Le Petit Chat

NB: Harry's age changes in each 'part'. To avoid confusion, keep this in mind as you read!

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Le Petit Chat

Part IV

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Night blanketed the sky like the snow outside blanketed the ground. The air inside was cool but Snape couldn't see any visible windows as he silently surveyed the room he was sitting in. It looked ordinary, as any regular man's room would be. Surprisingly it seemed that Potter had decided against giving into the nostalgia of bathing the room in the obnoxious Gryffindor colours of red and gold. Instead the sheets were a light brown colour and the walls were grey. The carpet below Snape's feet was a cool off-white, interrupted only by a simple armchair set in the corner, on which Snape sat.

He waited.

The sound of a key turning in the lock shattered the silence like pieces of stained glass. The door opened with only the almost imperceptible shift of air. A shadow stepped into the room slowly, one hand reached for the Muggle light switch while the other held a wand at the ready. A flick of the switch brought home the realization that the light had been tampered with.

"Don't think I need this wand to hex you."

The door clicked shut, causing the strong Silencing charm in the room to spring up again. The outstretched wand was suddenly pointing in the direction of the waiting figure in the corner. Snape wasn't too concerned actually.

"Lacking in manners as always Potter," he snarled mockingly.

In the darkness Snape could just make out the twisting of Harry's facial features into a glare. The fingers around the wand tightened.

"How did you get in here? The room is warded. The house is unplottable. The door is password protected."

Snape rose and languidly walked over to the irate wizard. Up close he could see the green eyes burn anger but no matter how much he searched there was no hatred in their depth. A reprieve for now perhaps. He reached out to lightly run his thumb over the slightly red lips, which were a little parched but no less tempting.

"And I suppose all that was to keep me away?"

Harry's green eyes hardened. The lips beneath Snape's fingertips parted and he almost gave into the urge to have them disappear beyond the flash of pearly white. "Get out."

Snape tilted his head in a challenge. The tight smile on his face became a smirk and his dark eyes seemed to blend further into the darkness. "Pourquoi?"

"Because you're not welcomed here." Harry stepped away from the light caress that Snape was burning into his lips. "And don't touch me."

Snape followed the retreat, until Harry had backed away so much that he was pressed up against the wall with nowhere else to go. Which exactly what Severus had been planning.

He leaned forwards, tilting his head as Harry tried to merge with the wall, to kiss the side of Harry's neck. The pulse beneath his mouth skipped a beat. Snape tried not to smile at that. Instead his tongue flickered out to trail a long wet line from the base of Harry's neck to Harry's ear.

"Have you missed me?" he asked in a hiss against the shell of Harry's ear, letting his breath cool the wetness. He brought his hands up to trap Harry as the younger wizard tried to escape.

"Fuck you," Harry growled with a glare.

Severus chuckled dryly before moving again to nibble at Harry's earlobe. "How many times have you said that this past year? How many other men have gotten the pleasure of just that?"

For some reason when Harry shivered at that it made Snape angrier.

"Are you afraid of me mon petit?" He bit down harder until Harry yelped. "Am I different than you remember? You tremble now as if you think I'll attack. Should I attack you?"

The green eyes burned angrily again. "Get your hands off me or I'll hex you six inches from death."

"As if you don't like it," Snape snarled. He refused to admit to the curl of anger in his stomach as he held Harry prisoner. He hadn't seen Harry for a year and for that year all news he gathered about Harry was the same. It seemed that his little cat had discovered the joys of mating because everywhere he turned there was a report on how Harry Potter had taken it upon himself to date the entire wizarding population. Snape refused to admit that all he had was one kiss and for a long time now, it wasn't enough. "I heard about the many, many men. It leaves me to wonder if I should feel a sense of pride in knowing that my own kiss opened Pandora's box for you."

Harry laughed. "Jealous?"

But Snape made no move to hide what lay beneath the swirling emotions behind his dark eyes. As unwise as it might have seemed and as out of character as this was, he used his emotions to capture Harry like a moth. And as the emerald gaze met his, Snape plundered the open mind without care or caution. Whatever it was that drove him these days reared its Slytherin head to abandon any sense of subtlety as he sifted and discarded one memory after the next. Each time he encountered fodder for the rumour he tugged painfully at the image enough for Harry to cringe as he frantically worked at throwing out the intrusion.

Harry was never any good at Occlumency but he was very good at spells. "Protego!"

Snape flew a feet into the air before gravity pulled him back to earth and he slammed painfully into a carpet that made no effort to buffer his impact. He had only a second to gather his bearing before Harry was advancing upon him with his wand and a string of spells. It took all of Snape's concentration to keep his shield spell steady while he tried to diverge the curses of the powerful wizard that he had pissed off.

