Author:Walter O'Dim

Title:Sunstroke

Category: Romance/Humour
Rating: K+
Summary: An upsurge of solar activity leads to most unexpected consequences...Hagrid/Snape/Harry (alternative OotP).

Chapter Seven

Detention With Snape

Wednesday arrived, and with it Harry's first detention of the year. It was in a state of deepest gloom that he came down to Snape's office at 9 PM, rightfully expecting Snape to come up with something nasty.

"Enter," said Snape's voice when Harry had knocked on the door.

Harry sighed and came in. Snape was seated at his desk; as Harry entered, he fixed him for a fleeting instant with that enigmatic look Harry had seen in his eyes before, and then the Potions master's face broke into a sneer, although it seemed somewhat forced.

"Potter," he hissed. "How nice of you to drop by. I've got some work for you, if you don't mind." He stared at Harry for a moment, as if daring him to mind, then continued, "First, as you can see, my office floor is a bit dusty. I want you to make it shine, Potter. Everything you need is right there in the corner." And he pointed, with a nasty smile, to a bucket of water and a rag lying on the floor beside it. "You may begin."

Harry glared at Snape for a moment, murder clearly on his mind, then went slowly toward the bucket, dipped the rag in the water (it was ice-cold, apparently on purpose) and started to rub the floor.

"How do you like being my servant, Potter?" asked Snape after a couple of minutes. Harry's fists clenched on the rag, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"You know, I think your father would be very proud if he could see you now," Snape continued. Harry, shaking with fury, started to rub the floor with all his might, to vent at least some of his rage.

"He made me polish his shoes in our second year, did you know that?" Snape pressed on; he was trying to sound mocking, but there was pain in his voice, too. "Made me kneel and polish his shoes while he and his friends were laughing at me - "

"You lie!!!" shouted Harry, leaping to his feet.

"On your knees, Potter, and back to work," snapped Snape, his face contorted as though he were in pain. "Do it, Potter, or I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor and give you ten more detentions."

And Harry complied, but as he did, he made a mental vow to kill Snape, and he really meant it at the moment. He might do it in a year, or in ten years, or in twenty years, but he would do it. The thought brought him some relief.

"You're not rubbing hard enough, Potter," Snape's voice stung Harry like a wasp. "You've got to put more effort into it." Harry rubbed harder, although it seemed impossible. "Faster, Potter! Faster, I say!" Harry rubbed faster and faster, grazing his palms; he was in a frenzy. "FASTER!" shrieked Snape, and Harry leapt to his feet again with a roar of rage, throwing the rag against the floor.

"YOU!" he bellowed, advancing at Snape. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU? EXPLAIN TO ME! MY DAD MIGHT'VE BEEN MEAN TO YOU, BUT WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? ANSWER ME, DAMMIT! WHY DO YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, HARRY!" cried Snape.

There was a ringing silence. Harry's expression resembled that of a carp as he gaped at Snape. Snape seemed at first frightened beyond his wits, then he looked as though he were timidly contemplating the idea, and, finally, an expression of rapture spread across his face. He got to his feet, walked around his desk, came up to Harry and embraced him.

"Yes," he said calmly, "I love you, Harry."

And the next thing Harry knew, he was being kissed by Snape, the first real kiss in his life. The shock was so great that it was only after a few seconds that Harry broke the kiss and tried to wrench himself from Snape's embrace, but Snape pressed him against the wall, holding him tightly.

"I loved your father, Harry," he said baldly. "I've been afraid to acknowledge this until now, but it's true. I hated him, but at the same time, I coveted him…and even when he was bullying me, it gave me some twisted pleasure…" Snape was stroking Harry's hair as he talked. "I liked the feeling of being overpowered by him…I relished his touch…I wanted him inside me." Snape was talking faster and faster; he looked feverish. "But I would never admit it; I feared those feelings, thought them to be unnatural…I hid them deep in the attic of my mind, where light does not penetrate…"

"And then – years later – you came to Hogwarts, and you looked just like him, of course, so I couldn't help feeling the same way toward you, and to repress those feelings I made myself hate you…but as you grew older, as you looked more and more like the icon of my desire, it was becoming increasingly difficult…and now I no longer have to hide my feelings, and I'm happy!"

"You're sick!" exclaimed Harry.

"Yes, Harry," Snape said tenderly, "I'm lovesick." Tracing Harry's chin with his finger, he whispered, a manic gleam in his eye, "I want you to be with me, Harry…I want to make love to you…"

"WHAT?" cried Harry, trying to twist free, but Snape pressed him even harder against the wall, whispering frantically, "No, no, Harry, please, listen to me…I'll give you everything you want…from now on you'll receive nothing but O's in Potions, even if you don't do any work…I'll buy you the best brooms there are, the best…everything…I'll kneel and lick your shoes in front of the whole school if you want me to, Harry, just…just…"

"Let go of me, you sick man!" screamed Harry, finally breaking free. He backed away from Snape, breathing heavily, his eyes wide with shock.

"Harry…please…" bleated Snape, extending his arms toward him.

"Don't you come near me!" shouted Harry. "Don't you come near me, or I – or I – "

Lost for words, Harry turned and fled from Snape's office. Snape sank to the floor with a moan.

Neither of them knew that the rather intimate scene that had just taken place had been witnessed by none other than Hagrid. Following Fang's advice, Hagrid had come to give "Snapey" a present, and as he approached the office, he heard Snape cry, "I LOVE YOU, HARRY!" For a few seconds he stood rooted to the spot, and then dashed to the door and peered inside to see Snape kissing Harry Potter.

"So tha's why Snapey don' luv me!" he thought, gripped by wild jealousy. "He's bin seduced by Harry!"

Hagrid would have burst into the office and killed Harry on the spot, had it not occurred to him that killing Snape's lover was hardly the best way to win his heart (not to mention the fact that he would be sent to Azkaban for the rest of his life). So Hagrid returned to his cabin to devise a new plan. And soon the plan was ready.