44. Back to school

 

Everyone that you teach all day
But you're looking at me in a different way
I can see those tell-tale signs
Telling me that I was on your mind
I can see that you wanted more
That's what I go to school for
That's what I go to school for*

 

The winter break was over and the blessed silence of the castle was filled with the excited voices of hundreds of students, breathing youthful vitality and warmth back into the old walls. Harry was glad that he had the opportunity to see Ron and Hermione again, but on the other hand he was very sad that he would no longer be able to see Severus so often, and to stay overnight in his chambers. Right now, when he finally had full permission to do so, and when things finally started to work out between them.

All they had left were the detentions. Three hours, twice a week. So little time. Very little, as he realized with a pang of heart. And, of course, occasional meetings during which - as he told his friends - 'he would be sitting in the Room of Requirement to think and be alone.' But for the time being, that option was out of the question since he had almost two weeks to 'think alone.' No, he'll have to come up with something else.

His friends, especially Ron, had so much to tell him that Harry suspected he wouldn't be seeing his pillow any time soon. He only managed to insert one sentence into Ron's chatter when Hermione asked him how his Christmas was.

"Great!" he replied cheerfully, and it was the sincerest truth. "I mean, it would have been a thousand times better with you, of course," he corrected himself quickly, seeing his friend's surprised look, "but it was really fine. I spent a lot of time with Hagrid or on the grounds and I studied a lot." Hermione smiled proudly at this confession, and Ron grimaced and shook his head in disbelief, as if something like studying during the holidays was as abstract a concept to him as not finishing a meal. "Oh, and I was meeting with Luna because she stayed at Hogwarts too."

"Luna?" Hermione looked at him with surprise.

"Yes. I didn't ask why she stayed, but it was nice to have at least one familiar face with me. So, as you can see, I didn't feel that alone." Harry grinned. "And I'm very glad that you had a great time with your families. I must have missed a lot."

Ron perked up, seeing a chance for himself to continue the story.

"Harry, you can only regret that you weren't with us! Mom baked tons of cookies! I think you got a package from her." Harry nodded, vaguely remembering Mrs. Weasley's box of treats left somewhere under the bed. He completely forgot about it. "Fred and George decorated the Christmas tree with exploding baubles. Too bad you didn't see Mom's fury when she spilled the Christmas soup because of them. Bill and Fleur came too. And even Charlie. He brought us a whole bunch of dragon skin gloves. I took one pair for you because mom insisted. You won't believe what I got from Bill..." Ron babbled, leaning towards Harry, his eyes shining and his cheeks flushed with excitement. He reached into his pocket and took out a small tube, one-third the length of a feather, made of black stone and decorated with what looked like small, milky-white fangs.

"What is this?" Harry asked as Ron placed the object in his hand. It was quite heavy.

"The latest achievement of techno-wizards. Look." He took the object between two fingers and with his other hand grabbed the wooden protrusion sticking out on one side of the tube. He pulled, and to Harry's surprise, Ron's wand emerged from the small object, about thirty-five centimeters long, intact. "Awesome, right?" Ron asked, seeing his friend's admiring look. "They are not on the market yet. They will be introduced only in a month. It works in a similar way to the tent we lived in during the Quidditch World Cup. It fits anywhere and it's a lot more comfortable to walk around with than this long stick digging into your skin," Ron concluded, slipping the wand back into the tube and into his pocket.

"But I doubt it'll be that convenient when you're suddenly attacked and need to quickly pull out that 'long stick' to defend yourself," Hermione snorted, who was sitting next to them on the armrest of the couch in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, which was filled with the chatter of students. , talking passionately about everything that happened to them during the holidays.

"Huh, you're just afraid of any news," Ron snorted, giving her a slightly irritated look, devoid of his usual anger.

"No, I'm just thinking practically," the girl replied, smiling indulgently. "Unlike you."

"I also think practically. After all, this could make the lives of all wizards and witches much easier. You won't have to worry about where the hell to find a place to put your wand in your prom dress. This little wonder will fit into any purse. Even the smallest one."

