Snarry-a-Thon23: FIC: Woo(f) Title: Woo(f) Author:sillybeans Rating: Teen/PG-13 Word count: 6,101 Content/Warning(s): Alternative Universe – No Voldemort Prompt: 111: The competition is fierce at the Wizarding World's Greatest Crup Show! Will defending champ, Cosmos and his trainer, Severus Snape, be able to hold off the young upstart, Harry Potter with his crup, Marigold? What about the more personal advances from Potter himself? Summary: This was definitely not the show he had signed up for. A/N: This was such a fun prompt to work with. I'd like to thank my beta SlySama for their endless patience and advice.
Severus sneered at the teacup-sized crup that had escaped from its rightful owner to jump against his feet. He shooed the thing away, nudging it with his now dirtied shoe. Behavioural issues in addition to the ridiculous appearance.
Appalling.
He watched as the crup scurried back to its owner, who, apparently, hadn't even realised it had run off. Shaking his head, Severus sighed and cleaned his shoe with a flick of his wand. Wizards and witches were just as bad as Muggles when it came to pet breeding; both parties seemed to want exaggerated 'whatever looks cute at the time'.
Well, not Severus Snape. He'd worked too hard at making sure his line of crups all carried the traditional traits. His crups were pure. Yes – he was aware of how that notion might come across and no, he wasn't an elitist blood-purist, no matter what people said. People did like to gossip. He was just very proud of the fruits of his labour.
To this year's biggest crup show, Severus had brought the current apple of his eye: his youngest and currently most promising male crup, Cosmos. Even as just a cruppy, he'd won the Best in Show the year before, now grown into a fine young specimen of a future prime breeding crup. Nothing like these little mongrels Severus saw running around the area unleashed. One was supposed to keep a proper handle and leash on their crups when at an esteemed crup show such as this. He hoped they would all get properly sanctioned.
It would be disastrous if a Muggle happened to wander too close. Just because the show was held in an enclosed field didn't mean accidents couldn't happen. Crups were known not to be the friendliest when it came to Muggles – as they should be. After witnessing the careless behaviour around him, Severus was sure some of the owners here had definitely not passed the 'Crup Control Test'. This laid-back attitude was most likely the reason cruppies still needed their forked tails to be cut to resemble the Muggle terrier more.
A loud ear-piercing voice echoed through the flattened artificial-like green fields (the organisers had perhaps gone a little heavy on the colour glamouring charm for the occasion), "All winners will get a picture with me, Gilderoy Lockhart! Now, now, don't be sad, I'm sure I'll be able to squeeze some other pics to be taken in between the showings." The sweetened chuckle had Severus rolling his eyes. Only Lockhart could make sweet victory taste like sour disappointment. But looking around, Severus did think there was quite a turnout of ladies this year, most likely drawn in by that oaf of a man.
Severus kneeled down to check Cosmos' teeth, preparing him for the oncoming evaluation. "Good boy," he told him when the crup didn't resist the inspection, and patted him gently on the side in appreciation. The crup answered this with a happy wag of his tail.
Moving his fingers through Cosmos' wire-coated fur, Severus hummed appreciatively, and the crup laid its head on Severus' knee, not once stopping with the tail-wagging. Cosmos was still very young, not yet old enough to be used as a stud crup, but already he was behaving very maturely for his age. It was good that Cosmos was such a brave and calm little crup because here, the non-stop announcements, lights, and music were a lot to handle for a creature like him, attuned to magic as he was. (They were for Severus, too, especially the irksome Gilderoy Lockhart.)
You could easily see how much the crup shows had changed over the last ten years or so. It was almost scary. From shabby little town affairs to these loud, colourful, extravagant events, attended by hundreds of people from all over the country. Sometimes from abroad too, as was in this case, since this was the Wizarding World’s Greatest Crup Show – Crupfts.
Fingers still stroking the rough but perfect, weatherproof fur, he watched, grimacing, as the other contestants and their crups milled about. Odd little fur balls ran in circles, yapping loudly, as their handlers and owners tried to catch them. Scurrying to and fro they looked like headless chickens.
