DISCLAIMER!! Halo Spencer belongs to me, so does the story and plot. Everyone else belongs to J.K Rowling, though the descriptions of a few of them are my own. This is an A/U from my other Halo/Snape stories, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. –Gadget

Note- Obviously some time has passed, so here's a brief summary of what's happened. Severus became a Death Eater and is attending an Academy for potion making. Halo has been with the Sidhe and Voldemort had gathered speed in his steady rise to power among dark Wizards.

CHAPTER 11 Five Years Later, 1980

Halo Spencer scratched absently at his gloved left hand, the one with all the markings on it. Those markings, he had learned, were the key to his inborn power, the same power his father had had. Halo could slow down time; warp it to his uses and a few other neat tricks. The only setback being that he had to be absolutely calm to pull it off and only in the light of day would the markings light up. The power was more trouble than it was worth, he'd have rather been your average wizard attending the Auror Academy.

He knew he'd never been the average wizard, stronger and more focused than his classmates, American, a homosexual and half Sidhe. Oh yeah, he was normal alright. It didn't matter any more, normality was drastically overrated and the things that made him different also made him better.

And better was good.

He shoved the gloved hand in the pocket of his leather jacket, took a deep breath and knocked on the door in front of him. Listening to the ruckus in the industrial neighborhood and the sound of the small stream his ears could just barely pick up. He knocked again, checked his watch.

"Would you get the door!" A voice screamed within.

Halo heard shuffling and then the door swung open to reveal a tall man with black hair and gaunt features. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"What Severus? Don't recognize me? I haven't been gone that long for you to forget who I am."

Severus looked up, his gaunt face highlighted by the bright sunshine of the afternoon. "Halo?" He whispered.

"Yeah, it's me; you've lost some weight. Hey, you got a minute to get some lunch with me?"

"Who's at the damn door?" That voice from inside yelled and Halo winced.

"It's...someone from school father." Severus hollered back over his shoulder.

"Don't take that tone with me boy!"

Severus rolled his eyes and stepped outside. "I've got plenty of time Halo."

"How long have you been back?" Severus asked as he walked next to his old friend. Merlin, it had been years since he'd seen or heard from Halo. Every month had gone by with a letter from Elena Spencer saying that Halo was all well and very content living with the Sidhe, but he had never heard from him directly.

"This is my third year away from the Seelie Sidhe," He said. "But I've been busy with training and other stuff."

For a moment Severus couldn't believe that five years had passed since he'd last seen Halo. The man hadn't changed much, still a little short and still built like the perfect Seeker. He wore all black but not wizarding robes; actually Severus couldn't place the make of the clothes other than the leather jacket. They weren't Muggle clothes or anything similar and he was sure that they were Sidhe made...they had to be. It was the way the clothes followed Halo's movements rather than simply covering them.

"Wait Halo," He said. "What sort of things has kept you busy for three years?"

Halo shrugged nonchalantly. "I became an Auror finally," He said. "Just like I wanted to. What about you Severus? What have you been up to?"

Severus stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying to warm his fingers. "I've been studying to become a Potion's Master,"

"Really?" Halo asked. "That's great Severus!"

"Where are we going to eat?" He asked, trying to ignore Halo's enthusiasm.

"I thought I'd take you to my place and cook you something."

Severus stared at him. Five years without seeing or talking to each other and Halo wanted him to come over for dinner? It was the Slytherin side of him, but Severus had the feeling that there was something else on his friend's mind.

(Pagebreak)

He was shocked to see the state of Halo's apartment. It was honestly a mess, papers piled everywhere, books in various stacks, Muggle weapons were sitting on a table and he was sure there were at least six pizza boxes. He abruptly remembered the summer they'd spent together, his room had been pristine compared to his apartment now and Severus had only seem the one room.

"Halo, how do you live like this?" He asked.

Halo threw his leather jacket over the back of his chair, revealing a loose dark purple shirt over the black pants. Again Severus wondered if they were Sidhe made.

"It's just for show if someone comes looking for me here. The rest of my place is a lot cleaner, come on in to the kitchen."

The kitchen was a lot cleaner than the room he'd seen beforehand and Severus noticed that Halo had mostly Muggle things in his apartment. Halo turned to him after turning on the burner of the stove.

