Chapter 3

~*~8 Years Ago~*~

Not long after Dumbledore's announcement, Harry found himself standing next to Severus, looking up at the place that was to be their home for the next few weeks. It was beautiful, there were no two ways about it, and the crashing sea in the distance put a smile on Harry's face that was hard to shift. Severus unlocked the door and let himself in, Harry following behind him, taking in his surroundings as his eyes adjusted to the slightly dimmer light inside.

He shrugged off his outer robe and hung it on the peg in the little porch they were standing in then moved further into the cottage to explore. The first door on the left led into a nice-sized living room with a cosy little fireplace, a couple of comfy-looking armchairs, a coffee table and several bookcases laden with books. The wide window housed a pretty little window-seat and let in a large amount of light, which was, at the moment, bathing the room in the low sunshine of the late September evening.

Opposite the living room was a large, farmhouse-style kitchen complete with a rustic wooden table and chairs, a deep-set sink, an Aga that Harry was sure had been magically enhanced and an array of cabinets and cupboards that looked as though they had been newly refurbished.

Towards the back of the house was a little library and behind the stairs Harry could see a little door that must have led down to a cellar. He ascended the stairs and found that there were three decent-sized bedrooms and, mercifully, two bathrooms. Deciding that Severus would knock him into the middle of next week if he took the main bedroom, Harry claimed the second largest room for himself, placing his shrunken baggage on the centre of the bed, intending to see to it later.

It was a cheerful, pleasant room with deep red curtains, a brass-framed bed and a sweet little fireplace with a squishy green armchair in front of it. It was far more homely than the room he had claimed for himself in Grimmauld Place, and he couldn't help but think, with no small touch of humour, that if he and Severus had to be sentenced to purgatory, it was a good thing it was a comfortable one.

Having fully acquainted himself with the property, he padded back down the stairs and found Severus in the kitchen, idly looking through the cupboards and taking stock of the larder and magically cooled storage room.

"I take it we don't need to put any additional wards up?" Harry said as he leant against the doorframe. He had been hoping to make the man jump but Severus didn't miss a beat, simply continued perusing the food, obviously aware of his presence.

"We can take a closer look at them tomorrow but Minerva is nothing if not cautious. The place is safe enough for now."

Harry nodded and folded his arms over his chest. "I suppose you'll want to start training right away?"

Severus closed the cupboard he had been looking in and turned his head to look at Harry, the faintest glint of amusement in his expression. "I wouldn't say that, Mr Potter."

"Oh?" asked Harry, cautiously.

"Well, I don't know about you," Severus said, opening another cupboard and obviously finding what he had been looking for, "but I intend to take a couple of days holiday. I'd say I've earnt it." He produced a dusty bottle of brandy and held it slightly out in front of him, as if throwing down the gauntlet.

Harry could do little more than give an amused breath of laughter, unsure quite how to deal with this heretofore unknown version of the man. He took a seat at the rough-grained table and Severus produced two glasses and sat down next to Harry. He hovered the bottle of brandy over the glass nearest to Harry and quirked an eyebrow in his direction. Harry nodded and the man poured a generous helping of the darkest-looking brandy Harry had ever seen, then gave his own glass the same treatment.

He re-corked the bottle and held his glass up; Harry took the hint and clinked his own glass against it, knowing that he was staring at Severus, but unable to stop. He sipped the brandy, still looking at Severus over the rim of his glass while he rolled his tongue around the taste.

"That's…unusual," he said, running his tongue over his lips, aware that Severus was watching as he did so.

"I believe it's a McGonagall family recipe."

"Why am I not surprised that that woman makes her own brandy?" said Harry with a snort. He swirled the liquid around in his glass then set it down on the table. "Were you serious about a holiday?" he asked and saw the amused glint in Severus' eye once again.

"I was," the man said softly. "I've spent the last 20 years of my life in servitude and espionage and, although it hasn't come to the end I would have preferred, it is ended and I want to take a moment to appreciate it."

There was a softness in Severus' face that Harry hadn't seen before and he realised that the man looked freer than he had ever done. An enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders and, for the first time in many years, the man was his own master. It had to be a heady feeling and Harry could forgive the man a little uncharacteristic cheerfulness in the circumstances.

"I'll drink to that," Harry said with a small smile, one that was surprisingly returned. It was the first time Severus had smiled at him without any malice or sarcasm behind it, and Harry's breath caught in his throat slightly. He busied himself with taking a somewhat large gulp of his brandy, still feeling the man's eyes on him, causing a hot blush to spread across his cheeks.

