Disclaimer: Not mine. My plots to get HP&co have failed. All right, I'll just write fanfiction, then.

A/N: Fifth story in the "Just plain life" series. Life and work at Hogwarts couple of years after "Indregents of a good crystal ball". Harry and Severus have become good friends (though they do not show it most of the time), Sirius and Remus are still together - they have calmed down considerably (but not totally), Ron and Hermione are in one of their "lets try again, maybe this time it will work out" phase, Ginny and Draco have just announced that they are going out and plan to marry. You can imagine Ron's reaction – and that's where this story begins.

A/N2: This was the second story written (at least some scenes of it) in the series that later became "Just Plain Life". In a way all the other stories in the series are a road from Severus and Harry in "Jelly-Legs" to Severus and Harry in "Siblings". A road that took me over a year to write.

Rating: R (better safe than sorry)

Pairing: Harry/Severus

Warnings: Homosexual relationship

Siblings, Friends and Lovers

I Harry
Harry lay very still, afraid to open his eyes. If he could only look like he was sleeping, maybe his current bedmate would leave and… Well, considering the bed Harry was in was not his own that possibility did not seem likely. Damn! At the move on the other side of the bed Harry almost stopped breathing, but his – what? lover? one night stand? friend (hopefully still)? – did not wake up. Yet.

This was a mess. With a capital M, like Mess. Probably The Mess of Harry's young life. And he didn't even have Ron and Hermione here with him. Actually – considering where he was at the moment he suspected his friends, despite their unvavering loyalty, would not agree to be with him. If he was quite honest Harry didn't want them to be there either. It would be just…weird.

Right, so Harry was there all alone – well, not quite, but you understand – and had to find a way out by himself. Apparating and hiding away was out – the castle's anti-apparation wards were still strong as ever. Sneaking away would probably wake his bedmate and get Harry hexed several ways into next thursday, staying and… apologizing? What would he say? "Sorry, I was drunk and there's this thing I've thought for a quite long time now, that you're really interesting and attractive and I like to be with you and talk to you, and I understood somewhere on they way that although I like being your friend I'd like to be something more and sorry for taking advantage of you when you were drunk and…" and he was babbling in his head just trying to imagine the conversation, what would he do when he actaually had to say that?!

And it was all Ron's fault! Well, it was! If Ron hadn't gotten into that fight with Malfoy Harry wouldn't have had to keep Ginny from hexing Ron even more than he already was (Malfoy was good with his wand, Harry had to agree) and Hermione from hexing both Malfoy and Ginny – and Sirius for laying bets on the winner and Remus for taking the bet… And all of them demanding Harry should take their side, because they were right – even Malfoy! Was it a wonder that Harry escaped on the first chance he got, going to the only person he knew would not laugh at his troubles, and taking a bottle of firewhiskey with him? He'd needed a compassionable – although sarcastic – ear and something strong to drink. And he'd gotten them. And quite a lot of more, that was the problem.

Oh why, why had he decided getting drunk with Severus was a good idea?

II Severus

Severus Snape lay in his bed and tried to decide what he was going to do.

Last night had certainly been something extraordinary. Not the getting drunk or having sex part – he'd done that before often enough – both together and apart. Having sex with a man wasn't new either – he'd had several male partners both at school and after that. Even having sex with someone he actually, really cared about – he'd done that too. He had been involved in a rather intense and sincere love affair through his sixth and seventh year and some time after school. It had ended badly. Very badly.

No, what made this night so very special was having sex with someone he was genuinely friends with – and of course, the Harry Potter part. He had certainly not had sex with Harry Potter before.

Harry Potter being gay was not a surprise. Severus had started suspecting Potter preferred male company in the young mans last year in Hogwarts. Of course, seeing Potter calmly and shamelessly checking out Draco's backside while the other was dreamily gazing at the Weasley girl (and why was everybody so surprised at their relationship, Severus had seen that one coming ages ago) might have something to do with Severus' revelation. Not that there was something wrong with Draco's backside, Severus had done his own share of looking – more discreetly, though.

Quiet catch in breath signalled that his companion had waken up. Severus lay still, feigning sleep, waiting for Harry's actions. Unfortuntely it seemed that Harry had adopted the same technique of being still and waiting for his bedmate to make the first move.

They lay there some time. Severus wondered if Harry was listening to his breathing the way he was listening to Harry's. And if it made Harry hard as well. It was getting ridiculous. There were other things he could do with their time rather than lay quietly with his eyes closed. Especially when he had such nice company.

By now it was clear Harry would not display the famous Gryffindor courage and speak first. So…

Severus took his wand from the bedside table and, ignoring his lovers startled gaze, did a couple of simple houshold spells.

"The left half of the closet is yours. Ask the houselves to help you with moving."

And that was it.

By the way, it was Harry who – several years later, though – proposed.

The End (Epilogue is coming).