Rating: M

Warnings: Slash, swearing, infidelity, ignores epilogue, probably a bit OOC

Pairings: SS/HP and HP/GW

Genres: Romance, Drama, Angst

Summary: Harry's engaged to Ginny, but then along comes Severus Snape. SLASH, SS/HP, POST DH

Chapter Fifteen: A Nasty Bump

"Happy Birthday!"

Harry's rigorous years of Auror training melted away into nothing as he stumbled through the door and into the room of crimson-clad grinning maniacs. He quickly tried to school his features into his best "oh my, is this for me?" expression and looked around the room as his colleagues set off dozens of party poppers. A large banner with his face on fluttered overhead and bright, colourful streamers dangled from the walls and ceiling.

He sighed. The previous Head Auror hadn't had to put up with this sort of stuff.

"No, you're not getting the day off," he told the room at large. There was a collective groan and everyone turned back to their work, mumbling to one another.

Harry rolled his eyes and smiled and made his way over to his office.

Jeremy, dressed in light blue robes, gave him a cheerful grin as he greeted him and handed Harry the usual morning stack of files – documents that needed signing, court dates he had to attend, reports of crimes that had been made. He thanked him and opened his office door, depositing the work on his gift-laden desk.

Deciding that the presents were far more important that anything in the numerous folders, Harry sat down in his chair and grabbed hold of the nearest present, which was wrapped in shiny red and gold paper.

Every year he told his friends not to get him anything (honestly, he'd be more than happy with just a card!) and every year they dished out the goods. Ron's presents were becoming more and more muggle and Harry rather suspected that Hermione was letting him loose in London whenever they went shopping – remote control cars, mini-bars with little mini-drinks, popcorn makers, and homemade ice-cream machines. Harry grinned as he set this year's present – a sweet dispenser – aside. No doubt Ron would be along soon enough to "test it out" and "suggest" Harry keep it here in the office.

George had sent him a selection of the latest Weasley creations as was his usual way, and Hagrid, whom he hoped he would be seeing tonight at The Three Broomsticks, had sent him all of his favourite sweets and chocolates from Honeydukes. Hermione, much to his amusement, had bought him a fancy metal plated business card holder – yesterday, for the sixth time that week, Harry had dug into his pocket to hand out his card to a burglary victim he'd been dealing with and had dropped them all over the floor. Well, the holder ought to sort that problem out. She'd also sent him a rather stunning atlas of the wizarding world, which pictured and gave detailed descriptions of all the magical places across each continent.

He smiled and pulled the next one towards him, which turned out to be a gorgeous set of robes from Andromeda (who, by the way, was now visiting her sister once a week, a fact which Harry was doing his best to ignore.) Along with the robes, she'd sent him a picture which Teddy had done especially for his Uncle Harry's birthday – it depicted a squiggly looking Harry and Teddy playing Quidditch together, complete with a moving quaffle and everything. That went straight onto his wall and took pride of place.

Once he'd finished opening his presents he started on the many cards. McGonagall and Aberforth had sent him birthday wishes, along with Kingsley, Neville and Hannah, Charlie, Luna (who wrote that she wouldn't be able to make it tonight as she and Rolf – who Harry still hadn't met! – were stuck in South Africa tracking Fwoopers), Mrs. Figg, Dudley (it was 'cards only' between Harry and the Dursley's now, never any visits and that was just fine), and his friends from work.

After he'd binned all the wrapping paper and envelopes, he arranged all the cards neatly around his office, trying to occupy his time until he absolutely had to start on the pile of work. Work should be banned on birthdays, he thought as he levitated the cards around his desk, trying to decide where each of them should go.

There was a knock on his door and before he could pretend to look busy, the door opened and in walked Ron. He grinned at Harry and nodded at the sweet dispenser.

"I see you got my present," he smiled, closing the door and walking over to the item in question. "There're all sorts of muggle sweets in there, you know – gummy bears, smarties, little fruit things. I even threw in some fizzing whizbees. Is it alright if I test it?"

It was Harry's turn to grin. "Help yourself."

