Part 2:
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"Albus, I don't know how to handle this!" Severus gestured wildly towards the door, indicating his relationship with Harry, who was still asleep in Severus' bed.
"I don't understand why you feel that I can help you, Severus." Albus replied, gazing at Severus over his half-moon glasses. "Why don't you tell Harry how you feel?"
Severus fell back onto a chair looking utterly defeated. "Because I can't. There's so many reasons why I can't."
"What would those be?" Albus asked, frowning.
"Well...first, he's Harry Potter. He's only twenty one, Albus! He's much too young to decide he loves anyone much less me. Then there's the fact that he's James and Lily's son - Black's godson." The last part he said with no small amount of distaste. "And I didn't exactly treat him nicely when he was my student. Then there's also the fact that having a...significant other...would make me look nice." He snarled.
"But you do like him, do you not?" Albus asked, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them.
Severus was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say. "A...Albus, I can't. It would be bad for both of us..." He tried.
"As far as I can tell it would benefit both of you, Severus. Harry's gone so long without love he's unsure as to what it is and you are the exact same. Harry's gotten over his fear, though. He wants to love you, Severus, and I see nothing at all wrong with that if that's how he really feels and I don't doubt it is."
"Fear?" Severus looked agitated. "I'm not afraid, Albus."
Albus merely shook his head. "You just refuse to understand what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying?" Severus demanded.
"I am saying that you fear love, admitting love, commitment, and everything that goes with it."
Just as Severus was about to retort, the door flew open and Harry walked in. He paused uncertainly in the threshold when he saw Severus and Albus. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt..."
"No, no, that's perfectly fine, Harry, come, have a seat, we were speaking about you anyways." Albus smiled genially and Severus silently damned the old wizard.
Harry took his seat next to Severus. The younger wizard glanced to Severus questioningly, then turned his attention back to Albus. "So, what is this about, Professor?"
"Well, I believe there is something Severus has to say to you." Albus leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on his lap, looking smug and quite pleased with himself.
Harry turned to Severus and waited for whatever the potions master had to say. Severus looked uneasily around him and finally decided to try speaking. "I...I..." He floundered. "I don't know if I can say it..."
"It's okay, Severus." Harry leaned forward and kissed Severus' lips as Albus watched on in amusement.
Severus growled, remembering Albus' earlier comment on fear. "No, I have to say it...if only to prove Albus wrong." He grasped Harry's arms tightly and scowled into the younger wizard's eyes. "Harry, I love you."
He was surprised to see a tear fall from Harry's eye. The boy leaned over the space that separated them and hugged Severus. "I'm so glad..." He whispered before breaking out into sobs. Severus looked around awkwardly as he held Harry. He had no clue what he was expected to do.
"Severus, I think it's about time that the two of you return to your room. Harry looks as if he needs some time alone with you." Albus nodded to Harry.
"No." Harry said, sitting up and wiping the tears away. "I have something I need to talk to you about too."
That familiar twinkle had returned to Albus' eyes. "Very well, what is it, Harry?"
"I would like to stay here with Severus and be a teacher too if that's at all possible."
"Well, if you don't mind teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts then you may." Albus grinned, knowing full well that Harry was more than qualified and willing.
"I'd love to." Harry smiled, wiping his face with the back of one of his hands.
"Good. For a minute there I was thinking of asking Lockhart to return." Albus chuckled at the revulsion on Severus' face when he mentioned that name.
Harry smiled, "I'm glad I asked then. Shall we go, Severus?" He turned to Severus and the older wizard nodded.
"Yes, I think we should." He muttered.
Once in Severus' rooms, they sat down in front of the hearth and began to talk. "I wish Ron and Hermione were still here to see this. Hermione had said I should have been a teacher instead of an auror." He laughed. "I always thought she was more suited for it, but I guess we'll never know."
"Don't worry on the past, Harry. She made her decision and you've made yours. I don't doubt she'd be proud of you." Severus assured him after pondering what to say for a minute.
"I don't think I could have admitted how I felt if not for that. I can't help but worry that all those I love will be killed around me. I used to have nightmares about that sort of thing before Voldemort finally died." He looked down at his hands. "After Cedric died, I kept seeing him in my dreams...and Ron and Hermione and you and everyone else...and they were all dead. I was the only one left." He sighed. "I was so afraid that would happen, and now, I'm still afraid. Ron and Hermione shouldn't have died. They never caught the ones who did it either."
Severus wrapped his arms around Harry. "Harry, don't think about it...not yet. You don't know what will happen, and I'm sure that they'll be caught soon. After all, their master is dead."