"Again man, it's for appearances sake, I have to seem like a normal Muggle incase someone comes looking for me. It's all part of the job but it's alright with me, I've always been a pretty good Muggle."

Severus took the only other seat at the small table. "But you're not a Muggle, you're an accomplished wizard."

"And a Knight of the Seelie court, but that's mostly because of my father."

"You're a knight?" He asked his old friend. He'd always heard about king Arthur's knights, the ones that sat at the round table and killed dragons.

Halo opened the refrigerator, pulling out several things that Severus couldn't see. "Yeah," He said. "As my father's first son, it was tradition that I promised to protect their queen."

(Pagebreak)

Severus laughed along with Halo as the knight told yet another story of his time with the Sidhe.

"I swear on my life! I swear it!" Halo laughed, beating his fist on the table.

"I still don't believe you," Apparently, Halo's little brother's first word was ca-ca.

"I swear it! My father left Dolemur alone for an hour and when he came back, Dolemur had emptied his diaper all over the crib. Then he screamed ca-ca!"

Severus was sure that he would fall out of his seat if he heard another story about Halo's hell-raiser half brother. He held up his hands. "Stop, stop, I can't breath."

The knight burst out laughing and actually fell out of his chair, lying on the floor holding his sides. Severus hadn't seen Halo act like that in a long time, not since the summer he'd spent in America when they had been teenagers. He got out of his chair and went to Halo's refrigerator, pulling out the bottle of vodka and pouring them both another glass.

Halo still lay on the floor, a smile plastered across his face as he looked up at Severus. He chuckled and then began to laugh again, rolling onto his side, still laughing like a maniac when Severus took his seat again. Finally, he dissolved into chuckles and sat up, resting his arm on the seat of his chair.

"Jesus," He chuckled. "I haven't laughed like that in ages,"

Severus downed his glass. "I think you're drunk," He said.

Halo smirked. "I think I'm smashed," He tried to stand and the chair toppled over with his weight, sending him crashing to the floor.

Severus laughed so hard that the vodka he'd been drinking shot out his nose and it only made him laugh harder. When he finally had control over himself, he stood and reached down to help Halo up.

"Merlin you're heavy!" He exclaimed mostly just to annoy his friend. Halo had already told him about the amount of food the Sidhe had tried to stuff him with, comparing the experience to the summer they'd spent together and Halo's grandmother.

"Did you just call me fat?" Halo demand, pushing Severus away only to once again fall on his ass.

Severus set his hands on his knees and huffed a little; Halo really was quite heavy. "I give," He said. "Pick your own damn self up."

"Don't mind me; I'll just use you for a cane..." He grabbed Severus' leg in an attempt to steady himself and succeeded in pulling the larger man down atop him. "Shit!"

"You are so shit-faced." Severus told him.

(Pagebreak)

Halo's alarm clock woke him up, that was the machine's job after all. He didn't understand why the beeping had to be so fucking loud though; it was like a damn airplane engine. Then he remembered what he'd done the night before. He'd opened the bottle of vodka he kept in the freezer, had drunken enough to start feeling sort of loopy and then he and Severus had watched some funny movies on the TV in his room.

Severus, right, where is he anyway? Oh, yeah. We watched the movie and then we...

Halo felt around with his hand, managed to pull his shoe off and throw it at the alarm clock. The bed shifted next to him and he felt the pillow move beneath his head; a hand slipped into his hair.

Found you Severus, He thought and tried to disentangle himself to no avail. Severus' arm came out from under the pillow and wrapped around Halo's shoulders as he pressed his face against his throat. Halo went suddenly rigid; he wasn't uncomfortable and that scared him. Halo kept his promises and years ago, he'd silently promised himself that he would never date his best friend. But...passing out drunk together wasn't dating, they'd just had a good time being immature. It was a shame his body didn't see it that way, he was getting turned on by the closeness of Severus' body. A body, he had to admit, that he sort of liked. Severus was his type, quiet, moody and intelligent. Like Rosier had been.

