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Death Eater Takes a Holiday	By : LeeLeePotter Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 42271 -:- 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
- 37
- 38
- 39
Chapter 39 A Bet & Weasley
Lifestyles

Severus turned to look in Harry's direction when he heard
the sound of glass breaking. Even from a distance, he could see Harry's eyes
widen with fear, just before he fell to the ground, unconscious. Sev was by his
side in record time, knowing exactly what was wrong. "It's not one of
mine; which one did you use?" Severus yelled to Kieran.

"I used at least three; what color is his tongue?"
Kieran asked, looking concerned. "He's smaller than you. It must have hit him
hard."

"Red," Severus said, looking down Harry's throat.

"It's the Angoris hex. He's suffocating."

Sure enough, Harry's lips were turning blue. After a wave of
his wand and the counter-curse, Severus placed one hand on Harry's forehead and
the other on the side of his jaw, titling his head back to begin mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. Seven nerve-wracking breaths later, Harry coughed and began
breathing on his own. Severus rolled Harry onto his side, where he promptly
threw up.

When Harry started to open his eyes, he immediately felt the
pressure of a vial at his lips. He twisted his face away letting out a groan.
Suddenly, strong hands gripped his jaw firmly. "Drink this, Harry,"
he heard Severus command. At once he opened his mouth, swallowing the contents.
With a taste of mint and ginger, he felt the nausea and pain in his throat
diminish.

>

"Sorry mate," said Kieran. "We don�t usually
hex your food 'till your fifth session."

Harry thought he was kidding, but then watched the man open
the training book and make a note several pages past the notes of today's
session. "You did that on purpose? Was it some kind of test that I
obviously failed?" asked Harry miserably.

"Nah, I was hexing Snape. You said you didn't want any
more sandwiches, and Snape usually eats more than he did. What, were ya both
bein� polite or somethin�? What is this, tea with Albus?"

Severus reached out a hand, helping Harry to stand.
"We've been hexing each other's food for years now. It's become second
nature for us to use a counter-curse before taking a bite. I do it
unconsciously, even at Hogwarts. It keeps us on our guard."

"How is it I've never seen you do it before?"
Harry asked, still processing what had happened.

"I keep a hand on me wand while I eat, but Snape, here,
can do it wandless," said Kieran.

"And I thought the twins were bad," Harry said
humorously.

"How did you think I got the idea in the first
place?" droned Severus. "You never know when someone is going to put
something in your food. It could happen anywhere, even the Seventh Year
Ceremony," he said with a grin.

"Saw that, did you?" asked Harry, remembering that
he had to spit out something awful that the twins had put into his dessert.
Severus grinned, amused by Harry's embarrassment.

The next part of the session was the physical aspect, to see
how well Harry could manage defending himself against an attack without magic.
Harry wasn't overly disappointed when his trainers decided to skip the rest of
the scheduled session for the day.

"Harry, since ya aren't up for much, �stead of wasting
the time, we could watch the bogus Death Eater's attack on you and your
friend," said Kieran helpfully. "I know a good projection spell, so
we can watch it."

Harry's head jerked around so fast he had a pain in his
neck. "How d-did you know about that? I never pressed charges." Harry
was panicked that Nott's attack was open news. The whole reason he didn't get
Nott in trouble was to avoid people finding out about it.

"Gotta keep an eye on possible followers. Pays to know
what direction his followers� children are heading," Kieran said,
producing a list, reading a few lines as if it were a shopping list.
"Draco Malfoy hexed a muggle-born last week. Alex Nott, posing as a Death
Eater, attacked unarmed students, May of this year," he said, looking
poignantly at Harry. "This book is full of offences made by students who
are in line as possible future Dark followers. Truth is, it's the students not
in the book we have to watch out for, but you have to start somewhere."

Harry hoped that one line of information was all Kieran knew
about the attack. He was about to protest the viewing of the attack when
Severus spoke.

"Who did Draco hex?" Severus knew the answer to
his question, but wanted to quell Harry's fear, as he saw the panic rise in the
younger man.

