Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Rivalry	By : starstruck86 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 7472 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
A/N: Hello all. Hope you�re all still with me reading and
enjoying. Thank you for your reviews:

Lady Zombie �Snipping�
they might go all wincy if you said that too often
around them ;) But here�s some more snipping.

Tambrathegreat �I thought Mistletoe was too easy, as
well ;) Thank you so much for your encouraging words! Glad you liked the
strawberries!

hairsprayX12 �pent
up passion, you say? It�s about to get a whole lot worse?

Badkittyuno
�Mwahahahah. *cackle* Sorry!

On with the show, eh? In which both
of our heroes are sent onto their arses, and Ron finally gets a clue. ;) (I
have a very busy week coming up so this may be the last update for a while �you
can find me on LJ though writing Weasleycest, smut
and continuing my Charlie/Snape, and you don�t need your own profile to view
mine and read). Enjoy xxx

------

Oh buggering
bollocking hell, not another one!

Ron swallowed his mouthful of pumpkin juice and looked at
the newest garishly coloured card to land on the growing pile next to his
plate.

Ron hated Valentine�s
Day. It had started at school, when Harry had received a load of cards in their
second year and he had received none. Petty, but it had cut deep nonetheless.
He had been glad when the school officially ignored it for the rest of his time
there, but then once the war was over, and he and Hermione had been together,
he had been expected to adhere to tradition. His mother had bullied him over
it. Ron remembered scowling all the way into the card shop, all the way into the
jewellers, and all the way back home.

It wasn�t because of the money he�d parted with. It was just
because of the principal that he was meant to show his appreciation and
feelings for his girlfriend on that one day of the year, never mind that he
should have been doing it on the other three hundred and sixty four, as well.
Ron made sure that he did. But he had resented that bag, and the card, and
though Hermione had been thrilled with her present �and if Ron was honest, he
wouldn�t have turned his nose up at the chess set and chocolate body paint for
the world- but to him it still rankled.

And so the pile of growing cards that could only have come
from students were presenting him with a big problem as he sat and tried to
make his way through his breakfast.

And the point is, why on earth are they even bothering? The girls must have
heard those rumours that I�m only up for the boy chromosomes�

He glowed red and shook his head a little, thoroughly
embarrassed by the cards. What was worse was that the staff table was full.
Soon someone was bound to comment and Ron knew exactly who it would be, what
tone of voice they would speak in, and the calibre of the comment.

It was just how long the old bastard was going to wait.

***

Well. Look at that.
Shows the youth of this school actually have an iota of taste.

Severus took a delicate sip of tea and slid his eyes along
the table to look at the pile of not-so-subtle Valentine�s Day cards next to
the redhead�s breakfast. He was delighted to see that Ron seemed to have a
permanent blush scattered over his cheekbones, and it made him look rather
indecent.

Sort of look one gets
after a quick orgasm when one thinks nobody is watching�

Mentally shaking himself, Severus looked away so that his breakfast
might keep his thoughts honest. He didn�t expect it to work, but he was getting
rather clever at thinking up diversionary tactics these days.

He sliced off a bit of sausage, having learnt his lesson
about biting the end off and what that
made his filthy mind come up with, and chewed, burying his nose in the Prophet.

Over the past month he and Ron had existed in a hate-hate
relationship, the words spoken between them the last night of the Autumn term known only to them. The rest of the staff had
obviously noticed the battle lines drawn between them; that much had become
clear when Severus found himself hauled into the Headmistress� office for a
grilling over quite why he was being so rude.

She called you an
egotistical sod� Severus turned the page as he thought back to the
conversation, not taking in any of the words on the cheap paper. And she was right, but nothing changed�

As far as Severus was concerned, nothing had changed because
Ron himself hadn�t changed. The redhead had been every bit as insolent back to
Severus since the night he had tumbled out of his office fireplace looking a
vision in slovenly delight.

Severus still couldn�t shake the image of those glasses.

Sad, sad old man,
lusting over the young and beautiful plaything he can never have�

A scowl twisted his lips and he shut the paper with a huff,
crinkling the copy without care. His foul moods were becoming increasingly
common, lately, which was a personal step back. He had mellowed since the war,
everybody could see it, and Severus wouldn�t be foolish enough to try and deny
it in private. Acting for himself since the first time since he was around
eight, he was living life by his own means. Not for the love of another person,
not for his father, not for school rules, not for the Dark Lord, not for
Dumbledore or Harry Potter, but for himself.

It had been going well up until that year. He stared
gloomily into his tea.

�Knut for your thoughts, Severus?� Sprout asked
quietly, and he looked up to catch her surveying him with worried eyes.

�Nothing,� he answered immediately, and knocked back the
rest of his tea. He set the cup down with a slightly harder-than-required bang
and pushed his chair back.

�Out of the wrong side of the bed again this morning, I
see?�

Severus ignored her and grabbed the one letter he had
received with the post �a bill from the apothecary in Diagon Alley which
contained not so much as one smidgeon of pink or the mention of love and
hearts, before getting to his feet.

�It does not do to withhold one�s emotions, Severus,� she
advised him as he edged around the table and started to leave.

