The entire street was lined with night life. People walked through the streets dressed nicely, or dressed so that immeasurable amounts of skin were bared. Severus seemed unaffected by the vibrant muggles around them. They walked together a few streets over from the portkey and turned a hard right. A small pub was tucked out of the way off of a side street. There was no sign indicating its name, but there was a fair amount of people outside beneath the neon OPEN light, passing cigarettes between them.

They stepped closer to the door. Harry was a bit out of breath, having struggled to keep pace with Severus's long stride.

A muscular, dark skinned man looked at Severus approvingly as he lit the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Hi, Brian. Haven't seen you in a while," he said to Severus.

Severus shrugged. "Been busy."

"Busy with this one, eh?" he said, looking at Harry. He winked and took a long drag.

"Something like that."

They stepped into the warm pub and inspected the bar for somewhere to get comfortable. The room was small and dimly lit. Music played from an old jukebox. A few barmen leant over the bar speaking to patrons. They found two empty seats at the bar and settled in.

"Two whiskeys, neat. Thank you." Severus laid a few pounds on the bar.

Harry grinned. "Thanks for the drink, Brian."

Severus looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Well? Go talk to someone."

"What? Now? I haven't even properly looked at anyone."

"Start looking."

"So, er, you've been here before?"

Severus nodded.

"Often?"

"Apparently."

"I didn't know you were gay."

"Why would you need to know?"

"I suppose I don't. Are you going to talk to anyone?"

"Not likely."

Harry sighed and pushed himself away from the bar, drink in hand. He walked a few metres then looked back at Severus. He arched an elegant eyebrow urging Harry to go on.

"You look lost."

Harry turned to see a tall, blond man looking down at him, friendly grin in place. He looked a bit like Draco, if Draco were less ferret and more human.

"I am a bit. Never been here before."

The man glanced at Severus who now was in deep discussion with one of the attractive barmen.

Harry felt an odd pang in his stomach.

"If you're here with Brian, you're in good hands. I like him. He's so… mysterious."

"Yes. He is, isn't he?"

"Is he your partner?"

"Professionally, I suppose."

"Not romantic?"

Harry laughed, "No."

"Matthew," he said and extended a hand.

Harry spit out the first pseudonym he could think of. "Jaime."

"Could I buy you a drink, Jaime?"

Harry looked hesitantly back to Severus, still utterly engrossed by the barman now leaning far over the bar to speak to him more closely.

"Sure."

Matthew ordered two drinks for them and they sidled up to the far wall. They blended in well with the other small groups of men circled around one another in happy conversation.

"What brings you out tonight?"

"Se- erm, Brian's idea."

"Getting over a heartache, eh?"

"You can tell?" Harry looked up at him, perhaps a bit too surprised, as it made the man laugh.

"I have a sense for these things. Tell me about him, then. How long were you together?"

"We weren't. I've never. Er, I told him how I felt and then… nothing."

"Oh, I see what this is." The man's eyes sparkled like he knew a secret.

"What is it?" Harry felt hopeful, but he didn't know what response he was hoping for.

"He's taken you under his wing, being the 'baby gay' that you are."

Harry spluttered. "Baby gay?"

"Sure. He's showing you the ropes and all. How to be a gay man in London."

"Maybe they should just write a book on that."

Matthew laughed. "I like you. You're funny. But I warn you, don't go getting attached. Every new, young gay who has an older man take him in ends up getting attached. It's usually not like that for the older one. He's just giving you what he wishes he'd had at your age- someone to introduce him to society, as it were."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. He'd thought what he and Severus were developing was more than that. More than some awkward gay mentorship.

"Oh, no," Matthew said. "I know that look. You've already gone and gotten attached."

He shrugged. "It's complicated. He used to hate me. The bloke I liked- Brian hated him, too. I was just hoping this was becoming something... different after all of those years of animosity."

"Doesn't look like he hates you now," Matthew said, looking towards Severus. Harry looked over, too. Severus was eyeing them, his face blank.

"Anyways, I've got to head out. Here's my number." He pulled a pen from his back pocket and scribbled the digits on the back of Harry's hand.

"Good luck, Jaime." He winked and walked casually out of the pub.

"Will you call him?" Severus asked as they walked back to the portkey.

"Huh?"

"I saw him give you his number."

Harry looked at the ink on his hand. "Probably not."

"He was handsome."

"So are you." Harry felt his face burn hot. He hadn't mean to say that aloud.

Severus grabbed Harry's hand. His pulse quickened. But Severus touched his other hand to the portkey and pulled them into his sitting room.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Severus asked.

"I did, thanks. Looks like you did, too."

"Careful."

"Of?"

"That sounded a bit like jealousy. No need to be jealous of Eric. We've been friends for a long time."

Harry assumed Eric was the barman that held the man's attention all evening. Harry wasn't jealous of him. Why should he be? He was a little disappointed that he didn't get to spend as much time with Severus, but that's all.

"Anyways, I couldn't call Matthew if I wanted to. I don't have a muggle phone."

"I do."

"Why?"

Severus gave him a look that suggested it wasn't any of Harry's business why he owned a muggle phone. As much as Harry tried, it was difficult to learn anything about the man other than minuscule bits of information here and there.

"Well, what do you plan on doing for the rest of the evening?"

"Are you attempting to subject me to your presence for the coming hours?"

Harry smiled. "If you will tolerate it."

"I feel I've been tolerating you quite well recently…. Being the Remus Lupin replacement that I am."

Harry's brows furrowed. "No, you're not. You're not a 'Remus replacement.'"

"Oh? Can't even live up to the werewolf?" Harry could sense the teasing tone, but he still detested the words being used.

"Don't be self-deprecating. And don't refer to him that way."

Severus's lips quirked up in the corners so slightly Harry almost missed it. He was goading him. But why?

It didn't matter. Harry refused to give in to it.

He patiently waited for Severus to answer the initial question. Finally, the man gave in with a tired sigh.

"I have a new book I'd like to dig into."

"I like to read, too. Could we- ?" Harry nodded his head towards the settee.

"If you insist."

"Is it a potions book? Haven't you read them all yet?"

"I have other interests, too."

"Sorry."

"You will be, if you don't stop talking."

Harry pulled a book from the shelf, not even looking to see what it was. He really did enjoy reading, but he was more interested in the man across from him. He was a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery, as Matthew had said.

Severus tapped a finger to his tongue and turned a page. His eyes moved quickly across the lines of words. He read more quickly than even Hermione. He turned another page. Something about his long fingers tortured Harry. A heavy weight settled in his abdomen, resting peculiarly above his groin. An elegant finger hovered over Severus's thin lips until he touched it to his teasing tongue once more and turned the page. Another weight sank slowly down into his stomach and warbled a bit before settling, like a pebble sinking in a pond.

The weight felt an awful lot like guilt.