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry's wand flew through the darkness, bounced on the opposing wall before falling with a tiny thud on the carpet. It was amazing the level of magic that began to radiate off the younger wizard. He had Snape backed up against one leg of the bed but his anger crushed him to an almost suffocating point. Something burned inside of him. It didn't seem to have a name but it felt distorted, making his soul feel twisted and abused.

Pausing only to take off his glasses and send them flying in the same direction as his wand, Harry let out an animalistic sound that was like a lion roaring, before he pounced.

Snape only had just enough time to shift away from the bed before he had an armful of an angry man. His ribs protested the abuse but the rest of him was too busy fighting back as Harry attacked with fists flying, knees kicking and nails scratching in a very un-Gryffindor-like manner.

Since Snape was never a bottom, he flipped Harry over, laughing immediately at the shock that coloured Harry's eyes at the reversal of position. A string of expletives followed and then of course the retaliation and protesting of how he was going to rip Snape apart with his bare hands and he would be damned if he took an accusation of being a man-whore. Severus had honestly never been so amused in quite a while.

He twisted Harry's arms above his head on the carpet, making sure that while he wasn't using his full weight to hold him down, Harry couldn't move. The boy had lost weight in the time away from Hogwarts but that didn't mean that the eighteen year old wasn't strong. Snape could feel a few bruises flaring up from the little bugger's fists and he was going to procure payment for each of them.

With the amusement still evident in his eyes and a silent dare to the wiggling figure, Severus shifted so that his knees pressed into Harry's thighs on each side and he was sitting on Harry's legs. He lowered his upper body onto Harry's, pausing only when their faces were in close proximity. Harry turned away immediately, but Severus caught the blush that tinged Harry's cheeks.

"This behaviour is unacceptable Mr. Potter," Severus hissed. He tightened his fingers around the wrist and his knees against the thighs as Harry squirmed again. "Do you think I came here for my health? Do you think I like being near you?"

Harry's head snapped back around to glare his fury.

"How many horcruxes have you destroyed yet?" Snape asked in what he considered to be a pleasant voice.

"As if I'd tell you!" Harry snapped.

"You had better Potter or you'll soon find how unpleasant a feeling it is to lose all feeling in your arms and legs. I assure you that I have all night and so shall you."

Harry mumbled something about 'pricks' and 'bastards' but his voice was a grudgingly less angry tone when he spoke audibly again. "I didn't need your help. You killed the greatest wizard ever. Do you really think that pointing me to a few horcruxes will save your soul?"

This time when Severus' fingers tightened he made sure that his nails bit into Harry's wrist intentionally. The Gryffindor didn't wince but Snape saw the pain flicker in his eyes.

"My soul is not up for discussion. Answer my question."

Harry smirked. "I did. Too bad you don't like what you heard."

The loud crack in the air echoed loudly and it took a while before the sting of his palm alerted Snape to the fact that he had done just what he had been thinking and had slapped Harry across the face. It took barely a second before Harry retaliated.

Severus saw stars as Harry head-butted him.

Severus backed jerkily away, rendering his prisoner free as he collapsed on his back on the carpet, holding his forehead as the world swam. He muttered a curse in French before he realised that Potter would have understood anyway so he cursed in English.

The darkness above his immediate vision darkened some more as a figure moved to hover over him.

"I found all three horcruxes. Your clues helped a lot. I don't know how I would have managed without the help." Harry's voice had gone a bit nervous as he peered down. "Are you alright? I thought you were stronger than that. Anyone would think you'd never had to fight hand to hand before. You slap someone they're bound to hit you back you know. And since you had my hands, well you should have realized that I was going to use my head..."

The rant continued. Severus tried not to laugh. It was relieving to realize that he hadn't forgotten how. After everything he had done in his life and especially from the year that had passed, his hands would permanently be washed in blood and his soul in shreds, but he could still be amused. He couldn't believe that his cat had almost cracked his skull and then had the audacity to be worried.

Severus shifted his position and before Harry could protest, long arms pulled him down as his lips were assaulted by another.

Harry immediately protested with his fists again but again Severus flipped him onto his back in an exact copy of their previous position. This time Severus used his free hand to cradle the back of Harry's head as he ruthlessly plundered Harry's mouth. Their lips twisted together. Teeth clicked. Nose bumped. It took but a moment to realize that Harry, for all his wiggling, was kissing back as frantically.