"Nice one," he said, and he grabbed up a paper bag and turned the switch on the dispenser. "Yep, it's working pretty good. Hey, I reckon you should keep this here at work…"

The day went by pretty fast, with nothing more exciting happening than a wife displaying her immense talent at Transfiguration by turning her husband into a toad. After that little debacle had been dealt with, Harry ate lunch with Ron and Hermione and gossiped about how Malcolm, the new security guy, had been caught in bed with Ruby, the receptionist, by his girlfriend Helen, the witch who worked in the Transportation Department, who was now dating Dave from Accounting. You had to keep up with these things!

"So," said Hermione, as they headed for the lifts and back to work, "are you looking forward to tonight?"

Ginny had arranged a little get-together for Harry's birthday. Harry had insisted that he didn't want to do anything, but she'd insisted that they must so they'd settled on a meal and drinks in The Three Broomsticks for family and close friends.

"Yeah," he said, pushing a button to summon the lift. "It'll be nice to get out and see everyone again."

"Pity we have to get up for work tomorrow," Ron said, "otherwise we could have made a proper night of it."

"Nah," he replied, "I don't really feel like making a big fuss. Besides," he added, "Ginny's throwing me a bit of a private party this weekend so I have that to look forward to." He winked.

Ron screwed his face up and threw his hands over his ears. "Why would you tell me something like that?" he moaned.

Harry laughed and patted him on the back.

"Well, I think it's really sweet," said Hermione, ducking the flying memos and stepping into the lift. "It's so nice to see a young couple so in love."

Harry's smile faltered but he forced it back into place before anyone could notice. He busied himself with pressing the numbered buttons on the panel – 4 for Hermione, 2 for himself and Ron.

It had been three weeks since he'd upset Ginny by staying out all night, but she was completely over it now, laughing and joking and being her usual happy self. Her team, the Holyhead Harpies, had been knocked out of the European Championships by a side from Italy but it hadn't affected her spirit at all; if anything, it had made her more determined. The Premier League was coming up in a few months and already she was training hard.

When Harry wasn't working, their time was devoted to each other and the things that were important to them. They were forever going out for meals in London, going clubbing with friends, taking Teddy and Victoire to the cinema, or watching plays in the West End. They'd even helped Molly and Andromeda find premises in Diagon Alley for their new café, each using their own fame to promote the place and gather business for the two grandmothers.

Their nights in were even better, spent with each other and Ginny's wide range of naughty lingerie. He loved it when she wore black, especially the lacy knickers, stockings, and suspenders which she saved for special occasions. Yes, things between them were just as passionate as ever.

So passionate that no one would ever guess he was having an affair.

When he was with Ginny, he forgot about Snape.

When he was with Snape, he forgot about Ginny.

Things with Snape were heating up and Harry felt powerless to stop them. Snape had rapidly become this whole other side to Harry's life, so much so that it was rather like having an alter ego.

They didn't go out for meals or shows or any of that other fancy stuff he did with Ginny. No, Snape preferred to stay in. At a stretch they would go to the pub, and sometimes they took walks around Godric's Hollow, but most of their time was spent at the cottage, eating, talking, and doing the gardening.

They'd had sex twice more since that first time.

Harry hadn't bottomed yet, although the idea was starting to appeal to him. But what if he did it and Ginny noticed something different about him? He didn't even know if there would be a physical change, but he was too shy to ask Snape and too nervous to find out for himself. But the thought of having Snape fuck him, and then going home to sleep with Ginny…everything was far too messed up for him to even attempt to get his head around it. All he knew for certain was that ignoring the problem made it go away. How was that for logic?

But this thing with Snape wasn't just about sexual pleasure. He enjoyed the time he spent with him, even if the whole evening was devoted to talking about potions and Auror work. He relaxed around Snape…it was almost as if he could be himself. Snape knew Harry was having an affair, Snape knew Harry was having doubts…he didn't have to pretend around him like he did with Ginny. Severus Snape knew what Harry Potter was all about.

Well, he would just have to put his guilt and his doubt to the back of his mind again. It made life so much easier, yet it did nothing to sooth the queasy feeling in his stomach.