Crups shouldn't need to be trimmed or groomed, yet these little wash mops clearly required a lot of unnecessary care for their shiny and fluffy fur. Trimming wasn't against the rules, of course, but that was only because crup shows still didn’t have the regulations they should. Severus was sure that these things would only get more and more ridiculous in time and, inevitably, because it's what wizards do, completely out of hand, most likely resulting in severe health problems and overly exaggerated looks. If the shows changed this quickly, it would only be a matter of time before the crups would start evolving, too. You could already see it happening.
It hadn't been this way when he'd got his first crup a little over twenty years ago. The crup had been a gift from his best friend, Lily. She'd worried he would be too lonely after she and Potter's spawn was born and had all but shoved the little puppy – or cruppy – into his arms. Certified by Regulations and Control of Magical Creatures Department: a very forceful offer he wasn't supposed to decline. Such a Lily thing to do.
And as a way to show gratitude, because of course Lily had been right, all Severus' crups would be named after a flower. Such a Severus thing to do.
How on earth they were still friends – he and Lily – Severus didn't know. He'd announced first-hand to never ever visit their home when either Potter or his brat were home. There had been no mistaking the rather harsh and disappointed tone of Lily's voice, but after the deepest of sighs Severus had ever witnessed, she'd accepted what she'd called the most utterly ridiculous demands. But she never pushed him about it again. She's a good friend, understanding boundaries, absurd though they might have been.
But of course, Lily, that damn endearing witch, had known that Severus would, in time, give up on his demands. Back then, their Hogwarts days had still been in fresh memory, and James Potter had known to keep clear of Severus by default. He couldn't possibly have expected the same from their child. But maybe the child had thought he was actually supposed to do the same because every time Severus had visited Lily when the Potter men had been in residence, the boy had hurried to hide from him.
He had been a curious, albeit very shy, child. After hiding for a while, he would come to peek at Severus from behind a curtain or a doorway, to which Severus was always supposed to act unsuspectingly. It had been a part of their little game, which Lily had found hilarious. When the boy left for Hogwarts, their little games had ended, and Severus hadn't seen the boy since if you didn't count the many pictures Lily showed him every time they met. For some reason, she seemed to think that the boy's development would interest him. It didn't. He wasn't a Crup, for Merlin's sake.
Speaking of the devil, or rather, its spawn…
A crowd had gathered at one of the booths selling extendable leashes and disturbingly flashy collars. In the middle of the crowd was, unsurprisingly, Harry Potter, basking in the spotlight. Severus had been doing this for years – decades – and now this newcomer thought he could just strut in here as though he owned the place.
The only good thing Severus could think of was that Potter had not taken an interest in the new way of breeding, if you could even call it that. Severus was, of course, happy that someone else was also preserving the old Crup bloodlines, but why did it have to be a Potter? His despise of the man had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Cosmos had lost Best in Show to Potter's crup, Marigold, at the last crup show they had attended a few weeks ago; not at all was he a petty man.
And there he was, the new celebrity among crup show enthusiasts, chatting cheerfully with the people surrounding him. He had been attending a lot of the same Crup showings as Severus this past year. Not a shy little boy anymore, he was almost as bad as Lockhart, whose hosting they were all privileged to enjoy throughout the day. The chatters mostly consisted of young ladies, of course, since Potter was so distractedly handsome –
Severus sighed disappointedly and slowly rose to stand. No matter how he tried to deny it, it was difficult not to have his eyes follow the dazzling young man, all smiles and shiny black hair.
Straightening his back, he willed himself to stare ahead at the crup show ring instead of, well, Potter's fine arse. Female cruppies (aged seven to nine months) were currently being judged, not that many were promising cruppies, he thought, trying his best to look interested anyway. Unable to stop his gaze from wandering, his eyes fixed, yet again, on Potter. Why couldn't he wear dress robes as was customary at these bigger events? Potter was obviously after the attention, wearing those slim-fit muggle trousers of his.
Severus dug a schedule from his pocket and then glanced at his watch, irritated. They were already running behind with the examinations. After the Cruppy class, the Junior class would be judged next. This class was for young crups aged from nine to eighteen months. Then last but not least, would be the turn of the Open class, in which Cosmos would compete with the other males and Potter's Marigold would compete with the females. There were usually the most crups in the Open class, as every crup aged fifteen months and older could be enrolled to be evaluated in this class.
After these regular classes only the Best in Show would remain, which was what Severus intended to win with his Cosmos.
