What Lies Beneath – Chapter 8

Author: Kitty Savella and Araea Swiftwind

Rating: M

Pairing: Harry Potter/Severus Snape with possible Harry/Draco (one-sided) and Neville/Luna

Warning: School talk, insults, mature content, foul language, slash

The room was dark and still, the only sounds the rapid beating of my heart and the shallow breaths that came from the man above me. I writhed around on the smart cotton sheets of the soft bed below me as the hard member slipped in and out of my entrance. Another sound pierced the air as my lover snapped his hips forward and back; my moans of pleasure dripped over us and colored the room a sultry red and gold. A hitch in Severus' breathing as he took in the spectacular sight of my magic.

"Oh, Harry!" He cried out as the magic wound around him and ramped up the pleasure he was feeling.

I hummed in contentment before letting out an even louder moan as the magic wound around me, too. My eyes were tightly closed, my toes curled in ecstasy. Both of my arms were wrapped tightly around the dark-haired man who was taking me so completely. It had been a long time since either of us were so passionate.

The recent falling out we'd had certainly made a difference in the way we made love. We now knew that we couldn't simply take our relationship for granted. We had to work at it, nurture it, make it grow. I knew more than ever before that I loved Severus, and he loved me. Every movement of his body proved to me that he was indeed the right choice.

"Harry..." whispered Severus.

I could tell the man was close to coming, and I wanted to be right there with him as he fell over the edge of oblivion. I increased my participation and let my thoughts of yesterday fall away. My hips bucked with each thrust, my legs tightened around Severus' hips as I clung to him. The heat between us was rapidly increasing and I thought I would burn before I fell.

"Severus!" I cried out as my orgasm built. He leaned down and kissed me fervently, his thrusts taking on an almost animalistic urgency. Suddenly, the image of Severus as an animal popped into my head and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

As quickly as the image came, Severus stilled. Our breathing was still ragged and sharp, but all other motion had ceased. My eyes were open and looking into the obsidian orbs that threatened to flay me alive.

"You had better have a good reason for laughing, Harry, or so help me I will kill you."

I blushed a cherry red and looked away from my lover for a moment. Though I fully realized that I was in danger of blowing the mood, I could still see my Severus-animal in the dark recesses of my mind. Torn between telling the truth and having Severus kill me and lying so that we could continue our coitus, I noticed that Severus' patience was growing quite thin. I took a deep breath and went ahead and told the truth, hoping that it would be enough to mollify my irate partner.

"I laughed because an amusing thought popped into my head."

Severus' gaze grew darker and a nasty wrinkle creased his brow. "And what, pray tell, was so amusing that you dared to interrupt?"

I gulped and continued, "Well, I was thinking about how you were moving on top of me, so rough and animalistic, that it made me then think of youasananimal." My fright was such that I ran the last four words together to get them out faster. I just knew that I was dead as soon as Severus figured out what I said.

"Excuse me?"

I was dead, for certain. "I thought of you asananimal." Again, I couldn't help but run the words together.

"You thought of me as what?"

I had the sinking suspicion that Severus knew exactly what I thought of him as but wanted me to say it as plain as possible so that he could kill me that much slower.

Closing my eyes, I said it one last time, as plain as could be. "I thought of you as an animal."

Severus bristled and quickly whipped himself from inside of me. He cast a cleaning charm on himself and began dressing.

"Severus, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."

He sighed and spoke without turning to look at me. "I wouldn't say that I'm angry, Harry. I'm frustrated, and still rather aroused, but I am most disappointed. I thought you had grown up enough that you would be able to have sex with me without becoming a slave to your every whim."

It was my turn to bristle. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Severus sighed again and finished buttoning up his shirt. He turned his piercing gaze to me and explained, "I had been laboring under the delusion that when something inappropriate crossed your mind you'd ignore it and focus on what you were doing. I see now how very wrong I was."

"I said that I was sorry. I didn't mean to kill the mood. At least I told the truth instead of lying to you."

"And that is indeed why I am not mad."

My voice rose. "You sure as hell sound mad."

"Harry, would I still call you by your first name if I were angry with you?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know what you would or wouldn't do?"

"Now you're just being childish."

"Of course I am, because that's what you expect of me. I'm just a child to you, aren't I? No matter what you say to the contrary, I won't believe you."

"Harry..."

"No, I'm done being insulted. It's as if we can do nothing but fight anymore. I'm tired of it. Maybe what we need it a break. I'll be staying in my own quarters from now on."

Severus looked abashed and hurt. Even though he had started this, it seemed as though he hadn't anticipated things going this far.

