Title: Dirty Rain
Author: Our Little Secret
Giftee: Maraudersaffair
Word Count: 11,773
Rating: R
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Warnings: Non-explicit sex. Non-Magical AU.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of
J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
I also do not own any of the Journey songs that are mentioned throughout the
story. They belong to Journey and Sony BMG.
Summary: Harry will do anything to get his godfather out
of prison. Hermione will do anything to help him. Severus will do anything
to get those two idiots to leave him alone.
First, I must thank from the bottom of my heart BR and SG, for
they are the main reasons this story came to see the light of day. If I
am the mother of this story, then BR is the midwife who delivered it, and SG is
the doctor who drove away the sickness that corrupted it. Also, a large
thanks to the Hols mods for their patience and their last minute BETA’ing as
well. You guys are amazing!
That being said, no one, including me, could stop the random Journey
references from embedding themselves throughout the story. I sincerely
apologize for that.
To maraudersaffair: I really hope you enjoy this story! If you don’t, I’ll
give you my address so you can come and beat me up. Promise!
---
Harry, as most young children do, hated the rain. He was confined
in-doors for the duration of the down-pour, and there was little to do
inside. He could read, sometimes, but being an active child, sitting
still for too long was hazardous to everyone’s sanity. He was forced to find
other means to express himself without dirtying his mother’s tidy kitchen.
There was so much blood on that usually spotless linoleum floor,
now. Harry had seen it, as the nice officer who had found him trembling
under his bed had carried him out. His mommy was going to be very angry about
the mess. It was only when he was at the police station, curled safely in
the nice officer’s jacket and sipping a cold soda from the banged up machine in
the hall that Harry realized that his mother’s kitchen would never be clean
again.
The rain in
While it took a special type to love the rain, there was an individual in
the crowd who hated rain far more than he believed any human should. He
hated the weather condition not for the discomfort it caused or the
inconvenience; not even for its dreary connotation that made as many avoid it
as possible. No, this young man hated the rain because until he could find the
person truly responsible for the murder of his mother and father, he was
going to take out all of his anger on the poor defenseless rain.
For someone who hated the rain as much as
This young man of twenty was on a mission, and even the bloody rain wasn’t
going to stand in his way.
The men around him were speaking in whispers while the nice offer sat
next to him, not holding or touching, but his presence comforting none the
less. He took another drink from his pop, his small hands clenching it
tight. His young mind finally coming to slow detached terms with what was going
on, he turned to the man beside him.
“Where are Siri and Remy?” The officer opened his mouth to reply when a
black haired man burst into the waiting room, making a bee line for Harry, a
sandy haired man jogging quickly behind him. The black haired man grabbed swept
the young boy up and held him tightly.
“Siri!” The officer jerked up to grab the boy back until he saw the man
crying.
“Oh, thank God. Harry, you’re alright. Thank God, you’re alright.”
“Severus, would you just listen to me.” The long haired man growled and
whipped his eyes away from his book to meet the eyes of his brown bushy haired
secretary.
“Yes, Ms. Granger?” The sarcastic tone of his voice masked any hint of true
curiosity that his words may have accidentally implied. “What majestic words do
you believe should have the honor of entering into my consciousness?”
The young woman growled and pushed up her glasses, an angry tick Severus had
picked up on after a while. That was the sign that meant he was in for a rant.
Inwardly, he cringed.
“I know this may come as a shock to you but your personality is
quite…lacking. Before you open that smart ass mouth, it is lacking in everything,
especially social skills. You are a detective, and that job requires you
to associate with people. That should not surprise you, 9+ considering
how many years you spent working with the police. Then again, considering
how you acted while working for them and your complete surprise when they
booted you out, your lack of people-skills may very well come as a shock to you.”
While he tried his best to ignore the numerous blows to his personality and
his pride, he could not stop a sneer from crossing his face.
“Is there a point to these assaults or do you get your kicks out of cutting
down an old man’s self worth?”
Hermione scoffed and put her hands on her hips. “My point, your
highness, is that you are either going to have to lower your prices or fix your
rotten personality, otherwise this office is going to go under.”
This statement caused Severus to sit up in his chair.
“Would you be so kind as to repeat that for me, Ms. Granger? In my old age,
I seem to have misheard you. I believe you were insinuating I should sell my
exceptional investigation services for less than they are worth, which I know
anyone who wished to continue under my employ would ever suggest.”
Throwing her hands up in frustration, she stomped out the room, yelling as
she left.
“You’re only 38, you bastard!” Severus jumped in his chair as he heard a
door slam. Groaning, he slammed his book down on his desk, and spun his
chair around to face his small window. He sat staring out at the dreary day
until he heard the door open once more.
“I’ll lower the damn prices! You will make them so damn cheap that every
vagrant can wonder in and demand I find where the aliens planted the chip in
his mind! ” When he received no response, he spun his chair back around to find
he was not in fact ranting at his young bushy haired, glasses-wearing, bossy
secretary, but in fact a thin, messy black haired, glasses-wearing, young
man. They’re eyes met in an awkward union. After a few moments passed, it
seemed that neither of them was willing to break the silence, and so Hermione
popped in behind Harry.
“Severus, this is Harry! Harry, this is Severus. Honestly, he is the best
snoop in the business, just try to ignore his behavior. Severus, try to be
civil, Harry is a friend!” And with that, she was gone and the two men were
left in the nervous atmosphere. It only took a couple of minutes of pure
silence before Harry could take no more.
“Well, I guess I came at a good time.” Severus’s eyes narrowed as Harry
spoke for the first time. “What with your cheaper prices and all…” Harry
trailed off as the detective’s glare grew more and more heated. Assuming the
rumors of the man’s vicious personality were true, and deciding not to care, he
sat down in the unoffered chair.
“So here’s the deal. You are a detective. I am need of some detective work.
I’ve never done this before, so you are going to have to lead me from here.”
His glare still not having lifted, Severus began speaking in the iciest tone
he could muster.
“You would need to inform me of the nature of the work you need done.”
Severus bit his tongue to stop from tearing the man to shreds. He could
already tell what this was going to be about. Last time he swore he would
never go out tailing a suspicious wife again, not after the sordid events of
his previous attempt. He was waiting for the man to spit it out so he could
promptly chase him away.
“I want my godfather’s name cleared.”
Harry cried into his godfather’s jacket as he was held tightly. A second
later, Remy plowed into them, crushing him against Siri. He knew Siri and
Remy would make everything better. They would make his parents come back from
where ever they had gone. The two had always told him how much parents loved
him and, unlike the police men, they would never just leave him. They would
definitely help him clean up the blood before his mommy saw it.
“Mr. Black?” A policeman appeared behind them. Siri pried Harry from his
jacket and handed him over to Remy and turned to face the man.
“Yes, sir. I am Sirius Black and this is Remus Lupin.” Sirius held out
his hand but the man ignored it. Sirius lowered it, confused at the rudeness.
