Fic Post:: Defying Expectations
Happy Tenth Anniversary, Snarry! In honor of ten wonderful years of Snarry, cruisedirector and I have committed fic!
Title: Defying Expectations
Authors: dementordelta and cruisedirector
Beta: celandineb
Rating: NC-17
Words: ~ 5500
Warnings: Schmoop. Sex. More schmoop.
Notes: Happy 10th Anniversary Snarry!
Defying Expectations
Harry Potter had had yet another horrendous day at the Ministry of Magic. He had recently been promoted to Director of Concealment and Disguise, with a hint that very soon -- perhaps even before his thirtieth birthday -- he would surely be named Head of the Auror Office, but he suspected the promotion had been an excuse for the other Aurors to send him out of the Ministry as often as possible. Plus, when he practiced Concealment and Disguise, he usually went incognito, so the office as a whole was now taking credit for everything he accomplished while unrecognizable. Worst of all, he suspected that his best friend, Ron Weasley, hadn’t said a word to anyone about how unfair it was, since Ron had been given the post Harry really wanted in Magical Combat.
The Ministry was only too happy to have the Chosen One on staff to trot out for public fundraisers and boring trips to the Ministries of other countries. Earlier this year, Kingsley Shacklebolt had personally asked Harry to go to America to help straighten out the mess left by a Dark wizard who’d become a Muggle television host, spreading fear and hatred throughout the land. There had been dozens of endless meetings, a few tedious cocktail receptions for wealthy American wizards who wanted to meet a celebrity with a British accent, and Harry hadn’t been able to take Severus along for any of it.
With a sigh, he shoved a stack of parchments into his bag and used a deflating charm to shrink it to fit into his pocket. All day long, he’d had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something important, but his calendar -- updated hourly by Ministry Auto-Clock -- had no more red items for the week. He was going to be late for supper again, but at least he’d had enough warning this time to let Severus know in advance. All the senior officials at the Ministry insisted that the Boy Who Lived should sit on their committees, yet no one actually listened to much of what Harry had to say.
Stepping out of the fireplace, he brushed his robes off and hung his cloak over the hook, stretching. Severus was waiting at the table, reading The Daily Prophet. “Remind me why I work for the Ministry,” Harry said with a small smile.
“Because you get to come home at a reasonable hour to me?” Severus stood, holding his arms out, and Harry stepped close, grateful that after a decade together, Severus no longer grilled him about who had kept him so late and whether Harry hadn’t secretly looked for an excuse to stay away.
“Coming home is the only good part of my day. And it's only barely a reasonable hour.”
As Severus often did when he thought Harry wasn’t paying attention to the gesture, Severus rubbed his face in Harry’s hair. “Did something happen?”
“Just more of the usual.” Relaxing, Harry rested his cheek against Severus’s shoulder. “The Department of Magical Creatures thinks the Auror Office should be supporting their campaign for greater restrictions on Dark creatures, particularly werewolves. The education committee wants to meet with the Hogwarts governors to be certain the cleverest young minds aren't using advanced magic to cheat. And Ron's not speaking to me because I told the Minister we should keep Charlie's escaped dragon under observation instead of returning him to Charlie.”
Severus’s hands rubbed over Harry’s back, squeezing his shoulders. “And having a former Death Eater to come home to every night cannot be advancing your career,” he surmised. “There is still enough ill will, even after all this time, to make your life difficult because of the choice you made.”
The decision to move in with Severus was the one aspect of his life about which Harry had no disappointments. Severus had warned him at the time that it would surely affect his career and his friendships, but Harry had been so giddy -- so overjoyed to have found Severus alive and to have fallen in love -- that he hadn’t been able to imagine a time when something as mundane as work could affect his mood. Of course, the whole of the wizarding world had been a bit giddy then, before the realities of rebuilding set in and all the politics and power grabs began anew.
“It's not like it's a new thing. Or like it's ever going to change,” Harry said, leaning up and kissing Severus. “My life is difficult because no matter how heroic people may be at the worst of times, they're mostly selfish and meddling the rest of the time. I just had a bad day, that's all.” Belatedly, he asked, “How was your day? Better than mine, I hope?”
Severus made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I have no complaints. I had several orders to fill, so I spent the morning brewing and the afternoon preparing dinner.”
“The whole afternoon?” That made Harry smile. Severus was rarely in the mood to cook after a morning of work over a cauldron. “Did you know I was having a bad day?”
“You know that even my skills at Legilimency do not work at those distances.” Warm fingers brushed over Harry’s cheek, and Harry turned his head, rubbing his smile against the palm. “But I think you will approve.” Severus’s thumb stroked over Harry’s lips. “We have steak and kidney pie, roasted potatoes, artichoke salad, and a lovely blueberry and raspberry crumble. All your favorites.”
Those really were all of Harry’s favorites -- every single one, from the appetizer to the dessert. “Are you sure you weren’t using Legilemency?” he asked. “That’s exactly what I needed to turn this entire day around. What’s the occa- “ But as he spoke, Harry suddenly remembered what he’d been forgetting all day. “Oh. Oh fuck!”
Severus was smirking, looking completely unconcerned that Harry hadn’t yet mentioned the thing that was missing from his calendar because it was nobody else’s business and he hadn’t believed he would ever forget the date. “Ten years of exceeding expectations and sharing a bed in rather defiant happiness?”
But Harry kept moaning all through the question. “Oh God, oh fuck, I can't believe I did this! All day I knew I was forgetting something important and I couldn't figure out what it was.” Again Severus made the dismissive gesture, as if pushing Harry’s regrets aside, and Harry squeezed him hard around the waist. “I can't believe I got so distracted that I forgot our anniversary. I'm so embarrassed -- I feel like an idiot.”
“You have only yourself to blame for that.” Absurdly, Severus was still smiling as he kissed Harry again.
“No, I am an idiot...“ Harry kissed back. A few months earlier, he had made a list of things he’d thought Severus might like as a tenth anniversary gift, but he hadn’t followed through on obtaining any of them. Some of the ingredients were not entirely legal, there hadn’t been time to plan a holiday, and Harry had been too afraid of being recognized to find a silversmith who could design silver-and-emerald snake-shaped nipple clips. ”I know I've been working too hard and staying there too late and -- bloody hell, I can't believe I didn't even get you a present.”
Oddly, Severus looked entirely satisfied. “I need no gifts to know how you feel about me.”
“But I love giving you things.” Harry rubbed his cheek against Severus’s. He remembered in the early days when Severus had often been jealous and suspicious, convinced that Harry couldn’t possibly love him as much as Harry had claimed. “I love reminding you how I feel about you. You know that.”
Severus’s arms wrapped more tightly around him. “You have given me the one thing in this world I truly cherish.”