He dipped his head and mentally cursed himself for being so insipid. Severus would never blush, he was sure of that, come to think of it he was sure most mature adults who had had a modicum of sexual experience didn't blush. He had to get a grip of himself; he couldn't spend the next couple of months turning into a beetroot at every interaction they had.

He looked up when he felt the heat across his face had subsided sufficiently and said, "What does your idea of a holiday involve?"

Severus considered the question for a moment then said, "I have no idea."

Harry couldn't help but burst out laughing and Severus looked at him as though he were a little tapped in the head. "Neither do I," Harry said through his laughter. "What a pathetic pair."

Severus inclined his head in sight agreement and set his glass down on the table, his long fingers wrapping around it as he moved it in small circles around the table.

"It's beautiful around here," Harry said, still smiling, "and the weather's good for late September. That's good enough of a start for me."

"Yes," said Severus, raising his glass to his lips once again. "Yes, I'd be inclined to agree."

It was beautiful, there was no denying it, and Harry spent the afternoon acquainting himself with the surrounding area. It transpired that the McGonagall clan owned 20 acres of the land surrounding the cottage, including a small piece of the cove that lay below the cliff, and the wards were strong enough to allow him to do a little exploring.

He'd never been on holiday before; the Dursleys had certainly never deigned to take them away with him and he'd been left with Mrs Figg as a child and then on his own as he grew older while they took their family holiday. He hadn't wanted to go with them, indeed he was glad of the break from his odious relatives, but he'd always wondered what it would be like.

He knew he was there to train and that Severus was there to ensure he suffered no retribution, but they could both do with a break and Harry couldn't think of pleasanter surroundings in which to do that. He enjoyed his walk and returned to the cottage with a healthy appetite. He offered to cook, which Severus let him do with a look that said, "If your cooking is anything like your potions-making, this will be the first and last time."

He was gratified to produce a decent meal and even received a not bad from Severus as his reward. Dinner was a little awkward, he couldn't deny. They didn't have all that much to say to one another and it was clear to Harry that Severus wanted some peace and quiet and he had no intention of intruding on that. He excused himself early to bed and fell asleep to the sounds of the sea in the distance.

Despite his best intentions, Harry awoke late the next day. He stretched lazily in his bed and the frame creaked beneath him. It had annoyed the hell out of him when he had been trying to sleep, prone as he was to shifting positions several times before he fell asleep. He had to admit though, it was a very comfortable bed and he had had one of the best night's sleep he'd in a while. He wondered how Severus had faired.

Great, he thought, been awake for five seconds and already thinking about him.

He threw the bedcovers aside and got up, moving over to the window and pulling the curtains open. It was another beautiful day and Harry could see the sea in the distance, glistening in the sunshine. He smiled and thought, not for the first time, that his life was sometimes very strange.

He used the bathroom and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, noting that Severus didn't seem to be anywhere upstairs. He trotted down the stairs and paused at the bottom step, hearing faint clinking sounds close by. It took him a moment to realise that the noises were coming from the cellar and he moved over to the door behind the stairs, pausing on the threshold and listening.

"Professor?" he called. "Are you down here?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" came the response.

He walked carefully down the cold stone steps, taking care not to trip on their narrowness. The cellar was a large, dark space, lit by sconces on the wall. Severus was standing at a long workbench, setting up what even Harry could identify as potions equipment.

"I thought you were meant to be having a holiday?" he said in amusement.

"It seems," Severus replied, retrieving a couple of different-sized cauldrons from a box in the corner, "that I cannot easily accustom myself to inactivity."

"You'll be brewing today?"

"There are several things that I need to get started on, the bases alone for some potions I have to make will take days simply to simmer."

"Blood replenishing draught?" Harry asked, nearly laughing out loud when Severus turned to face him with a look of unmasked surprise. "I did listen occasionally," he said with a smile.

Severus shook his head in mild disbelief and returned his attention to setting up his work space.

"Wonders will never cease," he said softly. "I have several potions that need attention; just because I've been banished to this place doesn't mean my skills aren't needed."

"As if that was ever in doubt," Harry replied. "Well…shall I make us some breakfast?"

Severus cast a pointed look at the clock on the wall, which informed Harry that it was half 11. "Ah," he said, embarrassed that he had slept so long. "Brunch then?"

"Brunch?" Severus said with a snort. "I am not a middle-aged woman with a rich husband and nothing to occupy my time."

Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped him, and he was sure the faintest of smiles was tugging at the corner of the other man's mouth, despite the fact that he kept his head bent over the workbench.