�My emotions are just fine,� he said stonily, and rolled his
eyes when the witch laughed. �Save your Agony Witch skills for the broken
hearts which result from this,� he moved in front of Ron and tapped his finger
on the pile of cards. Not a complete imbecile, he lowered his voice to speak
his next cruel words, �We know at least ninety-nine percent of this pile is
going to be devastated should the truth ever break free.�

He narrowed his eyes and quirked his eyebrows to see if the
redhead would retaliate.

�Oh, leave him be,� Flitwick
muttered. �Just because the most interesting post you received this morning, or
maybe since 1978, was a bill for Potions ingredients.�

�Thank you, Filius,� Ron finally spoke up, turning to the
tiny man with a winning smile. �Couldn�t have put it better myself.�

Severus looked between the two wizards and wondered when Ron
had become comfortable talking between their colleagues using given names. It
discomforted him somehow.

�Snape, you�re blocking the view of my adoring fans,� Ron
gave him an irritating double flick of his fingers, commanding that he moved
out of the way. �It would be mean to disappoint them today��

Seething, Severus stayed where he was. �You know, it�s
rather funny� I had hoped that the young women of this school had some brain
cells; but I find myself woefully disappointed.�

Ron glared at him, daring him to continue.

�Just, you know, Weasley, brainy or brawny is usually the
choice,� Severus gave an inconsequential shrug of his shoulders. �But you
appear to be graced with neither attribute, so I cannot fathom what these girls
think they are doing.� He finished with a graceful wave of his hand at the
pile.

As soon as the words left his mouth Severus knew the
reaction would be somewhat telling. The redhead froze, and before he could
marshal his emotions into check, very real pain splashed across his face, as
though somebody had kicked him in the gut. The perfect pink lips fell open and
there was a visible swallow, and Severus wondered if he would reply.

Ron got to his feet, reached for the pile of cards, and
walked away from the table, his frame awkwardly stiff.

�Severus, this has got to stop,� Minerva hissed and Severus
winced. �Fair enough if you want to keep up your petty sparring in private, in
the staff room,� her voice got sterner and sharper with every word, to the
point where Severus fully expected to be run through by the time she was
finished. �But in front of the students like this? Referring to his sexuality?� her hiss was venomously low.
�Enough. Consider yourself warned.�

Well. I was not
expecting that.

Severus froze, feeling idiotic standing in front of his
employer like a scolded schoolboy. The twin smirks that had popped up on the
mouths of Flitwick and Sprout were not helping and
his mind instantly began to work against him.

Confirming what you�ve
known all along �that this �friendship� was merely a fa�ade whilst they had to
put up with you for the sake of a peaceful working environment. As soon as you
are in danger, they pounce.

Gripping the troublesome one letter in his fingers, he
turned and walked from the hall every bit as stiffly as Ron had done.

And that really was a
very low shot you took, Severus.

His mind rightfully scolded him and he swore beneath his
breath as he entered into the Entrance Hall, eyes glued to the flagstones.

�Snape,� the word was angrily hissed and his head snapped
up.

Ron was leaning against the wall by the grand staircase, his
face reddened and eyes sparkling bright.

�You had no-�

�Weasley, I�m sorry,� Severus forced the words out. �That
was� unfair of me.�

Ron cut off in mid-sentence and his mouth slackened
comically. It was obvious to Severus, so well trained in reading people and
their emotions, that the redhead had thought of everything he should have said
back at the table and had been prepared to say it, but Severus� apology had
stopped him dead in his tracks.

�What?� was the only terse word that Ron was then able to say.

�I find repeating myself to be tedious, Weasley,� Severus
broadened his shoulders. �I know you heard me. Might I suggest that we draw a
line beneath this charade?�

�A charade that you started,� Ron pointed out, sulkily
folding his arms over his chest, the cards dangling from his fingers, the pink
and red envelopes stark against his black robes.

Severus had often wondered why the young man had chosen
black robes to outfit his wardrobe. Every day without fail, Ron wore the same
variation of robe, except for when he wore his training gear. It was too
austere for the boy�s smile, too old for his youthful persona.

But there seemed very little youth in the face looking back
at Severus just then, and his eyes trailed over freckled skin, seeing a few
lines that he had not noticed before, the unhappy set of Ron�s mouth in his
discomfort. Through his outward dislike it was easy to forget everything the
boy had been through, and �Severus was entirely sure that Ron had no idea that
he was party to the information- just how little the redhead thought of
himself.

Severus flew back to the night that he had stood in the
freezing cold Forest
of Dean, holding his
breath so that Harry Potter might not hear him. He recalled the dive into the
pond, his thudding heart when Potter did not re-surface with the sword, and Ron
flying from nowhere like a knight in shining armour
charging to the rescue.

He had lingered long enough to see the boy�s fears tumble
out of the locket which seemed to be a personal enemy, seeing a ghostly Granger
wrap around an equally ghostly Potter, spouting things which must have made up
the very core of Ron�s deepest fears. Even he
had felt sorry for the redhead. Thinking back on it in the old stone hall, it
confused Severus.

He obviously loved
Granger enough then to fear losing her to Potter�so why on earth is he now gay?

Severus knew the answer to that, and it was simply that not
all childhood dreams transferred smoothly into adulthood. He himself had
experienced it, probably more painfully than Ron.

