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To Wait	By : MerryWizards Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 1100 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-To Wait
- 1
Title: To Wait

Email: ohdarling1969@lycos.com

Site: http://www.livejournal.com/users/abbey1969/

Author: Abbey Road

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being mand nnd no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Distribution: Please ask first. Although I sincerely doubt there will be much call for the distribution of this Christmas-flavoured tripe.

Spoilers: None.

Summary: In the week before Christmas, Harry must learn patience while resisting the brightly wrapped, mysterious gift Snape has left under the tree for him.

Pairings: Harry/Snape

Author Note: Written for the Merrywizards Secret Santa challenge. Erm�written in about three hours and not beta-read, I�m sorry. I know it is�rather stupid. It�s a variation on a much longer story I have been writing, and have yet to finish. Really, it�s just a little bit of fluffy Christmas merriment between Snape and Harry. I do so love them at Christmas time.

2003. #32

Requested: "Romance some plot. Not too dark" � That�s what you asked for. And, well, that�s what you�ll get.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* To Wait *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry looked up as the heavy oak door of Snape�s bedroom finally opened, peering furtively over the top of the literature he had been holding for appearance�s sake. His eyes snapped quickly back to the unread tome in his hands as Snape appeared in the doorway, imposing as ever, and regarded him with a cool ebony gaze.

"Reading, Potter?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, arms folded across his thin chest.

"Well�yes," replied Harry, affording Snape only a brief nod, trying to look industrious and involved in his reading.

"All this time?" question Snape, "Seems unlike you. To stay so�still. For such a long time, that is."

"It�s an interesting book," commented Harry dismissively, wishing Snape would give some indication of his mood and/or why he had been in his room for an entire hour, warded out of Harry�s reach.

Snape�s lips curled into an unpleasant smile, "And what book is it that you are reading, Potter?"

"Erm�" Harry fumbled about his mind for the answer, "Er�" something he�d grabbed off Snape�s bookshelflierlier so that he could set up a vigil in Snape�s lounge chair and wait for movement, "I�" Harry tried unsuccessfully to look at the spine of the book while looking like he was not, in fact, looking at the spine of the book. "Principles of Chemical Processes in Ancient Pagan Sabbath Potions."

"I see," Snape replied, deadpan, "Enjoying it?"

"I�erm�" Harry mumbled, his cheeks growing hot. He closed the volume and set it on his lap, eyes lowered.

Snape sighed. "Have heart, Potter. I know why you were reading it. It�s the same reason that you�ve been sitting in this room for the past hours or so, waiting for me to emerge from my bedroom."

"You changed the wards on your bedroom door," Harry said quietly, "I couldn�t get in�." he trailed off.

"And you thought, perhaps, that I was somehow annoyed by you? Angry with some foolish stunt you had pulled?" Harry could feel Snape�s eyes on him, but couldn�t bring himself to look up. "Head up, boy," Snape snapped, "Stop acting like a whipped puppy every time I spend five minutes on my lonesome," Harry�s stomach unclenched some small amount. "I simply do not understand," Snape continued, "Why, after all this time, and occasions such as the one in which you consumed far too much fire whiskey described certain of my appendages in great detail to Weasley; and also the one in which," and here Snape�s voice grew more severe, "you reckly ely egeregered yourself to save myself and Lupin from a situation we could easily have handled by ourselves," Harry snorted at that, as the men had been outnumbered by Death Eaters twenty to one, "you would assume that I am angry, simply because I wish to be alone for a passing hour."

Harry looked up, his hopeful green eyes meeting Snape�s. Snape sighed again.

"Harry, you know me better," his voice holding a gentler timbre.

"So why have you shut yourself away?" Harry asked, emboldened by Snape�s familiarity, "Why did you change the wards on your door to keep me out?"

At once there was an unmistakable spark of mischief in Snape�s eyes. Harry knew that spark well; it was reserved for McGonagall, Dumbledore, sometimes himself, and it always, without question, meant trouble. With a flick of his wand, Snape produced a finely wrapped package in one outstretched palm. In a flourish of bobbing silver ribbon, a shining card announced in fine copperplate, �To Harry Potter, from Severus Snape.� It glistened most temptingly.

"This is why I have had to keep you out, Potter," Snape replied, watching Harry with unconcealed interest as the young man stared at the Christmas package.

"It�s�very well wrapped," managed Harry. That was an understatement. It was the most beautiful, opulent package that Harry had ever seen.