"Well, I'm going to go and make something, come up if you're hungry."

Harry happily ensconced himself in the kitchen, knowing that he was in comfortable territory. The larder was well stocked and soon he had bacon, sausages, eggs and hash browns cooking merrily away and a couple of large, juicy tomatoes slowly grilling. He had made enough to feed a small army, but he was hungry and he would feel very gratified if he could get Severus to eat a little more while they were in the cottage. The man was too thin and although he was adept at keeping himself alive, he was not so skilled at looking after himself.

The smell must have tempted him up from the cellar, despite his assertion that he didn't do brunch, and Harry was just dishing up when the man strode into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged, saying, "A man's got to eat."

"Eating is something you need to do more of," Harry said as he put one of the full plates in front of him, settling down opposite with his own.

"If you intend to behave like a clucking hen for the entirety of our time here then I'm warning you now, I shall have no compunction in hexing you."

Harry gave a soft laugh as he spread a liberal amount of butter on his toast. "Duly noted, sir," he said, watching as Severus took a tentative bite. There was silence for a moment before the man looked up and pronounced,

"Passable."

Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Damned by faint praise."

"Faint is better than none."

They ate in a silence that should have been awkward but that Harry found strangely companionable. Severus wasn't exactly garrulous and Harry had long since learnt that he had little talent for small talk, not that the man would welcome it if he did. He had no desire to sit and try and make uncomfortable conversation; he would speak when he had something to say, and he hoped his housemate would do the same.

When they had both finished and Harry noted smugly that Severus' plate was as empty as his own, the man got to his feet and collected both plates, taking them over to the sink.

"You don't have to do that," Harry said, surprised at the action.

Severus shrugged and said, "You cooked."

Harry smiled to himself and turned to look out of the window, an idea suddenly striking him. "Fancy a walk?" he said impetuously.

Severus turned to look at him once more and appeared to consider the offer for a moment. Harry braced himself for the refusal, surprised then when instead the man replied, "It would be a shame to waste such temperate weather."

The weather was in fact a good deal more than temperate and, as they strolled along the cliff edge, Harry rejoiced in the feel of the unusually warm sun bathing his skin. It seemed that Autumn had yet to take hold over Britain, and Harry decided to enjoy the reprieve while it lasted.

He kept stealing glances at the man next to him, the severe profile softened somewhat by the gentle sunshine. He walked with his back straight, his hands clasped behind him, his pace leisurely. It felt a little awkward to walk together in silence that wasn't exactly companionable, but Severus could have easily turned him down if he hadn't wanted to come.

He cleared his throat, wincing slightly as the noise broke the silence, and said, "When uh…when do you want to start my training?"

A black eyebrow rose and the man replied, "So eager to begin?"

Harry shrugged and said, "It's why we're here."

There was silence for a moment before the man said, "In the next day or so."

Harry nodded and said, "What exactly will you be training me in?"

The idea of training with the man was one that filled him with trepidation, he had to admit. They didn't exactly have a glowing history in that area and, although Severus was no longer his teacher, he couldn't help but worry how the situation would play out.

"Offensive and defensive spells," Severus replied.

"Legal ones?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

The black eyebrow quirked again and Harry was sure he could see the hint of a smile playing about the man's lips. "Mostly," he replied.

They walked about a mile from the cottage towards the cliff edge, Harry looking down at the crashing sea below. It felt bizarre to stand with Severus in such a setting, to have enjoyed a pleasant walk in his company and for there to be no hostility between them.

It was a tentative amity, Harry supposed, and he couldn't speak to Severus' reasons for being rather placid in his behaviour but he knew what his own were. It was foolish, he knew, but he found himself constantly incapable of denying his own feelings. The absurdity of it was that he couldn't put a name to those feelings – lust? Desire? Longing? Perhaps it was safer if they remained unnamed for the time being.

"Are you busy this afternoon?" came Severus' voice, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Harry blinked at him for a moment, a little bewildered by the question, then said, "Um no. Not too sure what to do with myself here if I'm honest."

"Excellent. You can assist me then."

"I can…what?" Harry asked, trying to see if there were any signs of levity in the man's expression.

"You can assist me," Severus repeated. "I have several potions to get through and my life would be made easier with another pair of hands…if you'd be willing."

Surprised, but pleasantly so, at the man's civility, Harry nodded readily and said, "Yes, of course I'd be willing."

And so he found himself in the cottage's cellar preparing ingredients under Severus' watchful eye and trying to make himself a help rather than a hindrance. He hadn't been a terrible Potions student and he had sense enough to be able to cope with the basics so he focused and tried not to make any mistakes.

