A/N: So, this is a new story...Not much else to tell, I guess. I would say it's pre-slash, but the pronounced attraction throughout from one of the characters could easily be considered slashy. The sequel will be slash. To be clear: This story is completely AU, Voldy died in Fifth Year when he took over Harry's body and Harry pushed him out, and Vernon Dursley is in jail for child abuse, letting Harry have a relationship with his cousin. His aunt is still a bitch, though.
SSHP
Severus stood up as the students began to filter off the crowded Quidditch pitch. He'd been wary of Albus "movie night" idea, but the students had been less unruly than anticipated, and the film had captured a good portion of their attention despite it's being made for children. He moved through the shadows behind a large group of friends from the four houses.
"I don't get it," Came Granger's voice. "Belle wasn't all that attractive, and Beast was far more attractive as a monster than as a Prince."
"Yeah, what was with that forehead? He looked like a Neanderthal," Malfoy added.
There was a chuckle of agreement from Longbottom, Bones, and Lovegood. Potter was oddly silent.
"I think it was a reinforcement of the moral," He said finally. "I mean, think about it. The moral of the story is that beauty is to be found on the inside, not the out, right? Well, Belle was beautiful because she was mysterious and imaginative, like Luna's personality. People in the village were awful to Belle, like people are awful to Luna, just because she had a different way of thinking, but they all thought she was positively gorgeous as well. We couldn't see why they thought that based on her physical appearance, but we know that the sort of personality that radiates mystery and enchantment draws us in despite ourselves. And Beast, well, he was rough around the edges and angry as all get out, but it was because he feared rejection." The 17 year old pulled a book out of his bag. "It's like Mr. Darcy. He doesn't know how to talk with people outside of his circle of friends, because he's worried about being seen as soft, or less than his station, yeah? It takes an incredibly stubborn woman to get him to see reason; that he has to risk getting hurt, or hurting the people he cares about, if he wants to grow. Darcy fell for Elizabeth because of her eyes, and because she wasn't intimidated by his opinions or status. Elizabeth fell for Darcy because she realized his gruff persona was a shield and that he could be kind for someone he cared about. It was the way he was raised, to be rude and condescending to protect his station from the 'unworthy'. The same can be said for Beast. He was raised with a literal silver spoon in his mouth, taught to expect every demand to be met and that physical appearance was everything. It takes a lot to retrain the mind from what they were raised to believe to what the truth is."
"Y'know, that actually makes sense…When did you become the smart one?" Malfoy asked.
"And when did you start reading Jane Austen?" Granger asked, taking the book from Potter's hands.
Potter snatched the book back. "I found it in the library at Grimmauld. I was curious about why there was a Muggle novel in that awful house, so I started to read it. Sirius made fun of me to no end, because it's supposedly a girl book belonging to his great aunt, but I loved it. Elizabeth is quirky and blunt, and Darcy is sarcastic and subtle. Sirius has no sense of good literature, so he was fine with giving the book to me. Lucius and Remus were a big help in getting him to back off, and I was so happy when I was allowed to stay at Malfoy Mansion for the rest of the Summer. I happen to like these kinds of romances."
"Ah, so that's what you spent the Summer doing! I wondered why you'd hide your books away every time I walked into the room, or Black came round for a visit," Malfoy said thoughtfully. "Don't know why you'd bother. You've always had so little luck with your own romances, and it's not uncommon for a gay guy to like reading that stuff. I know my father and Remus are both interested in those stories."
Potter nodded. "Remus thinks I like these kinds of romances because of what I know about my parents. My mum was a fiery personality and hated my pompous father, my father was an arrogant jerk who was entirely enamored with her because she so wasn't into him. But my dad was a bully, and none of these 'bad boys' in the books, nor even the Beast, would willfully harm someone physically. In fact, the point is made that they're not violent men, just terribly misunderstood and guarded. They have tempers, of course, but they have enough self-control to prevent injuring people. My dad had no such self-control, and Aunt Petunia mentioned that at one point she'd run into my mum while she was out shopping, before I was born, and my mum had had a bruise on her arm and a twisted ankle, like she'd been dragged against her will. It was the last time they'd spoken amiably, and my mum had refused her sister's help, said she could handle herself. When I asked Remus, he said that about the time I was conceived, James had shown up with a black eye and said that my mum was 'teaching him to control his temper' by way of an explanation. So, no, my dad and mum aren't really the inspiration behind my fascination with these sorts of romances, it's…something else."
