This is a special occasion gift for Yen. I do hope you enjoy it, Ladio.

To all, you can consider this as part of the Cutting Room Floor. It fits in there nicely. Also, Yen once again decided to make her present that much better, and it really needed it. To those who read and enjoyed already, I apologize for the mistakes.

Ree

A Conference

Severus shifted slightly, moving away from the warm thigh that was pressed against his. Focusing on the speaker once again, he wrote a quick series of notes onto the parchment that was resting on the slim table top.

Blarney moved a moment latter, once again pressing his thigh against Severus'.

Severus felt his hand go for his wand, only to stop as the speaker finished. He could escape the idiot now. Standing, he rolled up his parchment and tucked the quill away in his coat pocket.

"Master Snape," Blarney smiled at the thin master, "it is wonderful that you could attend this year's conference. Would you like to have dinner with me and a few other masters? We were planning on going to this little cafe down the road."

Severus caught the flash of desire in the man's eyes and shook his head. "I have the final touches on my presentation to complete, so I will be dinning in."

Striding out of the room, Severus missed the feeling of his robes billowing about him. Robes were discouraged at the conference since they were near the Muggle area of town. In his room, he fell onto the bed and closed his eyes. 'Harry. I know why you aren't here, I agree to why you are not here, but I Want You Here! Blarney would have given me one look and you would have sent him across the room with one well placed spell.'

Running a hand over his face, he sighed. 'Of course that would have been detrimental to the conference. It would have possibly had both of us removed from the premises, but I would have loved to have seen his face as he laid with the wind knocked out of him.'

He turned over and stared at the size of the bed that was in his room. Tonight was going to be another long night and this conference had three more for him to make it through. Harry had told him to go, to show the potions world that he was still around and working. The only reason he hadn't come was because they had fretted about the international press. Harry Potter's name was still famous, no matter how much the press had learned to back off when he and Ron were working.

Pushing off the bed, Severus sat at the table and pulled open the bag that held his presentation. He would work his way through the material one more time, and then he would worry about dinner. Maybe he would eat in the hotel's restaurant, or have room service bring something up.

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The feeling of lips and fingers stroking his skin, made Severus moan quietly. He knew those lips and he knew the hair that was brushing his abdomen was as black as night. Green eyes peeked up at him as a fingertip traced over the large scar on his hip.

"Harry..." The name was gusted out as those fingers cupped him, rolling his balls about while those pink lips brushed lightly across his straining erection. Even as they reached the tip, a pounding shattered the dream.

Shooting up in his bed, sporting an erection, and his wand in hand, Severus stared at the door. The pounding started again.

"Snape! Come on and open up. The boys and I want to take you to breakfast."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Severus discarded the idea of blasting the unknown sized group through the hotel door. Greg Alvarez didn't deserve it, no matter how much he had shattered a wonderful dream. Opening his eyes, he called out, "Give me a moment. I'll meet you in the lobby."

As he dressed, Severus wondered when Derrick Baldwin was going to make it in. He needed his friend there when he introduced the new painkiller he had invented almost two years ago since Derrick was the one who ran the back-up test for it. 'I need him here to run interference between me and the idiots here. I never noticed just how much the other masters could push their presence on someone. Honestly, Blarney yesterday was too forward, and then there was Sarah Goran earlier.'

When he arrived at the lobby, Severus relaxed slightly. The boys with Greg were the male faction of the potions group that Nicholas hung around. "Master Alvarez, you wished me to attend breakfast with you?"

Greg smiled at the dark haired man that Derrick had asked that they keep an eye on. That Master Snape worked with Nicholas was also reassuring, it meant that the man had to have a sense of humor. He had to since Holden had the run of Nicholas' lab. "Figured you could stand a break from the hero worshiping and fawning. We are willing to hold an intelligent conversation about potions if you wish to join us."

Severus let a small smile curl the edge of his lips. "That sounds acceptable."

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Derrick dragged a chair up next to Severus, barely squeezing between Severus' chair and some unknown master's. He leaned close to Severus, just barely not touching him, and whispered, "Sorry I am late getting here. The last test took longer than it should have."

"You are here now. Meet me for dinner tonight and we'll talk about the presentation." Severus let his relief show in his voice. Not only was his friend here, but Derrick had pushed between him and Blarney.

"I know a good place we can talk and the food isn't half bad." With that, Derrick hushed and focused on the presenter.

Blarney blocked Snape's path when the speaker was finished. "You went out for breakfast with Alvarez, Townsend, Everson, and Micheals and now you are going out for dinner with Master Baldwin, but you didn't have a moment to go out with me and the others last night?"