Hermione blushed and looked like she was going to explode, but instead... she burst out laughing.

"Oh Ron, you should work in advertising," she giggled as Ron blushed brightly.

Harry watched them with increasing amazement, feeling a warm feeling in his heart at hearing their laughter again. They were together again. It was true that he had to cheat on them and he didn't feel comfortable with it, but they were his best friends and he couldn't imagine ever losing them.

"I don't think so, Hermione. I'd rather invent such items myself." He patted his pocket. "Do something that would make life easier for people. Something that could be useful to someone."

The girl had stopped laughing and was now looking at him with softly shining hazel eyes.

"Oh, Ron..." she whispered and leaned forward, pressing her soft lips to his surprised mouth. The redhead turned bright red.

Harry stared at them with wide eyes.

Well, that was a bit... surprising. It was true that he had seen them shyly kissing during the Hogsmeade Christmas party, but there was a huge difference between drunken kissing and a most serious kiss in front of the whole house, and Harry had the unpleasant feeling that he had missed something.

"Ahem..." he finally said, not really knowing what he wanted to say, just to get them apart. "I... I mean... I think I've missed something," he said, looking from one to the other and blinking.

Hermione glanced at Ron and smiled. She looked a bit embarrassed.

"Harry, we--" Ron began hesitantly.

"--are together" Hermione finished.

"Well, that I've noticed myself," Harry said emphatically. He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh when he saw his friends' scared looks. "But how did it happen? You were always arguing."

"It's not that simple," Hermione said quietly, biting her lip. "It's just... sometimes you notice that the person who arouses the greatest emotions in you is the person without whom you can no longer imagine life. And you discover that what irritates you about that person is actually what you love about them. That quarrels and arguments are actually a sign of enormous emotional involvement."

Harry stared at her with his mouth open. He looked at Ron for confirmation.

"That's true, man. When I got drunk back then, suddenly... it was as if something opened up inside me and... you know." He glanced uncertainly at Hermione. He looked like he was apologizing for his feelings and Harry suddenly felt very stupid.

After all, they have the right to be together. They have the right to be happy. So why did he feel such a strange grip in his heart? He encouraged Ron himself, he pushed him into action during the party himself. But somehow he never thought at the time that it could turn into something deeper. That his best friends would suddenly tell him that they were... a couple. That they would now live in their shared world to which he would have no access. That they would share something he couldn't share with them. And yet until now they have always done everything together. And now the two of them will be doing some things only together.

He knew that this feeling of exclusion was irrational, that he himself had secrets from them, but he couldn't get rid of this unpleasant grip on his heart. He felt as if a certain stage of his life had just ended. And he felt very, very bad about it.

"That's... great," he finally said, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"We're sorry we're only telling you about it now, but it didn't fully sink in until over the holidays," Hermione said, looking at him with concern.

"Did you spend Christmas together?"

"Not all of it. I only came after Christmas," the girl explained quickly, as if she was trying to explain something wrong.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't disturb you," Harry said, mentally cursing his bitter tone.

"Oh, Harry, you know we really wanted you to--"

"Give it up, Hermione. I know you were happy that I was gone. It could just be the two of you."

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Stop saying such stupid things. We're still friends after all. We're not going to leave you suddenly, if that's what you mean," she retorted sharply, looking him straight in the eyes. Ron remained silent, clearly surprised and overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"I'm sorry, I-- never mind. I'm glad you're together. That's all," he said, staring at the pattern on the carpet.

"Then you're showing it strangely," Hermione replied softly, though there was still a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"But you're the one who has a girlfriend you don't want to tell us about," Ron said suddenly. "At least we're not lying to you."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded him.

"What? You said yourself that's probably why he's always sneaking out and having his head in the clouds. And then that Anastassy girl talked about that Slytherin girl and--"

"I'm not going to explain myself to you!" Harry growled and jumped up from the couch.

"Harry!" Hermione tried to save the situation, but Ron's words only filled the cup.

"I'm going to the dormitory," Harry announced and, without waiting for an answer, ran up the stairs. He threw himself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

This was not how he had imagined their return. He knew he shouldn't act like this, but he couldn't help but feel so... betrayed. Excluded. Pushed away.

