The Perfect Match

by Sheankelor

A much younger Severus trusted his best friend and she dosed him with a potion. Now, years later, he has his own Harry in his heart and the knowledge that he will never have the true one. Harry does his best to hide his attraction to Snape but can't resist convincing the Potions Master to join his little department of the Ministry when he needed help. Just what did Lily's potion do

7. Rituals and Resolutions

AN: Much thanks to YenGirl for taking this one and make it sooo much better. Enjoy!

Rituals and Resolutions

Sunlight had barely crested the horizon and the biting cold was trying to work its way through the layers of clothing Severus wore. He had spent much of yesterday evening travelling around London to pick up a number of small supplies to cast the ritual with – all of which were perfectly legal but many of them were restricted and/or rare – as well as to get permission for everything, including casting the ritual next to the lake near the centre of town. He met with Shacklebolt at almost eleven in his office and didn't leave until midnight. The Minister had studied their evidence, looked over the ritual, asked questions, and then gave him written permission.

Instead of returning to the hotel and attempting to explain everything to Harry - there was no going back to calling him Potter now that his Harry had convinced him there were one and the same, he slept at Spinner's End and rose at seven that morning to return.

Severus cast a notice-me-not spell and a repellent charm around the ritual site with a flick of his wand. Harry was supposed to meet him here, but part of him didn't want Potter to see the darker side of him. The Imp knew it, but he still wasn't completely convinced that one was the other. He tucked those thoughts deep into his mind, protected by his mental shields – or his split personality, one or the other – and began his preparations.

Laying bracken leaves around the site, he made sure the fern fronds laid so each leaf tip touched the stem of the next creating a wall that the runic magic could not leave, nor anything called up by it. After the last frond was in place, he used a blackthorn rod to draw the first of many runes into the ground just inside of them creating the first circle. Each layer of runes were sketched into the hard frozen dirt with a different wood, each offering their own magic to the what the circles were intended to do: blackthorn for discipline and perspective; rowan for protection and connection; ash, which he used to for the runes around his section of the ritual circle, offered wisdom and surrender. He used ivy to connect all the circles together, and it brought a measure of determination and patience to the feisty runes that were attempting to begin their purpose the moment they joined together. Even the bracken had a purpose – it magnified runic magic along with healing. He hoped that it would help heal the hurt he knew was coming for both of them.

Walking out onto the frozen lake, he used a pointed birch rod to carve the next complicated series of runes into the ice. 'Exorcism and purification. There's no better wood for this.' He had approval from Shacklebolt to use whatever means possible to end this curse as long as it didn't endanger any of the living populace. Severus had three that fit the requirement. The first one was the standard way of dispelling it, and the one he planned to use first. The second was what he was currently setting up, and the third required no preparations.

He looked at his watch as he walked off the ice, amazed to see it was nearly ten. Stepping out of the concealment charms, he caught sight of Harry rushing towards him, two steaming cups in his hand and a bag hanging off his arm. The sky that framed him was a threatening grey, but Severus knew that snow wasn't coming. He had learnt to read the weather better than any meteorologist long ago. Snow might make it in time for Christmas here, but he doubted it would fall by then in England.

"Severus," Harry thrust a cup into his hand and sat the bag onto the now warmed bench. "Aren't I supposed to help?"

Out of habit, Severus tested the cup and its contents for poison, potions, and anything else his paranoid mind thought of before taking a tentative sip of the hot water. "You are. You need to find out exactly where Sarah Boyens' grave is, and determine if it is truly her remains there. Do not trust the stone, don't ask authorities."

He pulled a scrap of parchment out of a pocket and handed it to Harry. "Cast this spell – it would be wise not to let people hear you doing so – and it will confirm who is there. Once you determined her correct burial location, return here and let me know."

Harry pulled a sandwich out of the bag and unwrapped it. "You've one in there as well. Made at the hotel." He bit into the ham and cheese sandwich his happy sigh showing how much he enjoyed the crusty bread and the crunch of the lettuce.

Severus didn't even contemplate the offer. It was too late to test it unlike the water. "Be back here by eleven-thirty, Potter. I need to finish the preparations." He spun about and strode back the way he came.

§§§§§§

Severus filled in the different runic circles with the powders he had purchased last night. This counter spell reminded him of a dry potion with the number of ingredients it used and their precise application. Not too much, the rune had to be legible, and not too little, there had to be enough for the magic to work with. As he filled them from the inside out, his will alone kept the runes and their powered ingredients where he wanted them to be even as his robes swept over them.

