A/N: Okay, this is my very first attempt at Severus/Harry; please take that into account. In my opinion, this fic turned out pretty well, considerably, but you'll have to decide for yourself.
Warnings: Slash, of course. Oh, and this is my first attempt at a first-person POV kiss. (*cough* I don't exactly know what I'm talking about... that tell you anything?) Besides that, um... OOC Sev and Harry? Bad writing? Pathetic attempts at deep Sevvie!Thoughts? No back-story? Present-tense? Too introspective?
Disclaimer: Sev and Harry's actions and thoughts are all mine. JKR owns the rest, but I borrow them occasionally. Okay, constantly. They don't seem to mind, though, do they? ^_^
Also Note: As you will find out, Harry is in 7th year, and about to 'graduate' (or whatever you want to call it). So, naturally, he is of age to be doing this kind of thing. So there! *razz* ^_~


And We All Fall Down

Some days, I've found, it's easy to say I hate you.
Some days it's all too difficult.
Today, for instance. Friday, double Potions being your last class of the day; you're tired and snappish and drained from a week of studying for your approaching finals. Finals.
I smile bitterly at the thought.
The moment you first walked into my classroom seven years ago, I wanted you out. For years I longed for the day when you would rise from your desk for the last time, pick up your books, and leave my line of vision forever.
Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes? Don't believe a word of it.
But now that the day of your departure is nearing-- with frightening speed, in fact-- I wish I had spent the past seven years in a different manner. Instead of sneering at your work and belittling your companions, why not have used my time more wisely? Gotten to know you, perhaps- ignoring your famous name to embrace the real you beneath all the glitz and glory. If only I'd been able to look past that livid scar that mars your perfect porcelain brow, and see your beautiful-- if somewhat troubled--face. If only... You look so much like James... But that is an entirely different matter. Back to the story.
Hate is a powerful word; used far too flippantly, in my opinion. I've overheard you say that I hate you.
How very wrong you are.
Wrong-- that's a fitting word for it. So utterly wrong. And yet...
The bell rings. Your friends leap up from their seats, eager to forget all about this cold dungeon for the weekend; eager to forget I exist. Off to study for the impending doom that is final exams.
Perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps...
"Do not forget that your essays on Veritaserum are due on Monday. Six rolls of parchment; no excuses."
My voice is going through the motions, but my eyes are watching very different motions unfolding before me. As the rest of the class pours out into the halls, ready to start their Professor-free weekend as soon as humanly possible, you slowly rise from your seat. Leaving your books and quills on the bench, you straighten up, smooth down your robes (they're slightly too short- you've had another growth spurt, I note), and begin making your way through the rows of tables to the front of the room.
No.
"Professor," you say as you reach my desk. Your voice is deeper than I remember- but surely I've memorized it's every nuance?
"I just wanted to let you know that I..."
My brain tunes out your words and focuses wholly on your voice. Yes, it's taken on a rather husky note now. I wonder, is this how you sound when you're... Don't, Severus. Don't even think it. He's just a child.
...But for how much longer? You are, indeed, merely a fortnight away from leaving your place as a student forever. I wonder if you realize what that entails.
"Er, Professor?"
I snap out of my reverie to find your eyes locked with mine. Deep, dark green envelops me utterly, and I mentally curse myself for allowing my mind to wander while you spoke.
"Have you heard a word of what I've just been telling you?"
"No." Apparently, now seemed to be an opportune time for the honest part of my brain to leap into action. And, as those sinfully emerald eyes of yours take on a hint of... something, other parts of me leap as well. My heart, for instance. Among other things.
"I'm sorry," I find myself saying. You arch an eyebrow. So, I decide to throw caution- as well as my dignity?- to the winds, and...
"I got lost in your eyes."
At my words, said eyes widen considerably, shining with that indescribable something again. Silence falls over the near empty dungeon, broken only by the soft drip of the tap in the back of the room. My mind supplies absently the notion that I should have that tap repaired. But there are more pressing matters at hand.
Such as the fact that your face is now a mere five inches away from my own.
"I said," you sigh, your hot breath ghosting across my face. "That I'll be leaving school in two weeks. That means I'll no longer be your student."
You're so close now... Somehow, I manage to find my voice.
"I am quite aware of that fact, Mr. Potter." My mind is screaming Harry Harry Harry!
"Oh, I know you are." Your voice continues to grow quieter. "And, since I'll be gone in such a short time..." You're speaking barely above a whisper now. "I have some things I'd like to say to you."
"Surely," I reply, working hard not to stumble over the words, "what you have to say can wait...?"
"Quite the contrary. This, Professor Snape," Your eyes are burning now. Not with hatred. Not with animosity. With hunger. "This cannot wait."
You reach out one barely tanned hand, running your fingers over my furrowed brow, delicately smoothing the frown. Your fingers are calloused, from years of gripping a broomstick (a broomstick!), but your touch is gentle. You lean in, and...
Harry Potter. Is kissing me. I've gone utterly mad. Or perhaps he has...
Your kiss is soft yet insistent, silently pleading for a response. To my surprise, and yours, I comply.
This isn't real. This has to be a dream. Or maybe this is Heaven.
You? Heaven? Are you kidding? a skeptical part of my mind supplies. Then my mind is filled completely with light and fireworks, as a small, adept tongue flicks against mine.
Heaven, indeed.
I respond in kind, our tongues passionately dueling. How ironic. You languidly suck at my lower lip, and I hum slightly with pleasure. Soon (though I can't imagine why), you break the kiss, and your eyes open, gazing deeply into mine.
"Mmm, Severus," you sigh, and I exhale sharply. I've never heard you say my name before. And so lustfully, at that. I shiver slightly, and you smile.
"I... I believe we've definitely crossed the line." I hear myself say, though I don't recall planning to say it. The tap in the back of the room drips thrice more before you speak again.
"True," you respond, standing straight once more. "Many lines. And that was precisely my intention."
"Oh, really...?"
"Yes, really." You smile a bit coyly before continuing. "Now, I've got to get up to the common room. Ron and Hermione'll be wondering where I am. I'll see you on Monday."
You turn to go, but I catch your sleeve. "If you actually believe I'll just let you run off after what just happened, you've got another thing coming!"
Another coy smile. Then, "Yes, I have, haven't I?"
I simply stare at you as you pluck your sleeve from my grasp and fetch your books. Once you've retrieved your belongings, you stride back up to the front of the room.
"Fourteen days," you whisper, your face right up next to my ear. "I'll be waiting."
My eyes widen, and you turn on your heel to leave. After a lingering moment of hesitation in the doorway, you hurry off down the empty hallway beyond.
"Well," I say aloud to the echoing stillness of the classroom. "That was... interesting."
Drip, acknowledges the tap.

~fin
*hangs head and walks away*