"It took a long time to wrap," Snape fussing unnecessarily with the mist of silver ribbons with his fingertips, knowing the finished product was perfect.

There was a pause as Harry stared and Snape fussed, tossing the ribbons so they caught the light, revelling in the hungry glint in Harry�s expression.

"So�" Harry said finally, needing to break the mesmerising silence, "It�s for me, then."

"Quite obviously," said Snape imperiously.

"And�I�"Harry looked from Snape to the present and back again, "Can I have it now?"

"Tut-tut Mr Potter," Snape was clearly toying with him, "Such youthful impatience; how unlike you. No, you cannot have it now. This is a Christmas present. Ergo, you will open it at Christmas."

On his long, black-clad legs, Snape made swiftly for the door to his chambers.

"Wait!" cried Harry, springing forward in his chair as the gaily decorated gift was removed from his line of vision, "Where are you taking it?"

Snape favoured him with an elegantly arched eyebrow, "Why, Mr. Potter. Where else would I be taking it but to place under the Christmas tree?"

"What? The one in the staff room?" Harry demanded, as his wonderfully presented gift disappeared out the door.

"Of course," Snape called over his shoulder, "You know I�d hardly have one of those things in my own quarters."

Harry rstorstood that. He shot a glance at the charred pile of tinsel and pine needles slumped sadly in a bright, Syltherin-green pot in the corner. Snape had cast *incendio* not five minutes after Dumbledore had blithely bumbled into his quarters brandishing it a few days previously. As Harry and Dumbledore had stood side by side and sadly watched the happy little tree go up in flames, Dumbledore had commented that Snape did the same thing every year. Harry did not doubt that.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It wasn�t so much that the present was from Snape; Harry had received several presents from Snape after having been �involved� with the man for nigh on two years, and none of them had been anything out of the ordinary. And it wasn�t so much that the present was attractively wrapped; Snape always payed attention to detail when wrapping presents for other people, and the end product was invariably attractive and appealing. Admittedly, this Christmas the wrapping was particularly noteworthy. However, the present this year seemed to be taunting Harry. And he simply could not take his eyes off it.

It had been placed towards the back of the assembly of other gifts � the usual line up of gifts exchanged between staff members who stayed for the Christmas break. Yet even in its pseudo-hiding stop, the present had already accrued great amounts of attention. Harry was relieved that he wasn�t the only one who found the gift to be eye-catching, as he shot it offside glances during his morning coffee break the following day and tried unsuccessfully to seem heavily absorbed by his English Roast.

"Would you look at that?" said Pomfrey as she sipped her tea, and leaned closer to the Christmas tree, "What a charmingly wrapped gift!"

Flitwick waddled over to peruse the array of gifts, "Ooh�" he breathed, sounding deeply impressed, "That�s a lovely bit of charm-work used on that box to make that ribbon bounce."

"An� look at �ow the little patterns of moons an� stars float around the curls," Hagrid squinted at the tree, and bit into a fruit-mince pie, "Lovely, really. Who�s it for, then?"

"Hmm�" Pomfrey leaned closer to the gifts and peering through the dense foliage of the Christmas tree, read aloud, " �To Harry Potter, from Severus Snape�."

"Oh�" said Hagrid, and fell silent. McGonagall pursed her lips. Pomfrey gave Harry a small smile. No one spoke for a while, and Harry became rather annoyed. It was the sort of silence that always happened when someone mentioned the �situation� � as McGonagall would put it � between Snape and himself: uncomfortable, tension-filled and marked by frustratingly sympathetic glances in his direction. Harry supposed it was because he was so young, and Snape was had a terrible reputation for his temper. But, as the old adage went, they simply didn�t know him like Harry did.

Perhaps, Harry thought, he might have waited a few months after his schooling had finished to hammer down the door to Snape�s room, push the man against the wall and kiss him for all he was worth as a finale to months of sexual tension and askance glances that had lingered between the pair of them. But then, it was what Harry had wanted. And Snape, he had learned, had wanted it too. Two years later, and although the dust hadn�t yet settled, neither of them regretted what had happened.

"He put it there last night, you see," Harry said through gritted teeth, wanting the silence to disperse.

"Oh�" Hagrid seemed to be humouring him, "Any idea what it is, then?"

All the other staff pretended to deeply interested by their hot drinks and Christmas bake treats. Harry wished that he had the comforting warmth of Snape by his side; that man could glare away a murder accusation.

