Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. I'll give them back to JK Rowling when I'm done. No money was made from this endeavor.
Feedback: Please read and review, flames are not welcome.
A/N: Thanks go, once more, to Sherdelune, my beta, for her patience and encouragement. Any errors still remaining would be mine.
Warning: Some OotP spoilers.
Thanks: Go to all my reviewers, I really appreciate your encouragement and feedback.

Anything between two *, denotes a thought.

...

Wanted: Single, Older Male for a Roommate
Chapter 12: Moving In

The day dawned sunny and clear, promising to be a beautiful, warm day -- perfect for moving in. Harry, Severus and Dobby took advantage of the nice morning and apparated to Stone Mason Place first thing to get a head start on the clean-up that would be needed before their furniture was to arrive.

Harry, who was still carrying Sliver coiled around his wrist, found the snake to be inconveniently placed while attempting to work. He asked Sliver to wrap himself around his neck and shoulders instead. The snake was all to ready to agree, for he wanted to watch the action of the humans. Severus didn't hear Harry speak Parseltongue often while he was present, and now that he realized his feelings for the younger wizard he was glad of that fact. Severus was finding the siblant sounds of snake language to be quite erotic and it skittered along the nerve endings of his spine.

Severus watched the snake slither slowly up Harry's arm and twine itself around his neck.

"Can you work with him wrapped around you like that?" Severus asked curiously.

"Sure, he's not all that heavy and by now his weight is just plain familiar to me," Harry remarked as he lifted up his trunk and placed it at the foot of his new bed. The bed, stripped of all sheets, was ready to have the old mattress and box spring removed and replaced with the new ones.

Severus noticed that Harry was doing everything manually instead of with magic and asked why.

"As much as magic makes things easier, it is not as satisfactory to the body. It's like our camping trip a month ago, where we had to think beyond the wizarding way. I don't want to find myself dependent on magic to do the little things in life that I find I'm physically capable of doing. I've noticed that you still stir your potions by hand, when you could just as easily spell the spoon to stir the appropriate number of turns, right?" Harry lifted a questioning eyebrow in Severus' direction, who was standing in the doorway.

Severus nodded,"Yes, that true; I do find satisfaction in stirring my potions. I see your point. So do you want a hand with the mattress then?"

"Certainly, the more hands the merrier." Harry, who wasn't dressed in his school robes, was wearing muggle clothing instead and he looked quite fit and trim in them. Severus hadn't given much thought to Harry's physique while they had been on the trip, but now he was; he secretly admired the lithe and limber build of the young man. He watched the muscles play underneath Harry's warm, golden skin and longed to feel those muscles strain as they lifted the top mattress, carried it downstairs and left it outside for the furniture movers to take away. The repeated the action with the boxsprings as well.

While Severus was covertly watching Harry, Harry was doing the same to Severus. Harry noticed that Severus decided to wear his robes and was curious as to why, for they would certainly get in the way and as it looked to be a warm day, and would definitely cause him to get hot. Harry would love to see Severus once more in muggle jeans and an oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, so that they could showcase his slim figure and nicely corded arms. He'd taken to dreaming about those arms wrapped securely around him as they lay together in bed asleep.

Sliver noticed Harry's pre-occupation with Severus and remarked on it.

"Why haven't you mated with him yet?" Sliver asked.

"Becausssse he doesn't return my feelingssss," hissed Harry in return.

"Are you ssure about that? I noticcced that he watchesss you with hungry eyesss."

"What?" Harry was so stunned by this that he spoke this out loud, not in Parseltongue, but in regular human speech.

Severus' head shot up from his helping clean out the single armoir in the bedroom, curious about Harry's outburst.

"What did he say?" Severus asked, wondering what Harry and the snake were talking about.

"Um, nothing." Harry looked confused and turned his head back towards Sliver and resumed conversing in Parseltongue again. The hissing caused Severus to shiver, and while Harry was otherwise occupied with the snake, he looked his fill of Harry's lovely backside.

"He watches you constantly, while you aren't looking. He'sss doing it now in fact. Don't you feel his gaze upon you?" Sliver questioned a still bewildered Harry.