Perhaps it was just a defensive reaction. He himself had a secret he was hiding from them. He was angry that he had to do this, that he couldn't tell them the truth. And he desperately looked for anything that would make them look at least partially as bad as he himself felt. For some kind of flaw. He was getting back at them for having to hide the truth from them.

But Harry didn't realize it himself. He felt only inexplicable anger.

A slight movement in the next bed made him realize he wasn't alone here.

"Neville? What are you doing here? Why aren't you downstairs?"

Gryffindor's pale, chubby face peeked out from behind the curtain.

"Oh, hello Harry." He smiled slightly. "I... there are too many people there. Nobody pays attention to me anyway. At least it's quiet here."

Harry felt suddenly struck by the badly concealed sadness on the round face and the loneliness in Neville's eyes. In fact, no matter how you look at it, apart from him, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna, the boy didn't have any friends here. Not that Harry had more of them, but Neville had never been very close to them. Always aloof, always pushed away, always inferior, Harry thought with shame. There used to be Seamus and Dean with them here and they really had a great time together, but since Harry didn't talk to them and they moved to another dormitory, the number of people Neville was close to decreased even more. Because he chose to be faithful to Harry. And Harry almost didn't notice him. He suddenly felt like the worst, ungrateful piece of shit.

He jumped out of bed and sat down on the bed next to the surprised Gryffindor.

"How was your holiday?" he asked, smiling encouragingly.

"Uh... f-fine," the boy uttered. "I spent it with my grandmother. As usual."

Yep, Neville didn't have parents either. A razor-sharp, demanding grandmother was his only family. In this case they were similar. And not only in this.

"Oh.." the Gryffindor said suddenly, and his eyes widened as if he had just remembered something. Something very, very important. "Harry, you know, I have to tell you something. I was in St. Mungo's during the holidays to visit someone... from my family. And you won't guess who I saw there!" Neville stared at him with bright, wide-open eyes. Harry shrugged and shook his head, having no idea who Neville might have met there. "Malfoy!"

Harry suddenly felt a huge weight fall on his stomach and his heart began to beat crazily.

"Are you serious?" he finally choked out.

Neville nodded vigorously. "He was in solitary confinement. I only saw him for a moment because my grandmother was calling for me to hurry up. I stopped to tie my shoe and then one of the healers came into the next room and I saw a blond head and when I turned my head it was Malfoy! I walked closer and looked through the glass. I'm telling you, it was him. He lay there looking like he was dead."

Harry frowned. "How's that?"

"Well... I mean, his eyes were open and he seemed to be breathing, but he was just staring at the ceiling and not moving at all. When the mediwizard was giving him some potion, she had to pick it up and pour it into his mouth because he acted and looked like a rag doll. He didn't react at all. If it weren't for his hair, I would never have recognized him. He was so thin that I could see his veins and even protruding bones under his skin. And he had such long, messy hair. It was terrifying. What do you think happened to him, Harry?"

The boy shook his head, listening to his friend with increasing disbelief. He just couldn't believe it.

Malfoy as a vegetative plant locked in St. Mungo's? After all, it was--

"Terrible," he choked out, and it took him a moment to realize he had said it out loud. He shrugged, still shaking his head. "I have no idea what happened to him."

"I mean... everyone says he was the one who'd attacked you, and then he disappeared and--"

Harry looked sharply at the Gryffindor.

"You don't think I did it, do you?"

"No no no. Of course not," Neville replied quickly, waving his hands. "But this whole thing is kind of... weird."

"Uhm," the boy muttered, lost in his own thoughts.

"Oh, and one more thing," Neville said slowly, remembering more details. "Every now and then Malfoy opened his mouth like he was screaming or something, but he must have had a silencing charm on him because nothing could be heard."

Harry frowned. This whole thing was truly terrifying. He must tell Ron and Hermione about this!

But wait... he's offended at them. Too bad, in that case he will have to 'unoffend'. And he need to do that quickly, because these revelations were gnawing at his insides and he knew he wouldn't last long keeping them to himself.

