Author:bonfoi Rating: light R (to be on the safe side) Pairing: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape; Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy Summary: Rebuilding means forging new relationships…and rediscovering old ones. During the first Voldemort-free Christmas hols, two couples—one brand new, the other separated by time and distance—discover the joys of giving and receiving. Challenge:adventdrabbles 2011: Day 21 ~ Icicles Word Count: 1,451 Genre: Alternate Universe; EWE; Post-Second Voldemort War; Romance; Angst; Humor Warnings: Original characters; Deathly Hallows, what Deathly Hallows? Remembrances of war A/N: I have the loveliest reviewers/commenters, and I dedicate this chapter to them.
Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
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“There, that’s the last of it.” Severus looked around his café bakery with a critical eye.
Harry had the evergreen rope Port-key wrapped around one arm. Draco was juggling several boxes of cream puffs and ladyfingers while conjuring icicles of icing. All around their feet were boxes of cakes and biscuits, most of which were for Harry and Draco’s engagement order, and Severus’ extra goodies.
“I’ll send the cakes and whatnot through the Floo to the London bakery,” Severus said with a tired grimace. He opened the special connection and had his evening manager collect the special cakes and tarts. Then told the girl that nothing else would coming until the day after. He stepped back and the green flames died down swiftly.
Severus looked around and then rolled his eyes at Draco’s antics with the boxes of treats. The icing icicles circled Draco as if he were the center of their make-believe world. “Really, Malfoy. We’re wizards, boy. Use your magic and keep them even or you’ll have to lick the insides of the boxes to get everything.” He eyed the not-icicles and tried to ignore the impending disaster.
Harry snickered. “Like he hasn’t done that before.”
“And who helped me, Harry? Someone with messy dark hair that looked an awful lot like you, you prat,” Draco drawled in response. Several icing icicles shot lazily toward Harry, who caught one and Banished the other. He licked the captured sweet and watched Draco’s pale cheeks frost with pink.
“You two are still so young,” Severus grumbled under his breath.
“We’re catching up, sir.” Harry patted at his pocket and then grinned widely. “Just like you should be.” He licked his sticky fingers lasciviously even as Severus groaned. Then Harry sidled closer to Draco as the sound of someone entering Confectionary Creations came through the door.
“Whatever are you…?” Severus’ voice trailed off as he looked through his charmed door. He whirled back toward Harry and Draco. He hissed, “Did you know? Damn you, Potter, did you know he was here?”
Harry backed away, hands raised in a warding-off gesture. Draco’s icing icicles slammed intot he ceiling to dangle like stalactites. Harry moved closer to his fiancé. “Not exactly, but I had an idea.”
Severus lunged forward just as Draco grabbed the swinging end of the evergreen rope.
“Be happy, Severus. We’ll see you at nine tonight. Caligari!” The trigger word tripped off of Draco’s tongue just as Severus reached for the pair, dragging him and Harry away with a swirl of colors with an odd sucking sound.
“…wonderfully romantic, thoughtful boys,” Remus finished. He stood in the open doorway, his eyes glistening with what looked like unshed tears. “They knew how much I missed you.”
Both men stared at each other, neither one moving, barely breathing. Then Severus took in a shuddering breath, breaking the tableau. Suddenly, he was pressing his face into Remus’ throat, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as if they might vanish just like Harry and Draco without that tight hold.
“Oh, bloody hell, how I’ve missed you…” Severus whispered into Remus’ skin. He inhaled the once-familiar musky scent, noting the addition of whiskey and cloves, evergreen and sweat. He felt his lip pucker and then he was pressing to every bit of skin he could. Soon, he was kissing the corner of Remus’ lips, panting with the effort to restrain himself.
Remus turned his head, completing the kiss. Neither one of them moved for several heartbeats as their breaths mingled, their lips opening so that questing tongues could relearn each other’s mouths.
The moment stretched until something suddenly snapped within Severus and he was devouring Remus’ mouth, his hands smoothing over and then under Remus’ robes. It wasn’t until Remus wrenched his head away to drag gasping breaths into his starved lungs that Severus found himself aware of what he’d been doing.