The Wizarding Crup shows didn't, at least yet, have as many different classes as Muggles had within their dog shows – thank Merlin. Severus had been to observe a few… madness was a kind way of describing them. With crups, the Best in Show class only consisted of all the class winners: one bitch and one 'dog' from each of the three classes. For some reason, at the Muggle dog shows, the female dogs were called bitches and male dogs just… dogs. Silly business.
But to put it simply, in the end, only six crups would be eligible to fight for the main title. And in a grand event such as Crupfts, getting there would take some time, as there were hundreds of crups for the judges to examine.
These events, at which the supposed best of the best were competing, were great for evaluating the current state (dreadful) of crup breeding and also exchanging ideas with other breeders. Families often liked to gather at these contests, as parents thought their children would find watching crups, and their handlers, trotting in the show ring delightful. Unfortunately, children usually had rather short attention spans and didn’t stay put for long. Because of that, there were even more ankle-biters for Severus to watch out for, not just the occasional runaway crup.
The female Cruppy winners were announced by Lockhart's voice echoing around the area. Rosettes and handshakes were given, and Severus joined with the others to clap politely at the winners, who Lockhart pretty much forced into taking photographs with him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he watched Lockhart take in the applause as if all the cheering had been for him. The man really was a tool.
Severus watched as the junior males took the cruppy females' place in the large ring while hiding a yawn behind the palm of his hand. At this pace, it would most likely be another hour yet before the Open class males' turn. The organisers didn't want to have multiple rings for different classes because 'it would be difficult for the audience to watch several shows at the same time'.
"Come on," he told Cosmos, leading him away from the cheering crowd.
They wandered about the area for a while until Severus found a stall that sold coffee. He was already making his way back when he stumbled on a leash, spilling his coffee on his robes and hands before he had even had a sip. He swore loudly, causing one of the parents nearby to cover their child’s ears with their hands while glaring daggers at him. Severus tried his best to look at least somewhat apologetic for his behaviour but only managed to turn his face into an ugly grimace if the father's reaction was to be trusted.
"What the hell," Severus hissed, narrowing his eyes as he turned to look down at Cosmos.
But Cosmos was no longer by his side. His place was taken by… Shoes; ratty trainers to be precise. As Severus lifted his gaze, his dull dark eyes met bright green ones.
Potter.
"Mr Snape," the young man said and nodded politely at him. "Hello." His lips curved into a wary smile.
"Mr Potter," Severus said tensely, returning the nod while shaking some of the coffee off his hands. It was strange seeing Potter alone. Severus wondered how he had managed to rid himself of his fan club.
Potter's smile now reached his eyes. "Marigold seems to really like him," he said, nodding towards the ground, where, to Severus' horror, their crups were now play-wrestling in the grass. "But I think the feeling’s mutual," he added when Cosmos tackled Marigold on the ground and started to hump her in earnest.
Salazar help him.
"Cosmos – are you for real?" Severus groaned, one hand reaching out, but it seemed Cosmos only had eyes and ears for his newfound love.
Potter was laughing heartily. "Oh, never mind them," he said, waving offhandedly, but it did nothing to help with Severus' embarrassment about the scene playing in front of them. Cosmos was really giving it – her – his best. "Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask you if you'd be willing to have Cosmos breed Marigold next year?" Potter asked. "He's certainly into the idea."
Severus bit the inside of his cheek. The offer – if genuine – was something to consider, actually. "We'll have to see how he continues to develop," he said without bothering to give any praise to Marigold.
Potter nodded, looking thoughtful. "Er – sorry about your coffee. I don’t really know how to use these extendable leashes… I was just gifted one," he said, showing Severus the colourful leash he had just trampled himself over.
Severus scoffed. "Of course you were," he muttered bitterly, mostly to himself.
Potter cocked his head. He stood still for a moment, a frown appearing and then disappearing between his eyes before he pointed at the cup in Severus' hand and offered to buy him a new coffee.
Severus stared at him. Or rather, after him, as Potter had turned and started to walk towards the coffee stall, crups and leashes forgotten on the ground. Snapping vitriol at the misbehaving creatures, Severus crouched to take hold of the leashes and marched after Potter, both crups in tow.
"Black?" Potter asked when Severus reached him. He nodded curtly and was handed a cup. He offered another nod as a thank you. "Thought so," Potter snickered, and Severus gave him a glare, one arm still tangled in the leashes, hissing and growling at the deaf crups while Potter offered no help.