The fact that Severus was saying things like that only made Harry feel worse. He buried his face against Severus’s neck, snuggling close, before deciding that Severus probably didn’t want a soppy, sentimental, sniffly declaration of how Harry felt about him -- Severus rarely needed that any more than he needed gifts. Wriggling a bit, Harry pushed against Severus’s thigh. “That's what you're getting for our anniversary, then -- the same thing you got ten years ago tonight.” With a small hum, Severus slid his hands down Harry’s back, and Harry pulled back just enough for another kiss. “You have me, forever. But I'd still have got you something nice...or a bit naughty.”
Severus’s eyes dilated. His lips parted. “You’ve never needed to shop to give me something naughty,” he pointed out.
Laughing happily, Harry gave a more suggestive wriggle. “Oh, you’ll definitely be getting something naughty. But first don’t you want to eat all the delicious food you’ve prepared?”
“Yes.” Severus chuckled with him. “Anticipation is part of any worthy celebration.”
With a smirk, Harry wagged his bum flamboyantly. “Let me serve you, at least, since you did all the cooking.” Stepping back, he pulled out a chair for Severus with a flourish. “Allow me to cater to your whims!”
Of course, Severus had always been able to out-smirk Harry. “Are you quite certain of that?” he asked, seating himself. “I have quite a few whims where you are concerned. I'm certain you can guess several of them, as we have acted them out in the course of our years together.”
Harry made a show of prancing over to the stove, where Severus had kept the food warm with a heating spell. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Severus drape a napkin over his trousers, keeping his gaze on Harry, who sent the trivet and pie floating ahead to the table before picking up the potatoes. “I thought maybe we’d outgrown some of them,” he said with his most wide-eyed, innocent expression on his face. “Like, you haven't spanked me for being a naughty student for a long time.”
With a sharply indrawn breath, Severus tugged the napkin lower on his lap. “You always did look very wicked in your student robes,” he said. “Perhaps I have been too lax in disciplining you.”
Harry retrieved the tongs and began to scoop the salad into bowls, letting his leg brush against Severus’s. “Obviously I do need discipline, since I forgot our anniversary. Or maybe you'd rather that I dress up in something pretty. I haven't worn my Gryffindor garters in a long time.”
Severus’s fingers slid up Harry’s leg. “I would very much like to see you in those.”
“Then again, if I dress up, it will be more complicated to eat the berry crumble. Off me. If that’s what you want. What would you like for our anniversary?” Harry smiled sweetly.
“Well, it did occur to me...” Severus let the fingers trail away, reaching to open the bottle of wine waiting on the table. “You haven't ridden my cock in quite some time.”
Harry allowed himself to take longer than necessary settling into his chair, rocking up and down on the seat as though it were a moving animal and letting his head fall back, though he kept his eyes on Severus, who smirked as he poured wine into both glasses. “Has it really been that long?”
“I'm afraid it has been quite some time.” Severus schooled his features into a regretful expression as he sniffed the contents of his glass before taking a sip. “Whenever you do, it leaves quite a vivid memory.” He inclined his glass toward Harry’s. “To vivid memories.”
Harry clinked the glasses together before he took a sip, grinning over the rim. “I do want you to have a very memorable anniversary.” He raised his glass again. “And to another ten years together!”
“And many more of defying everyone’s expectations.” Severus sipped his wine while Harry cut into the pie, putting a slice on each of their plates before taking a bite. They didn’t have steak and kidney pie very often, and he moaned in pleasure at the first bite, which made Severus smile.
“I don't know why they'd be surprised. We're perfect together! Look how happy we’ve been.” To avoid talking with his mouth full, Harry fell silent, rubbing his foot over Severus’s under the table as he dug into his pie. “Mmm, don't care what anyone else thinks anyway, s’long as you’re happy.”
A shift against Harry’s foot told him that Severus had let his legs fall open beneath the table as he mashed butter into his potatoes. “I am constantly aware of how happy you make me. And appreciative that you believe I have done the same for you.”
“That I believe?” Harry let his toes slide up Severus’s leg. “Unless you have me under a Confundus charm, I know you've made me happier than anything else ever did.”
Chuckling, Severus slid his chair closer. “Then my evil scheme is working to perfection.”
With a pretend gasp, Harry finished chewing his forkful of salad. “All this time I thought you'd reformed! You mean you're still as wicked as ever?”
“Oh, yes.” Severus nodded. “Ten years ago, I decided to get you under my power and have my wicked way with you as many times as possible. How could I have known you'd like it so much?”
Harry couldn’t help grinning. Though the food was all delicious, he was eating as quickly as possible, wanting to get on to the next part of the celebration. “Only ten years ago?” he demanded. “Was almost getting killed by a giant snake part of the plan, or was that an accident?”
Severus made a contemptuous gesture with his wrist, swirling the wine around in his glass in the process. “Only a small deviation from the ultimate goal. Fortunately, you were clever enough to come back for me before the plan could meet a rather abrupt ending.”
Nodding, Harry wriggled his toes up and down Severus’s thigh. “It wasn't all a conspiracy to get me into your bedroom so I'd see you lying there, feel sorry for you, and decide to ride your cock?”
He felt Severus slide down on the seat, moving his cock closer to Harry’s foot. “It worked, didn't it?”
“Mmhmm.” Harry smiled as he finished off his pie, finding Severus’s bollocks beneath Severus’s trousers, brushing his toes across them. “And ten years ago tonight, you deprived me of my virginity. Funny, I haven't missed it.”
Severus’s lips parted as a soft moan escaped. “Ten years ago I would never have believed you would want to stay for more than one night.”
“I did, though. Stay.” Harry wriggled his toes again, setting down his fork. “Ready for dessert?”
“I have been ready for dessert since you walked through the door.” Severus slumped back in his chair, rocking against Harry’s foot. “Oh -- you mean the crumble?”
“The crumble can wait.” Grinning, Harry moved his foot up and down a few times before sliding out of his chair and under the table. He heard Severus curse softly, spreading his legs, as Harry crawled forward to nuzzle Severus’s thigh. “But, of course, if you would rather have a proper anniversary dessert...”
“Crumble is best appreciated by persons luxuriating in post-coital afterglow.” One hand pushed into Harry’s hair while another fumbled with the zip on Severus’s trousers.
“Mmm, well, you’re the dessert expert and right now I want you to feed me...” Harry kissed the fingers as they pushed Severus’s trousers open for him. After a moment, he could taste the warmer skin of Severus’s cock, and kissed that too, licking around the head. “Mmm, want you to feed me dessert!”
“I have prepared a rich, creamy blend that I know you will enjoy.” Severus sounded breathless as he rubbed a foot over Harry’s bum. With a happy moan, Harry unzipped his own trousers and tugged them partway down, slipping a hand inside. “I have been studying your favorites for ten years now.”
