Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 02 : A Bit Of All Right
by I Got Tired of Waiting
Part II : Harry and Severus
Chapter Twenty One : Scratching an Itch
19 September 1999
The next night saw them cosily ensconced in their chairs by the fire which had been arranged in the same positions as in the old place. Although Harry would never admit it, they were both creatures of routine. Severus was reading a potions periodical, Harry his text on metaphysics--a confounding subject; there just wasn't anything solid to grab hold of, like logic. He was about to ask Severus a question, knowing from the way he was shifting in his chair that he really wasn't engaged in his reading material, when he felt his house slipper get uncomfortably snug, then tight, and then downright painful.
"Ow, what the--?" He tried to lift his foot to see what the problem was, but it was anchored to the floor by something heavy. He bent over at the same time as Severus to see Horatio gnawing on the toe of his slipper, his small fangs sunk into the thick leather.
"Oh hell," Severus said, taking in a glance the snake's dishevelled appearance. "He's molting. I hate when he molts. He's so bad-tempered and almost blind, so he bites at anything that moves."
[*I am not tesssty, I itchesss*] Harry heard him hiss, and chuckled. "Well, he fancies my shoe and says he itches."
Severus settled back in his chair. "I admit, it's good you can talk to him. He always seems so miserable when he molts. Maybe you stand a better chance at making him more comfortable."
Harry considered his words a moment and then said to Horatio, [*Can I helpsss?*]
[*You can rubsss sssome of the ssskin off, that would be nissse*] Horatio was coiling and uncoiling on the floor, rubbing his sides on the stone of the hearth. He still had Harry's shoe in his mouth and was trying to disengage his fangs from the leather.
Harry reached down and gently helped him get loose. He pulled his fingers back in time before Horatio's jaws closed on them. [*Are you going to bitesss?*]
If a snake could look sheepish, he did. [*I am sssorry about that. I cannot helpsss it, it feelsss good to bitesss.*]
Harry considered this a moment. "Well, if you have to bite--" he raised his hand and decided to practice his wandless magic. "Accio Gauntlets" he spelled and within seconds, the heavy leather wrist gauntlets he'd worn in Defense Against the Dark Arts practice and later into battle, sailed into his hands. He carefully removed the small daggers from the pockets on top and set them on the table next to him. Severus wordlessly picked them up and put them and their poisoned razor edges onto the mantel out of harm's way.
Harry fastened the gauntlets on both wrists, making sure they were snug, glancing over at Severus as he did so. "He says he has to bite. Thought these might help."
"Oh, by all means. Don't let me stop you; it's not like you need them anymore." He chuckled, "He's not poisonous and the bites heal quickly without scars; I've had enough of them to know." He rubbed his hands in memory.
The snake had, by this time, wound his way up into Harry's lap and was draped over the arms of the chair as well. He was easily eight or nine feet in length, as big around as Harry's arm, and really looked dreadful. His bright black eyes were obscured by bits of skin starting to peel off. Harry said to him, [*There now. If you mussst bitesss, bitesss the leather, pleassse. Not my armsss.*]
Horatio bent his head down and tried one of them, his jaws working the gauntlet's leather, his small fangs gripping the pockets on top. [*Not asss tasssty asss ratsss, but it will do.*]
Harry laughed. "Would prefer a rat, but he says he'll suffer through it."
Severus stared in fascination. "You're going to remove the dead skin?" At Harry's nod, his concentration on Horatio, Severus got out of the chair and went into his study. Harry could hear him rummaging around on his shelves and was interested to note that he came back in the room with a cube shaped box with an ornate clasp. At Harry's raised brows, Severus smiled. "Might as well collect it. There are dozens of potions requiring unspecified snake skin; he never leaves me an intact skin and usually there's so little it's not worth the bother of saving it."
"Makes sense," Harry remarked, turning his attention back to Horatio. He tapped the snake gently on the head. [*You'll have to letsss go for a little while if you wantsss me to ssstart at your head unlesss, of courssse, you wantsss me to go againssst your ssscalesss--*]
Horatio let go and swung his pointy nose back up to Harry's eye level. [*No, that would hurtsss.*] His tongue flicked in and out; he was clearly agitated. Gingerly, Harry took hold of the bits of skin and peeled them off in short strips, setting them on the table when they came loose. Severus picked them up and put them in the box. In no time Harry had cleared the loose skin off of the snake's eyes and face and part of his neck below. 'Kind of hard to tell, he's almost all neck.'
[*Thanksss you, I can sssee better now.*] He lowered his head and started gnawing on the proffered gauntlet. Harry started to peel but soon discovered it was easier if he could roll it down Horatio's body like a stocking, thus getting rid of the skin and rubbing his itches at the same time.
"That's absolutely fascinating," Severus remarked, watching Horatio calm down a little, still chewing. "He likes it?"