"Well, yesss. I just thought it wasss wisshful thinking on my part. But it doessn't mean he wantss to mate with me, he could just be curiousss asss to what we are talking about."

"Well, I could tell you if he doesss want to mate with you. Tell him that I want to get to know him bettter, that I would be honoured if would carry me." Sliver loosened his hold around Harry's neck.

"Alright, if you're sssure?" Sliver bobbed his head up and down in agreement.

Harry looked back at Severus and caught the older wizard gazing down in what he thought was the general vicinity of his arse. *Hmmm, maybe Sliver is right. Oh, sweet, merciful Merlin! I can only hope that is the case.*

"Severus, Sliver asked me to ask you, if you wouldn't mind carrying him for a while? He says he wants to get to know you better, since we're now sharing a home. Says it will make you more comfortable of his presence and vice versa."

Severus was internally pleased that Harry's friend and familiar wanted to get to know him, at least one of them did. When he had first approached Hedwig a few days ago, she had hooted at him distainfully and nipped at his fingers a little too viciously. Harry had apologized and said that Hedwig had been on the receiving end of one too many diatribes in the last seven years that had mentioned his Potions Master.

Severus had understood and acknowledged this with equanimity. He had plenty of time to settle his differences with the owl now.

Severus nodded his head and walked over to stand close to Harry so that Sliver could move from one to the other without being 'man-handled.'

Sliver's body shifted a few times before he settled comfortably around Severus' neck and shoulders.

"I wish, at times, that I could speak Parseltongue. It would be nice to converse with the animal that symbolized my House. And of course, to understand what you're saying to Sliver behind my back," Severus said this last to tease Harry, not knowing if it were true or not, but secretly hoping that the young man thought enough about him to talk about him with his friends.

Harry blushed a deep red and murmered that he might have discussed Severus a time or two with Sliver. Severus watched Harry now intently, his heart rate speeding up at this admission.

"Oh, have you indeed. What about in particular?" Severus kept his expression neutral instead of hopeful.

"Um, yeah, well Sliver had asked if we were mates since we were now sharing the same nest, as he puts it." Harry confessed the partial truth, as he didn't want to give away his entire secret.

"Mates?" The word whispered quietly through barely parted lips. His heart was now pounding. He conjured up a vision of what being mates meant to a snake. He saw Harry and himself so deeply entwined, that someone wouldn't be able to tell where one body began and the other ended. He saw one dark, haired head resting next to another and arms wrapped aorund two bodies, flush from recent loving.

Severus' body reacted swiftly to the images and he was glad he had the foresight to wear robes; they were great concealers. Then he heard hissing close by his ear. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Sliver hadn't moved, but was still communicating something.

"What's Sliver saying, Harry?" inquired a very aroused Severus.

Harry listened to Sliver, as the snake was telling him about Severus' bodily reactions. "His body is tense as if ready to strike, his blood is rushing through his veins, and he's very warm. Warmer than you were before."

Harry gasped and his jaw dropped in surprise, he knew quite well what those signs indicated. Then he heard Severus ask what Sliver had said. Harry blushed once more and he started to stutter out an answer.

Severus' eyes widened with trepidation. He slowly realized what the snake must have said, especially as it illicited such a stunned response from Harry.

Severus groaned,"Oh, Merlin! Harry, I ... I don't ... I mean ... I ... Oh, Merlin!" Severus was embarrassed, never before had he been in such a situation.

Harry saw for the first time his ex-professor and now friend at a literal loss for words, and that response alone gave his flagging hopes a jump start.

Harry smiled, a brilliant, bright smile at Severus, and approached the other man with now renewed confidence.

"Sliver just told me something that I've been longing to hear now for almost three weeks." Harry waited for his words and their meaning to penetrate the still flustered man; he knew his words had finally registered when he saw the stunned expression, which eventually turned to a large smile. Harry lifted up his hand and gently traced the smile with his fingers. He had never seen anything more beautiful at that moment.

"You mean, you...?" Severus asked, the words trailing off as his lips felt Harry's fingers caress them softly. He shivered at the contact and his heart was pounding fiercely again.

Harry just nodded, his eyes sparkling brighter than the sun was shining outside that day. "And you?"