“As the boy’s godfather, you are going to have to come with us. We have a
few questions to ask you.” Remus gasped, and Harry felt his arms tighten around
him. Sirius’s face hardened.
“Of course, sir.” Remus grasped Harry tighter as he watched the other man
be led from the room.
“Remy, where is Siri going?” Remus smiled weakly down at the boy.
“He’ll be right back, Harry, don’t worry.” The nice cop came up
beside them.
“Don’t worry, Lupin. It’s just standard procedure.” Lupin jerked to face
the man and his eyes widened in recognition and surprise.
“My godfather was charged for a murder he did not commit and I want him
freed. It’s an older case, about fifteen years old, so none of the men I’ve
talked to so far would even attempt it. Also, the evidence against him is quite
strong.” Harry seemed to waver for a moment before gaining his momentum back.
“All I need you to do is look through the evidence and try and see if there is
anything that can be done to clear his name. Anything at all.”
This sounded interesting; a challenge, even. It would be a bit difficult to
find those files, considering their age, but he was confident in his abilities
and his wide range of contacts. This was what he needed right now.
However, he didn’t need the boy to know he was chomping at the bit.
“It does sound interesting but it will take quite a bit of work. And what
if, and this is a possibility, I find nothing? Am I still to be compensated for
my time spent?” Harry growled.
“If you are as anywhere near good as you say you are, then you will find
something.” Severus sneered at the boy.
“Only if there is something to find.” Why was this boy irritating him so
much?
“Listen, detective. We are not going to play this game.”
Severus raised an eyebrow.
“You know; the game where you play coy, and try to get me to say ‘I’ll pay
you double, no triple, what you require’. We both know I’m desperate for a
detective, and we both know you’re desperate for a client. So I will pay you
whatever you deem necessary even if you don’t find anything, although I know
you will. Sound like a good deal?” The detective had to admire the boy’s gall.
Not enough to like him but enough to appreciate a fellow hard ass.
“Whatever you may think, boy, I do have clients at the moment. However, I will
consider it. I have a few cases that need to be finished so it would take a few
days, even if I decide to do it. Just leave your information with my secretary
and I’ll be in touch then.”
The boy grinned as if he’d won and stood up, Severus following suit.
“Thank you, Mr. Snape.”
“My pleasure, Mr.-“, He trailed off, realizing he did not even know the
brat’s last name.
“Potter. Harry James Potter.”
“Severus?” The black haired man nodded at Lupin. “Severus, I know
you don’t know Sirius that well and I know you don’t like him, but you have to
know he wouldn’t do this. He would never do something like this. He loved James
and Lily as if… no, more than he ever did his own family. You have to
know that.”
“I’ll see what I can do, Lupin.”
Frozen in shock, he watched the boy turn, walk out, and shut the door.
This was one of the cruelest jokes he could remember.
---
It was a full hour later before he could muster the courage to leave his
office.
“Why did you lie to him about having other cases? You do realize that I
wasn’t going to lie to one of my closest friends, just for you to save face,
right?”
He ignored his bossy secretary and plunged on ahead.
“Did the boy leave his phone number?”
Her eyebrow arched.
“Of course. He wanted you to have a way to contact him.”
“Perfect. Call him and tell him no fucking way in hell.”
She slammed her hands down on the desk, knocking her documents askew.
“What the hell, Severus? He is a very well mannered man, and it seems like a
relatively straightforward job, although a bit challenging. I don’t see a
problem …unless of course you’re unsure of your ability to complete it. Is that
it -you’re chicken? Afraid, are you?”
He growled at her, and she finally noticed the unusual amount of paleness of
his already white face.
“You…you…you insufferable wench! You want to know? That mutt of his that he
so desperately wants out of jail? I put him there!” That was enough to silence
the usually verbose woman.
However, it only took a few moments before she recovered.
“Well, that’s definitely a horse of a different color.”
His unforgiving gaze would not let her go.
“Oh please, I know you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz.”
He continued to stare.
“You’ve never seen The Wizard of Oz? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“KEEP WITH THE POINT, GRANGER!”
She growled.
“What is your point, Severus? So you put his godfather in jail. Boo-hoo.
Would it actually hurt you, physically or mentally, to revisit one of your
older cases?
“Let me explain this to you in another way. I helped put that boy’s
godfather in jail for not only killing his parents, but for also killing my one
and only friend!”
That made Hermoine pause.
“You…knew Harry’s father?”
Severus collapsed, boneless, into his chair. He responded in a quiet, tired
voice, “His mother.”
“Ah.”
Hermione sat in stunned silence. This definitely was a predicament.
Of course, it was just her damn luck. The first client who came into their
business in God knows how long would be someone who Severus could have a
reasonable objection to. For the life of her, she still didn’t know why she
clung to this downward spiral of a man, but no matter how much she wished to
run for the hills, her pride would not allow such a cowardly act. In
truth, her respect for Severus was unlimited, which was amazing taking into
account the obstacles one must face to receive even a smidgen of respect in
return.
She knew it was truly proof that she was a woman that such a bitter man
could still hold such a deep place in her heart.
“In a situation like this, there is only one option left for you.”
He nodded and made to stand up.
“I know.”
Nonetheless, Hermione did not hold the public opinion that having a soft
heart made for a soft head.
“TAKE THE DAMN JOB!” She jumped from her chair to face him. “Take the damn
job, you limp-wristed coward, or I am gone. I swear to it!”
---
“Good Evening, Afternoon, and Morning. This is Remus J. Lupin and I am
currently unable to answer my phone. If you would like to leave a message-
please do so as it will be my pleasure to listen. Thank you for listening.”
Beep.
“Hey Remus! I get off work at nine, so try and call me back
when you hear this and tell me if you want to go out to eat tomorrow. Is
Chinese okay?”
---
Reconsidering his decision, against his will, that he would never even
ponder the outcome of the single most challenging case of his life, Severus got
to work. After all, no one could ever say he was too prideful a man to retrace
his steps. Quite the opposite, actually, for a tiny part of him was excited. He
was receiving the chance to come up against the greatest challenger one could
ever face; himself.
That being said, women like Ms. Granger- not only very precise and
meticulous, but also able to put up with his particularly disdainful attitude
-were hard to come by.
Due to mitigating factors, Severus had been hard at work since this morning
compiling his thoughts on how he should even begin. In the name of
organization, he wrote down everything he could remember about the case. It
said something about its importance that he could remember every single detail.
The Notes of Severus Snape concerning the Case of The People vs.
Sirius Black.
Defendant: Sirius Black.
Victims: Lily and James Potter.
TOD: Between
Alibi: Lupin stated that the defendant and he were
“throwing a few back” at The Cock and Bull Pub and Restaurant in
Evidence:
1. Questioning of the bartender proved inconclusive. She did
not recognize them from the pictures and could not remember their presence the
prior night.
