Eye of the Beholder by suitesamba Title: Eye of the Beholder Author:suitesamba Pairing: Severus/Remus, Remus/Tonks, Harry/Ginny Rating: R+ Word Count: +/- 1500 Warnings: Partner Betrayal Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The characters and their worlds belong to their original writers and no copyright infringement or offense is intended. No money was made from this story. Summary: Happiness is in the eye of the beholder. Severus Snape wants to wipe that happy smile off of Harry Potter’s face. A/N: Written for the 2012 severus_sighs #angst!fest. Angst level increased after a pre-read by roozetter (a.k.a. angst whore) (dude, say it in hashtag or don't say it at all! #angstwhore :P)
Eye of the Beholder
It wasn’t fair.
Not only had Harry Potter survived the war fairly unscathed, Dumbledore’ other man was happy. He’d killed Voldemort then taken the summer off to “recover” with his closest friends. As Severus understood it, they’d all gone to the southern coast of Spain to relax and regroup. They’d come back, tan and relaxed, about the same time he’d been released from the hospital. Potter had entered the Auror Academy and the Ministry had arranged for night classes with various Hogwarts professors so he could earn his N.E.W.T.s. Potter, to Severus’ disbelief and disgust, had been cordial, polite and mature whenever they met, no matter how surly Severus was or how much he baited him. Midway through the year, Potter moved the cozy little Lupin family into Grimmauld Place and got himself a flat in London, close to the Ministry. He was often photographed, Weasley chit or Granger and Weasley at his side, visiting the war orphans or working to help clear the rubble of destruction from the battle. To add insult to injury, Potter was always photogenic, but never more so than when his robes were off and he was working in a tight t-shirt, rebuilding a damaged wall or stairway.
Lupin and Tonks had named Potter godfather of their blue-haired son and, when it became clear that Severus would pull through and survive his injuries, visited him with the child in tow and asked him to be the brat’s second godfather. He had accepted, of course, but only because he thought it would irk the hell out of Potter.
He had noticed then how Lupin had looked at him.
How Lupin had always looked at him. Forlorn. Lost. Longing. Doleful, desirous eyes. Why the fuck had the wolf married that woman? Better yet, why had she married him? She was ten years his junior, relatively attractive and could certainly have done better. Married a man, say, who wasn’t a werewolf.
So Lupin, despite still carrying a torch for Severus after all these years (hadn’t he rejected him definitively when they were seventh years?), had a happy little family and was living off the fat of the land—the Black and Potter estates, to be exact. Potter was happy, Lupin was happy, Tonks was happy, the slobbering baby was happy.
Everyone was happy except for Severus.
There was really no reason for him not to be happy. The Ministry had pardoned him, had given him a stipend for life, and offered him his old job back. He’d manage to not laugh in their faces as he took his monthly galleons and consented, finally, to teach N.E.W.T. level Potions and Defense for full salary and his old dungeon quarters. Minerva reluctantly took the Headmistress job and left him largely alone. She felt, he thought, that he’d earned his rest.
He ran into Potter at the Ministry one afternoon in January, just after the Christmas holiday. Potter seemed happy to see him. He was cordial. He asked about his work, and his health, and thought they could team up on Teddy’s birthday present in March. And when they parted, he took Severus’ hand and pulled him in closer by the wrist and gave him a half-hug.
He smelled good. Young. Clean. Fresh.
He looked happy. Like the cares of the world had melted off of him, leaving him spotless and smooth, with a million possibilities, all of them promising.
Severus wanted to wipe that smile off his face and he couldn’t really say why.
He thought about seducing Miss Granger. She was intelligent, thirsty for knowledge and presently in the company of the youngest Weasley boy. He wasn’t much to look at, really, not even with the loss of baby fat and the muscles he’d put on. Potter would be devastated if his best friends broke up. They’d have to choose sides. It would be messy, and in the papers, and Potter would be livid, enraged, that Severus Snape would dare to intrude on his little trio.
It sounded like a perfect plan, with the small problem that it involved sleeping with Granger. And Granger, from all outward appearances, was a woman.
He tucked the plan away for future consideration, but never had to act on it because the next day, ducking into the Three Broomsticks for a pint after completing his grading, he ran into Remus Lupin.
