Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Backstory 01 : All Through the Night

Chapter Nine : Christmas Should be Softly Spoken

Monday 8 December 2003

"You have a new set of rooms?" Albus asked, the teacup arrested midway to his mouth. "In your quarters?" He looked at Severus over the top of the cup. He took a sip, his eyes glazed. Putting it down, he focussed on the Potions master. "How strange."

Severus stared at him impassively.

"Oh come now! I may have 'tweaked' your rooms a bit in the past, but this? No, my dear boy, I did not add any rooms to your quarters."

Severus raised his brow in disbelief; it was going to be another one of those days.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Tuesday 9 December 2003

"Perhaps it slipped your mind?"

"I assure you I'm not that feeble, Severus. I would remember if I added rooms to your quarters."

"Ah, like you remembered where you put your manners last week."

"- - -"

Ah, the day was looking quite fine.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Wednesday 10 December 2003

"I'm not angry about it."

"Liar."

Perhaps.

"All right, mildly annoyed."

"Prevaricator."

"Very well, I admit to some irritation that someone fussed with our quarters - again."

"You're dissembling."

"I won't hold it against you."

Much.

Dumbledore snorted. "Ah, I'm beginning to see how your nose got in its current condition."

Nose? Oh. That whole damned Gepetto the Puppet Master thing again. After nearly a century, one would think they would tire of all the sordid gossip and leave them to it; it wouldn't be the first time...

"Albus! Where do you think you're going?"

The students nearby were suddenly interested in the paintings as the abandoned Potions master swept by them.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Thursday 11 December 2003

The pheasant was perfect.

"Too bad you couldn't have expanded the Potions storeroom while you were at it; I could really use the room.

Dumbledore poked a fork at him in irritation. "Never in my life have I encountered anyone more stubborn than you! How many times do I need to tell you? I. Did. Not. Add. Rooms. To. Your. Quarters!"

"- - -"

If Harry and Poppy exchanged one more grin... Well, he couldn't do anything about Poppy, but Harry?

He began to plot for the evening's 'entertainment'.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Friday 12 December 2003

"Severus..."

"This is really quite simple, Albus."

"Severus..."

"You've been dodging me all day."

"Severus...!"

"All I want to know is..."

"SEVERUS!"

"What?"

"Make yourself useful and hand me some toilet paper."

"No. Not until..."

"I can hex you through the door."

The thundering frown turned into a tiny smirk. Hex? Good idea - itching or stinging?

"Very well, Albus. Let me just get you some."

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Saturday 13 December 2003

He wiped his mouth with his napkin; dinner had been adequate, but boring as his normal companions were missing. "Where's the old man?"

"He's, um, doing some research in our rooms and asked for dinner in."

"Hmph." He sniffed. "Coward."

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Sunday 14 December 2003

The place next to Poppy was empty.

"Still at his research?"

"Severus, you know where he is."

"Hmph. Thought as much. Hiding, is he?"

"You have been hounding him a bit."

"I just want the truth."

"Sadly, I think he's already given it to you."

"Hmmm."

"Oh, and I meant to ask you - we've had a rash of skin allergies in the infirmary. Do you have any more anti-itch potion? I seem to have run out."

"I'll see what I can find."

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Monday 15 December 2003

"If it's not you, Albus," he asked, pacing around the office, "then who did it?"

"Ha!" the headmaster exclaimed in triumph. "You admit you might have been wrong?"

Was it possible to kill someone with just a glance?

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Tuesday 16 December 2003

Hands splayed on the desk, supporting his weight, he demanded, "Are you prepared to discuss this reasonably?"

The old man sat back smugly in his chair, his hands folded over his stomach. "Are you prepared to admit you were wrong?"

He leaned in closer and hissed, "Are you prepared to tell me who, if not you?"

He'd forgot how penetrating Albus' glare could be.

The door made quite a satisfying slam on the way out this time.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Wednesday 17 December 2003

With the holidays approaching, the students were restless, the noise in the Great Hall almost deafening.