At eleven-thirty he went hunting for Harry. He didn't have to look far, he could see the man walking his way, his eyes bright and a smile curling his lips. Severus refrained from asking what happened when the man joined him.

"The information," his tone was clipped and he spotted the flash of irritation before Harry answered.

"She's where her headstone says she is. The north-west corner of the cemetery." He pointed in the general direction.

Severus strode back into his ritual area, banishing the concealment charms as he did. "Come here, Potter. Don't worry about where you step, you can't hurt anything."

He glanced over his shoulder, spotting the trepidation on that familiar face as Harry crossed to him. He held out the birch rod and gestured towards the empty patch of ground. "Draw an arrow pointing directly to her grave. It needs to be six inches long from point to end."

Harry stared off in the distance before drawing the arrow into the ground. He handed Severus back the rod when he was done. Tucking it away, he added the ash created by burning thestral hair into the arrow, making sure his fingers had none left on them when he was done.

Drawing a small knife, he handed it to Harry. "This is a ritual that requires the participants to be here willingly. You must add a drop of blood to each of the points of the red coloured runes on the outer edge." He narrowed his eyes and spoke softly but succinctly, "Only one drop each, and on the points only, nowhere else."

He drew his own knife and added his blood to the same runes on his side. He finished before Harry, so he waited in the centre, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

Harry finished and handed him the blade. "What's next?"

"Now we summon our witness, and then resolve our issue. Did you bring the gingerbread men?"

Harry nodded and pulled out a shrunken box, which he enlarged.

Severus pointed to a spot clear of runes in the centre of his work. "Set them there, make sure they are open and the runes are not touched. If you have to take them out of the container, then do so."

Harry placed four gingerbread men on the ground between them. They immediately began to cavort with each other. Turning a blind eye to both the gingerbread's actions and Harry's resulting blush, Severus moved to stand in a clear section of the runes and gestured for Harry to do the same.

"It's best not to be in touch with the lines when this begins. Once it's started, it won't matter where you are as long as you do not breach the outer ring of bracken." The glare that accompanied the last words was as much of a warning as he planned on giving.

With Harry was in place, he started the incantation. The Latin rolled off his tongue, the words flowing familiar though he had never spoke them before in this order. Power swelled around them both, giving off the smell of ozone, and the ground seemed to almost tremble with expectation. With a quick decisive motion, he pointed in the direction of Boyens' grave and called her spirit forth.

He could feel her essence resisting him, so he added a bit more power to it, drawing her out slowly. Sarah Boyens had to be present for the ritual to work. After another minute of dragging her to the circle he wanted her in, the ice cracked on the lake and a spout of water swirled high into the air. Cold mist formed on the outer surface. There was a pressure against his mind, and Severus held his Occlumency shields tight, not allowing the spirit in. When the water spout resolved into a throne like chair, he knew Boyens had pulled the image from Harry's mind.

'She had to use the one not in charge of the ritual, leaving her in a less powerful position.' Smiling in his mind, Severus kept all traces of him being pleased at the outcome away from prying eyes as the mist coalesced into a translucent ice woman. She was very thin and her robe hung about her in a most unflattering style. He caught the flash of disappointment on the frost covered face and wanted to thank Harry for remembering her just as she was pictured in the newspaper. A quick glance assured him the bracken hadn't moved and the runes were still whole.

The ice woman folded her arms under her breasts, and frowned at them. "What's the meanin' of this?"

Marvelling at the flow of ice mimicking the movement of muscles easilyand the fog coming from her mouth as she spoke, Severus answered, "Ms Sarah Boyens, one month ago you performed a ritual at this site and sacrificed yourself to see it come to fruition. All analysis indicates that you wish people to reveal and solve their issues with others."

The mulish glare was sent his way.

"Mr Potter and I have agreed to reveal and solve our issue here, with you as our witness, as a means to end this … extraordinary blessing. The people here are not as appreciative of it as you expected."

With a hurump that created a small cloud, Sarah flounced back to the throne, sat down, and waved a hand towards them. "Then begin."

With a practised ease, Severus turned to Harry, ignoring the not quite dead person watching them. Harry showed he had less practice, but bore up well. Striding over the rune clad ground, Severus gazed down at the gingerbread men. One pair was arguing and the other was in the middle of sex – currently in his and the Imp's favourite position. One of their legs were wrapped tightly about the other's waist while being filled. 'I'm Occluding, this isn't coming from my mind. Maybe Harry was right – somehow they are the same person.'