[*Oh yesss! That feelsss very good. You rubsss good, makesss the itching goesss away.*]
Harry chuckled. "Oh yes, he's quite vocal about it. And don't forget, he understands everythin--" Harry stopped suddenly; the viselike grip on his upper arm was like the blood pressure cuffs he remembered from his childhood. "Damn, he's strong," he said as Severus tried to unwind Horatio's tail where it had wrapped around Harry, squeezing and flexing. [*Horatio! My arm isss not a rat, pleassse letsss go.*]
[*Oopsss, sssorry. I gotsss carried away. It feelsss ssso good, the rubbing. Almossst like mating.*] The restless snake writhed, his coils tightening and loosening as he danced across Harry's lap and the arm of his chair.
At Severus' questioning eyes, Harry realised his shock and embarrassment must be showing. He smiled, ducking his head, "We really need to get him a girl snake. He says it feels like mating."
Severus smirked, "Makes me glad I'm not a snake then, if it takes that kind of grip."
Harry started to reply about 'grips' but felt a bit of skin catch as it was not quite ready to peel. It came away reluctantly. [*Ow!*] Horatio bit down hard on Harry's wrist; he could feel the pressure through the thick leather. [*That hurtsss!*]
[*Sssorry about that. I'll try and watch it next time.*]
"What happened?" Severus asked, concerned. "He almost bit clean through."
"I accidentally caught a bit of skin not quite ready to separate yet. He says it's tender. I can believe it; his new skin is incredibly warm and very soft and moist, like skin under a peeling sunburn. Perhaps a bit of lubricant might help?"
"It might. I have a very light formula that would warm and moisten your hands but not make you lose traction. It's also all-natural with very little magic, so it shouldn't hurt him when he absorbs it through his skin nor will it keep me from using the old skin later."
"Sounds good." Harry was relieved; the snake had already all but ruined the leather on the one side.
Severus summoned the bottle and poured a puddle in Harry's outstretched hand. Harry closed his eyes and let the sensations float through him as Severus firmly massaged the oil into each finger, his thumbs caressing the palm in long hard strokes as he spread the oil evenly. When the touch turned ticklish, Harry opened his eyes to find Severus trailing his finger tips across his palm, his eyes closed with a look of pure sensuality on his long face. Harry curled his fingers to capture Severus' hand and turning it over, swept his thumb lightly down the palm. Severus eyes flew open and for a brief instant they were connected by more than just their hands.
Horatio broke the moment by butting his head into Harry's wrist, tongue flickering. [*There isss time enough for mating later on. I itchesss right now.*]
Harry chuckled and gently pulled his hand away. He held out the second one saying, "Seems Horatio has my patience. Wants his itches scratched." With a small smirk, Severus smoothed the oil into his hand in a more business-like manner and Harry couldn't help but wish he'd treated this hand the way he'd done the first. When finished, Harry moved the snake back into position. "Feels like it's made of water but not quite," he said, rubbing his thumb and first two fingers together.
"It's a gel with some cactus juices in it as well as a touch of light oil similar to the one we use for massage." Harry blushed at that--Severus' full-body massages were not to be missed. And he knew it, too, if the little smile on his face was what Harry thought it was. "Poppy uses it for burns and other deep wounds to keep the bandages from sticking."
Horatio eyed them both. [*What isss that?*] he asked suspiciously.
[*Hopefully sssomething to make your ssskinsss lesss tender. Ssseverusss makesss it.*]
[*Oh. If the Massster madesss it, then it mussst be all right.*] He switched to the other gauntlet leaving the one he'd been gnawing sodden and glistening.
"Confident snake we have here, Sev. He's says he'll try it but only because you made it." Severus shook his head, bemused at the low hissing noises Horatio and Harry were making.
"He seems happier with it," he remarked.
Harry continued rolling the skin, the ring now almost as thick as his finger. He was almost half-way finished. [*Oh, that isss ssso much better. Sssmoother. Fassster. I likesss it!*]
"If you had any idea how erotic your snake is, Sev--we really must look into a female for him," he murmured, concentrating on the task at hand, trying to ignore the sensuous noises Horatio was making. It was starting to have its effect on him as well, but that was not something he wanted to deal with right now. "Like mating, indeed," he muttered.
"I'm not sure I could handle more of him," Severus replied wryly. "However, on further thought, the idea of whole families of Horatio's slithering through the hallways in search of rodents and terrorising the students has a definite appeal." His eyes glazed and he murmured, "McGonagall standing on a chair in hysterics. Dumbledore trying to herd the future generations away from his mice--" He got a gleam in his eye. "On the other hand, it could be interesting providing my bank account could handle the cost of their feed."
