A/N: A super duper long chapter just for you guys! I'm really getting back into the feel of this fic, and I like how this chapter flowed. I guess there's nothing really big going on in this chapter, but hey, it's the little things that lead to love, right?

Chapter 3

The minute they had reached the club, Harry had stepped to the restroom, thus leaving Severus to fend off jokes about his new flavor of the week. Then, the small party he'd been talking to (Lucius, his ex-wife Callista, and Peter) caught sight of Harry. He came out of the bathroom, accepting a drink from the bartender on his way over, and immediately gained Peter's attention. The mousy man choked a bit on his drink and flushed bright red when it appeared that Harry was walking right towards him, a sexy, shy smile on his face. Lucius raised an elegant brow; Callista seemed to be estimating at how much money he was worth, and Severus was trying to make his heart stop pounding so fast. Peter was having a fit.

And then, to everyone's complete surprise, Harry meekly stepped to Severus' side, twining their hands together. Lucius shot a look that said 'you-old-dog' to Severus. Callista gave a patented snobby smile and sauntered away, too rude to even say hello. Peter slowly regained his ability to breathe.

"Lucius, Peter, this is Harry. He's a . . . friend of mine from the area." Severus let out his arrogant smirk full force. Lucius nodded slightly, approval glimmering in his eyes. Peter awkwardly extended a chubby hand.

"Peter Pettigrew." The rat like man informed as Harry politely let his hand be swallowed by Pettigrew's beefy one. He wisely hid the spark of recollection that wanted to flash in his eyes. He'd heard of this man before. Why the hell had he agreed to this? He wanted the past behind him! But Severus looked so happy that he was there, so proud to show him off to his friends. The feeling of being worth more than you were was terribly addictive.

Harry was glad that Severus did not expect him to make polite conversation. He fluidly escorted him to their private booth upstairs, one that overlooked the dancing and the drinking going on below but that was hidden from plain view. They enjoyed a few drinks, and Harry even convinced Severus to dance with him as long as they stayed in the shady corner. Needless to say, Severus stopped that when he began to loose some of his wits. He still had negotiations to make. Just as this thought went through his head, Lucius caught his eye. Standing beside him, looking like something straight out of a model magazine, stood Draco Malfoy – soul heir to his father's mini empire and newest Death Eater. To Severus' inner jealousy, Harry noticed him too, looking at him like something he couldn't quite figure out.

'He's probably deciding whether he wants to dance with him first or just fuck him right now.' Severus growled mentally, fury clouding his vision as his date placed his attention elsewhere for the first time that night.

But duty called. Harry could not sit there while he spoke with the head of the department.

"I see you've noticed Draco Malfoy. I'm sure he'd jump on the opportunity to dance with you for a few songs." Severus said, using every ounce of his ability to hide the hot jealousy he felt. His eyes and voice revealed nothing. If anything, he was warm and light. Harry glanced quickly at him, gave another hard look at Draco, then looked back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't be jealous. I recognize him. He was in my first year at Hogwarts. I never talked to him, but that arrogant smirk is hard to forget. I've heard the name Pettigrew before too. Dumbledore said he betrayed my parents." Harry said all this as if he were discussing the weather, leaving Severus mentally baffled. Harry had seen right through him, and not to mention all night he'd been mingling with people that he'd known in a past he'd rather forget, as if he were having the time of his life. And Severus thought he was good at concealing his emotions. Then a worry popped into his head.

"Don't you think they'll recognize you?" He asked worriedly, glancing back down at Draco who had his gaze fixed on Harry.

"No. My hair was a light brown back then, and I wore thick glasses. Plus, I was the runt of the class, and had my run in with acne that year. I don't think he'll place me. He, however, hasn't changed much. And," He added with a slight tone of chastisement in his voice, "my feelings for him haven't changed either. He was rude and snobby then, and I bet he's even worse now. Besides, I don't like blondes. But I can tell when I'm not wanted." His warm smile let Severus know he understood that he had people to talk to without him listening in. "So I'll go down and dance a bit, have a drink or two, and find you in an hour, okay?" Severus nodded a bit dumbly. Harry had an intuitiveness about him that, though sometimes ignored in favor of blunt curiosity, was a rare personality trait. Severus admired it.