"I'm not telling."

"Ha! So, you do know who did it."

"Not until yesterday."

"Yesterday? And you said nothing?" he roared.

Pity he couldn't get the students this quiet in class.

"If memory serves, I am not the one who almost shook my door off its hinges." His eyes twinkling, he added, "It took me a while to figure it out, Severus, and you will also - if you accept the premise that I didn't do it."

He wondered how Albus would look wearing his oatmeal.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Thursday 18 December 2003

"No, Severus. I did not add the rooms to our quarters. Why on earth would you think that? Besides I was with you when it happened. Remember? Bed? Strewn bedclothes? Floor? Ohgodsohgodsohgods?"

Severus looked ready to spit and roast someone. "I should have known the old man would redirect me."

"He said I did it?" Harry asked, horrified.

"Not precisely."

Trying to hide his grin, Harry shook his head. "You know I've heard that St. Mungo's has some terrific treatment plans to help those poor souls with obsessions."

"Treatments?" Severus smiled evilly and curled his hands in front of him, fingers waggling as if he already had a hold of Harry's sides. "Or poor souls?"

Oh shit... "Two second head-start?"

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Friday 19 December 2003

Perched on the corner of Severus' desk, his arms loosely folded, Harry bit back another smile. "Does it really matter, love?" he soothed as his husband wore a new track in his study floor.

"Not you, too?" Severus rasped, turning back the way he'd just come.

"No," Harry replied in a sing-song voice, "not me, too." Back and forth across the wide room, the movement was rather like a tiger's graceful, restive pacing. "However, you've barred the door to the new rooms and since Perrin is due to move in tomorrow morning, we should see that they are properly prepared." When Severus neither stopped nor answered him, he chuckled. "I suppose I could just break the wards..."

"Oh, very well," Severus descried, stopping in front of him. "I suppose it's harmless, but it's driving me mad that we still don't know who added them."

Harry truly didn't care, not that he would ever admit that aloud after last night, and decided he needed to get Severus moving before he changed his mind. Merlin knew what was in there; he'd not really seen much in the peek he'd had before Severus slammed the door shut and warded it, while muttering about how incautious he'd become.

Standing, he grabbed Severus around the waist before he could start another circuit. "You'll wear a rut," Harry murmured, drawing him close.

With a heavy sigh followed by a low chuckle, his husband finally slid his arms around him and nuzzled his neck. "Rutting has its appeal," he whispered, his tongue tracing the shell of Harry's ear.

Shivering at the delicious tickle, Harry nevertheless ducked his head, ruefully shaking it. "Are you trying to side-track me?"

"Mmmm hmmm," Severus hummed, bumping his nose playfully against Harry's forehead; a clear picture formed of what he would get if he would just lift his face. Who could resist such a delectable offering? Soon on the receiving end of one of Severus' better kisses, he vaguely heard the "Is it working?" spoken into his lips.

Harry gasped out, "What, the distraction or the equipment?"

Severus pressed them close while leading them backwards. "I have no doubts about the better bits."

"Uh huh," Harry replied dreamily, his eyes closed as his mouth unerringly found Severus' again. He really didn't notice tumbling onto the sofa, just the carnal sensations flooding him as his husband pulled him down on top of him. His last coherent thought was that he would need to polish up on his silencing spells.

A gratifying time later, both snuggled sated and loose, Harry remarked sleepily, "Well, I think that just about covers the whole apartment. We'll at least have the bath and the bedroom to ourselves."

Severus chuckled. "Ah, I was wondering when you would catch on."

Severus' chest really was broader than it looked when clothed, he thought, twirling the thick hair with his finger. "I finally figured it out when you broke the 'no-sex' rule in my study." He dropped a kiss on the pale skin near his lips. "I have to admit there was a certain thrill in possibly getting caught with the open Floo. Gods that was amazing."

"Ben says that with the bond it gets - ah - better with time."