God...Rosier. The prick hadn't even given him a chance to say good-bye all those years ago. The letters he'd written he been sent back unopened and eventually he just forgot about the redhead but now he wondered how the man was doing. Then he decided he didn't give a damn; being half Sidhe wasn't his choice, Rosier could get over it. It wasn't his fault that he had to leave Hogwarts forever.

Anyway... Severus shifted again, obviously having been stirred awake by the alarm and Halo took the opportunity to slide out of his hold.

"Going on?" Severus slurred, lifting his head away from Halo's neck.

"Alarm went off." Halo told him; happy to at least know he was wearing clothes even though the room was pitch black.

"Huh?"

"I have to go to my office. I've got a job, ever heard of one?"

The other man grumbled something and turned on his side, away from Halo and curled in on himself. The knight- he still felt weird every time he remembered he'd been knighted by the fairy queen- grabbed clean clothes from a drawer and went into his bathroom.

His clothes on the floor and the water running for his shower, Halo looked at his gloveless left hand and the fairy-ink that stained it. He stared at it as he brushed his teeth and finally, when he spat the excess toothpaste into the sink, he decided.

He would let time- and destiny- take the path it was supposed to; he wouldn't use his power, not on Severus. Halo wouldn't change a thing about the past few hours.

No, he wouldn't change a single damn thing.

(Pagebreak)

Severus came awake at the sound of the shower running and for a moment he didn't know why he could hear the shower. It was downstairs; he shouldn't be able to hear his father bathing because he was in his room in the attic.

"I'm not at home," He suddenly muttered.

The entire night came back to him in a flash. Halo standing on his doorstep, asking him over for dinner and then getting drunk together; everything after that was a blur. No, actually, not all of it was blurry. He remembered watching some movie and Halo falling asleep and...He remembered scooting closer to the knight to share his warmth. He remembered the thoughts that were about things other than sharing warmth that had passed through his mind as he'd lain there. The bathroom door opened and Halo walked out, a white towel across his shoulders and a pair of black denim jeans that were beginning to fade.

"Morning," Severus said and Halo looked over.

"Yeah, good morning. Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, did you?"

"Not bad, but I'm not liking this hangover." He grumbled.

"Me either," Severus said. "Going somewhere?"

"The Ministry," Halo told him as he pulled first a white undershirt and then a green T-shirt over his head. "I gotta be there in an hour, but I'm taking my motorcycle."

"A Muggle vehicle? Why don't you just Apparate?"

The knight shrugged. "The motorcycle is new and I like riding around on it." He pulled the leather jacket he'd been wearing last night off the door hook. "You can, uh, you can stay here if you want and sleep some more."

Severus leant against the headboard, rotating his sore shoulders. "You don't care if I stay here?"

"Not at all man, it gives me someone to talk to when I get back in a few hours. Then we can hang out some more."

"All right, sounds fun."

"Yeah, it does, maybe we can start on another hangover." Halo agreed. "See you later."

(Pagebreak)

Still lying in Halo's bed, Severus heard the motorcycle's engine start and then the squeal of breaks. He sighed, turned onto his back and stretched. Halo had given him permission to stay, actually, he'd asked Severus to stay until he got back. He'd said he wanted someone to talk to. But something about the way he'd worded it gave Severus the impression that Halo had been without amiable company for sometime. There was something on the other man's mind, and though Severus wasn't a Ravenclaw, he was curious enough to wait and see if Halo told him anything. Or at least anything other than the funny stories about his half brother.

Severus pressed his face into Halo's pillow, taking in the other man's scent; heady and musky, just perfect. He'd hadn't been near as drunk as Halo, he'd been play-acting, had wanted to see how good he was at it. He'd done fine, obviously Halo thought he was more drunk than he appeared and Severus had used it to his advantage. He'd taken liberties while Halo had slept, laying closer than was necessary, running his hands along Halo's arms and sides. He'd touched the knight's hair, his face, intimate touches that he would only ever dare while Halo slept. Because surely, even after all these years, Halo wasn't interested. They were friends, close friends, but they would never be anything more.

The knowledge gnawed at Severus but he couldn't bring himself to leave, to attempt to avoid the pain of the negative answer, of the honest truth. He had to stay, he wasn't a coward. But he also wasn't brave like Halo or strong. He was a weakling and an idealistic dreamer, a sap and a waste of human space. Severus admired Halo and the man's convictions, though he knew little about that, he knew that Halo had been strong enough to resist the Dark Lord.

