On his final day in Godric's Hollow, Harry made his way to the cemetery where he knew his parents had been buried. He'd been back each summer after the Weasleys had gotten custody of him, and Molly or Arthur, or perhaps Bill if he was available, would accompany him, Ron, and Hermione to pay their respects. After he graduated from Hogwarts, he felt secure in going on his own, and Ron and Hermione had immediately respected his decision, telling him that they would be there for him, should he want to talk afterwards.

Stepping into the cemetery, Harry looked around, and was relieved to see that the entirety of the place was empty on that day. The Sunday service at the Godric's Hollow Cathedral had likely ended, and the after-service coffee, tea and treats had also seemed to have come and gone. Harry quickly noticed that the headstones were done up alphabetically by last name, and was amazed to see that several of the years dated back from the 1880s, if not before. He stopped momentarily in the D's, catching sight of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, as well as their only daughter, Ariana, who were all deceased. Percival had met his end in Azkaban, while Kendra had been killed by a spurt of accidental magic by Ariana, while the youngest child of the trio of Dumbledore children had been murdered by Gellert Grindelwald himself.

Harry sighed, feeling badly that his former headmaster's family had been shattered so. He knew that his younger brother and middle child of the Dumbledore family, Aberforth, innkeeper and barman of The Hog's Head, was not close to the Headmaster at Hogwarts. However, at the height of the Wizarding War, Aberforth had permitted his elder brother to use his bar to interview potentially unsavory characters, in the hopes of infiltrating Riddle's potential army, before it had all come crashing down on the final day of October 1981. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all gone into the Hog's Head upon the occasion of their commencement from Hogwarts, each sipping on a congratulatory Firewhiskey, and had thanked Aberforth for all he had done in service to taking Riddle down.

Pushing himself away from the headstone of the Dumbledore family at last, Harry meandered down through the various surnames, hesitating briefly at his Peverell relatives' stone, before finally finding where his parents had been buried. He knelt within the patch of dying grass before the stone, casting an Aguamenti to re-hydrate it, and was relieved when it came alive beneath his knees once again. Conjuring a beautiful bunch of forget-me-nots, Harry levitated them to rest upon the bottom portion of the grave. He smiled, taking in the names of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter, wondering if they would have approved of how he was spending his time, and who he was currently spending it with, post-graduation.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," Harry said softly, sitting back upon his haunches. "I did as you both wanted—I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature, with both Muggle and Wizarding World qualifications," he said, unable to keep the pride of his achievements out of his voice as he told them. "I have an appointment with the goblins at Gringotts to look into the vault, and finally claim my inheritance," he said, a small laugh escaping his lips. "I jumped through plenty of hoops to get to it, you know, so I should be able to get it..."

He broke off suddenly, and allowed his laughter to dissipate, as he stared down at his hands, which he was currently clenching before him. Remus had warned him about what any conversation would have been like, had his parents been alive, about what he was up to in seeing Severus Snape. Meeting him in passing, had there not been a connection, when Harry had been doing the favor for Ron, would have been one thing. This, however, was another thing entirely, because Harry not only had a connection with the man, but he had slept with him, lost his virginity to him, in fact, and, given his father's deep hatred for his former schoolmate, neither James or Sirius would have been happy for him.

"Mum, Dad... There's another bit of news I have to share with you," he said softly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear their responses, even if they were able to do so, but still wanted to be the one to say it. "I've been seeing someone... Ron actually inadvertently introduced us. He was sick when he had to give a final interview for the school paper, and I went in his place... You actually know the person I had to interview. His name is Severus...Severus Snape," he said softly, and found himself smiling at the memory of them flying upon the hippogriff together, as well as the fact that he'd been introduced as his boyfriend.

He'd been told by Sirius, and later by Remus, that his parents had always wanted to see him happy, either professionally or personally, in his life. Harry bit down hard upon his lower lip, and wondered if that extended to his potentially finding happiness with his parents' school day enemies. Misunderstood is what Severus had been, and it broke his heart that the Marauders had refused to allow themselves to uphold their houses' message to be chivalrous. Sure, his father hadn't had an issue with his mother's Blood Status, but the moment another student seemed to be interested in something that differed with his own world view, they were marked for bullying and childish tendencies...

"He's a world-famous potions master now, and he's working on a new adaptation for the Wolfsbane Potion, which should be complete by Remus's next birthday," he went on, his tone enthusiastic. "We're so different, but I like him, a lot, and I hope I can be with him the way he needs me to," he said, ending that sentence softly, for he was still unsure about it. "Anyhow," he pressed on, "I love you both. I've got to be getting back to London. Ron's going to ask Hermione to move in with him, so when I have my appointment at Gringotts, I'm going to look into the other Potter properties. I've given up my hold on Grimmauld Place; I think the Malfoy's are trying to get it now... I'll have to figure out where I'm going to live when all of this is over," he whispered. "Well," he went on, getting to his feet and brushing off his trousers, "I'll be seeing you." He placed his hand briefly upon the headstone, and smiled down at it. "I love you, both of you. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to be happy for me," he said quietly, before he turned on the spot an Apparated back to his flat in London.