"Yes!" The word left Severus' mouth on a breathy moan, and the already sensitive fingers touching the mouth trembled as the moist air wafted past them, Harry's heart started pounding in tandem with Severus'.

Neither truly noticed Sliver slithering down Severus' body and leaving the room to go in search of mice, giving them a chance to mate finally, for they were unaware of anything beyond one another.

Harry's hand left Severus' lips and caressed his cheek before slipping around to the back of his neck and drawing the other man close until Harry could reach up and place his lips against Severus' in a gentle and tentative kiss.

Harry's eyes slowly closed as Severus leaned in and deepened the sweet kiss. Harry moaned and when he did, Severus wrapped his arms around him and pulled him even closer, allowing for full body contact. Severus ran the tip of his tongue along the bottom of Harry's lips, seeking entry and it was readily granted.

Harry could feel his body reacting to the intimate contact and he felt Severus' body was already in a state of high arousal.

Soon, hands were gripping roughly at hips and arses, trying to bring release to the swiftly built tension. Wants and desires that had plagued both men in the last several weeks were demanding to be heard and taken care of.

They pulled apart briefly while trying to capture their breath. Harry's gaze locked with the pitch-black stare of his friend, and hopefully soon-to-be lover.

"I've only dreamed of this happening, late at night where no one else would know. Merlin, Harry! I love you so much, that it was like an ache I'd never known, taking up residence in my heart."

Harry blinked at hearing those unexpected, but longed for words. His smile blossomed and the love he felt for this man shown forth from his eyes. "I love you, too, Severus. I think I've loved you far longer than I realized. All I knew, was that I wanted you to be a part of my life, at first it was as a friend, but somewhere along the way, I knew it wouldn't be nearly enough. However, I would have accepted your friendship if that was all we could have. Now that I've tasted the passion from your lips, I want that and more. I want it all, Severus. I want it all, with you and you alone."

Harry reached up and captured Severus' mouth with his once again. The kiss became wild and unconstrained, as their hands began tugging at unwanted clothing.

However, before they got very far, they heard someone pounding on the front door and they sprang apart at the intrusive noise. Both swore profusely at the ill timed arrival of whoever was outside. They heard Dobby answer the door and then before they had time to make themselves presentable, Dobby popped in front of them.

Dobby squeaked at the sight before him and the house elf blushed along with the two wizards he had intruded upon.

"Masters Potter and Snape, sirs," Dobby said with his eyes swinging from one to the other in question. "The furniture people is here, sirs. They is wanting to know where to puts everything."

Harry cleared his throat before speaking, "We'll be right down, Dobby. Please have them wait in the living room. If we have anything to drink, please offer them some while they wait."

"Yes, sir. Master Potter, sir," and with that Dobby departed with a pop.

Harry looked up into Severus' face and chuckled at the somewhat odd combination of emotions -- chagrin, mortification, and frustration.

"Well, it looks like we'll be sleeping in comfort tonight after all. Do you think now, instead of having one guest room, we could have two?" Harry looked with apprehension at Severus, hoping his implied question would be met with agreement.

Severus looked long and deep into Harry's eyes to see the sincerity, want and love shining there and nodded yes. Harry smiled and reached around the other man's waist and hugged him for all he was worth.

Harry whispered against Severus' chest, "I do love you, with my whole heart."

"And I love you, more than I ever believed possible after all this time. I had almost thought my heart no longer existed, but you made me aware of it once more. I should tell you now, that I...," here Severus paused for a few moments to gather his courage, "that I haven't really been in a relationship before. Technically, I know what to do, but well..." He stopped and shrugged, for no other words were necessary, he knew Harry got the idea.

"Same here. So I guess that means we'll both be learning as we go. I look forward to that, a lot."

Severus chuckled, for he was also looking forward to leaning and being the eager student once more, especially in this new 'classroom.' He lifted a hand and ran it through the messy mop of hair of his soon-to-be lover. "We should get downstairs, because the sooner they are dealt with, the sooner they will leave," he whispered seductively into Harry's ear, who shivered in response and purred happily. Harry truly loved the sound of Severus' voice.

"Agreed."

~tbc~