"Yes, he is." Harry agreed darkly. "But why won't they stop? Shouldn't they have stopped already?"
"Harry, there will always be evil. When one dark lord falls, another always replaces him. There is no doubt about that. We just have to be strong enough to defeat them again and live." He kissed Harry gently, feeling only slightly comfortable with his new role.
"I don't know if I can be strong. Defeating dark lord after dark lord isn't how I want to live my life."
"Then don't, Harry. No one else can tell you what to do with your life. Spend the rest of your life here with me and let them worry about the next dark lord to rise."
Harry seemed surprised, as if he had never considered ever doing what he wanted. "I never thought of that." He finally said, laughing. "I always sort of figured I'd be doing what everyone else wanted." He finally stood up and pulled Severus up with him. "You know, I think I will stay here with you. I don't want to do anything else and this has always felt like home. It makes more sense than anything else ever has."
"Of course, there will have to be a few rules first." Severus nodded.
"Mmm...rules?"
"Yes. First, we can't do anything in front of the students. Second, if I'm doing work with my potions or grading papers, don't bother me. And don't look at me like that." Severus frowned at Harry's distressed look.
"Well...I'll try." Harry's frown then turned into a smile. "I might hold your hand or kiss you every once in a while when I can't stop myself, though." He laughed teasingly.
Severus scowled. "I don't want my students to see me as 'nice'."
"Don't worry. You can torture me as much as you like...later." Harry winked.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea."
"Uh, well...I didn't mean it like that!" Harry replied hastily, his cheeks tinged pink.
"Oh, I'm not so sure..." Severus teased. "I'll just have to see for myself." He whispered and then kissed Harry.
When he pulled away, Harry rested his head against Severus' chest. "I'm glad this worked out, though. I was afraid you'd just laugh at me and tell me to go away."
"I might have if I hadn't gotten so drunk." Severus said.
"Really? Why?"
"I was...afraid of love, as Albus so nicely put it." Severus snorted.
"I guess we both were denying what we felt, huh?" He smiled. "You know..." He looked back up to Severus. "It's still early and I'm still a little tired. Do you want to go back to bed?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Severus agreed as he ushered Harry back into the bedroom.
-End-
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"Albus, I don't know how to handle this!" Severus gestured wildly towards the door, indicating his relationship with Harry, who was still asleep in Severus' bed.
"I don't understand why you feel that I can help you, Severus." Albus replied, gazing at Severus over his half-moon glasses. "Why don't you tell Harry how you feel?"
Severus fell back onto a chair looking utterly defeated. "Because I can't. There's so many reasons why I can't."
"What would those be?" Albus asked, frowning.
"Well...first, he's Harry Potter. He's only twenty one, Albus! He's much too young to decide he loves anyone much less me. Then there's the fact that he's James and Lily's son - Black's godson." The last part he said with no small amount of distaste. "And I didn't exactly treat him nicely when he was my student. Then there's also the fact that having a...significant other...would make me look nice." He snarled.
"But you do like him, do you not?" Albus asked, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them.
Severus was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say. "A...Albus, I can't. It would be bad for both of us..." He tried.
"As far as I can tell it would benefit both of you, Severus. Harry's gone so long without love he's unsure as to what it is and you are the exact same. Harry's gotten over his fear, though. He wants to love you, Severus, and I see nothing at all wrong with that if that's how he really feels and I don't doubt it is."
"Fear?" Severus looked agitated. "I'm not afraid, Albus."
Albus merely shook his head. "You just refuse to understand what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying?" Severus demanded.
"I am saying that you fear love, admitting love, commitment, and everything that goes with it."
Just as Severus was about to retort, the door flew open and Harry walked in. He paused uncertainly in the threshold when he saw Severus and Albus. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt..."
"No, no, that's perfectly fine, Harry, come, have a seat, we were speaking about you anyways." Albus smiled genially and Severus silently damned the old wizard.
Harry took his seat next to Severus. The younger wizard glanced to Severus questioningly, then turned his attention back to Albus. "So, what is this about, Professor?"
"Well, I believe there is something Severus has to say to you." Albus leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on his lap, looking smug and quite pleased with himself.
Harry turned to Severus and waited for whatever the potions master had to say. Severus looked uneasily around him and finally decided to try speaking. "I...I..." He floundered. "I don't know if I can say it..."
"It's okay, Severus." Harry leaned forward and kissed Severus' lips as Albus watched on in amusement.