~*~

Harry knelt in front of the Floo Network in his shared flat with Ron, waiting for the connection to be established. Ron and Hermione were each off somewhere—Ron assisting the twins at the shop in Diagon Alley on a rare afternoon off, and Hermione was visiting her parents. Nibbling at his lower lip, Harry watched as the flames swirled around, until he was finally connected to Severus's office at the bureau.

"Harry?" Severus asked, his face appearing in the flames, looking perplexed. "Are you doing all right? I haven't heard from you since our last outing..."

Harry gave him a small smile. "I'm all right, thank you," he replied. "I was wondering if, perhaps, you would have time to meet with me today."

Severus snapped his fingers and tilted his head, and Harry smirked at the notion that the man was obviously looking over his schedule. "I have time this evening, around eight. Would that suffice, Harry?" he asked, looking up.

Harry nodded. "It does. Thank you."

"Did you want to go to dinner?"

Harry shook his head. "No, no thank you," he said softly. "I would like to request a business meeting from you, if that's all right."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "A business meeting?"

"Precisely," Harry responded. "I would like to discuss the dynamics of our relationship, my limits, and whatnot."

Severus looked appraisingly at Harry. "I think that is an excellent idea," he responded. "I'm not fond in taking someone against their will, nor do I enjoy walking into something blind. I would think that being on the same page, especially about important matters such as these, is a most excellent idea, Harry."

Harry smiled politely, but secretly he was dancing inside at the notion that Severus had so readily agreed to this meeting. "Great," he responded, knowing that he had to be diplomatic about all of this. "I'll see you at eight, then, Severus."

"I look forward to it, Harry," Severus said, a small smile pulling at his lips, before he severed the connection between them.

Harry pushed himself upwards and looked around the flat; in the days since their commencement and Harry's subsequent trip up to Godric's Hollow, cleaning had fallen by the wayside. Shaking his head, Harry got to work, summoning the book on Cleaning Spells that Molly had supplied them both with when they'd first moved in, and smirked to himself as Hedwig went onto the highest perch possible, in order to not get caught up with the erratic-looking spells coming forth from his wand. As Harry worked, he recalled all the demeaning chores and duties that the Dursleys had given him when he was a child and young teenager, and shook his head, knowing that he was truly better off without them, and would never have to see either of them again for as long as he lived.

Rolling his shoulders, Harry felt pleased with the progress about two hours later, and then went to the ensuite in his bedroom to shower. Stripping off, Harry tested the water temperature with his hand before stepping inside the stream, grimacing slightly at the water pressure. His meeting with the goblins at Gringotts couldn't come soon enough; he was more than ready to get out of his flat and get a proper place to live. Harry rolled his shoulders then, envisioning Severus working with highly volatile potions, his dark eyes gleaming with concentration, and imagined all that those talented hands could do to him.

Harry bit his lip, leaning back against the white tiles that decorated his shower. His eyes rolled back up into his head, as his right hand lowered to trail through the hair around his groin, and to cup at his balls. He rolled them experimentally in his fingers, an involuntary groan escaping from his lips before he could call it back. Working his lower lip between his teeth, he caressed the tip of his engorged member, imagining that Severus was the one holding him, caressing him, stimulating him... It only took three quick pulls, and Harry was cursing, swearing, and yelling Severus's name as he came in his hands.

Straightening himself up and pushing back from the wall, Harry finished washing himself before he got out of the shower. Once he'd dried himself off and threw on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, he stepped into a pair of sandals and made his way to the Floo again. Calling out for The Leaky Cauldron, where he hadn't been since the night before Severus had taken his virginity, Harry stepped through. Greeting Tom, Harry trooped over to a table along the back wall, where Ron, Fred, and George were sitting. The twins greeted him with hugs, and Harry clasped Ron's hand briefly as he slipped into the booth beside him.

"No Angelina or Alicia today?" Harry queried.

"Angelina's got a new case of dragon pox at St. Mungo's," George explained. "She has to quarantine herself, even though she's already been inoculated. Apparently it's a new strain of some kind, but rumor has it that that boyfriend of yours is on the case," he went on, and gave Harry a small smirk.

Harry grimaced slightly then and turned to Fred. "And Alicia?" he asked.

Fred shook his head. "Alicia's got practice," he explained. "Summer games are coming up, and, even though they're not in the Cup, they still want to keep on their toes."

"Krum's playing this year, right?" Ron asked, having been obsessed, practically, with the player since they'd all attended the Cup in 1994.

"That's right," George confirmed, grinning. "Dumb Krum."

"He's an artist!" Ron said, crossing his arms and glaring at his brothers.

"Too bad Ginny's not here, to declare that you're in love with him," Fred said with a smirk, and Harry smiled nervously at the prospect.