The foot moved around in front of Harry and he arched against it, licking the head of Severus’s cock. “And you never forget anything. Don't think I haven't noticed.” He felt Severus’s hand cup the back of his neck and moved his mouth up and down on Severus’s cock, encouraging him to thrust. “Mmm, is it any wonder I've been in love with you for ten years?”
“Is it any wonder that I take great joy in returning your love?” Severus’s foot moved slowly over Harry’s cock, petting him.
“Mmm, I love when you talk like that, even when it’s because you want me to suck your prick.” Harry purred around the head of Severus’s cock, using a hand to stroke lower, cupping the sac still partially trapped by Severus’s trousers. “I love you more than anything. I love telling you so.”
“And I love when you say that you love me, even when you must pause in sucking my prick to do so.” Severus caressed his neck, moaning, letting Harry’s hair slide through his fingers as Harry’s head bobbed up and down, moving Harry’s mouth over Severus’s cock. “I will never stop -- fuck -- cherishing each declaration.”
Severus’s breathing was growing ragged, and his hips were moving, thrusting into Harry’s mouth. Harry remembered the first time he had told Severus he loved him, hoping, at the time, that at best he would not be rejected or ridiculed. He had been unprepared when Severus said the words back to him, and had been unable to keep from crying and clinging to Severus like a child. Fortunately, Severus had merely been bemused rather than put off by this reaction.
Moaning, Harry pressed Severus’s foot against his own cock, shuddering softly. “Ohhfuck! You know I'll come if you talk like that!” He sucked fervently, moving his fingers the way he knew Severus liked it.
“I can't think of a better way to celebrate our -- Harry!” Severus bucked into his mouth, the name drawn out in a long shudder. Harry was ready now for the flood that filled his mouth, concentrating on swallowing and sucking every drop, even though his cock was throbbing hard against Severus’s foot. After a few moments, Severus wiggled his toes, unclenching the fingers that had gripped the back of Harry’s neck. “Your mouth is...exquisite.”
“So’s your cock.” Smiling, Harry raised his chin, licking the damp head once more. However, he frowned in protest when Severus slid his foot away. “Hey!”
“I want to taste you tonight. Want to kiss you when we both taste like come.”
Harry moaned softly. “Fuck! You keep saying the most romantic things!”
There was wickedness in Severus’s laugh as he tugged Harry up. “You must bring it out in me.” His face pressed against Harry’s cock as Harry rocked on the balls of his feet, pushing against Severus’s lips. “Not bored with it after ten years?”
Harry couldn’t imagine ever being bored of anything to do with Severus -- not the unguarded things Severus said when he was satisfied or sleepy, and not the sexy, often wicked things Severus suggested, from sneaking a hand under Harry’s robes at Quidditch matches to spanking him like a naughty student to a fetish for stepping into the shower with Harry and wanking in his hair. Sometimes the mere sight of Severus holding his wand could get Harry hard. At times like this, when he could feel Severus purring around his cock, relaxing his throat to take Harry all in, there was no way -- oh fuck -- “Going to -- “ His fingers dug into Severus’s shoulder during the instant when he teetered on the brink before everything exploded and his cock erupted into Severus’s mouth.
Severus kept his mouth around Harry, pulling back slowly while he panted to rub his lips around Harry’s cock. “I like the way you taste like this.” He slid up against Harry’s body, unbuttoning as he went and licking until he had reached Harry’s mouth as Harry sank into his lap, kissing. “And I like kissing you.”
“I can't think of a better way to celebrate being with you.” Harry slid his arms around Severus, kissing over and over. “Well...I can think of one way.”
“Oh?” Severus raised an eyebrow, rubbing a hand over Harry’s bum. Harry grinned at him.
“I see that you may be able to guess.”
Severus returned the smile. “I see that you may be full of the celebratory spirit.”
“You’re very inspiring when you make dessert for me. Especially the rich, creamy kind. But when I get so full, I want to go to bed.” Harry wiggled in his lap.
“We do have a nice bed just upstairs.” Severus raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Very cozy.” He watched as Harry fumbled in his half-removed trousers for his wand, waving it at the table to to send the dishes to the sink, which began to wash them. When Harry put a refrigeration charm on the crumble, Severus seemed to take it as a cue. “I'd very much like to take you there now and make love to you.”
Moaning happily, Harry slid his arms back around Severus, who kissed his jaw. “Oh yes, that's just what I hoped you'd say!” He closed his eyes, anticipating the tug of Apparition, which deposited them on the bed, still in each other’s arms. “I believe that in honor of our anniversary, I promised to ride your cock.”
Severus returned the moan against Harry’s mouth, sliding him back onto the bed. “I want to feel you riding me so I can see you gazing down at me and know that I belong to you. Come celebrate with me.”
“I feel like we celebrate every night we're together!” Harry was already tugging to remove his shirt. “That's why I forgot it was ten years. I love doing every wicked thing we can think of!” He lifted his arms, letting Severus pull the shirt away before he moved down in the bed to toss aside Severus’s half-removed trousers. “You don’t mind if we never got to the berry crumble?”
“We can have it for breakfast. Did I explain that it tastes better eaten off a lover’s chest?” Severus was busy removing what was left of his clothes. “I believe we have ice cream to put on it, too. I’m going to lick it off you.”
Shivering in happy anticipation as his fingers closed around his wand, Harry pulled it free of his clothing and aimed it at his own bum, casting the lubrication spell Severus had taught him a decade ago. “In the morning. Tonight I’m going to ride you and squeeze around you.”
A soft moan was his reply as Severus tugged on his hips, pulling Harry close, gazing up at him. “Want that so much.” Reaching down, Harry felt Severus’s cock push into his hand and shifted over it. Sometimes he liked to be stretched open slowly by Severus’s fingers, but tonight he was so eager that he shifted over Severus’s cock. “Slowly...”
With a nod, Harry pressed down, holding the hard shaft steady in his hand. “Love when you're inside me!”
Severus’s hands slid up his legs, holding him steady. “Love making love with you. Love knowing you want me,” he said.
“More than anything!” Harry pushed down, moving his hand out of the way Severus pressed beyond the well-lubed entrance. He now welcomed the burn he had feared the first few times, which he knew would shortly be overwhelmed by the pleasure of having a cock moving deep inside him. Severus’s cock. “Never wanted to do it with anyone else,” he hissed, moving up and down, taking in a bit more each time.
Small gasps escaped from Severus’s mouth each time Harry slid down. “So good, oh fuck,” he panted. “Learning everything all over again with you.” He squeezed his hands around Harry’s thighs.