Kieran shrugged. "Don't know. If I had details on every
offense on him, this book would need a chapter just for him. I just get the
name and the offense. What do you say Harry, I promise not to hex the popcorn
while we watch."

"Why, exactly, were you unarmed?" Again, Severus
knew the answer to his question.

"I was taking a shower."

"With Mr. Weasley?" Snape ignored the suddenly
piqued interest by Kieran.

"We always shower after quidditch practice." Harry
wondered where this line of questions was going.

"As much as I'm sure you would like to flaunt your
physical abilities, I'm afraid I can't allow it."

Harry looked stunned. It was the first time since they had
been there, that Severus had made a snide remark, yet he was thrilled to get
out of showing that scene. When it was c Har Harry wasn't going to protest,
Kieran questioned Snape.

"It's against the bylaws of Hogwarts, and I believe the
Quidditch Council as well, to purposely show memories of any unclothed student,
regardless of age. Weasley was also showering in the locker room. You cannot
project the memory, knowing how unforgiving the Ministry can be," said
Severus.

"We're done, then?" asked Kieran. "There's a
crowd expected down at the Hog�s Head tonight. Could prove to be
profitable."

Severus waved him off; they were done for the day. "Go,
make your galleons off the dregs of society. You'll fit right in." With a
'pop', Kieran was gone.

Harry saw Severus chuckle as he sent his friend off.
"Did he say he makes his living as a Healer? Who would�I guess he doesn't
work at a place like St. Mungo's?"

"Who would hire him? There are plenty of wizards in
need of healing. Kieran's patients require a discreet Healer, who won't ask
questions about how they got hurt, or who cast the Dark hexes on them."

"So he heals the �dregs of society�, as you put
it. Why? Did something happen that keeps him from working for a place like St.
Mungo's?"

"You�re very young, Harry." Severus got an
indignant glare for his remark. "Why do you assume something is keeping
him from working in a 'respectable' place?" Severus moved his fingers to
make quotation marks in the air when he said respectable. "It would be
none of your business if something had happened, and I wouldn't tell you. Can
you honestly tell me you could see that man dressed in a white coat,
clean-shaven, keeping a schedule, and putting up with the political bullshit
that goes on in a place like St. Mungo's?"

"I can't even imagine him with clean fingernails."

"Exactly. Kieran has connections in many areas. He also
gets into places many others cannot, picking up useful information along the
way," Severus said as he checked the wards on the building. Harry asked
where they were, but Severus changed the subject.

"Do you need help Apparating back home?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"It would be no trouble," Severus offered, but
Harry declined. "Tomorrow then, don't be late."

~ ~ ~

Harry stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower
the moment he arrived home. Severus had offered to help him home, and now he
was berating himself for not taking him up on the offer. It wasn't as if Sev
could take him on dates out to the restaurants and dancing out in public. For
now, he was just glad to be getting on fresh clothes and brushing his teeth.

After a quick fire call to Ron, he found out not only was
Hermione spending the day with her mum, but also Ron was bored out of his mind,
and thrilled for an excuse to go out with Harry.

Harry dragged Ron to the apothecary for supplies, and
listened to him talk about all the information he was getting about becoming an
Auror. "Too bad you're not going into Auror training with me, it'd be a
blast for us to get through it together," said Ron as Harry placed vials,
a potions recipe book and other assorted items into a new cauldron. He declined
help from the clerk that seemed to be always there, ready to lend a hand. He
was annoying, at best.

"I know. I miss us hanging out all the time, but I
don�t think I could work for the Ministry after all that's gone on. They were
ready to break my wand first, and ask questions later, when I was attacked by
the Dementors two years ago." Harry picked up a few ready-brewed potions
to save him some time, as the pain-killing potion was going to take some time
to brew, and he'd meantdo ido it the day before. He held up a bottle of
headache cure to the light, noting how odd it was to see the bottle labeled in
blue ink with someone other than Severus Snape's handwriting. Ron continued
telling him all he had heard from a young Auror his dad had invited over for
dinner, but Harry found himself not paying attention to Ron as he was paying
for his things. He'd been trying to be aware of his surroundings, but it was
hard while he was trying to focus on Ron, too.

