Part two: The shadow man
When the Potions master rose in the morning, he wondered whether he should go and inform the headmistress that he was being wooed. After a few moments consideration Severus felt that this had to be the proper thing to do, so with a resigned sigh the pale man pulled on his robes and went to see Minerva.
When he entered the witch's office she looked up at the head of Slytherin, before smiling slightly and gesturing him to a chair. "So Severus, what brings you to see me this early?"
"I thought I should let you know that someone is wooing me formally."
Minerva smiled at him gently. "Yes, I know, they already came to me for permission. I take it you have not come here to get me to stop them?"
The dark haired man shook his head slightly and the Scottish witch peered at him closely. "Severus you're blushing." She said with surprise.
"Yes, I know. Minerva he makes me feel things, things I was sure I had forgotten how to feel." The pale man admitted softly.
A smile graced the older woman's face. "Well then I'd say that in that case, you need think long and hard about your answer."
With a tight nod, Severus rose from the chair, he went down for breakfast, he was so lost in thought that the bat of the dungeons didn't even notice the emerald eyed gaze of the hero of the wizarding world following him, or the small smile that curled the edges of the younger wizard's mouth, before he turned back to his own breakfast.
For Snape a day's worth of teaching idiot children potions passed far too slowly, he wanted it to be evening so that he had the time to call the one who was wooing him again, there was so much he wanted to ask this man.
That evening after dinner, Severus retired to his room and settled in his favourite chair feeling truly glad his day was over at last. Once he was comfortable the dark haired man spoke the words he had the night before, this time it took twenty minutes for the man to appear.
Slowly he turned towards Snape and stood waiting quietly. "Why woo me?" Severus asked him eventually, looking up into a hood that had been enchanted so he could not see the face of this man only darkness.
"I told you last time I love you, despite what you show to the world most of the time." The other wizard said with a small shrug.
Severus grimaced slightly before he spoke. "I was a death eater and I can't help feel you're younger than me and I'd be too old for..." The sentence was cut off by those calloused fingers gently touching his lips.
Wide onyx eyes darted up to the hooded man. "Shh." He whispered softly, the dark man nodded once, before he could stop himself Snape had kissed the tips of those fingers, the other wizard drew in a surprised breath but didn't recoil. Gently the Potions master lifted his own hand and took the one on his lips inspecting it with his dark eyes.
The hand was smaller than his, they where the hands of someone who was use to hard work, the fingers where slender, wordlessly Snape gently ran his fingers round the all the calluses on the hand inspecting each one with his own fingers. "You've worked before now, at some kind of menial labour?"
"Yes, I was more of less the house elf for my relatives." The bitterness in this man's voice, told Severus the truth of those words just as clearly as his gift could have.
"Would you tell me which house you are in?" The Potions master asked him softly.
The man looked away for a few moments thinking about this question seriously. "No, but I will tell you it is not your own house."
Gently the man tugged the hand Snape held, the Potions master found himself quiet reluctant to let this man go and looked up into the dark hood of his robe. "I'd like another kiss before I let you go."
"My, what a demanding man you are." The mysterious man said a teasing tone to his voice.
A small smile tugged at the corners of Severus's mouth, slowly the hidden man leant down, the lips touched the Potion masters softly, the dark wizard let go of the hand he held, the dark eyes fluttered closed. Snape leant up out of the chair softly tipping his face up towards the other man, the kiss deepened and after a few moments, gently the younger man drew back from him. "Good night Severus." He whispered the voice slightly more husky than before.
That husk to this man's voice made Snape shiver with pleasure. "Good night. I will summon you again soon."
"Of that I have no doubt." In a swirl of magic the mysterious man vanished again.
With a deep sigh the head of Slytherin sat back in his chair thinking over the clues thus far. He was younger than him that had been confirmed by the house question, this man was not in his own house which was interesting in its own right.
In Severus's view it was highly unlikely to be a Hufflepuff, they were far too skittish to woo him. A Ravenclaw might try it, but to the dark man's mind a more likely prospect was the Gryffindor's, they where after all known for their bravery and most people would consider bravery absolutely paramount to try getting any were near him.
With a sigh the head of Slytherin began got undressed and went to bed. His dreams that night where unsurprisingly where haunted by a, flowers and man in a black robe with a voice that Severus was sure he knew, but just couldn't place.