He scowled, scrunching up the parchment and throwing it away. He had a nasty detention for Potter planned. And he was going to enjoy every moment of it.
*
Chapter 13
Harry dragged his feet to his detention the next day. He was told to immediately make his way to the dungeons and miss lunch. He wasn't happy. As much hilarity as his latest prank brought, he almost regretted it – if only for the knowledge that his punishment was surely going to be as nasty as Snape could possibly make it.
Upon reaching the large, foreboding-looking door to Snape's classroom, Harry took a breath before knocking with false bravery. He didn't think he'd enjoy this. Not at all.
*
Severus had a vague idea of the nasty detention Potter was to serve. Upon receiving Minerva's owl, he'd been struck with an idea. But he kept it at that. He didn't want to make detailed plans for this. He wanted to enjoy the spontaneity of his punishments. He was going to make sure this was the end of the silly little game they'd been engaged in for the past few days. And he was determined to win.
He heard a steady knock upon his door, informing him the brat was there. On time, too. He was mildly surprised at this. Surely Potter knew he was not in for an average detention? The little shit is trying to rile me! He glared at the door before barking "Enter!"
The boy came into the room, looking a little nervous, but not overly so. This encouraged Severus to put his best foot forward. Sometimes, he really did like to get creative. And detention punishments were among his favourite artistic endeavours. He allowed a chilling smirk to settle upon his lips. This was going to be one detention Potter wouldn't forget.
*
Harry waited before Snape's desk, knowing he would get in more trouble if he sat when uninvited. He hated the silence. It was crushing him, making it a little hard to breathe. He was excited, but also a little nervous about spending this time with Snape. He wished the man would just accept his friendship so they could end the silly games! He was getting sick of coming up with something new to retaliate with every day! He just wanted to be Snape's friend. Was it really too much to ask?
Finally, after a few long minutes of silently glaring at him, Snape spoke.
"Potter," his voice was barely above a whisper. But it was clear, reaching Harry's ears as though he'd been shouted at.
"Yes, sir?" He tried to keep his voice even. He spoke at the same volume, but he sounded timid. He wished Snape didn't have this affect on him. He couldn't even bring himself to look the man in the eye!
"Your detention today will be put to good use." He paused a while, as though choosing the most affective words from his broad vocabulary. "You will be accompanying me to Hogsmead. I have business there." He paused again, obviously enjoying the power he held over his student. Harry wanted to glare at him. But he couldn't. He was too busy staring at the desk before him, trying to gain some form of control over his conflicting emotions. "And," Snape drawled, his smirk broadening, "as… punishment for your involvement with the feline incident," he leant forward, ever so slightly, "you will not object in any way to whatever I may decide to use as punishment." He pushed himself up from his chair, stalked around the desk to stand before Harry, his presence menacing. "Heel, Potter," he mocked, turning on his heel and sweeping from the room, his robes billowing impressively. Harry had no choice but to follow him.
**
They made it to Hogsmead in silence. Harry followed his teacher with about three paces' difference. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to try to start a conversation. He was, after all, there to be punished. As Snape saw fit. And he couldn't complain. He hadn't agreed to the terms, but he refused to let the man know of his nerves. He could win this. He had to! But he knew it was going to be difficult. Snape wouldn't go down without a fight. And that, Harry mused, was something he admired about the guy. He wasn't going to back down.
*
Severus lead the way, glad for the silence. He was relieved Potter didn't try to start some sort of conversation. He wasn't in the mood. He lead the boy through the quaint little town to where they'd meant to have their picnic not so long ago. He counted back the days, realising it had been just over a fortnight that he'd taken the mysterious little puppy into his rooms… his heart. He scowled at himself. That 'puppy' was Potter. He is not in my heart! He felt like hexing himself for his disgustingly sappy thoughts. He sniffed, heart indeed.
"Sir?" Potter brought him out of his reverie, with his quiet, questioning tone.
"Change, Potter."
"Uh…" he obviously had the wrong idea.
"Into a dog, Potter,"he gave a deadpan look, his disdain obvious. "Now."
"Yes, sir," the boy blushed and took out his wand. A moment later, Severus was standing before the little cocker spaniel that he'd previously enjoyed spending time with. At this moment, however, he sneered down at the animal. Its tail was between its legs, its head bowed.