Though Severus tried not to gloat, Harry knew he was particularly delighted to have been Harry’s only lover; they’d both agreed that a bit of fumbling around with Ginny Weasley while Harry was trying not to be gay didn’t count. Harry watched as Severus’s hand slid up over his hip and into the curly hair between his legs, fingers curling around his cock, stroking him. He squeezed his inner muscles hard around Severus’s cock. “Love being all yours!
Severus writhed against pillows, moaning. “Mine, yes!”
Even through the haze of pleasure as Harry angled his hips, making his cock thrust into Severus’s hand while he slid up and down on Severus’s cock, Harry was surprised to hear Severus so vocal. Anniversary or not, it was rare for Severus to be so expressive -- sure, he had no problem grunting and moaning and announcing when he appreciated what Harry’s fingers or tongue or cock was doing, but he’d been using words like cherish and adore which Harry usually only heard when Severus sensed that he particularly needed them.
“This is all I ever wanted,” he groaned aloud, meaning it completely, wondering whether his frustration with work had made him forget to tell Severus, the way he’d forgotten their anniversary.
“Wanted you. Never imagined you wanted me. Not like this!” Severus spoke breathlessly, watching Harry ride.
“We were so lucky we found each other like this!”
Each thrust against Harry’s prostate pushed Harry a bit closer to the edge; he could feel his lower body tightening, the heat coiling deep inside. Severus bucked with him, thrusting off the bed into him, moving his hand on Harry’s cock. “Found each other and fell in love. Never expected that! Just want to be worthy of you!”
There was so much Harry could have explained -- that it had never surprised him that they fell in love so quickly despite so many years of animosity, that he’d always thought Severus was worthy from the moment he’d learned Severus’s true loyalties, that there had never been anyone else in Harry’s heart this way -- but he could barely speak, feeling his face scrunch up. “You always were ohhfuck!” The sentence ended in a long wail as he convulsed around Severus, spurting over his fingers, clutching at him.
Severus continued to thrust, moving steadily, breath coming in short sharp pants. He waited until Harry had stopped crying out and his eyes had opened to release his cock, grabbing his hip instead and thrusting in deep. As Harry watched, Severus went rigid, mouth opening, and Harry felt him pulse with the jets of seed that erupted inside him.
Gasping for breath, Harry slumped down over Severus, keeping his cock inside. “Ohhh love you so much!”
Severus’s arms slid around his body, damp from their exertions. “Love hearing you tell me.”
With a small whimper, Harry rubbed his cheek against Severus’s chest. “Do I not tell you enough? Have I been forgetting?”
Severus made a purring noise, rubbing his hands down Harry’s back. “You’re very good about telling me.” He felt much more relaxed, and Harry realized that the elaborate dinner preparations, the declarations that things like gifts didn’t matter, the promises all hinted not that Severus took their intimacy for granted but that on some level he must have been concerned.
With a sigh, Harry shifted off of Severus’s softening cock to move beside him, wrapping his arms around Severus’s waist. “I think it all the time. If you used Legilimency, you’d know it.”
“I don't need to intrude upon your thoughts to know. You tell me, and you show me.”
“I’m going to show you more.” Slumping down on the pillows, he snuggled against Severus. “I’m going to show you all day tomorrow. In my Gryffindor garters, if you like. And you can spank me if I misbehave.”
Severus’s breath felt warm in Harry’s hair when he chuckled. “Somehow I expect you to misbehave.”
“Oh, probably.” Harry pulled back enough to grin at him. “For one thing, I'm planning to skive off work.”
Severus nuzzled his mouth. “Won't you get into trouble, Mr. Potter?”
There was no censure in the question, nor even real concern, and somehow that brought everything into focus -- the Ministry, the Aurors, the things Severus had said about people judging him for living with a onetime Death Eater, the promotion that hadn’t really meant a thing, the fact that he’d been too distracted to remember their anniversary. “I probably will,” he agreed, nuzzling back, though his eyes were half-open now. “But I'm thinking I might just quit.”
Nodding, Severus squeezed him. “I thought you might be.”
“You did?” Harry leaned back a bit, looking at him. He hadn’t quite dared to put the thought into words himself until a few seconds ago, yet apparently Severus had anticipated it.
“You've seemed more than a bit disenchanted with your work of late.” Severus’s fingers brushed over Harry’s cheek. “You know the longer hours wouldn’t bother me if they were what you wanted to be doing with that time. I think it’s you who wishes to spend less time at the Ministry.” That was all true, and Harry nodded, biting his lip. “You should do what makes you happy.”
“I thought -- “ Harry remembered the bitter disappointment when he’d been denied the Magical Combat post. It hadn’t only been disappointment that he wouldn’t get to do the job; he’d thought that somehow Severus might somehow think he had failed. Quitting, after what Severus had gone through at Hogwarts, seemed impossible to consider. “I thought you'd be disappointed in me.
“I could never be disappointed in you.” Severus shook his head. “You’ve done more than your share of the Ministry’s dirty work. If the job is making you so unhappy, find something else.” He paused, looking uneasy for a moment, before plunging ahead: “You could work with me.”
Overcome for a moment, Harry buried his face against Severus’s neck. He’d been better prepared for a lecture on hard work in hard times, not a lifeline out. “You’d trust me around your potions?” he asked into Severus’s collarbone, trying not to sniffle.
“I have already trusted you with everything important to me.” Severus petted down his neck, then slid his hand around to tilt Harry’s face up. “I realize that it would be a significant step down for you in both salary and prestige...”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Harry kissed him. “We’ve got plenty of money. I can’t think of anything more prestigious than making potions with the best potion-maker in London. And I want to do it more than anything.”
“Then we should have done it long ago.” Severus kissed him back, brushing the corner of Harry’s eye with one finger. “I'm sorry you didn't know you'd be welcome.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to get tired of having me around all the time.” Harry kept kissing him. “I thought you thought I should be, I don't know, doing something big with my life.”
Severus laughed softly against his mouth. “You should do what pleases you. You have already done enough for everyone else -- I daresay I have as well, no matter what certain upstarts at the Ministry may think. It's time you do what pleases you alone.” With a smirk, he added, “And me. Though you may hate spending all day with me. As you know, I can be... difficult, particularly when the work is not going well.”
With a quivering smile, Harry nodded. “I’ve always wanted to work with you. I want to be with you as much as I can. Anyway, I love spending all night with you.”
“You're asleep then.” Severus’s finger traced Harry’s lower lip.
“Not all the time.” Harry grinned naughtily, then ruined it with a yawn. “Mmm, as long as we wake up in each other's arms.”
“We promised that ten years ago.” Smirking, Severus lay back so that Harry could snuggle against him. “And we always keep our promises.”
Nodding sleepily, Harry pressed close. “I’ll always want to wake up in your arms. I love you more than anything.”
