Title: Expect The Unexpected
Author: Erica Malfoy
Rating: R (NC-17 version on other sites)
Pairing: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Warnings: rimming (not in this version), fluff, somewhat OOC
Summary: Harry comes back to Hogwarts five years after graduation. He and Severus have a reunion of sorts. One shot.
Background Information: Harry and Severus worked closely during Harry's last years at Hogwarts. Harry had a crush on Sev then but after graduation Albus insisted that he leave Hogwarts for a little while, too many memories or some psychobabble like that. What Harry didn't know (and still doesn't know) is that Sev had a crush on him as well.
Expect the Unexpected
Severus Snape was sitting in his quarters awaiting Albus's inevitable arrival. He knew that Zephyr would resign his position, leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts position open yet again. And this time it was purely Severus' fault.
The door to his quarters opened and Albus charged in. "Severus! Why on earth has Zephyr turned in his resignation?" he demanded.
Severus released a heavy sigh and turned to the Headmaster. "You were aware of our....relationship. However, our status has changed."
"And this has caused him to resign? Please elaborate on the situation for me Severus."
Severus sighed once more. He loathed conversations where he had to share his thoughts and feelings with others but there was no way out of this one. There was never a way out when Albus was involved. "He came to my quarters earlier this evening and we spoke briefly before he started to....take things further. I told him to stop, that I no longer wanted the relationship we had. We argued for a bit and he left."
"And since you are no longer together he does not wish to work at Hogwarts anymore?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Severus, tell me why you ended things, at least for my sake. You are like a son to me and I would like to know what went wrong."
Merlin that man was evil, guilting him into telling things he had no desire to share. At least he still had some of his secrets intact, like that of his crush on one Harry Potter. "It simply was not working."
Albus gave him a look that said he knew there was more to it. Severus rolled his eyes and continued. "It was emotionally unfulfilling. We had sex but hardly ever talked."
"And you want involvement on both a physical and emotional level," Albus contributed.
"Indeed. As I said, it simply was not working."
"I agree with you dear boy. But this has left me with the difficult task of finding a new Defense teacher. Perhaps Harry would be willing...." he trailed off, losing himself in his thoughts. A few seconds later he stood and smiled at Severus. "You do know that I do not blame you for the loss of our Defense teacher."
"Of course Albus," Severus replied, sounding confident but feeling guilty just the same. "Good night."
"Good night my boy."
Harry was reading in his London flat when he heard a pop outside his window. Glancing up, he saw Fawkes outside. He moved to the window and opened it, removing the parchment from the Phoenix's leg. He unrolled the scroll and read it quickly.
Harry,
Due to recent events, I find myself without a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor once again. Would you be interested in taking on this position? You do not need to take on the position permanently, though you may if you wish. You are my first choice for the position and I will be eagerly awaiting your reply.
Albus
Harry sat down at his table and considered the letter. Albus wanted him to teach Defense and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to teach it as well. The war had ended five years ago, just weeks before his graduation, and since then he had been enjoying his freedom. But now he was restless and wanted to go home - home to Hogwarts. 'And you want to see Severus,' the pesky voice in his head reminded him. The opportunity for both was sitting on his kitchen table.
Harry reached for a fresh parchment and a quill, penning a quick note to Albus.
Albus,
I would love to take on the Defense position. Please let me know when Danny and I can arrive at Hogwarts and what level the students are at in their Defense studies. I trust that arrangements can be made to accommodate Danny and me. I look forward to seeing you again.
Harry
He sent the note off with Fawkes and walked to his bedroom. He had a feeling the coming weeks would be busy for him with moving in to do and lessons to plan. He kissed Danny on the forehead before snuggling into bed. He promptly fell asleep, dreaming of Hogwarts and going home.
Two days later Albus met Harry and Danny at the gates of Hogwarts. Albus greeted Harry with a hug and a lemon drop. Then he dropped to his knees so he was eye level with Danny. "Are you excited to be here, my boy?"
"Yes sir!" Danny replied, looking up at the castle in awe. It seemed to be a truly magical place.
Turning to Harry once again, Albus told Harry of his options for the location of his quarters. "You have two options for quarters, Harry. The first is near Gryffindor tower, quite close to the common room entrance actually. The second is in the dungeons. It is slightly larger and a little more isolated. Take your pick."
