AN: All of you who were dying for this chapter, thank Yen for fitting it in a bit earlier than we had planned. I am grateful for her help with this. We are on the home stretch, ladies and gents. There will only be nine chapters to this one. Enjoy!

Meetings

Professor Babbling was pleased that she had been asked to watch over the Slytherin table. It showed a marked amount of trust for the Head of Slytherin to ask the Head of Gryffindor to watch over their house. ‛Take that, Zimmer! Severus knows we trust him and he returns that trust in the most unusual and subtle of ways. You think we don't care for him; we just ignore him. As if! We watch him closely; you have to just to open your eyes and ears to know what is going on. You have to admire Severus' subtlety and move on. You, Zimmer, have no clue at all. You can't see the hints he leaves, the quiet looks, the simple gestures, nothing. All you see is what you want to see, and that is what has backfired.'

Leaning back in her seat, Babbling let her watchful gaze move from one table to the other while a part of her attention remained on the other professors at the High Table. Severus' absence was not as remarked on as it could have been, but the students were watching Zimmer closely. If the rumor that she had heard between the afternoon classes was to be believed, they were making sure the Muggle Studies Professor was still alive.

A quick glance down the table, disguised as looking for the salt, had her noticing that none of the others were talking to Zimmer. Flitwick and Sprout sat on either side of her and neither paid her any attention at all. 'At least she isn't next to Hagrid. I didn't realize that he had such a temper.'

At a glance, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor looked the same as usual. He was smiling, but it never reached his eyes and it looked a touch forced. He never once let his eyes rest once on Zimmer, but when his gaze went anywhere near her, his fake smile faded and the tense set of Hagrid's face and shoulders warned Babbling that talking to him would not be a wise idea.

Looking back at the student tables, Babbling hoped that Severus was having a peaceful evening. He deserved it after the day he had had.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Severus ran a hand over his robe, smoothing out a small crease that had wrinkled the front,

Turning about, he headed towards the door, anticipation simmering low in his belly and deep in his heart. With a tiny spring in his step, he crossed through the sitting room only to stop at the door, the clock next to it showing him what he didn't want to see.

One hour. That was how much time he had left before he could leave Hogwarts to meet with Harry.

He narrowed his eyes, pressing the palm of one hand against the wooden door. He should find something to occupy that one hour before going to the Hog's Head. It wasn't that he wanted to hide his anticipation from Harry, but if he got there this early with nothing but his thoughts and his urges to occupy him, he wouldn't be in any mood to listen to whatever Harry wanted to talk to him about. In fact, he would likely jump Harry the moment he came in the door. His control was already shaky at best, Zimmer had proved that earlier.

A small groan of frustration welled up from deep inside of him. He needed Harry's touch, his lips, his skin against his, Harry's fingers grazing over him – tempting Severus further and further away from the control he showed everyone else.

Under all that physical desire though, was the elemental need to see Harry and listen to him speak and laugh while sitting at the same table as him.

In short, to be with him. Just to be with him.

Clenching his fingers into a fist, Severus leaned his forehead against the door, grappling with his desires. He grabbed all the emotions coursing through him and pushed them deep inside his heart, locking them behind mental shields as tight and as thick as if he were about to walk into Voldemort's presence.

He was trembling a bit when he straightened back up and looked at the clock again. Forty-five minutes until it was time to go.

Spinning about, he scanned the room, looking for something, anything to distract him. 'Maybe I should have gone to dinner after all – Zimmer would have been useful for something.' Sneering at the thought, he let it go when he pictured how Minerva would have taken him messing with that woman's mind. She wouldn't have taken too kindly to having to find a new Muggle Studies Professor before the school year ended. 'Minerva! I have to go tell her what happened and that I am leaving the castle.'

Glad for the distraction, Severus headed up to the Headmistress' office.

One password – 'Tabby' – and one revolving staircase later, he was sitting before Minerva's desk, wondering just how much he was going to have to reveal. 'Harry has told Ronald and Hermione, so my telling Minerva about us is not the issue, it is how much to tell about why he is coming.'