Grinning, Harry raised his head, waggling his brows. "I'm not sure I can survive 'better'. It already feels like a little death each time."

"Healer, heal thyself." Severus sniffed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Take it anyway you want, just don't stop."

Severus' only reply was to pull Harry up and closer for a languid kiss. Reluctantly ending it, Harry propped himself on his elbows, half straddling his husband below him, so he could see his face better. He'd never in his life thought he could lie naked on top of another man, especially one he wanted as much as Severus, and just talk. This closeness, an intimacy he'd never dreamt of achieving with anyone, was rather liberating in a way.

"Speaking of Ben, did you see the letter I left on your desk?" he asked, sighing when Severus ran his hands down his back.

"No, I've been a bit - preoccupied."

"Obsessed. Come now, you can say it. Ob-sessed."

"Do you remember what happened the last time you said that?"

"Yes, and my ribs are still sore, I'll have you know." Severus' hands skimmed up his sides in mute apology. "Mmmm - feels good," he purred.

Sliding his hands to 'his spot' near the small of Harry's back, Severus asked, "Now, you were saying something about a letter from Ben?"

"Huh?" Harry asked in a daze from the duel sensations of Severus' hands on his body as much as receiving the pleasure his husband experienced touching him. "Oh, right." He stretched out a hand and muttered "Accio letter." Handing the sheets over, he laid his head back down on his human pillow and waited while Severus read.

The first page of parchment fluttered to the ground as Severus chuffed, "Do they know how cold it is here right now? They freeze their tropical arses off when it gets below 70 degrees."

"Since Malia was born near here, and Joseph was an Auror in London, I'm assuming they know. And they all seemed to do fairly well at the wedding."

"Right. And that was merely Autumn," Severus replied distractedly as he brought the second page up to read.

"I'm thinking that more people not associated with Hogwarts around the castle this Christmas will be good for all of us, especially Perrin."

"Well, it will certainly be interesting to have the five of them here. I'll have to let Albus know so we can prepare some rooms for them."

"You know, I've been thinking..." he paused, and smiled at Severus' smirk. "What? No 'dangerous Gryffindor' comments?"

"Doesn't seem necessary; you've already said it for me."

"Pavlov, thy name is Snape," Harry muttered before adding, "Maybe it was the castle."

Harry chuckled at the raised brow as Severus countered, "The castle?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, if one looks at it logically..."

"A logical Gryffindor? Now there's an oxymoron."

Severus' skin made a satisfying thwack! where he smacked it. "Behave! Look - the house-elves can't do it, and although I could, I certainly did not do it, which leaves only you and Albus. You both say you didn't do it, so that only leaves the castle."

Harry grinned as Severus' mouth thinned, working around a refutal he couldn't make. "Why would it add rooms on its own?"

"Because we needed them? Because you would have done it on your own in any event?"

"Perhaps, but that still doesn't expla..."

A finger on his lips stopped him. Tracing it over the prim line, Harry queried, "Why does it shorten your path home when you're tired on your night-time walk-abouts?" He managed to tease one edge upwards. "Because it likes you?" He got the other side to join it.

"Point taken."

"And it only does it for you and Albus. I've never heard of anyone else getting castle privileges before."

"It's possible," Severus said grudgingly.

"In any event, we need to get it ready for Perrin, regardless of 'who' made it." He reluctantly hauled himself up off of his comfortable 'mattress', stumbling a bit until he regained his balance. He summoned their clothing and tossed them at the end of the sofa at Severus' feet while opening admiring the view stretched out on the other end. Holding out his hands, he taunted, "C'mon, old man. Let me help you up."

With a wary eye, Severus sat up and stood in one motion, eschewing the proffered hands, all the while muttering imprecations about 'old' and 'infants'. Harry hid his smile as they got dressed and, without further comment, led the way across the rotunda to the locked door opposite the opening into their bedroom suite. Severus lowered the wards and they entered the room together.

