AN: I'm sorry that it took so long to update, I know I promised an update rather quickly, but I've been majorly busy and I was ill as well. I'm feeling better now and I intend to start writing the next chapter of this either tonight when I get home from work or tomorrow.
Chapter Nine: A Lesson On Liquor
Harry sat up with a groan, the smell of food hit his senses, confusing him as if he had been asleep who was cooking the food. Sitting up slowly he realised that he wasn't in his own room, instead he was in a room covered in orange and posters of quiddich; Ron's room. He didn't know why he was in Ron's room, but he figured that he could work it out later, especially as Mrs Weasley was calling up the stairs to him about breakfast. Harry groaned as he smelt the food when he entered the kitchen, it had smelt bad enough from the floor above, but now that he was in the same room as it he wanted to be sick. He knew that if he didn't eat or spent the morning in the bathroom throwing up Molly would be on the floo to Madame Pomphrey straight away and he's be ensconced in bed before he could protest.
"Sore head Harry, dear?" Molly asked as she placed a large fry up in front of him. "Eat up, it will help."
Harry wanted to protest, but when Mrs Weasley glared at him he knew that he had no option. He began to pick at his breakfast and after a short while began to feel a bit better; he supposed that the greasy breakfast was soaking up some of the alcohol in his system. Feeling hungry now that he was no longer feeling so sick Harry dug ravenously into the remainder of his meal. When he finished his breakfast he realised that he was the only one sat at the table, although Molly was still in the kitchen at the stove. She took his plate, indicating that he should head into the garden with the others.
"Go on," she insisted, "A hearty breakfast and some exercise, your hangover will be gone in no time."
Harry wasn't convinced at first, but she was pushing him out the back door before he had a chance to protest. He really wasn't in the mood for quiddich, getting on a broom right now was bound to do nothing but make him sick. He wondered what it was that had possessed him to get so drunk. He didn't normally drink this much, and he normally had a hangover potion to hand if he did. Potion. That was it; that was why he had been drinking. Hogwarts' Potions Master. He had been trying to excuse his behaviour to himself for almost the last week, puzzling out his actions. He knew that he was attracted to the man in some way and he was becoming to realise that it was more Severus than Serena, although he definitely had a kink for a well groomed woman if she were a man. Or at least he thought he did. He at least had a fetish for a well-groomed woman if that woman was actually Severus Snape.
When Seamus had brought up the idea of another lads night out Harry had jumped at the chance to drink and forget about what he was going to do the next day. He had needed some dutch courage, and drinking with Seamus and the boys was exactly what he had needed. They had started their evening back at Cabaret Club, Seamus and Dean having become regulars there to see Serena's performance each week. Harry had sat in the booth with his friends and watch the object of his attractions sing on stage, performing his act perfectly. He watched as those lips sung out each word like a caress and he couldn't help but think about how soft those lips really were and how good they had felt pressed to his less than a week ago.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur to Harry, he remembered dragging everyone out of the club before Severus finished his set, he didn't want the other man to see him, at least not before he had had a bit more liquid courage. He wasn't a coward, he was a Gryffindor, but going up against the Head of Slytherin without any fortification wasn't something that Harry really wanted to do. At least if he had a lot of alcohol in his system he could blame everything on it if things went badly, or if they went really badly he would be half embalmed when the other man killed him.
Harry came out of his musings when he heard Ron calling out to him, asking how his head was before he threw another gnome over the garden wall, a degnoming, he supposed that there were worst forms of hangover exercise that he could be forced to endure. Or at least that was what he thought before he joined them. He had just picked up a gnome to toss and began to spin it around, realising that he had to spin as well, which really just aggravated his headache. He managed to get out of it easily, saying that making himself dizzy was making him sick, and that he should maybe just sit to the side for a bit an get some fresh air.