The man behind the counter smiled as he'd done for each
customer. The smile never reached his eyes. Harry wasn't sure why he didn't
trust the man, but he got a very uneasy feeling. The man had taken longer than
Harry thought necessary to wrap up his packages. The annoying clerk was now
standing behind the counter also, and handed him the cauldron with the wrapped
package inside.

After a stop at the bookstore, where Harry bought at least
five books on spells, hexes, and magical defense, they headed back to Harry's
place. "What say we dump this off and go to The Three Broomsticks for
dinner?"

"I was planning on going home for dinner. Mum's got
something good cooking, and she said that Dad had been so busy with work and
Order stuff; he'd probably have to have help getting it all home. I was hoping
it would be Mr. Morgan, the same guy he had over the other day. Funny, dad
makes me call him Mr. Morgan, but he's only a little older than us. Why don�t
you come eat with us? You know how Mum is, she loves feeding you."

Harry could see Ron was excited, and agreed to go to the
Burrow for dinner. He unwrapped his package, placing the vials in the sink to
remind him to clean them before he used them. Ron laughed at him for his
actions, as if he were still in class with Snape watching over them. The last
thing to be put away was the headache cure. Harry was just sliding the mirror
over to close the medicine cabinet when hoppeopped. Something wasn't right, but
what it was, he wasn't sure. He picked up the vial again. It seemed fine, other
than the fact that Severus didn't brew it. That, and Severus always labeled
medicinal potions in black, not red.

"Holy shit. It's red." The vial in his hand was
not same vial he had brought up to the counter. It had been switched.

"What? Can't hear you," Ron said from the kitchen.

"Nothing. You ready to go?" he said, picking up
one of the new books. He would ask Severus to check out the potion. There was
no sense in upsetting Ron until he knew for sure.

In moments, they were at the Burrow. Molly was, as expected,
thrilled to see Harry and made sure he was staying for dinner. The house was
filled with the smells of different foods, and he almost hated to go outside
when the twins dragged him to the backyard for a quick quidditch game before
dinner. George levitated an old tire in the air, and they played Harry/Ron
against the twins.

"We're still good for Thursday?" asked Fred,
referring to Harry allowing them to work on a few inventions at his place.

Harry flew as fast as George's old broom would take him, and
grabbed the quaffle from Fred. "I have class on Thursday, so come in the
afternoon." He tried to pass to Ron, but George was blocking him
forcefully.

"Thanks, mate!" yelled Fred, as he flew into
Harry, knocking him hard, and taking back the quaffle. The twins played hard,
but Harry and Ron gave as good as they got. "Mum's at the end of her rope.
The R&D has her about ready to boot us out."

"Research and Development," explained Ron. The
impromptu quidditch match continued for another ten minutes, with no one
scoring until a flash went by, taking the quaffle from one of the twins. Harry
looked on, stunned, when Ginny threw the ball through the tire.

"Mum said to clean up for dinner." Ginny said, and
flew off.

"What the Hell?"

"Pretty good, huh, Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry looked at his friend in amazement. "Why didn't I
know she could do that? We needed a good chaser last year."

Ron shook his head �no�. They landed in the grass, scaring
off a few garden gnomes. "After You-Know-Who possessed her in her first
year, Ginny didn't want any extra attention, and Mum thought quidditch would
make her an easy target if anyone wanted to hurt her."

"It's been six years," he said incredulously.
"Does she want to play?"

"I'm not sure, but she played for us a few times as a
back-up chaser when you were in the Infirmary after the attack." Ron
shrugged, and they went in for dinner. Harry was surprised to see Charlie in
the kitchen, bringing in a few extra chairs. He was staying the week, having
come back for Ron's Seventh Year Ceremony.