"You will follow me, Mutt. And you will not wander off. You will accompany me, staying no more than two paces behind me, if not beside me. Understood?" He folded his arms and glared down at the shaggy little creature. It ducked its head once, showing its understanding. "Good. Now… heel." He would never tire of using that with Potter. His smirk reappeared and he lead the way back into town.
*
Harry followed Snape back through Hogsmead, wondering what on earth his detention would entail. He mentally snickered at the semi-pun. He was glad he still had the ability to laugh at the situation. He wasn't sure he'd be able to for much longer.
Snape lead him to a store he'd seen when making his visit to the pet shop the day before yesterday. It was a grooming parlour. It was called "Doggy Style". He snorted at the name, drawing Snape's attention.
"You won't be laughing for long, dog." He pushed the door open, holding it so Harry could enter before him.
*
Severus took a seat in the empty waiting room, motioning for Mutt to sit next to his leg while they waited for someone to call for them.
They didn't have to wait long. After a couple of minutes, a young, busty woman flounced into the room. She had long, shiny blonde hair to her elbows kept back by a bright yellow bow and was wearing a matching bright yellow Muggle summer dress with a white plastic apron with a trail of rainbow paw prints running along the length. Her equally bright yellow heeled shoes clicked to a stop in front of her customers. Severus stood to greet her, keeping his face blank, lest his repulsion showed.
"Good afternoon! My name is Mary. How may I help you today, sir?" Her voice was light and happy. Potter seemed to immediately liked her. His tail started thumping against the shiny cement flooring.
"An acquaintance of mine has asked me to take his dog in for a thorough grooming. He wishes to enter the animal in a show." He smirked when the sound of Mutt's wagging tail stopped.
"Excellent! I have a catalogue of styles if you'd like to browse. Will you be needing anything else while you're here?" She sounded genuinely excited about grooming the dog for a show. Severus let his smirk broaden once more as an idea entered his mind.
"Yes, I will. He mentioned something about a costume competition. What have you in the way of canine outfits?" He imagined Potter would rather like to bite him at that moment, so he stepped away, accepting the style catalogue from the annoyingly happy woman.
"Oh, we have a wide range of doggy clothes! What kind of costume is your friend looking for, for this cutie?" She squatted down and scratched behind Mutt's ears with both hands, making baby noises and scrunching up her pointed little nose in adoration. Severus thought he might be sick.
"He simply said a costume competition. He did not specify a category." He began to peruse the catalogue, at last. He didn't know what kind of style he'd give to Potter, but it would definitely be one worthy of his revenge.
At long last, he found it. Smirking, he showed it to Mary, satisfied with his selection. She seemed to be thrilled at his choice as well.
*
Harry whimpered as the blast of the water in the doggy shower soaked him through within seconds. The water was warm but the pressure was strong. It hurt a little. When Mary was satisfied that he was wet enough, she turned off the tap and started soaping him up with a sickly-sweet smelling shampoo that burned his sensitive nose. He sneezed a few times, resisting the urge to try to escape. He would not back down from Snape's challenge.
When Mary was finished with the shampoo, she turned the water on once more, rinsing him thoroughly. He hoped that was the end of that experience… but was soon being scrubbed with conditioner.
"Ohh, you're such a good boy! Yes you are! Now we're going to make your coat all nice and shiny!" She cooed to him while firmly massaging the soapy substance in. He groaned. This was kind of embarrassing. Not to mention he was very uncomfortable having her large breasts jiggling in front of his face as she worked him over. Gah! Bad choice of words, Potter! He whimpered again, noticing for the first time that his tail was tucked securely between his legs.
"Aaaww! Don't you worry! I'm gonna take good care of you, my love!" She grinned at him, once more rinsing him with the harsh spray of water. "Good boy!" She picked him up, taking him from the basin under the shower head, to a bench with large fluffy towels. "Now to get you nice and dry! Drying charms irritate the skin, you see?" She aimed this to Snape, who, it turned out, was watching the procedure the whole time. "Not to mention, they love all the attention!" She grinned at him before turning back to Harry, rubbing him firmly with a soft, pink towel. "He's a wonderful dog. Very well-behaved. What's his name?" She continued to dry him while she made conversation with Snape. Harry was liking her less and less.