Minerva peered at Severus, just a touch worried since the man had sat in a chair. It was his habit to pace the room while they talked, very rarely did she see him sit in here. "Severus, thank you for showing restraint this morning. What Professor Zimmer did was inexcusable. She should not have pushed matters as far as she did, nor should she have made the entire student body witness such behavior from a professor."

Severus raised an eyebrow, the rest of his expression bland. "That is all? Nothing about me leaving the Great Hall and creating a scene during breakfast and again during lunch? Or about me being absent during dinner?"

Minerva rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Severus, you are being hounded, harassed by another professor, to the point where you cannot even eat in peace. No, I am not going to scold you for not dining with us, you deserved a break from her. She did report to me that you hexed her, however."

She stopped, giving Severus a chance to tell his side of the story.

"A mild stinging hex. She would not remove her hand from my arm." He glared at her, daring her to challenge him on this.

Nodding, Minerva continued. "I also heard rumors of a confrontation in the hallway. I will abide by and enforce the rule that she is to have nothing to do with you until you deem the need to change that rule."

Severus smiled slightly. Albrich had spread the tale and saved him a lot of explanations. It was a good thing he had decided not to give the boy detention. "Thank you for backing me up."

"Would you remain if I didn't?" Minerva was ninety percent positive that the answer was no. She knew that her friend was at his limit.

Severus stared at her for a long moment before looking about the room, meeting the eyes of the former Headmasters before returning his gaze to her. "I have endured worse. I would have stayed, if only to finish out the year."

Hazel eyes closed briefly before Minerva spoke. "And that is why we are not going to let her continue. I worked too long and hard to get you to return to Hogwarts. Zimmer has nosed about you all year and now she has gone too far. I can at least demand that she stay away from you. I'm sorry that it took so long, my friend."

Severus shook his head and caught sight of the time. Twenty-five minutes until he had to leave. "I didn't come here just to discuss Professor Zimmer. I came to let you know that I am leaving the campus for several hours tonight."

Minerva's eyes widened. "Where are you going?"

Severus stood and paced about for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Harry sent me a letter, the one you brought to my lab Sunday, asking to see me. I am going to meet him at the Hog's Head."

"Why would Mr. Potter wish to see you?"

Severus looked at each portrait again before returning his piercing gaze back to Minerva. "This does not leave this office. Not until I know for certain." Once the living and painted people assured him of their secrecy, he continued. "I believe there is a problem with Auror Training and Harry wishes to consult with me about other possibilities."

Minerva wasn't the only one who blinked at that, but she asked her question before any of the portraits did. "You keep calling him 'Harry'. Why? You've always called him Potter, and why would he be consulting you about other possibilities?"

Severus took a deep breath and rested his hands on the back of the chair he has recently been occupying. He looked her straight in the eyes, making sure that she understood exactly what he was saying. "Harry and I are a couple, so I would not call him Potter. Not unless I was upset with him. I planned on petitioning for permission for him to stay on campus with me next school year. I still plan to do so. I do not know for sure what he wishes to talk to me about, he just expressed the need to consult with me. I told him that we could meet this evening."

Minerva leaned forward before he had stopped speaking. "You and Harry Potter?"

She couldn't keep the shock out of her voice, but she tried her best to get her mind to accept the idea. Then her shocked expression turned to one of suspicion tinged with disgust. "Then last year, all those visits to your office..."

Severus snorted and shook his head. She had never suspected anything after all. "No. I would not abuse the trust you showed by bringing me back here. I will not say I was not interested last year, but I never allowed the professional line to be crossed. Potter did not become Harry until last summer."

Minerva's expression relaxed, a quiet sigh of relief escaping her lips. "You know the moment the Wizarding world hears of you two together they are going to start questioning when your relationship started. The school records will be pulled out and it will be in the news that you met him every morning. The board might require an investigation into the matter. Please tell me now if there was anything incriminating that happened during Harry's last year."

