Snarry-a-thon11: FIC: Equal Measure Title: Equal Measure Author:eeyore9990 Rating: R Word count: ~2,000 Warning(s): (highlight for spoilers) *Questionable use of a mind-altering potion.* Prompt: Wild Card Summary: After Harry's taunt, Severus plots and carries out his revenge. A/N: This is the second of three fics, the first of which was Pushing Buttons. Deepest thanks to my writing partners for pushing me to finish this, and to accioslash for allowing me to play fast and loose with time and the continuum thereof. :D
Special thanks to all of the Snarry-A-Thon mods for continuing to run an utterly fantastic fest!
Equal Measure
Sweet dreams, Professor.
Severus stared down at the tiny phial of potion as he rolled it between his hands, entranced by the way the light glinted off the glass. "No, Potter," he murmured, "I believe that dubious pleasure belongs to you."
It had been nearly four months. Four long months of waiting, patient as only one bent on vengeance could possibly be. Months during which Potter's name disappeared from Hogwarts rolls. Months to gather the precious ingredients—most requiring arcane harvesting rituals or entirely illegal means of acquisition.
During the time Severus had been waiting and plotting, Potter had gone from underage student to a tax-paying member of the Auror corps. His eighteenth birthday had come and gone with all the fanfare one could expect as Severus continued to plan his downfall to the last, minute detail.
But the pieces had all come together, and Severus was finally going to gain his revenge.
~*~
The pub was a crowded one in a middle-class Muggle neighbourhood—exactly the sort Potter could lose himself in and exactly the sort that caused Severus' skin to crawl. It was worth it, though; it had to be.
Severus swirled his vodka tonic with a twist of lime—in reality plain tonic with lime—around his glass, watching the ice spin and clink against the sides. Though he'd managed to maintain his patience through the long months of planning, to know he was so close to his goal wore down his nerves and left him on edge.
The door opened, drawing Severus' eye to the reflection of the doorway in the mirror behind the bar, and he relaxed upon noting the flyaway hair that Potter could never charm away. Satisfaction bloomed in his chest and spread throughout his body until even his fingertips were warm with it. There was the crackle of magical energy, and Severus knew.
Potter was standing just behind him.
"Hey, mate," Potter said as the barman hurried over. "I'll have a lager."
"Come now, Potter." Severus' lips curled in satisfaction as Potter jumped, clearly startled at being addressed. "Surely you can handle a more adult beverage than lager?"
Cutting his eyes toward Severus with an expression that clearly broadcast his unease, Potter chewed on his lip before finally sliding onto the stool beside Severus. Potter cleared his throat several times, and if Severus were a man given to humour, he'd have been laughing at Potter's confusion.
"Problem?"
"Err. No. Just… didn't expect to see anyone here?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Severus glanced around the crowded pub. "In this place?"
"You know what I mean." Potter hunched his shoulders and planted his elbows on the top of the bar, pulling on his fringe as he shot desperate glances at Severus in the mirror.
"Relax, Potter." Turning his head to stare directly at Potter, Severus pressed the corners of his lips upward and said, "Have a drink."
Potter opened his mouth, likely to argue, only close it in chagrin as the bartender chose that moment to set a large mug of lager in front of him. Lips pursing, Potter lifted the glass, only to stop with it half-way to his mouth and turn to Severus. "To those we've lost."
"Shut up and drink."
Eyebrows lowering, Potter tipped up his glass and began to drink deeply, not stopping until the last drop of liquid was gone. With a gasp, he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and shot a triumphant look at Severus.
"Mmm, yes, your manhood cannot be denied," Severus murmured, rolling his eyes even as he gestured to the bartender to refill Potter's mug. When Potter appeared to be about to protest, Severus shook his head. "I'll be paying tonight. It's the least I can do, after all."
Potter's cheeks flushed and he glanced away, obviously embarrassed at the supposed reference to his defeat of the Dark Lord. Severus just smiled. Let Potter believe what he liked.
When the opportunity came, Severus would drop the potion into his drink and the course would be set. Until then, he'd continue to ply Potter with drink and discomfort in equal measure.
~*~
Severus half-carried Potter's completely intoxicated form into Potter's tiny flat, the locked door more an annoyance than a hindrance. Navigating the flat was accomplished without incident, and within moments Severus was at Potter's bedside, pouring the dolt onto the mattress.
Severus didn't linger over stripping Potter, his movements nothing less than efficient. When the last article of clothing was folded neatly in a pile beside Potter's shoes, Severus leaned over, peered into Potter's eyes and nodded.
He touched his fingers to his wand and murmured, "Somnium diligo."
A blue glow settled upon Potter, highlighting his features before disappearing into his skin. "Wha' you say?"
"Sweet dreams, Potter." Severus didn't bother hiding the smug satisfaction that filled his words. Potter was far too drunk to remember it, at any rate.