Severus considered just stepping around the redhead, but the mulish look on the man's face said that this needed to be handled now. "As I told you yesterday, I had to work on my presentation. Surely a master of your caliber must be able to comprehend that."

"Then what about this evening. Master Baldwin and you can join us." Blarney stepped closer, attempting to slide between Derrick and Severus.

Derrick shook his head. He could tell that the man was not interested in Severus physically. No, Master Blarney was after the fame and the acclaim of being seen with Snape the War Hero. "I fear that Master Snape and I must have a private conversation tonight."

Severus stepped around the fuming man and strode out the door. Derrick was at his heels. Once they had made it safely to the restaurant, Severus cast a quick Muffliato. "That man. He will be hexed before the conference is over if he makes one more advance on me."

Derrick grinned. "All he wants is to be connected to your fame. Blarney is about as straight as a man can be."

Raising an eyebrow, Severus continued. "Then he should keep his body parts to himself."

Laughing, Derrick pulled the menu towards himself. "Too bad Harry isn't here to defend you. Where is he anyway?"

"He is working. He is trusting me to be able to handle unwanted advances." Severus pushed down the bone deep wish that Harry could be there, talking and laughing with him.

"And handle them you will, and we will help." Derrick spoke without looking up from the menu.

"We?"

"You are Nicholas, no matter what face you are wearing. We, the entire group, are going to make sure you are safe. I will mention that Nicholas is hoping that we will take care of you."

Severus raised an eyebrow before chuckling. He knew just how much that would work. All of a sudden the conference didn't seem quite so bad. "About our presentation..."

"Dinner first, Nicholas."

"Severus."

"Whichever. We both know who I am talking to."

Severus sighed. That was one down side of Derrick knowing.

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Alissandra Miles slammed her hand down onto the counter, startling the other women in the restroom. "Honestly! Stop. There is no reason for you to even be plotting out ways to get with Snape. Back off."

Caroline Giles looked her up and down. "Did he already reject you outright?"

Shaking her head, Alissandra rolled her eyes. "No, I noticed that he had a ring on his finger, and I didn't have my head too buried in ingredients to miss the news that he was married at the beginning of summer."

"Newly married... easily broken." A brunnette that Alissandra had no clue the name of responded.

"Look, you want to be with a man you know nothing about? Really? He could use you for potion ingredients like I hear he threatens to do." Alissandra cast a look over at Cynthia and Samantha, taking their knowing smiles in stride. Yes, she had made a fool of herself over a man she knew was attached, but she had learned her lesson, and learned it well. She valued her friendship with Nicholas more than she desired him to be with her, and as Holden pointed out to her, she truly didn't know him as well as Holden himself did.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "As if he would truly do that."

Samantha gave them a long assessing look before answering. "Master Snape is known for his love of Dark Arts and he did spend years in the service of a Dark Lord. Yes, he was a spy, but he still had to brew some very... interesting potions I am sure."

Cynthia headed for the door. "And I wouldn't chance what he thought good ingredients were if you made him mad enough."

Alissandra shook her head. "Just give it up and enjoy the rest of the conference without this plotting."

With that last parting shot, she and Samantha headed out of the restroom and back to the table that they had been occupying before the break had been called.

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Harry sat on the porch watching the sunrise. He almost poured a glass of milk just so he could see the cup rinsed next to the sink. It had been a week since Severus had left for the potions conference, one week that he had missed small things that Severus did. The glass was just one example.

Sighing lightly, he headed down towards the greenhouses. The owls needed breakfast. 'At least since the bonding we can separate without all the other repercussions. I am not cold anymore, and the world is still a bright place. I just miss him sorely.'

It was on the way back from the greenhouses that Harry spotted a tall dark shape on the porch. His heart stuttered for a moment, and then sped up when he spotted that glass in the person's hand. Severus was home.

Rushing up to the porch, Harry flew into Severus' arms. It was once he was snuggled into that chest he thought about the glass. "The milk... I didn't spill it, did I?"

Severus pulled Harry closer, brushing his lips over the top of his head. "I saw you coming. The glass is safely on the bannister."

Harry looked up and smiled. "Welcome home. How was the trip?"

Severus released Harry and headed into the house. "Enlightening. Derrick sends a hello, and the others said to tell Holden hi as well."

"Enlightening?" Harry waited until Severus had set his glass next to the sink before he wrapped him back up in his arms. "I can come next time?"

"We'll discuss it then." Severus threaded his fingers through Harry's hair and cupped his head, bringing it close enough to gently kiss his lips. "Right now, I have other ideas and there isn't much talking involved."

Harry's eyelids drooped slightly as he melted against Severus. "I think I might just agree with this idea, as long as we are not separated, even by clothing."

Working Harry's buttons loose, Severus smiled. "That can be arranged."