As they took in the large barren space, Harry caught a glimpse of a familiar, wicked side glance. Given Severus' 'goal' before the boy's arrival and that the last time he'd seen such a face, he'd wound up naked...

"Sev'rus - don't even think it! This is Perrin's room!"

With a moue of rueful disappointment, Severus conceded, "Very well."

Shaking his head, Harry went to look out the large window and smiled as he heard him mutter, "Killjoy."

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

Saturday 20 December 2003

"Wow! This is huge!" Perrin turned in place, gazing at the dome. His eyes travelled down the ramp and Harry could almost see his eleven year old imagination sliding down the long curving length of the rail. It was rather fun once one learned to lean in, out of the way of the columns. But it was the object in the center that really drew his attention. "Cool! You have fish!" He looked back at Harry, his face puckered with unexpected concern. "Is the top open?"

"No. Why?"

"Oh good. Mark likes fish and I wouldn't want him to get in the tank."

Harry looked back at the small carry-all floating in the air behind him. "Mark?" He leaned over to look inside and got a hiss for his effort. "'Mark' is a cat?"

"I think so, but Becky thinks he's part Kneazle and Professor McGonagall said it was too soon to tell."

A very small Kneazle, perhaps, and uncommonly striped. "I thought you were going to get an owl."

Perrin studied the floor carefully before answering, "Well, the first weekend of the term we went to that Emporium place in Diagon Alley and I guess we left it a bit late because all they had left were a few long-distance courier owls and a couple of eagle owls." He looked everywhere but him as he continued wistfully, "There was one other, very small, almost a baby, but Professor McGonagall said it was too young and the others were more than the allowance she had, so she said I could use the school owls and got me Mark instead."

Harry sighed inside at Minerva's inherent inflexibility and wondered if she would ever understand that sometimes a boy's needs and dreams took precedence over cold practicality.

"Why did you name him Mark?" Harry asked to break the awkward silence.

Perrin scrunched his face, at last making eye contact with him. "Um, he has spots on his belly, one at the end of each of his side stripes. I couldn't very well call him 'Exclamation', so I named him Mark."

Harry chuckled. "Ah, simple once you know. I suppose we'll have to introduce him to Cally, then. She's my cat; deaf as a door, but fairly affectionate. Just always make sure she can see you when you approach and you'll get along fine."

"All right. Mark's still a kitten, but he's pretty small, that's why I think Becky may be wrong; Professor McGonagall says Kneazles are big."

"Well, we'll just have to see. In any event, if he's as small as he looks, we'll have to introduce Mark to Horatio as well - as a friend, of course; he'll, um, leave him alone then."

"Horatio?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. Obviously there were a few minor details he and Severus missed in their lengthy discussions about Perrin. "Yeah, Horatio is Sever - Professor Snape's snake. He's actually well-behaved, but he's, um, big."

Missing the point, Perrin was openly impressed, his eyes shining with excitement. "A snake, too? Can I touch him?"

"That will depend on Horatio." Definitely a few small details left to discuss. "First, let's get your things in your room and then let's go see if we can't find him."

As they entered the dark chamber, Harry stood in the open doorway and pulled his wand out. "To turn on the - ah - overhead lights, you hold your wand like this," he patiently waited for Perrin to draw his own, "and say, 'Lumos Petit'. Try it."

Perrin did as requested and the whole ceiling lit up with hundreds of tiny lights like bright stars. His face upturned in transfixed wonder, he asked, "Are these constellations? I don't recognize many of them."

"They are indeed, but are the ones that can't be seen right now because they're overshadowed by the sun during the day. As the sun goes down outside, the patterns will change to match those with which you're more familiar and will change to match the seasons as well." He glanced up himself and added, "You might want to thank Professors Snape and Dumbledore for it later. They worked on it until late last night to fix the display in place; it's a tricky set of spells and one might say Professor Dumbledore's specialty since he's the one who set the enchantments to the ceiling in the Great Hall." Of course he didn't mention the judicious application of the castle's magic as well. Severus' 'studies' with the headmaster was the one grey area they'd decided to play-by-ear as to whether or not they should discuss it with the boy.