"I wish�" Harry sighed, giving in and turning to gaze longingly at the gift. It shimmered invitingly, and the ribbon bobbed in response. Harry cringed with the desire to touch them.

"So, you wish to know what�s inside your gift, young Harry?" Trelawny, dragged from her usual solitude in the towers by the propinquity of Christmas, warbled from a dark corner near the fireplace, "Well�I suppose I could what the Oracles have to tell me about it."

McGonagall gave a most unimpressed frown, her mouth a very thin line. Trelawny pulled her skinny form from the deep armchair she had been inhabiting and glided toward the tree. She rubbed her hands together, mumbling under her breath to herself, her eyes tightly shut in semblance of intense concentration; McGonagall tutted loudly.

Trelawny held her hands over the gift as though warming her hands at the fire�s flames, "Hmmm� I see�snow. Mountains. Huge mountains. A cabin in the woods�so much snow."

"Snow?" Hagrid asked, "What�s he givin� Harry snow for? Seems a bit mean if you ask me�"

"No, Hagrid, it�s not snow," said Trelawny, "It�s a place� with lots of snow� families playing�"

"Could be a set of skis," put in Hooch, who had turned her attention from the Daily Prophet sports section to listen to the exchange, "The same company who make Firebolts have come out with a range of floating skis this year�very popular�"

"Skis?" Hagrid wrinkled his nose, "You think Snape could fit skis in that tiny box?"

"I think� oh yes� I see�" Trelawny was ignoring them all, intent on her sooth saying, "A jacket� a very warm jacket�it�s a snow jacket."

"A snow jacket?" asked Harry, "Are you sure?" He had some serious doubts about that little bit of portending.

At that moment the door swung open, and Severus Snape strolled through the staffroom door with an air of superiority. The conversation halted abruptly. He looked suspiciously around the room, his eyes resting questioningly on Harry who shrugged and blushed. Snape swept over to the tea-setting, acquired a cup of tea and took his usual place in the chair positioned just in Harry�s personal space.

"Lovely uncomfortable silence we�re having," he remarked offhandedly, sipping his tea. McGonagall tightened her lips at him; he smiled in return and casually rested a slim, alabaster hand upon Harry�s thigh. His long, perfectly tapered fingers rubbed soothing circles against the thick, woollen weave of Harry�s pants. Harry allowed it because he knew that Snape loved antagonising them, and because, to be honest, it was a very dear comfort to have Snape touch him like that.

"Well�"blustered Hagrid, "Better be headin� back to work then, I s�pose�" He afforded Snape�s hand a reluctant glance, stuffed the large remainder of his fruit mince pie in his mouth and ambled for the door.

There ensued a mass exodus, after this. Every teacher made mumbled excuses and left ten minutes early for their classes, leaving a gloating Snape and an embarrassed Harry. When they were alone, very shortly after Hagrid had left, Harry gulped the last of his tea and said, "You love doing that, don�t you?"

"What gives you that idea?" Snape replied in his most innocent of voices, "I was simply conducting a public display of affection amongst friends and colleagues. Surely there�s nothing wrong with that."

Harry placed a hand over Severus� and squeezed it. "They weren�t talking about you before you came in. At least, not really. They were talking about your present. For me."

"Ahh�well, that makes all the difference," Snape sighed, belying the actions of his errant hand, which slid its way further up Harry�s firm thigh.

"It�s not like it was before, Sev," Harry assuaged, "They�re not talking about��us� any. It. It was just about what was in the box."

There had been a very hard period after Harry and Snape had inadvertently made their feelings public; it was very difficult to keep secrets when living and working in a boarding school. Harry had kept a separate room at Hogwarts, courtesy of Dumbledore, in which he kept the majority of his possessions while not studying for his Auror Degree. It may have been for appearances only, but it should have calmed gossiping lips. People were still, however, unimpressed by Harry�s age, and there was a sinister undertone to nearly every Snape-related conversation that Harry held, wherein it was hinted that Snape was pressing the advantage of his age and wisdom over Harry. It wore both of them down.

"I see�"Snape looked at Harry, "And it was just them. You, of course, had no interest in entering into the conversation, happy simply to wait for Christmas day for the unveiling."

"Y-yes�."Harry lied badly.

"Oh dear," said Snape with a smirk, "So you�re not even in the least bit interested. I would have thought you might have at least invited Trelawny to perform her amazing gift-assaying for you."

