Risi, Shakespeare's Sister – thank you both so very much for your reviews! I don't deserve the two of you, having been so slow in the updating, but I really appreciate your comments! (Oh, and I do hope you like the rest of the story, I am a bit uncertain about it… Still, read and enjoy!)

Chapter Nine – On the Joys of Pretending

Harry was rather shaken by what he had seen, but he didn't know why that was. It wasn't as if he had problems with his godfather getting involved with someone. That it was a man had been an eye opener, but Harry felt that he could accept that.

If he was alone, and in the dark of the night, and in an exceptionally honest mood, he could admit that he was slightly jealous. He felt ashamed of it, but it was true. Before, he had always had Sirius' undivided attention and love. He would have to share it in the future. Still, Harry felt that he could accept this as well. That wasn't what caused the strange feeling in his stomach. But then what was it?

Something in this relationship was off. But what? Sirius seemed very happy. He was calmer, quieter, and there was something in his eyes that hadn't been there previously.

Harry couldn't really tell how professor Caldus felt about it. He didn't know the man so very well, after all, and the professor was no person one got to know really quickly. For all his friendly ways and his agreeable nature, he was rather reserved, and Harry felt that it would take a long time before he really got to know him.

However, this pensive mood didn't last long. In the days that followed, Harry had increasing troubles to remain strait-faced when confronted with either Sirius or Caldus. Not that either of them noticed. They were far too occupied with pretending that everything was normal.

Well, to be fair, they didn't do too bad a job, Harry had to admit. It took an entire week before Ron casually started to ask Harry whether Sirius would stay at the castle permanently. Harry honestly answered that he didn't have the slightest idea.

Hermione didn't need to be told. Harry never found out if she had known before he had, but he didn't care to ask. The triumphant glimpse in her eyes was bad enough as it was, thank you very much.

Of course, the twinkle in the headmasters' eyes was never very far away, still, Harry didn't have any trouble to ascertain, that the old man did, in fact, know everything there was to know.

But all in all, the information concerning Sirius and Caldus was still very much a secret. It was only when Harry caught professor McGonagall in a very near smile, and the exchange of a very speaking look between professors Flitwick and Hooch, that Harry started to wonder when they would finally get it themselves.

One thing he knew for sure though – he wasn't going to ask Sirius about it. Not when Sirius had announced with such an innocent face again what a pleasure it was, that he had so many opportunities to visit Harry these days. Nope, Harry would keep his mouth shut. Well, if he were entirely honest to himself – the show was far too entertaining.

And apart from that, there was one other puzzle that needed solving very badly. Snape.

For the life of him, Harry couldn't figure the man out. Well, of course, he never had been able to. Well, there was the short moment, directly after the death of Voldemort, that some small amount of joy shone out of Snape's eyes, but that might have been due to the magic of the moment, so to speak.

No, as far as Harry was concerned, Snape was a riddle. Always had been. Which didn't give the man the right to be more annoying than usual.

But he was. Annoyingly so. If only he would display a consistent pattern of behaviour, but of course he didn't. He had to be annoying and irregular. At quite a few moments, Harry caught him staring at Sirius and Caldus with an unholy glee in his eyes, as if there was something only he was aware of.

But far more often, there was a disturbing sadness in his eyes, that unsettled Harry more than he cared to admit. He couldn't understand it. Snape wasn't jealous, was he? No, he didn't look like that. But then what was it? He could hardly be sad that Sirius wasn't interested in pulling off fights with him anymore, now could he?

All in all, the occupants of the head table made for an interesting spectacle these days, that was true.

It was a few weeks after on a Friday evening, that Sirius came into the Gryffindor common room. He was eagerly greeted by Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were bored after too many games of chess. He took in the cosy common room and grinned. "Harry, do you three feel like going for a visit to Hogwarts tomorrow? Let's have a few butterbeers."

They wholeheartedly agreed. "Sure, Sirius, we would love to," Hermione innocently said. "Will Professor Caldus join us too?"

Sirius choked and looked at Harry accusingly. Harry just shook his head and raised his hands in laughing defense.

"I didn't say anything, I swear. I didn't need to. You look like a newly lit lighthouse these days. I doubt there is anyone in the school who doesn't know."

Sirius turned a bit red, but he grinned like a schoolboy.

"So, you found us out," he said. And then, slightly nervous "Are you okay with it?"

"Oh, I think it is a great thing," Harry said quickly, and asked himself why that felt like a lie. "Professor Caldus is a great teacher, you know. Everybody likes him."

Sirius nodded and relaxed again. "He sure is," he said slightly dreamy. "He knows his stuff, you know. But that's not it. He's just fun, he has such a great sense of humour. Sharp and dry, but great."

Harry and Ron just grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes. Sirius blushed again.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Apart from thoroughly enjoying the butterbeer and the absence from Hogwarts, the afternoon proved to be a real delight to Harry, Ron and Hermione. It was ironic, thought Harry, that the embarrassment of two people could add so much to the amusement of others. Well, better not go there.

