Disclaimer - If you recognise it, I don't own it.

Written for;

Raise a Witch or Wizard Challenge; Boy.

Valentine Making Station - Red Ribbon.

Sneaky Tricks Of A Slytherin

"Don't come and lecture me," Harry warned before taking a sip of whisky. "I've already had plenty enough of that this evening."

Lucius chuckled. "No lectures from me, though I don't need to ask the subject of said lectures, do I?"

Harry scoffed. "Of course you don't. Why didn't you warn me he was coming?"

Sitting down on the stool beside Harry, Lucius gestured to the bartender to fetch him a drink. "I didn't know he was. His presence is as much a surprise to me as it is to you."

"Sneaky bastard," Harry grumbled.

"You could always ask him why he's here," Lucius suggested, an amused smile on his face.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. He's been watching me all evening. You know he's going to strike at some point. I may as well just wait for the axe to fall."

Lucius chuckled as he nodded his thanks to the bartender. "You get very dramatic where Severus is concerned, Harry. It's most amusing."

"As long as you're entertained. You know I live to please you," Harry muttered, taking another sip of his drink.

Lucius laughed again. "Hmm, if only that were true. You've been throwing me off for years."

"I'm too smart to be seduced by you," Harry replied dryly.

"That's why I like you," Lucius agreed, entirely too cheerful for Harry's taste. "Incoming, on your left."

"Harry dear," crooned a female voice, far too close to be comfortable. Harry turned to look at Romilda Vane, his biggest fan and most devout stalker. How she'd even gotten into the Ministry Ball, Harry had no idea. "I've called you so many times this past week, why haven't you been answering me? You did say I could call."

Rolling his eyes, Harry turned away. "I said you could call. I didn't say I'd answer."

Lucius choked on his drink, glaring at Harry as he coughed. Harry chuckled at his friend.

"But Harry!" Romilda cried out, loudly. Harry sighed. "When will you see that we're meant to be together! I love you."

Before Harry was forced to reply, Kingsley appeared with security, who immediately escorted Romilda, who didn't go quietly, from the room.

"Sorry, Harry. I don't know how she keeps slipping under the radar, but I'll brief the security again about her."

Harry nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said. "She's not dangerous, just delusional."

"She really is," Lucius agreed. "She found us in a restaurant a few weeks ago and serenaded Harry."

Harry sighed. "Never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Of course not."

"Of course not," Harry repeated, standing up. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need some air."

"Harry..."

Patting Lucius' shoulder to show he wasn't annoyed with his friend, Harry moved away from the bar and out to one of the balconies. Fairies danced around the rose bushes, lighting the area with a soft glow. Leaning against the stone wall surrounding the balcony, Harry rubbed his face tiredly.

He couldn't believe he'd let Severus catch him unaware. It'd been four years since he'd seen the older man, yet as soon as their eyes met across the Ministry function hall, Harry's heart had tried to jump out of his chest. Why Severus was here, Harry could only guess, and he was quite sure that there was no good reason for it.

Of course, if Severus was here to gain revenge on Harry, well, Harry knew he probably deserved some retribution. He'd walked away from Severus without so much as an apology shortly after the end of the war. Harry knew it had been the right thing to do, but Severus seemed to be under the impression that Harry'd walked away scot-free.

"Trying to escape your fan club, Harry?"

The words were softly spoken, but they carried in the silence, the hint of disgust evident to Harry. He closed his eyes, dropping his head.

"Say whatever you've got to say, Severus," he whispered.

"You won't even look at me now, Harry? Am I really that grotesque? Are you really that shallow?"

Harry snorted, ignoring his previous decision to remain silent. "Yeah, that's it. I'm shallow. I'm worse than shallow. I'm a kiddy pool."

"Are you enjoying your new life, Harry?" Severus taunted, and Harry could feel the man getting closer. "Are you enjoying taking those nameless, faceless men to your bed night after night? Do they make you feel as good as I did? Do you call their names in ecstasy as you come?"

Harry could feel Severus' breath on his neck, could feel the man's hard figure against his back. He shivered involuntarily.

"You know not to believe everything you read in the Prophet, Severus."

"Yes, I do, but surely even they couldn't have got them all wrong, could they, Harry?"

