Title: Verisimilitude
Author: GrapeSmshr
Rated: R
Coupling: HP/SS slashy goodness
Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were so, these charas don't belong to me.
Thanks to: Crazy Mary-J... You're my lifesaver with this, you know.
A/N: I love this chapter. In fact, I think it's my favorite yet. You know how much I love writing this fic? I'm actually keeping up with it. In all reality, I should be slacking off and working more on my classes than on this fic, but no. I'm keeping up with both. So yeah, I'm quite happy with myself. And I hope you guys are too. So... read on and enjoy!
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Chapter 8: Friends, Indeed
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Lunchtime found the two in the sitting room of the Potions classroom, chatting amiably over pointless topics to mask their obvious nervousness over delving into a more substantial conversation.
Finally, after full-circling and commenting on the weather for the second time in ten minutes, Harry decided to chance asking a question that he had wondered about on more than one occasion. "What was it like? To wake up after so long, I mean?"
Severus sighed, folding the corners of his cloth napkin uneasily. He had dreaded this question. And even though he knew someone would ask it eventually, he still wasn't quite prepared for it. Because that made this real, and while he knew it was real, he still didn't want to deal with it. Perhaps if he talked about it, he would be able to stop dwelling on it. Even talking to Potter would be better than not talking at all.
"It was disorienting," he admitted tentatively. "It felt like nothing had even happened. And then to find out that so much time had indeed passed..." He coughed. "In sum, it's like I am now living in someone else's world."
At the words, Harry felt a wave of guilt. He had, for all intents and purposes, planned on retiring from his teaching position when Snape returned. Now he was only fueling the man's discontent. But he couldn't resign now because it would be seen as pity. And even though Harry knew that wasn't the fact, he knew Snape would see it as such. Instead he decided to look at the situation from a different perspective. "Do you think that maybe your life was in need of a change?" he asked cautiously.
"No," was the automatic answer. Then Severus sighed yet again. "I don't know. Maybe. I just wish something so drastic hadn't happened."
"Well, look at it this way. You have a clean bill of health!" Harry said cheerfully.
Cracking a hint of a smile, Severus murmured, "I suppose so." He shook his head. "When did I become so morose?"
"Do you mean tonight, or in general?" Harry joked.
Severus stared hard at him. "Watch it, Potter. I'm still your elder," he reprimanded without a trace of malice.
"Oh yeah, like you're that much older than me," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "In fact, there are five less years between our ages than there were previous. And in case you hadn't noticed, I am an adult now."
Oh, Severus had noticed, all right. It was difficult not to notice when the spawn of the bane of his existence had been acting more mature in these past few days than he himself had. It was something he was thoroughly embarrassed about but was ecstatic that Potter didn't seem interested in bringing up. Yet. "Quite right," Severus muttered, more to himself than anything.
Harry watched the other man contemplatively. There was just so much hidden behind those eyes, and he wished he could be clued in to some of it. That thought alone startled him. He honestly wouldn't have even cared before, but now he did. Maybe they could be friends after all. Clearing his throat, Harry broke the silence. "Ugh. I just remembered that I still haven't finished making up some of the exams, so I need to do that. I'll probably be in here forever tonight." He gave a half-smile. "You're more than welcome to join me."
Severus considered the offer. "Well, I have some matters to attend to this evening, but if I can take care of those in a timely manner, then I will be back to help."
"Fair enough."
As they both finished their lunches, they cleaned up and began to prepare for the afternoon classes. Amidst the silence, Severus murmured, "Thank you for the lunch invitation, Potter."
"Harry."
"What?" Severus glanced at the other man questioningly.
"Call me Harry. We are colleagues now, so it is only fitting. Besides, I think somewhere down the line we can even be friends."
Eyebrow raised, he replied, "All right... Harry."
With a nod of encouragement, Harry waited expectantly for a return gesture. Receiving none, he asked, "Well? Can I call you by your first name also?"
"No," the potions master answered.
"Come on, it's only fair," Harry complained.
"No."
"Please?"
Severus shook his head. "That is too bizarre. Isn't it bizarre enough as it is that I am now calling you by your given name?"
"Not at all!" Harry protested. "Now come on. Please?"
"No."
"Be that way then... Severus."
Severus was going to chastise the younger man for his cheekiness, then stopped himself in disbelieving realization. He liked the way Harry said his name. He liked that they were on a first-name basis. Not wanting to sort out these thoughts at the present, he pushed them to the back of his mind and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he relented. "You may call me Severus, if you wish."
Beaming, Harry replied, "Thank you, Severus." With a wink, he turned back to the notes he had been looking over.
Severus inwardly groaned, hoping he wouldn't regret this.
Friends, indeed.
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That evening, Harry and Draco were in the sitting room, each busy working on class materials. Harry was on the floor, stacks and stacks of parchments and books surrounding him in an arch. Draco lounged on the couch, his surrounding parchments in much neater stacks. They had been working nonstop for the past two hours and could have used a break.