Severus glared at an empty spot on the desk, not liking what he was hearing but knowing that she was right and needed to know. Minerva would back him up, he just had to let her. "I held him once – comforted him and when he had calmed down from his fright, I put the appropriate distance between us. He once touched the back of my neck with his hand and came within inches of my face. I once again put the appropriate space between us. Other than that, there may have been an accidental touch here and there when he handed something to me or when I passed something back to him, but I did my best to limit the opportunities for that to occur."

A slight smile curled Minerva's lips; she knew just how much trust it took Severus to disclose that amount of information. "Thank you, Severus. If it comes up, then I can battle them until they have been backed into a corner. When do you two plan on letting the Wizarding world know?"

Severus looked at her. He could tell that she was already planning her line of defense. "We haven't decided. But it will definitely come out next school year. Neither of us is planning on hiding the fact that we are a couple." He stopped for a moment before continuing. "Harry will be spending tonight here. I will bring him back to the castle after curfew, and we shall endeavour to get him out of the castle without everyone finding out he is here as my guest. He will most likely wish to visit you and Hagrid while he is here, though."

"Bring him by the office after breakfast tomorrow, and he can see Hagrid later. That will give him a reason to be here. I will tell the elves, portraits and ghosts not to mention where Harry is sleeping or better yet, not to mention him at all. I need more time than this to devise an appropriate line of reasoning for the Board." Minerva knew she was smiling widely, but for the first time in months, Severus looked happy about something. "Now, head on, it wouldn't do to keep Potter waiting. There is no telling what he would do."

Without even glancing at the clock, Severus headed out the door.

Leaning back in her seat, Minerva wondered if there was some way she could get Potter to agree to be a Professor. They were most likely going to have a position open. Setting that thought aside, she called the head house-elf and the ghosts to her office. The former Headmasters were already informing the other portraits.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Severus walked into the Hog's Head and nodded to Aberforth before heading up the stairs to the room he had rented. Pausing outside the door, he gathered himself in preparation of seeing Harry. His talk with Minerva had him running about three minutes late and he was positive his lover was just on the other side of the door. Just knowing he was there was testing the limits of his control. 'Harry is here to talk to me. We have to converse before anything else.'

Smoothing down his robe, Severus opened the door and walked in. One quick look to make sure the only other occupant in the room was Harry and he spun around, shutting the door and setting up a series of privacy wards, more out of habit than anything else.

With that completed, he turned around again and focused on Harry, swallowing hard as heavy desire, warm and thick flowed through his veins. He took in the messy dark hair, lithe body and the bright green eyes. It was those eyes that almost caused him to lose control – they were burning with the same need coursing through him now.

Clenching his hands into tight fists by his sides, Severus refused to move from his spot. He knew the moment he moved he would not be in control of his actions. This conversation had to be quick and to the point.

"Harry." The hoarseness in his voice made Harry's shoulders tense slightly. "What happened in Auror training?"

Harry wanted to close his eyes at the sound of that wonderfully familiar voice that washed over him, sparking the desire simmering under his skin all day into a small blaze. It was a moment before Severus' question penetrated the fog that had fallen over his senses. "Of course you would know it was the Auror training."

He couldn't stop his gaze from traveling over Severus from head to toe, taking in the man's standard teaching robes, lingering on the buttons as he wondered when he could undo them. The blaze flamed higher.

"You wore your school outfit." Without conscious thought, Harry crossed the room and reached for the top button on Severus' coat. He noticed that Severus' breathing picked up the same instant those potion stained hands clenched even tighter at his sides. Looking up into molten chocolate colored eyes, Harry smiled and undid the first button. The next button followed the first. "I dreamed all the end of last school year of undoing these buttons."

Severus' eyes half closed at the pleasure of having Harry so close to him and undoing his buttons. The feeling of that warm breath brushing over his neck and jaw was fraying his control to a tightly held wire. "You came here ... to talk ... to me, to get my ... advice."