Harry sauntered down stairs, pretending to fetch a drink as he casually brushed up against Malfoy Jr. as he passed him. Like a fish gulping at the hook, Draco smirked at his father and was gone after Harry. Like a well-oiled machine, Lucius wasted no time in escorting the branch head up to the hidden booth.

Draco casually reclined against the bar beside Harry, making no effort to hide the lust in his eyes. Harry played along, not once casting a glance at the place he would rather be. Thankfully, Draco wasn't the type that wanted his biography before he danced with him. Besides, Severus Snape wouldn't bring a mudblood to a gathering like this. He had to be worth something if he was keeping Snape company.

So they danced. Draco occasionally licked at his ear or nipped at his neck. Harry neither encouraged his desire to make it sexual, nor did he discourage it. He merely danced, and kept the minimal conversation on safe topics. Although Draco was an excellent dancer, and rather seductive, Harry couldn't help wishing he was back in that secluded corner with Severus, having his feet stepped on and listening to the normally stoic man whine like a baby. Had it been an hour yet? Draco was getting bolder by the second. Finally, able to resist no longer, he stole a quick glance up at the booth as Draco breathed heavily on his shoulder and tried to remove the space between them. Thankfully, Severus and the man were leaving the booth. Severus was shaking the man's hand, a confident sneer on his face. The man looked like he was scared shitless, and glad to have the ordeal over. Severus cast a weighty glance to a mirror wall on the other side of the club. Harry had no doubt it was two sided. He just hoped Voldemort wasn't on the other side.

It wasn't like he was afraid of him. To him, Voldemort was like some kind of fantasy monster that hid under his bed at night. To be completely honest, most of the time he felt as though his time spent in the wizard world was nothing more than a vivid dream. It was alarming, to suddenly be thrown so quickly back into the midst of it, but he seemed to have an amazing knack for ignoring the harsher realities of life. After all, his ability to forget and glaze over was the only thing that gave him a semblance of innocence, although he was a whore, and allowed him to retain some self pride, despite the fact that he was a failure in the wizard world. It had all worked out very conveniently until he'd met Severus.

He was finally approaching the booth now. Severus was nursing a drink of some kind, gazing into its depths with a troubled expression on his face. Harry was struck by how unhappy he looked. The look disappeared when he cleared his throat.

"So, I thought that if you were done, and you felt like stepping on my feet some more…" Harry trailed off with a beguiling smile, hoping to earn one from his brooding partner.

But there was no smile. Severus sighed tiredly and stood, downing the drink in one gulp.

"Are you ready to leave?" He questioned, not harshly, but by no means gently. Harry was a bit cowed at how easily his attempt to cheer had been dismissed.

"Sure, whenever you're ready." He responded, wanting to ask what was wrong, but knowing it wasn't really his place to interfere with Severus' business. After all, he was just the side entertainment.

~

When they reached the hotel, Severus walked a few steps ahead of Harry. His pace was brisk and distracted. Harry shrugged when the friendly hotel manager shot him a questioning glance. They didn't speak until they reached the privacy of their suite.

Severus began to stiffly remove his clothing. Harry sat down a bit awkwardly on the couch, slipping his feet out of his shoes and watching Severus' jerky demeanor as he rubbed his feet.

"Need help?" He asked, trying to put a seductive lilt to his voice. Severus nodded curtly and allowed Harry to jump up and finish unbuttoning his dress shirt. Severus pinned Harry with his charcoal gaze.

"I'm sorry if your evening was spent re-living things you'd rather forget." He said, a small bit of sincerity and warmth creeping into his voice.

"Nonsense. I had fun, you were there." He said simply, as though those three words explained everything about anything. He was there. And that made things bearable.

