Standing Outside the Fire, part six
Title: Standing Outside the Fire Pairings: Snape/Lupin (explicit) and Harry/Hermione/Draco (implied only) Rating: NC-17 this section. Brought to you by Dizilla who convinced me I could write porn, Thanks Diz! Author: azurerosa Summary: How does a Gryffindor court a Slytherin until he wants to be part of his life? Betas: canon_fire helped me with word choice and Brit picking and Ellie helped not only make this coherent, but also much more colorful in descriptions. Both deserve chocolate cake and the naked, sexy man of their choice! Original prompt: "In hindsight I should have realized he was courting me much earlier than I did. If I was that blind during the war I would have been killed instantly." Post-war, R&S have become friends and routinely visit each other whenever possible. One of them (you choose) decides to court the other. However, neither of our boys are much for the grand gestures or are good at just coming out and saying they are interested. Method is up to you. UST would be applauded, quote does not need to be used merely a jumping point and PLEASE no "I've loved you forever" BS. They can have had a crush on the other (mutual or one-sided), but I think they don't know each other enough to be in love before they are friends. AN: Yes Ladies and Gentlemen I took my own prompt. The bunny was eating my brain. Disclaimer: Neither the songs nor the characters are mine, but I think the boys have more fun with me than their creator so there. Sources and songs used will be listed at the end. Warning: wall-frottage, food smut thoughts, slash, Harry/Hermione/Draco (implied only), some mild D/S, mild bondage, mild exhibition, dirty talk, Alpha growling Remus, a mellowed but still snarky Severus, Remus trying to be sneaky, domestic scenes, Teddy, clichés abound, quasi-song fiction, songs in question are Country, playing fast and loose with The Deathly Hollows and it’s epilogue but frankly who in our community doesn’t? Also I’m new so con-crit is applauded! Notes: Thanks to _Lore, Ellie, canon_fire, Rosy, Dizilla and everyone else who gave me advice, listened to me whine about writer’s block, gave me encouragement and helped me break through said writer’s block several times.
I was pleased I grabbed and donned my old robes before storming through the halls of Hogwarts again. They added a certain avenging dark angel mystic I was quite fond of especially when I was in a mood. As soon as I reached Remus’ rooms it became apparent he wasn’t there. Neither was he in his classroom when I checked. I was on my way to the staff lounge when I came across Minerva.
“Hello Severus, you seem to be in a hurry.”
“Hello Minerva, I can find neither hide nor hair of Remus and I need to talk to him.” My tone started off polite but ended darkly.
“The last time I saw Remus was at lunch. After he spoke briefly with Draco he announced he needed to see you immediately and took off.”
“I saw him earlier but he ran off in the middle of a rather important,” I paused briefly, “conversation.”
Minerva’s eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement. “He’s finally told you then? Good I thought I was going to have to revoke his house membership! If he isn’t in his rooms you might try the far side of the lake. He goes there to think sometimes.” I thanked her before rushing off towards the lake to find Remus.
Minerva’s teasing comments gave me pause. Maybe Remus running off wasn’t due to distaste for what happened. I might still have a chance; maybe he’s upset over my reaction somehow? My mind flickered back to our escapades on my couch. I can’t see how, but who knows how a Gryffindor’s mind works?
***
I could see Remus pacing along a section of the shoreline long before I was near enough to hear what he was muttering to himself. He still was shirtless and seemed completely unaware of this fact. It was a good thing it was the tail end of the school year and the weather was warm and fair. Luckily none of the students seemed to have noticed their DADA professor was pacing half naked while talking to himself. He was so engrossed in his self flagellation he did not hear my approach.
“…like a damned idiot, Severus probably hates me now! And why shouldn’t he? I’ve gone and proven I can’t keep my word to him several times!” He sounded rather distraught and his words seemed like they were merely old thoughts given voice. I found my desire to verbally castrate him had waned slightly, but I was not ready to let him completely off the hook just yet. After all he had just run out on me in the middle of a promising activity with no explanation. I walked right up behind him before speaking practically in his ear.
