Snarry-A-Thon: FIC: Fixation Title: Fixation Author:irana Other pairings/threesome: Implied Snape/OMC and surprise pairing (highlight for spoilers) *Draco/Neville.* Rating: PG – for now Word Count: 3,934 Warnings: (highlight for spoilers) *AU, post war, EWE* Prompt: #81: Harry sees Snape with another man and now can't stop thinking about a certain attribute of Snape's--but not his cock or arse. Summary: Harry develops a new obsession… of sorts. A/N: Written for the snape_potter 2009 Snarry-A-Thon. I took a little bit of creative license with the prompt and made it two things, in separate instances. And then the muse took over and turned it into something else. 3,934 words. And yes, there will be more in future.
Fixation
Harry froze in his steps at the sound of a voice he hadn't heard in over a year. He shook his head and decided he had to be mistaken, because no way would Severus Snape be caught dead at a Ministry function. But the sound came again, and it was definitely Snape, and Snape in a way Harry had never, ever heard him. He turned toward the curtain the sound had come from and used his wand to twitch it slightly to the side. Harry could clearly see Snape's profile and the back of the blond man Snape was talking to.
"Come Nicholas," Severus purred in the ear of a man his height, built a little more solidly, with ash blond hair. "We had a bargain. You agreed that if I arrived at this mind-numbing affair, we would leave once two hours had passed. It has been exactly two hours. Say your goodbyes and let us leave, hmm?"
The man – Nicholas – turned to Severus and shook his head. "You know I can deny you nothing when you use that tone. All right Severus," he agreed. "We will leave."
Severus smirked and his voice took on the rumble it always developed when he was especially pleased about something. "You will not regret this, Nicholas," he replied, voice full of promise as both men walked away.
Harry stood frozen; blinking at the implication of the conversation he'd heard. It had never occurred to him that Severus Snape – of all people – might be queer. In fact, he'd assumed that the man was completely asexual, despite his adolescent fantasies about Snape's hands. But then, he acknowledged to himself, a lot of his assumptions about the way things would be after the war were wrong.
Entering the ballroom once more Harry's eyes landed on Hermione, highlighting again just how different things had turned out from what he'd expected. Instead of marrying Ron, Hermione had ended up with Percy, who'd turned out to have a wicked sense of humour once he felt like he belonged. Ron had ended up with Seamus – another surprise for Harry – and he and Ginny… Well, Ginny had gone off to tame dragons, and Harry had discovered he preferred blokes over birds.
That had been one of the biggest surprises of all. He'd woken up after a drunken night with Ron, curled up between his best friend and Seamus and more aroused by the feel of them against him than he'd ever been by anything else in his life. He had beaten a hasty retreat and spent the next two days drunk out of his mind, processing the fact he was queer.
Ginny leaving hadn't surprised – or upset – him as much as everyone had thought it would. They'd begun growing apart anyway, and when Harry had been willing to accept Draco as a spy on Snape's word alone it had gotten worse. He might have despised Snape at the time, but he'd also respected him, and trusted him, having learned that Dumbledore's death had been carried out at the old loon's request. Ron and Hermione had been the only ones who'd understood having been with him when he went to the Headmaster's office looking for answers after Snape fled. He'd been looking for proof the man wasn't to be trusted and had found the exact opposite.
Hermione's voice calling his name brought Harry back to the present, and he decided he would leave off the reflecting for now and enjoy the rest of the party.
* * * * *
Over the next week, Harry found himself obsessing over Snape. It was driving him mad really; he woke up hard from dreams of the man, fingers curled round his cock. Snape's voice sounded in his head when he tried to wank in the shower; every time he caught sight of pale skin he thought of Snape's hands.
It was ridiculous.