�And anyway,� Ron muttered. �You only want to draw the line
now you�ve been bollocked for it.�

�I won�t deny that is a part of my repentance,� Severus
looked down at the floor. �But also I��

�Don�t kill yourself with a big apology,
Snape,� Ron sneered, and sighed. �Line drawn, I get it. I�ve got things to do.�

He stepped to the side and unfolded his arms. �Here,� he
said after a second�s thought, and a smirk sprang onto his lips. �Take these.�

He shoved his pile of cards into Severus� hand and took an
immediate step back.

�Weasley, what on earth?�

�I don�t want them, I never wanted them. You heard what I
said, I know you did �I�m always after older men, why on earth would I care
what�s in those? It�s sweet but misguided and wrong. I�m just going to throw
them in the bin. You might as well get a good laugh; you seem like the kind of
bloke that�ll get a kick out of some lovesick teenager�s misery.�

Snape bristled but fought down his retort, knowing he
deserved it. He took a deep breath. �Weasley, come with me,� he muttered, and
turned on his heel, heading for the dungeons, not really caring if Ron followed
or not.

He heard muted footsteps and the swish of robes and kept
looking straight ahead as he walked, until he reached his office door and
disarmed the locking charms on it. He left it open as he walked through, and
aimed his wand. Fire sprang up in the grate and he turned to Ron, who looked
confused.

�Lovesick teenage misery, Weasley,� he spoke softly, and
moved to the fire, �Is something I remember well. And it was not particularly
humorous when I went through it myself.�

With that, Severus threw the pile of cards into the roaring
fire and turned to Ron with grim expression of acknowledgement. Ron�s mouth
opened slightly, he appeared to be searching for the words to say, Severus saw
the pity in his sapphire eyes and willed it away. Pity was the one thing he
really, truly did not deserve.

�Don�t kill yourself finding
something to say,� Severus arched an eyebrow before turning away.

He smelt something strange on the air, then, and frowned.
The pile of cards was smouldering away burning to nothing, and Severus narrowed
his eyes. Suddenly the flames flashed blue, and the next thing Severus knew, he
was sprawled on his backside, his head connecting to the wood of his desk.

�Fuck!� He heard Ron�s cry of surprise and then the redhead was there on his
knees by his side, one hand raised, which then sank
lightly onto his shoulder. �Snape? Severus?�

Severus felt nothing wrong with himself other than the shock
of the tiny explosion which he had been too near to for remaining on his feet,
and pain in the back of his head where his own desk had been an assassin.

But what sent jolts of energy through him was no averse
affect from the fire, but hearing his first name slip through Ron�s perfect
lips for the first time. Dazedly he looked into Ron�s face.

�Severus, can you hear me?�

And the anxiety in the masculine voice was even more
endearing.

�I�m fine,� Severus decreed automatically, and moved to sit
up.

�Whoa there mate, sit,� Ron pressed a hand into Severus�
chest and the effect was instantaneous; his breath sped up and sweat began to
form on his brow. �You�ve just gone really pale�well. Paler
than usual.�

�I�m fine,� Severus repeated, praying to Merlin that the
redhead didn�t work out that his sudden bodily reactions had nothing to do with
the explosion and everything to do with the large freckled
hand still pressing into his robed chest.

�You hit your head quite hard,� Ron frowned, and narrowed
his eyes as he looked into Severus�. �Fuck, your eyes are so dark I can�t
distinguish which bit�s what. Difficult to the bloody last, you are,� he
muttered, and shifted slightly. His foot nudged against Severus� leg and a new
wave of crackling tension shot through his prone body, and mortifyingly, into
his groin.

Oh Circe�s tits this
isn�t going to end well. Get up. Get him away. Do anything.

�Hospital wing,� Ron said pointedly.

That jerked Severus into action and he threw himself into standing, and Ron had
to fall back onto his heels to avoid being hit in the face with the speed of
the older man�s movement.

�Have I not made my feelings on our school nurse perfectly
clear?� Severus groaned as dizziness assaulted him, reaching up to massage the
patch of his skull which had hit the desk. It hurt when he touched it.

�I don�t give a damn, you might have a concussion.�

�Why would you care if I did?� Severus asked self-pityingly,
before he closed his mouth and turned to look at the fire. �I wonder what the
hell one of them put in there for it to explode like that.�

�Merlin only knows,� Ron threw his hands up onto the rim of
the desk and heaved himself up, Severus watched as one
large hand massaged his left shoulder. �Probably a love
potion.�

�Were you hurt?� Severus frowned.

�Oh, no,� Ron shook his head. �Old injury
playing up, from the war.�

He offered no further explanation.

�I suppose that really does serve me right,� Severus sighed.
�See Weasley, this is what happens when one attempts to perform a good deed.�

Ron snorted and brushed down the knees of his robes. �Nobody
will believe us if we try to say we didn�t end up in a barney.�

�Hence why I will treat myself and nobody will be any the
wiser,� Severus crossed his office to unlock the door to his private quarters.
�I trust that neither of us will be mentioning this?�

�No,� Ron walked to the still-open door and sent Severus an odd
gaze, which made him shift where he stood. �That was decent, what you did with
the cards.�

�Always a tone of surprise,� Severus said coolly, fighting
back his indignation.

Ron coloured then and chewed adorably into his lip, which
made him look all of sixteen years old.

�See you at dinner,� the redhead called, and left his
office.

Well, at least that
was a little politer than last time he closed the door behind him. Severus
stared at the closed wood for a moment, before he turned and swore loudly about
the pain in his head, and the fact that he had just been blown onto his arse in
front of someone he was attracted to.