Because Harry was concentrating on the buttons, he didn't see Severus look away, slightly rolling his eyes.

'It's impossible for you to be so … so …' Where his thoughts trailed off, his voice continued.

"…So Harry." Severus knew it didn't make any sense, and it earned him a questioning gaze, but he really couldn't describe the behavior the boy displayed as anything else other than 'just Harry'. But it was of no consequence. It probably didn't mean anything. He was so distracted, so unfocused after he did work like this for Voldemort. It made him feel like he was drifting aimlessly. He pulled away from Harry's talented fingers and headed towards the bathroom, even though he still had a few buttons left on his shirt. He felt the boy's questions on his back, but they were not asked. Strangely, that disappointed him.

He drew a bath of hot water, shirked the rest of his clothing, and slid into the massive tub. With a wave of his wand, soft music filled the bathroom and the lights dimmed low. He didn't realize Harry had joined him until he felt the softest lips in the world press steadily against his own. He was an anchor, a solid familiar touch that was comforting to get lost in. As the kiss heated, his thoughts cleared. Crushed velvet lips were making love to him, coaxing and nibbling, pleading and loving. Droplets of bath water trailed down the hollows of his face as Harry's hands massaged softly at his temples. The kiss slithered down his chest like warm goo, melting into his groin where it solidified. His breathy groan drifted between their lip's embrace, earning him the reward of Harry's pink little tongue scooting into his mouth, licking at his flesh like an ice cream cone.

Harry's hand made a soft plopping noise as it disappeared into the hot water, lighting fleetingly on his thigh before dragging upwards, defying gravity as it dawdled over his skin, a river of hot water flowing slowly upstream. The feeling was so intoxicating, so consuming, he was sure it was the missing ingredient in the perfect love potion.

His cock swelled at the feel of Harry's pert entrance balancing just above his reach, the hot water lapping around both of their nether regions, scalding them and stroking them at the same time. Severus' lips descended to that white column of neck, twirling his tongue in an erotic dance to rival that of the most enchanting belly dancer. Flesh rubbed and mixed, the water rippling and splashing as they arched and grasped at each other. Finally, Harry gasped and moaned deeply as Severus thrust into him. His breathing turned raw … his penis rippled with warning contractions … his blood pounded through his face and hands …

Severus moved his body like a wave, sinking his shoulders deep into the water as he propelled his hips upward, locking his legs tightly behind Harry's thighs as their bodies became breathing works of art. Spurned into dizzying heights out of desperation, reaching that perfect moment of startling clarity, perfect understanding of everything, perfection.

And then it was over. The water was suddenly cold, and Harry was panting heavily on Severus' shoulder. They were somehow sticky and clean at the same time, hot with sweat and cold in the chilling bath water. Severus' prick was seizing up in the cold. Harry drunkenly raised his head, filling Severus so completely with his look that he wondered dumbly for a few moments if he had been Harry's first. The look of surprise, complete amazement at what they had just done, was so startlingly fresh that he found himself understanding the cliché, "it was our first time all over again." Severus smiled at his lover, standing with him in his arms and kissing him while they drip-dried.

"I needed that." He commented quietly as they pulled apart for air. "My headache is gone. Too bad they can't put that in a pill. I seriously think it would cure man of mortality."

"Why is it I feel I should be reading your pillow talk out of a philosophy book? Why don't you just relax and say, 'Merlin's balls, Harry, you're an animal!' I know that's what you're really thinking, Mr. Badass." Harry joked, playfully accentuating his teasing with love bites along Severus' collarbone. The attempt at humor was not lost on Severus, he smiled into Harry's shoulder and silently chuckled a few times before Harry rolled his head around and licked his ear. "Let's take this to the bed, shall we love?" He asked against that pale shell, no worries about what the pet name might entail or suggest. It seemed so right for the moment that Severus didn't think twice about it.