Harry undid the next button with fingers that were starting to tremble, his other hand wrapping around the back of Severus' neck. He could hear desire lacing his voice, making it raspy as he replied. "I did, but then you came in here looking like this."

He looked up at Severus, lips parted and eyes glowing feverishly. "We can talk about the Auror Training later."

That last sentence broke the fine wire and Severus' hands found themselves on Harry, one in his hair and the other at his lower back, pulling him closer until their bodies met. As soon as their lips met, muffled groans escaped and the kiss raced past gentle to devouring in record time.

When it finally ended, Harry attacked Severus' buttons with renewed vigor, the two of them breathing hard. Just before he could push the robes and coat off, Severus pulled something out of his robe pocket and tossed it onto the bed. Not caring what it was, Harry succeeded in taking the outer garments off and started on the shirt that was keeping him from all that warm skin he was longing to touch. He shivered when Severus started on his buttons. The feel of those long, thin fingers brushing over his skin drove him to work even faster.

Severus guided Harry backwards towards the bed as he undressed him, somehow managing to kick off his shoes at the same time. After that long awaited kiss, a quiet calm had come over him. The anticipation was still there, feeding the fire deep within him, but it was masked by a control that came from the knowledge that it wasn't going to end until they were both satisfied.

Pushing Harry onto the bed, he settled beside him and removed both their trousers and underwear, thankful Harry was already barefooted. His fingers trailed up a toned leg and thigh, over a flat stomach only to stop and play with a puckered nipple. Working it between his fingers, Severus bent down and took the other one into his mouth, laving it with his tongue. Harry's gasp and moan were some of the sounds he had desperately missed these last couple of months.

He continued playing with those nipples for a moment longer before moving his lips onto Harry's neck and jaw, his hands ghosting over every piece of exposed skin he could reach. When one of them touched the tightening sac between Harry's legs and cupped it, making their owner writhe and arch his back, Severus smiled. He savoured the knowledge of how well his hand was filled as Harry's warmth raced from his palm to his arm and then down to his own erection that was pressed against Harry's thigh. Stretching two fingers out, he pushed lightly into the perineum. The bucking of those hips deepened his smile.

"Sev-verus. Stop... I want...I want to touch you... I want to taste you..."

Harry sucked in a breath and focused on Severus as his lover stopped pressing and let his fingers rest, lightly stroking. "I don't want to come yet."

"Alright." Severus let his hand trail slowly away from its prize and bent over Harry, kissing him hard.

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus, the anticipation of what was to come tightening inside of him. Bracing himself, he pushed hard, flipping his lover onto his back and ignoring his grunt of surprise. Now he could do as he wanted. His hands went everywhere except the proud erection that was begging for his attention. He trailed his lips down Severus' body, smiling at how that strong chest heaved under his touch, his tongue darting out to steal a flavour here and there. He had missed the taste of Severus so much, but not as much as the tiny almost silent gasps that his partner emitted. Those tiny gasps told him that Severus was very close to losing all control and once that shattered, so would the silence.

Letting his lips and tongue work about the root of Severus' shaft, Harry was very careful not to touch it just yet - that was next. But before he could get to his prize, strong fingers gripped his hair and pulled, tugging him up and away. Harry found himself devoured in a long kiss, his erection trapped between their bodies and Severus' stroking against his. Breaking the kiss, Harry whined and struggled not to come from the stimulation.

Severus was trying his best not to move his hips, not to stroke his aching flesh against Harry's. He had pulled him up here for a reason and this was not it, but he had failed and the white hot fire coursing through him was burning the control that he had gained earlier. Desperately, he patted the sheets around him and found the vial he was looking for. He grabbed it with trembling fingers and pushed it into Harry's hand.

Harry felt cool glass pressed into his palm, distracting him from how good Severus felt under him long enough to see what it was. The dark purple vial looked very familiar since the lubricant Severus brewed was always stored in one. Jerking his gaze to Severus' face, he stared into the rich black eyes and saw the answer in them. He bent down to drop a kiss onto the panting lips and then slid back until he was sitting between Severus' spread legs.

