Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 02 : A Bit Of All Right
by I Got Tired of Waiting
Part I : Severus
Chapter Two : Severus to Snape
Wednesday : 9 June 1999
The afternoon he began his theft, Snape had received his pardon and commendation from Minister Fudge up in Dumbledore's office. He was, for the first time in a very long time, in a Very Good Mood. Just seeing Fudge's barely concealed loathing as he hesitantly handed over the documents as if hoping it wasn't true, had almost been worth the wait. He'd received Fudge's false praise and half-hearted acknowledgment concerning his efforts in the war against Voldemort with all the humility of the cobra eating the mongoose. He'd been so downright wicked, Dumbledore had given him one of those looks. All in all, it had been very satisfying.
Snape had left the Headmaster's domain via the revolving stair while placing a protective spell on the priceless documents guaranteeing his freedom. He was taking no chances of them mysteriously disappearing in the event Fudge overcame his brief moment of lucidity and fell back into his more normal imbecility. Once down in the main corridor he was about to go back to his solitary quarters in the dungeons to toast his success when he'd sensed a presence almost on the edge of sight. 'There'--There on his left and moving in the opposite direction.
It was a familiar feeling--one he'd experienced many times in the last eight years. Harry Potter was roaming the hallways in his invisibility cloak. He had no clue as to why, of all the people in the world, he was sensitive to this one particular annoying brat, nor did he understand why he could always sense him under the cloak. And he'd been under orders from Dumbledore, both when Harry had been a student, and later when he'd stayed on to help Dumbledore plan his strategy, to leave Harry be, to not 'uncloak' him, as it were. Albus had always asserted that Harry was on business when he used it.
While Severus knew this might have been true (although given Harry's propensity for trouble, he'd always had his doubts) with the defeat of Voldemort last month and the well known relationship between a certain Gryffindor and a certain Slytherin, Severus knew better. In a flash of inspiration, Severus became Snape and with fiendish delight, he decided it was finally time to gain his last victory over the Potter whelp. 'The only business he's after right now is my business.'
Of course, he followed him.
Snape was, if nothing else, exceptionally talented at sneaking. After all, he'd had years of practice working and spying amongst the Death Eaters and Voldemort and surviving, which required an instinctive habit of fading into the shadows to glean the information he'd not been privy to but needed anyway. He hated the word spying--it reminded him too much of voyeurism. He much preferred the phrase opportunistic observation. It sounded less déclass.
Harry continued unconcernedly down the hall, heading for the lesser used portions of the castle, near one of the secret entrances to the Slytherin rooms. 'Now this is curious. Has Draco dared give a Gryffindor the pass codes to the hidden passages? Most intriguing and enough to earn him some rather unpleasant consequences from his house mates if they ever find out, his much vaunted position not withstanding. A most un-Slytherin thing to do if he did.'
Harry paused by one of the entrances and waited patiently, making no move to enter. Within moments the wall opened, and Draco cautiously stepped out closing it shut behind him. He paused and seemed to sniff the air.
Looking around, he asked, "Potter? You came alone? You weren't followed?"
Harry pulled the cloak off of his head and with it and his head seeming to float up by itself in the air, he exclaimed with asperity, "You and your bloody paranoia. Who would bother, and how would they know anyway with the cloak? What's the rush? All I said in my note was I needed to see you. I didn't mean this instant."
"You'd be surprised. Snape has, on several occasions, muttered he knows you're out there; he can smell you," Draco shot back.
"Why are you concerned? Ashamed already of being seen with a Gryffindor?" he asked, his laugh forced.
"No, I am never ashamed of anything I do; however, this is my business. It's none of Snape's concern what I do with my time. I have not seen him around all day, and I want to make sure my private life stays private." Draco replied with his usual disdain.
"Well, no worries this afternoon. I heard he's up in Dumbledore's office celebrating with the Minister," Harry replied more evenly. "C'mon, we really will attract attention if we keep standing here."
"Not to mention you would make Nearly Headless Nick weep with just your head bobbing along as it is," Draco smirked, taking him suddenly into a close embrace. He purred, "As to the rush, well--" He pulled him closer and gave him a lingering kiss, full of desire. It was not long before Harry responded, their tight stance speaking of a familiar intimacy. "It's not often you tell me you need me," he continued huskily.
When Draco pulled away slightly, his tongue licking Harry's bottom lip, he bent his head to nip Harry's neck below the ear and missed the look of disquiet on Harry's face even as he threw his head back to give Draco a larger canvas to work on. "Only to talk--to--you--Ahhh--So Good--"
As he obliged with sucking nips to the base of Harry's throat, leaving small red bruises, Draco's hands dropped lower pulling them closer and at Harry's involuntary groan whispered, "Easy, lover. Let's go somewhere we can continue this in private." He ground their hips together, eliciting a groan from them both and took one final bite out of Harry's neck before turning slowly, his hand on his arse giving him one final squeeze.