"It was before she was really mad for you, mate," Ron assured him, his feelings on Krum temporarily forgotten. "Besides, she's with Dean now..."

"But for how long?" George asked. "Hermione told me about what Colin said the last time you were here, Harry," he said softly. "Fred and I knew the entire time. We just hope that they don't keep on like this..."

"You're right there," Harry responded, thanking one of the barmaids for the glass of pumpkin juice, and sipped at it slowly.

"Right about what exactly?" Ron asked, looking from his brothers, to his best mate, and back again. "What are you three on about?"

"Just that Ginny and Dean aren't right for each other, Ronniekins," Fred explained.

"Not right for...? What do you...?"

"You know as well as I do that she's been stringing him along since the second half of your sixth-year and her fifth," George put in. "Ever since she tried to kiss Harry in the common room like that, prompting them to temporarily break up, and Harry to come out before he was ready to do so. Luckily, Skeeter didn't get her grubby little hands on the story..."

"All thanks to one of Dumbledore's new clauses in the school rules," Fred said smartly. "I think it had to do with the one too many times Filch had it in for us..."

"But Ginny and Dean can't just be going through the motions," Ron protested. "They've got to have some feelings for each other..."

"Contempt, at least on Ginny's end," Harry said ruefully, sitting back in the booth and swirling his pumpkin juice around in its tankard. "I think Dean's just gotten so used to being with her, and, by extension, the treatment she deals to him, that he's either too comfortable or too used to it that he won't break it off."

"And I suppose that Ginny still wants you?"

"Most probably," Harry said with a shrug, not particularly caring. "And then, of course, there's the matter of Dean..."

"What about Dean?" Ron pressed. "He's a good bloke..."

"You didn't say that in sixth-year," Fred said, smirking.

"Not to mention the term 'slick git' being brought up in relation to him more than once," George quickly put in.

"Well, he was running his hands all over our sister! What else am I supposed to say or do in that situation?!" Ron demanded.

"Ignore it?" Harry asked. "You were snogging Lavender Brown the year before, when Moody finally was able to take over as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for real..."

"He never seemed fully with it," Ron mused, shaking his head.

"Likely because of the post-traumatic stress after Crouch had made the aborted play for Riddle's return," Harry said darkly. "Once you go through the veil at the ministry, there's no coming back from it..."

"I still think the plot to lure you to the ministry was madness," George said, shuddering.

"Ginny likely thought the pair of you would come together after that, given that things had failed with Cho," Fred said quietly.

"I know she was with Hufflepuff's Seeker, Diggory, for a while there," Ron said. "I mean, he broke her heart before graduation, and just disappeared..."

"We played against him plenty of times to let you know he was good," George reported. "But I guess, with all the pressure Mr. Diggory continuously put on him..."

"He wanted to fly under the radar, so to speak," Fred said, shaking his head. "I think he's working in France with their ministry now. Dad mentioned it during the Christmas hols after he graduated from Hogwarts," he went on, and George nodded quickly, showing that he remembered the conversation. "Mr. Diggory wanted him to be an Auror, but I think he went into... What was it, George?"

"The Bureau of Magicommunications," George said, snapping his fingers as it seemed to suddenly come to him. "Mr. Diggory was so disappointed, but Dad was sure to tell him that it was wonderful that he even got a ministry job at all, due to his status as a Quidditch god," he said, and rolled his eyes.

Harry smirked, looking up to catch the waiter's eye, and they all ordered platters of fish and chips for their lunches. "I talked to him a few times about the game," he said quietly. "Nice enough, I suppose. Perfectly polite, but awfully quiet and shy. I think the popularity at Hogwarts he had, plus the pressure from Mr. Diggory, might've weighed more heavily on him than any of us could've even begun to realize..."

Ron helped pass around the platters of lunch once they arrived at the table. Tentatively, he put vinegar all over his food, and twirled one of the chips in his fingertips. "You really don't think that Ginny and Dean will work out?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Ron's brows furrowed. "Well, we've established why it won't work on Ginny's side of things," he said, "but that just leaves Dean. What about him? It can't just be because he's too comfortable..."

"Dean's got feelings for someone else, mate," Harry said, patting Ron on the shoulder.

Ron immediately turned red. "Not me!" he cried out.

Fred and George laughed uproariously from the other side of the table, nudging the other with their elbows.

"No, Ron," Harry told him patiently. "Seamus."

"Why do you think that Seamus wasn't ever fully serious about Lavender, once the two of you broke up?" Fred asked, wheezing through the remains of his laughter.

Ron sputtered for a moment, shaking his head. "I always thought, because he went to the Yule Ball with her..."

"Comfort, Ronniekins," George said, clearing his throat in an effort to keep speaking. "Seamus wasn't ready, just like Harry."

"Seamus and I snogged sixth-year, after I refused to snog Ginny," Harry admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. He'd never really counted it, as they'd gotten into some Butterbeers at the time, and had promised that it wouldn't affect their friendship.

