry couldn't fully comprehend why that should be. He slackened automatically in Severus's arms in the wake of his incredible orgasm, and Severus lifted him, taking him towards the bathroom. Sitting Harry up onto the counter, he took out a flannel and ran warm water upon it.

"Are you all right?" he asked, gently pulling off his shoes, socks, trousers, and boxers, so as to clean him more expertly.

Harry nodded, his entire body still thrumming from his orgasm. "Yes," he replied. He looked up at Severus slowly then, and gave him a smile. "However, I think that my arse needs to be filled by that," he said, reaching out slowly and gently taking ahold of Severus's cock, an impressive bulge from within the man's trousers. "If you'd be so kind..."

Severus grinned at him, and, once he had finished cleaning him off, lifted him off the bathroom counter and carried him back into the bedroom, threw him down onto the bed, and didn't permit Harry to leave it until his arse was wonderfully sore.

~*~

Harry returned to the cottage under cover of darkness, feeling badly that he had missed out on dinner with Remus, Tonks, Teddy, and Baby Hope. His arse was still deliciously sore from Severus repeatedly pounding him into the mattress at the inn, and he knew very well that he had many love bites all over his body. Severus had reiterated where to meet him the following morning, and Harry was pleased that the entirety of the situation seemed to be like the beginning of a date.

The wards around the cottage recognized him as he slipped though them, and the door opened automatically for him to slip inside. There was the telltale scent of bangers and mash lingering in the air, leading Harry to correctly assume what the Lupin family had had for dinner. He paused within the entryway, hearing Remus and Tonks in the kitchen. It was nearly nine o'clock, and Harry knew that both Teddy and Baby Hope would likely be in bed by now.

"He just showed up there, Tonks!" Remus was saying, and Harry slowly shut the door behind him as he silently crept into the sitting room. "Showed up—I don't even think Harry knew that Severus knew he was coming here!"

"Remus, it's a public place," Tonks said, easily slipping into the conversation and managing to at least attempt to calm her husband down. "You can hardly fault him for being there. Besides, I find the entire arrangement to be impossibly romantic. Perhaps Severus has changed in the years since your adolescence. He certainly has made a name for himself in his field of choice, and you know as well as I do who provides your Wolfsbane Potion every month. Maybe, just maybe if you were to give him a chance..."

"I went to school with him, Tonks," Remus said, cutting his wife off. "What you've got to understand here is how different he was then, how withdrawn, always cozying up to those Dark Arts books of his..."

"And what you clearly need to understand here is the notion that my cousin and your best friend had a vendetta against him," Tonks said firmly.

"Tonks, Sirius didn't..."

"Oh, believe me, he did," Tonks said firmly. "Sirius may have been a more liberal Pureblood than the rest of the Blacks, but he clearly picked up on some of their hatred ideologies. And who wouldn't, given that Regulus was clearly so favored when they were growing up? Even Regulus going missing and turning up dead didn't help his cause—Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga never looked at him as anything more than a failure."

Remus sighed. "You know as well as I do that we were all children..."

"Children is what you acted like, not what you all were," Tonks interrupted. "You were a prefect for Merlin's sake—how James ever became Head Boy with what you all did to him is a clear note of favoritism that Albus completely disregarded his past transgressions," she said, her tone filled with disappointment. "You literally turned your back on what your friends were doing, which was bullying, Remus, plain and simple."

"I didn't..."

"Yes, I know full well that you weren't an active participant," Tonks went on, her tone clipped as she continued to dress down her husband. "You have a clear recollection of what is and isn't acceptable behavior by the time you start at Hogwarts, and yet James, Sirius, and Pettigrew would constantly egg each other on in their pursuit to make it seem as if Severus wasn't welcome in the school."

"Tonks..."

"No, I'm still speaking," Tonks said quickly. "You stood by and permitted the treatment. I know very well that the incident when you were sixteen wasn't your fault, Remus, but you've got to understand that the fact that all of you got away with slaps on the wrist was just deplorable. What about when Teddy and Hope go to Hogwarts? Don't you want them not to be bullied and, if they turn out to be bullies themselves, shouldn't they be held accountable for their actions?"

Remus sighed. "Yes."

"Good," Tonks said, and turned around then, drawing inwards on herself as she saw Harry standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Harry..."

"Harry," Remus said, straightening up.

"I knew that all of you didn't get along, but I never thought it was as bad as that," Harry said quietly, and sighed, waiting for Tonks to exit the room, looking drawn. "What happened when you were sixteen?"

"Harry..."

"No, Remus, tell me," Harry said firmly, locking eyes with his godfather. "If something happened between you and Severus, I want to know what it was."

Remus sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "You know that Albus set up the Shrieking Shack for me, to handle my transformations in a safe environment while I was at Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded. "Of course. Dad, Sirius, and Pettigrew all became unregistered Animagi so that they could keep you company."