"Arrow root diced, please," Severus instructed, handing him a jar before he turned his attention back to the cauldron in front of him.

The man's instructions had been short but polite and Harry felt oddly comfortable working alongside him. In a strange sort of way he felt proud that he'd been asked to assist, although part of his brain pointed out that the man was hardly overwhelmed with options. Still, he'd not embarrassed himself thus far and he was allowing himself to indulge in the quiet companionship that permeated the room.

"Should that be finely diced?" he checked.

Severus looked up at him and said, "You tell me."

Harry paused, considering his answer, not wanting to make a fool of himself. "Yes," he decided. "Given the transitional properties of the base, you need the arrow root to be fine so the potion isn't thick."

Severus' expression betrayed nothing as he said, "And why don't you want it to be thick?"

Harry racked his brains for a moment before answering, "Because in this case the thicker the solution the less potent it will be."

"Quite so," Severus said with a curt nod of his head and Harry tried not to grin stupidly. The man rifled through the myriad of things by his elbow then added a pinch of something to the bubbling concoction.

"Groundsel?" Harry ventured. "For its purgative effect?"

Severus didn't look up but Harry saw the slight upturn of the man's mouth as he said, "Don't push it."

Harry did grin then and tucked his chin into his chest to hide it. He began dicing the arrow root, trying to make as good a job of it as possible, then ventured, "I…um…I noticed you'd put a few books in the living room. Would you mind if I borrowed one or two of them?"

"You've developed a sudden interest in reading?" Severus replied, his attention still focused on the potion.

Irritated slightly, Harry frowned and said, "I've always enjoyed reading, if it matters, but I noticed a couple of the books were about Defence. I thought it might be an idea to wrap my head around some of the concepts you'll be teaching me."

"What an interesting streak of dedication you seem to have developed. Your tenure at Hogwarts led me to believe you were incapable of such academic focus."

Stung, Harry sighed and put his knife down. "Yeah, that's me, a bloody idiot. I'll leave you to it, wouldn't want me blundering about around your precious potions."

He side-stepped the workbench and made his way back up the narrow staircase, frustration humming through his body. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned to see that Severus had followed him out of the cellar.

"What exactly was that little temper tantrum in aid of?" the man asked, wiping his hands on a damp rag.

"It wasn't a temper tantrum," Harry argued. "I'm just sick of you treating me like I'm a moron. I know I haven't always given you the best impression in the past but I'm older now, I'm not a kid anymore! I'll be 20 next year and you still want to see me as that daft 11 year old you had to keep rescuing."

"Potter – "

"And I'm aware that this is important, you know? I mean – hell – it's my life we're talking about! I want to beat that bastard more than anyone and I'm not stupid enough not to realise that you're my best chance at doing that! I want to learn from you and I want you to understand that I'm taking it seriously."

Severus looked at him, his expression remarkably placid as he said, "Are you finished?"

Harry blew out a huff of air and said, "Yes, I'm bloody finished."

"Good, then perhaps you'll permit me to say my piece." Harry gave a petulant shrug and Severus continued, "I…apologise for the insinuation that you aren't taking this seriously and that you felt I was calling you an idiot."

"Well let's face it, you've called me much worse," Harry interjected, and Severus glared at him.

"You are, as you say, not a child anymore, and I believe that you're invested in learning things I can teach you."

"Then what was that about in the cellar?" Harry asked, perturbed.

One slim shoulder rose in a strange kind of shrug and Severus said, "I was joking."

Harry blinked at him, unsure that he had actually hear the man correctly. "You were…you were joking?" he repeated, confused.

"Is that so improbable?" Severus asked, his tone defensive.

"Yes!" Harry said before he could stop himself. "Look, no offence but you're hardly known for your jovial nature, are you?"

Severus chucked the rag down on the little hallway table and folded his arms with a sigh. "Spying leaves one little time for frivolities. Perhaps I'm taking the time to enjoy a touch of freedom."

"And…you're doing that by joking with me? You can't stand me!"

"Oh for heaven's sake, Potter, don't be ridiculous," the man said with an agitated huff, looking as though he'd quite like to kick Harry down the cellar stairs. "You've become infinitely more tolerable in the last couple of years and there are bigger things going on than old enmities."

"You think I'm tolerable?" Harry asked, trying not to smile too broadly.

"Not at this moment, no."

Harry grinned. "You're not so bad yourself," he said, feeling bold.

Severus rolled his eyes and said, "Get back down in that cellar. If my potion's ruined I shall tip it all over your head."

AN: Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think.