They all laughed. "Your elusive crush, I'm guessing?" Longbottom asked.
Potter ducked his head bashfully. "Shut up, Neville…"
Granger grabbed Potter's arm and the group stopped. "Oh come on, Harry, you've been pining after this mystery man for two years! You can't blame us for being curious. Susan and I, at least, are dying to know who has you so hot and bothered."
"It doesn't really matter, 'Mione. He's never gonna feel the same, and I've come to terms with that. He's my friend, for the most part, and if anyone knew you'd start acting awkward around him and reading into every little interaction between us. I already went through the 'does it mean more' stage, and the man is positively indifferent to my affections," Potter said angrily, starting to walk up the steps to the castle.
The group hurried after him. "But you're a clueless flirt, Harry!" Malfoy exclaimed. "You flirt with everyone without even realizing it, so no one could possibly know whether or not you're really interested. And you're clueless when someone is flirting with you, as well! I mean, I spent all Summer watching Blaise come on to you, and you had no clue he was interested until he outright kissed you!"
Potter shrugged. "I got the feeling he was trying to catch my eye, but I wasn't interested myself. He's not really my type."
"What is your type, then? If you're so sure the man you love will never feel the same, then give us something to work with so we can set you up with someone who will!" Bones insisted.
Potter waved the book around. "If you can find me someone like Fitzwilliam Darcy, or even Hatori Sohma, then I'll not only give you props, I'll go on a date with them."
"Deal!" The group agreed immediately.
"Gee, Tohru, don't be picky," Bones muttered.
Potter laughed. "Alright, enough about my love life. How are things going with Madame Hooch, Malfoy?"
Malfoy groaned. "She's giving me the run around. I know she's interested, and there are no rules against it since I'm not in Quidditch anymore, but she really likes playing hard to get. We kissed, though, which I'm counting a small victory."
They all laughed. "You would, you arrogant sod," Longbottom said, shoving Malfoy's shoulder lightly.
"The game of love is a heady undertaking indeed," Lovegood murmured.
Potter hugged her close to his side. "Thanks for that uplifting little tidbit, Luna, you always know just what to say to confuse the hell out of us all." He kissed the top of her head while she giggled. "So! Whose common room are we crashing tonight?"
"We crashed Gryffindor last weekend, I think we should crash mine this weekend. Blaise said he needed Neville's help with his Herbology essay," Malfoy said, leading the way to the dungeons.
"Slytherin it is! I call the couch!" Potter announced, taking off down the stairs into the dungeons. There was a unanimous cry of indignance, and the small group took off after him, making Severus chuckle lightly at their antics. Potter was good for his godson, made the boy more human. And it was still a wonder how the brat had convinced the Headmaster to let his little group crash in different common rooms every weekend. The guise of homework was obviously just that, but it hadn't caused problems yet.
SSHP
For the next month Severus especially watched Potter's group of friends. If you asked him (and he felt inclined to answer honestly), he could not have told you why. He noticed a lot of interesting things. They spent a large part of their days studying, which was not uncommon for 7th years who planned to succeed, but they acted…normal, almost. They were thick as thieves, Longbottom often crawling out of his shell when they were anywhere nearby. Even Lovegood, a girl who all of the teachers recognized as being especially odd, could be found involved in a deep philosophical conversation with Potter as they walked around the lake. There were still plenty of rivalries between the four houses, but it seemed that they had begun a major dissolution of the anger and hatred associated. Rivalry had become more a friendly competition than any real feelings of superiority. The exception to this was the two youngest Weasley's, who seemed determined to cause problems and continue the near-war between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Severus had suspected there would quickly be more friendship and less walls between those Houses in particular when, the first day of classes in their 6th year, Draco had cornered him and made a point of his unfair attitude towards Gryffindors. After a few months, when several Slytherins in all of his classes began showing disrespect every time he unfairly took points from another house, he'd finally relented his old prejudices. Now all of the teachers seemed to forget there were four houses, rather than one school, except when there was a Quidditch match. All because Potter had gotten tired of fighting and extended his hand to the Ice Prince of Slytherin a month into their 6th year. Draco acted like a regular boy instead of a stuck up prat (his father dating Remus Lupin probably had a lot to do with it), Susan Bones was suddenly not just 'the niece of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement', and Hermione Granger was stuck in a three way tie for best in her year with Draco and Potter.