Remus nodded. "That's right. Anyhow, one day, when I was in the middle of the transformation, Sirius thought it would be wildly funny to dare Severus to go to the shack..."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"I had no idea it was going to happen," Remus said quickly, "as you know as well as I do that I wasn't in my right mind, am not in my right mind, during the change..."

"Keep going," Harry said.

"Per Sirius's dare, Severus came into the Shrieking Shack, via the tunnel connected to the Whomping Willow," Remus continued. "I attacked him, and nearly killed him," he went on, his shoulders hunching, as he lowered his eyes. "At the last moment, Prongs, James' Animagus form, came to the rescue, managing to drag Severus out of there before any permanent damage was done to him. James then took Severus to see Madam Pomfrey, and nothing more was said about the situation, other than for Severus to mind his own business..."

"So, you're saying that Sirius never got into trouble?"

Remus gave a stiff nod. "That's correct."

Harry felt something akin to bile rising in his throat; he hardly wanted to throw up the expensive dinner Severus had fed to him in his hotel room, but the sensation of potentially throwing up grilled chicken and bulgur salad with peaches was not something he ever wanted to accomplish in his lifetime. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

"Yes," Remus said quietly.

Harry dragged a hand through his hair. "And you're all right with that?"

"Harry, I hardly had a say in the discipline..."

"Don't make me laugh—you were a bloody prefect!" Harry shouted. "You could have easily recommended that Sirius be punished accordingly..." Harry watched then as Remus's expression seemed to close. "Oh, so sorry," Harry said, scoffing as he began to back out of the kitchen, "my mistake. It seems as though loyalty only flows so deep..."

"Harry..."

"...and that you, clearly, only looked out for your own. Your own being Gryffindors, and not the entire student body," Harry said, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from crying, and moved quickly up the staircase, wanting to at least attempt to get some sleep before whatever it was that Severus had planned for them the next day.

~*~

Harry left the cottage fifteen minutes before eight the next morning; he assumed that the entire family was still asleep, as the house seemed silent. Making his way along the main road, he arrived at the town square quickly, and saw that Severus was just exiting the hotel. Looking up, the man smiled at him and promptly closed the distance between them, greeting Harry with a kiss and taking him by the hand. They walked in tandem towards the field behind the main square, and Harry spotted a man with a short, snow-white beard awaiting them, and remained silent, as Severus approached and held out his hand.

"Master Snape, good morning," the man said.

"Good morning," Severus replied.

"I'm Gideon Pokeby," he said by way of greeting, his voice friendly, "I hope that I've brought what you wanted," he said.

"This is my boyfriend, Harry Potter," Severus said, "and I'm sure you have."

Harry's breath caught in his throat then at Severus's words, and took the other man's offered hand. "Good morning, Mr. Pokeby. Pleasure to meet you."

Gideon Pokeby nodded at Harry, saying it was a pleasure to meet him as well, before he whistled a bit to his left.

Harry and Severus turned as one then, listening to the rustle of the trees dotting the edge of the field, and, when they parted, a deep black hippogriff made itself known. Harry, who had been quite close to Buckbeak over the years, gasped and immediately stepped forward, dropping Severus's hand and moving so that the winged creature could see him. He bent at the waist, and the beast chortled slightly, before returning the bow. Satisfied, Harry tentatively stepped forward, waiting for the creature to come to him, per Hagrid's recommendation back in Care of Magical Creatures, and, quite soon, the feathered head came to rest in the palm of his hand.

"Her name's Corvina," Gideon explained from behind Harry. "I hope she'll make a worthy edition to your wildlife preserve, Master Snape."

"Thank you," Severus replied, watching Harry interact with the hippogriff. "I'm sure she will," he said approvingly, shaking the man's hand again. Once Severus had seen Gideon Pokeby off, he approached Harry from behind, bowing and petting Corvina accordingly. "Gideon told me that her name is Corvina," he explained.

"She's lovely," Harry whispered.

"Prince Estate had a menagerie in the back, which I've successfully turned into a wildlife preserve for magical creatures," Severus explained, and Harry turned to look at him. "Don't worry, I don't use them for potions ingredients. But I do have a team of researchers who constantly study their natural habitats, diets, and other habits, so as they're happy, while always in a safe environment, of course. The only creatures I don't keep are dragons."

Harry smiled. "And she's the latest for the collection?"

"So it seems," Severus replied, stroking the creatures feathers. "I've never owned a hippogriff before, just as I've never had a boyfriend before."

Harry swallowed. "So, you meant that, then? You weren't just saying..."

Severus smiled. "Gideon Pokeby may be a great-grandson of the famous magizoologist Gulliver Pokeby, Harry, but I'm quite sure he wouldn't take too kindly to lying."

Harry smiled. "All right, then."

"Do you want to ride her?" Severus asked.

Harry grinned. "Can I?"