Harry enjoyed dinner, the companionship of just talking with
everyone. There was an empty seat at the head of the table, as Mr. Weasley had
a meeting with Albus right after work, and would be joining them later. Fred
announced they had a new buyer, totaling six stores in all that would purchase Weasleys'
Wizards Wheezes products for retail in area joke shops. They hoped to
increase their product line enough to open their own store by next fall.
Charlie had surprised them with a fresh supply of ingredients he had available
to him, such as dragon scales, and other various parts. Harry didn't like to
think about how they were obtained. Around the same time dinner was being
cleared, the hand on the clock that read 'Arthur' was moving into the 'home'
spot. The doorknob rattled a few times, as Mr. Weasley finally opened the door,
while keeping a large stack of books and parchments, and a white box tied with
red string, balanced in his arms. Ron looked over eagerly to see if the man
behind his Father was Mr. Morgan, the Auror he�d brought home the time before.

"Right over here should do it," Arthur said,
placing his bundle on a table by the door, and greeting his family,
"Hello, everyone."

Charlie almost laughed out loud when he saw several faces
drop, with the exception of Harry's. The man had placed the large pile of
parchments with the others, and turned around as Arthur spoke. "You all
know Mr. Snape?" At this point Charlie did laugh when Ginny dropped a fork
and it clattered onto the floor.
Charlie shook his hand, while the others just politely said hello. Molly
began putting out dinner plates for them, when Arthur told her they had already
eaten with Albus. "That reminds me, he said to say hello to everyone, and
sent this along as a �thanks� for all the extra work," he said, holding up
the box. Molly untied the string to reveal an assortment of pastries and a few
chocolates.

Severus looked to be making excuses to leave when Molly
insisted he stay for tea. He looked around to see a room full of uncomfortable
looking teens, and Harry. Harry didn't look uncomfortable. Neither did Charlie,
but then he wasn't a teen, either. Severus hadn't intended to stay, but he and
Kieran were trying to get a question answered, which was the reason he had
offered to help Arthur in the first place. He hadn't actually offered, but he
did make himself seem available, giving Albus the chance to volunteer his
services, which he did obligingly. "I would love some tea." Severus
commended Molly inwardly for her ability to hide her shock when he accepted. He
did also enjoy the look on the twin's faces as he said it. Not to mention
Charlie laughing outright at the sight of his kid sister dropping a fork, not
hiding her shock in the least. Yes, this could be fun.

"Wonderful," Molly said, placing a teacup at the
table for Severus. "Usually you're so busy. How do you like your
tea?"

He was temped to reply 'dark and sweet, like my Harry', but
thought Ginny would drop the dishes she was carrying too, and he would have to
'Obliviate' the room. "Black." Severus watched Harry get up and
assist Ginny with placing the pastries on a platter. He whispered in her ear,
giving her a pleading look. Severus wondered how many times Harry got what he
wanted with that look, and was fairly sure of the answer when Ginny looked at
him, confused, but gave a nod.

"Tell me, Seve how how did the first day of training go
for our Harry?" asked Arthur, stirring sugar into his tea. Molly perked
up; she hadn�t realized it had been his first day already.

"Quite well, actually," answered Severus. Several
young Weasleys were near shock from the compliment. "Today was merely a
day to see how proficient Harry is now with magical defense. Tomorrow will be
the physical aspect, and we will make up a rigorous schedule from there."
Severus couldn't believe how slack-jawed some of them still were. Was it too
much to believe their professor was human? Perhaps. As Severus spoke without
contempt, Charlie laughed, looking at the twins� stunned expressions.

"I suppose this is how we would have looked all those
years ago, if our Potions Professor showed up for tea," Charlie said with
a laugh. Molly looked flustered and embarrassed by her children's ill manners,
but she calmed when she saw Snape actually smile, or smirk at the least.

"She was a beast, wasn�t she?" admitted Severus,
about his one-time Potions Professor.

"You attended Hogwarts at the same time?" asked
Harry, doubtfully. For some reason, he never thought of Charlie being that old.