Potter…now there was a conundrum. After offering up a sincere apology to Severus after his serious breach of the Potions Master's privacy in 5th year, they'd begun a slightly more amiable student/teacher relationship. After a particularly trying Occlumency lesson, Severus had asked, for no particular reason, about Potter's home life. The boy had given a brief, dismissive explanation, stating the physical abuse and neglect like it was common and unimportant, and Severus had given one of his best rants to date, insulting the boy for being a right idiot for believing anything those 'disgusting wastes of human life' had told him. And Potter had thanked him. He gave the brat a speech filled with such vitriol that Albus Dumbledore would have stood up in anger and protest, but Potter had listened and thanked him.
He killed Voldemort before the end of term, and any time Albus forced him into an interview he down-played his involvement in the victory and proudly sang the praises of his friends and teachers, Severus especially. He spent the Summer with the Weasley's, Black taking his new freedom and access to his vaults for a spin, and no one was quite sure of the details, but it had been the end of the Golden Trio. Severus had heard the twins mention something about their sister being a fool and their younger brother a complete prat, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Then, friendships no one was aware existed suddenly became more important. Bones, Lovegood, Longbottom, Potter, and Granger began defying logic by sitting together at one of the three tables, no one knew if there had been a pattern, and then a month into 6th year, Potter had gotten up at lunch and walked over to Slytherin. He'd stopped by Draco Malfoy, waved at Blaise, greeted Crabbe and Goyle like old acquaintances, and simply asked if the empty seat beside Draco was taken. Draco, in shock, had said that it wasn't, and Potter had sat down and coaxed the four boys into conversation, occasionally drawing Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode in as well, though they were reluctant. The next day at lunch, the entire group had commandeered the end of Slytherin table. Halfway through the meal, the teachers (who were mostly in shock from the development) were drawn to the large group of assorted houses due to the raised voices, but when Severus arrived, with Minerva, they'd been shocked into laughter to find the group having a heated debate over what was a more romantic language. Potter felt it was Latin, Draco was pushing for Welsh, and the girls were all laying their votes on French. The Great Hall had become frozen in fear when they realized that the great bat of the dungeons was laughing alongside the Head Lion. When Potter broke the silence by demanding of the both of them their opinion and the two semi-shocked teachers had offered up their differing opinions, it had been a turning point. There was suddenly no major House rivalries, just a friendly competition. Now, a year later, the group was thick as thieves, with the occasional addition of Justin Finch-Fletchley, Blaise Zabini, or any number of other members from the other Houses, and practically inseparable.
Severus was currently sitting under an illusion behind the group as they watched that month's movie.
"David Bowie is so freaking hot!" Draco said, only to be loudly shushed by the majority of the group. "Well he is! Bet if I could get Harry a date with him, Harry wouldn't say no."
Potter walked over from the refreshments stand Albus had had the House Elves set up and sat on the groups blanket just as The Goblin King was introducing the young heroine to his extensive maze. "What're we talking about?"
"Whether or not you'd date the uber hot Glam Rock star on the screen," Longbottom said, helping to hand out the popcorn and butterbeers.
Potter looked at the screen contemplatively. "Probably not. Jareth is hot as hell, but Bowie's cheery personality leaves something to be desired. I mean, the man who wrote and sang The Laughing Gnome would probably make a brilliant friend, but an eclectic lover, yeah?"
"He wrote Changes and Suffragette City, too, though," Granger pointed out. Potter only shrugged as though the matter were closed and the group fell back into silence as they continued to watch the movie.