Instead, he seemed to enjoy watching him struggle, slowly sipping his own coffee, an amused smile plastered on his face. Severus was now sure he was being humiliated on purpose. He felt the heat rise to his neck and swore internally at his pet for not listening to his commands.
"Enough!" he finally lashed out in exasperation, and at last, Cosmos' attention snapped back to him. Severus curled his lip in disgust as he looked at his heavily panting companion. "And you," he spat, shoving the hand which was holding the leashes towards Potter, "take your damn crup and that blasted leash away from me."
Potter only smirked as he stepped closer, placing his hand on Severus' chest. The touch efficiently restrained his anger. Potter leaned in, his lips nearly touching Severus' ear.
"Down, boy."
Severus' breath hitched, and he knew – oh, he knew – how the warmth on his neck began to creep towards his cheeks for everyone to see. Potter deliberately let his touch linger, drawing small patterns on Severus' chest, before slowly moving his fingers to untangle the leashes. He took the ridiculous rainbow-coloured one and Marigold with him and began to walk away.
"Be a good boy, now," he called over his shoulder, and Severus' eyes shot up, and he opened his mouth to – But whatever it was that he'd thought to say was interjected when Potter twisted his head back towards Severus, a wide smirk on his face, as he giddily added, "Cosmos," to finish his sentence.
Preposterous. Completely, utterly preposterous, he thought, as he watched the young man walk away, hips swaying enticingly –
Stop it.
Severus' face had to be beet red by now, he could feel it. And it wasn't because of the sunny weather or the hot coffee he quickly vanished, suddenly feeling dirty about accepting it in the first place.
He clenched his fists, swearing under his breath. Oh, the young man knew exactly what he was doing! Severus looked around apprehensively to see if anyone had witnessed what just happened. And just what was it that had happened? Never mind that – Potter was playing with him. Ridiculing him. The prat was clearly trying to mess with his head so he'd lose his game, lose the title of Best of Crup and Best in Show. Severus was not going to let that happen.
Huffing, he lowered himself to the ground to brush Cosmos' fur clean. "Why'd you have to betray me like that, too, you ruddy mutt," he mumbled to him. Cosmos folded his ears back in apology. "It’s fine," Severus sighed, the puppy eyes melting away the remains of his anger. "But next time – just bite him, OK?"
***
Accompanied by enthusiastic applause, Severus smiled and waved as politely as he could as he and Cosmos exited the ring. As expected, Cosmos had won the male title for Best of Crup and would later compete for the BiS title.
"Congratulations!"
Severus turned around and met Potter's smiling face. He was holding Marigold's leash in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. "Thank you," Severus replied and glanced at Cosmos; his stern look telling the crup not to get any closer to the female. Cosmos whined unhappily at him, and Potter chuckled at their exchange.
"I guess it’s our turn next", said Potter, motioning with his head towards the ring. "Wish us luck," he added, smirking, making Severus harrumph. "Yeah, you’re right. As if we’d need it," Potter replied giddily and made to walk past Severus, only to be stopped by a running child bumping into them.
Potter was quick to react; dropping to one knee, he first made sure the child was alright before standing up again, watching the child speed off to bump into other unsuspecting people. Slowly shaking his head after the kid, Potter turned around and pushed the wet curls off his face. Because, of course, the bowl would upturn on Potter.
Severus gulped at the sight, dearly wishing the water had splashed on the child instead.
The white shirt Potter wore was now completely wet and clung tightly to his skin, exposing his figure for everyone to see. Not that he was really hiding it before. Severus could see the dark chest hair through the shirt, but what really drew his attention were the pink and pointy nipples that were now hardened against the wet fabric. Dear lord. And was that a six pack? And a treasure trail?
"Like what you see?"
Severus closed his eyes, realising his mistake too late. He'd been caught staring. Never in his life had he been this embarrassed.
"You didn’t answer me," Potter said, his voice closer than before. Severus opened his eyes to witness the young man take his hand in his and lift it onto his wet chest. He recoiled in surprise, but Potter, eyes glinting in the sun, only gave him a mischievous grin.
"Ever heard of a drying charm?" Severus replied, trying to sound firm. He pointed his wand at Potter, who was now playfully spreading his arms, and spelled him dry. Potter only laughed and thanked him with a pat on his shoulder before walking past him to the ring with Marigold. Cosmos whined after her. "Yes, I know," Severus told him, voice heavy, unable to tear his eyes off the handsome young man that was the unfortunate product of his schoolyard bully; then again, he was also of Lily, so there was that going for him at least.