"Mutt," came the reply. After Mary's tinkling, silver-bell voice, Snape's deep, silky tones were very welcome. Harry's ears were starting to hurt from the high pitch of the woman's voice.
"That's no name for such a wonderful dog!" She sounded slightly offended.
"It's all he answers to." Snape sounded as indifferent as ever, but Harry thought he could hear a slight impatient tone in his voice when addressing the "Doggy Stylist".
"That's a shame…" she said as she finished drying Harry. He could just feel his fur sticking out in every direction, fluffy and full of static. He probably looked like a black cotton ball. He felt quite embarrassed. Even though she thought he was a normal dog, Snape knew who he really was. And he was probably enjoying seeing him being treated in such a humiliating way. Bastard…
Mary suddenly disappeared for a while, leaving Harry and Snape alone in the room. The scent of the sickly-sweet shampoo and conditioner hung thickly in the air. Harry sneezed, the smells still burning his poor nose.
Snape approached the table, pushing himself away from the wall he'd been leaning on.
"Enjoying all the attention, now, Potter?" he whispered, silkily. His voice sent shivers down Harry's spine. But, instead of acknowledging this, he let out a soft growl. He was so very close to losing it and giving Snape a good nip on the hand. The man was being quite insufferable!
Before Snape could reprimand him, Mary re-entered the room with what looked to be an electric shaver and some long, sharp, silver scissors. Harry cowered, knowing what they were for. If he could have, he'd have glared at Snape. As it was, he was warily eyeing the implements and hoping he would survive this surely most-embarrassing experience. What did Snape have in mind!
*
Severus watched with a smug expression as Mary started trimming Mutt's shaggy fur. He held in his dark chuckles as he watched the pathetic animal cowering before the shiny scissors. Not so brave now, are you, Potter? He folded his arms as he leant back against his chosen wall, enjoying the show.
When the witch had trimmed the fur to a manageable length, she pulled her wand from a pocket in her apron, starting the 'electric' razor with a flick. She guided the noisily humming tool with her wand, giving Mutt a very close shave around his middle and his neck. She then shaved along his legs, leaving the fur around his shoulders, chest, rump and just above his feet longer, in a puffy style. She then started on the inside of the floppy ears, leaving the outsides' fur longer, but with a nice, neat trim. When she'd finished with that, she made her way to the tail. She shaved from the base to about an inch and a half from the tip, leaving a pom-pom like tuft. Severus caught the dog's eye, allowing a nasty grin to grace his face.
"Almost done, sweety," Mary placed a kiss on Mutt's head, scratching behind his ears once more, before retrieving a tube of some kind of lotion.
"What is that?" Severus made his way back over, eyeing the light blue tube.
"It's a styling mousse. It will make his fur soft but manageable. And it will last for up to six washes. You can get it from the pet store next door. I'm afraid we've run out – this is the last bottle until tomorrow." She smiled apologetically, squishing the goop onto her hand. She rubbed her hands together before applying it liberally to the long-haired areas. When she was done, the areas she'd worked on filled out, making Mutt look more like one of the show dogs in the pictures Severus had seen. He mentally snickered at the thought.
"Now, would you like any extras applied? I can give you a list of the Pooch Pampering Packages if you'd like." Severus thought this was a wonderful idea.
"Certainly," he sounded almost pleasant. The girl beamed, reaching into her pocket again, pulling out a little pamphlet. Just place your wand over the heading and a full explanation will appear with the price and a picture. Let me know what you'd like. I'll just be in the back – I'll get a few costume selections for you. They make special ones for each breed." She flounced back out of the room, her heels clicking away. Severus couldn't wait to be rid of her company. But he was having quite a good time watching Potter be completely degraded like this!
*
Harry was fuming! He couldn't believe Snape was doing this to him! This was beyond a prank. Beyond revenge. This was plain cruelty. He refused, however, to change back and admit defeat. Not only for the sake of his pride, but for the nice witch who'd just had her hands all over his body. He didn't think she'd appreciate finding out he wasn't really a dog after that. Goodness knows Snape hadn't! And he hadn't been cooing and pulling faces while doing it. And he hadn't kissed him either! Though… I probably wouldn't have minded… He shook his head, willing that particular thought away. He was angry, damnit! He was not in the mood for imagining the softness of Snape's lips… or the taste of his mouth… Gya! No! He's gone too far this time! He growled slightly as he watched his teacher looking at the different packages. He had no doubt in his mind that Snape was going to choose the most garish of the lot. He shuddered to think what it would be. He could hardly believe Snape was wasting his money on this! How far was the man willing to go?