"I think we'll stay near Gr – "
"The dungeons! Oh Daddy can we please?" Harry sighed heavily. The dungeons were not his first choice. After all, Severus was down there and Harry didn't know if his and Danny's presence would be appreciated. He hadn't even received owls from the man in the past five years. But he couldn't say no to Danny so he agreed.
"Sure Danny. We'll take the quarters in the dungeons then Albus."
"Very well Harry," Albus replied, eyes twinkling madly. "I will send house elves to collect your things from the carriage and bring them to your quarters. Feel free to explore the castle. See you at dinner Harry." Albus strode off towards the castle. Harry had noticed the maddening twinkle in the old man's eyes and knew it couldn't be a good sign.
Danny pulled Harry's robe sleeve. Being nearly five, he was quite eager to get exploring.
When Harry and Danny entered the Great Hall for dinner, Harry had shown Danny all of his favorite spots within the castle. He had also promised to dig up the Marauder's Map for Danny when the time came.
Albus looked up and smiled at the latest arrivals. He stood and cleared his throat, getting the attention of the rest of the staff. Severus looked up slowly, inwardly nervous about seeing Harry after all this time but keeping his expression cool. He hoped that Harry would be happy to see him again, but he doubted that Harry would be.
"I would like to welcome Harry Potter back to Hogwarts. He will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts since Zephyr has resigned the position. We are glad to have you back Harry. Harry has also brought his son, Danny, with him. Welcome to Hogwarts, Danny."
The rest of the staff greeted Harry while Danny stood by Harry's side, looking shyly at all the new people. Severus was the last to greet Harry. He shook Harry's hand then kneeled to acknowledge Danny. "Hello there Danny. I am Severus Snape, Potions professor here at Hogwarts. I hope you enjoy you time here."
Danny smiled shyly at the man in front of him and said, "Hi Sev'rus." Severus shook Danny's tiny hand and stood up, facing Harry once again. "I hope you enjoy your time here as well Harry." Harry smiled at his once-professor, who turned in a flourish of robes and marched off towards the dungeons.
Danny turned to Harry and smiled. "He likes me Daddy! I think he likes you too."
"We'll see about that Danny. We'll see."
It was nearly eight thirty by the time the staff let Harry and Danny out of their clutches. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he plopped down on the couch in his new quarters. Danny climbed up beside him.
"I'm going to bed Daddy," said Danny, yawning tiredly before giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. "G'night."
"Goodnight Danny. Sweet dreams," Harry replied as he tried to stifle a yawn of his own. He watched with a smile as Danny retreated to his room and shut the door. Harry stood and stretched a little before heading towards his own bedroom, but he had barely walked two paces when there was a tentative knock on his door. He sighed in defeat. Sleep would have to wait for a little while longer. Harry pushed the portrait door open and found himself face to face with Severus Snape.
"Oh," he said in surprise. "What can I do for you?"
"Albus told me where your quarters were. May I come in? There are some things we need to discuss, Mister Potter."
Harry stepped aside as Severus strode past him. "What do we need to discuss?" He wasn't sure what to make of Severus' behavior. He seemed almost nervous.
"Your curriculum for this year. I have the syllabi from the past five Defense teachers. They may interest you," he said as he handed Harry a large folder filled with parchment.
"Thank you," Harry replied. "And please, call me Harry like you used to."
Severus opened his mouth to reply but a scream interrupted him. Harry dashed to Danny's door and opened it. The boy was hiding under the covers and Peeves was gleefully bouncing about the room. "Get out of here Peeves! Now!" yelled Harry before making his way towards the bed.
"Why don't you make me Potty," Peeves taunted back.
"Peeves," said a warning voice from the doorway. "I advise you to leave unless you want the headmaster to hear about this." Peeves floated out of the room muttering about greasy gits and stupid old bats.
Harry had extracted Danny from the covers and was holding the terrified child close to him. "It's alright Danny," he whispered. "Shh. Peeves is gone now." Then he turned towards Severus. "Thank you Severus, for making Peeves leave."
Danny looked towards Severus and thanked him as well. Severus found himself smiling at the little boy. Truth be told, he had a weak spot for children, just not when he was trying to teach them. "You're welcome Danny."
Danny turned back to Harry and smiled shyly at him. "Will you sing me a song Daddy?"
Harry sighed and resigned himself to fate. He was always self-conscious about his singing and now, as fate would have it, he had to sing in front of Severus. But he could sacrifice a little bit of pride for the happiness of his son. He looked to Severus, who understood the look and moved into the sitting area to wait.