"Level Four, Department for the Regulation and…"

"That's me," said Hermione. She kissed Ron briefly on the cheek and hopped out of the lift as the doors slid open. "I'll see you later, Harry," she waved at him, and she set off down the corridor, dodging a large puff of smoke that issued from a room and merrily greeting a rather regal-looking Centaur as she went.

"Happy Birthday!"

This time a genuine smile graced his face as he stepped into bustling room. There were no decorations here, but the large table surrounded by his friends was filled to bursting with party food and presents. A new song – "As Strong as a Troll" by Megan McCaree, the winner of the WWN's singing competition, Wizard Idol – was playing in the background, but Harry could barely hear the words over the din of the pub.

He'd just started to make his way over to his friends when Molly got to her feet and rushed over to him. She pulled him into a tight hug, muttering about how she was going to have to do something to fix his hair for the wedding. When she pulled away, she kissed him on the forehead and led him to the table, where she plonked him down into a seat.

As Arthur got the drinks in, Harry took the time to greet everyone one by one. Hagrid was there, as he'd hoped, and he spent a good five minutes talking about what magical creatures he'd managed to acquire for his lessons, and updating Harry on how Norberta (though Hagrid still called her 'Norbert') was doing in Romania. She was a fully grown dragon now and her first ever egg had hatched just days ago.

Percy and his wife, Audrey, were also there and they had brought along Molly, who had grown so much since Harry had last seen her in April.

"Babies suit you, Harry," Percy said as Harry bounced a giggling baby Molly on his knee. "You better watch out though; Ginny has her eye on you."

Harry looked up and Ginny gave him a grin.

"Don't worry," she said with a wink, "We're not having any kids until after the World Cup."

"Which gives you three years, so you'd better start preparing now," Percy said, darkly. "Babies are expensive and a lot of hard work."

"Yeah, but she's so beautiful," Harry cooed, tickling her tummy.

Then Arthur returned to the table with the drinks and Harry handed baby Molly back to her father before being bombarded by Victoire and Teddy, urging him to open his presents.

From Bill and Fleur (who had just found out they were expecting their second child) he received a new holster for his wand, as his old one was as ragged as anything. Victoire had given him a brightly coloured self-inking quill that wrote in all the colours of the rainbow. She'd been so proud of herself when she'd handed him the small package, telling him that she'd picked it out all by herself. Harry had given her a big hug and a kiss on the head.

Percy's present turned out to be a stack of 'How To' books, including "How To Be The Best Boss You Can Possibly Be In Five Easy Steps!!" Audrey's gift voucher for a large ice-cream sundae at Florean Fortescue's (which was now run by Florean Forestcue Jr) made up for it.

In addition to the delicious-looking cake sitting on the table, Molly had also whipped up yet another of her famous woolly jumpers which, birthdays and Christmases combined, were starting to fill his wardrobe. This latest one was in blue, the same shade as his Head Auror robes.

"You can wear it under your robes when it gets a bit chilly, dear," she'd said with a bright smile.

After that, all the presents had been done and Molly had declared the food ready to eat.

He was starved. He'd only had a sandwich at lunch and so, tummy grumbling, Harry reached for his plate and stacked it high with pizza, chicken, and sausage rolls.

As he ate, he let his eyes drift over the people gathered around. He wasn't surprised at how happy they all seemed; apart from the occasional disagreement, (and not counting his words with Andromeda), there hadn't been a serious argument amongst them for years. He loved the Weasley's and everyone connected to them. They were all such a nice bunch of people, the best you could ever hope to meet, always giving and never asking for anything in return. They looked out for one another, even Percy with his ego and pompous ideas. Once a Weasley, always a Weasley.

He smiled to himself and took a sip of his butterbeer.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," said a voice he recognised as Neville's. Harry watched as he slid into a nearby chair, crumbs all down his top. His eyes were wide as he leaned in. "So," he said, in rather conspirative tones, "did you hear about Luna?"

"That she wasn't able to make it?" he said. "Yeah, she sent me a card." But Neville was shaking his head.

"No," he said. "About Rolf?"

Harry frowned. "What about him?"