"She did it without my having to ask," Harry admitted.

"And what," continued Snape, "may I ask, did she see?"

"Snow," Harry said with a wry smile, "Lots of snow. Said it was perhaps a jacket."

"A snow jacket," Snape snorted, "Does the woman think my gift-finding integrity so wanting?"

"So it�s not a snow jacket?" said Harry hopefully, crossing it off the list. Only a few billion other possibilities, then�

"You never know," said Snape, draining the last of his tea. With a brief squeeze of Harry�s knee, he got gracefully to his feet.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" Harry pleaded, looking up at Snape with plaintive eyes. Snape wore the expression of the cat who had most definitely gotten the cream.

"All right�" Snape agreed, "I�ll give you a hint. Trelawny is a woeful old bat who couldn�t tell anyone what was on the other side of a plain-glass window."

"Severus," intoned Harry, in what he thought was a warning voice.

Snape bent his long, lean figure over to place a lingering kiss on Harry�s lips. "Here�s another hint, then," he said in that low, sultry, silky voice that turned Harry�s innards to semolina pudding, " Don�t touch it until Christmas."

And with that, he swept from the staffroom.

"Stupid hint," muttered Harry to himself, glaring at the gift. It glittered enticingly back at him; the minuscule stars and moons dancing in mid-air about the frothing ribbons gleamed like a tropical insect in the most lurid of Batesian mimicries. The wrapping itself, a rich, delicious crimson, shimmered and swam like the down of a baby unicorn. Harry found himself halfway out of his seat, one hand reaching for the tempting prize when he snapped back into hard reality; the bloody thing was trying to tempt him. He strengthened his resolve against it, turning his back and burying his nose in the copy of the Daily Prophet that Hooch had cast aside.

Staring intently at the front-page news, Harry heard the metallic wrapping paper crinkle like a Siren�s call; He began reading an article about the Canons aloud in order to drown it out. The stars and moons began a tiny symphony of Snape�s favourite Olde Time Wizard Wireless Network standard �Something Wicked This Way Comes.� It was a child�s song that was popular amongst Wizards of Dumbledore�s age, and that Snape insisted had been responsible for his having many a sound night�s sleep as a child. Harry found it to be inherently creepy and was bloody glad he�d first heard it as a teenager. Still, it was calling him now, to the gift.

Exasperated, Harry threw aside the paper and got angrily to his feet. The chorus of song stopped. He took two strides toward the tree and paused. The present gave a rustling noise, crinkling the gorgeous vermilion paper like a Chorus Girl showing a hint of shoulder. Harry frowned and walked decisively up to the present. The little stars winked at him and spun dizzily.

"You�d better not tell him about this," Harry warned sternly, feeling somewhat silly for addressing a wrapped Christmas gift. The gift rustled its bubbling waterfall of silver ribbons in response.

Haltingly, Harry reached for the gift, his outstretched fingers coming closer and closer to its shinning sides. The stars and moons ceased tumbling about the froth of ribbon and instead wove around his fingers, causing a pleasant tingling sensation. Harry�s fingers brushed past the ribbon and closed around the cool, smooth sides of the little box.

He smiled in relief, glad that alarms bells had not rung telling tales of his deceit, and he began to lift the tidy little package. Which began to glow bright, burning red, a black body radiator in a fiery inferno, heating his fingers with a blistering hotness. It burned with the intensity of a thousand suns before Harry even had time to register than his flesh was literally being singed off his bones.

The distinctive cry of, �BASTARD!� that rang through the castle was heard not only by Dumbledore at his desk who looked up in shock, Lupin with a class of first years who giggled uncontrollably, and Flitwick who quite dropped his wand; but also Snape, who smiled at his students, frightening a second-year girl to tears.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I did tell you not to touch it."

"You could have said why, Snape," Harry hissed crossly, nursing the hand that Pomfrey had treated and bandaged.

"Oh stop making a mountain out of a molehill," Snape said, "And what�s all this �Snape� business, anyway. Have you finally decided to spare me the indignity of the sobriquet �Sev�?"

"No," said Harry petulantly, "�Snape� is what you�re called when you�ve been a complete bastard."

"Ahh�A bastard," Snape turned the page of his thick tome without concern, "I did hear that, you know."

Harry watched him silently for a while, as though weighing his options. Finally, he stalked over to Snape, straddled the man�s lap, grabbed his book and hurled it across the room.