 

***

 

When a frosty Monday morning hit the windows and walls of the school, some students had serious problems with waking up and getting to breakfast. After almost two weeks of sleeping until obscenely late hours, the Hogwarts wake-ups seemed to be the invention of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at least.

Ron leaned over the table in the Great Hall, trying to hold back a yawn.

"What have I done to deserve this?" he muttered, lowering his head and blinking his eyes sleepily. "It's the middle of the night."

"Stop whining," Hermione scolded him, putting tomato salad on her plate and pouring a cup of hot tea with milk.

"It's still dark outside!" Ron declared, as if it was hard evidence to support his thesis.

"In the evenings, when you stay up late and play Exploding Snap, it doesn't seem to bother you.

Ron opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again and looked at Harry next to him.

"Harry, tell her something."

The boy swallowed a piece of toast and blinked.

"It's your girlfriend. I can't interfere in your relationship."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry shrugged and smiled to himself.

Well, he had made up with them yesterday, that is, he had come downstairs and admitted that he had been a dick, but the anger and disappointment were still pumping through his veins and refused to evaporate. At least he can give them a little nibble every now and then.

Yesterday, when most of the students had gone to bed and only the most persistent students remained in the Common Room, Harry told them about what he had heard from Neville. Hermione was stunned and Ron was shocked. And overjoyed.

"Ha! It serves that rat right. He got what he deserved."

"Ron!" Hermione looked at him with condemnation in her hazel eyes.

"Well, it's true. He wanted to kill Harry. The bastard is lucky to be alive at least."

"I wouldn't call it life," Harry muttered.

"Right. This is terrible and you're making fun of it, Ron."

"I'm not making fun of it. I just think it's a fair punishment for what he did to Harry."

"No one deserves something like that, Ron," Hermione said seriously. "People make various mistakes, but they should be given a chance to correct their behavior, not condemn them to a fate that they will never be able to change. This is... barbarism."

Ron frowned.

"I don't agree," he grumbled. "Look at Snape." Harry felt something sink into his stomach at the mention of him. "He killed so many people when he served You-Know-Who. He got a second chance and what does he do now? He oppresses and persecutes us. If he can't torture anymore, he'll take revenge on us."

"Ron, stop it," Hermione huffed.

"People do not change. It's not worth giving them a second chance."

Harry swallowed. He really didn't like the direction of this conversation.

"Your example is idiotic," Hermione huffed. "Besides, Professor Snape is on our side now, as he has proven it many times. And no matter how much you don't like him, you cannot confuse a man's character with his actions."

Ron grumbled something under his breath, but didn't try to argue any longer. If Hermione thought she was right about something, nothing could convince her that she might be wrong.

"Besides, we're not talking about Snape right now, we're talking about Malfoy," Harry interjected, trying to change the subject.

"What do you think? Who could do something so cruel?" the Gryffindor girl pondered. She looked at her friends, who only shrugged in response.

Harry had wondered about this before, and he had to admit he had some idea...

"Dumbledore is out of question. I doubt it was any of the teachers at all," Hermione said seriously. "I can't imagine that any of them could bring their student to such a state."

"Maybe You-Know-Who?" Ron asked suddenly. Hermione and Harry looked at him in surprise. "What? Maybe Malfoy did something he shouldn't have? I don't know. Maybe he wanted to kill Harry, and You-Know-Who got mad because he wanted to kill him himself, instead of some Malfoy."

The Gryffindor looked as if she was really considering this option.

"So what happened to Crabbe and Goyle then?" Harry asked suddenly. "And what was Lucius Malfoy doing at school?"

Ron became lost in thought.

"Maybe-- I don't know. Maybe he was mad at Dumbledore for expelling Malfoy from school and thus for You-Know-Who nailing him?"

"Ron, what you're saying actually makes sense," Hermione said slowly. "As for Crabbe and Goyle, all we know is that they were expelled from school. Do you think they suffered the same fate as Draco?"

"I think it's good that they disappeared, and I don't care what happened to them. Regardless of what you think, Hermione," Ron said after a few moments, looking at Harry as if seeking confirmation.