"He asked her to marry him," Ginny said, leaning over and joining the conversation. "And she said no."

"Can you imagine?" Neville went on, practically bouncing in his seat at the gossip. "Saying no to Rolf Scamander, the grandson of the Newt Scamander!"

"Did someone say Newt Scamander?" boomed Hagrid from the other end of the table. "I could teach 'im a thing or two 'bout raisin' magical creatures."

"I'm sure you could, Hagrid," Molly smiled, patting his large hand. "More pie?"

Harry turned back to Neville and Ginny. "What's Rolf like, anyway?" he asked. "Have any of you actually met him?"

"Well, no," said Neville thoughtfully, "But I'm sure he's really nice and stuff."

"Either that or he's some crazy stalker trying to get into Luna's knickers," Ginny snorted, stealing a slice of pizza from Harry's plate.

Harry slumped. "What if he is?" he asked. "What if Luna's out there with some lunatic? What if she needs our help?"

Ginny looked mock-indignant. "Should I be jealous of how protective you're being?" she teased.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Seriously, one of us should meet him," he said.

"If you'd give Ron the time off work," Hermione butted in, "we'd be more than happy to go." Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"Ha," laughed Harry. "I'm not falling for that one again. The last time you used that you said you were going to Romania to visit Charlie for a few days."

"We did!"

"You went to America," he pointed out.

"We took a detour," Hermione responded.

Harry snorted. "You took a holiday," he said. "And you took a lot longer than a few days."

Ron laughed as Hermione stuck out her tongue. Chuckling, Harry returned to his food.

As the evening wore on, the chatter and laughter grew. At one point, George had taken centre stage when his drink had been spiked with one of his own creations, leading to him doing impressions of a Hippogriff for at least half an hour before Angelina had taken pity on him and had administered the antidote. Now that he was back to normal he was challenging his sister, Ginny, to a drinking contest, although they were being rather discreet about it, huddled at the bar so that their parents or Percy couldn't see.

After downing a hearty meal, Arthur had taken Molly for a spin around the makeshift dance floor. Now, the grandmother was fully immersed in conversation with Andromeda and Arthur was busy taking turns to dance with Hermione, Angelina, Fleur, and Audrey. Even Harry was feeling rather daring, though his "moves" didn't go beyond letting Teddy and Victoire stand on his toes as he moved about the floor to the fast music.

When he was finally able to return to the table he loaded a few more sausage rolls onto his plate in front of him and looked around at his friends. Molly and Andromeda were still at the other end of the table, no doubt discussing new recipes and design ideas and the like. Harry snickered. Work never seemed to end for those two.

George, looking very much worse for wear after losing the drinking competition to Ginny, was now across the room in a dark corner with Angelina, and Hermione was watching in disbelief as Ron helped himself to yet more apple pie. Percy seemed to be trying, and failing, to engage his sister-in-law Fleur in talks of politics, and Bill and Audrey were looking on bemusedly.

For the next ten minutes or so he just sat back and watched the world around him, enjoying the feeling of belonging and tapping his foot in time with the music. Ginny was now dancing with Teddy and, despite himself, Harry couldn't help but wonder what a child of his own would look like. Would it have Harry's green eyes? Ginny's red hair?

"Severus?"

His insides suddenly turned to ice. He spun around at Arthur's voice, almost knocking over his glass of butterbeer. There, with his great black robes and long, oily hair, was Severus Snape.

"Arthur," Snape greeted. He shook the other man's hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," Arthur smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "What brings you to The Three Broomsticks?"

"Ginevra invited me." And then, slowly, he turned. His eyes met Harry's, who gulped. "I hope you don't mind."

Harry's heart was pounding and he knew his eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and looked over at Ginny. She gave him a small, shy smile from across the room.

"Not at all," said Harry, quickly finding his voice. "Please, pull up a chair, grab some food."

Snape did so and, as Harry watched, everything seemed to become a big blur. Snape was here and Ginny had invited him. Ginny was being nice and Snape was here and they were all here at the same time, all together, because Ginny had invited him and Snape was here.