Yanking out the stopper with his teeth, he poured a bit of the lubricant onto his fingers. He watched Severus intently as he carefully stroked the puckered muscle that he was about to stretch.

Severus didn't feel his control snap. No, it burned to ashes as the banked fire exploded through him. Anticipation had his body humming and aching. Need coursed through him, the need to be filled by Harry, the need to be stroked, to feel Harry over him, enjoying him. As the first finger slipped inside, he was positive he cried out, not in pain but in pleasure. When Harry stopped moving, he forced his eyes open and glared at the younger man. It seemed to work because the worry he could see on Harry's face melted away and those green eyes smouldered with pleasure. More importantly, Harry continued.

Lying on the bed with thighs spread wide and feet planted on the mattress, Severus gazed into those green eyes, losing track of how long it took Harry to stretch him. To him, each stroke seemed as long as forever yet lasted just a second, familiar twinges of discomfort and delicious pleasure all melding together. At long last, those three fingers withdrew, leaving him feeling empty and needing more, far more. He knew it was coming the moment he felt Harry shift between his legs and a blunt pressure pressed against him.

Opening his eyes – he didn't know when he had closed them - he gazed up at Harry again, taking in the younger man's expression of almost agonized pleasure as he slowly filled him and settled deep inside.

Harry panted lightly, doing all he could not to move. Severus was sheathing him so tightly that all he could think of was pulling out and thrusting in again. It had been too long since he felt this pleasure and his control was quickly crumbling.

Barely a moment passed before Severus shifted his hips, urging Harry even deeper inside him. With a groan of relief, Harry complied and started moving. What started out as careful penetration soon built up to fast and desperate thrusts. Hands slid over tense shoulders and trembling limbs, panting mouths fused into kisses only to break apart to suck in needed breaths. Their movements became increasingly frantic, rocking back and forth and finally culminating in a single cry of release that broke from their lips at the same time. Pleasure erupted through their bodies, Severus' coating their chests and Harry's filling Severus.

Panting, Harry buried his face in Severus' neck. He could feel those warm hands sliding up and down his back, but he wasn't sure if they meant to sooth him or his lover. It didn't matter, it felt good. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the little aftershocks of pleasure rippling through his body, letting his heart rate slow down and his breathing even out.

When he lifted his head and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the expression of utter contentment that covered Severus' face. Placing a soft kiss on those thin lips near his own, he slipped out of Severus' body and fell to the man's side before resting his head on the conveniently placed shoulder.

Severus patted the bed again until his questing hand landed on his wand which he had also tossed on it. Wrapping his fingers around the handle, he cast a cleaning spell on them both and then snuggled Harry into his arms. He pressed a kiss onto the messy head of hair and raised his own head to look over Harry, savouring the sight and the feel of that lean body before he laid down again and returned to the conversation that Harry was there to have.

"What happened during Auror Training, Harry? What was so bad that you couldn't bring yourself to write me about it?" He moved them just enough to be able to see Harry's face. "We are dependent on each other, right? So, why am I just hearing about a problem?"

Harry settled his head deeper into the shoulder and trailed his hand up Severus' chest, letting it come to rest at the juncture of the neck and shoulder, his fingers lightly playing on the back of Severus' neck. "I didn't tell you because you were trapped here and could do nothing about it. I also wanted to have all the facts as well as options together before I told you. Then you could analyse the information and draw a conclusion."

Severus smiled lightly, doing his best to ignore his body's response to those fingers and the warm breath ghosting over his chest. There was no way he could act upon the desire that was starting to build up so soon. "Just remember you are not the only one with a good reason."

Harry's head shot up off Severus' shoulder. "What is going on? How long?"

Running a soothing hand down Harry's back, Severus answered. "Nothing that can't be dealt with, and it just really started getting bad right after your last letter. I will fill you in after we talk about what you are here to talk about."