2. Surveillance obtained from the Cock and Bull shows that Lupin and
Black arrived at the Cock and Bull at 5:48, but shows them staying for no more
than an hour, leaving at
3. Knife found at Crime Scene was owned by Black, and had a single finger
print belonging to Black. Testimony from Black and Lupin state that it belonged
to the defendant.
4. Interviews with many friends of the victims showed a reoccurring
rumor of Black’s “love” for Lily Potter, including eyewitness testimony of
Black and Mr. Potter arguing the prior night. The subject of this argument was
never discovered.
Verdict: Black was found guilty of Murder in the First
Degree, while Lupin was arrested for perjury. Black received Life with no
chance of parole, with Lupin receiving five years.
Extra: Harry James Potter, son of the victims, was placed
into the custody of Petunia and
After another three hours, a trashcan worth of scratched out ideas, and a
strong cramp in his back that was becoming unbearable, Severus realized he had
only learned two things.
Black was undeniably guilty and Harry Potter’s life was just pitifully
tragic enough to be a Lifetime movie. After those disparaging thoughts,
he decided to go with his first lifeline, however much it made him want to curl
into a ball and wish for his own imminent demise. Picking up the phone and dialing
the long ago memorized number, he began to ruminate on the joy of long lasting
friendships.
“Oh, Severus! It has been ages since you called. When did you decide you
were too good to talk to an old man such as myself?”
“Hello to you as well, Albus.” He also contemplated the pain of long lasting
friendships. Then again, with Albus, he was a pain no matter how long you had
known the man.
“Nevermind that, my boy! What have you been up to?”
“Well-“
“You’ve not been getting in too much trouble, I hope? Why, I remember when
you were a boy-“
“Albus.” The name was said in a hiss.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I almost went off into- now, what did you call them…?”
“Painfully embarrassing flashback stories that are not allowed to be
mentioned in front of college recruiters, potential dates, and all of the shop
owners in this city?”
“Yes, that was it. Though, I was going to shorten it down to ‘embarrassing
flashbacks‘.”
“I’m sure you were.”
“Now Severus, I’m sure there was a good reason you called me.”
“Of course there was! Do you think I would put up with your mindless drivel
unless it was absolutely necessary?” There was silence on the line.
“Albus?” He received a light chuckle.
“Oh Severus, I do hope with wording like that you did not call me in regards
of doing you a favor.” Severus groaned.
“…Dammit.”
“Oh? So you do need a favor?” Biting back many, many, acidic
retorts from flying from his tongue, he informed Albus of his predicament.
“Oh dear! My boy, are you sure you want to put yourself through this?”
“I will be fine, Albus. Despite your constant protests, I am a grown
man. However, this is not a social call. I was wondering if it was possible,
and of course it would possible for someone held in such high esteem as
you, to retrieve the interviews with Potter’s friends and family.”
“Just a little more, Severus,” was his reply, humiliating Severus all the
more.
“Did I mention that the only things held in higher esteem than yourself,
were your awe-inspiring acts of generosity?”
“Almost there…” That was too much. Severus never had tolerance for groveling
and if there was one thing he never cared to improve, it was his intolerance.
“If you don’t do this for me, I’m going to poison that damn bird of yours.”
His death threat was met with a burst of laughter.
“That’s the good o’ Severus I know. I’ll have them faxed to you as soon as I
can.”
The dark haired man let a rare smile cross his face. “Thank you, Albus.”
There was a soft gasp over the phone. Severus feared the man was going
to make another remark on the rarity that it was for him to show gratitude,
but, fortunately, he let it slide.
“You’re welcome, Severus. Now, back to business! Why don’t you call me more
often? We need to get together some time!”
“Goodbye, Albus.” Because of, or perhaps in spite of, the outraged cries on
the other line, Severus slammed the phone down upon its base. He jumped
when he heard a laugh.
“Dear God, that was hysterical.”
Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms across his chest.
“Is there something you need, Ms. Granger?”
She began clutching her sides when, at the uncomfortable look on her boss’s
face, her laughter became even louder. Severus became even more disgruntled at
her seeming disregard for his state of mind.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT, GRANGER?”
Her laughing subsided for a moment when she paused to take a deep breath.
“I can’t…oh god…remember! You…haha…were practically begging him!”
The man’s face decided to mirror the ripest of the ripe tomatoes, and he
clenched his arm so hard he felt his fingers dig ripping the fabric.
“Dammit! I was not begging!”
Knowing her boss was at his limit for humiliation that day but physically
unable to stop her mirth, she stumbled back into the lobby, slamming the door
on her way out. To Severus’s disappointment and ire, it still didn’t completely
muffle her laughter, which continued until she finally went home for the day.
---
Lupin smiled at the couple that passed by his table. A small man held
on tightly to his lovers’ larger hand and waved back at him hesitantly, before
turning into the shoulder of his taller companion in a very familiar fashion
that made Lupin’s eyes glisten with faded memories. They didn’t know each
other, they had never seen each other before in their lives, and probably
wouldn’t ever again, once they both left the restaurant. However, in that
one short instance, Lupin felt closer to the passing couple than to anyone else
except…
“REMY!” Lupin‘s laugh sounded more like a choke as Harry threw himself
at the seated man, their combined weight shoving the booth back a few feet.
“Harry, don’t do that, I stink!”
“Stop speaking nonsense.” Harry waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. “I
stink more than you! I was at the gym this morning and then I walked all
over this god-forsaken city in the rain. You just had to stand over an
oven and fry food…Speaking of food, have we ordered?” Lupin’s lips
witched upwards in another smile. Harry was still at that ‘eat everything
in sight and not gain a pound’ stage of his development. He would
probably never grow out of it. Lupin, with the help of Molly Weasley, had
been trying for years to fatten Harry up, to no avail.
“Yes, we ordered. I didn’t know what you wanted, so I closed my eyes
and pointed.”
“Sounds just perfect, Remy. So what did you do today?” Lupin raised an
eyebrow.
Even though he himself had not raised the boy, he had spent enough time
around him to become quite familiar with his behavior. After he had been
released, Harry would spend most of the evening sitting happily at his kitchen
table chatting for hours about nothing and everything. Lupin himself
wasn’t a bad cook, despite what his eighteen year old manager at McDonalds’
thought, thank you very much. He would stand in his kitchen and listen to
Harry prattle for as long as the law would allow. As Harry matured, he
never quite lost the habit of chatting non-stop to cover Lupin’s prevailing
silence. It was only when Harry perceived something wrong with Lupin himself,
or Harry had something to hide, he paused and questioned him so directly.
“What did you do?” It was the sternest tone Lupin could take with
Harry. It wasn’t very threatening to anyone else, but Harry knew Lupin
wouldn’t hesitate to throw him over his knee in public, despite Harry’s age and
supposed maturity.
“ I …ah…well…I’ve been saving up some money…”
“Harry, you know if you need anything…”
“No, no Remy, it’s nothing like that…”
“Harry, for heaven’s sakes, you’re in college! It is only reasonable
that sudden expenses come up…”
“I may have hired a detective to re-open Siri’s case.”