He couldn't hear anything. Couldn't focus. There was a buzzing sound in his ears, a dead sound, a haze that was drowning out all other noises and it was getting louder and louder and…

"Are you alright?"

Harry looked up. He blinked. Hermione was peering down at him, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah," he said, forcing himself to form words. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He gave her a smile.

She frowned and gazed at him some more, her dark eyes flickering over his face. He tried hard to school his emotions and just when he thought he was going to break out in a sweat, she shrugged and turned away.

Harry let out a breath and turned to Snape, who had taken the seat next to him, to his right. He watched, barely able to believe his eyes, as the man loaded food on to his plate, as casually as anything. When he bit into a meat and potato pasty, Harry snapped.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded in a fierce whisper. He'd thought they were done playing games, but here was Snape, acting like crashing Harry's birthday party was something he did every day.

Snape looked at him calmly. "I was invited," he replied.

Harry waved a dismissive hand. Invited, crashing…it was all the same to him.

"Do you turn up to all the events you're invited to?"

"I wouldn't know," he drawled, "I'm not invited to that many."

"Don't give me that shit, Snape!" he growled. "You're here because you saw a chance to cause trouble."

Snape's face darkened. He dropped his food back onto the plate and leaned in so close that, for one terrifying moment, Harry thought he was going to kiss him. "If you wish to refrain from causing a scene then I suggest we have this conversation elsewhere, or not at all," Snape snarled.

Harry gritted his teeth. He stood up. "Outside," he said, his voice dull. He waited for Snape to get to his feet before heading through the crowded room and out the door, out into the warm air of the summer evening. Once he'd marched a little way down the street, towards the closed sweet shop, he turned a corner and made his way into a deserted alley.

"Out with it Snape!" he said, spinning on his heel. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you, I was –"

"Invited, yeah, I got that, thanks. I want a real answer."

Snape opened his mouth but closed it again, apparently thinking better of whatever it was that he'd been about to say. He looked at Harry for a few seconds, calculating, taking everything in. He then folded his arms and leaned against the brick wall.

"I am here," he said, calmly, "because it's your birthday."

Harry glared.

"I missed you?" Snape tried, with a smirk.

Harry shook his head. "I'm with Ginny right now. You can't be here."

The smirk slid from Snape's face and his eyes grew hard. He pushed himself away from the alley wall and glowered at Harry.

"And what," he snapped, in his most deadliest voice, "is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to wait my turn in line, is that it?"

Harry groaned. "Don't be like that. You know the situation. I'm with my fiancée right now, you can't just turn up!"

"It was your fiancée who invited me."

"You didn't have to show up and you know that! You did it on purpose, to mess with me, to play stupid games!"

Snape let out a bark of laughter and threw his hands in the air. He gave a mock bow. "And once again, the world revolves around Harry Potter."

Harry darted a quick glance around the alley to make sure they were still alone, before snapping, "Why can't you just take things seriously? Why do you have to do this?"

Snape growled. "I do take things seriously, Potter. Do you really think I came here to flirt with you? To flaunt our affair?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," Harry uttered.

"Unbelievable. You really are just…" Snape trailed off with a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. He began to pace to alleyway with slow steps, looking back at Harry with every turn. Harry just stood there, entirely unsure of what to do. He needed to return to the party but he didn't want to leave things like this with Snape.

He opened his mouth to suggest they talk about this later when a package was thrust into his hands. Surprised, Harry looked up.

"What's this?" he asked Snape, holding up the thin parcel.

"A gift," Snape said. "For your birthday. It's not much," he added.

Harry stared at it. "You got me something?"

"It's not much," he repeated. Harry swallowed and gave the man a small smile before pulling the gift out from its wrappings.

His breath caught in his throat. Smiling warmly up at him from a muggle photograph were his grandparents and his mother. They were standing in Kings Cross Station, just by the barrier that led to the magical platform. Lily had on her Hogwarts uniform and was stood proudly between her beaming parents, a tall dark-haired man with a kindly face, and a fair-skinned red-haired woman with glasses.

"I took that," Snape said quietly, "just before we left for our first day at Hogwarts. Your grandparents gave me a copy of all the photographs."