They climbed out of the tub and toweled each other off. Severus had temporarily forgotten his stresses and worries, and Harry was glad his plan had worked so effectively. They crawled into bed nude, Severus smiling and rolling his eyes when Harry giggled and wiggled his bare bottom against the satin sheets, a childish glee in his eyes at the sensation. Severus, however, found the wiggling bum to be anything but childish. After a few minutes of observing Harry's snuggling and wiggling against the sheets, he captured the boy's torso in his strong arms and pulled him on top of him.

"I have to go to another social outing tomorrow. A picnic of sorts to allow my colleagues to show off their newest sports cars, bet on illegal Pegasus races, and flirt with women at the clubhouse who aren't their wives. You wouldn't be interested in coming would you?" He drawled lazily, nuzzling his face against Harry's unruly hair.

"Pegasus races?" He replied curiously. "I've never seen a real Pegasus. I'd like to see a race." Harry informed by way of acceptance. Severus seemed surprised by Harry's admittance. He'd lived in wizard society for nearly a year; it was surprising he'd never caught a glimpse of the beasts. Then again, they were fairly rare and absolutely drenched in protection laws. Only the very rich owned them, and only the extremely rich had the resources to illegally race them. Countless contacts had to be used, endless money had to be slid into certain hands, and of course, you had to have enough flying horses to make it interesting. But, the business stayed afloat because of the scandalous money that was bet on it. If there was anything that the filthy rich business gurus loved to do in their spare time, it was to piss off the environmental activists.

"Well then, you can have a ride on my Thestral. The breed isn't as popular in the races as the Granians, (their renowned for their speed you know), but I spotted the beast at a breeder's when Lucius was looking for an Abraxan for Draco to run the jumps on. I'm probably the only fool amongst the lot of them that insists on entering a horse that runs the race primarily invisible, is known to be unlucky, and has a famous loosing streak. Oh well, call it a quirk. I like the blasted animal, despite the fact that I invariably end up with its dung on my shoes after I visit it, and it always goes invisible the second we're in the air just because it knows it makes me uncomfortable." Severus rambled, earning a few giggles from Harry as he traced invisible patterns on his chest.

"I think I'll like your horse." He finally said with an impish grin. Severus smiled dryly.

"Humhp. I'm sure the two of you will get along just peachy. No doubt in my mind." Harry arched his neck to kiss Severus' chin.

"Those breeds you just rattled off, how many of them are there?" He asked cocking his head curiously to one side.

"Oh, just about as many as there are breeds of muggle horses. I couldn't name them all. The only important ones are the thoroughbreds, which are the Abraxans, Granians, Aethonans, and the Thestrals." Severus replied in a pedantic slightly snobby tone.

Harry smiled and chirped, "Describe them to me, so I don't look like a complete idiot tomorrow."

Severus pursed his lips in thought for a moment and then just launched into it.

"Abraxans are powerful palominos. Most wizards use them for jumping competitions, because of their strength and beauty. Draco and his Abraxan make a particularly striking pair. He's quite a skilled jockey; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the races tomorrow. Granians, as the name suggests, are gray and devilishly fast. You'll see a lot of them tomorrow. The Abraxans are chestnut in color and used mainly for horseback sports and dressage. Good all around horses – fast but not dangerously so, strong but not too powerful to control, and easy on the eyes. I have a retired Abraxan that lives at my manor in England."

"What was her name?" Harry interrupted. Severus raised an eyebrow at the question that seemed rather silly.

"I don't waste my time doing such foolish things as naming my property." He informed tartly. Harry rolled his eyes and scooted off of him, snuggling into his shoulder instead. He yawned hugely.

"Call her Lily. That was my mother's name. I bet you anything that she's a Lily. I can see her perfectly. I bet she's more reddish than brown, sleek and beautiful. Is her mane a little curly?" Severus arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Actually, it is during the summer, when it gets humid out."

"I thought so. Did she ever win in the races?" Harry asked.