"Excuse me, Mr Potter-" Snape began, but Harry cut him off.

"Please!" Harry begged, both injured and good hands reaching up and frame Snape�s thin face, "Please give me a hint! Just one hint! I�m going to go crazy with that thing glinting and rustling at me for the next week."

"And there you have it, Potter," Snape replied, "The next week. That is all you have to wait. One week."

"It�s a long week to wait for a present that is semi-sentient and keeps taunting me," Harry whimpered, burrowing closer to Snape.

"It�s something that you�re going to wait for," Snape reprimanded, "You�ve got to learn to wait, Potter. Over the past nineteen years of your life you�ve had to wait for nothing, really. And now, if you will learn this lesson from no one else, then I will teach it to you."

"Oh but-"

"Patience is a virtue, Potter," Snape reminded him in an authoritative voice.

"Yes, but�"

"No �buts�, Potter," Snape was firm, "And please stop acting your age. You�re making me feel most alarmingly like a dirty old man."

"I�m nineteen, you fool," Harry rested his forehead against Snape�s shoulder.

Strong arms closed around his waist. "I know," came the strangely fretful reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Mr. Potter," Snape sounded quite angry, "Kindly tell me your business and then leave promptly."

It was two days later, and Harry had devised a good plan of attack. Well�he�d thought it to be a rather good plan, at any rate. But standing there, in the middle of the Potions dungeon that had been his most loathed place as an early adolescent, he wasn�t too certain anymore. Snape�s eyes bored into him. Harry hoped like hell that he couldn�t see through his trousers and notice that he wasn�t wearing any underclothing.

"It�s�"Harry stammered, "Urgent. And�Dumbledore said it was to be told privately."

The nth nth year Ravenclaws, the class-period purposely chosen by Harry for this stunt as they were usually low-maintenance, did not stir from their in-depth brewing.

"Then where would you tell me this news that is so terribly important, despite the fact that Dumbledore is not here in person," Snape asked. He was always tetchy when people interrupted his classes.

"I thought, maybe, the store room," Harry suggested, glancing at the heavily locked and warded door hopefully.

Snape raised an eyebrow at him but, obviously sensing some sort of nervous tension on Harry�s part, made no more question of the request. The Potions master stood and unlocked the door, calling for his class to keep working quietly, before ushering Harry in and pulling the door shut. He barely had time to turn around before Harry was upon him, clawing at his clothing, biting and licking at his lips.

"What the�"Snape spluttered as an enthusiastic mouth attacked his ear, and a firm, young body was pressed unashamedly up against his own, "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

"What do you think is going on here?" Harry murmured low into Snape�s ear, sliding his hands down Snape�s chest, over his hips, and around to rest upon his shapely buttocks. Snape squawked.

"Get off me, Potter," Snape insisted, making no move to push Harry away as the young man bit and kissed a blazing trail down his fine, porcelain neck.

"You know you don�t really mean that," Harry replied, taking the collar of Snape�s robes into his fists and pulling the other man in for a devastatingly searing kiss. Harry heard Snape whimper and pull him closer, opening his lips and taking Harry�s tongue into his mouth.

"You know," Harry whispered, rubbing himself flagrantly against Snape as he had only ever done on a very few occasions due to Snape�s somewhat old-fashioned views on sex, "I�m not wearing any underwear."

"Merlin, Harry," Snape�s hair was messy, his pale cheeks stained with rose-pink, his lips slick with Harry�s kisses, his eyes clouded with lust, "What are you doing here?"
Harry kissed him again to quiet him, his own lust taking over his single-minded purpose for being there, his mouth soft and warm from kisses, his breathing becoming ragged. "You always said this was one of your fantasies," Harry breathed hotly into his ear, "Taking me into the store room and having your way with me. I thought� maybe�"

Snape groaned as Harry ran eager hands over his hips, getting dangerously close to their ultimate destination.

"I though, maybe�"Harry continued, "Perhaps� we could�" He once again took Snape�s sensitive ear between his lips and sucked it, "And�maybe� you could tell me�something I want to know. In exchange�"

"What do you mean?" Snape seemed lost in his own world, his voice gravely with longing.

"Quid Pro Quo," Harry said, "I�ll�do this. And you tell me�something I want to know." He grinned mischievously, and leaned in his continue kissing Snape, but found himself stopped by a kind, but firm hand.