Severus slid his fingers through Harry’s hair. He smelled like sex and soap and something sweeter than berry crumble. “I'll love you always,” he promised.
Title: Defying Expectations
Authors: dementordelta and cruisedirector
Beta: celandineb
Rating: NC-17
Words: ~ 5500
Warnings: Schmoop. Sex. More schmoop.
Notes: Happy 10th Anniversary Snarry!
Defying Expectations
Harry Potter had had yet another horrendous day at the Ministry of Magic. He had recently been promoted to Director of Concealment and Disguise, with a hint that very soon -- perhaps even before his thirtieth birthday -- he would surely be named Head of the Auror Office, but he suspected the promotion had been an excuse for the other Aurors to send him out of the Ministry as often as possible. Plus, when he practiced Concealment and Disguise, he usually went incognito, so the office as a whole was now taking credit for everything he accomplished while unrecognizable. Worst of all, he suspected that his best friend, Ron Weasley, hadn’t said a word to anyone about how unfair it was, since Ron had been given the post Harry really wanted in Magical Combat.
The Ministry was only too happy to have the Chosen One on staff to trot out for public fundraisers and boring trips to the Ministries of other countries. Earlier this year, Kingsley Shacklebolt had personally asked Harry to go to America to help straighten out the mess left by a Dark wizard who’d become a Muggle television host, spreading fear and hatred throughout the land. There had been dozens of endless meetings, a few tedious cocktail receptions for wealthy American wizards who wanted to meet a celebrity with a British accent, and Harry hadn’t been able to take Severus along for any of it.
With a sigh, he shoved a stack of parchments into his bag and used a deflating charm to shrink it to fit into his pocket. All day long, he’d had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something important, but his calendar -- updated hourly by Ministry Auto-Clock -- had no more red items for the week. He was going to be late for supper again, but at least he’d had enough warning this time to let Severus know in advance. All the senior officials at the Ministry insisted that the Boy Who Lived should sit on their committees, yet no one actually listened to much of what Harry had to say.
Stepping out of the fireplace, he brushed his robes off and hung his cloak over the hook, stretching. Severus was waiting at the table, reading The Daily Prophet. “Remind me why I work for the Ministry,” Harry said with a small smile.
“Because you get to come home at a reasonable hour to me?” Severus stood, holding his arms out, and Harry stepped close, grateful that after a decade together, Severus no longer grilled him about who had kept him so late and whether Harry hadn’t secretly looked for an excuse to stay away.
“Coming home is the only good part of my day. And it's only barely a reasonable hour.”
As Severus often did when he thought Harry wasn’t paying attention to the gesture, Severus rubbed his face in Harry’s hair. “Did something happen?”
“Just more of the usual.” Relaxing, Harry rested his cheek against Severus’s shoulder. “The Department of Magical Creatures thinks the Auror Office should be supporting their campaign for greater restrictions on Dark creatures, particularly werewolves. The education committee wants to meet with the Hogwarts governors to be certain the cleverest young minds aren't using advanced magic to cheat. And Ron's not speaking to me because I told the Minister we should keep Charlie's escaped dragon under observation instead of returning him to Charlie.”
Severus’s hands rubbed over Harry’s back, squeezing his shoulders. “And having a former Death Eater to come home to every night cannot be advancing your career,” he surmised. “There is still enough ill will, even after all this time, to make your life difficult because of the choice you made.”
The decision to move in with Severus was the one aspect of his life about which Harry had no disappointments. Severus had warned him at the time that it would surely affect his career and his friendships, but Harry had been so giddy -- so overjoyed to have found Severus alive and to have fallen in love -- that he hadn’t been able to imagine a time when something as mundane as work could affect his mood. Of course, the whole of the wizarding world had been a bit giddy then, before the realities of rebuilding set in and all the politics and power grabs began anew.
“It's not like it's a new thing. Or like it's ever going to change,” Harry said, leaning up and kissing Severus. “My life is difficult because no matter how heroic people may be at the worst of times, they're mostly selfish and meddling the rest of the time. I just had a bad day, that's all.” Belatedly, he asked, “How was your day? Better than mine, I hope?”
Severus made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I have no complaints. I had several orders to fill, so I spent the morning brewing and the afternoon preparing dinner.”
“The whole afternoon?” That made Harry smile. Severus was rarely in the mood to cook after a morning of work over a cauldron. “Did you know I was having a bad day?”
“You know that even my skills at Legilimency do not work at those distances.” Warm fingers brushed over Harry’s cheek, and Harry turned his head, rubbing his smile against the palm. “But I think you will approve.” Severus’s thumb stroked over Harry’s lips. “We have steak and kidney pie, roasted potatoes, artichoke salad, and a lovely blueberry and raspberry crumble. All your favorites.”
Those really were all of Harry’s favorites -- every single one, from the appetizer to the dessert. “Are you sure you weren’t using Legilemency?” he asked. “That’s exactly what I needed to turn this entire day around. What’s the occa- “ But as he spoke, Harry suddenly remembered what he’d been forgetting all day. “Oh. Oh fuck!”
Severus was smirking, looking completely unconcerned that Harry hadn’t yet mentioned the thing that was missing from his calendar because it was nobody else’s business and he hadn’t believed he would ever forget the date. “Ten years of exceeding expectations and sharing a bed in rather defiant happiness?”
But Harry kept moaning all through the question. “Oh God, oh fuck, I can't believe I did this! All day I knew I was forgetting something important and I couldn't figure out what it was.” Again Severus made the dismissive gesture, as if pushing Harry’s regrets aside, and Harry squeezed him hard around the waist. “I can't believe I got so distracted that I forgot our anniversary. I'm so embarrassed -- I feel like an idiot.”
“You have only yourself to blame for that.” Absurdly, Severus was still smiling as he kissed Harry again.
“No, I am an idiot...“ Harry kissed back. A few months earlier, he had made a list of things he’d thought Severus might like as a tenth anniversary gift, but he hadn’t followed through on obtaining any of them. Some of the ingredients were not entirely legal, there hadn’t been time to plan a holiday, and Harry had been too afraid of being recognized to find a silversmith who could design silver-and-emerald snake-shaped nipple clips. ”I know I've been working too hard and staying there too late and -- bloody hell, I can't believe I didn't even get you a present.”
Oddly, Severus looked entirely satisfied. “I need no gifts to know how you feel about me.”
“But I love giving you things.” Harry rubbed his cheek against Severus’s. He remembered in the early days when Severus had often been jealous and suspicious, convinced that Harry couldn’t possibly love him as much as Harry had claimed. “I love reminding you how I feel about you. You know that.”
Severus’s arms wrapped more tightly around him. “You have given me the one thing in this world I truly cherish.”