"Maybe in my first year at Hogwarts, Severus was in his
last, but she was still teaching Potions for a few years after I got
there," explained Charlie. It was amazing how much younger Charlie looked
compared to Severus. It was no surprise when you compared their lifestyles.
Harry thought it humorous that his first really good kiss, and his first love,
had been older men. He wasn't sure if his first shag counted. Sev was eighteen
at the time, but Harry knew how old he really was. He continued to think about
their first time, wondering if they would ever have sex again. Severus was
going to drive him insane if he had to wait any longer. Charlie, having
answered Harry's question, was watching, as Harry seemed to be off in another
world. "You still with us, Harry?" he asked with a smile and a wink.
Harry startled from his thoughts of sex with Sev.

"What?" a pink tinge rose to his cheeks. Harry
regained his composure, turning to Severus. "Wasn�t it strange, teaching
students who were in Hogwarts the same time as you? You must have been the
youngest teacher there."

"Not as strange as teaching their children,"
Severus said dryly, amused at the now silenced Harry. Apparently, Harry liked
to be reminded of their age difference as much as he did, but it was fun to see
him as flustered as he was. Severus smirked.

Ginny approached with a teapot, refilling her Professor's
teacup. Taking a sip, he realized she had put a piece of chocolate on the
saucer. It was one of his favorites. It seemed that a certain green-eyed
creature was speaking to the house elves again. Said green eyes were watching
the dark man across the table. Molly had suggested the kids may be excused as
soon as they were finished; she wasn�t going to make them sit around politely,
getting bored to death as the grown-ups talked. It irritated Harry that he was
included in the 'kids' comment; he thought he belonged at the adult table, too.
On Ron's insistent pulling at his on his sleeve, Harry began to get up. Charlie
leaned over, whispering.

"Don't take offense Har, by the time they consider you
an adult, you'll wish you could escape with the kids."

Harry frowned at thrds.rds. He didn't like being dismissed.
Meeting Severus' eyes, he asked, "Maybe later, before you leave, we could
talk? I have a question about the training." Severus gave a quick nod;
he'd been watching the interaction between Harry and Charlie, but saw nothing
to indicate if the man was gay. Damn Kieran for getting him into this bet. Just
because someone had overheard Arthur Weasley comment about one of his sons
surprising him with his lifestyle, Kieran, in a drunken state, was discussing
the possibilities of which Weasley boy it was. Severus had put his money on
Bill, but Kieran was undecided between Percy and Charlie.

Severus had seen Kieran light up when he heard Harry was
close with the Weasley family, and wanted to ask him, settling the bet once and
for all. But Severus refused to let Harry find out that not only had he been
remotely interested in the benign conversation, he'd even participated in a bet
about a Weasley�s sex life. He had been disgusted with himself, and wouldn't
allow Harry knowledge of his childish lapse of decorum. At least that was what
he continued to tell himself. But as
much as he hated to ad it it wasn�t really in disgust. It had been a fun drunken night with Kieran.
He had happily discussed the possible sexual preferences of one of his former
students, rather than think about the more serious issues that filled his life.

At the Formal, Severus had been desperately trying not to
stare, or was it gawk, at Harry, who was looking sexy as Hell. So, instead, he
paid attention to the family in question, to see if Bill was in fact the best
bet. He wasn�t so sure now. Bill really was a lady�s man, but it could have
been a front. Questioning Arthur at the Warding proved ineffective. Damn.
Without further thought, Severus bit into the chocolate, which tastinfuinful,
to say the least. Being the man of control that he was, he held back the moan
of delight caused by the layers of dark and milk chocolate melting in his
mouth. While he may have appeared silent and emotionless, he did, however,
blink, perhaps longer than necessary to moisten his eyes. No, he would not
allow himself to think that he had closed his eyes in chocolate bliss.

Damn it all. He had. When he opened his eyes once
more, he found impossibly green eyes, wantonly looking back at him. Only Harry,
who was watching so closely, noticed any change in Severus. It was Charlie who
noticed the unmistakable look on Harry�s face.

Moments later, Ron had successfully dragged Harry away from
the table, and they were off to listen to the twins prattle on about a few
concoctions they wanted to work on at his house, come Thursday. Harry looked at
the list, and was alarmed by the potions the twins were attempting. There was a
log of their successes and failures. But what made Harry nervous was that a few
of the experiments they were going to attempt didn't look extremely stable. He
would have to find a way to have Severus peruse the list, in hope of avoiding
an explosion in his new home.