Finally, when Mary came back, it seemed Snape had made his decision. He pointed out his selection with another shit-eating smirk. Mary looked absolutely delighted with his choice, once more. Harry definitely didn't like her very much at that moment.
She giggled happily as she bustled around the room, grabbing various items from the cupboards lining the walls and under the benches. He thought he saw something pink, but hoped it was something she'd left in the cupboard. Snape wasn't that cruel… surely?
After five minutes or so of the chronically cheerful woman bouncing around the room, she came back to his little table and sat her items down on the metal trolley beside her. With a flick of her wand, she had them organised into the order she'd need them. Harry looked on in horror.
He saw ribbons, nail varnish and what appeared to be an assortment of accessories. He hoped to whatever higher powers were out there that she wouldn't use all of them on him. Please! Please don't let her use all of it! He let out another small whimper when she grabbed the bottle of nail varnish. It was pink. He was going to let Snape know just what he thought when he had the chance. He couldn't believe he was missing classes for this. Even History of Magic was preferable to this.
*
Severus watched as the irritating witch gently held one of Mutt's little paws in one hand while using the other to direct the tiny brush with her wand. He assumed it was for accuracy or something. He didn't care. He just wanted Potter to suffer. As much as possible.
Three coats of the pink liquid were applied. By the time all of Mutt's nails were done, they appeared to be a bright, neon pink. Almost the same pink Severus' hair had been turned. He smirked. Serves him right. He looked on as Mary selected the ribbons she'd be using.
The first ribbon went around Mutt's right ear. She charmed it so it would stay on his ear without having to tie it tightly. She didn't want to cut off circulation, after all. She did the same to his left ear, giving him another quick kiss on the head, telling him how good he was being. Severus glared at the back of her head. He didn't like her kissing his dog. At that thought, he stopped himself. Shaking his head, he watched as she fastened a smaller pink ribbon just under the tuft at the end of Mutt's tail. He grinned when she moved to retrieve one of the ghastly accessories. He had a full view of the dog. He looked like a female. Chuckling under his breath, he watched to see what she was going to do next.
She held in her hand four tiny circles of fake diamonds. They looked like the cheap bracelets little girls wore. Around each of Mutt's legs, just above the puffs of fur, she charmed them to stick on, ensuring the wouldn't slip off while the dog walked. They glittered in the light, contrasting nicely with the black fur underneath. Severus was fighting to hold in his laughter at this point. It was almost too much! Almost. He thought back to the night before, deciding that, actually, it wasn't nearly enough.
While he was running through the halls, chased by randy felines – Mrs Norris among them! – he'd been completely mortified. If someone had seen him! And then the incident with Minerva! He shuddered slightly at that particular memory. That was something that Potter wouldn't be forgiven for so easily.
Dragging himself from his reminiscence, Severus focused once more on the young woman's handiwork. It appeared she was almost done. Severus noticed she'd applied fake eyelashes and was just finishing the whitening of Mutt's teeth. He was glad Potter had enough sense not to bite her. When she pulled away from the dog's mouth, he watched as Potter licked his teeth for several moments, drying to re-hydrate his mouth.
"Almost, done, sir. One last touch!" She grabbed what looked to be a little tiara with fluffy pink, faux feathers.
"I don't think you need to worry about that. I think you've done quite enough already. Thank you."
"Oh, ok. No problems! Now, how about you have a look at those costumes! I gathered a few of my favourites. And a couple of them will go nicely with this look." She beamed at Severus before summoning a rack of miniature costumes. They were all awful. Potter was going to love this.
"Ok, so, this one is your basic tutu skirt. It comes with an optional pair of slippers." She held up the sequined skirt. It was pink with white gauze puffing it out. The slippers she held up next to it were white with pale pink ribbons to tie around the unfortunate animal's legs.
"No, I don't think so."
"Very well… uh… oh! Now this one is one of my favourites! It's the deluxe cow-boy costume. It comes in three colours. Pink, my favourite, blue and green." She showed him the tasselled little top and doggy chaps. It even came with a cow-boy hat with, surprise!, sequins lining the rim. He almost laughed.