Alone.
Lupin was seated at a table for two, hunched over a half-empty pint. He looked up as Severus pulled open the door and ducked inside out of the snow, rubbing his hands.
He caught Severus’ eyes and they stared at each other for a drawn-out moment, then Lupin motioned for Severus to join him.
And Severus suddenly had a new plan.
Forget Granger with her frizzy hair and feminine curves and inquiring mind. Yes, he could shake up Potter’s friends by shagging their resident brainiac.
But he could shake up Potter’s fundamental belief in the goodness and integrity of family by shagging his godson’s father. His godson’s married father. The man who had been pining after Severus Snape for more than twenty years.
He sat across from Lupin without hesitation and ordered a pint for himself and another for Lupin.
Lupin gave him that tired, kind smile.
“Severus. What brings you out on a night like tonight?”
Severus smiled tightly. “Believe it or not, even I get lonely and need some company at times.”
“Severus Snape lonely?” Remus chuckled.
“And where, may I ask, is Mrs. Lupin this fine evening?” Severus asked a few minutes later after some idle chatter.
The pleasant look on Lupin’s face disappeared. “She’s been away on assignment for two weeks.”
“And my godson?” asked Severus, watching the scowl on Lupin’s face with interest.
“His grandmother has him for the night,” answered Lupin.
Severus gave a wicked grin and ordered another pint for each of them.
Lupin was too intoxicated to Apparate home. Severus helped him outside, arm around his waist, letting Lupin lean heavily against him. Standing in the street in front of the Three Broomsticks, he wrapped both arms around the other man and Apparated them both to Grimmauld Place.
They fell against each other in the entryway, Remus giggling like a schoolgirl as Severus grabbed him as he stumbled and knocked over the umbrella stand. They ended up against the wall, Remus in front and without preamble, without invitation, without words of any kind, Remus was suddenly grinding against Severus, groping his arse, pushing him back against the wall, unbuttoning his robes with fumbling fingers, then tearing his clothes off, turning him around and pushing him against the wall. Dropping to his knees and attacking his arse with agile tongue and blunt fingers and Severus barely had time to realize this was not going as planned. He didn’t bottom. No one had ever…ever…fuck! He groaned and spread his legs and Remus’ fist was on his cock and his tongue was swiping against him, stabbing into him and how was this wiping that smirk off of Harry’s face? He pressed back against Remus, thinking he would end this but Remus’ finger was in him and guh! Remus hit his prostate and that made Severus’ head spin and his balls tighten.
He had his legs around Remus’ waist, was being thoroughly pounded by Remus’ weapon of a cock, nearly delirious with pleasure and pain, biting into Remus’ shoulder to keep from screaming, when the door opened and someone giggled and someone—someones—stumbled into the foyer, laughing, and suddenly green eyes were staring at Severus but Remus, oblivious, kept pounding and Severus dropped his head back against the wall and spurted his release, still staring over Remus’ shoulder at those green, green, green, startled eyes.
“Severus…fuck you’re so tight…wanted this for so long…wanted you, wanted your ass, wanted your mouth….”
Remus gave one final thrust, nearly skewering him, and came, hips moving shallowly as he came down from the rush. Severus deliberately licked up the side of Remus’ face, tasting the beads of sweat, smirking at Harry’s hurt, horrified expression. His eyes moved slowly from Harry to his companion, squinting in the semi-darkness.
Harry’s companion was not Ginevra Weasley.
Staring at them with shocked eyes was Nymphadora Tonks.
“Remus!”
Remus whirled around at his wife’s voice, pulling out of Severus so quickly it burned. Severus stood there without protest, though, naked, dripping, as Remus faced his wife.
“Dora…Fuck! Come back!”
She gave a single, broken sob then ran up the stairs and he followed her, calling out to her, begging her to listen. “It’s not what it looks like. I had too much to drink. Fuck, Dora, it’s Snape>!”
Severus stared at Harry as he slid to the floor on boneless legs.
“Get out of my house.” Harry’s voice was hoarse, stained with betrayal. He came at Snape, shaking with rage, and punched him in the face.
And Snape sat on the floor victorious—naked, sticky with cum and blood, nose and arse throbbing—having successfully wiped the smile off of Harry Potter’s face.