"Harry, please. I don't want to take a break. I'm sorry for getting upset. I'm just suffering from sexual frustration."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Severus. Like I said, I'm tired of fighting. I'll be going now." I cast cleaning and dressing charms on myself and quickly left the room, not even permitting myself a single second to look back on what I was walking away from. It was over now.

^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^

The next day's classes were miserable. I was in such a poor mood that half of my students had detention. The other half were cowering, terrified that they'd be next. I ended all of my classes early and scowled fiercely to prevent anyone from lagging behind.

My mood was in fact so poor that by the end of the day, McGonagall came to speak to me.

"Harry, what has gotten into you? I have had several students come to me to complain that they received detentions for simply coughing or sighing. That is very unlike you."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Well, it's not all the same to me. Please, Mr. Potter, do enlighten me."

"If you must know, Severus and I got into another fight. The worst yet."

"I was under the impression that you and Severus were doing quite well."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Anything but. We got in a tiff two or so days ago and just made up last night, and now we're fighting again. It seems as though that's all we do."

Minerva gave me a pat on the shoulder and a kind smile. "Things will get better. Sometimes it's hard to balance work and relationships, and so one or the other suffers. And when two people who are different, not only in personality but also in age, there is bound to be some friction."

"Are you saying that Severus and I are doomed to have these fights forever?"

"Oh, of course not, Mr. Potter. I'm simply saying that these things do happen, but it will get better as time goes on."

I sighed again and sat back in my chair behind my desk. I had no idea how long I could handle being at odds with Severus before I walked away for good. I loved him, Merlin knows I did, but the constant fighting and name calling was just too much for me. I needed things to be different. I needed the relationship to run smoother or else... I couldn't think of it anymore. I didn't want to be away from Severus, especially not forever.

There was another knock at my door and both Minerva and I turned to see who it was. Standing there looking debonair and polished was one Draco Malfoy. When he noticed Minerva, he looked a bit abashed, but gave her a polite bow nonetheless.

"Headmistress, I wondered if I might have a word with Mr. Potter."

Minerva smiled at the both of us and stood. "Of course, Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter, think about what I said." With that she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Draco, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I sincerely hoped he wasn't here to fight with me as well. I'd had enough fighting with people I cared about to last me a lifetime, not to say that I cared about Draco, but still.

"I'm not here on a social call, Potter. A number of my students have been complaining about you today. You've been giving out more detentions than Snape, and that's saying something, as he was the other person my students were complaining about today."

"I have a right to punish my students."

"For coughing, sneezing, and sighing? That's ridiculous and you know it. Something's up with you and I'd like to know what it is."

"Draco, why must you always be in my business?"

"This time it involves my students, and therefore involves me. I can't very well teach if everyone is terrified that I'm going to hand out a ton of detentions, as you and Snape have been. So, kindly explain what has gotten into you so that I can do something about it."

"There's nothing you can do. It's between me and Severus." I'd said more than I had wanted to, but it was too late to take it back.

"So, something is wrong."

I sighed and rubbed at my temples. I had a feeling Draco wasn't going away this time unless I spilled. I took several deep breaths before continuing.

"Yes, something is wrong. I got into an argument with Severus. It was fairly nasty and left the both of us quite angry. Happy?"

Draco looked genuinely concerned. "No, I am not happy. You and Snape have been fighting a lot lately. I think there is more to this than you're telling me."

I scowled. "So what if there is. There must be a reason I'm not telling you what it is."

"So tell me the reason."

"You don't have to know."

Draco scowled this time. "Let me be a friend, Harry. Let me help you."

"No! I don't need or want any help. I'll handle it on my own."

"Why must you shoulder it alone?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes it is."

"You know very well that it isn't. Tell me what's going on."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Draco quickly stalked over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Harry..."

"No."

"Please, let me in."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

I huffed and closed my eyes hard. "Because it would be betraying there memory."

Draco scoffed and shook me a little. "You're being stupid. Weasley and Granger wouldn't want you to go it alone."

"They wouldn't want me being friends with you, either."

"Maybe not, but they wouldn't hate you for it."

"You obviously don't know Ron very well. He'd hate me for sure, say I'm going dark or something."

"But Granger wouldn't. She'd want to know why you are fighting so much with Snape, just like I do."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it."

"Harry, you need to talk to someone, and I'm here."

"Draco, just leave it alone. Please..." I paused, unsure of what I was asking. I didn't want to talk about my best friends with him, and I didn't want to talk about my love-life with him.

"Fine. I'll drop it, for now. But mark me, Harry, I will be back." With that, Draco let go of me and left my office. I let loose a deep sigh of relief and sat back heavily in my chair, shaking faintly from the conversation.