Obsessed with, his
mind corrected.

�Shut the fuck up,� Severus hissed madly.

***

The day was far too glorious for the very first day of
March, and Ron wiped sweat off his brow as he hovered high above the ground.

The tiny Gryffindor fourth year girl suddenly dove and
shrieked her joy, and flew around in celebratory circles with the snitch
clutched in her fist. Ron blew hard on his whistle and called the practice to a
close before heading to the grass.

His team were shaping up fantastically. They worked well
together, executed his plays perfectly and generally made him feel like the
best coach in the world. Whether he was or not was something he didn�t want to
ask. All Ron knew was that he was very glad that Viktor Krum was too old to
play for the Durmstrang team.

�What have I told you about bending them?� he sighed,
holding his palm out for the snitch still clasped tightly in his Seeker�s hand.

�Sorry, Sir,� she grinned impishly. �I just get excited.�

Ron straightened out the fluttering ball�s wing and gave her
a sarcastic eye roll.

�Do you need me to tell you you�re fantastic, or do you
already know?� he asked his waiting teams. They had taken to playing main team
versus reserves, so that everybody got equal amounts of practice, though he did
feel cruel that some of the reserves were going through a gruelling training
schedule and would probably never get the chance to play.

�We know,� his Hufflepuff beater grinned. �Sir, is it true
it�s your birthday today?�

�Who told you that?� Ron screwed up his face in distaste.

�Nobody,� the beater grinned wider. �But, you know, Sir, if
you don�t want your present��

Ron looked around at them all in disbelief. �What?�

�You must think we�re blind if we don�t notice that somehow
you get away with stuffing your face full of Honeydukes Strawberry Cream bars
like every day,� the seeker whinged. �And yet I bet you�ve never cried because
your jeans were too small.�

�He�d just buy bigger jeans because blokes don�t whinge
about crap like that,� a reserve Slytherin chaser put in.

�Anyway!� The beater carried on.
�And there�s a card. We all signed it.�

�I feel so loved,� Ron sighed dramatically. �Seriously,
though, you shouldn�t have.�

�We�ll eat it ourselves then.�

�It�s on your desk,� the seeker huffed. �Can I go and shower
now? I stink worse than Snape after a brewing session.�

�Showers, now,� Ron pointed to the stadium buildings as one
of the Slytherins opened his mouth to protest of her critique of his Head of
House.

The team walked off, chattering happily amongst themselves
and Ron watched them go, still hovering a couple of
feet off the ground. �And thank you!� he yelled gratefully to their retreating
backs.

�It was the middle of
a Saturday and he had his robe sleeves shoved back in the heat. The scars from
his run-in with the brains in the Ministry aged fifteen were reddened with his
exertion and he looked pointedly away. His body was littered with scars from
the war which he didn�t see improved his appeal.

Not much will, being
ginger, freckled and a fucking rake�

Thinking of the lecture he knew Hermione would be giving him
if she knew he was beating himself up on his birthday, Ron carted his broom
about and reached down to press the snitch into it�s place in the practice sets
box. Locking the lid down firmly, Ron levitated it and banished it to the
storeroom.

Sweat trickled down into the small of his back and he
shuddered. He needed a shower but had work to do in his office. Ron wasn�t one
for using the communal showers when he was at school and he was even more
reluctant faced with a group of teenagers when he was a teacher.

They�ll all have
cleared out by the time you get in there and get your bits.

He flew to the entrance and hopped off his broom, a
sparkling new Firebolt II, and shouldered it. He
heard laughter from the boys� changing room and passed into his office. A
present and a card sat on his desk as promised and he shook his head with
resignation. As promised they had all signed the card �even the problematic
Slytherin idiot whom he still had trouble with- and he recognised the
Honeydukes wrapping and bow. Ron really hadn�t been aware that his chocolate
consumption was so high, but when he thought on it his team were probably right
that his slender build was a miracle.

Tugging open the collar of his robes Ron threw himself in
his chair and waited for his team to clear out so he could get in the shower.

***

�I think he�s in his office, Professor.�

Severus gave a swift nod to the Hufflepuff and carried on
down the path to the Quidditch stadium. He had passed all of the team leaving
their session, so he knew the redhead was free to talk with him. Practicing hard
in his head what he was going to say, Severus pulled open the door and stepped
inside, smelling moisture in the air.

He had never really spent much time inside this part of the
school�s old stadium, having never played Quidditch. He had refereed once and
that was it, trying to protect Potter.

Of all the things I
did for him, that was probably the easiest.

Severus had never been picked for his house team because he
had never tried out. There was no point �his broom was too poor for sports and
his mother couldn�t afford a new one like all of his school peers were playing
on. On that premise he had never bothered. And the failed Broomstick
Proficiency Test had done nothing to encourage him.

He walked to where he remembered the office to be and peered
in when he saw the door was open, but there was nobody there. A glistening
broom leant against the desk.

Clearly
his pride and joy.