"How many fires have you started since working on
this?"

"Only a�ow!" exclaimed George as Fred elbowed him
in the side.

"It's just getting a little cramped in our room."
Fred attempted to look sincere.

"Yeah, and Mom said that if she hears one more
explosion, you're out."

"Shut up, Ronniekins," the twins said in unison.

From there on, it was a blur. Ron had winked at Harry and
tackled one of the twins. It seems, Ron, having been home since finishing
school, was an unwilling tester for the WWW products. He'd sprouted fur and
feathers more times in the last few days than he had all last year. "I can't believe you gave these idiots
money," yelled Ron, as he molted a fresh layer of red and blue feathers.
It had been a free-for-all, Harry and three redheads wrestling and occasionally
being force-fed the latest inventions. The mock brawl was over quickly when Ron
passed out.

"What did you give him?" asked Harry, watching his
friend peacefully sleep on a layer of molted feathers.

"Ginger Naps," Fred said proudly.

&nbs[end[endif]>

"The muggle cookie?"

"No, not Ginger Snaps, Naps, its a little play
on words. We need to tweak that one. To make a good gag, he should only sleep
for a few minutes. But he'll be out for hours. We haven't got the mix quite
right," George said, pondering the ingredients for a minute.

Harry watched the twins. One was looking over the list of
potions, while the other sat, leisurely plucking feathers out of his twin's
hair. It was a surprisingly intimate thing to witness, and he wondered if they
were simply being brotherly, or if there was something else going on.

"Harry?" Fred said timidly, as if he wasn't sure
of how to put his thoughts into words, "About the money you gave us�"

"Yeah? Did you spend it all, yet?" he asked
jokingly, but realized they were looking serious. "Did you? Do you need
more?"

"No, no it's not like that. In fact, Bill has helped us
out with a few people he knows from Gringotts. We've been investing some of the
money we've saved for the store, and kept some for research." George
picked at a spot on his robe. "Since we're doing well and all, we wanted
to start paying you back for all you�ve done for us. We were thinking about
maybe a few galleons a week, or if you prefer, a monthly installment?"
Fred said nervously, unsure of what Harry's reaction would be.

"What? I don't want that money back! I gave it to you
to start the joke shop. You're going to need it," he said, confused by the
offer. It wasn't like them.

"Harry, what with all the training and stuff, and the
fact that you�re not working, and, well, you're going to need something to live
on," said George emphatically.

"Thank you for thinking about me and all, but I really
don't need it. Honestly," his finished quietly.

"Ron told us the last time he went with you to
Gringotts, your vault was almost bare. I know you think of Cedric, but really,
we've invested a bunch and you'd be getting back that money, not the
winnings," Fred tried to rationalize it. Harry was inwardly very proud of
himself for not cringing at the mention of Cedric. He was really doing well at
getting past that.

"Guys," Harry began slowly, "I've not told
many people, because it's private, and I don't like discussing it, but you need
to know." He took a deep breath. "On my first trip to Gringotts,
Hagrid told me I couldn't get a gold caldron, and squander my money away, that
it had to last through school. I never knew he meant that literally. It was
only meant to last me through Hogwarts. It was the vault my parents opened for
me when I was born." Harry looked to see Ron still asleep, and the twins
paid him rapt attention.

"At my last birthday, Albus gave me the key to my
parents� vault. The real Potter inheritance, including the deed to their
cottage in Godric's Hollow." Harry watched as the twin's mouths hung open,
and eyes grew wide. "There's more," Harry said to his shoes.

"More?" they chorused.

"With Sirius' Order of Merlin Award, came the key to
his family's vault. I've only opened it once, but, well...he was loaded."
Harry looked to Ron's sleeping form again. Money had always been a strain on
Ron, and their relationship as well. Ron had been much better about it for
years, but Harry tried not to discus money with him. He hated that Ron was now
concerned for him, thinking that he was almost out of money. Ron had known
about him receiving Sirius' key, but he'd never mentioned how much had been in
the vault. The one and only time Harry had ever opened it, was to get the gold
to purchase a new broom, like he and Sirius had said they would when he got
Harry safely back to Hogwarts. That wasn't a good time in his life.