He moved his hand up and tangled his fingers in Harry's hair, drawing his lover's head down to his own, and then he slowly teased a kiss out of those swollen lips. When he finally allowed it to end, Harry's face was flushed and Severus could feel the soft length pressed against him hardening again. "I think we need to get dressed if we are going to continue this conversation."

Harry sighed, pressed another, far more chaste kiss onto Severus' lips before leveraging himself off the bed and started hunting for his clothes. A small satisfied smile curled his lips as he took in their clothes scattered from the doorway to the bed. He was very pleased he was the one who could make Severus lose control. Grinning to himself, he found his clothes and started getting dressed.

When he turned around, he spotted Severus already in his trousers and halfway buttoning up his shirt. "Leave your robe and coat off, please."

Severus caught the desire that was filling Harry's face as those green eyes looked him over. Dismissing the idea of the request being detrimental to their conversation, he gave into Harry's wishes. Moving over to the small table that was sitting near the far wall, he sat in one chair, propping his back against the wall, while Harry paced the room.

Harry moved back and forth, his steps were all that were keeping his hands to himself. He gave Severus a searing look before he started talking. "First, I want you to know it has only been really bad for about a month, maybe a month and a half. If you think of my second year and maybe my fourth year, you will have an idea of what the atmosphere there is like."

Severus' eyes narrowed. He knew very well what Harry's second and fourth year had been like, and he wanted to know now why the aurors were distrusting their Savior. As he opened his mouth to ask, he was surprised to feel Harry kissing him, pressing him into the wall behind him.

Every thought of the conversation was leaking from Severus' mind as he responded to the feel of Harry's hips rocking against him and that warm agile tongue plundering his mouth. He was shocked to feel himself already hardening once again. Growling softly, he ran his hands down Harry's back until they were resting on those moving hips. He then pulled Harry back and glared at the younger man. "We were having a conversation."

Harry's gaze slid down Severus' body, taking in its reaction to him. "I'm sorry, you... you opened your mouth, and all I could think of at that moment was kissing you. Maybe I should sit on the bed while we talk about this, walking isn't helping. I am not finished pleasuring you yet and you are too close here."

Harry swallowed hard as he leaned in once again, trying to press up against Severus' body. Only the hands on his hips stopped him, but he could feel those fingers moving in small circles. He knew that Severus' didn't want to stop, either.

"Maybe I should finish getting dressed?" Severus could feel his elbows bending, allowing Harry's body to come closer to his. He knew that they had all night to satisfy the arousal that was coursing its way through him, but at that moment, logic wasn't making too much sense. Harry was here and so was a bed.

Harry shook his head no as he pulled back and crossed the room. "If you do, those buttons will tempt me just as much as they did earlier. No, I will sit on the bed and tell you what is going on. Then you will tell me what you are facing."

Severus stared at the bed for a moment, taking in the rumpled sheets, before looking back at Harry. "Do not go near the bed. Take the chair opposite me, and we will endeavour to show some restraint until we have reached my quarters."

Harry sat down, his eyes glowing brightly. "I am staying with your consent?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "With my consent? You were planning on doing so without it?"

A grin filled Harry's face as he answered. "I was going to convince you if you said no at first."

Severus laughed lightly. "I told Minerva that you would be there when I told her that I was coming here. She knows about us now, and she asked that we don't spread it about the Wizarding world just yet. She wants time to prepare. I'll explain what she is preparing for once you've told me what is going on."

Sighing lightly, Harry leaned back in his seat and proceeded to tell Severus what happened, the meetings with his friends, and the choices arrayed before him.

Severus felt his temper rising. Clamping it down, he promised himself that he would find a way to make those aurors realize just what they lost. Setting those thoughts aside, he focused on the choices that Harry presented to him.

"You took your Defense Mastery Exam today and you took a placement test for a Magizoology apprenticeship, as well. You've had a busy day." Severus let his gaze rove over Harry for a moment, looking for signs of fatigue. There were a few shadows under those green eyes, but other than that, Harry seemed to be holding up well. "Now, about those options, which have you given a strong consideration towards?"