The fact that Severus was saying things like that only made Harry feel worse. He buried his face against Severus’s neck, snuggling close, before deciding that Severus probably didn’t want a soppy, sentimental, sniffly declaration of how Harry felt about him -- Severus rarely needed that any more than he needed gifts. Wriggling a bit, Harry pushed against Severus’s thigh. “That's what you're getting for our anniversary, then -- the same thing you got ten years ago tonight.” With a small hum, Severus slid his hands down Harry’s back, and Harry pulled back just enough for another kiss. “You have me, forever. But I'd still have got you something nice...or a bit naughty.”
Severus’s eyes dilated. His lips parted. “You’ve never needed to shop to give me something naughty,” he pointed out.
Laughing happily, Harry gave a more suggestive wriggle. “Oh, you’ll definitely be getting something naughty. But first don’t you want to eat all the delicious food you’ve prepared?”
“Yes.” Severus chuckled with him. “Anticipation is part of any worthy celebration.”
With a smirk, Harry wagged his bum flamboyantly. “Let me serve you, at least, since you did all the cooking.” Stepping back, he pulled out a chair for Severus with a flourish. “Allow me to cater to your whims!”
Of course, Severus had always been able to out-smirk Harry. “Are you quite certain of that?” he asked, seating himself. “I have quite a few whims where you are concerned. I'm certain you can guess several of them, as we have acted them out in the course of our years together.”
Harry made a show of prancing over to the stove, where Severus had kept the food warm with a heating spell. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Severus drape a napkin over his trousers, keeping his gaze on Harry, who sent the trivet and pie floating ahead to the table before picking up the potatoes. “I thought maybe we’d outgrown some of them,” he said with his most wide-eyed, innocent expression on his face. “Like, you haven't spanked me for being a naughty student for a long time.”
With a sharply indrawn breath, Severus tugged the napkin lower on his lap. “You always did look very wicked in your student robes,” he said. “Perhaps I have been too lax in disciplining you.”
Harry retrieved the tongs and began to scoop the salad into bowls, letting his leg brush against Severus’s. “Obviously I do need discipline, since I forgot our anniversary. Or maybe you'd rather that I dress up in something pretty. I haven't worn my Gryffindor garters in a long time.”
Severus’s fingers slid up Harry’s leg. “I would very much like to see you in those.”
“Then again, if I dress up, it will be more complicated to eat the berry crumble. Off me. If that’s what you want. What would you like for our anniversary?” Harry smiled sweetly.
“Well, it did occur to me...” Severus let the fingers trail away, reaching to open the bottle of wine waiting on the table. “You haven't ridden my cock in quite some time.”
Harry allowed himself to take longer than necessary settling into his chair, rocking up and down on the seat as though it were a moving animal and letting his head fall back, though he kept his eyes on Severus, who smirked as he poured wine into both glasses. “Has it really been that long?”
“I'm afraid it has been quite some time.” Severus schooled his features into a regretful expression as he sniffed the contents of his glass before taking a sip. “Whenever you do, it leaves quite a vivid memory.” He inclined his glass toward Harry’s. “To vivid memories.”
Harry clinked the glasses together before he took a sip, grinning over the rim. “I do want you to have a very memorable anniversary.” He raised his glass again. “And to another ten years together!”
“And many more of defying everyone’s expectations.” Severus sipped his wine while Harry cut into the pie, putting a slice on each of their plates before taking a bite. They didn’t have steak and kidney pie very often, and he moaned in pleasure at the first bite, which made Severus smile.
“I don't know why they'd be surprised. We're perfect together! Look how happy we’ve been.” To avoid talking with his mouth full, Harry fell silent, rubbing his foot over Severus’s under the table as he dug into his pie. “Mmm, don't care what anyone else thinks anyway, s’long as you’re happy.”
A shift against Harry’s foot told him that Severus had let his legs fall open beneath the table as he mashed butter into his potatoes. “I am constantly aware of how happy you make me. And appreciative that you believe I have done the same for you.”
“That I believe?” Harry let his toes slide up Severus’s leg. “Unless you have me under a Confundus charm, I know you've made me happier than anything else ever did.”
Chuckling, Severus slid his chair closer. “Then my evil scheme is working to perfection.”
With a pretend gasp, Harry finished chewing his forkful of salad. “All this time I thought you'd reformed! You mean you're still as wicked as ever?”
“Oh, yes.” Severus nodded. “Ten years ago, I decided to get you under my power and have my wicked way with you as many times as possible. How could I have known you'd like it so much?”
Harry couldn’t help grinning. Though the food was all delicious, he was eating as quickly as possible, wanting to get on to the next part of the celebration. “Only ten years ago?” he demanded. “Was almost getting killed by a giant snake part of the plan, or was that an accident?”
Severus made a contemptuous gesture with his wrist, swirling the wine around in his glass in the process. “Only a small deviation from the ultimate goal. Fortunately, you were clever enough to come back for me before the plan could meet a rather abrupt ending.”
Nodding, Harry wriggled his toes up and down Severus’s thigh. “It wasn't all a conspiracy to get me into your bedroom so I'd see you lying there, feel sorry for you, and decide to ride your cock?”
He felt Severus slide down on the seat, moving his cock closer to Harry’s foot. “It worked, didn't it?”
“Mmhmm.” Harry smiled as he finished off his pie, finding Severus’s bollocks beneath Severus’s trousers, brushing his toes across them. “And ten years ago tonight, you deprived me of my virginity. Funny, I haven't missed it.”
Severus’s lips parted as a soft moan escaped. “Ten years ago I would never have believed you would want to stay for more than one night.”
“I did, though. Stay.” Harry wriggled his toes again, setting down his fork. “Ready for dessert?”
“I have been ready for dessert since you walked through the door.” Severus slumped back in his chair, rocking against Harry’s foot. “Oh -- you mean the crumble?”
“The crumble can wait.” Grinning, Harry moved his foot up and down a few times before sliding out of his chair and under the table. He heard Severus curse softly, spreading his legs, as Harry crawled forward to nuzzle Severus’s thigh. “But, of course, if you would rather have a proper anniversary dessert...”
“Crumble is best appreciated by persons luxuriating in post-coital afterglow.” One hand pushed into Harry’s hair while another fumbled with the zip on Severus’s trousers.
“Mmm, well, you’re the dessert expert and right now I want you to feed me...” Harry kissed the fingers as they pushed Severus’s trousers open for him. After a moment, he could taste the warmer skin of Severus’s cock, and kissed that too, licking around the head. “Mmm, want you to feed me dessert!”
“I have prepared a rich, creamy blend that I know you will enjoy.” Severus sounded breathless as he rubbed a foot over Harry’s bum. With a happy moan, Harry unzipped his own trousers and tugged them partway down, slipping a hand inside. “I have been studying your favorites for ten years now.”