Professor Caldus apparently tried to hold onto some morals. He seemed to be of the opinion that a professor shouldn't play footsie under the table, while in the company of students. Or hold hands. Or look his – ahem – boyfriend into the eye.

Sirius agreed with him, apparently, as it wasn't Sirius who sought Caldus's hand. Under the table. Mostly. Instead, Caldus' hand seemed to have an annoying life of it's own.

The professor blushed to his roots and stubbornly tried to hold onto the – official – conversation. Above the table. And he seemed to be interested in it too, for from time to time he asked Ron some not too farfetched or too often repeated questions about quidditch. He even appeared to get the gist of the answers with which Ron dutifully supplied him.

Ron and Harry grinned like mad when they agreed with their professor, that yes, it was a pity that muggles didn't play quidditch, that it should be played on brooms was a waste, really, that rain was too bad, especially for the spectators, and pretended not to hear it when the professor mixed up beaters and keepers. Ah, well, Sirius didn't appear to have noticed either.

Hermione had never looked more interested in the game, either, and diligently joined in the conversation. It was glorious.

Sirius blushed all colours of red, and after a while, he just gave it up. He raised his hand, Caldus' interlinked hand still attached to it, above the table, laughed, and turned Caldus towards him.

"You know, Serenus, I know that we agreed not to tell anybody, and thus I promise you that I won't tell these three here that I like you, but between the two of us I just need to tell you once more. I really do like you, you know."

And with that, he drew the unsuspecting Caldus towards him, and kissed him full on the lips.

Caldus literally froze. His free hand still gripped his butterbeer. Hermione plucked it from his hand before he could smash it. Caldus didn't seem to notice.

His eyes were opened wide. His whole body was tense. For a moment, Harry thought that he was going to break free and run. But then something seemed to change in him and he relaxed into the kiss.

His hand on the table shook slightly and his other hand released Sirius' hand only to cup Sirius' head at the base of his neck. He turned their heads slightly and nibbled at Sirius' mouth. He lifted his other hand to draw Sirius closer to him.

Sirius groaned softly and drew Caldus even closer, both hands along the other man's chest. Their mouths parted for a moment, only to come together again, very lightly brushing each other, retracting for a moment, then coming back together. Caldus allowed his tongue to play with Sirius' lips, before he returned and silently begged Sirius to open them. Sirius did so immediately, and their tongues played and playfully dueled.

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched breathlessly, their drinks forgotten on the table. It was – for lack of a better word – hot.

For a moment their mouths retracted again, and Caldus and Sirius looked each other into the eye. But it seemed that they couldn't let go of each other – that they were drawn, and had to kiss, and kiss again.

Caldus gripped Sirius' shoulders and drew him closer and closer. Sirius groaned, but followed willingly. His hands moved restlessly along Caldus' shoulders, arms and chest, then came back to grip his shoulders once more.

Caldus shuddered and left Sirius' mouth to kiss his entire face, his jaw line, his cheekbones, his forehead and eyelids.

For some reason, it was an incredibly loving and tender gesture.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked on and didn't dare to move in case they disturbed the two men in front of them. Ron looked flustered. Hermione, for all her wisdom, blushed to the roots of her hair. Harry felt flushed, the strange feeling increasing tenfold in his stomach.

It was only at a particularly loud shout of laughter at a neighbouring table, that Sirius and Caldus jumped apart.

Caldus raised a shaking hand to his lips, and stared at Sirius as if he had grown another head. He wildly looked at his students, expression in his eyes like a deer caught in the light.

"You… I… I need to go, I…"

"Wait! Serenus, please, just wait!"

But professor Caldus didn't seem to hear him, he fumbled with the clasps of his robes and would have stumbled out of the pub if Sirius hadn't caught him with a very quick move.

"Serenus, please, wait. You cannot run of like this. Not after… I mean…"

Caldus tried to draw his hand back, but he had clearly lost the mad impulse to run out of the pub like that.

For the first time after the kiss, they both seemed to remember the presence of the three students.

That seemed to be the last shock, that finally brought Caldus back to his senses. He fell heavily back into his chair, raised his hands to his face, and groaned comically.

"Oh dear god. I'm not going to get away with this, am I?"

"Nope," said Sirius, grinning like mad.

Ron and Hermione leaned back into their chairs and laughed with Sirius. It was funny, Harry had to admit. And somehow it was a relief, that the awkward feeling in his chest loosened a little bit.

Finally, their distraught professor raised his head again and resignedly looked at his students. "There is no keeping this secret, is there?"

"No, professor, I'm sorry, but it doesn't help to kiss in the middle of a pub, you know?" Hermione laughed.

When she said that, Caldus appeared to remember where he was again. From all around the pub, people looked at their table, big smiles on their faces. He flushed, a rueful smile on his face.

Sirius followed his eyes, and then grinned. He looked at Caldus and grinned again. "I'm sorry, old chap, but Hermione is just right. Nothing for it but to acknowledge it, you know?"

And with that, he turned Caldus around again, and kissed him full on the lips once more.

And grinned when he heard the resounding applause.