Severus, however, was among the Dark Lord's ranks and that made him Halo's enemy. He breathed in the Sidhe-Halfling's scent again, holding onto it, making a special place for it in his mind. Even after all these years, the feelings that had begun for the knight, his only real friend, hadn't faded in the least. Maybe it was some warped type of hero-worship, maybe it was lust or even just a strong infatuation, maybe the feelings would even go away.

"Who am I kidding?" He asked himself aloud. "I've felt this way for seven years; it's not going to simply go away with the wave of my wand."

But he still got the feeling there was something that the knight wasn't telling him, some new secret he was keeping; something that weighed heavily on his mind. As if Halo's tossing and turning in his sleep wasn't enough of a clue.

(Pagebreak)

"Spencer, that's not the way to do it!" The Auror Frank Longbottom hollered.

The stunning spell hit the kid straight in the chest and he fell to the floor stock-still. Frank stroked the stubble on his chin as he raised his wand to end the spell. The kid had been in Auror training for three years now, give or take a month or two, he was amazing with a lot of spells, charms, jinx's and curses. But when it came to defense magic, Spencer was lacking some serious skill.

The kid got his feet underneath him and stood easily, but he was panting with exhaustion; they had been working on the defense spells for the entire day. Frank admired how the kid refused to give up even though it was obvious he had no real aptitude for it, he was better suited to a strategy position within the Ministry. Frank was fairly sure that Spencer would make a decent Hit Wizard, but that type of work was getting hard to come by when most the targets were followers of the most powerful Dark Wizard since Grinwald. The minister had begun calling them 'Death Eaters,' which Frank honestly thought was a ridiculous name.

Anyway, Hit Wizard was the kind of job he thought Spencer would do well at. The kid could disappear into thin air. He could blend perfectly into a crowd of witches and wizards or even Muggles if he wanted to; as long as he kept his eyes covered. He could easily track someone without being noticed, but Frank had a feeling that the kid was only good at that because of those markings on his hand. The one he kept hidden under a glove but he'd seen them when the kid got his be a severing jinx and the glove had slip along the seams. He didn't know what those markings meant exactly, but Frank did know powerful magic when he was near it.

"Let's try that again," Spencer said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Frank raised his wand and sent another spell the kid's way, this one a little stronger than the stunning charm he'd used. The jet of orange light crashed into the floor and Frank felt the tip of a wand touch his temple.

"Tag," Spencer said and removed Frank's wand.

The Auror shook his head. "I don't know how you do it kid," He said as he stepped away.

Spencer put his wand inside the Muggle jacket he insisted on wearing. "Magic," He said and smiled.

"Hey!" The door to the training room banged open and Shaklebolt stepped through. "There's been another disappearance, the minister says if we even suspect someone of being a Death Eater that we need to subdue them ASAP. That means you too Spencer."

"Yes sir,"

"The both of you can head on home, Frank you need to get back to Alice anyway." The tall black man left without another word.

"Are you taking the Floo Network?" Frank asked Spencer and the kid shook his head.

"No, I rode my motorcycle here so I'll ride it home."

"That's a Muggle transportation right?" A lot of the ministry's employees were from Muggle families or at least one of their parents were Muggleborn. Frank didn't know Spencer's blood-status, he knew the kid had been in Slytherin and that most of that house of pureblood, but a lot of the time he did things that Frank associated with Muggles his age.

"Yeah, I love the thing. Besides, I'm spending some time with a friend tonight."

"Don't drink yourself under the table," He told the kid.

"No promises."
Frank set his hand on the kid's shoulder, trying to offer comfort. It had only been a weak since the kid's younger brother had died; he didn't know the circumstances but it still wasn't a good reason to get drunk off his ass every night.

"Spencer," He began to share his inner monologue when the kid's eyes went suddenly very dark.

"Stay out of my business," He said, shook off Frank's hand and then his eyes went back to normal. "I gotta get going, see you."

Frank watched the kid leave his strides long and even despite his short stature. He couldn't help but get the sense that Spencer's mood would only deteriorate with each passing day until there was nothing left of the kid he'd met three years ago.

More soon!