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Harry swallowed heavily as he leant over to get a closer look at the biscuits.

"Of course I am, Harry," scoffed Severus. "How else are we to resolve our issues?"

One of Harry's shoulders jerked up in a small shrug. "Which one do you want to start with?"

Dark eyes met bright ones. "Both, as they are intertwined. You know my personality ..."

"Leaves a lot to be desired on the kindness side," Harry finished for him, a small smile playing about the edges of his lips even though his eyes were serious.

"I find it perfectly fine," He waved the younger man quiet before he continued, "and this first pair is you learning to deal with it. It never truly put you off me – you were never scared of me, personally. You were able to rail all you wanted and knew I would remind you of just what your position had to be – that of a student. It was this … joining of our personalities that allowed both of us to make it through the war."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but then nodded. Those gingerbread men changed their actions, mimicking the second set now.

"The second part is just the end result of the first. We've a lot of passion between us," Severus blocked the memories of all the passionate times he spent with his Harry. "And we are capable of accepting and working with the other's personality. We're a perfect match, if your mother is to be believed."

Green eyes widened. "My mother? What does she have to do with this?"

Severus tilted his head just slightly, considering how he wanted to broach the topic. "She brewed a potion, which she had me take, that would help the taker to recognise their perfect match."

Harry gaped at him.

"You … you care for me? It's not just," he waved a hand at the cavorting pairs of gingerbread men. "And you've known about this since I was in school?"

"When I first laid eyes on you as you entered the Great Hall, I knew there was potential. Now? Yes, I do care for you, Harry."

Harry swallowed heavily. "I … I like how you talk to people – straight, to the point – even if it is a bit cruel. I care for you as well. I-"

Severus held up a hand, stopping his flow of words, and pointed towards the ground. The gingerbread men had turned back into their normal selves. There was no need to continue airing their personal lives in public.

Harry looked relieved and smiled at Severus.

Turning to Boyens, Severus narrowed his eyes slightly. "We've done what is required, end the curse."

The ice woman flowed out of her throne, a cold smile curling her lips. "I don't want to. I want more people to expose their greatest desires before me."

He caught the flash of worried green eyes as he moved to block Harry from her gaze.

"It doesn't matter what you want, your requirements were met, end the curse." His tone was even colder than hers, icy enough to freeze the air between them.

"Ha! You don't control me! No one can control me now!" She rushed to the edge of her circle. "I have you at my command. I know what you want, I know your secrets, I know your desires, I know everything."

Severus fell into his teacher stance out of habit more than anything else. In an implacable tone, he said, "I despise people who do not complete their research before rushing into something, especially when dealing with the Dark Arts." He paced a few steps, making sure Harry was still behind him. He was hoping she would focus her petty attempts of control on himself. "You know nothing about me that I don't want you to know."

She flicked her fingers, dismissing his words. "I can read your mind, I can see your heart."

"Really?" A smirk turned his lips. "Not that it matters. Now, you have two options. End the curse, or I will end it for you."

"You can't! There's no other way to end this – it's all my choice! Mine!" she screeched.

"Dunderhead: born, raised, and died,"scoffed Severus. "As I said, and I do not like repeating myself, you didn't do your research, imbecile." He took a menacing stepped forward and hissed out, "I can end this quite easily – far easier than what I have done here. It's simple – I just need to end you."

Boyens stared at him and then began to laugh. "I'm dead, there's no way to end me. I'm done, and yet the curse continues."

Harry spoke up from behind Severus, his tone was more thoughtful than Severus' cruel one. "Your soul still exists on this plane, so you're still here. I'm pretty sure Snape can take care of that."

"Easily."

She turned almost translucent. "You wouldn't! It would tar your soul to destroy another being so thoroughly. You're far too kind for that!"

Severus let his shields drop enough to show his Professor Persona – the one he used every day until the Dark Lord was dead. "I can rend you apart and offer those pieces to Charon as payment. There's a ritual I wish to try but it requires a vial of water from his river. The ferryman may be amenable to exchanging some of it for the parts of your soul, with the correct compensation for the boat fee of course." He pulled seven gold galleons from his robe pocket.

Severus felt a slight pressure against his mind, so he let her see what he wanted. Picking the memory of a torture session with the Dark Lord, he trapped her and let it play through to the end. Boyens screamed almost as loud as the victims. Before he let her out, he thought loud enough for her to hear. 'My soul is tarred already, this little bit won't change a thing.'