Severus couldn�t blame Ron, either, for taking fantastic
care of the broom. His eyes caught a card on the table and a wrapped bundle. It
looked like a present. He frowned and looked a round him and called out a
tentative, �Weasley?�

No answer came and he sighed in resignation and turned
around to leave, when a noise caught his attention. An almost soulful voice
filled the air, filtering through the humid atmosphere. His feet stepped him
closer and his face was warmed by the hot steam pouring out of the open door to
the male changing room. Severus then heard the running water even though he
should have recognised it far earlier. The voice continued to sing, a song he
didn�t know but he instinctively wanted to hear more of.

Just then, a gust of breeze rolled down the corridor and
swung the door open fully and Severus froze as suddenly he had a clear view of
the open shower row at the end of the room. And there, in the middle, dripping
wet, completely naked and singing his heart out with his eyes closed, was the
flying instructor, currently massaging soap into his armpits.

Severus didn�t bother to fight his jaw as it fell open, or his eyes as they flew wide and gaped at the
spectacular sight. The creamy skin he had often wondered about was resplendent
even in the harsh lighting of the changing room, and even though it was
littered with recent scars, it was perfect. Toned long arms attached to an
equally toned torso, collarbones present but not so prominent the boy looked
starved. Pink nipples lay either side of a blazing patch of red fuzz, hardened
by the water, one of which was shot by a tiny metal bar.

Sweet
baby Jesus.

Severus wondered why he was wasting his time looking at the
man�s torso when everything else was still to discover. He blinked once and
took in the slender hips with hollowing skin to his groin, which was adequately
represented. Long, long legs led to long feet, the auburn body hair slick to
the skin with the water trickling down them. He was vaguely aware of the fact
that he should leave before Ron opened his eyes and caught him in the act of
adoration, but his feet just would not move.

Because
your central nervous system has melted with the intense heat of that daemon.

His breath caught in his throat when the redhead slid the
bar of soap down his belly and scrubbed it in his pubic hair and over his penis.
Severus unknowingly took a silent step closer and tried to commit everything to
memory so that he might better remember it in the silent company of his right
hand as soon as he could get somewhere private. As it was, he was deliriously
thankful for his baggy work robes, because he was harder than granite in his
underwear.

Unbelievable. Absolutely fucking
unbelievable.

In a second his vision was undone. Ron�s eyes flicked open
and when they caught sight of the voyeur in the doorway, they flew wide. There
was a little screech of shock and Severus saw the redhead dive for a towel.
Unfortunately for Ron, it didn�t quite go to plan. His urgency to make cover
caught his foot on the soap which had run off his own body and he went flying
with an ungraceful flopping of limbs and genitals smack onto his back, his head
only saved by his quick thinking to duck his chin into his chest.

Severus hesitated for just a second before springing into
life. He grabbed the waiting towel off the bench and chucked it over Ron�s form
to spare him any further embarrassment, and spelled off the shower. He reached
out a hand which he half expected Ron to ignore.

However, Ron reached up and grabbed it, and let Severus tug
him up off the tiles whilst the other hand pointlessly protected his modesty
with the towel. When he was firmly on his own two feet Ron turned and threw the
towel around his waist and Severus couldn�t resist the peek he took at the
lightly furred buttocks he had not seen from the door. He averted his eyes just
before sapphire eyes were on him again.

They were, understandably, set amidst a flaming face whilst
large hands clutched at the towel protectively.

�What the fuck?�

Severus realised he should have had a defence in place.

�How long had you been standing there?�

Hoping he look apologetic, �Seconds, the wind blew the door
open as I approached. I�m� I�m sorry, Weasley.�

�Why are you even in here?� Ron frowned, his anger evident
in the set of his eyebrows.

�I was looking for you to discuss something,� Severus looked
at the floor. �It�s not important; I�ll seek you out later.�

�If it was important enough for you to come and watch me in
the shower then you can damn well tell me now,� Ron snorted.

�Don�t you want to� to put some clothes on?� Severus asked.

Ron looked at him strangely then. �No. I�m not done. When
you�re gone I�ll wash the shampoo out of my hair.�

�Oh,� Severus damned every single one of his forty-odd years
to hell and back as a blush burned brightly on his cheeks and his erection
trickled something filthy into his pants.

�You keep getting my students out of their detentions with
your weekend practice, and Minerva tells me you�re going to introduce a midweek
session from this week onwards?�

�That was the plan,� Ron narrowed his eyes and jutted his
jaw upwards in challenge.

�Well, that�s my detention night, Weasley.�

�Well, move it,� Ron shrugged. �Not
my problem. Minerva gave me clearance, take it up with her.�

�She advised I speak to you,� Severus glared.

�Well, no can do. I�ve had to get Sinistra to move
seventh year Astronomy for it so my beaters don�t fall asleep and fall off the
tower before they get to take their NEWTs, which she
willingly did. You can just pick another night of the week to torture students
with jobs you�re too lazy to do yourself.�

They had been doing brilliantly at the truce lined out on
the embarrassing day in February when Severus had indeed sustained a light
concussion. Their words had been polite if slightly forced and the sniping had
lowered to the point where their colleagues had commented on the pleasant state
of communication.

Is there really any
point in fighting this? He is there in a towel. He is dripping wet. He is
delicious. I can�t do this anymore.

�Fine, Weasley,� he sighed. �I understand you have already
worked hard to procure a free night.�

Severus took a step back and turned.

�Just like that?� Ron�s voice was incredulous, as
though he couldn�t believe that he had won so easily.

What else would you
have done looking like that? Ridiculous boy.

