Disclaimer: See Part 1.
Part 19
They stumbled into the castle when everyone else was in the Great Hall eating dinner. The Christmas Break wasn't over for another three days, and the students were still running high on the holiday festivities.
They could hear the laughter and talk from the small group of people from the entranceway. Harry shook his head, sending snow and melted water flying in every direction. Snape gave him a rather dry look and ran a hand through his own hair to get rid of the excess moisture. They were soaking wet and chattering with cold. They were also leaving a substantial puddle on the floor of the main entrance to the castle. Severus took his hand and headed down toward the dungeons.
Harry found himself seated on Severus's couch having warm tea and snuggling into the Potion's Masters side. They had the fire in the hearth raging and were simply watching the flames and keeping each other warm. Harry finished his cup and set the empty mug on the low table in front of them. He then turned on the couch to lean against Severus. He rested his head on the other mans chest, pulling the warm blanket up higher on his own shoulder. He sighed quietly, feeling quite content. It was odd really. Never in a million years had Harry ever thought he would be so comfortable leaning up against his ex-professor and snuggling under a shared blanket.
"Severus, what are we doing?" he asked quietly, half afraid of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere.
"I believe the most common term for it is cuddling." he replied. Harry caught the smirk on his face as he drank the last of his tea. The cup was levitated absently to rest beside Harry's.
Harry sat up a little and wiggled an arm around the back of the couch, curling up his legs underneath him more. He grinned. He hadn't sat in that position in over eight years. It was amazing what you never realized was missing until you could suddenly do it again.
"Comfortable?" he asked. Severus nodded, allowing his own arm to go around Harry's shoulder. His fingers played absently with Harry's fringed hair. Harry closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"I don't know if I will ever find a more comfortable position." Harry whispered. He felt Severus pull him closer, shifting his body into a tighter alignment along his side. The arm went around Harry further. Harry groaned. "Oh, I was wrong." he laughed quietly, relaxing his body into the warm mass beside him.
"I'm glad I could be of use to you."
"You've always proved useful, Severus. Sometimes it just went unrecognized." Harry spouted looking into the flames of the fire.
"Oh really?" Severus asked. Harry nodded.
"Like my first year, when you stopped Quirrel from cursing me completely off my broom, and third year when you tried to stop Sirius from getting away. You were wrong at the time, but you didn't have all of the facts. You've always been a good man, Sev. You just weren't in a position to show it openly. And now you are so set in your ways that it would take a great deal of trying to change them." Harry explained it all with a very matter-of-fact tone.
"What makes you so sure of that, Professor?" Severus asked looking down at him skeptically. Harry smiled, and leaned up closer to press a kiss to the older man's mouth. It took only a moment for Severus to open to his tongue. The kiss turned heated and Harry braced himself on the back of the couch and swung himself over to sit astride the taller man. His hands went into long damp hair as he strained against a thin strong body. Severus moved one hand up Harry's arm, over his shoulder, to rest on the back of the Gryffindor's neck. The other settled on the small of Harry's back, pressing and urging him closer. Harry sucked at the tongue invading his mouth one last time before pulling back. His hands stopped Severus from following him backward.
"Because the Severus Snape who was a spy for the light side, who hated all Gryffindors, and made my life a living hell late at night and in Potions class, would never be sitting on a couch snogging the-boy-who-lived and liking it." Harry whispered. He gave another short kiss to the side of Severus' mouth and pulled back again. "I gotta go..." he whispered, loosening his hold on Severus' head and pulling reluctantly free of Severus' own hold. He forced himself to stand up. He stood there for a moment staring down at the flabbergasted man before delivering another short kiss, this time to the middle of a pale forehead. "See you tomorrow?" he asked. Severus looked up at him, and visibly pulling him-self together, smiled and nodded. "Good, sleep well, Severus." he whispered, before turning and gathering his robes and cloak, and leaving the room without daring a backward glance.
Severus Snape leaned back on the couch and gave a disgruntled groan. It seemed it was his turn to go to sleep turned on and unsatisfied. It was with calm dignity that the proud man pulled himself up off the couch and headed for his bedchambers dead-set against the childish act of wanking away a hard on. It would prove to be a long and uncomfortable night.
Tbc.