He sat on the wall, watching as Ron and the twins wrestled with the gnomes, occasionally ducking one that was flying through the air alarmingly close to his head. He couldn't help but smile at the glee on his friends faces and was surprised at how quickly time had passed, and how much better he was feeling after some fresh air. Molly was at the door, calling them in for lunch. Harry had already his excuses in mind for escaping after lunch and being absent for dinner. He intended to tell Molly that he had to go home and change and that he was meeting someone later that evening. What he wasn't expecting was to find a kitchen full of Weasleys. Although they all tried to attend Sunday dinner every week, there was never this many for lunch. Even with the way that the boys were able to eat two of Mrs Weasley's large Sunday meals in one day was too much for them after having spent time away from home.
Harry quickly pointed this out to Charlie who was sat next to him, quietly so as not to upset Mrs Weasley, and was surprised to hear guffaws from the twins. Charlie took pity on him, explaining that this wasn't lunch, but rather dinner, he told him how they had left him for breakfast and woke him after lunch, allowing him some more time to try and sleep off his hangover. Harry blanched as he realised that he had missed what he had been gearing himself up for. The others at the table seemed to realise that something was wrong with him when he suddenly went silent, and were asking him questions, but they didn't really register.
He was late, really late. He had wondered if Severus would still be willing to see him today after last week, it was something that had worried him all week. Now though he was sure that if the man had been expecting him that he would be thoroughly pissed off at having been stood up. Knowing that he was worrying his family he snapped out of it. "Sorry. I just, I thought it was earlier, I was meant to meet someone this afternoon." Harry explained. "I really should go. I have to apologise," He then muttered as he apparated away, "that is of course if he's still speaking to me."
He apparated into his flat, shucking his clothes immediately, striding towards his shower at a furious pace. He had finally sorted everything in his head, and had sorted out how to go about talking to the other man, only to spend his time sitting on a wall watching Weasleys toss gnomes instead. Harry didn't know who he was angrier at, himself for getting so drunk and sleeping away the morning or Ron for not mentioning to him that it was the afternoon.
After a quick shower Harry dressed in an outfit that could be classed as smart-casual, he didn't want to be too optimistic. What he was wearing could be seen as casual wear so if Severus didn't fancy getting dinner with him he could suggest a drink in a bar somewhere instead. Harry apparated to Serena's flat, knocking forcefully on the door, hoping that someone was at home. He really hoped that he hadn't screwed everything up more than he may have already done the week before. Even if Severus didn't return his feelings and wanted nothing to do with him romantically Harry hoped that they would at least be able to be friends. He realised that that was exactly what he had come to count the other man as. He stood outside the door for at least five minutes, but no-one came. He was about to sit down on the step and wait for the other man to come home when he realised that he still had the tracking charm on him and he could find him easily. He checked the charm, noting that Severus was at the club, and apparated once more. He supposed that he should have known that the other man would go to the club, it was probably his regular haunt at the weekends, a break away from Hogwarts and all the dunderheads that he had to teach.
Harry arrived at the club just as he felt the tracking charm alert him to a move in Severus's location, the man was leaving the club. Harry disillusioned himself wandlessly and watched as Serena strode on out the club in a pair of stilettos, a short skirt and a halter neck, arm in arm with one of the barmen. Harry followed them discretely, making sure not to make any noise or do anything detectable, the man had been a spy and almost as paranoid as Moody, it would do to get caught stalking him.
"Come on then love, dinner it is." The man spoke as he steered Severus towards a motorbike. Harry watched in shock as first the man and then Severus, short skirt and all climbed onto the bike. "There is someone I want you to meet, love."
Harry stood there in shock as he watched the bike speed away to wherever they were going for dinner. Of all the ways he had expected today to go, this hadn't been one of them. Severus was already seeing someone, there was no chance for Harry anyway. The other man obviously hadn't been too upset by Harry having missed their lesson, it just meant that he had been able to spend more time with his lover. Dejected Harry headed home, hoping that he would be able forget all about the feelings that he was beginning to develop for Severus Snape.