Harry stared. Despite the thin, bony structure of his grandmother – very much resembling that of her daughter, Petunia – she looked kind and welcoming, something which his aunt never had.

Harry shook his head. "I can't accept this," he said, holding out the picture for Snape. "It's yours, something to remember them by."

Snape shook his head as well. He pushed the photo back at Harry. "It's been stuffed in a box in the attic for years," he told him. "I have no use for it. It's yours now."

Harry looked back down at the photograph and felt all his anger melting away. Everyone who knew him knew how important family was to Harry, but only Snape seemed to understand, only Snape seemed to share that desire to hold on to the past.

His chest tightened painfully as, once again, he realised that the position they were both in was very much in Snape's favour. Not that Harry cared much. He didn't want to be mad at him.

He glanced at Snape, who was stood uncertainly in front of him, then back down to the picture in his hand. He smiled playfully.

"Are you using my grandparents to try and seduce me?" he asked.

Snape smirked. "Possibly. Is it working?"

"Like a charm," he replied, and he stood on tip-toes and pulled Snape in for a kiss.

It started off slow and gentle, a tender, caressing kiss, fingertips dancing across the back of his neck as his tongue sort out warmth and wetness, his body tingling. But when Snape slammed him up against the dirty wall, knocking the breath out of Harry's lungs, all tenderness disappeared to be replaced with desperate passion.

Harry moaned into the devouring mouth, loving the feel of Snape's hard body once again pressed so closely to his own, trapping him. Wriggling, he managed to get one arm free and he wrapped it around Snape's neck, using it to steady himself as he rubbed his rapidly growing erection against Snape's.

Snape let out a deep growl and Harry gasped as he felt himself hoisted into the air a few inches. His back scraped painfully up the brick wall, but he didn't care. He tugged hard at Snape's hair, dug his fingernails into the back of his neck, pulling him as close as he could possibly be, so close that Snape couldn't even manoeuvre his hand in between them to undo Harry's belt.

For the second time that night, a loud, blank noise filled Harry's ears, a buzzing sound, a deep rumbling from far off that was getting louder and louder. Snape moaned and Harry felt it vibrating in his very ears. He moaned back and tugged harder at Snape's dark hair, pressing his tongue deeper into the other mans mouth, the noises getting louder, nearer, until he heard his own name called out.

Only…Snape was still kissing him, and that voice had sounded pretty clear.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he let go of Snape, pushing the man away. Snape stumbled, looking frustrated. Then he froze. Harry whirled around.

"Mr. Potter?" The uncertain words came from a stunned-looking, blonde-haired wizard; Harry's assistant, Jeremy Jenkson, stood at the entrance to the alley.

A horrible, prickling sensation broke out all over Harry's body as his mind worked rapidly to catch up with the sight he was seeing with his eyes. Was that really Jeremy stood there, looking at them, eyes bulging, mouth slightly open? It must be, for he had the same coloured hair, the same rectangular face, the same light blue robes he'd been dressed in only hours before at work.

Well. This was it then. His life was over, that much was clear. It had been an interesting ride, but one that had gone on far too long. There was no way he was going to be able to talk himself out of this one.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his trembling hand, he took a step forward.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" he asked; the fear he'd felt when facing Voldemort all those years ago was nothing compared to what he was feeling now.

Behind him, Snape straightened his robes and stood up straight. He looked merely annoyed at the interruption as he watched Jeremy, waiting for his answer to Harry's question.

"I'm…I'm out," he said, still rather stunned. "With friends. We went for a drink after work." His eyes moved from Harry, to Snape, and back again. "What are you doing here?"

Harry felt a flush heat his cheeks. The numb, buzzing sound was back, but this time it was accompanied by a cold, stabbing sweat.

"Jeremy," he said, approaching the man; his eyes were pleading and he felt like crying. "You can't say anything. Please. It's just a one-off thing. It's not going to happen again."

To his horror – his absolute horror – Snape snorted. "A one-off thing?" he laughed. "Is that what you children are calling it nowadays when you sleep with someone three times?"

Jeremy's eyes grew, if possible, wider. Harry closed his own, breathing deeply. He couldn't believe this was happening.