“You must be a cold ‘damned idiot’, but then again only idiots run off like that after a meaningless tumble and leave their shirt behind.” My tone was deliberately cruel and cutting; he had earned it as far as I was concerned. I was going to have this out now and if he tried to pull a runner on me again I was fully prepared to hex first and ask questions later.
Remus startled so hard at the sound of my voice so close to him I thought he was going to fall over onto the pebbled lake shore. I managed to hide my dark amusement just before he whipped around to stare at me.
“Merlin Severus are you trying to kill me?!” Remus’ eyes were flashing at me, his hair was thoroughly disheveled, and his broad, toned chest and arms unshielded from my gaze for once. He was gorgeous. Damn it I’m supposed to be madder than a snake that had been trod upon not ogling the source of my vexation!
I glared at him. “I don’t know could I possibly have any reason to want to kill you?” I handed him his shirt. “Put that on, you are scaring the first years.”
Damn werewolf is far too attractive when he blushes. It’s hard to stay mad at him when I’m constantly drawn to him. He shrugged on his shirt and quickly set about hiding his scarred chest from my hungry eyes.
“Are you actually going to tell me what you wanted to say earlier or should I just cut my losses and walk away?” Now that he was properly dressed I found it much easier to be mad at his actions as of late.
“Well mostly I came to apologize for making you angry and make sure you actually understood what I’ve been telling you for the last several days.” He was watching my face intently.
“Instead you managed to make me even more likely to hex you, good job! It was made quite clear that you were on the prowl, what does that have to do with your behaviour today?”
Remus’ shoulders visibly slumped at the end of my question. “Here I thought I was going to be accused of being a blunt, heavy-handed Gryffindor and you completely misunderstood everything. I knew I should have clarified specifically who I was interested in after telling you about Harry, but I thought you had figured it out.”
Hope flared in my chest like wildfire. Remus had better be implying what I think he is I doubt I can stand the heartbreak if I’m wrong. “You will stop toying with me and tell me exactly what you think you are up to now or I swear to leave and never return.”
“I’ve been courting you according to your own guidelines for several days Severus if you haven’t noticed yet can you please tell me how I’m making a hash of it?” He sounded a bit put out that I had not properly understood his motives. I stood their gaping for a few seconds before I could answer.
“MY guidelines, what guidelines?” Remus had officially lost it, must be moon madness.
“You told me to take it slow, to let you adjust to my touch in a non threatening manner and to help with your work.” Remus’ tone was like that of a child listing something they forced themselves to memorize by heart. “Admittedly I’ve failed rather spectacularly at the slow bit, but I was trying.” He sounded frustrated with himself over his perceived failure to abide by my stated rules.
“I thought you were talking about Potter!”
“Yes, he said as much to me the other day while you were eavesdropping.” My shock must have shown on my face. Remus was smirking at me apparently proud of shocking me with his revelation. “Sometimes being a werewolf as its advantages. I not only heard your breathing in the hall, I could also smell you. You are much harder to detect by sound than most, but my other senses were not fooled. Since I heard you leave with such speed I felt safe assuming Harry was telling the truth about your reaction and your request of him.”
“That is why you went out of your way to inform me about the gossip surrounding Potter’s relationship; you were trying to make me realize he was not competition for you! If I knew you were pursuing me I would have demanded your attention be immediately focused on my person as soon as you made your rather strange declaration!”
“Really?” I could have sworn werewolves didn’t purr, but Remus certainly was. He was approaching me slowly with his eyes locked on mine like he had in my dream. I felt my heart rate increase and my cock begin to harden from the implied promise of exquisite pleasure in his voice. “I would have been more than pleased to accommodate your desire Severus.”
I felt a shiver run down my spine as the tone of the conversation switched from spat to seduction. He should not be allowed to manipulate me in such a fashion; I’m supposed to be the master of manipulation not this galling Gryffindor. There should be a rule about him looking at me like he wants to devour me whole when we aren’t on or near a convenient surface for such stimulating activities.