"Agree," the boy grumbled. The girl gave them a disgusted look.

?You deserve each other,? she declared. "I'm going to bed." After these words, she stood up and proudly marched up the stairs, heading to the girls' dormitory.

"Sometimes I wonder what I like about her," Ron muttered, looking at Harry, who only shrugged in response.

This was the end of their conversation yesterday. All they had were guesses and speculations.

"Owl Post!" Hermione smiled as a copy of the Daily Prophet fell into her outstretched hand. Harry grabbed his copy and quickly put it aside, not even looking at the title page. In fact, he didn't know why he still subscribed to it. It was true that he would rather know what was going on, but lately that knowledge was only bringing him down and making him feel really... bad.

"Oh," Hermione sighed, unfolding the newspaper and looking at the cover page.

"What happened this time?" Ron asked, sinking his teeth into a sandwich with eggs and fragrant smoked ham.

"Another attack," Hermione whispered, reading the article.

"Again? I heard there was a nasty attack on Hampstone two days ago. Apparently several muggles has been killed."

"Twelve," Harry whispered, staring at his plate.

"What?"

"Twelve muggles. That many has been killed," he added, without looking up. "I read about it".

"Seriously?" Ron's eyes widened. "What a bloody Death--!"

"Ron, could you shut up? I'm trying to read."

The Gryffindor lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned towards Harry. "Did those bloody Death Retards really kill twelve people? It's absolutely unbelievable! And they didn't catch anyone? They didn't track them down?"

Harry shook his head. He hadn't read that article, but he suspected that if the Aurors had managed to capture even one Death Eater, this "success" would have been announced far and wide and appeared on the front page, turning out to be more important information than even the attack itself.

"Why? If Snape is a spy, why don't the Aurors know anything about You-Know-Who's plans? After all, logically speaking, this old bat should give Dumbledore such information and not let innocent people die. Something stinks here. It stings very badly."

"Ron," Hermione interrupted, looking at them over the newspaper. "If Aurors had suddenly appeared at the site of the planned attack, Professor Snape would have been exposed immediately. Anyway, look at this." She turned the newspaper to them and showed them the front page.

 

 

"Finally!" Ron beamed. "They finally got the hang of it! They killed three of them? Nice! Did you hear that, Harry?"

The boy nodded, feeling a sudden, strange pang at the thought of Severus.

"They'll probably give whoever caught them a medal," Ron joked. "Did they write who killed them?"

"Yes." Hermione turned the prophet back to her. "Some little-known Auror who literally vanished into thin air afterwards. They can't find him anywhere and that's the strangest thing."

"Maybe he was scared of the publicity and ran away?"

"I doubt it. More like scared of the restrictions. They were to capture them alive. The two of them, that is. The third one was found in a side alley several meters from the building."

Harry frowned. "It's weird."

"They suspect that someone must have executed him. They already know his identity. It was a distant relative of Bellatrix Lestrange, the owner of several wizarding nightclubs located on Knockturn Alley, known as Deamus Blackwood," Hermione read.

"Blackwood? Never heard of him," Ron said, looking at Harry.

"Me neither."

Hermione sighed and went back to continuing reading the newspaper.

"At least three less. It doesn't matter how they died. Right, Harry?" Ron smiled.

"What? Oh yes, that's right," the boy replied.

"It's a pity, though, that they didn't manage to catch them alive. Maybe they would say something interesting." Ron bit into his toast and returned to breakfast.

Harry wasn't hungry anymore, though. He stole a glance at Severus sitting at the staff table. The question still lingered in his mind whether the man had also taken part in this action. And if so, he thanked all the good spirits that he hadn't been caught or, even worse, killed by one of the Aurors.

That was all he cared about. Only him.

"Harry!" Gryffindor looked around slightly dazedly, looking for the person calling him. "Hi!" Anastassy suddenly appeared at his table, smiling broadly. "How was your holiday?"

"Uh..." Harry had no idea what to answer. "All right".