Harry looked dazed and as Draco turned completely away, Snape caught the dawning dismay in Harry's eyes, quickly hidden. They moved down the corridor, side by side, deeper into the unused portions of the castle, their quiet conversation fading as they went.
Snape waited for them to move on. 'Now that was most fascinating. Mr. Malfoy seems to have missed the little sentiments Mr. Potter couldn't hide. Perhaps his affections are not as secure as he thinks? Would serve him right, the arrogant git.' Checking to make sure he was not followed, he went after them.
Snape didn't bother to keep up. He knew where they were going and even if he was wrong, Draco's white hair, shining in the late afternoon sun pouring through the high windows on one side of the corridor, was clearly visible down the hallway. He was almost proud of Draco's paranoid search every few moments to check for someone following them, even as he cursed his watchfulness; however, if Snape could outwit his wilier, more experienced father, this young pup wouldn't prove any real challenge.
And he'd been right.
They'd entered a deserted classroom popular with the Slytherin for their little rendezvous. Its location and purpose were well known to Snape; however, his students might have been shocked to learn he knew of it but chose to remain silent and in his own way, approved. Their trysts and machinations had always amused him and he checked on them only to make sure they were staying out of trouble and remained undisturbed for the most part. So many of his students came from unhappy homes; he could not begrudge them the few sparks of pleasure they were able to glean in their youth before position, prestige, and power moulded them into miserable shadows of their parents.
Draco, however, was in a class by himself. Difficult, arrogant, and possibly unredeemable. He was not a pale shadow of his father, he saw fit to try and outshine him; something, as far as Snape was concerned, he'd not yet succeeded. The charisma and baseness necessary were very much in evidence, as was the ambition, and Snape had no doubt Draco would eventually succeed. Time was on his side.
This late afternoon, though, Draco seemed to be having some difficulties. As Snape positioned himself just to the right of the door jamb, instead of the rustle of clothing and heavy breathing he'd expected, he heard an argument in progress through the open door. 'I suppose I should be grateful their distraction is such, they left the door open.' Listening to them argue, he again wondered where the appeal was. Frankly, other than his considerable physical attributes, I don't see what attraction the offensive git holds for Potter. I'd not thought him that shallow. Perhaps it's the tired old adage of the moth to the flame.'
Involved with his own suppositions, something he rarely allowed himself when he was stalking someone, he vaguely heard Harry lower his voice and say something about his classes. In the startled silence following his words, Snape had perked up and really started listening--the tenor of their 'discussion' had changed and felt more like the calm before a storm.
"What do you mean you've quit the Auror training? You can't do that!" Draco sounded like he was shouting in the hushed silence.
Snape was startled by the answer.
His voice tired but emphatic, Harry replied, "Too late, I already did. Handed in my notice to Dumbledore this morning to give to Fudge this afternoon. I'm so tired of the killing, Draco, so tired of the violence. I just want out."
Snape leaned against the wall, thinking, 'Interesting. Brave boy, bucking the entire Ministry. They won't be pleased. Five points to Potter for being a typical Gryffindor.'
Draco's jarring rejoinder took a life of its own. "What in the bloody hell do you think you're going to do if you're not going to continue as an Auror? I certainly hope you don't think someone is going to notice your paltry skills as a Seeker and just wing you onto a Quidditch Team? You're not that good. Or maybe you can be some second rate chemist's assistant? Snape would just love that. What are you fit for? Nothing!"
'Bad form, Draco,' Snape thought, knowing the tirade was baseless; Harry might be many things but stupid was not one of them, although he would never let on about it to him directly. Ten points from Malfoy for not playing pretty.
Harry sounded defeated. "I know that Draco. I have no real skills to speak of, except being exceptionally lucky at staying alive and killing other people. I do both rather well." He sighed, "I'll think of something. I have some money put by, to see me through for a while, until I can figure out what it is I want to do."
"Well, don't look to me for support," Draco sneered.
'Ah my boy, I see the fuck-up faerie has visited you again. Fifty points from Draco for rank stupidity and potentially alienating an ally.' Snape risked a peek around the door frame. Harry was propped up against the desk in the front of the classroom, his folded arms and studied casualness familiar to Snape; he had seen the same stance many times when he'd really pissed the boy off. Draco stood taut in front of him, his body almost vibrating with his agitation.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Malfoy," Harry retorted sharply, his dislike evident in his voice.
