There were several things that Severus Snape disliked about Hogwarts since he had been appointed Deputy Headmaster after the war and one of them was the current Headmistress. Since Dumbledore had died in the brief but bloody Final Battle, McGonagall seemed to have taken up much of their much regretted Headmaster's quirks. The sweets he could deal with, but the matchmaking mania? That really got to him.
Has it really been ten years, Severus?" asked Headmistress McGonagall. The man in question took one look at the damnable twinkle in his superior's eye and fairly groaned. Whatever the infernal woman had in mind it could not be good. And he was right.

Instead of the good, old fashioned tedious and downright boring ball that was usually held on such an occasion they were to have a Quidditch match! With the occasion of the ten year anniversary of the graduation of the war hero class of 1997 they were going to re-enact the good old days. The good old days where Gryffindor thrashed Slytherin at Quidditch and Severus was forced to socialize in Hogsmeade with McGonagall to pay off his bet.
Severus Snape was no coward but he was tempted to just put his foot down about attending this farce if only so as not to see Slytherin House beaten again. He didn't think he could stand it again.

He left the Head Cat to herself and her Ice Mice and as he returned to his dungeons he began musing. There were several reasons for him to worry, the most important one: Draco Malfoy had not touched a broom since his Sixth year. Well not a wooden one anyway.

And so it followed that they would lose, because if you could count on anything it would be that the youngest Seeker in a century had in fact used several brooms if rumors are to be believed. Well, he was at least forewarned therefore Draco was too, he allowed himself a smirk as he entered the Potions class which his new Potion Master currently occupied.

It had only taken Draco one year to complete his Apprenticeship and then he insisted on doing Research for St. Mungo's. It had taken him all the intervening years to atone for all his mistakes but he was finally at peace with himself. Truth be told, Severus was very proud of his former student, not least of which because he had gone and done what Severus hadn't thought possible, finding a cure for Lycanthropy.

He had also grown, matured in a way that made him eligible to be Severus' best friend as well as being his Godson. And who knew perhaps it was time he finally beat the Brat to the Snitch, Severus mused as he caught sight of his friend. Half an hour and one refusal to practice later, Severus stormed out of the dungeons like the proverbial bat out of hell.

At the same time, in the Headmistress office, a scene not very different from the one in the Dungeons was taking place. Harry had been summoned and now he was lounging on the comfortable sofa that was a new fixture in the now much more relaxed room. In addition to the tray of goodies, iced mice being the predominant sweet, which was reminiscent of the former Headmaster, the room was now all comfy furniture and almost as hot as furnace.

Harry rather though it looked like something a lazy cat might dream of, smothering his laughter Harry returned his attention to his former Head of House. She had mellowed somewhat over the years. For one thing she didn't appear as uptight as she had seemed to Harry when he was still a student. Oh she still resembled a dignified feline but now she had seemingly also acquired some of the relaxed attentiveness most cats possess.
However when she addressed Harry, she still did it in that formal way she had, plus the eerily twinkle in her eye, that were reminiscent of Dumbledore.

"I am glad to see how well you have turned out Mr. Potter, you look more confident, more composed, and dare I say you've really grown into your looks" she added just to see her pet student choke back a laugh. "I am happy to know that you have finally found your peace" she said smiling fondly at the raven haired man relaxed on her sofa. He would always be the smallish, scruffy little thing that had made that spectacular catch just by her window and on his first time on a broom too. Harry smiled softly back before inquiring "You know I like to talk with you Professor but I have a feeling this is a bit more than just a spot of tea and a bit of conversation. So what are you planning now?"

Minerva shrugged slightly then outlined her plan, secretly planning the next outing she could get out of Severus as payment for losing the bet. She swore she would find that infuriating man a mate and by Merlin she will.
Harry was thrilled by the idea, especially since he'd had his fill of balls from the time immediately after Voldemort's defeat, when the succession of Ministry balls had him taking off on a trip around the world, partly as a well deserved holiday while the other part t was so as to escape them.

However he didn't know how he'd be able to manage flying again. After all, the last time he flew was in his Sixth year, no matter what the rumors said. He mentioned this to the Headmistress, who waved his concerns away saying that she was quite sure he will do just fine. As he took his leave, he missed the satisfied smile on the witch's face that would have made him a little more wary of the upcoming game, as it was, he left blissfully oblivious.