"No."
"Oh. Well… ah, here. This one is popular. It's a cute little costume, isn't it? It's a cat. This one is the most popular – the fluffy, white ragdoll cat. It also comes in tabby and kneazle." Severus looked over the monstrosity thoughtfully. How… appropriate. He smirked again.
"Perfect."
"Wonderful! Would you like a bag for it, or would you like… Mutt… to wear it out?"
"He can wear it, I think. It will get him used to it… for the contest." He grinned evilly at Potter when the woman had her back to him, applying the embarrassing costume.
The front legs of the cat wrapped around Mutt's neck, the paws clasping in the centre of his chest with a quick sticking charm, giving him plenty of breathing room. The head of the beastly thing rested on his shoulder, occasionally nuzzling him. The body of the cat was lain along Mutt's back, another sticking charm keeping it in place. The hind legs draped over Mutt's flanks, the feet ending mid-thigh.
"Aww! Doesn't he just look so precious!" Mary squealed as she stepped back, admiring her work.
"Indeed," Severus' tone was non-committal.
"I noticed he doesn't have a collar. I tell you what. Because he was such a good boy and you've spent so much, I'll throw a collar of your choice in for free." She smiled at Severus, a sparkle in her eye. He took a cautious step back.
"That would be… fine. Thank you." He choked the words out, unused to having to utter them.
"Great! Let's head back to the front room – the collars are on display there." Severus merely nodded, following her out after picking Mutt up, setting him on the floor.
"Heel, Mutt," he teased.
*
Harry's rage only grew as he was made to endure the "Pamper Package" and the costume. And now, he was going to be collared? He'd never been so angry in his life. He really wanted to bite Snape. On the arse. Bleurgh! No! On the… leg or something. Not the arse… He knew he'd be blushing if he was human. He could almost feel the blood rushing to his cheeks now, as he followed Mary and Snape into the front room.
He was made to sit before the counter while Snape made his selection of the collars. He hoped it wasn't more pink. He was feeling very emasculated at that moment in time. He seriously needed to go… do something manly. Like… work out or… something.
He was in the middle of deciding which manly thing to do when his attention was brought back to what was happening around him. Snape had apparently made his choice.
It was a plain black, leather collar with a silver name plate to go at the throat. It was tasteful, at least. He noticed the name "Mutt" had been spelled in a nice cursive. He wouldn't be too opposed to wearing that, he supposed… if only he wasn't dressed like a fucking poodle! He held in another growl as Mary fastened the collar around his neck with a smile and another kiss to his head. He was starting to get annoyed with her cheeriness. And her kisses. Is it really necessary, woman?
"There you go, my little prince! You've been the best-behaved pooch I've ever had here." She then turned back to Snape. "Next time, I'll give him a good grooming for free. Bath, hair cut and nail clipping." She winked at Snape in a rather flirtatious manner, Harry thought. He didn't like that. He growled at her before he could stop himself. It startled her, before she giggled. "Oh, I didn't realise you were taken!" She winked again before heading behind the counter, adding his total. "And that comes to… fifty galleons."
*
Severus almost choked on the price. But, he guessed it was almost worth it. He'd surely won Potter's little game and earned his solitude. Handing over the money, he pushed the near-regret to the back of his mind. He liked being alone, damnit. And that mange-ridden dog wasn't going to change it now!
Finally, he lead Potter out of the store. Now he just needed to place his order with the apothecary before they made their way back to the castle, hopefully just in time for the last lesson of the day.
**
Snape had dragged him into the apothecary at the other end of the street. Harry was in a right state by the time they were back at the picnic site. He changed back without prompting, and rounded on his professor.
"What the hell did you think you were doing? How dare you do that to me!" He yelled, standing a few inches away from Snape. "This goes beyond retaliation! That was immature and absolutely unnecessary! Not only did you humiliate me more than with the Hair Growth, you wasted your own money to get your petty revenge! Are you that desperate to win against your student? Do you really hate me so much?" He glared at Snape, feeling his blood pounding through his body, his rage nowhere near diminishing. "What the fuck is wrong with you! You took this too far." He closed his eyes a moment, "Maybe you're not worth the trouble." He'd stopped yelling now. He hadn't meant to say the last sentence, and regretted it the moment it'd slipped from his mouth. His eyes snapped open again, fearing his teacher's reaction.