He pulled his attention back sharply when Perrin murmured, gazing around the empty room, "It's pretty elaborate for a spare room." He turned wistful eyes to Harry, suddenly formal. "Where's the cot you want me to set up, sir?"

"Perrin," Harry said gently, "this is your room. I know it looks - um - bare right now, but we left it alone on purpose so you could decorate it any way you want."

"Mine, sir?" Perrin choked out. "Really?"

With a non-committal, "Mmmm hmmm," Harry made his way to the curtains at the window and, drawing them open to let in the bright morning sun, murmured the counterspell to extinguish the lights. Composing his face to hide his deeply moved surprise at Perrin's reaction, he turned around to face the wide-eyed boy and gestured sweepingly with an outstretched arm. "Really. This is not a guest or spare room, Perrin. This is your room, made especially for you. Rooms actually. Bedsit, bath, and closet. At least until you reach your majority, this is your personal, private space; you may leave whatever you wish here."

Closing his mouth, Perrin looked away, but not before Harry saw the suspicious brightness in his eyes. Giving him time to cover his reaction, Harry walked over to him, saying, "I'll take you around and show you the rest of the apartment; it's actually not very large, but this is as much your home now as ours. When Professor Snape returns, we'll go over the 'house rules' and you'll understand things better."

"House rules, sir?"

"Yeah." He leaned closer and added as if they were sharing a secret jest, "You really didn't think it was possible to share a space with Professor Snape and not have some rules, did you?"

"Um, well - no, sir," Perrin replied shyly.

Harry chuckled wryly. "It's good to see you have an abundance of Hufflepuff common sense. Took me years to figure it out, but I'm a Gryffindor; we're a bit thick about such things." When Perrin gave a small laugh, he added, "Oh, and while the professor and I will discuss those few rules with you together, the first one I'll tell you, at least for myself, is that while we're in our apartments I would prefer you to call me just about anything other than 'sir' or 'hey you'. 'Harry' will do fine for now, though."

Clearly uncomfortable, Perrin nodded, saying, "All right, si - Harry. What should I call the Professor?"

"Ah, that would be telling, now wouldn't it? You'll have to exercise some of that Hufflepuff patience (another thing I am sorely lacking) and let Professor Snape tell you himself." No way was he letting Severus off the hook on that one.

Perrin stifled a giggle.

"Anyway, after we talk to Sever - Professor Snape, I've asked Dobby, a house-elf, to come by this afternoon and help you furnish it." He could well understand Perrin's confusion - house-elf assignments were usually random. "And that's another thing. Dobby's a free elf; he mostly works for me."

"So, Dobby is your house-elf?"

"No, Dobby is his own elf and I pay him for his services. He is not indentured like the others. Right now he helps out around the apartment when I need him and runs errands for me and Professor Snape. You may use his services only with permission. We tend to do most things on our own without assistance." Well, they'd not discussed that either, but he couldn't see where Severus would object.

"Oh. Where is Professor Snape?"

"He had house business to attend." He nodded his head, indicating the space around them. "We're in Slytherin territory now." He held out his hand, indicating the door. "Speaking of snakes, let's see if we can find us one."

Harry grinned at the boy's excited, "Do you think I can hold him?" as they walked out of Perrin's rooms.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

With the student's possessions haphazardly packed and even more quickly dispatched, Severus absorbed the unnatural quiet of the common room, thinking there was no music sweeter than the imagined whistling of the Hogwarts Express carrying his Slytherins away on holiday. After taking a few heartbeats to savour the illusory etude, he instructed Dobby and his crew of house-elves to clean the Slytherin rooms and confiscate all the contraband his snakelets were foolish enough to leave behind in their haste to depart. They would have to earn them back.

Certain that all would be done as required, he left with a clear conscience to begin his own more unusual holiday. And in all the years as head of Slytherin house, having weathered dozens of such riotous leave-takings, he truly thought he'd mastered the concept of chaos, that is, until he stepped right into it, in his own home.