His Death Eater persona came out, draping around him like a well-worn cloak. "Dabblers in the Dark Arts tend to forget that there can be something darker than them out there. If tearing you to shreds doesn't work, there are darker, more horrific things I can try."

Her face turned even more translucent than before, if at all possible. She rushed back to her throne, and cowed in it. "Fine, I will end the curse."

"Pity, I was looking forward to that ritual," said Severus airily as he tucked the galleons away. "Get on with it, or I'll do it anyway."

Raising her arm, Boyens sliced it quickly through the air as if severing something, and then she shattered into a burst of icy shards. The water spout throne turned into a fog that fought to cross the runes Severus had drawn. As it battered itself against the edge of the circle, the bracken held wall, and it slowly dissipated.

"Severus?"

Severus waved his wand, banishing the entire ritual setup. "Let's go home, Harry. We have a private conversation to hold."

§§§§§§

It hadn't taken long to collect their things and leave. Severus had told Harry to come to Spinner's End with him, and so they both appeared in an alley way near the house.

"Severus," Harry fell in step beside him, "how did you know there was potential between us? How was all that belittling and treating me horribly … sounding out that potential?"

"When we reach home, Harry," Severus frowned when it looked like Harry was going to interrupt. "I have no desire to put more of our personal business into the paper."

Severus was glad that Harry was quiet after that. He was trying his best to be nice as he did want to talk to the man. It was much like dealing with his Imp when they first started learning how to get along. 'Imp – you better be right. You're him and he's you.'

'I am, Severus. I know Harry and I are the same.' Harry's words filled his head as he banished his luggage up to his room. The feeling of home filled him, causing some of the prickly barriers to melt away. "You can set your luggage anywhere. We'll talk in the dining room."

He continued down the hall and crossed through the dining room to the kitchen. It was only a matter of minutes before the kettle was on the hob, the pot warming, and he was starting to fry up a couple of bird's nests. The little rounds from the centre of the bread were fried as well. Opting against bacon or sausage, he pulled two oranges out of the fridge and sliced them. By time the quick meal was done, the tea was as well.

Harry poked his head in from the dining room. "Do you need a hand?"

"Grab the teapot, I've got the rest." Carrying their plates out to the table, he sat them in the same chairs as the other morning. Harry set the teapot on the table, two cups dangling from his fingers. Severus moved the sugar to the table and retrieved the milk.

"Have a seat, Harry, and eat up." Severus fixed his tea, adding the sugar and milk to it, before he started.

"During the summer of our fourth year, your mother took it upon herself to brew a potion – one she said she discovered in the library here in town, though I've not since been able to find it." He took a sip of his tea and ate the round of bread, thankful Harry was listening while he ate. "She didn't tell me it was a potion when she gave it to me, just that it was a drink. I knew something was different the moment I drank it, and she confessed what she did."

Eating a slice of his orange, he studied the green eyes studying him. There was a subtle amazement behind them. "I was enamoured with your mother, she was my best friend – my only friend at the time – and so I would do whatever she asked. I learned after this not to do that.

"She said, after I drank the potion and asked her what it was, that it was a potion to allow us to find our match, to allow us to recognise who we're most compatible with. Then she added I'd know because that person would lodge themselves in my heart." He shook his head before continuing with his lunch and tale. "She decided that she wanted us to know before our fifth year so we wouldn't be expending extra energy figuring that out during our OWLs preparation time. I convinced her not to partake in the potion and I don't think she ever did."

Harry tipped his head to the side. "Why not? It sounds like a good plan to me."

Severus refrained from rolling his eyes, but the muttered 'Gryffindors' did escape his lips before he could stop it. "Meddling with emotions, possibly binding people together, tend to fall into the Dark Arts unless it is to seal a contract already formed and the method agreed upon by all parties. I … was wary that the potion would do more than she suspected, and didn't wish her to have the same fate."

Comprehension flashed over Harry face, and the younger man propped his cheek with a fist, elbow on the table. "So, have you learnt anything else about it? What did you feel when you saw me?"

Severus sat back, resting against the chair, his cup warming his hands. "Listen when I speak, Harry. I said I haven't been able to find it." He lightened his scowl when the dark head dropped slightly. "Of course I haven't been able t o study it, and the only person I know of who has taken it is myself. I honestly thought it did nothing, that she brewed it wrong or was making it up, until you entered the Great Hall ten years ago."

