The Space Between Failing and Falling • Snarry •

Chapter 12: Distilling a Dream

Ten minutes later, Harry pulls him in and yanks him upstairs in excitement. Placing his palm on Severus's parents' door, he turns and asks, "Ready?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you."

Harry opens the door, gaze on Severus's face.

Severus feels his jaw drop when he sees the flashing of a satellite. The sliver of the moon. The faint grey sky partially lit by the street lights.

"Sorry," Harry says, "I know you can't see any stars 'cos of all the light pollution—"

Harry quiets when Severus squeezes his wrist.

Accepting that Severus cannot speak, Harry tugs him down onto the bed.

"You did this," Severus states, face to the sky.

"Uh, yeah. I've been practicing in the loo at home," Harry says. "It's cool, isn't it! I can reverse it, too." Harry peers at him. "I haven't upset you, have I? Do you want me to turn it off?"

"No! No," Severus says, shaking his head in wonder. "It's like being back in the Great Hall."

Harry pulls a face. "Not as good. 'Cos we're not in Scotland and I haven't levitated any candles. And no offence, but your place is hardly a castle."

Severus reaches a hand up towards the moon and says, "It's flawless."

"Do you miss it?"

He drops his hand and watches a distant bird. It starts to rain.

"Yes, and no. It was my first home, and there's a lot of good free food and nice furniture, but..." Severus rolls on his side to face him, deciding it feels safe to risk honesty. "You weren't there. And Harry... You take awful things and make them perfect."

A warm hand sneaks into Severus's sleeve to rest over his Dark Mark. "We could go camping," he whispers. "Somewhere really quiet. Could bring my new compass. I could charm the tent, so we could look outside."

This is such a ludicrous conversation that he has to say, "You'd have to reverse it before dawn. Sunrise would be inconvenient." He looks Harry up and down, and sends a message to his arm:

I can imagine worse men to be stuck in a tent with.

Harry exhales at his tingling of his forearm, then reads it. "Prat."

He splays his fingers on the side of Severus's neck before leaning in to kiss him.

"Do you like doing this?" Harry breathes between two long kisses.

"Kissing you?" It is easy to forget amongst the clouds and sky and the taste of Harry on his tongue, where they are, who he is, the state of his stained soul. With Harry's arms draped over him, he's in a cocoon of freedom where he can admit tender words such as, "Yes."

He allows their kisses to turn deep, passionate, intense, and he draws Harry's hips towards his, feels the swell of his glorious backside, and soon Harry is straddling him which is marvellous and when he feels Harry grinding his erection through his jeans, it's too close, too terrifying, too—

"Harry—"

"Mm? I like it when you call me Harry."

"We can't. Not today. Not in my parents' bed."

"All right."

Before Severus can lead him downstairs (tempting though it may be, moving to his own bed would surely cross a line), he pins Harry to the wall and licks a path from his ear to his collarbone.

Harry lets out a delicious noise.

He uses some residual brainpower to stop himself, but he doesn't want Harry to quiz him about their lack of sexual endeavours, so pulls him into the parlour. Severus rifles through the box of records.

"Hi, Mrs Prince."

"Call me Edith, my lovely," Grandma says, "I hope I shall be seeing more of you, young man."

"I hope so, too," Harry says, flashing Severus a smile.

Eyeing a record, Severus says, "I know you are both in league together, there is no need to pretend."

Harry examines the potions on the spindly table. "Your neck?"

"Not just my neck."

"What hurts?"

"Long-standing curse damage to some tendons," Severus informs him. "Nothing that will affect you."

The music drowns out the tired raindrops pounding on the window panes.

As soon as Severus opens his arms, Harry is there, like a magnet, and it is remarkable how well he fits, that he continues to visit Severus, that he keeps dancing with him and kissing him and wanting to be near.

Severus closes his eyes when he sees his grandma mouth 'BONDING RINGS' behind Harry's back.

'Love me tender, love me true,

All my dreams fulfil.

For, my darling, I love you,

And I always will.'

He shuts everything out, except the music, the feel, the smell and warmth of the man beneath his arms.

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