Ron made a face. "Bloody hell," he muttered, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth, and Harry knew that wouldn't have done so, had Hermione been there. "Why don't they just wake up and be together, then?"

"Maybe they need a push, eh, Forge?" Fred asked.

"Perhaps so, Gred, perhaps so," George responded.

"Or, maybe, we should let them figure it out on their own?" Harry asked, picking up his cutlery, and began slicing into the fried fish. "We're all adults here. You don't necessarily know best just because you're two years older..."

Ron grinned then, putting an arm around Harry's shoulders. "I see that your years as a part of the Weasley brood have taught you well, mate," he said approvingly.

Harry followed Ron and the twins back to the shop after they'd finished their lunch, and took a look at their new product lines for the summer. They were debuting new delights for the Skiving Snackboxes, and neither of the twins could've been more proud. The new things on offer were Cold Chanillies, Pain Parfaits, Infection Ices, Mump Meringues, Pox Puddings, Malaria Mousse, and Norovirus Nougats. The various colors of the pieces were inspiring, but Harry just hoped that the children buying them wouldn't end up missing too many of their important lessons as a result.

Pushing the thought from his mind, and also realizing he had an appointment to keep, Harry bade Ron and the twins farewell later in the afternoon. Upon Flooing back into his flat, Harry set to work on tossing up a salad for his dinner, before cooking and adding some blackened chicken into the mix, wanting to keep it light. He sat in the kitchen eating his dinner, the Wizarding Wireless keeping him company, while Hedwig swooped in, and indulged in some owl treats before heading out for her nighttime hunt.

It was still light when Harry showered and changed again for the meeting that evening, selecting a pair of summer, informal dress robes for the occasion. They were a dark green, which made his eyes pop, and he hoped that Severus would notice. He summoned his Firebolt and flew out the door, after casting a Concealing Charm upon himself. He entered via the Muggle entrance of the Fiole Bureau, which was in an old political building on the London High Street. Shrinking down his broom, he stepped out into view, still under the Concealment Charm, and didn't cancel it until he was in Severus's domain.

Severus looked slightly taken aback when Harry stepped into view, and Harry did his best to conceal the smirk that threatened to pull at his own lips. "Good evening, Harry," he said, his velvet voice downright intoxicating as he looked Harry up and down, directly causing Harry to feel utterly and completely delicious and desired. Severus stepped forward, kissing Harry on the cheek, and wrapped an arm around his waist, before proceeding to pull him into a formal meeting room on the opposite end of the corridor.

"Business meeting, remember?" Harry reminded the man, gently shoving the older man's hand away from the small of his back.

Severus smirked, but did his best at keeping his distance from Harry as they approached the conference room, opening the door for him and allowing him to step inside first. He kept his eyes glued to Harry as the younger man crossed the room, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table, and Severus moved to do the same. He remained silent, barely looking up as a side door of the conference room opened, and Penelope Clearwater stepped inside, giving Harry a small smile as she produced a bottle of the wizarding equivalent of Dom Perignon, which was an elf-made variation called Onier Ordinaire. She banished the respective emerald-encrusted goblets to either side of the table, and then summoned two separate platters from the next room; each one contained an assortment of sweet chestnuts, toast triangles, red grapes and cherries, what appeared to be an aged cheddar, olives, sliced celery, carrots, and snap peas. Harry raised his eyebrows, nodding to Penelope as she moved to leave.

"Thank you, Miss Clearwater," Severus said smoothly, "that will be all. You are excused for the remainder of the evening. See you at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Good evening, Master Snape, Mr. Potter," she said formally, before sweeping out of the room, presumably to pack up her desk and leave for the night.

"Impressive," Harry said, nodding at everything that currently surrounded them. "You truly do like to exercise control in all things."

Severus smirked. "As I told you upon the occasion of our second meeting."

Harry lowered his eyes. "Yes. That was not a good day for me."

"I was merely being honest with you, Harry, and it is through pure selfishness that I allowed myself to see you again. I truly didn't wish to be so abrupt with you, but we truly have to be on the same page, if we are to truly make a go at a relationship, of any kind."

Harry looked up at Severus. "I'm pleased that you're being so honest."

"I may be controlling, Harry, but I will do my best to never lie to you. I was surrounded by lies from a young age. It is not the way in which I wish to continue my life."

Harry bit down on his lower lip, internally delighting as Severus visibly stiffened at the movement he made. "How do we do this?" he asked. "There's no contract..."

"I am not fond in engaging in contracts, unless it is in a professional format," Severus explained patiently to Harry. "A contract means that I employ your services. Were we to have a contract between the two of us, I would expect some potions work from you. If it was a contract on a personal basis, it would appear as if I own you. While I wish to possess you, Harry, and will be possessive of you, I will never own you."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, clearly more at ease with the situation. "I appreciate you clearing that up for me," he said with a smile. "It will certainly make things easier in the long run... Well, what shall we discuss first?"