"I've heard you spent it at Hogwarts. I wanted to stay and keep you company, but mom didn't let me." The girl pouted a little, but continued to stare at him with delight in her large, round eyes. "Here, this is for you." She held out a package covered with hearts. Harry stared at the gift as if it was about to bite him. "I wanted to give this to you before I left, but I couldn't meet you and I wanted to give it to you in person." She smiled even wider, then pressed the gift into his hand and stood back, waiting impatiently for him to open it.

Harry swallowed and looked around at the faces of the Gryffindors closest to him, who was staring at him. Lavender and Parvati started giggling.

"I? I still have something to do and... I have to go. Yes, I have to go. Immediately." He tucked the package under his arm, jumped up and quickly left the Great Hall, followed by a surprised and slightly disappointed look from Anastassy and a much more dangerous, burning look from the Potions Master.

Nothing would make him open a present from some chit who was in love with him in front of the whole school and in front of his eyes. It could be anything, after all. From the spinning, singing stuffed animals - he thought as he carefully tore the paper, after he hid behind the first statue he saw - to... oh gods...

He stared in disbelief at the pink, furry heart-shaped earmuffs.

Exactly, to something like this. And in addition, the gift was accompanied by a small note with a trivial poem for lovers.

Why, if someone gives him affection, does it have to be someone like this little girl?

He sighed heavily and was about to stuff the gift into his bag so that he could throw it away later at the first opportunity, when a shadow fell on him.

He raised his head and looked straight into the black eyes shining like obsidian.

"Well, well, well... what a delightful gift. Your admirers probably spoil you too much, don't you think, Potter?" Snape said quietly, staring at the pink fur with disgust. "Oh, what else do we have here?" The Potions Master leaned forward abruptly and grabbed a note written on pink, scented paper from Harry's hand. "Well well. What a touching sentence: I don't want any treasures, only for you to be mine." He drawled in his most mocking voice, crumpling the letter in his hand and looking at Harry with flames in his eyes.

Harry looked around the corridor. It was empty. For now. They were only three turns from the Great Hall.

"I? didn't want it," Harry replied, lowering his voice to a whisper. "It's not my fault that this little one keeps following me around."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? I didn't notice you being overly unpleasant to her. You have to get rid of her, Potter!"

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it. This man was impossible! He shook his head in disbelief while an amused smile spread across his lips.

"Severus, you're not jealous of a fourteen-year-old girl, are you?"

Snape's eyes flashed menacingly.

"I'm just trying to keep an eye on my property," he hissed quietly.

Harry leaned nonchalantly against the wall.

Snape really was jealous. Of that little chit! Well, that thought was... nice. And extremely pleasant, judging by the warmth spreading in his lower abdomen.

"Your 'property'?" he asked quietly, narrowing his eyes.

It was a moment. There was a sudden movement and Harry found himself pressed against the wall, feeling long, cold fingers tighten around his neck and the man's hot breath burning his ear in a passionate whisper:

"Don't play with me, Potter. You belong to me. Every inch of your skin, every hair on your body, every drop of your sweat - it all belongs to me and you must remember it!" the man sipped into his ear, while Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and the blood in his veins begin to pump with incredible force. "You certainly haven't forgotten my warning, have you?"

Harry was breathing heavily, unable to move. The fervor with which Severus whispered all these things into his ear was so arousing that without thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed the man's other hand and pressed it to his groin.

"Touch me. Please," he moaned quietly, squeezing his eyes shut and pushing his hips towards that strong hand.

Oh, he was so hard, and Severus' breath was so hot that it felt like the skin of his face was melting under it.

"I'd love to do that," Snape whispered. "But I would like to remind you that we are in a corridor."