Lupin blinked several times before his mouth opened with a will of its
own.
“You’re grounded.”
A comical look of horror crossed Harry’s face before he burst out laughing.
“I’m in college!”
“You’re in trouble, that’s what you are in, young man.” Lupin’s mind caught
up with his mouth and stalled by sipping his glass before looking Harry over.
Lupin had, more often than not, treated Harry like he was still a child. However,
it didn’t take a genius to realize that Harry was far from his childhood days,
and was capable of making his own decisions. Re-opening Sirius’s case was
something that Harry and Lupin used to talk about constantly. When Harry
was twelve years old, he started pouring through law books in Cincinnati’s
Library that outweighed him. After Lupin was turned down time and
time again, not only by the state law review board, but also various private
investigators and detectives all over the city, they had decided on a new
strategy. They would raise enough money to hire Sirius a decent lawyer,
and go from there.
The problem was, the once-nurse-turned-fry-cook salary was barely enough to
feed him, and sometimes it wasn’t even that. Harry luckily had a trust
fund set up by his parents and grandparents that provided him with his tuition
and living expenses, so it was one less thing Lupin had to worry about. He
still worried, of course, but at least he didn’t have to. Sirius’ freedom
was a constant thought in both of their minds and hearts, but they decided that
if they were going to do it, they were going to free him properly. As
always, Harry had been two steps ahead of him.
“Where in the world did you get the money to…?”
“Ron’s new girl friend, Hermione, you know her right? She works as a
secretary to this private detective out on Vine Street. The guy‘s a
complete ass and, apparently, because of this, he has to lower his prices and
rates…”
“And Hermione tipped you off about this?”
“She might have mentioned it over dinner.”
“You are shameless.”
“No, I am cunning.”
“And grounded.” Harry gave him a sly grin.
“Since I live in my own apartment, you may have to move in with me and make
sure that that punishment is enforced.”
Lupin smiled, but shook his head.
“You are young. You wouldn’t want this old man to invade on your privacy
now, would you?”
It was Harry’s turn to smile.
“Oh yes, because your presence would put such a damper in my wild social
life, Remy. “
“About that…”
“Not now, Remy. Tonight is about Siri, not my lack of a love
life. Now I have this detective…Well, I may not have him….but I’m pretty
sure he will take the case. He seemed a little desperate and Hermione
about jumped me in the hall when I came in…” Lupin’s eyes narrowed.
“Harry, we talked about this. If we are going to spend our money, then we
need to do so wisely; meaning no cheap detective. I would prefer someone
with credentials…”
“This man has credentials, Remy. I looked him up after Hermione
mentioned him…”
“You called Albus.” It wasn’t a question, really.
“That too, and he said that this guy is one of the best in the business, of
course, he is a little …hard to work with, but once I get past his charming
personality, everything should work out fine.”
Lupin sighed.
There was probably a reason that Harry was going into criminal justice that
had nothing to do with Sirius case. Lupin had been a nurse who did double
duty at the police station for a time, patching up small wounds and fixing
soups for those with tummy aches. After the disastrous breakup with
the cop he had been dating, James, who had quickly become one of his good
friends, had introduced him to the stunning, dirty mechanic, who picked up
useful news for him from the streets. It was love at first sight for
Remus and Sirius. In return, Remus had introduced James to the medical
examiner with fiery red hair and a temper to match. James was caught like a
moth to a flame. The four of them were together for years. The
Potter-Evans marriage was a match made in heaven, and Harry was the final
consummation of their perfection together. Harry had become the light of his
life these past few, horrible, lonely years. He had told Lupin first
about his dreams to follow into his father’s footsteps and become a cop, a
revelation that caused Lupin to nearly faint, but after long talks at his
kitchen table and a few more conversations with many of James and Lily’s former
co-workers, Remus had given his blessing to Harry’s chosen profession.
“Are you sure about this, Harry?”
“Remy, I haven’t been sure of anything since I was five years old. “ Harry
leaned forward, putting his hand on Remus‘s. “I don’t know if this will go
anywhere, but I want to try. I can’t sit around anymore, Remy, and I know it’s
killing you to do the same. I saved up some money and I want to do this
please?”
Remus sighed and returned the grip Harry had on his hand.
“You are a grown man and it’s your decision, but please, next time, warn me
first?”
Harry smiled. “Agreed.”
Their hands stayed clutched in a comfortable silence for a moment before a
disgruntled waiter brought them their food and they parted to allow room on the
table.
“Now, I want to know all about this detective,” Lupin said after he took a
few bites of his chicken.
“Well, he used to work at the force, before he got…asked politely to leave
because of his attitude problems, and believe me; it was for a good
reason. I spent five minutes with him and I could see why they kicked him
out of there.”
“Hm, sounds like an ex of mine.”
Harry stayed focused on his food.
“His ass though...”
Lupin choked on his rice.
“Excuse me?”
“He had the attitude of a poison asp and the ass of a Greek god.”
The fact that Harry could say that with a straight face would always amaze
Lupin.
“Who in the world is this man?”
“Snape, Severus Snape.”
“SNAPE!?”
Harry paled.
“You … You know him?”
“I…”
---
“Lupin…Remus, I’m sorry, but all of the evidence states that…”
“You fucking bastard! He’s already lost his friends! How could you do
this to him?”
“BECAUSE HE MURDERED-!” A pause as the man composed himself, “Because he
murdered my best friend.” There was silence in the hall.
“Well, now you’ve lost all of us, Severus. Congratulations.”
---
“Remy? REMY?” Remus’s eyes met Harry’s worried ever-greens.
“Remy, what’s wrong, you look like you’re about to-“
“Did he take the case?” The harshness of his voice was unlike Harry had
heard in a long time.
“Huh?” Remus took a calming breath and his tone lacked any hostility
this time.
“Did he take the case?”
Harry paused, his face encompassed in worry.
“Not officially, no. Why, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Harry, Nothing…the name just …reminded me of someone, that’s all.”
Before Harry could thoroughly question the older man, he heard Lupin’s cell
phone begin blaring.
“After all these years…you stood by me…the days and nights that I
was gone. After all these years…”
Remus blushed, while Harry gave him a sly grin. The older man reached into
his pocket and seconds after he activated the small device, before he could
give a customary greeting, a panicked voice blared out from the small speakers.
“DAMMIT LUPIN, THEY’RE COMING TO GET ME! SOMEONE IS TRYING TO ROB ME!
I SHOT THE DAMN BASTARD BUT HE RAN AWAY! CALL SOMEONE BEFORE HE COMES BACK! DO
YOU HEAR ME LUPIN?!”
Lupin rolled his eyes and hung up on the deranged man. He tucked his
phone back into his pants pocket and looked over at the table at Harry, who was
barely containing his laughter.
“Your uncle Moody says ‘Hello’.”
---
“I am finished. This is ridiculous and I refuse to continue with this freak
show!”