"Diet," Severus said, and Harry raised an eyebrow. "I won't tell you what to eat, or when to eat, but I do expect you to maintain an appropriate amount of calories on a daily basis. I will have you meet with my personal healer, Louvenia Wainscott, to ensure that you're at a good height and weight overall."

Harry unfolded his hands, which had been resting upon the tabletop, and took ahold of the wine goblet in his hand, seeing an elegant P curved within the emeralds, and quickly deduced that these glasses must've been Prince family heirlooms. "What's the catch, then?" he asked, inhaling the champagne, smelling bergamot, fresh bread, and ginger.

"She will also inform you about acceptable alcohol consumption," Severus informed him, and Harry casually raised his eyebrows as he slowly drank the champagne. "I was very worried about you the night I found you at The Leaky Cauldron. I will also admit to being jealous about your former schoolmate touching you without your consent..."

Harry smiled, lowering the glass back onto the tabletop. "You can't know how hard it makes me to know that you were actually jealous," he said softly.

"Business meeting, remember?" Severus growled, and Harry flashed him an innocent smile, and the man sighed.

"Yes, I suppose so... Well, I agree to meet with your healer, because if you trust her, then so should I," Harry said reasonably. "What's next?" he asked.

"Hard limits, I suppose," Severus responded. He smiled slightly when Harry raised his eyebrows once again. "What you're absolutely not willing to try," he elaborated."

Harry sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, unsure how to go about explaining it to the man, for he likely had a voracious appetite for all things sexual, but he didn't want to be demeaned or humiliated in any way... "I don't subscribe to any kind of demeaning or humiliation actions," he said softly.

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Care to elaborate?"

"I don't want anything to do with urine or feces in a sexual sense," Harry said with a shudder. "I just... It makes me sick. Please don't make me..."

Severus lifted his hand, cutting Harry off. "Neither do I," he assured the younger man, wanting nothing more than to pull him into his arms and comfort him. "While I don't know personally if anyone I'm in contact with subscribes to those kinks, I myself am not one of them. We need not discuss it further."

"Thank you," Harry said, relaxing once again.

"Do go on," Severus encouraged.

"Traditional rough sex should be fine," Harry told him. "But I don't want to be in pain. Sore, yes; that I can handle. Pain? No."

Severus nodded. "I can agree to that. Anything further?"

Harry's Adam's apple bobbed from within his throat. "I won't tolerate being tied up, using toys, blindfolded, or top," he said quickly, wanting desperately to get what he was not willing to do over with.

Severus smiled, thankful that Harry was being so up-front. "I agree," he said, not wanting Harry to be uncomfortable with him.

Harry swallowed. "Further," he went on, flushing, "Ron has a lot of older brothers. Fred and George, while not gay, know a lot about it, because their older brother, Charlie, is..."

"Did they inform you of something, then?" Severus asked, popping a grape into his mouth.

Harry gripped his robes I his fists, from where they currently rested upon his lap. "Yes," he admitted. "Fisting...anal fisting..."

"I'm all ears," Severus said.

"Strike it out of your mind," Harry said abruptly. "Never going to happen. I'm not even willing to try it."

Severus nodded; he had done it on his lovers in the past, but only when they had wanted it, as he had never particularly enjoyed it. "Very well, then," he said softly.

Harry leaned forward then; he had done some investigating of his own, and he wanted to know how far he could go without making Severus squirm. "What are butt plugs?"

Severus looked shocked at Harry's blasé manner, and smirked. "Don't you know what they are, Harry?" he asked. "After all, they're pretty self-explanatory..."

Harry grinned. "Of course I know what they are," he said; and he did, he truly had just wanted to make the man squirm. "Those aren't happening either," he declared.

Severus grinned at him. "Will there be anything else, Harry?"

"Outings," Harry said, knowing that this was him putting all of his cards on the table, so to speak, as he desperately wanted his way on this.

"How do you mean?" Severus asked.

"Dates," he said softly. "I want to be seen in public with you. I don't want to be kept like a dirty little secret. If we have so much fun in the bedroom, who's to say we can't outside of it? I want something out of this, too, you know..."

"You would have me, Harry."

Harry lowered his eyes. "And I want you," he admitted, now gripping upon the edge of the table as he found he could no longer keep control of his emotions. "But I want it all. I know you said that you didn't do that, but that's what I need. If we can't come to some sort of agreement, then I don't know how this is going to work..."

"This is what you meant in Godric's Hollow, isn't it?" Severus asked, watching Harry as the younger man slowly raised his eyes to his. "When you said you wanted more?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. This is what I meant," he said softly.

Severus slowly lifted his goblet to his lips and sipped from it, never taking his eyes off of Harry, and seemed to come to a decision. "I found I was not averse to experiencing what you call more with you," he said softly.

Harry straightened in his seat then. "Really?"

"Really," the man assured him. "As such, I would be willing to explore what all this 'more' means, considering that it seems to mean a lot to you."

Harry shook his head. "You can't do it just for me, Severus. It'll never work if you don't end up enjoying yourself as well."