"Oh, we can't stay in Hufflepuff tonight," Bones said. The group snickered when a small monkey accused the mother of the heroine on screen as being a "fragging Aardvark" before she continued. "Justin's pulled patrol duty, and Sprout doesn't want us there without him."
"That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I guess we could settle in Ravenclaw again," Draco said as he snagged a piece of licorice from Granger.
Granger smacked his hand. "I'd rather not. If I have to hear the Grey Lady say 'riddle me this' two weekends in a row, I'm going to tear my hair out."
The group chuckled. "What about Gryffindor?" Lovegood offered as she sorted through her sour worms.
Longbottom shook his head as Potter shuddered in disgust. "Ginny's becoming more aggressive in her attempts to seduce Harry. I woke up the other night to her tying his hands to his bedposts. When she saw that I was awake, she ran out of the room and Harry shuddered as his bindings dissolved. Apparently, she'd put him in a body bind, and we all know he has to disable it in stages or it creates a concussive blast. Any chance to get out of the Tower is probably for the best at this point."
"Why didn't you say something? I saw her the other day in the library and she was researching fertility potions. I think she's decided to have your bastard child and force you to marry her," Bones teased as she tossed a popcorn kernel at Potter.
Potter gagged. "I know you're only joking, but I don't think that's too far from the truth. There's no reason for her to be researching fertility potions, Professor Snape took those out of the curriculum for Sixth Years. She's getting desperate, and Ron, while he's not the brightest wand to be waved, is great at strategy and he's helping her plot ways to trap me into marrying her. Maybe Slytherin would be better?"
Draco shook his head. "No, Father said in his last letter that Uncle Sev was visiting Malfoy Manor for the weekend to test out his newest Wolfsbane Potion on Remus. Tomorrow's the full moon, remember? Dumbledore's got that ponce of a Defense Teacher keeping an eye on Slytherin for the weekend. In his complete prejudice and ineptitude, he has made it clear that we are not to be 'lousing about in the common room', which means pretty much everyone is either locked in their dorm rooms, or staying with friends in a different House. I think quite a few of the 7th years are spending the weekend with their parents, since it's a Hogsmeade weekend. Do you think we could commandeer the Room of Requirement?"
"Weasley and his brood of ignorance are currently using the Room in an attempt to avoid cultural awareness. If it weren't a movie-night, we could probably use it, but it is, so…" Longbottom trailed off with a wave of his licorice stick. "I guess we have to cancel tonight's study session."
The group slumped and watched the movie in morose silence before Potter smacked his forehead. "Duh! Draco gave us the answer!" He pulled something from his bag and passed his snacks off to his friends, who Severus could tell were all looking at him curiously. "Hey, c'mon, I've been known to develop a good plan!" He protested laughingly as he stood. He wandered off into the field, weaving in and out of the students in pursuit of…something. When he was out of sight, Severus turned his attention to the film on the large screen.
Twenty minutes later, he was jolted out of his concentration on the screen when a body was plopped onto the ground to his right. He glanced over to see Potter sitting there next to him, watching the screen intently. He took a minute to watch the Wizarding Savior before several things occurred to him at once. Most importantly, Potter was eating his red licorice. He snatched the bag away with a snarl.
"Can I help you, Potter?"
Potter looked at him and grinned. "Evening, Professor, are you enjoying the movie?"
Severus raised an eyebrow. "The premise is childish and the villain is anything but the evil he's accused of. He's obviously in love with that ridiculous adolescent girl and has so far stated as much in his actions. The girl is being an idiot, risking her life and dreams for such a spoiled child," He answered haughtily.