Hermoine sighed and looked up from her computer to face her boss.
“Severus, you need to stop overreacting.”
In a rare show of physical violence, he slammed his fist down on the young
woman’s desk, startling her.
“OVER-REACTING? I was shot, Granger! WITH A GUN!”
She rolled her eyes.
“You were shot at, Severus. No actual penetration occurred.”
Realizing he would gain no ground with his impossibly calm secretary, he
retreated to the peaceful sanctuary his office offered. Collapsing in his
chair, he carefully reviewed the list he’d been faxed that morning. For
the most part, it had been useless; the majority of the contacts were incommunicado
for reasons of relocation or death. He was able to contact the ones left,
though most could not remember what they’d said. The rest wouldn’t talk and, in
the case of Lily’s uncle, shot at him for trespassing. He considered reporting
the man, but, having worked for the local authorities, Severus knew a pointless
endeavor when he saw one.
He tossed the list of names to the side and mentally-labeled it a ‘Road to
Nowhere’. His next stop would be to try and look at the evidence: the knife and
surveillance video. Deciding that he would rather die than ask another
favor from his mentor, Severus decided to try another route. It took several
calls, several fights, and several instances of slammed phones on both sides of
the phone, but finally Severus was granted permission to enter the police
headquarters and search through the evidence with restrictions.
---
Even though Snape was no expert on the current technology, he was still
annoyed by the deplorable quality of the VHS tape. His eyes strained to watch
the two men in a booth in the back corner of the shop. Though his eyes
ached from the static, he had watched the two men enter at precisely 5:48 p.m
and was waiting from them to leave. At exactly 7:18 they grabbed their
coats and walked outside, and five minutes later the tape turned to
static. Each tape could only hold up to six hours of tape, so each night
ended up being covered in two to three tapes.
There was a 20 minute gap between when the tape ended and was replaced. When
the next tape began many of the people had left, new ones had replaced them,
but one thing stayed the same: Lupin and Black were nowhere to be found.
He had seen this video too many times but he still remembered the way his
stomach had bottomed out the first time he saw the two men step out. That
meant not only did Lupin - his lover for a brief while-lie to him, but he could
also have been a co-conspirator. He jumped when music began to play
loudly from his jacket pocket.
“Someday love will find you. Break those chains that bind you. One
night will remind you. How we touched-“
Growling, Severus reached into his vibrating pocket. He hated that
stupid girl for putting such a ridiculous tone on his phone and not telling him
how to replace it. Pulling the phone out, he was disturbed by the strange
number. He answered anyway.
“What?”
“Well, that is possibly the rudest way to answer your phone.” Recognizing
the brat’s obnoxious voice immediately, Severus put the remote down and turned
his full attention to the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Potter, and a good day to you as well. I would like to start
this conversation out by saying: you are wrong. I could have said, ‘what the
hell do you want, brat?’”
“You’re right. That would have been worse.” Harry’s remark was followed by
dead air.
Severus waited for a reply and was annoyed when he found he was waiting in
vain.
“Well, what the hell do you want, brat?”
“Oh-Oh yeah, I’m sorry! I just wanted to see if you made a decision.” There
was a pause. “You know…regarding the case…and everything.”
“Of course I’m going to do the stupid case, you nitwit! What do you think
I’m doing at the moment? Crocheting a sweater?”
“Well, that’s news to me, asshole!”
“Don’t throw a tantrum at me, boy. It’s not my fault that you were unable to
deduce I had already begun the case.”
“WHAT? That doesn’t even make any sense! How in the world, just from our
conversation yesterday, was I supposed to know you decided to take the case?”
Severus sniffed.
“I guess I must concede, and it pains me to do so, but it appears I must.
Then again, I should have known that someone of your intelligence level could
never have pieced it together.”
Severus grinned as he reclined in his chair, enjoying the ranting aimed at
him from the other side of the phone. His only regret was he couldn’t see
the red splashed across the boy’s face. He let the rant on his horrible
personality and conceited manner wash over him as he turned his attention back
to the video. Uninterested, he watched the inner workings of the bar: men
getting drunk, trying to flirt with women, and people singing horrible off-key
karaoke. An overweight man with a mullet had just begun Don’t Stop Believing
when he spotted a small sign behind the man.
“Wednesday Night Karaoke!"
“Um…Snape? Are you still there?” He pulled the tape out and replaced it with
the previous one in. There in the same place where the Karaoke night banner had
hung was a smaller banner that read, “Tuesday Night is Ladies’ Night!”
“Snape?”
Holy Hell. He shut his phone off.
“Holy Hell.”
---
“It’s a mistrial, Albus. It has to be!”
“It sounds like it, my boy.”
“The video was tampered with. It doesn’t matter about the knife or Black’s
previous misconduct or even the rumors because the evidence was tampered with.
This is a mistrial in every definition of the word.” He was met with silence.
“I’ll do what I can, Severus.”
“You will get this done, Albus. Tell me; you will get this done.”
“It’s not going to be easy, Severus. The age of the case is not going
to be an easy hill to climb.”
“We have to fix this, Albus. We have to make it right.”
“I will do everything that is in my power, but you have to know that my
reach has limits.” He received no reply. “I’ll be in touch,
Severus.”
---
The next three months went by like a hurricane, tearing asunder everything
stable in its path and throwing it for a whirl. Severus stood in the eye
watching the water rising above his ankles and continuing upward. He
watched as his solitary life was invaded by a shipload of people calling him
every day for updates and visits from his client. The Potter boy had been
to his office nearly every day, speaking to his secretary for long periods of
time and even speaking to him. Technically, you couldn’t label what they
had as conversation as they seemed to be more like sparring with words.
It didn’t matter how many meetings ended badly, Harry continued to arrive
with his shoulders squared and back straight. Severus easily imagined him
standing before a firing squad, which, to be fair, wasn’t far off the
mark. Finally, Sirius received his retrial. The boy showed up to
thank him and offered him a free dinner. Severus laughed in his face and
informed him that his pitiful attempt at bringing the older man into a social
life was nothing but that at heart; pitiful.
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of insults that hurt both parties
before one finally gained the upper hand. Harry, already standing to
better yell in Severus’s face, made a turn around the desk and grabbed for the
older man. Severus assumed he was ready to be punched and tensed in preparation
for the pain. Instead, he found himself being jerked from his chair by two
hands clenched into his shirt, and his face being assaulted, but not by a fist.
The boy was kissing him.
On the lips.
Having been denied physical pleasure for so long, he felt himself being
pulled in by a pair of strong warm lips. Then logic set in and he shoved the
boy back.
“Are you INSANE?”
Harry grabbed for him again but Severus held him at arm’s length.
“I’m not insane! You liked it too, admit it!”
“Do you have any clue what the hell you are doing? You barely know me, boy!”
“I know more about you than you think!”