Severus smiled slowly then. "I enjoy my time with you, Harry."

Harry cocked an eyebrow. "And not just in the bedroom?" he asked.

Severus grinned. "No, Harry. Not just in the bedroom," he assured him.

"Good to know," Harry responded.

Severus slowly lowered the goblet back down onto the tabletop. "Are you going to stay?" he asked, slowly looking up at Harry.

"Stay? What do you mean?"

"I mean with me. Are you going to stay here with me, and likely Floo home with me once I've completed my work?"

Harry bit his lip softly then. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Oh, I want you to stay very much, Harry," Severus responded. "And I can see from here that you're flushed, so you want to stay as much as I want you do."

"It could just be from the wine," Harry whispered.

Severus smirked. "Perhaps," he allowed.

Harry slowly dragged his tongue over his bottom lip, and quickly noticed that Severus's eyes dilated at the gesture. "Say I did stay," he whispered, but knew quite well that Severus could still hear him. "What would happen?"

Severus leaned back in his chair, every inch a sex god. "I would want to get you out of those beautiful robes of yours, and I would be pleased to find that you were naked underneath," he declared, and slowly took off his outer robe himself. "Then, I would advance towards you, and lift you up by your waist onto the table with such force that the goblets would shatter, and the crudité would end up falling to the floor. Next, I would taste every inch of that delectable and delicious body of yours, before grabbing you by the hips, and sampling that delicious arse of yours, which I neglected to do last time. Further, I would wait until you were stretched appropriately, with you clamping around my fingers, begging for me to get you off as I repeatedly grazed your prostate. Following that, I would order you to slick me up yourself, and then I would shove my way into your body, savoring the sensation of you clamping around my cock, while all the while you continue to beg me for more. And finally, you would beg me to come inside you, which I would do, while simultaneously stroking you feverishly into your own climax," he said softly.

Harry smiled, managing to hold himself together so that he didn't come. "I'm afraid it's time for me to go home," he said softly.

Severus nodded his head, slowly getting to his feet and guiding Harry out of there. They walked to the edge of the wards together, and Severus watched with disdain as Harry removed and unshrunk his broom from his pocket. "The Firebolt?"

"Yes," Harry said.

Severus sighed. "Won't you consider riding the supreme?"

"Perhaps one day, when this one wears out," Harry said, grinning at him.

Severus shook his head. "You truly are a stubborn one, Harry Potter," he said.

Harry stood on his toes, kissing Severus as deeply as he dared before pulling away from him. "I suppose that's why I was sorted into Gryffindor," he said with a grin, before he stepped outside the wards, down the corridor, and out into Muggle London.

~*~

Harry was slightly annoyed when Ron suddenly announced that he would be staying with Hermione at the Granger's house in Cumbria before Hermione began her position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Ron started at the Auror Academy. Because of this, Harry no longer had the option of taking his best friends with him to Gringotts to see the contents of his vaults. And that was what found Harry walking through Diagon Alley with none other than Severus Snape on the day in question, after he had Floo'd the man, requesting his company at the bank that afternoon.

"You really didn't have to do this," Harry said softly.

Severus smiled at him. "It's my pleasure, Harry," the man responded.

Harry and Severus mounted the stone steps of the ancient white marble bank, and, as they stepped inside, the wards briefly hummed around them, altering the goblins to their presence there. Harry lowered his eyes to the highly-polished marble flooring, and realized that not even the goblins spared expense when it came to architecture. It was the clicking of tiny feet which caused him to look up again, and Harry smiled automatically at the sight of Ricbert, who had been in charge of his vaults for as long as he could remember.

Ricbert immediately held out his hand for Harry to shake; his hairline was receding greatly now, and the wisps of white upon his head were few and far between. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter, come, come," he said warmly. "Ah. A guest, I see? Master Snape," the goblin said, his dark eyes sparkling as he took ahold of the potion master's hand. "It is indeed an honor, sir."

"A pleasure," Severus said with a nod, accepting the handshake.

Ricbert motioned for them to follow, and took them down a long corridor and into his office. It was a comical sight to see Ricbert hopping up onto his desk chair, and he pulled a series of parchments towards him, nodding to himself as he looked them over. "As you know, Mr. Potter, the holdings of the Potter, Black, and Peverell all belong to you outright, and now you are in a position to claim them. As such, given that you have completed your studies at the wizarding university with flying colors, the Potter and Peverell holdings may now pass to you. The Black holdings were given to you upon your graduation from Hogwarts, but you decided to hold off on receiving everything in full until your graduation from university."

Harry nodded from where he sat on the other side of the desk. "That's correct."