Severus growled, remembering Albus' earlier comment on fear. "No, I have to say it...if only to prove Albus wrong." He grasped Harry's arms tightly and scowled into the younger wizard's eyes. "Harry, I love you."
He was surprised to see a tear fall from Harry's eye. The boy leaned over the space that separated them and hugged Severus. "I'm so glad..." He whispered before breaking out into sobs. Severus looked around awkwardly as he held Harry. He had no clue what he was expected to do.
"Severus, I think it's about time that the two of you return to your room. Harry looks as if he needs some time alone with you." Albus nodded to Harry.
"No." Harry said, sitting up and wiping the tears away. "I have something I need to talk to you about too."
That familiar twinkle had returned to Albus' eyes. "Very well, what is it, Harry?"
"I would like to stay here with Severus and be a teacher too if that's at all possible."
"Well, if you don't mind teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts then you may." Albus grinned, knowing full well that Harry was more than qualified and willing.
"I'd love to." Harry smiled, wiping his face with the back of one of his hands.
"Good. For a minute there I was thinking of asking Lockhart to return." Albus chuckled at the revulsion on Severus' face when he mentioned that name.
Harry smiled, "I'm glad I asked then. Shall we go, Severus?" He turned to Severus and the older wizard nodded.
"Yes, I think we should." He muttered.
Once in Severus' rooms, they sat down in front of the hearth and began to talk. "I wish Ron and Hermione were still here to see this. Hermione had said I should have been a teacher instead of an auror." He laughed. "I always thought she was more suited for it, but I guess we'll never know."
"Don't worry on the past, Harry. She made her decision and you've made yours. I don't doubt she'd be proud of you." Severus assured him after pondering what to say for a minute.
"I don't think I could have admitted how I felt if not for that. I can't help but worry that all those I love will be killed around me. I used to have nightmares about that sort of thing before Voldemort finally died." He looked down at his hands. "After Cedric died, I kept seeing him in my dreams...and Ron and Hermione and you and everyone else...and they were all dead. I was the only one left." He sighed. "I was so afraid that would happen, and now, I'm still afraid. Ron and Hermione shouldn't have died. They never caught the ones who did it either."
Severus wrapped his arms around Harry. "Harry, don't think about it...not yet. You don't know what will happen, and I'm sure that they'll be caught soon. After all, their master is dead."
"Yes, he is." Harry agreed darkly. "But why won't they stop? Shouldn't they have stopped already?"
"Harry, there will always be evil. When one dark lord falls, another always replaces him. There is no doubt about that. We just have to be strong enough to defeat them again and live." He kissed Harry gently, feeling only slightly comfortable with his new role.
"I don't know if I can be strong. Defeating dark lord after dark lord isn't how I want to live my life."
"Then don't, Harry. No one else can tell you what to do with your life. Spend the rest of your life here with me and let them worry about the next dark lord to rise."
Harry seemed surprised, as if he had never considered ever doing what he wanted. "I never thought of that." He finally said, laughing. "I always sort of figured I'd be doing what everyone else wanted." He finally stood up and pulled Severus up with him. "You know, I think I will stay here with you. I don't want to do anything else and this has always felt like home. It makes more sense than anything else ever has."
"Of course, there will have to be a few rules first." Severus nodded.
"Mmm...rules?"
"Yes. First, we can't do anything in front of the students. Second, if I'm doing work with my potions or grading papers, don't bother me. And don't look at me like that." Severus frowned at Harry's distressed look.
"Well...I'll try." Harry's frown then turned into a smile. "I might hold your hand or kiss you every once in a while when I can't stop myself, though." He laughed teasingly.
Severus scowled. "I don't want my students to see me as 'nice'."
"Don't worry. You can torture me as much as you like...later." Harry winked.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea."
"Uh, well...I didn't mean it like that!" Harry replied hastily, his cheeks tinged pink.
"Oh, I'm not so sure..." Severus teased. "I'll just have to see for myself." He whispered and then kissed Harry.
When he pulled away, Harry rested his head against Severus' chest. "I'm glad this worked out, though. I was afraid you'd just laugh at me and tell me to go away."
"I might have if I hadn't gotten so drunk." Severus said.
"Really? Why?"
"I was...afraid of love, as Albus so nicely put it." Severus snorted.
"I guess we both were denying what we felt, huh?" He smiled. "You know..." He looked back up to Severus. "It's still early and I'm still a little tired. Do you want to go back to bed?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Severus agreed as he ushered Harry back into the bedroom.
-End-