***
There was obviously one bitch in heat frolicking in the ring, and it was not Marigold.
Severus whole-heartedly wished the torment would've come to an end with the 'Mr Wet Shirt' episode, but alas, Potter had decided to give him the show of his life. And Severus, a good boy that he was, could do nothing but watch.
No one, and he meant no one, would arch their back like that when getting up. And what was with spreading his legs like that? Did he just wink at him? Potter made sure to pose suggestively with his arse in front of Severus at all times, especially when he corrected Marigold's standing form for the judges. Severus gripped the edge of his seat with sweaty hands. Decidedly uncomfortable, he couldn't possibly stand it for much longer.
The girls in the audience loved it, though. Perhaps he'd read the situation wrong, and Potter was indeed showing his goods to the ladies while winking at them. But as he watched him, face heated, he had to accept the reality; it was all directed at him.
At him.
And he liked it.
Experiencing a sexual reawakening in the midst of all these people while watching his best friend's son so openly flirt with him – during a crup show – was not how Severus had imagined the day would go.
After Potter and Marigold had been awarded their Best of Crup rosette, Severus was making his way over to them. Lockhart had by then already dragged Potter back to the ring for a photo – 'Not so fast, Mr Potter! You forgot the real prize!' – when Severus grasped him roughly by the arm as he strode quickly forward. Potter yelped in surprise.
Indignant, Severus said, "I’ve a bone to pick with you – what you did there –"
"Oh, I’ll gladly feed you my bone if that’s what you’re after," Potter replied.
“What –“ Severus sputtered.
Potter laughed gleefully.
"Stop being a nuisance. We need to talk," Severus hissed into his ear, face flushed, and walked him rather forcefully towards the loos. Cosmos and Marigold followed, happily yapping behind them, tails wagging in tandem. They had been apart for too long and were now making the most of it. Severus might’ve found the behaviour adorable at any other time; now the four-legged lovebirds' antics only annoyed him, and he was happy to leave them waiting outside the loo while he took care of whatever this was.
***
The toilet cubicle door slammed shut behind them. Even though Severus had been the one to drag Potter here, he hadn't been the one to close the door, as he was the one currently being pushed against it.
When it came to respecting one's boundaries, the apple had fallen far from the tree.
"Mr Potter!" he yelped in shock, but the man in question only shushed him, placing a finger in front of his mouth.
"It’s Harry," Potter then replied huskily, circling the finger on Severus' bottom lip, completely ignoring Severus' rather feeble resistance. He moved closer to Severus' neck, sniffing him, causing him to shiver. Merlin. "Mmh, you smell so good – I mean – I knew you would, but…" Potter murmured against the crook of Severus' neck, his glasses pressing into his skin.
Severus gasped for air. Had he forgotten how to breathe? "You have to stop t-this nonsense," he replied, instantly berating himself for stuttering. But it was all too much. He tried to push Potter off him; an attempt so weak it made Potter chuckle. Severus was unable to suppress a shudder as the sound echoed around them, vibrating through his whole body at the same time. "What do you want?" he croaked, arms now hanging flaccidly by his sides.
"I thought it to be obvious by now – you," replied Potter, his warm body still pressing against Severus'.
Severus' body stiffened, and his pulse thrummed loudly in his ears as he tried to make sense of Potter's words. "You want… me?" he asked, voice hoarse.
"God, yes," Potter groaned against his ear, and a weak moan slipped out of Severus' mouth, which only goaded Potter further. "Please, let me."
The rough sound of Potter's voice sent shivers down his spine. Like a sharp electric shock cursing through his body, it made his legs suddenly feel like they'd been hit with a Jelly-Legs Jinx. The knee Potter had at some point sneaked between his thighs was the only thing keeping him upright.
Being groped by Harry Potter in a loo stall of all places was, unironically, the most erotic thing Severus had ever experienced. That is why he knew for sure he could not be awake; this had to be the doings of his sun-addled brain. No one in their right mind wore dark dress robes on such a warm and sunny day. He'd never been a fan of cooling charms, and now he regretted it, considering he'd apparently gotten heatstroke; the image his mind provided of himself drooling on a bench while waiting for their turn to go into the show ring was not needed. He wished to be swallowed by –
"Earth to Severus," Potter called and Severus reluctantly opened his eyes to meet a grinning face. It was such a vivid dream.