Potter chuckled, turning back to the screen. "He says it outright at the end of the movie. But, the fact is, she's living out her current dream. Her dreams for the future are what he's offering her. Y'know, Goblin Queen, true love, days of adventure and exploration of a magical world...She's only 15, she's not old enough to be able to realize she's not really giving anything up by leaving her world for his. She's convinced herself he's the bad guy, because it's only a vague sentence in a fiction novel that suggests to her his true feelings. See this scene? He's singing to her about how he would do anything for her. 'Paint you mornings of gold, spin you valentine's evenings' is his abstract way of telling her how happy he would make her everyday life if she only gave into his love. But he's also singing about being there for her 'when the world falls down'. That's not him saying he'll wait until the end of time itself, that's him saying he recognizes her youthful ignorance to his advances and that when reality comes crashing down around her ears, he'll be there to catch her and 'take her away from that awful place'. But he's still hoping the reality of what he's offering and what the Aboveground doesn't have to offer will occur to her now. See, he tried to kiss her before the clock struck the hour, because he knows a single kiss will make her realize what she really needs and wants, and at the end of the movie he'll actually propose to her. She thinks it's all a trick though, she doesn't realize that the true villain to her heroism is the imagination-crushing reality of the Aboveground, so she's made him the villain for now and chooses to believe all of his affections are just a way to distract her from the goal of 'saving' her brother." Potter explained, gesturing to the screen at the appropriate times. "I like to think that, when she's older, she realizes she left her heart in the Underground and takes Toby with her when she goes back. Her stepmom, Karen, is sure to try and beat the imagination out of them both, so she'll go back, and Jareth will wait until that day. 'It's only forever, not long at all' is just as abstract as everything else he's sung. Being separated from your soul mate for any amount of time feels like forever, but when you finally have them by your side, you realize it wasn't as long as it could've been, yeah?" He was still enjoying the licorice he'd stolen from Severus bag, and Severus felt less inclined to transform the confection into something distasteful as he mulled over the short speech.
"That's an oddly well-thought out analysis, Mr. Potter. Am I to suppose you've seen the film before?" He asked finally.
"Yeah, Draco loves David Bowie so Hermione recommended this movie over the Summer. I must've watched it a dozen times with Draco, all so he could memorize the songs. I must admit, the character of the Goblin King is, without question, one of the more romantic villainies ever posed in a children's story," He said, nabbing another licorice from the bag in Severus lap.
Severus sighed. "I realize we have become more like friends, considering your connection to my godson and his father, but must you continue to abscond with my licorice, Mister Potter? You, could, at the very least, ask first," He muttered, looking dejectedly at the bag that only held a few more strings of the addictive sweet.
Potter snickered. "Sorry, Professor, that was rude of me," Severus could see an endearing blush gracing the tan cheeks in the soft light the movie provided and felt the urge to smile. "Oh!" Potter exclaimed suddenly. "Almost forgot, I came over here for a reason." He dug around in the pocket of his jeans, his tongue between his teeth, and withdrew a bent quill and folded piece of parchment. "I already spoke with Headmaster Dumbledore, and the other Heads of Houses, so now it's all on you to save your godson and our study group from missing out on tonight's planned structure for studying. I'm sure you heard our discussion earlier about our inability to commandeer one of the common rooms like we usually do, and when Draco mentioned that several Slytherins are going home for the weekend to escape the oppressive and heavily-biased hand of our newest DADA teacher I figured that was actually a good plan. Now, as you know, Heads of Houses have certain decisions they can make, at the discretion of the parents or guardians, yeah?" Severus nodded warily, eyeing the piece of parchment curiously. "Right, so, since everyone in my group had Dumbledore draw up specific permission slips at the beginning of the year that allowed us to spend a weekend at one home or another with the permission of our Head of House, a slip which all of our guardians signed happily in the hopes we all might spend weekends with them, I went and asked all the other Heads of Houses for permission for each member of our small group to spend the weekend off campus at Malfoy Manor. Draco still needs your permission, and Professor Dumbledore laid out the stipulation for this particular weekend excursion that you have to 'okay' all of our stay at Malfoy Manor, considering the Lunar cycle and the experimental state of the improved Wolfsbane Potion you're providing Remus with."
Severus smirked. "Was there a question in that spew of well-worded rambling, Mr. Potter?"
The blush was deeper this time, and Severus struggled not to wonder how far the blush went under the t-shirt. "Yeah, sorry, sir. Um, would you give Draco, and our study group by association, permission to spend the weekend at Malfoy Manor? I swear, we'll stay out of your way as much as possible while you're cataloguing the effects of your improved Wolfsbane Potion. We'll limit ourselves to the East Wing Library and Draco's suite, since his has two bathrooms. Please?" He pleaded, pouting lightly with imploring eyes.