"I don't care," Harry muttered, rubbing himself against the man. He heard his breathing quicken. He felt himself trembling beneath his black robe. He knew he was at least as turned on as Harry was. He knew that Severus wanted him. Right now, in this place, he could fuck him. Quickly, in a hurry, pull down his pants, just as much as necessary, and then slam into him with his rock-hard, lava-hot penis. And take him against the wall, thrusting into him a few times, just a few times, that would be enough to--

"We can't," Snape finally gasped, pulling away and releasing the boy's neck from his grip. Harry let out a painful grunt of loss as the man's hands and scent disappeared. He lifted his eyelids and looked slightly blurry into the equally cloudy, ebony eyes opposite him. "We'll have time for that later," Severus said hoarsely, straightening his robes to hide the obvious erection that was bulging in his black pants. Harry smiled to himself at the sight, even though he realized that he has similar problem. "This isn't the place for that. Gryffindor loses five points."

Harry returned to reality almost immediately.

"What? What for?"

"For seducing your teacher in the most inappropriate place."

Harry pursed his lips.

"I didn't start it!" he was offended, and in response, a wonderful smirk appeared on Severus's lips. The man cast a piercing glance at Harry's disheveled hair, his green eyes, which were shining frantically behind his glasses, his gently parted lips, and the blush still burning on his cheeks. He stopped only at the erection clearly visible under the fabric of his pants.

"And another five points--" he added, looking at Harry's face again "--for looking so incredibly seductive."

After the initial surprise, Harry's lips stretched into a smile. "Come on, only five?"

"I would gladly take them all away, if it weren't for the questions it might raise..." Severus replied softly, looking straight into Harry's narrowed eyes, whose smile became even wider after this confession. "And if it weren't for that goofy smile," he added after a while.

"You like my smile."

Severus bit his lip.

"I like much more," he said in a low voice, then leaned towards Harry and brushed his hot lips against his earlobe. "Have a nice day, Mr. Potter." After these words, without waiting for an answer, he disappeared around the corner.

Harry was standing there as if he'd been struck by lightning, feeling the sparks crawling across his skin and the heat twisting his insides.

Did Severus just... just admit that he liked something about Harry?

Oh, this day was going to be extremely pleasant...

 

***

 

However, Harry's predictions were verified almost immediately during the first lesson. McGonagall insisted on checking if they still remembered how to turn a toad into a teapot, and Hermione seemed to be the only one who did. Ron's teapot was green and tried to jump and ended up being nothing but shells. And Harry's teapot had an annoying habit of taking in air and swelling. Which ended exactly the same way.

When the teacher had cleared away the broken shells and took away five points from each of them with a shake of her head, they both burst out laughing - much to the reproving look of Hermione, who was trying to help Neville because all he could conjure up was a frog in the shape of a teapot. A teapot that croaked.

Harry slept through most of History of Magic, and during Divination, Firenzo gave them a "relaxation lesson" because he said they were too distracted after the holidays to remember anything anyway. With that, Harry was able to take a nap again.

After dinner, all they had left were Potions, and Harry already felt a nice knot in his stomach just thinking about them. Especially when he felt the Potions Master's gaze wandering down his back during the feast in the Great Hall.

Holidays were holidays, but he was really happy that school had started again. The bustling walls of Hogwarts were the only ones able to distract gloomy thoughts from the ongoing war and the sacrifices it entailed. At least for now.

 

***

 

During the first classes after the Christmas or summer breaks, the students were always a bit lazy and discouraged. But Severus Snape had a way of forcing their little brains to work hard from the very first lesson.

A test.

Harry smiled to himself as a piece of paper with questions landed in front of him.

He knew! He knew that impossible bastard would do it! Ha! It's a good thing he studied during the holidays. Not much, and not necessarily things included in the curriculum (maybe only as part of Sex Education classes, if there were any at Hogwarts), but it was always something. At least he wasn't as surprised as the rest of the class, or as scared as Ron.

While his friend behind him was shouting curses at "that greasy-haired, mean asshole", Harry leaned over the paper and started writing.

Well, it turned out that his knowledge was more modest than he expected. He was only able to answer half of the questions. Damn it!

He furtively looked around the classroom. Hermione was scratching at the parchment with a mad expression on her face, and Ron was staring blankly at the paper, looking like he was about to cry.