His eyes closed briefly as he tried to remember what it felt like the first time. "You were queuing up before the Staff Table along with the other first years, waiting to be sorted. You looked nervous, yet excited. I felt warmth and felt you moving into my heart – lodged yourself there just like Lily said you would." He tightened his fingers about his cup before sipping the milky tea and looked across the table into Harry's eyes. "Not long after your first Welcoming Feast, you appeared in my head. It was before your first Potions Class. I growled and glared at you, and you – the you inside my mind - just shrugged it off and went on making yourself a spot inside of me. I thought you knew about it, but your first Potions Class proved to me that you didn't."

Harry's eyes were wide as he asked, "How?"

"I had told the inner Harry about the questions I was planning on asking and how to act at the beginning of my class. You couldn't answer them and didn't act right." Severus set his cup down and cut into his egg and toast. "From that moment on, I questioned if I had created Inner Harry. He always assured me that I didn't, and honestly he was able to keep me informed about what you doing, at least the dangerous things. Helped keeping you living easier."

Harry jumped to his feet, his fork clattering on his empty plate. "You...you really have a part of me in you?"

Severus raised one shoulder and let it drop. "I don't know, but the Imp says I do, but neither of us can explain it."

"Imp?" Harry echoed, looking taken aback. Then he seemed to realised it and looked torn between frowning and smiling.

Severus watched as Harry started to pace back and forth, his hands clenching and relaxing.

"You still speak with him … me?" Harry spun about, "You can right now be holding a conversation with another version of me, and I'd never know it?"

"No, you would know it, but yes – I'm still speaking with him … you, though not at this moment. He's the one that convinced me that you were interested in a relationship with me." Severus set his fork down, and tipped his head to the side. "Are you? Interested in a serious relationship?"

Harry swallowed hard, but he met his gaze and nodded. "I'm interested, but I don't know … I don't know if I can be him … your Imp. Knowing this, I don't know … know if I can be with you. I'll always be wondering about him."

Holding himself still, Severus just nodded. He knew that the potion could make this fail, that he, himself, could make it fail, that Harry could make this fail. He wanted it to work, but had never allowed himself the luxury of thinking it would. When Harry said nothing else, didn't move, he stood up. "We need to report into the Ministry. I need to let Shacklebolt know the ritual was successful and we need to fill in the report forms. Then I have to swing by Maverick's and turn in my notes for them."

He walked by the still unmoving man. "Sleep on it and let me know your decision by the end of a week. I will not pressure you. We can continue as we have, or, if you need me to, I will quit working in your department." He swung a cloak over his shoulders and faced Harry who was just starting to come his way. "I cannot change the past, Harry. What's done is done. What's to be is to be. I just ask that you let me know what that is." Turning on his heel, he Apparated away.

§§§§§§

Harry paced the kitchen in his flat, his attention darting between the dishes waiting to be washed and the thoughts roiling in his head like water in a boiling pot. Giving into the stack near the sink, he drew the water and began the evening's wash up. 'I left Severus to clean the lunch dishes by himself, and he cooked.'

"Don't worry about it, Severus would've been most upset if you tried to do them."

Harry paused, the wash cloth and cup dripping water back into the sink. 'Who are you?'

The voice didn't feel threatening nor unfamiliar, but he wasn't sure if he should be trusting it.

"I'm you, and you're me. Severus kicked me out for the night, so I decided to see if I could hear me yet."

'You're … you're his Imp.'

"He does call me that, you're his Imp as well. Have been since your first year. We became Imp soon after we became the Seeker for Gryffindor. He just couldn't tell you that to your face, and he's been using it here recently to distinguish between the two of us since he started working at the Ministry. Now, finish the dishes. I want to try something, and we need to be sitting down."

'Would… would Hermione approve?"

'Severus would.'

'Give me a moment then.'

Harry rushed through the wash up and decided his bed might be the best place to try whatever it was. It was a feeling he had – the type he trusted and followed.

'Ready. Are you still here?'

"Yes, and this was a good idea. I was thinking of suggesting it, but wasn't sure if you would agree. Now, lay down and close your eyes."

As his eyes drifted shut, Harry was shocked to see himself looking at him. The other him was standing in the endless darkness, dressed the same as he was. A small cocky grin filled Imp's face. Shaking his shock off, he shot the other an inquiring look.

"I've been trying to convince Severus to let me try this since our seventh year. It'd have been the perfect way for us to keep up with the other and not lay a lot of unneeded blame. Oh well. Neither of us thought it would actually work." Imp waved off the words. "My idea, and Severus thinks it holds a bit of merit, is that I should attempt to merge back with you. I think I formed when you reject the Slytherin side of you when you were Sorted."