The foot moved around in front of Harry and he arched against it, licking the head of Severus’s cock. “And you never forget anything. Don't think I haven't noticed.” He felt Severus’s hand cup the back of his neck and moved his mouth up and down on Severus’s cock, encouraging him to thrust. “Mmm, is it any wonder I've been in love with you for ten years?”
“Is it any wonder that I take great joy in returning your love?” Severus’s foot moved slowly over Harry’s cock, petting him.
“Mmm, I love when you talk like that, even when it’s because you want me to suck your prick.” Harry purred around the head of Severus’s cock, using a hand to stroke lower, cupping the sac still partially trapped by Severus’s trousers. “I love you more than anything. I love telling you so.”
“And I love when you say that you love me, even when you must pause in sucking my prick to do so.” Severus caressed his neck, moaning, letting Harry’s hair slide through his fingers as Harry’s head bobbed up and down, moving Harry’s mouth over Severus’s cock. “I will never stop -- fuck -- cherishing each declaration.”
Severus’s breathing was growing ragged, and his hips were moving, thrusting into Harry’s mouth. Harry remembered the first time he had told Severus he loved him, hoping, at the time, that at best he would not be rejected or ridiculed. He had been unprepared when Severus said the words back to him, and had been unable to keep from crying and clinging to Severus like a child. Fortunately, Severus had merely been bemused rather than put off by this reaction.
Moaning, Harry pressed Severus’s foot against his own cock, shuddering softly. “Ohhfuck! You know I'll come if you talk like that!” He sucked fervently, moving his fingers the way he knew Severus liked it.
“I can't think of a better way to celebrate our -- Harry!” Severus bucked into his mouth, the name drawn out in a long shudder. Harry was ready now for the flood that filled his mouth, concentrating on swallowing and sucking every drop, even though his cock was throbbing hard against Severus’s foot. After a few moments, Severus wiggled his toes, unclenching the fingers that had gripped the back of Harry’s neck. “Your mouth is...exquisite.”
“So’s your cock.” Smiling, Harry raised his chin, licking the damp head once more. However, he frowned in protest when Severus slid his foot away. “Hey!”
“I want to taste you tonight. Want to kiss you when we both taste like come.”
Harry moaned softly. “Fuck! You keep saying the most romantic things!”
There was wickedness in Severus’s laugh as he tugged Harry up. “You must bring it out in me.” His face pressed against Harry’s cock as Harry rocked on the balls of his feet, pushing against Severus’s lips. “Not bored with it after ten years?”
Harry couldn’t imagine ever being bored of anything to do with Severus -- not the unguarded things Severus said when he was satisfied or sleepy, and not the sexy, often wicked things Severus suggested, from sneaking a hand under Harry’s robes at Quidditch matches to spanking him like a naughty student to a fetish for stepping into the shower with Harry and wanking in his hair. Sometimes the mere sight of Severus holding his wand could get Harry hard. At times like this, when he could feel Severus purring around his cock, relaxing his throat to take Harry all in, there was no way -- oh fuck -- “Going to -- “ His fingers dug into Severus’s shoulder during the instant when he teetered on the brink before everything exploded and his cock erupted into Severus’s mouth.
Severus kept his mouth around Harry, pulling back slowly while he panted to rub his lips around Harry’s cock. “I like the way you taste like this.” He slid up against Harry’s body, unbuttoning as he went and licking until he had reached Harry’s mouth as Harry sank into his lap, kissing. “And I like kissing you.”
“I can't think of a better way to celebrate being with you.” Harry slid his arms around Severus, kissing over and over. “Well...I can think of one way.”
“Oh?” Severus raised an eyebrow, rubbing a hand over Harry’s bum. Harry grinned at him.
“I see that you may be able to guess.”
Severus returned the smile. “I see that you may be full of the celebratory spirit.”
“You’re very inspiring when you make dessert for me. Especially the rich, creamy kind. But when I get so full, I want to go to bed.” Harry wiggled in his lap.
“We do have a nice bed just upstairs.” Severus raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Very cozy.” He watched as Harry fumbled in his half-removed trousers for his wand, waving it at the table to to send the dishes to the sink, which began to wash them. When Harry put a refrigeration charm on the crumble, Severus seemed to take it as a cue. “I'd very much like to take you there now and make love to you.”
Moaning happily, Harry slid his arms back around Severus, who kissed his jaw. “Oh yes, that's just what I hoped you'd say!” He closed his eyes, anticipating the tug of Apparition, which deposited them on the bed, still in each other’s arms. “I believe that in honor of our anniversary, I promised to ride your cock.”
Severus returned the moan against Harry’s mouth, sliding him back onto the bed. “I want to feel you riding me so I can see you gazing down at me and know that I belong to you. Come celebrate with me.”
“I feel like we celebrate every night we're together!” Harry was already tugging to remove his shirt. “That's why I forgot it was ten years. I love doing every wicked thing we can think of!” He lifted his arms, letting Severus pull the shirt away before he moved down in the bed to toss aside Severus’s half-removed trousers. “You don’t mind if we never got to the berry crumble?”
“We can have it for breakfast. Did I explain that it tastes better eaten off a lover’s chest?” Severus was busy removing what was left of his clothes. “I believe we have ice cream to put on it, too. I’m going to lick it off you.”
Shivering in happy anticipation as his fingers closed around his wand, Harry pulled it free of his clothing and aimed it at his own bum, casting the lubrication spell Severus had taught him a decade ago. “In the morning. Tonight I’m going to ride you and squeeze around you.”
A soft moan was his reply as Severus tugged on his hips, pulling Harry close, gazing up at him. “Want that so much.” Reaching down, Harry felt Severus’s cock push into his hand and shifted over it. Sometimes he liked to be stretched open slowly by Severus’s fingers, but tonight he was so eager that he shifted over Severus’s cock. “Slowly...”
With a nod, Harry pressed down, holding the hard shaft steady in his hand. “Love when you're inside me!”
Severus’s hands slid up his legs, holding him steady. “Love making love with you. Love knowing you want me,” he said.
“More than anything!” Harry pushed down, moving his hand out of the way Severus pressed beyond the well-lubed entrance. He now welcomed the burn he had feared the first few times, which he knew would shortly be overwhelmed by the pleasure of having a cock moving deep inside him. Severus’s cock. “Never wanted to do it with anyone else,” he hissed, moving up and down, taking in a bit more each time.
Small gasps escaped from Severus’s mouth each time Harry slid down. “So good, oh fuck,” he panted. “Learning everything all over again with you.” He squeezed his hands around Harry’s thighs.
Though Severus tried not to gloat, Harry knew he was particularly delighted to have been Harry’s only lover; they’d both agreed that a bit of fumbling around with Ginny Weasley while Harry was trying not to be gay didn’t count. Harry watched as Severus’s hand slid up over his hip and into the curly hair between his legs, fingers curling around his cock, stroking him. He squeezed his inner muscles hard around Severus’s cock. “Love being all yours!