“Is that true? Then I must have misjudged your dear Lupin. I assumed he
would never gain the courage necessary to tell you the truth.” Severus
considered it a small victory when the boy halted, confusion radiating from
him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, so I was correct. Unless he just forgot to mention to you that I
was the detective who put Black in jail.”
“Y-you’re….You’re the detective…You did this?”
“Oh yes, little boy. The man you’ve been playing ‘buddy’ with this whole
time was the very same man who sent your precious godfather to jail in the
first place.” Severus couldn’t stop a smirk when the boy collapsed down into a
chair, the anger and stubbornness ripped from him, his face ghostly pale. This
would surely knock those young and foolish notions from his head.
“This…This can’t be
happening.”
Though Severus was pleased by the boy’s pain, he did think Harry was
overreacting.
“You…but you…”
“I what, you melodramatic brat?”
“But, you gave me your coat!”
Severus, quite comically, jerked his head to his desk, spotting his rather
worn coat, and back at the boy.
“I’m sorry, but I think you are mistaken, since you can clearly see-“
“The nights my parents were murdered!” Harry was pacing with his hands in
his hair. “You were the one who found me! You gave me your coat and a pop…and
you were so nice…I didn’t recognize you at first; even when I did, I couldn’t
think that that nice man was you, but eventually I knew it had to
be.”
Severus fell back against the bookshelf, the color draining from his face.
“How-How could you remember that? You were only five!”
“I dreamed about it…I dreamed about it so often I finally asked Remus and he
confirmed it. I always wanted to meet you and tell you…” He stopped his
pacing and he slowly turned to face the older man. “I always wanted to
thank you…”
Severus tried to avert his gaze, but the tears blurring those bright green
eyes stopped him. Harry clenched and unclenched his fist, his mouth
opening and closing.
“I wanted to thank you for giving me such a happy memory on the worst night
of my life.” He paused trying to hold in his emotions. “It was…” Whatever
it was, Severus never found out because then the boy fled the room, not even
bothering to shut the door.
Severus collapsed into his chair and stayed there the remainder of the
night.
---
When Hermione walked into the office, she found her boss in the same place
she left him the night before; in his office, seated in his chair, and slumped
over his desk. She shook her head and walked over to shake him awake.
He jumped and glared at her.
“What is it, Ms. Granger? What in the world could you possibly want from
me?”
She gave him a sad smile before handing him a letter. Snape
sighed and set it down on top of the pile of papers on the corner of his desk
that was conveniently located just above his garbage can. If it was
something important or interesting, she would have read it before him and then
hand it to him to ‘look over’. Anything she actually gave to him outright
was probably nothing worth his while. She stood over his desk for a
moment, taking in his rumpled appearance and the imprints of his spiral
notebooks binding running down the right side of his face. At the moment,
Snape could give Harry’s crazy wild hair a run for its money.
“You should clean up before you show your face out here."
“Excuse me?”
“You look like you stuck your head into a dryer- or a light socket -I can’t
decide which is more appropriate.”
“Neither. As I am sure you can deduce, even with your apparent lack of
deductive reasoning, I have spent the night here, working as hard as I can to
make up for your incompetence.”
“At least I can make it out of this God-forsaken office once in a while.”
“Get out.”
Hermione smirked.
“I’ll be in the front. If you do happen to find something that my
incompetence can handle, please call me.”
She turned and walked out of the office, quickly shutting the door.
Snape stared at the closed wooden surface. There was no way she would
simply just walk out on an argument like that. There must be something
seriously wrong with her. Every since her engagement to that back water red-haired
brat, Weasley, she had been acting- Snape felt a bit of bile in the back of his
throat -chipper.
He was going to have to let her go.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. His neck hurt
like hell and he was going to be paying for this little nap. And he glared at
what had been his ‘pillow’; an ancient notebook he had bought at a gas station
on the corner of the street near where his old apartment used to be. This
note book held in it every personal note he had made about the Potter
case. The announcement of Black’s retrial had prompted Snape to dig
through his notes, especially this notebook, in order to rectify his
mistake.
He stared blankly at the old scribbled notes that he had written so long
ago, his black pen markings had been underlined with the more recent dark blue
from last night.
Peter Pettigrew, friend of the Potters, Stated that he had heard the
suspect Sirius Black and victim James Potter arguing over Lily…
For reasons Snape couldn’t remember, he had added a dark blue question mark
beside Pettigrew’s name. Pettigrew had been a friend of James and Lily’s
for some time, and no one had ever had any reason to suspect anything from him.
Peter had been the night janitor at the police station James worked at
and, after James had defended the custodian from his peers, the straw haired
boy followed the Potter’s around like the family pet. He hadn’t been
Snape’s ideal witness, but he had handed Snape the motive he had needed all
those years ago. The motive that, as it turns out, was not necessary.
Snape’s eyes narrowed. Maybe it was time to call Pettigrew up
again? He had tried several times to reach the man on earlier occasions,
but they had really only been half-hearted as Snape had no desire to speak to
the rat-like man again. It was unlikely that the man knew anything of
importance, anyway. If Snape could remember correctly, and he knew for a
fact that he could, Pettigrew had told the investigators that Sirius Black had
killed the Potters and that there was absolutely no other alternative.
Vaguely, Snape wondered if Pettigrew and Lupin had a falling out over the
testimony. Judging from the way Lupin had treated him during the
trial and in later years, he was positive that the two wouldn’t have been on
Christmas card terms.
Yes, it was definitely time to speak to Pettigrew again. Snape
grimaced when he realized that Hermione had Pettigrew’s number and home
address, but he was loath to ask her for information after his comments only
moments earlier. She would be a pain in the ass after that.
He was looking forward to it.
He slipped into the small, gritty bathroom off of his office to wash his
face and attempted to make his hair look like he had washed it. Contrary
to popular belief, he washed his hair regularly; he just…added too much
conditioner. At least, that had been one of the more creative insults
Potter had thrown at him one evening. That was something about the boy Snape
appreciated. He took the typical insults that Severus had heard his
entire life and twisted them into new and innovative ways. Part of Snape
would miss the miserable little shit‘s conversational talents. After the
events of last night, he doubted the brat’s wit would continue to dazzle
him. No, he suspected that the boy would withdraw from him
completely.
That thought saddened him more than he would admit.
Once he was completely satisfied with his appearance and scent, he grabbed
his coat and prepared to confront his secretary. Severus opened the door
gallantly, and quickly slammed it shut.
That little…that little…conniving, evil, little bitch! The door was
reopened.
“Severus?”
“You’re fired!”
There was a pause before Hermione entered, standing in the door way to his
reception area, her small frame not quiet hiding the white and pink banner
proudly announcing the engagement of recently-sacked secretary and her
betrothed Snape-had-never-bothered-to-learn-the-shits-first name, accompanied
by various balloons and streamers, all of the same color palette.
“I am not fired; you don’t have the will to fire me, and you know it.”
“ARE YOU INSANE? WHAT IN THE WORLD POSSESSED YOU TO THROW YOUR
RIDICULOUS ENGAGEMENT PARTY IN MY OFFICE?”
