Part three: Learning.
It was now the second of the three days and Severus was extremely glad it was Saturday. This gave him more time to think over the situation he now found himself in. So he sat in his favourite chair before the fireplace just thinking.
His heart wanted to surrender to this other man completely, his head however wasn't so sure. Snape let out a sigh it had been years since he had really listened to his heart. After all the last time he had placed any credence in what his heart told him, it had been broken by Lilly and the man he had secretly been in love with getting together.
Severus sighed again, James Potter was still a sore spot for him. Recently however he had started to put the man behind him, this fact the pale man could attribute to Harry. Though the young man was a lot like his father in appearance, there was something about him that was different from his sire. It was this very difference from James that had started stirring feelings in him, it was these very same feelings that the mysterious man also stirred.
At that moment he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to find that it was actually Harry Potter who was wooing him. A flush crept into the pale cheeks, quickly Severus shook his head to try and clear the image from his mind. The image however had other things in mind, it was so vivid, those calloused hands coming out of the long black sleeves, pushing the hood back, to show the brown messy hair and vivid green eyes. The wide smile that curved the younger man's lips, before he leant up pressing them to Severus's and Harry's arms coming up to wrap round him.
The flush on the Potion master cheeks grew, something was starting to stir with definite interest, desperately Snape shook away the images and took several deep breaths trying to settle himself once again. It wasn't working, with deep sigh Severus left his rooms, determined to walk around until his mind gave up it's images of Harry Potter.
Unfortunately today was not his day, the dark man came to a complete halt, picking a bunch of flowers was none other the green eyed wizard of his dreams. Quietly the younger wizard handed them over to Ron, who grinned at him. This sight caused the Potions master's heart constricted painfully.
The brown haired man spoke to his friend. "Now take those to Hermione and propose you idiot." Relief flooded Snape and he fort hard not to let it show on his face.
The red head gave Harry a jaunty smile before dashing off, the other man watched his friend go and shook his head in amusement. "Ah me young love." Severus said quietly as he walked over to the Gryffindor.
With a small jump and a slight squeak of surprise Harry turned to face the older wizard. "Oh, sir you surprised me."
"I noticed that you where flower picking. Isn't Mr Weasely even capable of finding flowers on his own?" The professor asked sarcastically crossing his arms.
Harry let out a small laugh. "Knowing Ron, if I hadn't helped him, Hermione would have received a bunch of something like deadly nightshade."
Severus smothered his own laugh, but the corners of his mouth twitched up. "So they are getting married?" The dark haired man asked, quiet happy to try keeping a civilised conversation up with Harry.
"I hope so. Ron has been trying to ask her most of the year. It's truly madding." The younger man responded the tone of exasperation clear in is voice.
"And what about you Mr Potter?" Snape asked and was surprised to find he was genuinely interested in how his companion would answer this question.
Slowly the green eyes looked up at the sky. "You know I don't really think I would survive Voldamort to be honest. I liked Draco for a little while, before I realised the younger man was not really my taste and that my attraction to him was merely physical."
Snape was startled not only by Harry's response to his question, but the fact the emerald eyed man was gay like himself. The Potions master shook himself slightly. "Well at least you know what you want in life Mr Potter."
Harry snorted softly. "Oh I know what I want, but sometimes getting what you want, isn't as easy as knowing what you want. How about you professor? How is your wooing going?"
The Potions master was quiet surprised by the other man's genuinely curious voice and decided to answer him. "It is going well. I can only call the one wooing me once more for three more questions though and I am a bit annoyed that I will have to waist one of those questions on asking when and where to meet so I can tell them yes or no tomorrow."
"I can see how that would be aggravating." The young man said with understanding. "Well I am glad I finally managed to have a conversation with you where we didn't end up shouting at each other. There is something I wish to ask you, you can tell me no, if you want. I was wondering if some day you'd tell me about mum, everyone talks to me about my father but you're the one who knew my mother best. So would you mind talking to me about her some day?"