Remus leaned in to kiss me again. These kisses were quite different from the urgent almost punishing ones we shared earlier. He still had my head in the palm of his hand with a good grip on my hair, but he was teasing me with almost kisses, soft as a butterfly’s wing brushing the corner of my mouth and the surrounding area but not actually touching my lips. I felt my breath hitch at the sensation. Despite his hold on my hair I tried to lean into his teasing kisses.
Remus took that as an invitation to kiss me properly. He was still being tender with his kisses but they got more sensual as he continued. He took to nibbling my lips only to pull them into his mouth and suck on them. He managed to force several sounds out if me that I refuse to call whimpers. My brain finally engaged enough to realize I had idle hands that I promptly set to stroking and groping his back and arse in retaliation. I earned a pleased growl and my arse suddenly had an admirer of its own. I didn’t start to really lose it until he sucked my tongue clear out of my mouth. I was groaning unashamedly at the sensation; my cock was positively throbbing at the thought of that mouth elsewhere. I wanted so much to have him claim me right here and now.
I snapped back to myself upon hearing the happy yells of a quidditch game in the distance. I pulled back from the kiss as much as his grip would allow. I took several tries before he realized I was trying to get away. “Remus,” Merlin I sound breathy, “We can’t do this here.” He looked ready to argue the point until he realized where we currently were. Note to self, find ways to make Remus blush often.
“In that case your place or mine?” Merlin save me from purring, playful werewolves.
“Where is Theodore?” As fond as I was of the boy if he interrupted us again I was unsure I could keep myself from reacting badly.
“With Harry, Draco and Hermione unless they handed him off to his Grandmother so they could frolic.” Remus either is unaware of what that promising tone in his whiskey voice does to me or he is a dreadful tease.
“Your rooms are slightly closer.” I began to walk back to the castle, pausing to glance over my shoulder at Remus only when I realized he was not following me for some reason. “Are you perhaps waiting for an engraved invitation?” Remus isn’t the only one who can infuse promises into a seemingly harmless question.
Remus snapped out of his daze at my words. “Sorry I was distracted by the view.” He was unapologetically leering at me. The idea that Remus was distracted by watching my arse as I walked away gave me an odd feeling of power.
“Well if you follow properly you’ll get the opportunity to see me in even less clothes.” That particular promise worked like the proverbial charm, in fact Remus suddenly decided I was going too slowly so he grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to his rooms, not that I was resisting his efforts.
***
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, we had regained our self control before reaching Remus’ chambers. After Remus shut, locked and warded the door he turned to me with a gentle smile.
“I really want this to work Severus, so as much as I’d rather carry you off to my bedroom right now I think we should talk first.” With that Remus walked me over to my usual seat only to retreat to his. Probably just as well so I can pay proper attention to what he has to say.
“Judging by our rather large miscommunication I appreciate why you want to make sure we have an understanding.” Even though I knew this was a serious talk I couldn’t quite keep from teasing him over his earlier botched confession.
“I am sorry about that, but I hope you realize I thought it made sense to approach a Slytherin like a Slytherin especially after all my previous attempts to hint of my affection failed miserably. It didn’t occur to me you would misinterpret my words to mean I wanted someone else entirely. I only started back pedaling when I thought you had no interest in me in that capacity.”
“What hints? I never caught you flirting with me.”
“That was the problem. I tried pushing into your life as often as possible, even showing up uninvited. You allowed it and even mirrored my behaviour so I assumed you understood and approved but you still acted the same towards me. I thought saying, “Oh Severus I wish you were here in the evening everyday” was clear enough but you managed to miss that hint entirely. So I decided to try a more direct way to catch your attention. Since you had been missing all of my hints I decided to plant the idea of me being in love before trying to talk with you to make sure you and I were on the same page for once.”
“The music was deliberate then?”
“Both before the dinner I tried to tell you and when we danced.”
“That explains your pole-axed look when I didn’t respond as you had expected to your wish for a romantic relationship.”