"I never raced her. She was my first winged horse, and I used her for pleasure riding and an occasional game when I stayed at my manor in the summer and fall. She's almost eleven now, that's fairly old for a Pegasus. I was informed that she had a colt a few years back. I haven't seen it though, haven't been to the manor in ages." Severus replied conversationally, playing idly with one of Harry's unruly locks.

"Why not, and what's your Thestral like?" Harry was quick to question. Severus chuckled at his inquisitiveness.

"I haven't had time. And my Thestral is an impish, unlucky thing that makes me the running joke among my colleagues. During the last race, he actually stopped flying to munch on the grass. Not only was it a source of great amusement to all who saw the race, but I had to pay out the end for the damage it did to the track. I always put some money on it though. Strange as it sounds, the beast would know if I bet money against him." Severus trailed off, shaking his head with half amusement, half exasperation.

"I guess you haven't named him either, have you?" Harry asked when he could stop smiling at the sweet attachment Severus had to his horse, despite the way he tried to downplay it. Severus nodded his head to affirm that the horse didn't have a name. Harry tugged gently at the hairs on Severus' lower belly, running his fingers through them and speaking with a bit of a pout. "When I see him tomorrow, can I name him? I bet he'll win a race if you give him a name."

"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," he looked at Harry's pleading eyes, "but if you really want to name him I don't have any objections. He'll still loose though." He stated bluntly, his lips twisted into a dry sneer. "That fool horse would fly backwards if the wind wasn't pushing him in the right direction." Harry laughed and slid his arm to wrap around Severus' broad chest, lining himself up against the content man's side. Severus waited until Harry drifted into the realm of sleep before he gently slid out of bed and went into the living room to get some work done. However, before he left the bedroom, he found himself watching his slumbering lover with something flickering in his eyes … something burning there that had never burned before.

As he watched him sleeping, leaning against the doorframe with a silly little grin on his face, Severus didn't really doubt that the horse would win tomorrow. With Harry believing in him, the horse could claim world champion status and Severus wouldn't have been surprised in the least.

A/N: Awwww. That's so cute. And I'm so excited about the races! I can't wait to write the next chapter!

Shadow Vampire ~ How was that for descriptive sex? I was going for more sensuality, as their love for each other is growing, but I hope you enjoyed it none the less. And the races should be a pretty big deviation from the plot. I won't say anymore than that!

Julz ~ Thanks for the reviews, Julz. I'm glad you are enjoying reading the fic, and I hope you enjoy this chapter especially.

Mousey ~ I'm flattered to the point of being embarrassed. I love AU fanfiction too, but it's so rare to find a good AU with Harry Potter. After all, it's pretty much an alternate universe already, and it's hard to make it anymore fabulous than the original plot line. I hope I'm doing a decent job, even though there aren't any midnight rendezvous in the Astronomy tower and secret trysts in the dungeons. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Knol ~ Here you go, and thanks for the review.

Angel of Blood ~ Don't worry. I don't make sense a lot of the time either. Why, for example, did I ramble on for a page about winged horses? Don't you think that's strange pillow talk? See? I'm confused as well.

Switchknife ~ Thank you thank you thank you! What wonderful praise! I love it when I get 'Wows' I'm glad you think the story is fun to read, nothing makes my day better than to hear a reviewer had a fun time with my story.

Justandalwaysmo ~ LOL, No Shakespeare this time? Where for art thou Mo? You know I was just joking, if you want to speaketh in Shakespearean dialect, thou spake away. Thanks, and hope you liked it.

Moraco ~ Yeah, he'll always stick out amongst the snobby rich people, just because he's still a good person. I want to work on developing the irony that a whore is a better person than most of them are later in the fic. Thanks for your reviews; they mean a lot to me.

And Lastly, to the reviewer that never ceases to amaze me:

Amaya ~ I have to go read your fanfiction. Your review had me really laughing. Poor Nadia, don't harass her too much. We can't all have Sev soap. And … um … I love you too; you're a great reviewer. * blushes insanely * I can't believe I just typed that.