Harry forced himself to stay in his seat while Severus checked him out. Deciding that turnabout was fair play, he let his own gaze stoke over Severus' form, resting for a long moment on those lips and his neck. "I was thinking of the groundskeeper position or possibly the flying coach help. That is, if the Defense position doesn't open up."

Severus felt himself leaning forward, his fingers bare inches from Harry's, his eyes burning into the desire filled pair looking back into his. "How about Granger's suggestion of becoming the Muggle Studies Professor?"

Harry leaned in closer, the tip of his tongue touching his top lip as he stared at Severus' mouth. He wanted to kiss it again. Forcing his mind back to what Severus was saying, he frowned lightly. "Is Zimmer still giving problems? Is that what you were talking about earlier? What has she done now?"

Twining his fingers about Harry's, Severus told him about events of the past week. He tightened his grip on Harry's hands as the young man tried to pull them from his. Severus could tell he was planning on doing something stupid, and even though he didn't care if Zimmer got hurt, he did care if Harry got in trouble.

"She... she thinks she can be your companion there at the school? Replacing me? She thinks that it is perfectly acceptable to bother you, to corner you?" Harry sputtered, his anger overcoming arousal for the moment.

Severus was glad that he didn't mention that Zimmer touched him without his permission during lunch. Even if it was just on his arm, he doubted Harry would care. "She is being dealt with. Minerva has agreed with my plan of her not being able to talk to me, or be near me for the rest of the school year."

He watched for a moment as Harry's anger subsided slightly. "Don't forget, there is nothing that you can do to her. We cannot bring our relationship out into the open until at least the end of the school year."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Harry searched Severus' face to see if he had the entire story. Somehow he didn't think so. Making a mental note to have a long talk with Hagrid tomorrow, he leaned a bit closer to Severus. "Why not? Are you ashamed of us?"

The questions were asking in a teasing tone, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty in them.

Shaking his head, Severus brushed his fingers over Harry's trapped hands. "No, not in the least. I would happily walk out of here, you looking shagged senseless and me looking as sated as can be, but Minerva has a point. As soon as your adoring public gets wind of our relationship – which would be the moment we walk into the taproom looking like that – then there will be questions and an investigation. They will pull out the school records, looking to see if I took advantage of you during your last year."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course they would be looking to see if you hexed me, gave me some sort of potion or something to make me be with you. Then they would find all those stupid records of me being in your office in the mornings."

Severus nodded. "And that could end up with a Board meeting. Minerva wants time to pull together her defense." He stopped for a moment to look deep into Harry's eyes before continuing. "I had to tell her about my holding you and you touching my neck in the Forest. Not that I gave the circumstances nor locations for either incident. Be prepared to talk about them in the vaguest manner possible. They most likely will be discussed in the investigation."

Briefly tightening his fingers around Severus', Harry wormed his hands free and leaned back in his seat. "So, I guess it is a good thing that we didn't cross that line. I will keep everything as vague as I can. You held me as long as needed and nothing more, you moved away from my touch as quickly as possible. All other touches were obviously unavoidable."

Leaning back in his own chair, Severus grinned. "Exactly. Now, would you consider the Muggle Studies Professor position or not? Minerva might ask you."

Harry frowned a bit as he considered. "If I have the qualifications."

"Then that would be a question to ask Minerva tomorrow, as she wishes to see you before you leave." A quick look at the time had Severus on his feet. "It is time to head back to Hogwarts."

A few flicks of his wand had the room looking like nothing had occurred there. Donning his coat and robe, he gestured Harry out of the door. With an adequate space between them, they headed down the stairs and said their goodbyes to Aberforth before heading out the door.

For Minerva's sake, they kept their hands to themselves and made sure that Harry's presence wasn't noticed from Hogsmeade all the way to Hogwarts and up to Severus' quarters. The moment the door closed behind them, Severus smiled, his shoulders relaxing.

It was finally time to finish enjoying his evening.