Severus Snape had butterflies.
Well, he preferred to think of them as bats. Bats flapping their wings about, making him feel uncharacteristically nervous. Come to think of it, there was actually a South American magical malady that would cause the formation of bat-like creatures inside the stomach...
Snape snorted softly to himself. Impossible. He hadn't been to Peru for twenty years.
Twenty years... the object of his secret attraction would have been only...five.
Five years old. Fantastic. Reminded that he was little more than a dirty old man, never mind his other past sins.
Yes he had been invited round for drinks after just a chance meeting in Diagon Alley, and yes it was a Saturday night - but no – it was inconceivable that the arrangement he had made with the young man was a date.
Perhaps it was inappropriate that he had brought a bottle of wine. He was even wearing his finest wool cloak. He made the decision to shrink the bottle and put it into one of cloak's pockets. The cloak which had cost him a months wages. Had he not taken his meals in the Great Hall at Hogwarts he would have been living off bread crusts for weeks. A teacher's salary was not modest, but Severus felt the need to give generously to several charities every year, as further atonement for his years as a Death Eater.
A Death Eater. Severus almost shivered just at the thought of his former self. Another reason why he could not fathom this evening's invitation.
He raised a hand to knock at the not-particularly-grand front door. He had lurked outside long enough. Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge.
Tap tap.
He made the most minuscule of knocks, and lingered a minute longer.
Tap tap TAP.
A little louder. Barely.
Well that was it. There had obviously been a misunderstanding – the boy was out of course, as any attractive young person would be at the weekend, he wasn't expected at all and he should just-
Then the door opened cautiously, and widened with the smile on Harry Potter's face when he realised who was stood, poised to run back down his garden path and out of the front gate.
'Severus!' he exclaimed, clearly happy to see him. 'I wasn't sure if I heard knocking'.
Snape was temporarily taken by surprise. He'd been practising all week for their conversation this evening, but since he had been let down in his own wretched mind he found it hard to believe that he was in fact welcome.
'Come in'. Harry invited him with a smile which was more uncertain now, perhaps picking up on the older man's hesitance.
Snape nodded quietly and followed Harry inside.
He hoped he did not appear either surly, or shy. Neither was very fitting, so he made an effort to speak.
'Nice place, Potter'.
It definitely came out surly, but Harry seemed to take the compliment as his face lit up once more.
'Thank you Prof- err, Severus'. Harry stumbled a little over the less-formal first name. 'I've started a small collection'.
He gestured at the art work which lined his hallway, portraits and landscapes, some modern and some centuries old - nearly all depicting Hogwarts Castle and the sounding area.
'Exquisite'. Severus commented, and he meant it.
Harry grinned again. 'Glad you like them sir. It's been nice to have these as a reminder of life outside of the ministry'.
'You're not a fan of London?' Severus hazarded a guess.
Screwing up his face slightly, Harry shook his head.
'Thinking of leaving, actually'.
Severus wanted to know more, but the conversation was cut short as Harry opened a door and gestured for Severus to step inside.
He found himself in a magnificent library and he could barely suppress a quick inhalation of breath.
'Potter, why on earth would you want to leave this?' his face could not hide its incredulity.
Harry gave a small smile and did not answer straight away.
'Drink?' he offered.
Snape nodded and gladly accepted a glass of scotch which Harry conjured.
'Please, take a seat'.
Snape sat in a comfortable armchair, and looked around him at the thousand of books once more.
'It must pay you well, being head auror'.
'Yes.' Harry admitted. 'My savings are...considerable'.
The honest truth was that on top of his original fortune, after just five years in the job he had almost enough to retire on.
'Are you thinking of a daily floo journey, then?'
Harry shook his head.
'Well, why quit?'
Severus was not normally so curious, but Potter had always sparked his interest.
'To go home'. Harry said simply.
'To Hogwarts?'
Harry said nothing at first.
'Albus has offered me a teaching career. Defence against the Dark Arts'.
Severus looked up without a trace of bitterness in his expression – he had long given up coveting that particular post.
'and you accepted?'
Harry shook his head again.
'Not yet. I must confess – Sir – it was running in to you last week that made me truly consider it'.
Severus was surprised.
'Indeed?' he asked for clarification.
'Yes. I remembered your support during the war. You were truly my mentor, in a way that to be honest you were too much of a bastard to be in the classroom'.
Snape raised an eyebrow. One glass of scotch had obviously given Harry a little Dutch courage.
'I had hoped you would give me your opinion... your advice'.
He looked at Snape expectantly but got nothing.
'That is, if we still have the mutual respect for each other that we admitted to the night before the final battle?'
A sharp intake of breath.
'Of course we do, Potter'. Snape admitted. 'Why on earth did you think I accepted your invitation if not to see how you were doing?'
Harry wasn't sure whether or not he was pleased with this reason.
'If you truly think you'd be happier, take the job.' said Severus matter-of-factly.
'That's what you truly think?' Harry checked.
'Yes.' Snape confirmed. 'Even your conversation would be better at the staff table than what I have to endure at the moment'.
Harry laughed and refilled their glasses.
'Perhaps, Professsor, you could entertain me with some stories so that I know what I'm up against'.
Severus gave his usual smirk, and replied dryly.
'Potter, you will need all the help you can get'.
TBC