Severus felt the now common urge to laugh and kiss the pout away, but he pushed it aside in favor of teasing his young unrequited-love interest. "And why should I grant you and your little troupe of misfits permission to potentially disturb my experiments on the wolf?"
Potter grinned as Jareth began singing Within You on screen. "Because you love your godson and want to help him succeed, and you know he needs his loving study group to help him practice for the Transfiguration and Defense exams next Wednesday. Also, because you know there are a multitude of things we can get up to with you not here and Professor Collins being a prejudicial prat to the Slytherins," He reasoned, snagging yet another licorice stick and turning back to the screen where Jareth was making the soon to be rejected proposal. "I'll have my cousin send me a whole box of these for you," He coaxed teasingly.
Severus snorted in an effort not to laugh at the antics of the young man. "Alright, I'll give you and your rabble permission to accompany me to Malfoy Manor, but only to prevent the resignation of certain incompetent staff members, and I must receive said bartering gift by the end of next week in return. Although I doubt Lucius and Remus will allow your little group to hole up in Draco's rooms," He said as he took the sheet of parchment and the quill from Potter's hands. He put his name beside the other Heads signatures under the carefully structured paragraph of permission in Dumbledore's eccentric handwriting. When he looked back up at Potter, the younger man was staring at him with a look of suspicion. "Stop staring, Potter. What is it?"
Potter shook his head in disbelief. "You're too much of a Slytherin to be willing to do this on the chance I'll follow through on the promise to give you a whole supply of un-tampered-with sweets," He said slowly.
Severus smirked. "Perhaps I simply wish to enjoy the company of people slightly less annoying than my close friend and his werewolf husband. Mind you, I said slightly."
Potter chuckled and stood. "Aw, that's so sweet! Movie's over, and I still have to get this to Professor Dumbledore. When are you leaving for the manor?" He said, offering his hand.
Severus took it and shivered as the contact sent Potter's magic tingling over his skin. He wondered if Potter felt it, but the only outward sign was a widening of his grin. He stood gracefully and brushed off his slacks. "I am leaving in exactly one hour. You and your friends are to meet me in the Entrance Hall and we will depart via apparition, as Lucius blocks the floo around the full moon. How do you expect Miss Lovegood to arrive, I wonder?"
"Huh? Oh! Imouto will be doing side-long apparition with me, Professor," He said, smiling.
They began to trek through the dwindling crowd in search of the Headmaster. "…Imouto, Potter?"
"Little sister. She and I share an interest in the manga and anime series Fruits Basket and she's got a certain love of Chinese and Japanese endearments. She calls me her Nii-chan, and she's my Imouto, because calling her 'little sister' doesn't hold as much emotion for the two of us. It's like our own thing, something special for just us, y'know?" Potter explained. "Oh, do you think you could call me 'Harry'? I realize you can't really do that in classes, but hearing 'Potter' bounced around so much is obnoxious, and any time someone calls me it in a crowded area, people tend to turn and look for me. Besides, if we have, as you said, a more amiable relationship than before, it only makes sense that you call me by my given name. I won't pretend to presume I can ever call you by yours, but I'd get a certain joy out of you recognizing me as me, rather than my father's son."
"Your connection to my godson is quite enough for me to recognize that, if I didn't already know you are nothing like the prat my own 'Imouto' married. But I suppose I can condescend to using your first name, if you're so desperate for it, Harry," Severus responded with a smirk.
"See? We're already making strides in bettering our relationship! Maybe someday we'll get to the point where we're not ribbing each other every ten seconds," Harry joked.
Severus chuckled quietly. "Where would the fun be in that?" He asked. He looked up and spotted Albus talking to Minerva. "There's the Headmaster, Harry. Remember, you and your rabble are to meet me in the Entrance Hall in exactly one hour. If you aren't there, I'm leaving without you."
Harry nodded and gave a mock salute before jogging away. He paused and turned a few feet away, looking Severus over. "Thanks, Professor, really…routine has become a sort of comfort for all of us these last two years. And, um, you look good in Muggle clothes, you should wear them more often." He flashed Severus a heart-melting, bashful smile before turning and taking off towards the Headmaster.