How had his life come to this, being caught in a back alley snogging a person who wasn't his fiancée? He should never have followed Snape that day in Diagon Alley. He should never have allowed curiosity and temptation to get the better of him for one single second. Because now everyone was going to get hurt – Ginny was going to have her heart broken, Hermione was going to be so disappointed, the Weasley's were going to hate him and disown him. And it was all Harry's fault.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Potter, don't just stand there hyperventilating!" he heard Snape snap at him. "Just Obliviate him so we can get this over with."

Harry opened his eyes in time to see Jeremy frantically fiddling with his robes. He pulled out his wand and pointed it, shakily, at Snape.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" he said, turning to Harry. "Are you going to do it or not?"

Harry looked at Jeremy, his trembling assistant, then at Snape, his stern lover. "I…can't," he found himself saying. "I can't just –"

But Snape had pulled out his own wand in one long, elegant sweep. "Fine," he sighed, aiming it at Jeremy. "Never send an Auror to do a man's job. Oblivi–"

"Stupefy!"

A hot, red beam shot at Snape, who had to jump quickly to the side and block the spell with his wand. When he righted himself he looked angry, though a little shocked. He rolled up his sleeves as he prepared to retaliate.

"Let's see what you do with this one, boy," he growled, and he sent Incarcerous at Jeremy, who dropped to the floor just in time to avoid the spell, though his wand went rolling down the alley.

"Accio wand!" Jeremy cried. Seconds later, Snape shouted "Expelliarmus!" and the wand went soaring through the air. Snape caught it with triumph and pointed his own wand at the man on the floor. "Oblivi–"

"Stop it!"

Harry had jumped in front of the spell, blocking it, and sending it bouncing off through the alley and into the air. He held his wand out, looking between both men.

"Wands away!" he ordered. "Now!"

"Potter," Snape started, sounding exasperated, but Harry glared at him.

"No one is being Obliviated, is that understood?" he said loudly.

"Don't be so dense, Potter," Snape spat. "If you let him go he'll tell everyone, and then where will your precious little engagement be?"

Harry bit back his anger and pocketed his wand.

"Jeremy's not going to say anything," he said. He held out his hand to help Jeremy to his feet. "Are you?"

Jeremy looked dubious and more than a little pissed at having ended up on the ground, but he accepted Harry's hand all the same and got to his feet.

"Please," Harry begged quietly. He summoned Jeremy's wand from Snape and handed it back to him. "Please don't tell. Whatever this is with Snape…I'm working on it. Please."

Jeremy took the wand, his eyes still flicking cautiously between his boss and Snape. Harry could only imagine the sorts of things that he was thinking, could imagine the conversations they would be having the next day. His stomach churned.

"Please," Harry said again, looking Jeremy in the eye. If Harry couldn't convince him, couldn't force him…

But then, slowly (and to Harry's great relief), Jeremy nodded.

Harry let out a breath.

"Thank you," he said earnestly. "Really. Thank you."

Jeremy muttered something inaudible whilst Harry fixed his own robes and ran a hand through his mussed hair. He looked gratefully at his assistant. "I'll answer any questions you have about this tomorrow," he said, praying the subject wouldn't ever be touched again. "But right now I need to return to the party. Do you want to…" He trailed off, indicating in the direction of the pub, inviting him to join them.

"No thank you, sir," Jeremy said. "I should go and meet my friends."

Harry nodded. "Right. Well…I'll just be off. See you tomorrow." And without even seeing if Snape was following or not, he headed out of the alley and around the corner, his feet automatically carrying him away from the awkwardness.

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

But it was. His lies were affecting more and more people.

What was wrong with him?

A/N: Sorry about the long wait (again!) I've had a bit of a nightmare month. Which is also why I haven't responded to a lot of people's messages, because I've been avoding checking my email. But I'll get right on that now, since I totally forgot that I can see my messages on this site as well now! lol

Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I always love reading them.

xx

A/N2: Just re-uploaded because I noticed a stray sentence had somehow worked its way in during the first upload! Grrr. If you spot anymore, please let me know lol.

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