Early Morning

Harry slipped into the hallway, rubbing the sleep from his. At the end of the hall, the door to the bathroom was closed, and the sound of running water warned Harry away. With the war raging, the Order's headquarters was full, and the bathroom seemed permanently occupied. It was still early, and only one of the bedroom doors was open, no doubt it belonged to the person he was waiting for.

Harry pushed at the bathroom door which opened a few inches and guiltily peeked in. Severus's eyes met his in the mirror. Caught.

"Good morning. Rather early, isn't it?"

Harry shrugged in response and stepped into the bathroom. "I don't sleep well here. It's cold in that bed alone." He embraced the man from behind and rested his chin on the terrycloth clad shoulder. He could smell the shaving soap that remained on Severus's smooth face. "You know, there's a spell that'll take care of your stubble," Harry pointed out. He grinned at Severus's dry look in the mirror.

"I am aware, yes."

"So why bother shaving? Why not brew a potion to stop the hair growth, for that matter?"

"A man should be able to take care of his basic hygiene without the aid of potions or wands. Speaking of which, you look like you could do with a shave."

"I'll have to make do with my wand," Harry remarked. "I'd probably kill myself with that." He nodded to the razor in Severus's hand.

"Have you ever used a razor?" Severus asked. Harry shook his head. Flitwick made a point of teaching the boys the spell, but no one had ever shown him how to shave. Ron had managed to cut himself up a bit once, and that was after his father had given him some pointers. "Stupid question," Severus commented to himself sourly. He knew it made Harry uncomfortable when little things like that came up.

"It's okay," Harry said. "The charm seems easier anyway."

"Still," Severus replied. He moved back from the sink and gestured to Harry to step forward. Their places reversed, Severus slipped an arm around Harry's waist. His other hand set the razor on the sink and retrieved the brush. A few swishes over the soap, and Severus was spreading the lather down Harry's cheek and neck. He leaned against Severus, tilting his head back and trying not to squirm as the bristles tickled his face. The warmth of Severus's firm chest spread across Harry's back, and he sagged a little in the man's grasp. How he'd missed being held. They had agreed that keeping their distance was the best idea while they were confined with the Order over the summer, but Harry's control was waning.

"Hold still," Severus whispered in his ear. His breath chilled the drops of water and soap on Harry's earlobe and neck, causing him to shiver slightly. The razor slid down Harry's cheek. He watched Severus's eyes in the mirror as they followed the blade, caressing him with his gaze. Holding his breath, he let the older man tilt his head further back as the lather on his neck dripped down the razor and onto Severus's hand. The older man was taking his time, so careful not to mar the young skin. Harry knew that if he did draw blood, Severus would never forgive himself. He was so afraid of hurting Harry, he'd probably never touch him again if he actually cut him, even accidentally.

But Severus's hand was steady as he traced over Harry's face with the blade. When the soap had all been removed, along with what little stubble Harry had had, Severus's fingertips caressed his cheek and neck. He missed those fingers, too. "I missed a bit," Severus murmured. He pulled Harry's skin tight and brought the razor to the base of Harry's throat.

Harry could feel the tension in Severus's whole body as the man froze. He opened his eyes, not sure when he'd closed them, and found a third face gazing out from the mirror. Ron's wand was pointed at Severus's back.

"Get away from him, you filthy traitor!" Ron growled.

Severus raised an eyebrow coolly. "He's going to be itching all day if I don't finish this." But he lowered the razor and turned around.

"Uh, Ron," Harry turned around, blushing furiously. "He wasn't going to kill me. He was just showing me how to shave."

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Showing you how to shave? Then why weren't you holding the razor?" He glared at Severus. "I know you're not good enough to use Imperius on him. What did you?"

Severus glanced at Harry, leaving it to him to explain. "He didn't do anything," Harry said soothingly. "And if he was going to kill me, he's had plenty of chances before. I'm, uh, a pretty sound sleeper." His blush deepened at Ron's sudden look of horrible understanding.

"I've got to go," Ron declared suddenly and bolted into his room. Severus snorted. Harry jabbed his elbow into the man's ribs.

"I'd better go talk to him," Harry said.

"I would say so," Severus answered.