A/N: Welcome one and all to my newest momentary lapse of authorly insanity. Luckily I got this one out before the kiddos arrived, and luckily it's the two youngest and most easily handled of the three… heh... thank God for school? Any ways.. hope you guys enjoy this at least a little.
Warnings: M/M, Slash, men in love. No like? Pretty back button can solve all your prolems my friend. ^.^
Disclaimer: Anything recognizable as JKR's work is not mine. I only own the plot bunnies on their very long leashes.
/and we begin!/
He'd gone off, on a world tour, by himself. A time turner hidden beneath his forest green jumper, shrunken bags and trunks all feather light in his pockets, one of them a bottomless bag of galleons and muggle money of all types, and his wand stuck securely in its wand holster. Voldemort was gone, ended by his own hand; his favorite Potions master was being cured of Nagini's poison due to the potions he himself had brewed a year's supply of. Fawkes was left behind at the school as a means to communicate with him while he was away. There would be no finding him for now as he needed a little well deserved time alone.
No one fought his wishes anymore. No, they'd learned that it was always best to let him fix himself the way he saw fit. The only ones who paused for a moment were Neville, Luna, Severus, Andromeda, Charlie, and Fred and George. They'd given him a list of ways that he could reach any of them at any time. It was also a way back home without anyone asking when he'd return. Harry smiles thoughtfully to himself and wonders when Severus will figure out that there's actually a low dose of de-aging potion hidden within the potion meant to ride him completely of Nagini's poison. It was his gift to the man who'd had years taken off of his life by his role in the war. He would lose a year and a half per month. Instead of thirty seven, the man would end up being 19 once more. When the potions had been in his system for at least one month more, Severus would stop aging by the effects of a potion at twenty-three.
harry knew that being out of the country when the elder wizard realized what was going on would be a very wise thing indeed. Luckily he'd neglected to leave behind the instructions for brewing the potion in favor of a note hidden in the potions journal he'd left behind on Severus' desk that simply said;
Severus,
I know you can't be overly thrilled at being de-aged without your consent. I am sorry for the underhanded way I went about doing so, but I implore you to continue taking the potion I've left for you regularly. I've always thought it a loss that you were never really allowed to be a young man, so I added a few helpful ingredients that made my poison cure potion taste good and also have the properties of a very mild de-aging potion. They're not the usually thought of ingredients as is usual with my experiments, so don't you dare try and figure out a way to reverse the effects. You may harm yourself with whatever 'counter' you create. I wanted you to have your youth back without it affecting who you are, or your mind. So you're still you with all of your memories and acquired knowledge, but younger. It's my crazy way of giving you a gift I think you'll enjoy once you stop being pissed off at me. If you like, you can tell me when you reach twenty three and I'll send you the poison clearing potion that does not have those special additives in it so you may still be cured, but finish de-aging. I will check with Fawkes and the twins though, just to make sure you're really honestly the age specified before I send the untainted potion to you, so don't even consider lying to me Severus Snape.
I will judge my time away by your recovery. Once you've notified me that you've been completely cured of the venom in your body, I will make my way back home. It will take a year for the venom to clear out of your system, and that's roughly just about all the time I'll need away. Thanks to my time turner I can do my learning and research in no time at all. I've charmed it, worked a charm within the charms so that I'll age in small increments instead of large ones with repeated use of the time turner. I should be nearly twenty two by the time I return and more than ready to take the job Minerva will have ready and waiting for me there. The school has to be rebuilt and re-warded after all, so why not learn and prepare myself for the road ahead while everything's being cleaned up?
See you soon enough,
Harry Potter'
And so, without more than a teeny tiny glance behind him, Harry James Potter leaves out for untold adventures...
/'Sometimes what you're looking for is right where you left it...'-Sweet Home Alabama movie jacket/
One Year Later
Severus Snape gazed in slight awe at the twenty-three year old version of himself that gazed back at him in his mirror. Harry'd done as promised and then some. There'd been more to the healing properties in that potion than he'd been aware of. Every dose had washed away internal damage as it washed away the years until he'd come out of the ordeal as a perfectly healthy young man. As he'd refused to become any younger than that, he'd sent off for the untainted potion and had Fred and George vouch for his age within the letter he'd sent by Fawkes, who'd returned with his new potion supply not even a day later, which told Severus that Harry had expected his request and had already brewed it ahead of time. He missed the brat. As funny as the twins thought it to be, he'd finally confessed that he was in love with Harry bloody Potter and had been since the boy's fourth year. As a teacher he could not, and would not, make even the slightest hint of a move towards his brat.