"Tha's nice." Potter had barely got the words out before his eyes slid shut and he began to snore.
Shaking his head, Severus pulled a phial from his pocket and drank the contents down, ignoring the way a blueish tinge swam before his eyes. He Vanished the phial and turned on his heel, swiftly exiting the flat and Apparating home.
~*~
The dreamscape, when Severus arrived, was bland and wavery. Vertigo rolled over him before he asserted his will onto his surroundings. When he was finished, the environment was still boring, but he didn't care.
He wasn't here to appreciate the scenery, after all.
He settled in to wait; it wouldn't be long before Potter's consciousness sought out the intrusion. When Severus felt Potter's mind pressing against his, he focused, forging his mind to assume the complexity of shape in the mental morass of a dreamland.
It took Potter longer, and his approximation of the human body was spotty at best, but again… it didn't matter. Revenge was his to seek, not Potter's to provide.
"You're naked."
The bald statement sparked a chord of amusement in Severus. "It appears I am. What does that say about your subconscious, Potter, that you dream of me naked?"
Potter shrugged, though the gesture was blurred around the edges—the effect of too much alcohol still flooding his system. "Usually takes you longer, is all."
Interesting. Severus took note of that, but decided not to address it for the moment. "Would you like to know why I'm here?"
"Not sex, then?"
"Hmm, no. Not tonight." With a thought, Severus pinned Potter in place. Gaining control was easy; Potter had never been competent at the mental arts. "Tonight I'm here to give equal measure."
Potter should have been confused, disoriented. Instead, the inside of his mind flickered and went dark, illuminating only the two of them. "Yeah." The word wrapped around them, echoing through Severus and doubling back over on itself until it sounded almost sinister.
Severus pushed forward until he was nearly sharing mind-space with Potter. "You thought you were so cunning that night. So devious. I had your measure from the moment I arrived, did you know that?"
"You watched me."
"Of course. It was my job."
"Liar."
Severus ran the sharp edge of his thumbnail along his jaw line and down his throat. The sharpening of tension let him know that he had Potter's undivided attention. "I was surprised."
"Hmm?"
"I've seen many young men attempt to pleasure themselves over the years. It's impossible to live in a castle full of hormonally charged teenagers without tripping over the occasional prick."
Potter's amusement tinged the air and rolled through Severus like a laugh.
"But I've rarely, if ever, seen someone pleasure themselves so… deliberately. You're quite the hedonist, aren't you?"
"I'm not the only one. Look at you."
Severus looked down, enjoying the play of his hand, so luminescent in the light of Potter's mind, over the skin of his chest. "Yes. But I've had many years to develop my self-pleasure to this degree. You've barely started."
"Show me."
"Show you what, Potter?"
"Show me something new."
Severus dropped his head back and laughed into the ether. "You may not remember everything, Potter. But this? You'll never forget. It'll haunt your dreams for years. My gift to you."
Conversation ceased then. Severus ran his hands over his body, enjoying the curve of muscle and the sharp jut of bone. He pressed fingertips into the hollows of his hips and dragged his thumbs along his cock. Flexing his mental control, he allowed his body to float and rotate, bending and twisting to show Potter… everything.
He pulled his legs back, his knees drawn up against his chest. His fingernails drew ragged lines along his pale skin and delved into the fine hairs that grew thicker near his groin. He stretched the cheeks of his arse wide, dragging fingers along the crease. His fingers measured his length and girth but moved on quickly.
This wasn't about release. It was revenge.
He dipped a finger into his navel as others pinched his nipples. Teeth sank into his lip and he had to restore focus enough to realize they were his own. He sighed and it wrapped around them, pulling him closer to Potter—or Potter closer to him. It didn't truly matter at that point.
He pinched and pulled and played until the heat of Potter's mind pressed against him, urging him to continue. To go faster.
To finish.
But this wasn't the end of their dance; Severus knew that. He'd always known it. Now it was Potter's turn to discover that truth.
Rolling in mid-air, he fell to his back before Potter, dropping his head so that he was staring, upside-down, into the murkiness of green eyes that had no idea of their own power.
"Are you hard yet?" He'd picked up on Potter's trick and his voice whispered through the dreamscape, rebounding on itself until a thousand voices rushed at them.
"Yes."
"Do you want me?" Severus flipped lazily, tempting Potter with his closeness.
"…Please."
"When you wake, will fractured images of me haunt you?"
Potter seemed to swell and grow, fighting the confines of Severus' mental bonds. "Always."
Severus chuckled, releasing him. "Then wake up, Potter. And find me."
~*~
Severus opened his eyes, a smirk growing on his face as he stared at the ray of light that had found a crack in his curtains. His body ached with arousal, and he would remedy that soon, but for the moment, he simply lay there.
Potter would be feverish when he woke, if he hadn't already. Burning with a desire that Severus had stoked within him.