Harry turned around, tilting his head to look up into Severus' dark eyes. They were filled with so many different emotions that Harry couldn't name them all, but he didn't even try.

"You've just proven that I did the right thing, Severus. Goodnight."

Sliding out from between the wall and Severus' body, Harry walked across the balcony, leaving Severus alone in the night air. Lucius was watching him from the bar, his head tilted to the side slightly. Harry walked over quickly, ignoring his name being called from the other side of the hall.

"I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early. Come to the Manor, I'll have breakfast ready at seven."

Harry nodded. "I'll be there. Make sure Missy makes lots of coffee. I've got a feeling I'll need it."

"Are you going to be okay? You can stay at the Manor if you'd like?"

Smiling, Harry shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll see you in the morning."

Severus stayed on the balcony for a little under half an hour, trying to regain his composure. When he'd made the decision to attend the Ministry Ball, he'd hoped for a chance to speak to Harry. To ask him what had gone wrong four years ago. To see if there was any chance of them restarting their relationship.

When Harry left, Severus had tried to tell himself that it didn't matter, that he didn't care. The denial didn't last long, because deep down, Severus knew that he loved Harry with everything in him. The younger man had inserted himself so firmly in Severus' heart that he'd never get him out.

Honestly, despite the loneliness and grief it had caused, Severus didn't want to get him out. He didn't want to let go.

He cursed his own temper as he watched Harry walk back inside. Truthfully, he wasn't angry at Harry. He knew that Harry and Lucius had a very strong, if slightly odd relationship, and it was his own fault for casting the eavesdropping charm that he'd heard them... flirting? Severus knew he had no right to be angry about their friendship. Then that awful chit made a scene, and Severus had watched the smile on Harry's face dim, had seen a little more light leave his eyes.

Severus wasn't angry with Harry, he was angry at the situation.

But he'd taken it out on Harry.

Shaking off the frustration to deal with in the privacy of his own home, Severus walked back into the large hall. Lucius caught his eye, raising his glass in greeting and gesturing to the empty seat beside him. Severus wanted nothing more than to leave, but Lucius had been his friend for a very long time, and Severus had barely even greeted him.

"Lucius."

"Severus. A surprise to see you here this evening, I must say," Lucius replied, pushing a full tumbler at Severus. He raised his eyebrow in question, and Severus conceded with a small nod.

"I knew you would inform Harry of my presence had I told you I was coming."

Lucius chuckled. "Guilty," he murmured. "I assume you can take credit for his departure?"

Severus nodded again. "Most likely."

"Stubborn idiots, the pair of you."

"It's not as though I haven't tried to contact him, Lucius. Catching him here was my last option. Believe me, I've attempted every other means of communication at my disposal already. He refuses my mail, I'm blocked from his floo, if he see's me in Diagon Alley he walks in the other direction and disappears before I can catch him."

"And now, you've chased him away. Really Severus, I'm beginning to wonder about you. You should have listened to me four years ago."

"I was hurt."

"I know. So was he."

"It was his decision," Severus argued, his voice raising slightly.

"To protect you," Lucius growled. "If you'd fought for him then, you wouldn't be faced with the challenge he presents you now."

Severus glared at his long time friend, before he stood up. "It's time I left. A pleasure as always, Lucius."

Lucius sighed. "Severus."

When Severus looked back, Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Breakfast at the manor. Of course, you didn't hear it from me that he will be there. His presence will be of complete surprise to you. Understood?"

"Understood. Lucius?"

"Yes, Severus?"

"Thank you."

"Don't fuck it up. Again. This is the first and last time I will intervene for you where Harry is concerned."

"How many meetings do we have today?" Harry asked, picking apart a blueberry muffin. "I know we've got to meet with Calhoon, though if he hasn't got his head out of his arse, it will be a short meeting."

Lucius snorted, summoning his diary to him. "Yes, we're meeting him for lunch. I'll likely spend the afternoon in the Ministry catching up on paperwork."

"I've got to go and see Andromeda this afternoon. With Teddy getting older, she's struggling a little bit I think. He's a ball of energy from the moment he wakes up in the morning."

Chuckling, Lucius replied, "Draco was much the same as a child. Have you had any success getting him to control his metamorphing?"