Snape's face went from blank to hurt to angry and back to blank again in two seconds. Harry gulped, taking a step back. He didn't care that he had a nuzzling white cat strapped around his shoulders, or ribbons in his hair, or pink nail polish on his fingers and toes, or glittering bracelets around his wrists and ankles. Or a collar around his throat. He was too busy trying to gauge Snape's reaction to his outburst.
"You think, Potter," Snape began softly, "that you did not deserve that?" His glare hardened on Harry, freezing him to the spot. "You think, Potter," his voice steadily rose, "that what you've done has been any less humiliating for me? Do you have any idea what it was like for me to have pink hair for a day and have the inability to cure it myself? I, a grown, accomplished wizard, couldn't fix a prank from a sixteen-year-old boy! Do you have any idea how much I hate cats? How it felt to have a colleague – an older, female colleague – rubbing against me because of your idiocy? You're just like your arrogant, prick of a father and his mongrel of a friend!" Snape was yelling in his face now, the intensity of his glare keeping Harry from running. That, and his newly restored rage.
"Get over it! It was twenty years ago! They were kids in school! And you've been doing the same thing to me for the past week! You're unbelievably hypocritical! You made hair grow all over my body! Inside my body! You pick on me every opportunity you get because of something that happened twenty fucking years ago! Grow the fuck up!" Harry was leaning forward, yelling right back at Snape, his anger almost overwhelming him.
Snape just stood there, looking mildly shocked. Which probably meant he was really quite speechless. Harry hoped he'd gotten something through to the git.
They stood there staring at each other in silence for several minutes, calming themselves down. Well, that was what Harry was doing. He didn't know what was going on in the dark little mind of Severus Snape.
Eventually, he'd calmed down somewhat. He decided he'd try to smooth things over between Snape and himself. He hated having bad blood between anyone.
"Professor?" He asked quietly, but firmly. He received no answer; no acknowledgement of any kind. Snape just stood there, seemingly lost in thought. "S-Severus?" He'd been wanting to call the man by his given name since he'd kissed him in this very spot, just over a fortnight ago. "Are you alright?" He stepped closer, reaching out to touch the man on the arm.
*
Severus was shocked that Potter had the backbone to yell at him like that. He hated to admit it, but the little twerp impressed him. Just a little.
He'd retaliated in kind, saying more than he'd intended. He was still hurt more than he thought possible at what Potter had said in his anger. He didn't think the boy had meant it, but it'd been said all the same.
"Maybe you're not worth the trouble." He felt a sharp pain in his chest. Lily had said something like that at one stage. He'd desperately sought her forgiveness back then. And now, her son was in the same position. But he wouldn't beg. Not like with Lily.
The light touch to his arm brought him back to the present. He looked down at it, still slightly detached, before jerking his arm from the boy's hand.
"I-" he paused, not sure of what to say. What Potter had said was true. He'd acted shamefully and immaturely. But he would not beg. "I apologise, Potter." He raised his gaze to the boy's hoping his sincerity was showing. "I behaved… shamefully. I am sorry." He lowered his gaze, not believing he was apologising. To Potter. But it needed to be done. He was not a petty man – contrary to his recent actions.
"It's… alright," came Potter's soft reply. He lifted his eyes once more, seeing a small smile on his student's face. The boy stepped forward, tentatively.
He was lost for words. After the explosion from both of them, the last thing he expected was for him to apologise to Harry Potter. Or for the boy to accept it. And smile. He'd smiled at him. Harry Potter had smiled, accepting his, Severus Snape's, apology. He was a little dazed.
But, he realised, he was mostly tired. He was so tired of pushing this boy away. He was tired of lying to himself. He did want the stupid brat in his life. He did want someone to spend time with who wasn't completely lacking in brains, but who wasn't so pretentious with their intelligence. He just wanted someone. And now, it seemed, he had them. He looked at the slender boy before him in wonder, allowing it to show on his face. He didn't need to guard himself. Not now. Not with Harry.
*
"Sir?" Harry was slightly confused. Severus had a strange look on his face. He didn't know what to make of it. "Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine, Harry," Severus replied just as softly as Harry had before. "Shall we head back?"