�I�ll leave you to your shower,� Severus� voice was thick.

�Snape, are you��

Confusion marred the sexy voice and Severus froze. If there
was ever a chance to make his confession it appeared to have arrived. He was
completely boiling around the collar area and his back was sweating hard.

For Godric�s sake, grow a pair, turn around, throw him in the
bloody shower and ravish him senseless against the wall, you old fool. He might
be so shocked he�d let it continue.

�No, Weasley,� he shook his head and walked to the door.

�Severus?�

The first named floored him again and he actually turned,
his robes twisting tightly as he banged against the doorframe. He made a grab
for them before they pressed over his crotch and revealed his attraction. There
was a loud gasp and Severus knew it was too late; he suddenly wished he had
never been born well endowed. Mortified, he looked up, his mouth stammering
open but Ron only stared, his eyebrows lifted in shock.

Severus whirled from the room and strode out of the stadium.

***

�Holy shit!� the words erupted from Ron�s mouth as soon as
he heard the outside door clatter shut. He dropped the towel and rubbed a hand
over his mouth, which was open.

No way. No fucking
way. He just� he was watching me in the shower and� and�

Blinking ridiculously, Ron turned and put the shower back
on. The cooled spray landed on him but he didn�t move away, his mind was too
full of confusion.

But he�s never� oh,
fuck.

Ron looked down in shock as when he recalled seeing the very
obvious erection behind the tightened robes, his own cock stirred. All of his
interaction with the dour man seemed to flash past his eyes as he searched for
any hint that there might be an attraction.

He�s not gay. He outed me to everyone.

The water heated up and he hissed as it landed on his
hard-on, which wouldn�t stop growing. He looked down at in despair.

Oh bloody God and
fuck� the strawberries�

Ron remembered watching Severus scoff down his chocolate
covered strawberry and his opinion of how they should be eaten.

That can�t have been
flirting. Severus Snape shouldn�t know what flirting is.

But every little insult and snide word had been said with
such conviction.

It would be a very Snapey thing to do, to be a complete bastard to the one
you�re jacking off over�

Ron laughed then at the very prospect of the older man
pleasuring himself to thoughts of his body.

He was watching you.
His eyes were all glazed...

�Now you�re just talking bollocks,� Ron hissed at himself, and
reached down to reposition his wood. He moaned at the feel and couldn�t help a
lazy pump of the shaft.

The water was fully heated as he thrust one hand up against
the wall and propped himself up, checking over his shoulder that Snape had shut
the door behind him.

Wanking in the fucking Quidditch showers, how old
are you?!

The voice which mentally apprehended him sounded
suspiciously like the raven-haired man that had just departed the shower room
and Ron swallowed hard, trying to chase out the images of lank hair, skinny
body and long, slim hands.

No, dammit.

His imagination took over and suddenly it was not his fingers wrapped around his cock;
they were Severus Snape�s. And the man was behind him, dripping kisses onto his
neck.

No, this is too fucked
up� quit it� Drummer from the Weird Sisters� Drummer from the Weird Sisters�

He desperately tried to bring up the visage of the burly
drummer who more often than not imparted his craft topless and sweating,
tattoos glistening beneath hot spotlights. So unusually for Ron, he would not
arrive in his mind and instead the only man that would was thin, sallow skinned
and tall.

�Noooooo,� he moaned desperately.

You know, you could
just let go of your dick. He can�t be gay, and he can�t be hard for you.

Ron gasped as he squeezed harder at what rested in his hand.

But what if he is?

Ron�s groan hit the tiles as an image of Snape on his knees
in the very shower he stood in came to his mind�s eye, sucking away between his
legs.

His spunk followed shortly after in a hot rush, and he
watched open-mouthed and panting as he saw it slide down the wall before
swirling away down the drain.

***

�Severus, do shut up whinging,� Sprout sighed.

�All I did was ask who the birthday
cake was for!� Severus exclaimed.

His day had been awful. After storming out of the stadium he
had headed for the forest for an angry, stomping walk, forgetting that humans
were not exactly welcome amongst the thick trees thanks to the tempestuous
Centaur war. He hadn�t had to run that fast since 1998. His thighs felt like
lead.

�No, you asked me who �that bloody heart attack in baked
form� was for. Those are not the words of a content man, Severus,� she trilled
at him.

�Are you ever going to tell me whose birthday it is?�
Severus sighed.

�No, not if you�re going to be rude,� she plonked a singular
candle in the middle of it.

Severus didn�t have a chance to reply because the room
suddenly erupted into a chorus of Happy Birthday and he spun to see Ron almost
cringing by the door, face bright red. Their eyes locked across the full staff
room and Severus swallowed nervously.

He had spent better part of the afternoon, once he had
escaped from the forest, locked in his office viciously disembowelling a
shipment of dead newts for their livers and preserving them. It was probably
wrong, he reasoned, that a scalpel should have been his companion for the
afternoon, along with amphibian carcasses, but it helped.

�You made me a cake,� Ron breathed.

�Well a little birdy told us that
you weren�t going to get one otherwise,� the motherly side of Minerva spilled
out and Ron blushed even harder.

�Thanks, that�s really� um, sweet,� Ron chewed into his lip
and moved closer.

�We wanted to catch you before you hit the tiles of
Hogsmeade,� Flitwick explained.