"A little. When I take him out in the Muggle world, he knows to keep his appearance the same. Of course, at the moment, it's much easier to take him to Wizarding resorts."

Lucius nodded. "The Magical Aquarium was a favourite of Draco's. Have you taken Teddy there yet?"

"Not yet. I might take him there this weekend though. I'm sure he'll help me spend a portion of my inheritance in the gift shop. The woman who served us at the zoo gift shop looked at me like I was insane with the amount of things he conned me into buying him."

Lucius' reply was interrupted by the fire flaring green. Harry looked up to see Severus stepping out of the flames, brushing ash off his shoulders.

"Lucius, I - Harry?"

Harry glanced briefly at Lucius, who looked entirely unsurprised at Severus' appearance, and sighed. "Good morning, Severus."

"I'll just go and make sure my paperwork is in order for our lunch meeting, Harry," Lucius murmured, getting up and leaving the room quickly.

"Harry... I'm sorry."

Harry frowned. "For what?"

"I was out of line last night. I wanted to talk to you but... my anger got the better of me."

Shaking his head, Harry let out another sigh. "Severus, you have every right to hate me. I... If you'll make sure Lucius know's which events you'll be attending, I'll ensure I'm not there."

"Harry, please, will you just listen to me?"

Nodding, Harry looked up to meet Severus' eyes.

"I miss you. It's been four years, and I still wake up every morning hoping it's all been a bad dream and you'll be lying beside me in bed. I miss you waffling about insignificant things while you cook breakfast in your pyjama's. I miss your commentary on the Prophet. I miss coming home to you at night. I miss everything that makes you you. Even the things that drive me mad. Especially the things that drive me mad. Harry, I miss you."

"Severus..."

"I know why you left me. I know you were trying to protect me from the press and the public at large. I don't care about any of them. They can smear my name in every issue of the Prophet for all I care. They can send me a thousand howlers a day. It doesn't matter. I only care about you."

A tear fell from Harry's eye, dropping to his cheek.

"It was never just about that."

"Then what was it?"

"They print lies about me constantly. In the last four years, if you take the Prophet and Witch Weekly seriously, I've slept with almost four hundred different people, both men and women. I've been a dark wizard three times, I've been slated for the Minister's position twice even though it wasn't an election year. I've both found a cure for DragonPox, and been the cause of three separate illnesses. Do you want to know the truth, Severus? I haven't had sex with anyone except you. Ever. But... you believed it, as I knew you would."

Severus shook his head. "I was trying to hurt you, because I was angry. I never believed any of the lies they printed Harry. Even if Lucius hadn't told me it was rubbish, I wouldn't have believed them, because I know you."

Harry smiled a shaky smile. "You didn't believe them?"

"Not a single one."

"What about the way Ron was misquoted in his interview with Rita about Hermione and I?"

"I sent her a curse in the mail for trying to ruin your relationship with your best friends."

"What about the interview with Daniel Powler, who knew about the scars on my back?"

"He was an intern at St Mungo's when you were being treated, of course he knew about the scars. Never mentioned the birthmark on the top of your thigh though, did he?"

Harry looked down. "I'm sorry. I thought... I thought it would be easier to leave you before we got too serious, rather than have you leave me over a lie."

Severus stepped closer to Harry, cupping his cheek gently, raising his head so that their eyes met once more.

"I love you, Harry."

As more tears fell, Harry leant up and pressed their lips together. "I love you too," he murmured against Severus' mouth.

"Lucius? Calhoon will be a fucking nightmare if we're late."

Lucius strode into the room, looking carefully at Harry, who kept his face impassive. Severus had left a little while back, with a promise to see Harry after his visit with Andromeda.

"Are you... okay?"

Harry nodded. As the two stepped closer to the fire, Harry raised his eyebrow at his friend.

"That was a sneaky trick, Lucius."

Shrugging, Lucius smiled. "Slytherin," he replied, the only explanation necessary.

Harry nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Gringotts Prompts

Vampire Diaries - I'm shallow. I'm worse than shallow. I'm a kiddy pool.

Vampire Diaries - I'm too smart to be seduced by you. / That's why I like you.

Once Upon A Time - I said you could call. I didn't say I'd answer.