Every time Harry managed to put Snape out of his mind, something would invariably happen to remind him of the man again. Seeing him at yet another ministry function – two weeks later and with the same man no less – only made things more unbearable. That night Harry found himself fixated on Snape's hands as they moved. He'd found himself a perfect vantage point to keep his eyes on Snape, yet keep himself hidden behind a plant. And had spent the last hour just watching the potions master and occasionally sipping from his drink.
It was sheer will that kept him from dropping his glass or yelping out loud as a smooth voice purred next to him, "He's available, you know. Severus isn't serious about him. If you're that interested, do something, Potter."
Harry pulled in a bracing breath before turning to face Draco. "I thought we'd agreed you'd call me Harry, Draco," he replied.
Draco gifted him with a small smile and said, "We had. I was simply making a point. The man who killed Voldemort wouldn't be afraid of a small thing like courting the man he wants, would he?"
"Courting?" Harry asked blankly.
Draco shook his head and sighed. "Yes, Harry, courting. Something a wizard with any sort of breeding does when he wants to declare his attraction and possible intention to bond with another male."
"I don't…"
"No?" Draco interrupted. "You have some other reason for spending the majority of the evening hiding behind a bush with your eyes fixed on my godfather's hands?"
Harry flushed, taking a sip of his drink in an attempt to regain his composure. He hadn't thought he'd been that obvious.
Draco kept cool grey eyes on Harry's face, searching for Merlin only knew what. "Right. Since I'm clearly not needed here, I'll bid you goodnight. Enjoy the rest of the party, Harry," he said as he turned and walked away, leaving Harry blinking and confused about the abrupt end of the conversation.
* * * * *
Two days later found Harry in Hermione's office, in a heated discussion regarding the location of Severus Snape's home.
"Come on Hermione!" Harry cried. "I know you know where he lives. You're the Minister's assistant for Merlin's sake. You send the bloody invitations for every event! I don't want to hurt him, you know that."
"That's beside the point Harry," Hermione replied, secretly delighting in making Harry work for the information she would eventually give him anyway. She'd always thought there was more between Harry and Snape than he let on, at least on Harry's side, and this simply proved it. Of all them, only Harry, Draco and Neville remained obviously unattached, and she wanted her friend to find happiness, regardless of whom it was with. It wasn't that she didn't wish happiness for Neville or Draco, just that she felt of all of them, Harry deserved it most.
"I know he's not at Spinner's End. I've checked. He's not with the Malfoys," he added, flushing as he remembered the rather stilted conversation he'd had with Narcissa. "He's not at Dumbledore's cabin. I just… please Hermione," he finished, voice soft. The fight was leaving him, and he was on the verge of giving up on her telling him what he wanted to know. He'd forgotten how stubborn Hermione could be.
Seeing that Harry was nearing the point where he would no longer ask for what he wanted and instead attempt to find it in some way that might do him damage, Hermione heaved a put upon sigh. "Fine, Harry," she said wryly, shaking her head. "But you'd best be certain he doesn't find out how you know. He's taken a great deal of effort to keep his location private. Don't go haring off over there uninvited," she cautioned. "I doubt he'd appreciate it and neither would you once he was through with you."
Harry watched avidly as she pulled out a small piece of parchment and began writing. Internally he was vibrating with excitement. He wasn't certain what he wanted to do just yet, but he'd taken Draco's comment about courting rather seriously. He'd done some research into typical Wizarding courtships and discarded most of them as being beyond him. The rest he'd thrown out because he didn't like them and felt they didn't suit him or Snape.
He had found one he'd thought Snape might like but… well, his experience with men was rather limited and he'd rather not embarrass himself any more than he had to while he tried to win the man's affections. He'd decided to come up with some sort of courtship of his own, something that fit them as the individuals they were. He simply hadn't reached any conclusions of what that might be yet.
Hermione handed him the sheet of paper with a word and Apparation coordinates on it and said, "I didn't give this to you."
Harry took it and shoved it into his pocket then swept her up in an exuberant hug. "Thank you," he said. "I promise you won't regret it."