�Come on then, blow it out.�

They meant the candle, but Severus had to pull an
unflattering face to mask his smirk and he looked out of the window at the
beautiful fading March afternoon.

�You�d best be wishing for a hot strong man to come and
sweep you off your feet, Ron,� Sprout teased.

�Maybe,� Ron�s voice was coy as he replied and then he leant
over and blew out the candle with refined puff of air.

The candle then let off mini-fireworks and the redhead
laughed.

�Is that my brother�s creation?�

�Indeed it is!�

Snorting, Ron replied, �Godric, wish you�d told me, I
wouldn�t have stayed so close.�

�What�re your plans for tonight?�

�Meeting Harry and Hermione in the pub in
half an hour to get absolutely rat-arsed.�

At least he�s honest,
Severus thought, standing next to the table and inhaling the candle smoke.

***

�You look great, Ron, all that Quidditch is making your
body�� Hermione raked him over with approving eyes and gave him a smirk.

�Why, thank you, my ex-lover,� he waggled his eyebrows and knocked back the
last of his ale. �Right, my round,� he moved to stand up.

�Ah ah ah!� Harry beat him up. �No buying on your
birthday.�

�But-�

�It�s the rule,� Hermione sighed and threw her feet up over
Ron�s legs to stop him from getting up.

Harry turned away and Ron slumped in his chair with a yawn.
They�d been at it for four hours and he was at that point where his mouth was
working too quickly and his movements seemed over-fast.

�So, come on then, spill us all the gossip of being a
Hogwarts professor,� Hermione leant forward with a devilish grin on her face.

�What do you want to know?� Ron smirked.

�Who swears the most in the staff room?�

�Tough, it�s a draw between me, the new Runes guy and
Snape.�

�Snape?�

�Mouth like a sailor,� Ron accepted his drink off Harry.

�What about Snape?� Harry asked, sitting back down. �He still giving you a rough ride?�

Ron took a mouthful of ale and tried to think of his answer.
Since the shower he had been tense about what he had done, what had happened
and the absolute monster he had seen lurking beneath the oppressive robes of
the Potions Master. He shuddered slightly.

�Sort of better, sort of not� he� I don�t know,� Ron
shrugged, shaking his head. �It�s been good recently,
and today�� Today I wanked
off thinking about him sucking me off in the boys changing room. �I think I
won an argument with him.�

�Well that�s encouraging, right?� Hermione smiled. �Maybe
he�s just taking time to get used to you in his territory?�

�It only took him till March,� Harry snorted. �I can�t wait
to get a chat with him at the May Ball, find out what the hell his problem is.�

Ron groaned; he had forgotten all about the May Ball. He had
missed it the year before due to being in Romania, but every year since the
Battle of Hogwarts an anniversary ball had been held in the Great Hall of the
castle to remember, celebrate and get very, very drunk.

�You can�t run away this year,� Hermione reached over and
prodded Ron hard in the ribs. �You will
be attending the May Ball and because Stephen can�t come because he�s
researching in Iceland,
you�ll be attending with me.�

�For what?� Ron scoffed.

�The properties of a special kind of flower indigenous to
the area,� Hermione glowered at him, as if daring to mock her boyfriend�s
profession one last time.

Ron looked sideways at Harry, and it was only a second
before they both burst out laughing.

�Trust you to fall in love with a bloody plant doctor,� Ron
lurched out of her way. �Good thing you like flowers, isn�t it?�

�Shut up,� Hermione kicked him hard under the table. �Back to Snape.�

�Just got a bug up his arse,� Harry proclaimed, reaching for
a handful of peanuts.

�Maybe he�s gay�� Hermione shook her hair back from her face
and tapped her nails around her glass of wine in contemplation.

�Er, �Mione?�
Harry raised his eyebrows. �Remember the lifetime of servitude for the love of
my mother? A woman?�

Ron sat very quietly, watching them talk.

�No, I know that,� Hermione drunkenly flapped her hand and
Ron hid his smile behind his hand; Hermione drunk always made him laugh. �But
think about it� he�s been in love with one woman all his life, and then she
died, and it must have been really hard� it�s not inconceivable that just maybe
he turned the other way, or was bisexual� he�s not exactly handsome��

�So you�re saying he became half bent to increase his
chances of a shag?� Harry laughed.

�That�s exactly what I am saying, in
my far more eloquent manner,� Hermione rolled her eyes. �But Merlin, still so
very tragic� he�s living another double life of secrecy��

�How?!� Harry burst out
incredulously.

�Well, he�s gay, and nobody knows� or at least, we don�t
know.�

�And she knows everything,� Harry threw exasperatedly to
Ron.

�No, but you know what I mean!�

�No, Hermione, I don�t,� Harry laughed.

It does make sense.
They were the only words floating around Ron�s sub-conscious.

�Ron, what do you think? Have you seen him do anything that
might hint that he�s gay?�

Watching me shower
might be a pretty obvious clue.

�No,� Ron shook his head.

�And so, hang on,� Harry held up a hand. �Are you saying
that Snape�s gayer than a picnic basket, and he�s being a twat to Ron because he
what, fancies him? Wants to date him? Go on moonlit picnics? Trap him in the
dungeons and make him his sex slave?�

It is very, very wrong
that every single one of those options is appealing to me right now.

Ron willed his cock to behave at the thought of being clad
in leather and chained to Snape�s wall.