"I have here preliminary fortunes, property, and valuables for each vault here," Ricbert went on, and pushed the parchments across the table towards him. "As you can see, your fortune is several million Galleons altogether, making you a very rich man, Mr. Potter. As for the properties, the Potter, Black, and Peverell families had a great many, and not just in Great Britain. The houses include cottages and houses scattered around Europe; chalets in Switzerland, Monaco, and Austria; chateaus all around France; a few villas in Italy; mansions in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg; farmhouses in Australia, New Zealand, and all across Scandinavia; plus at least one castle in every major country in Europe..." The goblin took this opportunity to look up at his young client, who was staring at him, open-mouthed. "Are you doing quite all right, Mr. Potter?" he asked.

"I believe Mr. Potter is in a state of shock," Severus replied easily. "Would you be so kind as to procure a glass of water for him?"

"Yes, of course, Master Snape," Ricbert replied, hopping off from his desk chair and scuttling out of his office.

"Harry, breathe," Severus said, putting an arm around his shoulders and rubbing his back. "It's quite common that older families will have numerous properties. It's nothing to be ashamed or worried about, I assure you."

Harry nodded, although the movement was jerkier than Severus would have liked. "What about the Prince family?" he asked softly. "Do they have many properties?"

Severus smiled. "Yes, they do, although Mother tends to remain at the main estate," he told his lover, wanting to be patient with him. "It's Father who likes that one, as it is the only one they're able to accommodate Muggle inventions at."

Harry nodded, straightening up when Ricbert returned with a glass of water for him, although he was pleased that Severus kept an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you," he said softly to the goblin, and slowly sipped the water.

"I apologize if I was so hasty in explaining your properties, Mr. Potter," Ricbert said, looking quite cowed. "It is merely my excitement getting the better of me..."

Severus lowered his eyes and regarded the goblin. "You have been in charge of the holdings for quite a long time, if I'm to understand correctly."

"Exactly, Master Snape," Ricbert said with a nod. "I've been waiting quite a long time for Harry to reach the appropriate age, and have all of the appropriate qualifications, to get all the information that is his due." His gaze swiveled onto Harry, and was relieved to see that his client had most of his color back. "I would understand if you would wait until a later date in which to see the contents of your vaults, Mr. Potter..."

"No, thank you, Ricbert," Harry said, now having finished his glass of water, which he banished back to where it had come from. "I would like to see them, with Severus, today, if that is still possible, of course."

"Of course it is, Mr. Potter. I've cleared four hours of my schedule to accommodate you today, as previously discussed. Now," he said, walking back towards the door of his office, "feel free to shrink down those parchments and take them with you. As you can see, they have Apparition coordinates and Floo Network passwords, should you want to visit them." He smiled at his client, very excited now. "If you would like to follow me," he went on, once Harry had shrunk down the parchments, "we can find ourselves a cart and get to your vault."

"Thank you," Harry replied, moving to follow the goblin, Severus at his heels. "I would like to see the Potter vault first..."

"Oh, the Peverell vault combined with the Potter one centuries ago," Ricbert said, smiling at Harry as they walked. "I should have mentioned that," he muttered to himself as they advanced upon the entrance to the vaults. Snapping his gnarled hands, a cart came careening down the tracks and towards them, and Ricbert perched in the front, while Harry and Severus made their way into the back. "Hold on," the goblin instructed, and began to steer the cart along the tracks in the proper direction.

Harry felt relieved as Severus's hand found his as the cart pulled them this way and that. When they finally came to a stop in front of a familiar-looking vault, Harry thanked Ricbert and got to his feet, almost stumbling over, were it not for the delicious and strong hands of Severus coming around him. Harry sighed, sinking into the man's embrace for a moment as Ricbert used his claw to undo the locking mechanism in the stone door of his vault, which squeaked open, and Harry stood on the threshold, taking in the piles of Galleons, and looked over them, seeing bookshelves stuffed to the brim, trunks, and what appeared to be wardrobes.

"Take all the time you like, Mr. Potter," Ricbert said from behind him.

Harry nodded, and felt Severus's hand in his as they crossed the threshold. They went their separate ways, with Harry making his way to what appeared to be a portrait gallery, while Severus perused the bookshelves on the other side of the vault. Harry smiled at the portraits of his ancestors, who all waved eagerly at him, but made no move to speak. Such actions filled Harry with relief, as he suddenly found he wouldn't have known what to say.

Harry then proceeded to look at some artifacts and jewelry, finding a silver dagger with red rubies encrusted upon it. Shrinking it down and pocketing it, he decided to make a present of it to Ron, who would likely be over the moon at the miniature Sword of Gryffindor lookalike. As Harry looked further upon the edges of the bookshelves he found, he found many tomes and dusty-looking volumes, knowing that Hermione would likely be salivating right about now. He shook his head, knowing he would have to make a return trip to show her around, and took ahold of a first-edition copy of An Arithmancer's Almanac by Elmira Harpthorn, which Hermione had always wanted to read but had never managed to find a copy. Harry decided to make this a gift to her, as he himself would never need a copy, and knew just how much it would mean for his best friend to have such a thing.

"Harry..."

"Yes, Severus?" he asked, looking up. They had been inside the Potter and Peverell vault for over two hours by that point, and Harry smiled to see that Severus was cradling several books up against his chest. "Have you found something?"