"Of course. Have you ever ridden a hippogriff before?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. In third-year, Hagrid had me demonstrate, and I got to ride Buckbeak, the one in his care. It was wonderful."

Severus smiled. "At first, I couldn't understand why Albus gave Hagrid another position on top of his duties as Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper," he admitted. "However, the reports on his classes were most excellent, so I knew Albus had made the proper decision, once Silvanus had gone into retirement."

"I never had him as an instructor," Harry admitted softly. "Hagrid took over the position in my third-year, the first year I was eligible for the class."

Severus nodded in understanding, before taking ahold of Harry's waist and gently lifting him onto Corvina's back. Carefully, he got up behind Harry and wrapped his arms around his middle again, and used his heels to gently prod the beast to life. Chuckling, he watched as Harry suddenly lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Corvina's feathered neck, as the beast pawed at the ground momentarily, and took off at a run, her wings swooping outwards, and took off into the air.

Harry breathed in some of the English air, looking downwards at the village of Godric's Hollow, and it was truly a sight to behold, as it continually shrunk below. He felt secure, holding tightly onto Corvina's neck, as well as desired, given that Severus had his arms securely around his tapered waist. He felt himself smiling, as he threw back his head and laughed, leaning backwards so that his head rested comfortably upon Severus's shoulder.

"Is this more?" Severus whispered into his ear.

Harry shivered at the delicious sensation of Severus's breath upon his neck, as Corvina continued to bring them higher and higher. "So much more," he replied.

Severus reached forward then, so as he could better control Corvina's movements, and Harry looked at him over his shoulder. "I raced some hippogriffs in France during my time abroad, in the summers when I was achieving my dual masteries," he said quietly. "Wonderful creatures. I always wanted one of my own..."

"And now you have one," Harry responded.

Severus turned his head then, pressing his lips to Harry's temple and lingering there for a moment, and then pressed his cheek to Harry's. "I do, but it's honestly become so much more than that," he confessed, and Harry snuggled closer to him.

Harry and Severus continued circling the sky for another quarter of an hour, before Harry permitted Severus to gently steer Corvina back towards the ground. He let out a sigh of relief when she landed seamlessly, and remained on her back as Severus reached upwards, helping him down as if he was a lord and Harry was his squire. He was slightly taken back when Severus wrapped his arms around him, and continued nestling into his embrace, until the familiar spark of magic erupted from behind him and, turning, saw what Severus was seeing—an impressive cheetah Patronus.

"What's going on?" Harry whispered.

"No idea," Severus replied, crossing over to it, and Harry remained standing beside Corvina, not wanting to invade the man's privacy. A few moments later the cheetah had sprinted off and Severus had returned to Harry's side, looking grave. "It's my mother," he said softly, and Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Your mother's Patronus is a cheetah?"

"No, her Patronus is a Gyrfalcon," Severus replied offhandedly. "The Patronus I just received was from my personal assistant and second-in-command, Blaise Zabini."

"Blaise?" Harry asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes. He took over from the position from his father, Bronson, after his graduation from Hogwarts, and managed to achieve his dual degrees in potions and combat, despite the duties he has towards me in the last few years... I know he attended university with you as well. Are you familiar with him?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Same year and all. He was in Slytherin, of course, but when we did talk, we always got on with one another..."

Severus gave a small smile, obviously pleased with that. "My mother seems ill, and needs her prescription potions. Only issue with that is, I'm the only one who knows how to make them, and she's run out, unfortunately..."

Harry smiled, and stepped closer to Severus, taking his hand. "I know that I'd give anything to spend one more day with my own mother," he said softly, reaching up and cupping the man's face with his free hand. "Go and help her, Severus. Really."

Severus sighed. "I don't want to leave you..."

"You're not leaving me, you're just going to give your mother the help she needs," Harry responded softly, closing the distance between them and kissing him softly, the first time he'd initiated a kiss, and felt his heart hammering faster in his chest as Severus wrapped his arms around him. "I'll be fine," he whispered against the man's lips.

Severus continued holding onto Harry. "I'll speak to my mother about you," he said quietly, and smirked at Harry's confused expression. "She doesn't issue invitations for dinner lightly, Harry, and, I assure you, that she won't forget about it."

Harry chuckled. "Whatever makes you comfortable, Severus."

"You make me comfortable," the man replied and, before he could talk himself out of it, gently caressed the seam of Harry's lips with his tongue, and groaned when Harry's mouth opened automatically to him, and delighted in the shiver the younger man made as Severus's tongue mapped out his mouth completely.

"Go and help your mother," Harry said, gently shoving Severus backwards and away from him, although his eyes were shining.

"Let me know when you're back in London," Severus told him.

Harry nodded. "I will."

Severus gave him a small smile, before he climbed up onto Corvina's back again, and flew off into the sky, noticing that he could see Harry waving him off for a long time afterward.