"So, this is about the gift, Harry," Snape actually sounded quite disappointed. Harry was confused; this wasn�t the type of reaction he�d been expecting.

"Well� not in its entirety," Harry insisted, pressing himself close to Snape, loving the proximity, "I mean, I thought�I thought this was one of your fantasies�"

"Yes, but�"Snape trailed, "I mean, Harry� you can�t just�" He looked a little hurt, which shocked Harry quite a bit.

"What�s wrong?" Harry asked, staring intently into those black eyes that he loved so well, "I�m sorry if I�ve�stepped out of line or�something�I�"

"Harry," Snape, who was acting very strangely for Snape, took Harry�s chin in his forefingers and brought the young man�s face very, very close to his own, "You haven�t stepped out of line�"

"Then what is it?" Harry asked. There was a pause that followed, in which Snape looked sadly at him; Harry tried to lean forward to once again close the distance between their lips, but Snape held him in place.

"Are you that desperate to know about the gift that you would want our first time to be ten minutes in the Potions storeroom while my class waits for me?" When Snape put it that way, a manner in which Harry certainly hadn�t thought of it, it seemed rather shabby, sordid and badly thought-out.

"No� I mean, I didn�t think�"Harry bit his lip, "I didn�t think about it that way. I just�thought�I mean, I wouldn�t mind doing it� but, I sort of�"

"It�s ok," Snape sighed, and, surprisingly, pulled Harry into a close embrace, "I just�I just wanted our first time to be�when� I mean, on our�"

"What?" Harry asked, resting his head into Snape�s shoulder, his erection thankfully fading with his guilt at the obscure reaction he had evoked in Snape.

"No�"Snape said very quietly, "Not now."

He tugged Harry�s chin up and kissed him very, very gently. Harry felt extremely loved in that most tender embrace.

"Go now," said Snape, "Go out the other door. Can�t have both of us going back out there looking like we�ve been attacked by Peeves."

Harry smiled wanly, letting go of Snape and making for another door to the storeroom that led to a little-known passage. As he was stepping out of the door, he felt, quite unexpectedly, a smarting slap upon his buttocks, and an admonition of, "Young whelp. No more mischief."

The door closed soundly shut in Harry�s face before he could protest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron wrinkled his nose and turned away from the chatting pair. "I don�t think I should be a part of this discussion," he said with a frown, "I mean�you know."

"No, Ron," Hermione asked hotly, "What?"

"Well� you know� I mean, it�s Harry and Snape," Ron looked sheepish, wilting under Hermione�s sharp eyes.

"Yes, it�s Harry and Snape, Ron," Hermione replied, crossing her arms in a remarkably Snape-like fashion, "And we�re the only people Harry has to talk to about this. Sirius won�t talk, and Remus is his shadow. Have a little bit of empathy for your best friend."

Ron gave Harry a kicked-puppy glance of apology, "Sorry, mate."

"It�s all right Ron," Harry said with a tired smile, "I know no one likes to hear about my troubles with Snape." Ron went an even darker shade of guilty red at that comment, and Hermione nodded at him.

"Which present it is anyway, Harry?" Hermione asked, having had the entire story explained to her. At the section that transpired in the Potions storeroom, Hermione had given him a �we�ll talk later without Ron about� meaningful look. She gestured to the Christmas tree in the corner of the staffroom that the couple used to visit Harry, when Ron flatly refused to enter Snape�s quarters.

"Can�t you tell, �Mione?" Harry was genuinely surprised.

"It�s that one, isn�t it?" Ron said, pointing to the tempting parcel, which seemed to have become even more attractive as the week had progressed. The wrapping glimmered with a new sheen, and the ribbons bobbed with added vitality.

"Yep," said Harry not allowing his eyes to long on it too long, lest his fingers pay the price again.

Ron seemed like he wanted terribly to reach for it, too. "So he�s trying to teach you self-control, is he?" he snorted, his fingers flexing to touch the gift, which had begun to rustle aga"He"He�s one to talk. I mean, you know, seducing a bloody student and all�" he trailed off, red.

"Ron!" Hermione breathed, choked, "How could you-?"

"It�s ok," Harry sighed, "Ron, you know it didn�t happen like that. But� oh god�I don�t want to talk about it. It�s hard enough without this happening� I mean� honestly, �Mione, what do you think it is?
"
"Hmmm�" Hermione considered the gift for a while, "Well, I�m pretty certain it�s not a snow jacket."

