"We mustn't kiss in my office," Severus says in between kissing Harry. He moves Harry away, but Severus can't stop touching him, so draws him into a hug instead. "Unlike you, I have a job."
Firm hands stroke circles on Severus's back. "I could stop them sacking you," Harry says. "I'm very famous."
"Rascal."
"You're not finished yet?" Harry brandishes his watch. "It's five."
He permits Harry to herd him out of his office, and on their way to the lifts, a lady resembling a giraffe walks down the corridor. "Ah, Madam Jennings." He turns to Harry. "This is the Comptroller. Madam Jennings, this is—"
"But of course! Harry Potter. Excellent, excellent." She shakes Harry's hand.
"Hi!" They pile into the lift, along with a flock of violet Interdepartmental memos. "Listen, this might be a bit cheeky, but I'm studying for a Defence Mastery and was wondering if I could sometimes work in the reference library—"
"My word," she says, "you defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I'm sure you'll be no trouble."
Severus turns his snort into a cough, so Harry slaps him on the back.
"Brilliant," Harry says. "Thanks!"
Severus clears his throat.
Flickering her eyes from Harry to Severus and back again, she says, "Provided you aren't a distraction to the workings of the Serious Patents Office."
On days like today, when Harry's not got Teddy, they go to Severus's, or they walk around Highbury Fields. He can't stop reaching out to Harry to confirm he isn't an illusion, or some horrible mistake. Once they've got changed and Apparated to the park, Harry rubs sun cream into Severus's exposed skin before he'll let Severus relax in the sun. No one has ever put sun lotion on him before.
With Harry, there are, and will be, so many firsts.
He prefers it when they're in public, so he can put the book on homosexual fornication far from his mind.
When they arrive home and the candles spring to life, Grandma demands, "Turn the lights off! It's like the bloody Blackpool Illuminations in here."
Harry sniggers and hauls him out into the garden for a slice of privacy.
Losing one's mind is a difficult process: he can't stop himself picking strawberries and trying to feed them to Harry, just to hear the peals of his laughter.
It's gone six, so it's no surprise when Harry sticks his head in the kitchen cupboards and asks, "Got anything to eat?"
"I am not a charity for the benefit of starving youths," Severus grumbles. He opens the junk drawer, before remembering that he gave all his money to Poppy. "Have you any Muggle cash?"
They Apparate to Camden for some street food (Severus will start stocking up the cupboards). Afterwards, they stretch their legs out in his garden's failing light, and he teaches Harry how to smoke wizarding cigarettes.
"I used to do this, you know, with your mum," Severus tells him.
"You did?" Harry gives him one of his crooked grins, before spluttering on the fag.
Severus chuckles at him, then outright laughs at the indignant look on Harry's face, before protecting himself from Harry's pointy retaliatory elbows.
"Stop that at once or you'll get no more," Severus warns. He takes another drag and savours the woody taste before continuing. "I'd nick a pack from my father, he never suspected. Your mum and I would sit under the branches of our willow tree. Our refuge. From him, from everyone."
YOU ARE READING
The Space Between Failing and Falling • Snarry •
FanfictionA very long time ago, Severus resigned himself to the reality that he doesn't have a soulmate after all. He's finally a real Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and his life is perfectly tolerable, thank you very much. However, at the age of thirt...