“Still so warm…” Severus sighed, his head falling onto Remus’ shoulder. Remus’ arms tightened around Severus, and he realized that Remus had never let go, that strong heart beating against his chest was matching his beat for beat. Severus’ fingers idly carded through Remus’ chest hair, loath as he was to remove it from the proof that Remus was truly alive and well.
“Why didn’t I know you were alive?” Severus whispered. His fingers dug into Remus’ back, as if the words might tear him apart. “How did they keep such a secret?”
“I was…We were…Tonks had been fighting, moving gracefully, like I’d never seen her. I was her partner, fending off hexes and curses while she triggered hidden Weasley Wheezes.” Remus reached up to turn Severus’ head so he could look down into at least one dark eye. “We got pinned down, near Fenrir Greyback’s pack and Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix berated Tonks for marrying me while Fenrir taunted her with plans to savage our future children…” Severus shivered within Remus’ embrace while tightening his own arms around the werewolf.
Remus licked his lips and continued. “Bellatrix drew Tonks out of our cover and began dueling with her. Fenrir rushed me, but I Apparated in and out, leap-frogging around until I could get close to Tonks. Unfortunately…” His voice cracked and Severus reached up to rub his fingers over Remus’ heart. “Oh, Severus, it was awful. Fenrir got in a lucky blow, disarming me and distracting Tonks. Bellatrix’s curse caught her dead-on. I was mad with grief. She’d protected us, me, and I’d failed her.”
“You did no such thing, Remus,” Severus said in a strong voice. “She was an Auror, through and through. She took on the distraction of ‘marrying’ you to turn so many eyes away from the others working against them with the clear knowledge it might lead to her death.” Severus shook Remus within his arms. “She saved my life untold times just by being her delightfully clumsy self.” Severus laid his head back down and snuggled under Remus’ chin. “I won’t let you blame yourself for Tonks’ death.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Severus,” Remus muttered into Severus’ hair. Then he picked up the thread of his story. “Fenrir and I fought on. For once I let the magic and the curse join together and I became a bit…well, crazed. I almost tore him apart, limb from limb. He tried to return the favor.” Remus tightened his arms around Severus and then maneuvered the two of them backwards so he could lean against the wall near the door. “I was in a deep healing sleep, which to the Aurors looked very much like death. They buried me within two days of the battle’s end.”
“Didn’t Potter—?”
Remus cut off Severus’ question with a harsh laugh. “What? Aurors disturb the recuperating Boy Who Lived with news that a dirty werewolf was dead? No, no one told Harry until it was time to have him stand up at my tomb and watch them seal the door.” Remus’ embrace turned almost too tight, making it difficult for Severus to draw a full breath. He stilled and then leaned in to gently suck at Remus’ Adam’s-apple, breaking the man out of his dark memories. “Thank you for that, love.” Remus shook his head, his overly-long hair brushing along Severus’ cheek. “To make a long and tedious story short, Moony woke up to chilly pitch black and the scent of old death. It must have maddened him and he began clawing his way out. I came to with bloody hands, fingers scraped to the bones and a barely scratched stone wall in my face. Two months it took, two Transformations…” his voice trailed off into a harsh whisper.
“You survived, Remus,” Severus breathed in his collar. “You lived, and I miraculously did as well.”
Severus leaned back in Remus’ embrace and shook his head. “We’re acting like a pair of clichéd lovers, swanning about my kitchen in maudlin remembrance,” he said. “Come with me, Remus Lupin. I’ve got a lovely cottage where we can practice our romantic lustiness instead. I don’t plan on becoming a living icicle, ready to be frosted by the next itinerant baker to come along.” He cast his eyes up toward Draco’s farewell gift, making Remus grin when he looked up as well.
Remus shook his head and then tipped his chin so that he could press kisses to Severus’ temples and nose. “You always say the most romantic things.” He laughed outright as Severus mouthed ‘romantic things’ at him before pulling away and leading Remus toward the fireplace, and the Floo Powder. Severus’ dark eyes were alight with emotion, drawing Remus after him like a moth toward the flames.
To Be Continued
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