"Me too," agreed Harry, "But� I�m just worried and all. I mean�after Snape, you know," he lowered his voice and leaned in toward Hermione, "After he�turned me down that day� I mean. I know what I *hope* it is, but�after that�"

Hermione whispered back to him, glancing at Ron to make certain he was preoccupied by the present, "So he turned you down, but he was actstrastrangely about it� I mean� he was, you know�excited, too?"

Harry blushed deeply, "Well, yes. He was �excited�. Oh Merlin, but�I was sort of hoping�you know, that our relationship might get deeper. Progress. Like everyone else�s is. I mean, you�re engaged to Ron. People from our year are off doing things. But here I am, a nineteen year old virgin who�s has a significant other for two years, and it�s going nowhere."

Hermione considered his face for a while, "I think," she said, at length, "that you�ve too blinded by your fears and woes to see the bigger picture, Harry."

"It�s just what I want, Hermione," Harry replied, "I�ve been afraid for a while that Snape might not want me in the ways that I want him � forever � but then�the other day� it�s just scary. Sometimes he looks at me, and I wonder how I can keep myself from� begging him to� but then why would be want to be tied down to some �young whelp� for the rest of his life anyway�"

"Harry," Hermione placed a placating hand on his shoulder, "Please stop worrying."

Harry surveyed her eyes carefully. "You know what�s in that present, don�t you?"

"Yes, I think so," Hermione replied plainly.

"And you�re not going to tell me, are you?" Harry continued with a knowing smile.

"Not a chance," Hermione hit back with a grin.

Their conversation was cut short by the unmistakable cry of Ron having his fingers severely burned.

~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry looked somewhat apprehensively at the gift; it was the last one left under the tree.

It was mid-Christmas morning, and Harry, Snape and the rest of the remaining staff sat amongst a rubble of discarded Christmas wrapping, bowls of chocolates and newly acquired items. The gift giving had certainly been nothing out of the ordinary; everyone had arrived in a rather surly mood after having been woken early by Dumbledore and his band of over-enthusiastic House Elves. The exchange of presents yielded copious numbers of socks, jocks, chocolates and books, as it always did.

But today there had been an air of anticipation amongst the gathered � just what was *in* the present that they had all been eyeing for the past week. Harry, after days of staring the thing down and resisting the gift�s rustling and shimmering, was actually quite nervous about the whole affair.

There was a lapse in conatioation and the general hubbub caused by the people rifling through their new possessions, when it came to the attention of the group as a whole that Snape�s gift to Harry was the only one that remained.

Harry gave a brief glance to the stack of litere are and confectionary with which he had gifted Snape, and sincerely hoped that Snape was not going to embarrass him by giving him a very valuable something. Harry�s flare for gift-finding really was quite limited.

Snape caught Harry�s eye, and his lips curved slightly, making Harry�s stomach flutter uncomfortably. He reached over and picked up the glittering crimson gift, completely safe from burning hazards, and held it out to Harry. The ribbons twirled and glimmered in a most fascinating fashion, and the stars and moons revolved even faster. The wrapping paper shone. Harry hesitated, his fingers still tender from their last encounter with the gift.

"Oh come on," Snape said, quite playfully, "It won�t bite. I promise."

Looking deeply suspicious, Harry reached forward and pulled the gift from Snape�s hands. It was surprisingly light. All eyes in the room were on the exchange.

Suddenly, Harry felt a familiar tugging on his bellybutton, he glanced up at Snape in utter confusion. "It�s a�a�" he managed, as he felt the room jerk away from him.

"A portkey," Snape supplied, leaning forward to place a hand on the gift, and the couple sped from the room together.

After Harry landed, bumping his knee and swearing loudly, it took him several seconds to realise where he was.

"Sev, what the hell are you doing giving me a portkey to your lounge room for Christmas," Harry gathered himself from the ground, glaring around for Snape.

"It�s not a portkey anymore, Potter," Snape, who had landed with his usual natural grace and dignity, said from behind him.

"Then what the hell is it?" asked Harry, bending to collect the gift from where it had tumbled out of his hands on impact.

"Perhaps you should open it and see," Snape suggested, with that insufferable smugness that made Harry need to leap upon him, pin him to the couch and kiss him until neither of them cold breathe.