Severus made his way to his dungeons to prepare for his weekend trip in thought. Had Harry been flirting with him? Or was he just making one of those typically blunt adolescent observations? He made a quick decision to wear Muggle clothes over the weekend in an effort to feel out the younger man's confusing signals. He continued to make concessions as he repacked his travel bag, mentally kicking himself for each one because of his decision the year before to ignore his emotions for the Wizarding Savior. As he spelled the pack imperturbable he realized something that should've occurred to him before.
"How in the hell did that brat see past my Illusionment charm?" He wondered aloud. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled them away in disgust. "Hm, I've got at least forty-five minutes, and the brat's are sure to be late in their arrival, what with Draco's pruning. A shower might not be remiss. I'm not brewing this weekend, so there's nothing to stop me from looking my best…as poor as that is," He reasoned as he walked into his over-large bathroom.
"Don't sell yourself short, dearie, you've got a lot to offer that gorgeous young man you're pining after, and I'm not just talking about your winning personality and incredible endowment," The mirror said as he maneuvered the taps.
He smiled at the compliment. Sentient mirrors were, perhaps, some of the best magical inventions of the Wizarding World. They were unable to lie. To be sure, they could bend the truth, which was why the mirror hadn't said he was attractive outright, but it was slight and subtle. On his bad days, the mirror would take the opportunity to give light to his better physical qualities (like his lean, toned form, and chiseled, aristocratic features). The gender-less mirror seemed determined to raise his mood and opinion of himself, especially so since he'd lamented his star-crossed, unrequited love to his own reflection over a year ago. Days like this, where he got the feeling Harry was trying to flirt with him, it made him almost believe that there was something about him that someone could love.
Severus walked up the stairs to the Dungeons to see Harry laughing happily with his group while Longbottom raced around the Hall with a bag, narrowly avoiding Draco as the Slytherin chased him. Harry glanced over and stopped with his mouth open. Severus watched as the bright green eyes traced over his body, determinedly not blushing when the boy unconsciously swallowed thickly. His clothes were specifically tailored to highlight his form and his freshly cleaned hair was…Lily had called it feathery and light, but his knowledge on how to describe hair was limited to 'attractive' or not. He figured the red-head's description had meant to state his hair was attractive. He smirked as the young man's eyes darkened slightly in desire. The weekend might be more enlightening than originally planned.
"I see you rabble rousers have discovered the importance of punctuality," Severus said, shifting the bag on his shoulder.
"Rabble rousers?" Draco protested. "I'll have you know we've been waiting up here for twenty minutes!"
Severus raised an eyebrow and looked to Potter for an explanation as Draco snatched his bag back from Longbottom and smacked the boy over the head with it. Harry smirked. "We spend every weekend camped out in a different common room, we've always got our travel bags packed. We did have to wait for Draco to stop pruning like a freaking peacock," He returned the glare the blond sent his way, "But our early preparations still had us out here far prior to the expected time of arrival."
"Oh Merlin, Harry! English, please!" Bones exclaimed imploringly. She rounded on Granger. "I blame you for his new vocabulary. Next time you feel the urge to give him a dictionary for Christmas, don't!"
Granger blushed, but responded hotly. "He said he wanted to sound intelligent. Besides, it's more likely the books he's been reading than the dictionary itself that have broadened his vocabulary."
"Does it matter? You all know what I'm saying. What does the extent of my vernacular have to do with anything?" Harry asked.
"It's annoying. Can't you at least talk like a typical adolescent?" Neville moaned as they all picked up their bags and started to walk out onto the grounds.
"When has anything about Harry been typical?" Severus asked. The group looked at him in shock before bursting into raucous laughter.
"Gee thanks, Professor," Harry groaned as they all started to list the things that made Harry 'better than average'. Severus only smirked at the younger man.
SSHP
A/N: Okay, don't forget to review! If you have any ideas on how to get these two together over the weekend, what with Remus being wolfish, feel free to share. Just, try to avoid plotless Fluff ideas, they don't work with the characters.