The day of the game was hot, even for June, with the sky above blue with no sign of clouds or even the slightest breeze in the air. The stands of the Quidditch Pitch were filled with the first graduates that Hogwarts produced immediately after the defeat of Voldemort who were once again reunited under the Hogwarts crest but this time with no House distinctions. The fighting during the last days of the Second War had helped forge a better understanding among all Houses and had also helped the Slytherins regain the honor of their House. But there was still one place where the Snakes had not regained their reputation, and that was Quidditch.

Today's game promised to be exciting, especially since the two teams that would be playing were mostly made up of Slytherins on one side and Gryffindors on the other with only a Ravenclaw here and there. The Hufflepuffs had decided that it would be both safer and more entertaining to watch the game from the stands.

As the players took off into the air the cheer of the crowd was reminiscent of their Hogwarts years, only just a little less deafening. Everyone in the stands was waiting to see the sparks fly between the opposing Seekers. All the more because it was general knowledge that after graduation the two hadn't been in each other's presence once in all ten of the intervening years.

There was a bit of gossip when they had to shake hands and the two reportedly shuddered, stared and moved stiffly away and then they were off, the game fast and furious. But as the game progressed it became more and more obvious that nothing more exciting than avoidance was going to happen between the two. So the crowd deflated and bit by bit turned to the people around them for entertainment and it was only the Quidditch enthusiasts that kept watching. Up on their respective brooms the two Seekers were uncomfortably aware of the other's presence even several feet away.

"When the fuck did Scarhead grow up?" Draco despaired to himself as he took another surreptitious glance at the gorgeous brunette riding his broom and wouldn't it be nice to be that broom, backpedaling on his errant thoughts he silently cursed as he felt himself harden. It had first hit him when he had shaken Harry's hand as his opposite number as Captain, and from then onwards his mind had slipped gently but irrevocably in the gutter.

Due to the extremely warm weather there was no way anyone in the two teams could fail to notice Harry's physique as his clothes were minimal so as to avoid overheating. The gorgeous bastards arms, displayed as they were by his tank top, had Draco drooling within five minutes of seeing them. They caused all sorts of naughty images to float through his head. One after another he saw those arms possessively trapping him again a broad chest, then the biceps flexing as he was manhandled into position and finally those arms framing his head as he was taken gently, viciously, lovingly. The aftermath left Draco breathless as he was left with the vague suggestion of an arm like an iron band around his waist and its twin pillowing his head as he was spooned afterwards. Draco reluctantly snapped himself out of it and with difficulty focused on finding the elusive Snitch.

While Draco had been fixating on his biceps Harry was aware of only two things. His throbbing cock and the cause of it; namely one gorgeous blond who quite unfairly had just gotten even more attractive as he'd matured. Harry had known for quite some time that he had a thing for blondes, after all the vast majority of his flings along the years had been of that coloring. But all that was suddenly put into perspective, especially considering their Sixth Year and he began to wonder if he had been looking for this blonde in particular all this time.
After all it was while he held the sobbing blond in his arms, wishing he could kiss his troubles away, and promising to help him that he realized one important thing. He was definitely gay. And for Draco bloody Malfoy no less. So he did his duty, killed the bastard and left for the wide world, to get a better perspective on things. Fat load of good it did him.

Still, pulsing length or not, gorgeous blonde or not, he still had to catch the Snitch before he could retire somewhere private so as to take care of his little problem. Maybe he could even convince the other Seeker to help. He grinned and turned. . . Only to be hit full in the stomach by a furiously fast Bludger, courtesy of Crabbe. His world turned black even before the queasiness could properly set in.

A few meters away, Draco Malfoy had just caught the Snitch and turned triumphantly toward were he last saw Potter, who barely had time to gasp out a warning and before he knew it, his world turned black as he followed Harry into sweet oblivion. A Bludger to the back does tend to have that particular effect.

Just a few minutes before Severus Snape had been entertaining himself by commenting on the obvious attraction between his friend and Potter. It was a miracle they hadn't forgotten that they couldn't fly without a broom. How could anyone be so utterly besotted was beyond Severus and a Slytherin over a Gryffindor no less. The fact that the Brat looked good in next to nothing, straddling his broom and no doubt with an intent look in emerald eyes might have something to do with it all. But then again Severus had always preferred redheads so he just shuddered delicately at the idea of being stuck with Boy Wonder.

The Bludgers came out of absolutely nowhere. And by the time Severus realized they were going to hit those idiots, there wasn't time for more than a pair of Cushioning and Levitating Charms. As he and the Headmistress rushed the two to the Hospital Wing, he vaguely wondered if the two will consider it was worth it. Then again, this was Potter and Malfoy. Anything was possible.