Harry sighed, surveying the finished gift for the last time, before tugging the ribbons off the corners, and sliding the spell-o tape away to peel off the wrapping, to uncover a velvet box. Glancing up at Snape before he opened the velvet box, Harry was sure he saw a hint of trepidation in the other man�s face.

"Had better be good," Harry mumbled, "Now that you�ve created such a scene in front of the other staff."

With wary fingers, Harry prized open the lid; two finely crafted, white gold rings, swathed in cream satin, met his gaze. Gasping involuntarily, Harry looked up at Snape with uncensored shock.

"What�I�" Harry tried, unable to find suitable words.

"Well�" Snape stepped closer to Harry, fear evident in his eyes now, "Will you, Harry?"

"Will I�?" Harry�s eyes shot from Snape to the rings and back again.

"Will you?" Snape pressed again, his voice wavering slightly, as it patently never did.

Harry was lost for words; he simply gaped at the pair of rings, unable to believe that Snape was offering him what he had�always wanted.

"Merlin," Snape sounded extremely tense, "I�ve gone and buggered this up, haven�t I? Do you want me to get down on one knee, Harry?" the man wasn�t patronising, he was genuinely concerned. "Oh no," Snape continued, "You don�t want to, do you? Shit�"

"Stop! No!" cried Harry, "I mean� yes! Yes I do, you idiot!"

Snape looked at him, more hopeful and ragged than Harry had ever seen him even in battle. "You will?" he asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes! Severus Snape, I bloody well will," Harry laughed, out of breath, and threw himself bodily at Snape. Snape staggered backwards, and then regained his composure, laughing, bringing arms around the form of the man he loved.

Harry planted enthusiastic kissed upon Snape�s mouth, wriggling against him until Snape held him at arm�s length and begged, "Let me�"

Snape took the box from Harry�s shaking hands, selected one of the rings and, taking Harry�s left hand delicately into his, slid the ring onto it. Harry regarded the new addition for a few moments, before coming to his senses and returning the favour.

His eyes brimmed with unshed tears of happiness, when next he looked up into Snape�s, and the taller man admonished, "Don�t cry, Potter, bloobloody sap."

Harry simply buried his head against Snape�s chest in reply, feeling safe, secure and at home. And that was what it was; Harry had finally come home.

"Sev," Harry said eventually, when he knew that soon they would have to return to the other staff to assure them that Snape had not taken Harry anywhere untoward with the portkey, "I need to know: why did you make such a fuss over the present? Why did you taunt me with it?"

"You honestly don�t know yet, Potter?" Snape shot back at him, smiling deviously, "I thought I�d already explained it quite clearly."

"It seems rather horrid that you should tempt me with something, setting booby traps for me when my resolve broke down," Harry replied, glancing at the still-red tips of his fingers.

Snape laughed bodily, which was a very unusual thing for Snape. "Harry, I just wanted to give you a little lesson in patience. You�ve never waited for anything that you�ve really wanted in your entire life�apart from *some* things, which you accept with bad grace. Throwing that young, gorgeous body at me whenever you get the chance, testing me to the brink of my resolve�I am but a man, made of flesh and blood. There�s only so much I can stand. And�I just wanted you to have this one lesson, one small thing you have to wait for before� we get married, and we�" he stopped there, his pallid cheeks reddening somewhat.

"Before we�" Harry carried on, one corner of his mouth curling, "So that�s why you turned me away like you did the other day�"

"Yes," Snape gulped, "As difficult as it was."

"One day soon, Severus Snape," Harry warned, trailing an index finger down the front of Snape�s tightly buttoned robes, and causing the other man to breathe more quickly. "You know," he continued, "I do believe that you might have done what you dith ith the gift�not *just* for my benefit�"

"I will admit that�confounding my colleagues may have been�mildly amusing," Snape drawled, running a hand down Harry�s soft cheek.

"Only mildly amusing?" Harry raised his eyebrows, "And I�m sure you gained no amusement at all from seeing me with burned fingers, and knowing exactly what had happened�"

"Maybe a very small amount�" Snape began, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"Come on, then," Harry said, taking Snape�s hands in his and twining their fingers tightly together, "I want to show you off. Feed you the cherry from my pudding, nibble your ear and call you �Sevvie-bun-bun� in front of your workmates."

"You�ll do no such thing," Snape replied, never having liked sugary terms of endearment much.

"No," Harry admitted with a smile, "But it would be fun, wouldn�t it?"

And together they walked side-by-side, as evermore they would be, up to the Great Hall for lunch.
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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