“I knew I would never get you to come otherwise.”
Snape hesitated for a moment, silently consenting to the truth in that
statement.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!”
“You’re invited. “ She pointed to the letter delivered a few minutes
prior. Snape took a second to admire the girl’s well-planned treachery,
but his righteous anger overtook any positive thoughts.
“What in the hell would you think I would want to come?”
“Because Harry’s going to be here?”
“You should not bother coming in to work tomorrow, as your position has been
terminated.”
“I’m serving liquor.”
Snape considered it.
“I’m docking your pay.”
“Fair enough. We’re starting in about an hour; Harry called and said
he would be late, though. So you will have to keep it in your pants for a
little while longer than normal.”
Snape felt what little blood that had remained in his face upon seeing the
state of his reception area drained down his neck.
“Clean out your desk.”
“Oh, come on, even Ray Charles could see you like him. I’ve never seen
you enjoy a fight so much in your life.”
“What are you insinuating, Granger?”
“You don’t know who Ray Charles is, either? What the hell did you do
in your childhood, drain the blood of cats in a dark room?”
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.”
Hermione smirked.
“Of course you don’t. You are so shut off emotionally from the rest of
the world that not only do you not see that Harry is slowly starting to like
your presence, but you are beginning to love the challenge in conversation and
argumentation, and thus his company. Making Harry the first person you‘ve
actually wanted to see and spend time with, ever. You need serious
therapy, but since you’re too proud to go to the therapy sessions that the
police chief used to pay for, Harry is your only hope. Of course, Ron
says that Harry probably needs therapy, too. So you two may actually be
perfect for each other.”
“You are babbling nonsense. Clearly the stress of your engagement and
impending wedding has driven you into the throws of insanity. You need a
vacation. You are suspended. Go home and regain your sanity.”
“Harry is at Lupin’s, something about an old friend of theirs coming to see
them, if you want to go home and change…”
“What old friend?”
Hermione was taken about at the deadly sharp tone in her boss’s voice.
“Wha-”
“What old friend is at Lupin’s?”
“Some guy named Pattagorow or something. Harry said that he was coming
over to ‘apologize’ to Lupin, or something, and Harry wanted to be there for
it. Why?”
“Call Albus, and have him on standby for my call.”
“What the hell-?”
“Trust me!”
And Snape was gone from his currently lilac and white decorated office.
---
The main reason Snape had stayed at the precinct for so long despite his
numerous complaints from civilians, partners, lawyers, and judges, was that
Albus Dumbledore liked him. No one disagreed with the police
commissioner. However, it was also because Snape had these…feelings.
Lily used to joke that his instincts were so good because something had to fill
in the void that was his social skills. He had long ago stopped
questioning why he had these instincts since all that truly mattered to him was
their reliability. Right now, everything in him was screaming that
Pettigrew had something to do with the Potters‘ death. Snape had no
motive, reasoning or proof. It was just something that he felt in the pit
of his stomach. The same knot told him that Harry was in danger.
Following the knot, he took off through the lobby of his office, knocking
party guests aside and pulling his cell out as he skipped two or three steps at
a time. He quickly dialed Potter’s phone number while still throwing his
jacket on and jumped into Hermione’s car, the spare key she had given him in
the case of an emergency getting its first use. He listened to the phone
ring amidst the screeching tires and yelling people as he pulled onto the
street. He slammed the phone shut when he heard the voice mail pick up. Driving
with one hand, he selected Lupin’s number from his address book, glad that
Hermione had decided to fiddle with his phone. He sucked in a much needed
breath when he heard the tale-tale click of someone answering.
“Hello?”
“What is your current location?”
“Severus?”
Severus gritted his teeth.
“Where are you, Lupin?”
“Slow down, Severus. I mean, we haven’t talked in a couple of weeks and
there are some things I want to apol-“
Severus swerved onto the I75, the other cars pulling out of his way.
“LUPIN! I do not have time to listen to your emotional blather! Tell me
where Potter is now!”
“Harry? Why do you want to-“
Severus slammed on his breaks as a slow moving semi pulled in front of
him.
“NOW LUPIN!”
“Dammit, Severus! He’s giving my friend a ride home. What is the
emergency?”
“YOU LEFT HIM WITH THAT RAT?”
“What?”
“Listen to me very carefully, Lupin, because I’m only going to say this
once. We know that the video tape was switched with one from the previous
night, correct? The bartender, while still being a suspect, would have no
motive that we know of for switching the tape. However, we forgot about
one person. A person who had an unnatural obsession with Lily for many
years and whose occupation gave him unlimited access to every room in the
building and who could have switched the tape at any time.”
“God, Severus, surely you don’t think…”
“Oh, I do think. Now, where does the rat live?”
“Fine, I’ll tell you, but I’m meeting you there so you don’t do anything
stupid.”
After he received the directions, Severus hung up and quickly called Albus.
He gave him the directions and asked him to contact the police across the
river, both of them hoping the older man’s influence reached that far.
---
Apparently since the separation from his friends, Pettigrew had decided to
move across the state line to Kentucky. The town of Independence, which was
more of a tiny village than anything, was the current home of the man that
Severus regarded as enemy number one. He pulled his car half onto the curb and
half onto the road. Abandoning his keys, he jumped from the car and headed up
to the door, noticing Lupin was already waiting for him. Severus was
grimly pleased to see Lupin’s nervous expression.
“Harry and Peter’s car are still here but the door is locked and no one is
answering.”
Severus paled. Despite Lupin’s warning, he tried to open the door, but the
knob refused to move. Giving a quick glance to the empty street, he kicked the
door a few times. When Lupin finally decided to help, the door gave way.
Severus ran in first, but immediately dropped to the ground when he realized he
was staring down the barrel of a gun. He groaned when he heard his bones
pop as he slammed into the floor, but that was quickly forgotten. He heard a
shot and Lupin’s body hit the floor.
Hearing another shot, he leapt behind the couch that stood between him and
the gun wielding mad man. He spared a second to look back at Lupin. There
was blood, lots, but it seemed to be coming from his shoulder. Severus prayed
to the gods of luck that he would be able to take the crazy bastard down early
enough so that Lupin would make it. Suddenly noticing that the
shots had ended, he stiffened and waited for any sound of movement.
“Come out, you ugly bastard! You have to pay for your crime!”
Severus had heard it to many times to be hurt by comments on his physical
appearance, but being called a criminal was more than he could handle.
Without thinking about the ramifications of goading a gun-toting murderer, he
yelled out a rebuttal.
“You’re the criminal, you nutcase!” Severus flinched as more bullets flew
over his head and into the wall. He could only guess that the reason the man
hadn’t come around the couch to murder him was because he believed the
detective had some sort of firearm on him. Rethinking the situation, he
probably should have grabbed the loaded handgun he kept in his desk on his way
out, but then again hindsight was
20/20.