To say the dark wizard was amazed was an understatement, he was completely amazed. It was in that moment that Severus realised the young boy was gone and a man was standing next to him. "Yes, I think that I can finally tell you about Lilly, without it hurting."
The smile he received, from these words, was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. "Good, well let me know when you're ready and I'll come and see you." With a smile the younger wizard wandered off back to the castle.
The Potions master stood watching the younger man go, he couldn't help but smile, it looked like even if he could never love the man of his dreams, it seemed they could at least be friends and that much made the dark haired man happy.
That evening Severus summoned his wooer and was pacing before the fire place. He felt the magic, slowly the pale man turned to find the black hooded figure behind him, slowly the man turned in his direction and walked over to him and held out a piece of parchment. "Here before we start read this."
With a nod Snape unfolded the parchment and read. It was the time and place for their meeting tomorrow, a deserted class room, on the fourth floor at six the next evening. A small note sat underneath which Severus also read. 'I thought that you might have to ask me this and it seemed unfair for you to have to waist a question on that when you have so few in which to make up your mind as to whether you want me or not.' Snape had to admit, he now had respect for this man, he had used an auto quill so the hand writing was not recognisable and the parchment had been enchanted so that now he had read the message the words vanished.
Slowly the dark eyes looked across at the other wizard. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Severus moved closer to the man who stood still not moving away. "Why, use such an old fashioned method of wooing?"
"I thought you might appreciate it and I knew if anyone here would understand what I was doing and why it would be you."
The pale man raised both brows at the dark robed figure. "I see. Why did you fall in love with me?"
"Hmm that's harder to answer, because there are many reasons. If I had to pick three things though, then it would be your dedication, your sense of honour and your heart, which I could see wanted to know what love was like again." The other wizard told him gently.
This answer struck the older man into silence. "Did I say something wrong?" The mysterious man asked him eventually.
With a start Snape answered him. "No, no, you just surprised me that's all. I didn't think anyone could see me in such a light."
The hooded figure shook their head. "Oh Severus." A hand appeared out of the sleeve, he came to stand before the dark wizard, then reached up and stroked a cheek softly. "You foolish wizard, of cause I see you, how could I not?"
"No one else ever has." Severus told him bitterly trying to look away.
The smaller man didn't let him look away. "I am not everyone else." He said softly.
A small smile curled the edges of the Potion masters lips. "Yes I am starting to understand that. One last question left. Hmmm are you good at potions?"
"I am better at the subject than I let people think." He said softly and then spoke again. "Would you like another kiss before I go again?"
"Yes." Snape answered simply, the shorter man put both arms round him, one calloused hand was on the back of the pale man's neck, his head was tugged down and their lips met.
With a sigh, Severus put his arms round the waist of the shorter man drawing him close and deepening the kiss. There was a small whimper from the man in the Potion master's arms and he felt desire flare. The need for air finally had them drawing apart from the kiss, Severus took one of the man's hands in his and gently kissed the back. "Until tomorrow, at the appointed hour and place."
"Yes until tomorrow." The other wizard said softly.
Reluctantly Snape released the hand of his mysterious man and watched as for the last time he vanished from sight. The dark professor instantly fell to pacing he had a lot to be thinking about. His mind was drawn back to some of the thinks this man of his had said, he was not everyone else and he was better at potions than he allowed people to believe... he sounded like Harry...
Severus shook his head forcefully, and then the note the man had given him surface in his mind. Only a few hours earlier had he mentioned to Harry that he didn't want to lose one of his questions to ask the man where they would meet and when. Then his wooer turns up with a note like that...what where the chances that this man could be Harry?
It wasn't possible was it...? But what if it where... the more he thought the more Severus knew his answer to this man, Harry or not, Snape wanted to say yes so he would say yes and see where that answer led himself and his heart which was so full of joy and expectation at the moment he was sure that it was fit to burst. With his decision for the next day now made Severus went to bed, as he lay in bed the dark wizard prayed that he was in fact making the right choice for once in life and that nothing was going to go wrong tomorrow.