"See that I don't," Hermione replied with a small smile once he'd set her down. "Now get out of here. Not all of us can set our own hours and I've work to do."
Still grinning, Harry nodded and hurried to the Floo station, taking one to Grimmauld before Apparating to the restored Godric's Hollow. Only then did he look at what Hermione had given him. 'Haven?' he wondered. While he could clearly understand Snape's need for such a place – after all, few knew Godric's Hollow had been restored and the illusion charm he'd set made it seem it hadn't been – he couldn't really see Snape being so obvious in his choice of name.
He made himself a pot of tea, poured a cup, then headed out to check on his charges. Once assured they lacked nothing, he went back inside and settled on the sofa. Only then did he realize just how tired he was; not surprising since he'd had little to no sleep while he attempted to decide what to do about his attraction to Severus Snape. It occurred to him as he began to doze that he'd never seen the other man receive a gift, a thought which followed him into his dreams.
* * * * *
The next morning found Harry at Bentley Brother's Fine Clothiers, looking through the assortment of items available. Snape had been wearing something around his neck the first time he'd seen him, some sort of necktie thing, and he was trying to find another just like it, only he wanted it in royal blue Acromantula silk. Finally he found a display that looked like what he wanted, and he ordered the cravat as it was called in the blue, a deep woodsy green and black, convinced the sales clerk into a Wizard's Oath to not reveal who bought the items and had them delivered by owl to Haven.
Satisfied with his purchase, he headed back to Hogsmeade and stopped off at Hogwarts to visit with Minerva. He was on his way to her office when he bumped into Malfoy – literally.
"Really, Harry," Draco drawled as he righted himself. "One would think you'd know better than to go careening through the halls at your age."
Harry flushed as he replied, "I was on my way to see Minerva and I wasn't paying attention. Sorry."
"Let me save you the trip. She's not there. I came to see her myself only to discover that she's been called away for some sort of emergency. She won't be back for at least a fortnight."
"Oh," Harry replied. His tone was full of disappointment. He'd planned to get Minerva's advice on wooing his Slytherin, but… His face brightened as he realized he had the perfect accomplice in front of him if he could simply convince Draco to participate and his face noticeably brightened.
Draco edged away from Harry at the look at his face and began. "I'll be seeing you…"
"Actually, Draco," Harry interrupted. "You would be far better a choice to discuss this with. The reason I came to see Minerva I mean. Fancy a drink someplace we can talk in private?"
Draco blinked. "Potter, you've the same maniacal look on your face you wore every time you came up with some hare-brained plan during the war." Granted, those plans had all worked but still… never before had they involved him directly.
Harry thought for a moment before he replied. "You offered me assistance with this before. At a Ministry event by a ridiculously large plant. Does that offer still stand?"
It didn't take Draco long to remember that night and a decidedly smug smirk curved the edges of his lips. "Naturally. Of course, you'll have to do something for me in return."
"What?" Harry asked guardedly. He wasn't worried about Draco dragging him into some dangerous scheme, however, the blond did have a mischievous streak as wide as both Weasley twins. There was no telling what prank he'd pull Harry into.
"Oh no, Harry," Draco grinned. "You want me to divulge secrets about someone close to me who could make a life of subjugation to Voldemort seem like heaven. You will either agree to help me, or you're on your own."
Harry sighed and nodded. Really, what other choice did he have. Both elder Malfoys were dead, not that he'd have asked them, Minerva was gone, and Dumbledore's portrait mostly slept. It was Draco or bumbling about on his own.
Draco gave him a smile full of pure pleasure and said, "Come. This is a subject best discussed under ward. My flat in London; I'll side-along you."
* * * * *
Three days later Harry was having his usual bi-monthly lunch meeting with Neville at The Flying Biscuit in London, listening to Neville babble excitedly about the anonymous gift of a rare version of mangragora he'd received.
"It's amazing, Harry. It's in perfect condition; strong, healthy, vibrant colours and the magical properties alone make it near priceless!"