It wasn't that Cally, near the base of the fish tank, had another, smaller cat pinned on its back to the floor while she snacked on its neck. Nor was it the hissing and spitting and growling coming from both combatants. Nor even that, as he watched, the other cat rolled them both over and proceeded to munch on Cally's ears (much to her yowling displeasure). Nor was it the torn and ripped basket tossed carelessly to the side, nor the cat food scattered all along the floor near the dining nook, the bowl still rolling slowly across the floor.

No, what made it truly inexplicable was the boy (sitting cross-legged and unnaturally still on the stone floor) with his snake draped over the thin shoulders and small lap (a snake, he might add, who calmly tested the air with a rapidly flicking tongue) and his husband (arms crossed across his chest, his wand held negligently in one hand) standing near the boy and snake. Just standing - doing nothing but raptly watching the cat fight - seemingly oblivious to the tufts of white and smoke cat hair wafting around the rotunda.

Yelling 'What the hell is going on?' probably wouldn't solve anything, and he suspected he would run out of languages before counting to ten satisfied his initial reaction. However, narrowing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and second finger (while his forefinger tapped a rapid beat on his forehead) restored enough perspective for him to wryly ask, "Is there still time to place a small wager?"

Startled, both man and boy, heads swinging in unison, gaped at him. Harry was the first to recover. "Hullo, Severus. Cally and Mark are just getting acquainted."

"Acquainted...?" Well, he supposed Cally gnawing on the other's tail while standing on his bum could be an obscure form of 'how-do-you-do'.

"Yeah, Horatio told us they were just introducing themselves and to leave them alone. I guess it's a cat thing. They don't seem to be hurting each other much." Harry shrugged. "There's been no blood or anything."

The spunky grey cat, straddling Cally's back, was licking and biting her neck. "Ah, I see." He shook his head, pointing at the pair of felines. "Well, if they were older, I'd say that was foreplay." At Perrin's gasp, he winced. Damn! Forgot about the boy.

Cally heaved, throwing the audacious kitten off. Faster than he could react, she planted her paw squarely between his eyes and began to roughly wash his face; the purring from both reached all parties a few seconds later.

Perrin looked uncertainly between the two men and the cats. "Hallo, Professor Snape - sorry 'bout Mark - I'd get up..." He flushed, looking at the snake draped all over him. "Horatio's really cool, but he's really heavy."

"So he is." He squatted on the floor in front of Perrin, extending his hands, just in case. "Steady. Lock your hands together on your waist to keep him in place and then get your knees under you; he's smart and will shift as you move." Perrin did as he was told, only needing a bit of help balancing. "All right, now sit back on your heels and when you're settled, stand up using your legs."

It took him a couple of tries (and a small assist), but a few moments later, triumphant, Perrin stood. Walking was another matter altogether and after a few shaky steps, Horatio bumped the boy's cheek with his snout and hissed. Eyes round, Perrin stopped stock still and watched crestfallen as Horatio extended his body towards Severus, obviously wanting to switch rides.

"He's afraid he's going to unbalance and hurt you," Harry spoke unexpectedly when Horatio hissed again. "Says you're too soon out of the shell to carry him safely."

Sullen, Perrin said nothing, although if Severus had thought Horatio wrong, he would have let him try anyway; however, given that the normally reclusive Horatio had deigned to grace the boy with his presence in the first place, he would not trade without a reason. Severus felt Perrin should know why Horatio thought so. "Harry, how does Horatio know this?" he asked with equanimity.

A short burst of Parseltongue and hissing followed; Severus suppressed the sensations the sound normally made within him and concentrated instead on Perrin's redirected fascination with it.

"He says he can taste the strain in your muscles and can feel it as well," Harry explained. "Horatio doesn't sense things the way we do. He can taste the chemicals our bodies produce and from them, can determine our physical condition as well as our emotions. His body, especially his skull, can sense the movement of a mouse from several paces away, so sensing what our bodies are doing when he's in contact with them is very easy."