[*OooOoo. Rightsss there. I havesss a bad itch.*] Harry rubbed the spot in question. [*Hardersss! Oh yesss. Much better, thanksss.*]
Harry shook his head, smiling at the question in Severus eyes, "You don't want to know how appreciative he is." He continued to roll the skin, stopping to rub when Horatio asked him to. "Could be fun, Sev. I can hear the screams now--although we'd have to change the words to the song: 'Potions Master had a farm, e-i-e-i-o, with a hiss hiss here and a cluck cluck there, here a squeak, there a squeak, everywhere a squeak, squeak--'." He laughed hard. "Has some real potential, Sev."
Snape opened his mouth to speak but closed it almost as quickly. He wracked his brain for a suitable reply and remained silent, finding none scathing enough. Harry laughed even harder.
[*What isss ssso funny, Harry?*] Horatio stopped chewing long enough to stare as only a snake can at his master. [*Why doesss the Massster look like he ssswallowed a ssstoat?*]
Harry pissed himself, his hands stopping a moment. [*OooOooH! Do not ssstop. Itchesss mussst be ssscratched!*]
"You're talking about me, I can tell," Severus mock-growled.
"Only in a nice way, Sev. Horatio wanted to know why you looked like you had indigestion." He just couldn't tell him what he really said--or could he? "Actually, he wanted to know if you'd 'swallowed a stoat'."
That did it. Severus threw his head back against the chair, gasping for breath as the silent laughter made his eyelids turn inside out from squeezing them too tight. Harry grinned at the sight. [*Is the Massster all right? He looksss like he isss having troublesss breathing. Perhapsss you should helpsss him?*]
"He wants to know if I should give you a respiration spell, Sev. He's worried about your breathing." Severus pointed at him helplessly, holding his sides. [*He isss all right. He isss jussst laughing.*]
Horatio disengaged from the gauntlet and peered at Severus, slithering until he was extended over the arm of his chair with Harry anchoring him on his lap. He bobbed a bit and then came back. [*The Massster never laughsss. Are you sssure? He isss very quiet isss he not? Isss hisss faccce sssupposssed to be that colour?*] Harry reassured him with a chortle of his own and Horatio went back to the soggy gauntlet, happy to be rubbed.
Eventually Severus calmed down to loose chuckles every now and again. He replenished the oil on Harry's hands a few times when they got dry until Harry reached the tip of Horatio's tail and pulled away the orange-sized wad of old snake skin.
"That's a lot of skin," Severus said, eyeing the ball before he flattened it and put it in the box.
"That's a lot of snake," Harry replied, his hands and arms tired.
[*You looksss tired. I am tired. It feelsss good to have the ssskin gone ssso quickly. Let me thanksss you,*] Horatio hissed.
[*Thank me? How?*] Harry was confused and it showed.
[*Takesss off the wrissst thingsss and givesss me your handsss and armsss.*] Horatio was 'standing', his face inches from Harry's.
As Harry removed the gauntlets, Severus asked him, "What now?"
Harry shrugged, "I have no idea, but I suspect I am about to find out. He wants to thank me." Severus took the leathers from him and, with a small smile, cleaned and repaired them with two simple spells. He went to the mantel, replaced the daggers, and sailed it back to Harry's wardrobe. Sitting in his chair, he lounged back, curious as to how a snake thanked someone.
His arms free of the leather, Harry laid them loosely in his lap. Horatio nudged his upper arm and when Harry lifted it, he slid under it and started coiling himself tightly around his arm, looking like a snake spring as he slithered down its length, wrapping his body even around his hands. He travelled his whole length this way while Harry sighed in pleasure, his eyes closed. "Oh, it's just like a massage. I never thought about how he slithers, but just his movement feels so good." When his tail was almost at his hand, he lifted up and started on the other arm, winding his way down.
[*Knew it hurtsss. You have ssstrong handsss. There isss a lot of me. Isss that better? No more hurtsss?*] Horatio asked when finished and was back on his lap, his head at eye level.
[*All better. Thanksss.*] He stroked the top of his head and ran his fingers down his belly. Horatio lightly bit his fingers and moved away.
[*Stopsss that. It ticklesss.*] Harry could swear he was laughing as he slid off his lap and bridging the distance, climbed onto Severus across the chairs. He wound around his arm once and faced him, his black eyes bright and laughing, his tongue flicking out and hitting him in the nose. [*I likesss him. Are you going to keepsss him?*] Horatio turned his head and fixed his eyes on Harry and then looked back at Severus.
Severus obviously didn't a translator for this. "Yes, Horatio. He's a keeper."
Horatio bobbed once and then slid off his lap, going back to his rooms humming a happy snake song.
"Actually, I'm a Seeker--you really ought to pay better attention, Sev."
Severus reached over, smiling and covered Harry's hand on the arm of the chair, his fingers soothing across the back of it, his eyes never leaving his face.
Harry didn't need a translator either.