“Yes, I convinced myself you were encouraging my attention in a roundabout fashion when you gave me advice. So I was confused again when Harry came to me with tales of you thinking I was pursuing him instead of you. After I told you about Harry’s relationship and you volunteered to dance with me I assumed you had worked it out on your own.” He paused for a long moment and took a deep breath before continuing. “I need to warn you about a two things, first I am a bit of a Dom.” A shiver of delight ran down my spine at the thought of Remus acting as a Dom, my Dom, which he promptly misread judging by the reassuring tone and speed with which he quantified his statement. “I don’t need to act in such a capacity all the time, but around the full it is rather difficult not to act on those urges.”
Either I am dreaming again or the Fates are still jerking me around. I had to pinch myself to eliminate the former option to my satisfaction. At least now I know we’ve miscommunicated again and I can fix it properly. I cleared my throat in a vain attempt to modulate my voice before speaking.
“That is not exactly something I feel the need to be warned against Remus.” My voice was huskier than normal which caught his attention immediately. “In fact anyone who I’ve ever been intimate with to could tell you that is an advertisement not a warning.”
“Then we are well-matched aren’t we?” I’m doomed, the werewolf is purring at me again, his voice full of promised pleasure. Even from across the room he can make me simultaneously melt and harden with just that tone and that damn unidentifiable look which has plagued me for days.
“Severus you should also know I’m in love with you and I have been for quite some time.” His eyes captured mine again, like a veil had been removed from my eyes I finally could read that look as a combination of longing, lust and what might be love. Remus loves me. I was dizzy with exaltation followed immediately by an almost crippling fear that I would gain my most fervent desire only to discover it was as transient and insubstantial as moon light. Deciding that deflection would allow me more time to process this new information I asked the most obvious question.
“How long have you…?”
“I’ve known for at least a year, but I suspect I’ve loved you longer and just didn’t realize.” I could tell he was aware of and amused by my weak deflection, but he seemed willing to give me time to organize my thoughts again. “If I had to guess I’d say about the time you started calling me Remus. I went to Minerva for advice as soon as I had my epiphany. After a grilling that I believe would have satisfied any Slytherin she gave her blessing and ever since she has periodically given me a kick in the pants for no additional charge. Of course Harry knows too, I wanted him to know in advance so he wouldn’t pitch a fit. He took it surprisingly well, though I suspect his relationship with both Hermione and Draco is at least partially responsible for his mature reaction.”
People whose opinion mattered to Remus knew about his feelings for me and accepted them as genuine. Knowing Minerva if she thought Remus even might be insincere in his affections she not only would have ripped him apart but also warned me immediately of the potential danger. If Slytherins are like a dog with a bone then Gryffindors in general and Minerva in particular are like a cat with a mouse. For all their talk of fair play they will trick and taunt their victim into submission with a startling mix of subtlety and unsophisticated methods. I could feel the knot of overpowering fear in my chest start loosen and slowly dissipate, though I was still wary.
These feelings were not just a whim on Remus’ part. He had struggled with them for over a year before deciding to act upon them. If he was not serious about his feelings he would not have worried about my reaction and the reaction of others as much as he clearly did. It might be safe for me to take that final step; it seemed this time I would, finally, not be the only one falling.
“Does Theodore know?” I loved Remus’ son as if he was my own and I was apprehensive he might approve of me as a friend, but not as a paternal figure.
“Severus, Teddy has been trying to persuade me to convince you to move in with us almost since he could talk. I told him the night I tried to tell you so he understood why he was going to his Grandmother’s house. I doubt he will have any objections.”
I could feel relief wash over me, no one important would attack our relationship. This could actually work out in my favour if I could just take that step to bridge the gap between us. Remus was clearly waiting for some sign from me before continuing in our bizarre courtship dance.
“Well it seems that is the last of the obstacles,” I said, standing with a teasing smirk, “unless you have anything else to say?” I let my hungry tone speak for itself, I was tired of waiting. chapter 7