Lucky for them, a break came in the form of a fiery-tempered redhead and a bookwormish brunette.
As the door to the room all but flew open, effectively startling the occupants, Ron Weasley burst in and commented observantly, "Wow, that looks really boring."
"Ron! Honestly! Hello Harry, Draco."
"Hermione!" Harry jumped up and hugged the woman fiercely, then gave Ron a firm handshake. "Ron. What brings you two to Hogwarts?"
"We were in Hogsmeade and decided to pop over for a quick hello," Hermione answered, arm around Harry's waist.
"Well, I never say no to an interruption from work." Harry kissed her cheek affectionately.
"Nor do I." Draco rose from his spot to greet the others. "Weasley. Granger," he nodded to them.
"Draco Malfoy, how many times have I told you that it's Weasley now?" Hermione scolded, giving the man a quick hug.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Draco drawled, to which Hermione nodded in satisfaction.
"So, where is your other half?" Harry wanted to know.
"Oh, he and George are perfecting their newest product and couldn't leave at 'such a crucial stage,'" she mimicked, making everyone laugh.
"In fact, we should probably go check on them and make sure they didn't blow up their shop like last time. I refuse to help in mass production again, nor will I participate in any guinea pig testing." Ron made a face, and everyone shuddered in silent agreement.
"Good idea, mate," Harry said, walking them to the door. "We should have lunch sometime this week."
"Definitely," Hermione agreed. "Draco?"
"Just tell me when."
"Wonderful. We'll owl you, then." She waved goodbye.
"Good night. Don't stay up too late, now," Ron called before following Hermione out.
No sooner than the door closed did Draco groan. "That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm beat." He flopped down on the thick black carpet, upsetting Harry's stacks of parchments.
Sighing in exasperation, Harry moved them out of the way and lay down beside the blonde, arms under his head as a pillow. "I suppose a little rest couldn't hurt," he murmured, shutting his eyes.
"No," Draco mumbled sleepily in agreement, already half-asleep.
A short while later both were snoring softly.
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Severus wandered down the quiet hallway. He had just left from a meeting with Albus that had him very much confused, not to mention adequately curious. They had gone through the standard polite conversational topics before Severus dove into the matter that he wanted to discuss: who was the one that found the antidote to cure him?
"It was a group effort," Albus had said. "There was a small team of people working together on it. Of course, one person did find the crucial mixture of ingredients needed. But said person did not want the attention of discovering this and so gave the entire group recognition. Only myself and the small group know this, and now you do as well. I imagine if this person wanted you to know this, then said person would divulge this information to you."
Being given an unsatisfactory answer, Severus decided to try and prod Harry for some information. If he remembered correctly, and he did, before he went into stasis Harry told him of his desire to help work on the antidote. Severus hoped that he had. He figured he could now ask Harry some things and actually get answers since they were now... almost friends.
Friends. With Harry Potter. Never in all his years of knowing the younger man did he ever think they could be friends. Maybe that stasis did do him some good, after all. He found himself quite enjoying Harry's company these past few days. It was even entertaining to fight with him! Annoying and draining, yes, but entertaining nonetheless. Did that mean they were actual friends?
Sure, Severus had friends. Draco and Albus, and occasionally the other professors, if they weren't being trying. He supposed adding another to the list would be refreshing.
Approaching the Potions classroom, he glanced around and saw that it was unoccupied. His scrutinizing gaze noticed a faint light filtering out from underneath the door of the sitting room. He knocked, receiving no response, so he opened the door.
What he saw made him freeze in mid-step.
Harry and Draco were asleep on the floor amidst their work. The two looked quite comfortable, as Draco's face was buried in Harry's neck, and their arms were wrapped loosely around each other.
Quietly shutting the door, he hurried out of there. Not dating, hmm? Well, maybe they weren't. Maybe they were just--he growled, not wanting to linger on that thought.
He stopped. Why would he care if there was something between the two? They were both adults. It wasn't like it affected him in any way. Just because he was attracted to Harry didn't mean--
"Oh, bloody hell!"
Racing to his room, Severus called out the password in a rushed breath and entered, leaning back against the closed door. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest, but it wasn't front his mad dash.
No. No, no, no, no, no... He couldn't be attracted to Harry. He just... couldn't. Refusing to deal with these thoughts right now, he grabbed a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion and downed it, collapsing on his bed and sinking into the ever welcoming embrace of oblivion.
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I wasn't kidding last chapter when I said that torturing Sev was just the best thing in the world. I couldn't keep from grinning as I wrote the end... So much fun! I know some of you are probably getting a bit impatient due to no slashy goodness yet (and I'm quite astonished that more of you haven't started yelling at me over it), but we'll be getting there soon. I've got most of this fic planned out, so all I have to do is write it!
Please review. Your encouraging words really are what keeps me motivated to write as much and as fast as I do. Otherwise I'd take my sweet lil old time! I appreciate that more than I can say. Handfuls of golden snitches to you all!
As always, thank you profusely for reading and/or reviewing. Until next chapter, then!