Harry sighed and moved his gaze to the desk where the Potions Master was sitting, leaning over a book. He tried to control it, but every time he looked at him, he felt warmth course through his veins. He couldn't help but feel that after so much time spent with him and after everything they'd been through together, he couldn't separate the image of the half-naked man he'd seen shaving in the bathroom just yesterday from the image of the proud, stern teacher on who he definitely shouldn't look at with such longing, dreamy eyes.

Damn it! - he cursed in his mind, looking at his half-completed test. Snape had prepared it next to him. He remembered it. And since the boundary between student and teacher had already been seriously violated, he could now try to cross it completely.

At least it'll be fun, he thought, reaching into his pocket and tightening his hand on the stone.

Severus... The main ingredient of the antidepressant potion is the eye of kikomore or the fang of a drowner?

Without looking up, he glanced at Snape, who moved slightly, reached under the desk and looked down as if he was reading something. And after a moment he pierced him with such an incredulous look that Harry had difficulty controlling the smile that trembled at the corners of his lips.

The moment he felt the stone warming up, his heart suddenly jumped. He glanced down, trying to read the burning letters.

Are you kidding me, Potter?

Harry frowned.

Come on, tell me. Don't be like that.

Oh, he should get a fucking medal for not laughing when he saw Severus's face after the man read the message. The extreme disbelief that showed on his stern face was only the final stage. Snape seemed too shocked to respond, so Harry decided to press further.

If you tell me, I will let you fuck my mouth.

Oh, it was a hit, judging by the sudden flash of fire in the black eyes that rested on him for a moment. But the answer he received somewhat tempered his sense of victory.

Potter, we both know I don't need your permission for this.

Fact.

Alright. Then... I will kneel in front of you, completely naked, only wearing a tie, and I will blow you, calling you "professor". And I will masturbate in front of you... Is this the right price for one little hint?

It had been a long time since Harry's heart had been beating so much as he waited for a message from Snape, who was obviously absolutely surprised by the offer.

Are you trying to sell yourself to me for a higher rating? - he read a few moments later and felt his stomach jump into his throat and a wave of heat spread in his lower abdomen.

Oh shit!

What they were doing was so-- so--

If that's what you call it, professor... I call it... an exchange.

He smiled to himself and leaned over the paper, waiting for an answer. He preferred not to look at the dark figure of the Potions Master sitting at the desk. The excitement warming his cheeks could be too visible. When he received the message, he almost crushed the stone in his hand.

You are a disgusting, shameless whore, Potter. You know that?

Merlin, is it possible to burn from the inside with something even hotter than fire?

I know. Only yours though.

I hope. But you'll pay me for this. I promise that as soon as you enter my chambers, you won't even have time to say a word because I will force my way into your mouth and go so deep into your throat that you will be begging me to let you at least take a breath.

Harry's blood began to boil and scream in his veins. YesOhYesOhYesOhYes! Fuck! Yes Yes Yes!

Only when he realized that he was still holding his sweaty hand around the stone and sending those screams to Severus did he release it from his hand, trying as hard as he could to control the excitement that was creeping through his insides.

He glanced at Severus for a second and saw the corners of his thin lips turn up slightly as he read the litany Harry had unconsciously sent him. He breathed deeply for a moment, trying to calm down, and then he felt the warmth in his pocket again.

Eye of the kikimore. And minus five points from Gryffindor for your insolent mouth, Mr. Potter.

Harry couldn't stop smiling. Not this time.

How can you take points away from me for my mouth? I'm sure you'll be so pleased with my mouth tonight that you'll award me those points back. And in much larger quantities.

Certainly nothing like that will happen. But rest assured, I will take away one point from you for every drop that falls from your mouth.

Bastard!

And that will cost you another five points. And I advise you to go back to the test, unless you want to loose even more of them.

Harry gritted his teeth and stuffed the stone into his pocket, mentally cursing Snape and his points while feeling extremely excited. He glanced around furtively, but fortunately everyone was too busy with the test to pay attention to him. He leaned over the paper and after a moment's hesitation, he began to write down the properties of... no, not the eye of the kikimore, but the drowner's fangs.

Anyway, he already knew Snape a little and knew that in certain matters... he shouldn't be trusted at all.

 

CDN

 

* "What I go to school for" by Busted