Horatio swung his head to Perrin and, moving closer, rubbed his head along his cheek. Charmed, Perrin nodded, unable to move his arms to stroke him back. Severus moved beside him and gently unwound Horatio's length from the boy. As Horatio transferred from one to the other, he said, "Horatio weighs a bit over four stone." He grunted as the reptile settled smoothly over his arms and shoulders. "Make that a ton."

Perrin giggled, then put his hands over his mouth, his eyes widening.

Brow raised Severus remarked, "Hmmm. I'll remember that, young man, when you're next carrying him." He shrugged his shoulders, settling Horatio better. Turning his head, he whispered to the snake's head inches from his face, "You're such a pet slut." Hissing, Horatio's tongue flicked out, hitting him on his nose.

Severus shook his head in mock dismay. "We have some matters to discuss. Shall we go to the dining nook?" he asked, as Harry flicked his wand to clean up the mess in their way. As Perrin moved off in the right direction, Severus slowed to wait for Harry to draw near, asking quietly, "What happened with the cats?"

"Well, hello to you, too," Harry said, grinning. He stopped him with a hand on a Horatio-free space on Severus' arm. "They've gone to the sitting room, I think." Squashing the snake a bit as he leaned in, Harry gave Severus a welcome home kiss, simple but a little longer than chaste and would have dipped in for seconds but for a snake head interposing itself between them with a short hiss.

"What?" Severus asked, half conscious of Perrin watching them from the opening to the nook.

Harry's eyes briefly glanced in that direction as well. Sighing imperceptibly, he whispered, "It defies description, but I guess the closest translation would be, 'Not in front of the kid.' Who knew snakes cared about such things?"

"Must have been something he tasted," Severus remarked drily as they began walking across the rotunda. Halfway across, he veered to the sitting room. "I'll meet you both there; I need to settle Horatio down."

"All right," Harry said, continuing on. "C'mon Perrin, let's see what we can scrounge for lunch. And Severus will want his tea. Best to learn now how he..."

The voice faded as he moved deeper into the sitting room. As Severus let Horatio slither down onto the carpet near the fireplace, he muttered, "I'm with you; a little circumspection goes a long way, but I doubt either one of us is going to change Harry's mind about that anytime soon." He watched Horatio snake towards the warmth of the fire. "If at all."

Severus was about to leave when Horatio, trying to enter his warming pillow by the hearth, hissed loudly and yanked his head out, his pose a classic study of disgruntlement. A small movement and a quick glimpse at the flap of a pink nose and long white whiskers over a long pink tongue curling in a yawn of semi-interrupted sleep gave Severus his first clue as to the problem; it was already occupied.

"Hmph. Think you can share?" Yes, snakes could definitely glare. "Don't look at me - I know enough to let sleeping cats lie. Besides, I don't know the spell Harry used to make you another, but I do believe I can make it larger."

And it seemed snakes could also pout, or so it appeared as Horatio sullenly coiled and waited, staring coldly at him. With a deft flip of his wand, the pillow doubled in size.

Horatio didn't even look at it.

"Ingrate," he murmured before enlarging it again. It now spilled well over the stone onto the carpet. "No more. Perrin could fit in there."

His head swaying from side to side, Horatio eventually slithered into the pouch. Several hisses and much growling later, the lumps settled peacefully.

Unable to resist, Severus bent down and lifted the front edge to peek inside. Horatio was sprawled and half-coiled all along the bottom of the sac, the cat and kitten nestled deep within his coils. Horatio swung his head over to stare at him, almost daring him to comment. While Severus didn't say a word, he muffled a snicker when Mark stretched, his arched back and rigid legs pushing the snake's body away enough for him to snuggle in deeper. "Pleasant dreams," Severus said, dropping the edge back in place.

Straightening with a soft chuckle and a quick backward glance at the quiet mound on the hearth, he left to join the others.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

TBC