Danny snuggled into the covers and requested his lullaby, and Harry sang it.
In the sitting room, Severus heard the rich sound of Harry's tenor voice singing the lullaby.
"Winkin' and blinkin' and nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew...."
Harry emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later and saw that Severus was still sitting on the couch, waiting for him. He hoped Severus wasn't going to be his usual prickly self that everyone else knew. He liked the softer side of the man he had seen during his last two years at Hogwarts.
"Don't even think about commenting on my singing abilities."
"I wasn't going to. But now that I know my comments will annoy you, I must." He smirked at Harry's surprised face. "I thought it was quite good actually."
Between the compliment and the teasing that indicated that their relationship was the same as it had been when he had left five years ago, Harry couldn't think of anything to say. Severus took the opportunity to question Harry about Danny.
"I have a few questions for you. About Danny."
Harry sighed. This was bound to come up eventually. "Ask away."
"Where is his mother?"
"Dead."
"Oh," he said, and then paused. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I didn't know her anyway," Harry said before he realized how strange that had sounded. "I mean, I never knew either of his parents. So there is really nothing to be sorry about." He had caught the brief look of shock that crossed the Potions Master's face and knew what the man had been thinking. "You thought he was my biological child," Harry said matter-of-factly. Severus nodded slightly. "He was born the day before Albus brought him to me. His mother had died during the birth and his father had killed himself when he heard. Albus showed up the day afterwards and gave him to me. He had already filed the adoption papers and everything, the meddling old coot. He said I needed something to focus my life on since Voldemort was gone."
"From what I've seen you are a wonderful father," Severus said, even shocking himself. Harry had always made him do extreme things.
"He always says that he wants another on though."
"Another parent or another father?" Severus jumped on the chance to find out about Harry's sexuality.
"Father," Harry said without thinking. Realizing what he had just revealed about his own sexuality, Harry turned to Severus and asked, "You don't mind do you? That I'm gay?"
"That would be a little hypocritical of me if I minded." Severus watched Harry's expression move from confusion to comprehension. Apparently Severus' admission had emboldened Harry because he shifted closer to Severus on the couch and said, "So you wouldn't mind if I did this?" before brushing his lips against the other man's.
Severus was surprised by Harry's unexpected actions but he was beyond pleased with them as well. Seven years in the making, he thought to himself. He should have seen this one coming. His lips tingled where Harry's lips had brushed against them and he wanted more. "I wouldn't mind at all," he replied before pulling Harry to himself and pressing a kiss against the young man's lips. Harry darted his tongue out, playfully running it along Severus' lips. Harry's tongue met Severus' and he moaned before gently pulling away from the older man's lips.
"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that Sev." Severus quirked his eyebrow at the endearment but decided to put up with it if it earned him kisses from Harry.
"I have a fairly good idea," he replied.
"Let's hear it then," Harry said as he pressed soft kisses on Sev's face.
"Nearly seven years." Harry looked incredulous.
"You mean that you....that we...." He collected his thoughts and tried again. "I thought there was no way you would reciprocate my feelings," Harry said, hardly able to control his happiness and excitement. "And all this time you did."
Severus didn't say anything, just pulled Harry onto his lap and resumed kissing him. He could feel Harry's arousal through the layers of fabric and stroked it. Harry moaned and broke away from the kiss. "Wow," he whispered. "Sev I – I've never...."
"Shh, I know. Bed?" Sev suggested before dragging Harry towards the bedroom.
Edited for graphic sex ((Go to my info for links to NC-17 stuff.))
They cuddled in their afterglow, pressing soft kisses on one another, Harry whispering, "I love you," so quietly that it was nearly inaudible. Severus just nodded and smiled at Harry, a warm and loving smile, before he spoke.
"I have to go Harry. I have a meeting with Albus at ten." They dressed slowly and Harry reluctantly led Sev to the door.
"Goodnight Sev," he said and kissed Severus softly.
"Sleep well Harry," said Sev, who had decided that he did believe in love after all.
Harry shut the door to his quarters and made his way to Danny's door to make sure he was still sleeping. He opened the door quietly and saw Danny sitting on the floor, perfectly positioned to see out the slightly opened door. Danny giggled and said, "I told you he liked you!"
Harry smiled. "Yes. He certainly does."
"So," Danny said with a sly smile. "When do I get my other daddy?"