"I don’t remember agreeing to be called by my first name," he said dryly, trying to sound serious, authoritative.
"But I told you to call me Harry," Potter replied. "Besides, I’d say we're already close enough to be on a first-name basis," he added meaningfully as he nudged Severus' inner thigh with his leg.
Severus shut his eyes for a moment and swallowed. "Get out of my dream this instant. I mean it."
Potter's eyebrows shot up. "Dream?" he asked, bewildered, tilting his head to the side. "This," he continued and pinched Severus on the side, hard, to get his point across, "isn’t a dream."
Severus inhaled with a hiss, twisting his body away from Potter.
Glaring incredulously, he grumbled in disbelief, "If… if this is not a dream, then… why?"
"Why what?" Potter asked, looking a bit confused.
"Why are you doing… this?"
"Doing what exactly?" Potter asked mockingly, smiling as he nudged himself closer. Again.
He was so close, too close, their noses nearly touched. He could feel Potter's warm breath on his face. Severus hadn't even realised before how tall Potter actually was. But of course he would be – just look at his father, James. He was tall.
Being reminded of James Potter helped immensely with clearing his mind, and this time he managed to push Potter off him. Somewhat.
"This," he then clarified, motioning between them.
"I told you already. I want you. I like you." Potter still had his hand on Severus' arm.
"You can’t possibly want me," Severus said, disbelieving, as he shook the hand off. "Or like me."
Potter glanced at the spot where his hand had been, looking puzzled. He sighed. "Mum has told me so much about you."
Severus couldn't help but cringe visibly. Just what had Lily told him, Severus could only imagine. "That hardly constitutes this. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re young, I am not. You don’t know me."
"But I'd like to. When I began attending the crup shows, she was the one who encouraged me to approach you," Potter said, sheepishly.
"Clearly, this can’t be what she meant."
Potter huffed a laugh. "No, I don’t think so. It wasn’t what I had in mind at first either if I’m being honest."
Severus hummed thoughtfully.
"I –" Potter began, averting his gaze. Severus watched his Adam's apple bob once in slow motion, before Potter continued, "Ever since I was little, I wanted to become friends with you, but…"
"A rather unusual way of making friends, don’t you think?"
"Er – sorry. I – umm – got carried away."
"A bit, yes."
Potter was blushing. Severus had to fight the sudden urge to caress those pink cheeks with his hands. He made sure to keep them strictly glued to his sides instead. He'd dragged Potter here to confront him about his inappropriate behaviour, only to find, to his chagrin, that he was struggling to keep his own hands off him.
"Anyway… before I knew it, I'd developed a crush, I think," said Potter. "On you," he clarified, probably thinking Severus couldn’t decipher that from his speech.
"Really now."
Potter huffed displeased, "Yes. Really now."
Fine.
Severus had to act fast to not allow himself any time to back off. He grabbed Potter by the shoulders and slammed him against the door, swapping their places. Potter let out a small surprised sound, which Severus was quick to silence with his lips.
No going back now.
There was no hesitation; his kiss was met immediately. Potter was so very responsive: his tongue slid into his mouth, and soon Severus felt hands on his back, on his neck, on his hair, pushing him even closer when it was no longer possible.
Tugging on Potter's messy curls, which he could now say for sure felt just as soft as he had imagined, because yes – he had imagined, when he'd watched the man prance in the show ring. Potter responded to his touch with a groan, pushing his thigh back between Severus' legs. The groan was answered with his own when Potter began moving the leg up, up, up, rubbing his arousal with every move.
Severus brought his lips to Potter’s jaw, and Potter tilted his head back, panting heavily as Severus fervently kissed him down his neck. He let out a moan when Severus sucked on the exposed skin between his shoulder and neck. He wondered if it were possible to come undone only on those lewd sounds alone, and bit him gently on the neck, causing Potter to whine obscenely, which only spurred him on.
The hair tie Severus had been wearing fell to the floor. Potter smiled at him, eyes twinkling in the dim light. He seemed to like the way Severus' hair ended up framing both their faces. Potter grabbed Severus' jaw, and brought their lips together for another kiss.