"Keep the money. You'll probably need it for repairs to
my apartment if you try to brew that potion listed there," said Harry
lightheartedly. He was treated by two identical grins. The look of relief on
their faces was priceless. "Better yet, hire some testers and leave Ron
alone."

"What, and squander our money, while we have
participants readily available?" Fred said with a grin. George understood
the unspoken words of his twin and jumped his friend. Harry found himself
laying the length of the sofa, with his arms pinned over his head. His shirt
was riding up slightly, exposing his flat abs; George had straddled him,
tickling the tempting flesh in hopes Harry would open is mouth, but Harry
giggled and continued to shake his head violently, keeping his teeth and lips
clamped shut. He was very close to laughing out loud from the onslaught of
tickling, but was saved by one seriously irritated Molly Weasley.

"What have you done?" she bellowed. "Look at
thiom!&om!" she said, pointing to the feathers and clumps of fur that
littered the room, and Ron sleeping amongst it all. "And what, pray tell,
did you do to your brother? Come, Harry," she said, offering a hand. Harry
was surprised to see the twins jump to action when their mother spoke, cleaning
the room so fast, but then he noticed Severus standing behind her, looking
extremely menacing. He had to admit to feeling a little embarrassed in front of
Severus, for acting like a child with his friends. Damn

"You had a question regarding your training?" his
tone was even, and without emotion. He watched a bead of sweat trickle down the
side of Harry's face. He was flush, and disheveled.

"Could we discuss it privately?" Harry asked with
a wince, as Molly yelled some more.

Having politely thanked the Weasley's for their hospitality,
Severus Apparated to Harry's home, knowing he would be there momentarily. He
arrived in Harry's home with a 'pop'. Knowing Harry would be a few minutes yet,
he sat on the sofa and made himself comfortable. On the coffee tabls a
s a
large shoebox, filled with photographs. Next to the box was a pile of photos,
face down. Harry had been labeling them. On the back of the one on top of the
pile, written in Harry's distinct script, Sev read; Severus and Me. He
told himself that he wasn't the least bit interested in them, but his
treacherous hand reached for the photo, knowing full well which one it was. He
didn't want to see the picture of Harry and himself looking young, tan, and arm
in arm. He was not that young thing. Hell, he never had been. He hadn't broken
his nose later, like Harry had guessed; it was a concealing charm. He was born
with the beak and had endured his school years with ridicule for it. Seeing
Harry frolicking with the twins had made him feel very old. Harry had fallen in
love with a young man, not him.

Despite his internal battle, Severus turned over the picture
to see himself and Harry. He was shocked to see it wasn't the picture Ron took
of them in the broom-shed, but a picture taken earlier in the year. Harry was
standing on the dueling platform, arm outstretched, wand in hand. He had been
standing behind Harry in the picture, adjusting his grip on the wand. Had he not seen the picture, Severus
probably wouldn't have remembered doing it. What struck him was that Harry, in
the photo, wasn't looking at his grip; his head was tilted and turned around
slightly. Harry was gazing up at him.

Harry arrived, finding Severus with a smile on his face. It
was gone as quickly as he could put down the photo, but Harry had seen it.
"I remember that," he said, looking off into space, recalling the
day. "I had just blasted Goyle on his arse with a perfect spell, but you
still found it necessary to correct my grip. I was so annoyed, but then you
spoke," he let out an amused sigh. "I never did hear what you said,
but I felt the breath from your words on my neck, and your voice made me weak
in the knees."

"What was your excuse for not listening to me before
then?" td Sed Sev.

"I didn�t need to hear what you said, I only need look
at the board listing House points to see what you said," Harry flippantly
answered back.

LeeLeePotter@OptOnLine.net
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Death Eater Takes a Holiday

Chapter 39 A Bet & WeasleyLifestyles

Chapter 39 A Bet & Weasley
Lifestyles