'Severus knows I was supposed to in Slytherin? That I convinced the Hat not to put me there?"

Imp nodded. "He thought it was for the best considering who our housemates would've been. Any rate, are you willing to let me come back?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"Good, then here it goes – let's see if we can become one again."

Imp closed his eyes and faded from sight. Harry waited to see if anything would happen, but all he did was fall asleep.

§§§§§§

Opening his eyes, Harry stared up at the roof above his head. It was weird having two sets of memories for a single time but it didn't feel wrong. It felt more like vague thoughts and feelings were finally defined. He liked the Imp's memories of the final year of the War better than his – at least the other got to share Severus' bed then and since.

'Imp, are you still here or are we now just one?'

Silence greeted his question. Sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed, Harry knew what he had to do.

His morning routine took half the time it normally did. Instead of flooing to the Ministry, he Apparated to Spinner's End, hoping Severus was there.

He stood on the front porch, wondering if he should just walk in. A part of himself – one that he had learnt to trust over the years and now recognised as Imp – said to. A small smile curled his lips. He had been learning from Severus for years, all filtered into him by his subconscious. Deciding to keep trusting that part of himself, he opened the door and entered a now familiar house. He knew the entire layout of the place and felt as if he was actually home, unlike how he felt in his flat. He let his feet carry him into the kitchen and start the kettle.

"Harry, what're you doing here?"

Harry whipped around and smiled at the groggy face, one that it felt strange to recognise. "Coming to talk." He brushed passed Severus, his body singing in anticipation with the contact, and found the teapot on the table empty but in need of washing, just like he thought he would.

Severus moved into the kitchen to start breakfast. "Talk?

Harry nodded as he washed up the teapot. "I was in you, as we thought. I still have no clue how – it wasn't a Horcrux, but I know it was me."

Harry flashed Severus a cheeky smile while he started the tea. "That section – the part within you – was the part of me that I trusted even though I didn't understand why. It was the hunches that always seemed to work out."

He found himself pinned against the counter, dark eyes searching his. Tipping his head back just enough to offer a kiss, a motion that felt as natural as if he had done it for years which he had been in his dreams, he waited for Severus to take him up on it. A soft groan of anticipation left him as Severus lowered his head, but turned into a growl when the man pulled away. Reaching up, he grabbed Severus' head and pulled him close.

Desire rushed through him at the touch of those thin lips, familiar and welcomed all the more for it. Severus' arms wrapped around him, drawing him in closer, one hand finding its way into his hair. His hands were not hanging limp, no, they were touching Severus in turn, stroking across a cloth covered back and hip. Lips parted, inviting Severus in, an invitation Harry was glad the man accepted. Severus' tongue against his stoked his desire even higher, his body hardening.

Harry's questing hands found their way under Severus' shirt as he inserted a thigh between the man's. Rocking his hips forward while pulling Severus towards him, he gasped as his erection met with another cloth covered one.

Severus' muffled moan ended their kiss, and Harry used the opportunity to trail his lips down the white neck, nipping gently along the way.

"Ha... Harry." Severus panted even as he rocked forward, pushing his hips into Harry's. "Talk..."

Harry worked a hand under the waistband of Severus' trousers and underpants and splayed wide, gripping a taut bottom cheek, bringing him even closer. He heard Severus keen with need and echoed the sound. "Lat … later. Need … this."

His breath caught when Severus' fingers worked under his shirt, his nails scraping lightly across his back. The other hand tightened in his hair, bringing his lips back into another mind-blowing kiss.

The next few minutes were filled with panting as they groped and kissed, hips rutting against each other until they shuddered with completion.

Severus' forehead rested against his as they caught their breath. "Imp, that was not talking."

Harry gave another cheeky grin, still breathing quickly. "No, but I think it gave my answer more clearly than words would have."

Severus gave him a quick peck before stepping back. "Yes, it did. When are you moving in?"

Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Moving in?"

Severus gave a sharp nod. "Move in. I've had you constantly around for almost ten years. I don't intend on moving backwards. Now, head upstairs and get cleaned up. You know where everything is, and you can borrow a pair of trousers for the morning. I'll finish breakfast."

Harry stopped just outside of the door and looked back. "Don't you need to get cleaned up?" His eyes drifted down to take in the wet spot staining Severus' trousers.

"I've dealt with worse messes on my person for extended periods of time. Go."

Harry sobered up as he realised he knew what those messes were as he walked up the hidden stairs. The bit inside of the Potions Master had learned a lot about what happened at Death Eater meetings.