“Your crime is being too damn nosy for your own good, and the punishment is
death!”
Severus’s eye’s rolled at the Pettigrew’s declaration. Dear God, could
this man get any more pathetic?
“What have you done with the boy?”
“Oh, that is so sweet. The beast is concerned with the child.”
Severus gave a growl.
“Oh, don’t worry the boy is fine. I was just about to take care of him
before you two arrived. Now he will just have to wait…” The
detective peeked around the couch to see the overweight man was pointing his
gun at the opposite side of the couch. Thinking quickly, he slowly slid
to the side that Pettigrew was staring at, and removed his shoe. He chucked it
to the opposite side of the room and, in a very uncharacteristic show of
foolishness, leapt towards the armed man.
Thankfully, his assumption was correct and while he flew at the man,
Pettigrew was shooting a smoking hole though his treasured black loafer.
Severus loved those shoes. He tackled the man to the floor before Peter
even knew what was happening. He wrestled momentarily before Snape was
finally able to retrieve the gun. Rolling off Pettigrew, he slowly stood
up, holding the gun steadily at the prone man. Pettigrew started to stand
up as well.
“You stay right there, convict. You’re going to sit right there until the
nice policemen arrive and take you where you deserve. I do hope they put you in
a cell with Black. He’ll be happy to see you, don’t you think? Especially after
you tried to kill his godson and boyfriend.”
Peter turned pale and tried to crawl away.
“Oh no, I think not. Keep your portly ass still.” Pettigrew opened his mouth
to, he assumed, to beg for his miserable existence. Severus was
perversely excited to hear it and was almost disappointed to see the men in
blue entering; almost.
---
Once Pettigrew was dragged out in handcuffs and Lupin was seen to, Severus
began his search for Harry. After he searched the first floor, and found
nothing, he made his way up the stairs with two officers behind him. The
first two doors he opened turned up nothing, but the last door drew his
curiosity when it stubbornly refused to open. He turned the knob a few
more times before an officer moved him out of the way. The man kicked it a few
times, unsuccessfully, until the other officer knocked him out of the way and
threw her full force into it, busting the lock. Severus’s glare met her smirk
before he took a few slow steps into the room. In anticlimactic fashion,
it was empty.
Then, immense pain erupted behind his eyes, and the sound of breaking glass
tore through his ears. His immediate instinct to flee was repressed by
the pain and blurred vision. He grabbed his head and promptly collapsed
to the floor. Severus heard shouting and immediately cringed, bringing
his hand up to cover his ears, trying to block out the sound. When he
realized the shouting had quieted down, he opened his eyes and instantly
recognized the green he’d been searching for. Realizing Harry was
speaking, he jerked his hands away from his ears.
“… so sorry. I thought you were that bastard!”
Severus blinked until the fuzziness from his vision vanished, throbbing pain
remaining. Harry helped him up, propping him up against the wall, and Severus
noticed how much taller he was than the young man. He liked that.
“It seems we found him, Snape. Let’s get downstairs and get your head
checked out.” Severus held up his hand.
“You two…go. Tell Albus…everything okay.” The other three occupants of the
room turned to stare at him. The woman’s partner finally spoke up.
“Um..sir, you really should get that checked out.”
“OUT!” They both scurried out of the room, slamming the door shut. Harry
looked up at him, confused. Severus put his hands on the boy’s shoulders,
hoping the boy wouldn’t realize he had to in order to keep himself
standing.
“What did he do to you?”
“Severus…?”
“Answer the question!”
“Nothing! He tripped me and I hit my head, but it’s okay. I was just a
little woozy. It wore off. I’m fine!” The older man sighed. “I hit you really
hard, Severus. You should get that checked out as soon as possible!”
Severus growled and jerked his head down to kiss him. Harry jumped in
surprise before kissing him back. His hands gripped the taller man’s shirt,
holding him against him. He moaned into the kiss. As soon as Harry’s
hands began to travel, the kiss ended abruptly.
“Oh God, please don’t stop!”
Severus groaned as those words went straight to his groin, but he was going
to be heard first.
“Listen boy, and listen well. I am going along with this only because
you have dropped a golden opportunity into my lap, and there is no way I can
refuse it again. However, you need to realize what you are getting
into. I am not a nice person, no matter what any memories may have led
you to believe. I will not send you flowers or presents, nor will I probably
even remember the dates on which I should send those things. I will still
constantly insult you, because, personally, I enjoy it. I will not play nice
with your friends, I am not an attractive man, and I will die long before you
do. Now, hopefully, you have come to your senses and realize that you want to
spend your youth with someone more deserving than with a man twice your age
that you barely know.”
Severus took a deep breath that he desperately needed, but it caught in his
throat when he saw the other man smiling at him.
“It’s going to be okay, Severus. No matter what you say, I think we’ll make
it.”
Severus groaned and buried his face in a forest of wild black hair.
“Did I mention I hate optimists?” A muffled laugh came from his chest.
“Oh, please Severus, you hate everything.”
Severus leaned back to stare down at him.
“Perhaps you know me better than I thought.”
Harry laughed and pulled him down into a kiss.
---
Epilogue
“Any way you want it. That’s the way you need it…Anyway you want it.”
Harry looked down at his phone and continued to let the song play, but
Severus grabbed it out of his hand, flipped it open, and held it up to his ear.
“H-Hello?” Harry stuttered the greeting while his breathing was
labored.
“Hey, Harry!”
“H-Hey…Siri…”
“What’s wrong ,Harry?”
“Oh…uh…nothing.”
“Oh, okay. Well Remy and I are going out to Bogarts; some big band is
playing. You wanna come hang out with your favorite godfather?”
“Oh…um…maybe…AH! Actually no, I don’t think I can, Siri. Maybe…uh…some other
time?”
“What the hell is going on, Harry?”
“Nothing! Nothing is wrong! What makes you think-Oh God ,Severus!”
“HARRY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT SONAVA-“
Click.
“SEVERUS!”
The aforementioned man flung the closed phone to the other side of the
room. Severus smirked as he continued to push the half dressed man harder
against the wall, the head of his member already inside the boy. He
groaned as he pushed a little more in, delighting in the sounds Harry was
making, his face smashed up against the wall.
“Harry, I don’t want you talk to that dog while I’m deflowering his godson.”
“Then why did you let me answer the damn phone?” Severus thrust hard into
the tight heat, causing Harry to scream out his name.
“So, he would know I was deflowering his godson.” Harry panted as the whole
member was slowly slipped inside of him.
“Fuck, Severus; you’re a one sick bastard.”
“And you, Potter, are dreadful at dirty talk. Either think of
something better to say or just keep screaming my name from those pretty little
lips.” In a show of rebellion that was so uniquely Harry, he decided to forgo
both options given to him by the older man, and continued to utter unintelligible
words as he was entered forcefully again and again, only deciding to utter his
lover’s name as he came all over the wall.
Severus was surprised and annoyed to find he wouldn’t have it any other way.