This was not how Severus had predicted today to go: heatedly snogging Harry Potter in the loo as if his life depended on it. Not that he was complaining, but instead greedily savouring the taste and feel of Potter's slightly chapped lips and slick tongue.
Then Severus felt hands on his chest; quick fingers began unbuttoning his robes. He wanted to do the same for Potter's shirt. Wanted his fingers to feel what was underneath. Slip under the shirt, and feel the warmth of his skin, poke the nipples he'd been given a teasing glance earlier with his thumbs. But at the same time, he wanted to watch the man work. For someone to want him this much, he needed to savour it all. Those frantic, nearly desperate movements were too enticing for his eyes to be interrupted, so he didn’t.
Instead, he began dragging his teeth along Potter's jaw, making him –
The door to the loo opened with a loud creak, startling them both. Gasping for breath, Severus backed off, meeting Potter's gaze. God, the way his eyes shone. No one had ever looked at Severus like that. So wanting. So eager.
"We can’t –"
"You don’t want to?" Potter asked quietly, his thigh nudging against Severus' crotch, hands splayed on his chest.
"Mmh – I mean," he whispered as the cubicle next to them was entered by someone. "Not here."
Potter nodded, and the corner of his mouth curved upwards. They looked at each other as if they were in a staring competition, clearly doing their best to communicate wordlessly. You go first. No, you. No, I mean it, brat; you go first.
But it seemed to work as he watched Potter roll his eyes at him and then tug on his trousers in an attempt to hide his erection. He gave Severus a quick peck on the lips and turned to grasp the doorknob but was interrupted when a snicker came from behind the thin wall next to them, causing them both to freeze on the spot.
"I can hear you, you know!" A giddy, high-pitched laugh reverberated through the loo, making them both tense up again. "And I saw Marigold and Cosmos outside."
Severus groaned as he leaned forwards against Potter, banging his forehead on the cubicle door. He'd recognised the voice right away. He felt Potter's shoulders slump under him.
"Here I was, waiting for the Best in Show judging to begin – for which you are both going to be late soon, by the way – and decided to quickly pop to the loo… and what do I find here," she cried, the last few words engulfed by yet another laughing fit. "You two – of all people – doing Merlin-knows-what in a loo cubicle!"
And just like that, Severus' lovely dream had turned into a nightmare.
Unbelievable.
"Mum."
"Lily."
Her response was to laugh hysterically for what felt like an eternity. "Harry, darling," she then said, voice trembling as she desperately tried to control herself. "I’m so glad you finally took the initiative, but really, did it have to be in a loo?" And then the laughing was back.
It was easy for Severus to imagine her there, sitting on the toilet, tears running down her cheeks from laughing too hard. Severus used to love the sound of her uncontained laughter. Now it sent chills down his spine.
Harry, looking a bit embarrassed, had clearly had enough of his mother's antics; he threw the door open, dragging Severus out with him. They left the cubicle in a dash, Severus trying his best to button his robes as they walked, the sound of Lily's laughter still following after them as they made their way outside.
***
They hurried towards the show ring, taking quick and shallow breaths, both of their faces flushed from all the… running. Their crups wagged their tails in excitement as they ran alongside their owners, matching their pace with ease.
Those watching the competition turned to look at them as they reached the ring, both panting hard. Severus' hair was no longer tied back, and Potter reached to tuck some of it behind his ear. "May the best crup win," he said before taking his place in the ring.
"Better late than never," Lockhart said, turning his nose up at their dishevelled appearances.
The winner of the Best in Show turned out to be some disfigured mothball, because Lockhart had at some point been appointed the honorary judge for the BiS title. It hadn't even been one of the crups at the ring, just some 'cute little thing' he'd seen earlier. Severus wasn't the only one unhappy about the decision; several people booed at Lockhart, and the man looked devastated. Served him right.
Severus took to calmly leaving the ring together with Potter, them both gracefully turning to give Lockhart the finger, and laughing at the man's incredulous expression. Lily was waiting for them outside the ring, smiling but shaking her head slowly.
"Here’s my address," Potter said as he slipped a note inside Severus' pocket, for which Severus was very grateful. There was no way he would be able to ask Lily for Potter's address after today. Potter leaned forward, bringing his lips to Severus' ear to whisper, "Feel free to owl me anytime about the… breeding."
"Very subtle," Lily said behind them, snorting loudly.