Draco was instantly apologetic as if he knew he'd stepped over the line. "I'm sorry, Harry, you took me by surprise. You know how I hate surprises. We'll figure something to get you out of this mess," Draco growled, sounding affectionate. "Come here, I'll make it better." He tried to pull Harry into another embrace to continue where they'd left off from the hallway.
Snape's head snapped back into concealment. 'He's lying. He KNEW.' This disturbed Snape more than anything else. Unable to resist, he looked around the opening again.
Harry was not cooperating. He firmly held the other young man at arm's length, saying quietly, "Not now, Draco. I don't feel much like it."
'Very good, Mr. Potter. Never reward idiocy. Ten points to Gryffindor.'
"Oh, come on lover. I said I was sorry. I wasn't thinking. I like working with you. I'm going to miss seeing you all the time. Won't you miss me, even just a little?" he wheedled, trying to steal another kiss.
Harry kissed him gently. Draco moved in for more, a stronger, rougher kiss than before, trying to nip Harry's bottom lip. Harry, obviously disappointed Draco was not listening to him, stepped away, pacing. "Draco, please understand, this is not what I want, either. I thought we'd discussed this. I'm not--comfortable--with what you've been trying lately."
He turned and confronted him, "Draco, this bondage thing has got to stop. I don't--" He started over, "I don't enjoy it, it doesn't excite me, in fact it's quite a turn-off. I'm not saying I want moonlight and roses either," he chuckled, "but I don't quite see pain as the other side of pleasure the way you do. Can't we just have a normal relationship? Or find a compromise, one where we both like it? One that does not require pain potions and hot baths the next day?" he asked plaintively.
Draco made a low sound in his throat and commented. Snape couldn't hear what he said, but it was obviously favourable because Harry let him embrace him close, as Draco obliged him, the ensuing kiss sweet and tender. Harry leaned into it, their bodies melting into each other. Draco pulled him closer, their breathing heavy. Snape decided to leave them to it and was about to turn away, when Harry suddenly pulled away with a sharp exclamation. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand; there was a small streak of red across it.
"Ow, Draco! Goddamn it, how many times do I have to tell you--no marks." He looked at the blood on his hand and his fingers felt the raised bruises on his throat from before. "If that's all you're capable of anymore, then I don't want any. I'm not into it. Just leave me alone."
Draco's hands moved wildly in the air as he exclaimed, "Damn you Potter. I am who I am. No different that I was when we first met. You led me on." In a tinny voice he mimicked, "'Oh, that's not what I want'." He continued, in a rage, "That's not what you showed me last night. Screamed your bloody head off, you did. How many times did you come, Potter? How much did you beg?" Draco paced the floor in front of Harry, angry, like a caged feline.
He whirled around to face him, "You know what I am. Why the bloody hell did you agree to meet with me, tell me you needed me, if you knew you didn't want any?"
Harry's voice was so quiet, Snape had to strain to hear him. "I didn't tell you I needed you, I said I needed to talk to you. There is a difference, you know. Talk Draco--not shag, not kiss, and certainly not any bloody biting. I thought maybe you should hear the news from me directly, in person, instead of from someone else."
Draco snapped, his voice catching, "Next time, send me an Owl." He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, his cruel words hanging in the air behind him.
Snape barely had time to get out of the way, dodging into the shadows, but Draco was so upset, he forgot to look at what was around him in plain view. One look at Draco's face was all it took for him to note the rage mingled with an indefinable emotion; if his teary face was any indication, he really cared for Harry but hadn't a clue how to proceed.
Snape shook his head. 'I don't think he'll ever learn a graceful exit if it walked into him.'
Standing boldly in the doorway for a few moments, Snape knew Harry wouldn't notice him either. There was no real reason for him to be on his guard, not now, not here, and his shaky voice had left Snape with the notion he was as upset as Draco. He was right. Harry looked dazed and bereft. Severus replaced Snape in that moment, the memories of his own youthful losses sharp and, without a sound, he turned and left Harry alone with his thoughts.
****
Snape eschewed his normal nightly walk to sit quietly in his rooms in front of a small fire with Horatio, his Black Kingsnake, coiled in his lap with bits of him draped over the arms of the wingback chair he favoured. He had a few thoughts of his own and after much inner debate, decided he would talk to Draco and see what, if anything, he could do to help. 'Merlin knows Lucius never shed any tears. Perhaps the younger version is salvageable after all. That's assuming the tears were not a clever ruse to manipulate Potter; one can never tell with Draco without some close observation.'
Oh yes, he would observe Draco most closely tomorrow.