"Secrets of the Darkest Art by Owle Bullock, Magick Moste Evile by Godelot, Dark Magick Chronicles by Leora Staghart, Spells of the Dark Arts Cicero Gosling, Incantations for Advanced Dark Arts by Mason Kettles, Book of Potions by Zygmunt Budge, Moste Potente Potions by Phineas Bourne, Tinctures and Treatments by Alvena Evergreen, Concoctions of Medieval Europe by Godfrey Rosewood, Brews and Elixirs of Life and Death by Avery Falcon, Remedies for Magical Creatures by Francisca Cross, Infections Made Right: Reversal Effects and Cures by Aubrey Fourpetal... Harry, do you understand? All of these are first-editions and valued at millions of Galleons..."

Harry smiled. "It appears as if you've found many things."

Severus nodded tentatively. "Yes. I believe that all of these could help me conquer the new strain of Dragon Pox, as well as eradicate the symptoms of lycanthropy entirely... Not to mention what else I'd be capable of..."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "So, you're saying that you could help people, so much so that you could improve their quality of life twofold?"

"If not more," Severus replied, reverently stroking the books.

"Keep them."

Severus's gaze snapped up to Harry's. "What?"

"Keep them, take them," Harry told him with a smile.

Severus shook his head. "Harry, these are worth millions... I would insist upon paying you, and even then, I wouldn't be able to afford more than one at a time, and I would still have to pay you in installments..."

Harry shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. They're yours."

"Harry, I cannot just..."

"Yes, you can," Harry said firmly. "Severus, as much as I love and respect potions and the Dark Arts, I can't see myself making a career out of them. Think about it—the books would be lying in here, gathering dust. If you were to take them, you could save lives. Think about Remus, and his wife and children. They need their husband and father with them. Think about all the children in St. Mungo's with Dragon Pox. You could ensure that a new inoculation could eradicate the disease in our world entirely. You could do such great things with these books, and I won't have your pride getting in the way of that."

Severus sighed, running his fingers over the spines and covers. "Very well, Harry," he said at last, and crossed over to Ricbert, to give him strict instructions about having them delivered to his office. "On the condition that I can take you to lunch."

Harry grinned. "Deal."

Once the pair of them had finished up for the day in the vault, with plans to come back again, Harry twice over, as he had to take Ron and Hermione as well, they left the bank and stepped out into Diagon Alley. Harry permitted Severus to pull him gently along the cobblestones, and was taken into a posh-looking bistro. He'd heard about it in The Quibbler, with Xenophilius, Luna, and Neville all giving it resounding praise. The bistro itself was called The Nourishing Nymph, and was done up in dark wood paneling with cream-colored walls.

Harry and Severus were taken to a circular table beside the window, and Harry thanked the host for the menu, as Severus sat across from him and took one as well. Harry ultimately decided upon bangers and mash, while Severus opted for the cottage pie. Harry ordered a pumpkin juice while Severus requested a glass of McSpratts. Harry smiled to himself, pleased with the entirety of the situation.

"You seem pleased with yourself," Severus observed as their drinks floated soundlessly over to their table.

Harry shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I suppose that this is a date..."

"So it would seem," Severus said with a nod. "Our second, if we're to be technical."

"I'd very much enjoy being technical," Harry responded.

Severus smirked. "Quite."

"I loved the way you came alive when you found all those books," Harry said quietly, picking up his pumpkin juice and sipping at it. "You looked as if you really cared about all the people you could potentially help."

"I do care, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "I apologize. I didn't mean to insinuate that you did not. It's just an entirely different situation when you know it intuitively, and then when you see it..." He found himself smiling again. "You were just..."

"I was what, Harry?"

"Beautiful," he whispered, locking eyes with Severus to assure him of his sincerity. "I've never seen someone so passionate like that. Ron, of course, and Hermione, too, are enthusiastic about their projects and whatnot, but... It's an entirely different experience when you see someone, someone you care about so much, look so utterly unfazed by everything around them, and just look so honest about their feelings towards their work. You really do love potions and the Dark Arts, Severus Snape and, based on the fervor and the research you put into your work, the Wizarding World is a better place."

Severus stared at Harry as he spoke, and barely registered the waiter coming by with their lunch platters. As it was a wizarding establishment, food took much less time to cook, and, while Molly Weasley, too used magic in her kitchen, the tender-loving-care she utilized when cooking for her beloved family was all Muggle.

"Harry..."

"Yes?" Harry whispered.

"Do you fancy taking our lunch to go?"

Harry felt his face warming up then. "And where do you propose we take it?" he whispered, and he could feel adrenaline pumping through his body.

"I propose we take it to my home, where I fuck you as hard as I can into the mattress, and then we can reheat this as soon as we pause for a breather," Severus responded.

Harry felt himself warming all over, and he turned to catch the waiter's eye. Once that was achieved, he threw up his hand, and yelled, "Cheque, please!"