Anybody�s
wall. You�ve always had that
bondage kink. It�s not because it�s him.

He made himself think of how he had experimented with his
lover in Romania
and had spent best part of the threesome with his hands tied behind his back
with a tight ring blocking his orgasm.

Yeah, see, it�s not
because it�s him� not him with his dark eyes, dark hair, long hands� and long-

�I just don�t think we should rule it out,� Hermione leaned
back in her chair with raised eyebrows. �We don�t know him, we�ve never known
him. We left him for dead in the Shrieking Shack.�

�It might just be that,� Harry pointed out. �And would any of us blame him?�

�Yeah but Ron never even actually made it into the room that
night, he was stuck in the tunnel.�

�Damn growth spurt,� Ron muttered and took a deep drag of
ale.

�So, May Ball it is then!� Harry rubbed his hands together
cheerfully and gave Ron the evil eye as he cackled.

�Was he there last year?� Hermione tried to remember.

�Yeah, face like a smacked arse all night and disappeared before they cracked
out the good punch.�

�Oooh, yeaaaah,
the punch,� Hermione breathed dreamily. �It was delicious Ron.�

�And spiked with euphoria potion,� Harry snorted. �You were
still singing at three the next afternoon.�

�Oh, well, yes, but singing isn�t the same as gyrating
against my slightly scared wife all
night.�

�Nah,� Ron shook his head. �Ginny knew he was a bollocks
dancer when she took him off our hands.�

�Oi!�
Harry threw a peanut at him from the bowl in the middle of their table. �My
dancing is perfectly normal for a straight man of our age. It�s just your kind
that insists on turning it all� formal.�

�My kind, really?� Ron gave him a
disbelieving grin. �We�re gonna get into this again
Potter?�

�Ooh, last naming me, I�m so scared.�

�Oh do act your age,� Hermione gave them a long-suffering sigh. �Now, Snape.�

�Errrrgh, can we just leave it
be?� Ron burst out, his brain going into overload with images. �I have enough dealing
with him day to day, let alone talking about him�on my birthday!�

�Okay, okay okay okay,� Harry held up his hands. �One last question,
though.�

�Oh, Merlin�s beard, no, Harry,� Hermione laughed.

�What?� Ron looked between them.

�You�re bent,� Harry drunkenly reasoned. �Would you bugger
him?�

�Harry!� Ron and Hermione chorused, groaning.

�Well, would you? He�s your type, really, if you leave out
the details �older, dark hair, distinguished��

Ron flushed and looked down at the table. �No, guys, I mean,
c�mon. He�s old enough to be my dad.�

�Never stopped you before,� Hermione snorted. �That guy you
went after right after we split up was nearing fifty.�

�Ah, yeah, I remember him,� Harry nodded. �She�s right. He
was older than Snape.�

�All the same, I don�t think I would,� Ron grimaced.

But I would wank over
him in the shower and get hard every time since I�ve remembered the way he was
looking at me beneath the water�

That part of their meeting had only come back to Ron later
in the afternoon when he had cleared out of the shock a little �the lustful
look in the dark eyes before Snape had collected himself.

And, I know it was
lust because� well� I�ve looked like that enough times to know�

He knocked back half his ale and kept his eyes closed.

�Why don�t you ask him to the Ball?� Harry suggested airily,
and then burst into gales of laughter. �Oh, fuck, can you see it? Ron in his
dress robes with Snape dangling off his arm� oh��

Even Hermione had joined in by that point and Ron sat
watching them rolling around in their chairs with an unimpressed look on his
face.

�He�s� h-he�s not f-finding it� ahhhh��
Harry snorted loudly and rested his forehead down on the table, still laughing.

�You�re a bunch of fuckers,� Ron threw back the rest of his
drink. �I need a piss.�

�Oh, don�t get a cob on Ron, we�re just messing,� Hermione
wiped her eyes. �You�ve got to admit� the image of you prancing into the Great
Hall with him in your arms would be a
sight for sore eyes?�

�And you could dance, I dunno, do a
little foxtrot and argue who�ll lead?�

�You wouldn�t know a foxtrot if it bit you on the nose,�
Hermione made a face.

�Snape probably wouldn�t either,� Ron threw in.

�Snape doing a foxtrot,� Harry laughed again.

�I need another drink,� Ron breathed, dropping his face in
his hands. He had had the most confusing birthday of his life, even beating out
the stiff competition of being poisoned on his seventeenth.

***

Severus dragged his hips back one last time before shoving
forwards and finally releasing what had been tormenting him since he had seen
in the showers. His body trembled as his fists and toes unclenched and his
muscles finally sated as he sank into the mattress. Glad that his face was
buried into his pillow he groaned, unable to summon the energy to move.

And yet, even with his completion, the images of Ron�s
perfect body beneath the spray of the shower were still hovering behind his
closed eyes.

I never dreamt he
looked so� statuesque.

Anxiety took over Severus then as he wondered what Ron would
do with the information that he simply had to have deduced from the performance
in the shower room.

The boy would have to
be idiotic not to have guessed what it means.

A secret well hidden for many years could be ruined if Ron
took the initiative like Severus had nearly done to him so often since
September, and opened his mouth about what he had seen.

Running scared from
yet another Gryffindor, Severus� his mind pointed out with absolutely
savage timing.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Rivalry