The twins teased him about harry and his cluelessness to his own feelings for Severus. He'd ignored that for the most part. His problem now was that he'd be seeing the young man again soon. He wasn't sure of the exact day or hour of Harry's return, just that he would, indeed, return soon as Severus was completely rid of Nagini's venom. He'd sent Fawkes with a missive two days past and the phoenix had yet to return, it was safe to assume that Harry would be coming back with Fawkes on his left shoulder, and Hedwig on his right. With a soft sigh, he smirks lightly at the man in the mirror and neatly ties his hair back at his nape, the five or so inches in length he'd gained making it much easier to tie back out of his face. He was dressed today in dark blue teaching robes as it was to be the Sorting feast soon. Though he knew Harry would be taking over as Charms professor, he wasn't sure if the man would actually be here until the morrow and it made him a little nervous, especially with Minerva smirking at him as if she knew some secret he didn't.
/Sorting feast, after sorting cuz my brain is lazy right now.../
Minerva stood and smiled at the returning students. I welcome you all to Hogwarts! As you who are returning may notice, the castle itself has changed based upon what we could or could not repair. Some things, I'm afraid, had to be completely scrapped and rebuilt. This will not; however, effect our new school year. The Forbidden Forest is as its name suggests but for the times a centaur like Professor Firenze might accompany you. We have a new Charms Professor this term as Professor Flitwick had retired. Please Welcome professor Harry Potter. The wards have told me that he's just arrived."
Everyone looks towards the doors of the Great hall as they easily swing open and a seemingly road weary traveler strides in. he is tall and lithely muscled. His cloak is pushed back over his shoulders in a black wave, showing his brown leather pants and half open white pirate shirt tucked into the waist of his pants loosely. Black dragon hide boots cover his feet and complete the look. His face is handsome in that pretty sort of rouge angel way. Full lips are twisted into a wolfish smirk in the tanned skin as emerald eyes shine with hidden mirth. His hair is black as a raven's wings and would fall to his mid back in curls were it not for the thick braid the curls were twisted into. Upon his left shoulder sat Fawkes, and upon his right was Hedwig, both beautiful birds sitting proudly on their master's shoulders as he strode to the Staff table.
Severus could not help the way he stared at the twenty two year old Potter. the man looked more like Lily now than he ever had before and it made Severus want nothing more than to steal him away and stake his claim. It was one thing he disliked about being young again; certain urges were harder to control as he had to make an actual effort not to pounce on the younger wizard as he sat beside him. Both Fawkes and Hedwig lifted from his shoulders to perch upon the back of his chair and amid the din of rather shocked applause, Severus can hear Harry's voice easily.
"I've been missing something since the day I left these halls Severus... I didn't see it back then, but I realized it when I returned and saw you sitting up here."
Brow raised in query, Severus asks calmly, his voice just as low as Harry's. "And what is it you were missing?"
Clear emerald collides with calm onyx. "You. Before you contacted me, I happened to be looking through my movie collection, as I'd grown fond of some muggle films, and a quote on the jacket of one of the movies made me pause."
"What could it possibly have said that helped you figure out your feelings?"
"It said, 'sometimes what you're looking for is right where you left it.' I left my heart here with you, and that's what I was missing... my heart, and you with it."
Severus' lips curve the slightest bit as he leans closer to harry and drops a kiss on his cheek. "A date it will be then. My quarters, behind the portrait of Salazar Slytherin at ten tonight." his voice is a silky purr beside Harry's ear. "Don't be late."
Harry smiles slyly. "Wouldn't dream of it Sev."
/the end?/
A/N: And that concludes the idea of the day as well as one of the reasons my muse so often leaves me behind. I gots lots of ideas in my head. Hopefully, it's one of the better ideas. Hope you guys enjoyed.