"Sure," he smiled again, only just letting himself believe what was happening. And with whom it was happening with. He made to walk back up the path, but noticed Severus was still standing there, looking at him. "What?"
Severus reached up and pulled a ribbon from Harry's hair, gently, letting the tuft fall back into place. He held it up for Harry to see, smiling slightly in amusement.
"Oh," he blushed, reaching up to take the other one out. He then remembered the cat on his shoulder, as it nuzzled him again. He undid the sticking charm and took that off, too. He then noticed the sparkling bracelets again. He sighed, setting to work to undo them and the ones around his ankles. As he was bent over to unfasten the anklets, he noticed the bright pink nail polish. He groaned. "Why pink?"
"I could ask the same of you," said Severus.
"Touché," he grinned, straightening up. "I don't spose you know a spell to get this stuff off?" He peeled the fake eyelashes off waiting for a response.
**
After he'd taken all of the pink and/or sparkling accessories off, Harry allowed Severus to magic away the pink nail varnish. He took the collar off, handing it to Severus with a grin.
"A memento?" he'd suggested. Severus' response was a smirk as he put the collar in one of the pockets hidden in his voluminous robes.
Now, they were sitting in Severus' office, eating a late dinner together. They'd enjoyed a companionable silence while walking back to Hogwarts. Instead of joining everyone else for supper, they decided to spend time together in Severus' office, talking. It was a couple of hours before they realised they were famished. They had missed lunch, after all.
"It's time to go," Severus said when they'd finished. He sounded a little reluctant, Harry liked to think. "I will write you a pass." While he did that, Harry watched his hands nimbly handle the ink and quill, making no splotches. He loved Severus' hands.
"Thank you," he stood to take the note, brushing his fingers along Severus'.
Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around his teacher's neck, hugging him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. You are worth every bit of trouble." He kissed Severus' cheek on an impulse, resting his forehead against his teacher's temple.
*
Severus didn't move. Harry was hugging him. He'd just kissed him – again – and had apologised for the most cutting words he'd uttered that afternoon. His heart beat a little faster in his chest, as he reached up, placing his arms around Harry's back, tentatively returning the embrace.
"It's alright," he repeated Harry's acceptance from that afternoon, all other words escaping him. It wasn't so bad, hugging this boy… Being kissed by him.
Harry finally let go and stepped back. He had a watery smile on his face as he laughed nervously.
"Sorry," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I know you don't like that," he blushed a little. "Good night, Severus. I'll see you in class tomorrow." With that, he turned and left, closing the door gently behind him.
**
Half an hour later, Severus decided it was time for bed. He was drained from another emotional day. But, he didn't regret it. Not one bit. He'd finally ended the silly prank war with Harry and had gained a friend. All in one afternoon. He was amazed, grateful and a little disbelieving. He needed a good night's sleep.
Exiting his office, he saw an envelope on the desk in his classroom. He descended the stairs, making his way to his desk.
There was a brief sentence on the face of the envelope, in Harry's chicken-scratch handwriting. It said "Don't open until tomorrow." Sighing, he obeyed, taking it with him to his rooms. If this was some kind of trust exercise from his new friend, he didn't want to blow it.
**
The next morning, Severus awoke feeling surprisingly refreshed. He looked at his alarm clock and realised he only had an hour and a half to get ready and get up to the Great Hall for breakfast before he had to teach his first class.
He rushed through his shower and dried himself with a spell to save time. He dressed hurriedly, though still impeccably. Looking at his clock again, he was startled to see he'd made good time and now didn't have to rush.
Passing his desk on the way out, he saw the envelope from the night before. He admitted he was curious. What could the brat have to say? He slit it open with a letter opener and pulled the folded parchment out.
It read,
You're almost forgiven.
Before he had time to voice his confusion, the parchment disintegrated into black smoke which swirled around his hands, coming to a stop in the middle of each of his palms. It formed one word on each palm.
On his left was "Caramell". On his right, "Dansen" was written in the same elegant hand. It glowed a bright white, before the music began.
***
AN: Wow! That was a long chapter! Lol, I hope it wasn't too boring.
The amazing Egglorru is once more responsible for my inspiration! She's wonderful for bouncing ideas off of. XD
And, I have noticed that we're almost at 300 reviews! You guys are AWESOME!