"That's great Neville," Harry enthused, a broad smile on his face. He'd been unsure about this at first, but it seemed like it might work out and he and Draco would get what they wanted. He'd never admit it to Draco, but he'd gone along with the blond's request that Harry help him woo Neville only because he'd known that Neville cared for Draco already.
Neville's excitement waned a little as he admitted, "I was certain it was a mistake. I mean, who would spend that much money on something for me?"
Harry frowned. "Neville, we've had this conversation before. I wish you'd stop doubting yourself so much."
"Doubt it's who I want it to be from," Neville murmured.
Harry shook his head. "Whoever it is has to reveal him or herself sometime. Who knows, stranger things have happened." He pointedly changed the subject to something else and the rest of their lunch passed without further opportunity for Harry to give the game away.
* * * * *
Over the next two months, the anonymous courting of both Severus Snape and Neville Longbottom escalated. Draco and Harry traded ideas, information and responses to each gift over evening teas in either Draco's flat or Harry's home.
"I think it's time to move on," Harry said. "We're almost at the end of our lists of gifts, and I think the next one should be given in person. That way we'll still have things to surprise them with later."
Draco considered that for a moment then said, "Perhaps have the items delivered a few moments before our arrival?"
Harry shook his head. "That won't work for me and Severus. I'm not meant to know where he lives, remember? It would be best if I appeared gift in hand."
Draco laughed. "You do have a point. So, tomorrow then? Around 8pm?"
Harry nodded as heat flooded his system at the thought of being in Snape's home. Provided he was allowed inside, something he was well aware might not happen. The two toasted their plans with hopes for success and called it a night as both had preparations to make.
*~*~*
Harry arrived on the outskirts of Snape's home with two gifts; a letter from the German ministry allowing him contact and exchange of goods and information with the German Ministry's premier Potions Master. It was an honour thus far denied every Potions Master in England and Scotland that requested it.
The second gift was like the first only in that it too dealt in potions. Harry had contacted Bill Weasley about his sources in Egypt and Brazil, and had managed to finagle contracts for four hundred thousand galleons worth of ingredients – including rare ones – to be delivered to Severus Snape when requested. This was the gift he was hoping would grant him welcome into the other man's home.
As he approached the house he could see someone standing in the arched doorway, and his heart began fluttering in his chest. The last two Ministry events, Snape had appeared alone, and Draco had told him he was no longer seeing Nicholas, nor had he begun seeing anyone else. Once Harry reached him, he found himself at a loss as to how to greet the other man. They hadn't spoken since the war, and although he'd been allowed the use of the Slytherin's given name then, he wasn't certain he still had that privilege.
"Don't just stand there like a petrified newt. Come inside. I presume since you've gone to the trouble to locate me that this isn't a social call," Snape snapped.
Smiling at the familiar bite, Harry stepped inside, pleased to not have to resort to bribery to get inside. He waited until Snape closed the door and locked it to respond. "Um, actually, it sort of is. A social call I mean."
One dark brow rose in surprise as Severus moved to his liquor cabinet. "I suppose this means manners are required. Would you care for a drink, Harry?"
Relieved that they seemed still to be on a first name basis despite not having spoken for so long, Harry removed his cloak and settled into one of the two chairs placed by the fireplace. "Thank you," he said politely, reminding himself that he could – in fact – use the man's name. "I appreciate you not hexing me for invading your privacy, Severus," he added wryly, a sheepish grin on his face.
Severus snorted. "As if that would have stopped you were you truly determined." He handed Harry his glass and settled himself in the chair opposite. "May I enquire as to why you have chosen now, nearly two full years after the end of the war to pay a social call?"
Harry flushed and took a sip of his drink to calm his nerves, shoring up the barriers of his Occlumency. "I wasn't certain I would be welcome. We did develop a bit of… well, rapport I suppose, but we weren't precisely close, and I remember you saying how you wanted nothing but your privacy once the entire mess was dealt with."