Severus writhed against pillows, moaning. “Mine, yes!”
Even through the haze of pleasure as Harry angled his hips, making his cock thrust into Severus’s hand while he slid up and down on Severus’s cock, Harry was surprised to hear Severus so vocal. Anniversary or not, it was rare for Severus to be so expressive -- sure, he had no problem grunting and moaning and announcing when he appreciated what Harry’s fingers or tongue or cock was doing, but he’d been using words like cherish and adore which Harry usually only heard when Severus sensed that he particularly needed them.
“This is all I ever wanted,” he groaned aloud, meaning it completely, wondering whether his frustration with work had made him forget to tell Severus, the way he’d forgotten their anniversary.
“Wanted you. Never imagined you wanted me. Not like this!” Severus spoke breathlessly, watching Harry ride.
“We were so lucky we found each other like this!”
Each thrust against Harry’s prostate pushed Harry a bit closer to the edge; he could feel his lower body tightening, the heat coiling deep inside. Severus bucked with him, thrusting off the bed into him, moving his hand on Harry’s cock. “Found each other and fell in love. Never expected that! Just want to be worthy of you!”
There was so much Harry could have explained -- that it had never surprised him that they fell in love so quickly despite so many years of animosity, that he’d always thought Severus was worthy from the moment he’d learned Severus’s true loyalties, that there had never been anyone else in Harry’s heart this way -- but he could barely speak, feeling his face scrunch up. “You always were ohhfuck!” The sentence ended in a long wail as he convulsed around Severus, spurting over his fingers, clutching at him.
Severus continued to thrust, moving steadily, breath coming in short sharp pants. He waited until Harry had stopped crying out and his eyes had opened to release his cock, grabbing his hip instead and thrusting in deep. As Harry watched, Severus went rigid, mouth opening, and Harry felt him pulse with the jets of seed that erupted inside him.
Gasping for breath, Harry slumped down over Severus, keeping his cock inside. “Ohhh love you so much!”
Severus’s arms slid around his body, damp from their exertions. “Love hearing you tell me.”
With a small whimper, Harry rubbed his cheek against Severus’s chest. “Do I not tell you enough? Have I been forgetting?”
Severus made a purring noise, rubbing his hands down Harry’s back. “You’re very good about telling me.” He felt much more relaxed, and Harry realized that the elaborate dinner preparations, the declarations that things like gifts didn’t matter, the promises all hinted not that Severus took their intimacy for granted but that on some level he must have been concerned.
With a sigh, Harry shifted off of Severus’s softening cock to move beside him, wrapping his arms around Severus’s waist. “I think it all the time. If you used Legilimency, you’d know it.”
“I don't need to intrude upon your thoughts to know. You tell me, and you show me.”
“I’m going to show you more.” Slumping down on the pillows, he snuggled against Severus. “I’m going to show you all day tomorrow. In my Gryffindor garters, if you like. And you can spank me if I misbehave.”
Severus’s breath felt warm in Harry’s hair when he chuckled. “Somehow I expect you to misbehave.”
“Oh, probably.” Harry pulled back enough to grin at him. “For one thing, I'm planning to skive off work.”
Severus nuzzled his mouth. “Won't you get into trouble, Mr. Potter?”
There was no censure in the question, nor even real concern, and somehow that brought everything into focus -- the Ministry, the Aurors, the things Severus had said about people judging him for living with a onetime Death Eater, the promotion that hadn’t really meant a thing, the fact that he’d been too distracted to remember their anniversary. “I probably will,” he agreed, nuzzling back, though his eyes were half-open now. “But I'm thinking I might just quit.”
Nodding, Severus squeezed him. “I thought you might be.”
“You did?” Harry leaned back a bit, looking at him. He hadn’t quite dared to put the thought into words himself until a few seconds ago, yet apparently Severus had anticipated it.
“You've seemed more than a bit disenchanted with your work of late.” Severus’s fingers brushed over Harry’s cheek. “You know the longer hours wouldn’t bother me if they were what you wanted to be doing with that time. I think it’s you who wishes to spend less time at the Ministry.” That was all true, and Harry nodded, biting his lip. “You should do what makes you happy.”
“I thought -- “ Harry remembered the bitter disappointment when he’d been denied the Magical Combat post. It hadn’t only been disappointment that he wouldn’t get to do the job; he’d thought that somehow Severus might somehow think he had failed. Quitting, after what Severus had gone through at Hogwarts, seemed impossible to consider. “I thought you'd be disappointed in me.
“I could never be disappointed in you.” Severus shook his head. “You’ve done more than your share of the Ministry’s dirty work. If the job is making you so unhappy, find something else.” He paused, looking uneasy for a moment, before plunging ahead: “You could work with me.”
Overcome for a moment, Harry buried his face against Severus’s neck. He’d been better prepared for a lecture on hard work in hard times, not a lifeline out. “You’d trust me around your potions?” he asked into Severus’s collarbone, trying not to sniffle.
“I have already trusted you with everything important to me.” Severus petted down his neck, then slid his hand around to tilt Harry’s face up. “I realize that it would be a significant step down for you in both salary and prestige...”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Harry kissed him. “We’ve got plenty of money. I can’t think of anything more prestigious than making potions with the best potion-maker in London. And I want to do it more than anything.”
“Then we should have done it long ago.” Severus kissed him back, brushing the corner of Harry’s eye with one finger. “I'm sorry you didn't know you'd be welcome.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to get tired of having me around all the time.” Harry kept kissing him. “I thought you thought I should be, I don't know, doing something big with my life.”
Severus laughed softly against his mouth. “You should do what pleases you. You have already done enough for everyone else -- I daresay I have as well, no matter what certain upstarts at the Ministry may think. It's time you do what pleases you alone.” With a smirk, he added, “And me. Though you may hate spending all day with me. As you know, I can be... difficult, particularly when the work is not going well.”
With a quivering smile, Harry nodded. “I’ve always wanted to work with you. I want to be with you as much as I can. Anyway, I love spending all night with you.”
“You're asleep then.” Severus’s finger traced Harry’s lower lip.
“Not all the time.” Harry grinned naughtily, then ruined it with a yawn. “Mmm, as long as we wake up in each other's arms.”
“We promised that ten years ago.” Smirking, Severus lay back so that Harry could snuggle against him. “And we always keep our promises.”
Nodding sleepily, Harry pressed close. “I’ll always want to wake up in your arms. I love you more than anything.”
Severus slid his fingers through Harry’s hair. He smelled like sex and soap and something sweeter than berry crumble. “I'll love you always,” he promised.