Severus was silent for long moments before he responded. "My godson has told me you two were keeping company. Should I offer congratulations or my sympathies?"
That wasn't what Harry had expected, and after seconds of shocked silence he laughed. "Neither. Draco and I have simply been getting to know each other better, building the friendship we might have had as children."
That eyebrow rose once more in disbelief; nevertheless, Severus changed the subject to enquire about Harry's occupation of serpent breeding and several hours passed in pleasant catching-up on each other's lives. Several times Harry's eyes wandered to Snape's hands, and once he lost the thread of the conversation entirely lost as he was in the sound of Severus' voice.
It was near midnight and after several glasses of fire-whiskey when Severus said, "Now Harry. Perhaps you could tell me the true purpose of this visit, as you've been Occluding the entire time you've been here."
Harry just managed not to choke on his drink. Carefully he set it aside on the mantel as he stood and moved over to his cloak, pulling the two small packages from his pocket. He returned them to their proper size and handed them to Severus in silence. He retrieved his glass and helped himself to a double shot before resettling himself in his chair.
Both brows rose at Harry's uncharacteristic silence and Severus opened the letter from the German ministry first, carefully keeping his face free of expression. He then opened the package and wasn't entirely able to keep the surprise from his eyes as he read the contract between Harry and the Egyptian and Brazilian Ministries regarding his exportation and procurement of potions ingredients.
Silence reigned for several long minutes after, Harry doing everything within his power to keep from fidgeting. He wondered for a moment if he'd made inappropriate choices, but Draco had approved them, so he knew that wasn't the case.
"I presume I have you to thank for the cravats, the Erumpent horn, the Acromantula silk dress gloves, the charmed potions gloves, the fire slug secretion and all the other mysterious gifts that have arrived in the past two months?" The flush on Harry's face was answer enough for him and he went on, "Am I to presume this is your own particular brand of courtship?" There was a brief pause during which Severus observed with pleasure the colour brightening on Harry's face.
He set the package and missive from the Ministry carefully aside and deliberately dropped his voice as he asked, "Have you lost the use of your vocal chords, Harry? Where is that vaunted Gryffindor courage now?" he purred. While Harry had gotten quite good at keeping Severus from entering his mind, there were still moments – usually after he'd been drinking or when he was very tired – that Severus could enter. He took advantage of Harry's emotional state to slide into his mind and was shocked to discover desire, need and something that looked remarkably like love.
He sat back and gently extricated himself from Harry's mind and murmured, "You're serious. You really meant to court me."
Oddly, the surprise in Severus' voice was what allowed Harry to recover his equilibrium. "I certainly wouldn't have spent thousands of Galleons on someone I wasn't serious about."
Severus smirked. "No, I suppose you wouldn't." He allowed himself to look at Harry – really look at him – a luxury he'd denied himself since the first time he noticed that Harry had grown into a fit young man. The heat that curled through his loins was no surprise; he'd always appreciated an attractive man, and Harry's magical power simply made the desire for him more potent. "I accept your Court, as unconventional as it is,' he finally said.
Harry's face split into a wide smile then and he sat tall in his chair. "Thank you," he replied formally. "You do me an Honour." They were the words of the only Courtship he'd considered worthy of Severus, and he wanted the other man to know just how much he appreciated being accepted. He stood and retrieved his cloak, carefully keeping his eyes away from Severus' hands. "I should leave," he said quietly. "Are you free on Friday evening? I'd like to take you to dinner."
Severus stood and allowed his eyes to roam clearly over Harry's body. "I am. What time should I expect you?"
Harry smiled and said, "Seven. I'll make reservations for seven thirty. Wear the blue cravat," he added before he slipped out the door.
As it closed behind him, Severus allowed himself a pleased smile. If nothing else, dating Harry Potter would never be boring.
-The Beginning-
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