"Mine," Snape snarled, capturing Harry's bottom lips between his teeth drawing blood. Harry tried to kick him for that. "Mine. Mine. Mine. Damn it Potter you remember who tasted these lips first. Kiss another man again and I'll grind him to sand. And Merlin help me if you let another man so much as look at you from across the room."

Harry pulled away, but it wasn't just anger that made his eyes glisten this time.

"Prat. Murderer. What the fuck would I want with you? What the hell possessed me all those times I sat with some gorgeous guy who would have given me the world on a platter if I'd just asked, and turned him away. All for a wizard who kissed me one time and ruined the experience with anyone else. I didn't need your help finding the horcruxes. I don't need your help in battle. You might forget it Snape, but we don't fight on the same side and it fucking kills me every time I stand across from you knowing that this might be the day I'm forced to kill you. And not a word from you since the art show. Nothing! Asshole."

Severus ran his tongue against Harry's lip, tasting the tang of blood. "I see. Well I will endeavour to scare you less often Potter. Is there anything else you require or should I dub you my Lord and Master above all, at this very second."

Harry made a face that only brought home the pangs of realization in Snape that he missed that side of himself that could be lost in painting his little cat. Harry's hair was mussed from their tussle. His lips were bright red, but no longer bleeding. His breathing was a bit erratic, no doubt from having a weight on him. And his eyes were like wet emerald.

He was breathtaking in his anger.

Severus bent and kissed him again. Slower this time so that Harry had to arch into it to keep their lips together. He trailed a string of kisses along Harry's face, trailing his thumb everywhere he touched before returning to the slightly parted lips. Using his thumb and forefinger again he tugged Harry's mouth open further then lowered his mouth over the cavern created. He pulled away as Harry's tongue sought out his, returning only when the tongue retreated. This time Harry remained breathlessly still as he lapped at the sweet abyss of Harry's mouth.

"How many other men saw you like this?" Harry's body was like a puppet beneath his fingers. When he pulled, Harry arched wantonly.

"None."

Severus nodded in approval. "See that it stays that way."

He flipped over, pulling Harry on top of his body, releasing Harry's wrist in the process.

In fact he retreated entirely. His hand rested idly by his side, his legs parted to allow Harry's body to fall between but he made no move to secure Harry against his body. He gazed lazily up as Harry glared down in irritation.

"A little help?"

Severus smirked. "I should think not. Be brave Potter and take what you want."

Harry's expressional was filled with surprise, but a gentle shifting of Severus beneath him sent sparks sailing from between his legs to the very tips of his fingers. He didn't need to be urged twice. He reached out shyly to run his finger along the contours of Severus face and then his neck. He had to pause as he encountered buttons, but he lightly traced those too.

Severus allowed him a moment of musing before he thrust again, resulting in a loud gasp from Harry. "I've never known you to be reticent Potter. Do get on with it before we both die from the lack of blood to our brains."

Harry blushed crimson.

"Maybe I should work on our clothes first," he muttered.

Snape's response was a pointed look, which Harry took to mean that his suggestion was a good place to start.

He made quick work of removing his own muggle attire but was quickly swearing up and down when he found himself struggling with the buttons on Snape's wizarding robe.

"Do you have to wear so many bloody buttons?" he finally growled angrily. He was on his knees beside Snape's uncooperative side by then and was just getting more and more angry with himself.

"If you were this meticulous in Potions, Potter..." Severus left the sentence hanging when Harry glared at him.

Potter looked so distraught. Severus had to hide his smile once again, because he had really just wanted to know if his jealousy had a basis on which to be formed. And if Harry couldn't even get them undressed without going into cardiac arrest, then there was hope yet.

"Come here."

Harry responded to the caress of the soft words and scooted back over and onto Snape. Soon he was wrapped in the cocoon of arms. Slowly, as if he was waiting to be stopped, he lowered his lips onto Severus'. Fingers trailed the ridge of his spine, tickling his naked back before they curled around the soft flesh of his ass. He was gently pressed upon the hard plane of Snape's body.

Harry was so distracted that he never heard or saw what Snape did. All he knew was that one minute Snape was covered in irritating black cloth and the next second he was sliding along pale silk flesh. His heart rate spiked at the gasp of surprise that emitted from his lips.

In the dark and with his blurry eyesight, he couldn't make out what Snape looked like properly. He was smart enough to realise that this was exactly what Snape had planned on. From what he could feel, it was easy to tell that Snape had also lost weight, but this didn't bother him much. Harry lightly kissed the peak of one high cheekbone to bring this acceptance across.

"Tell me what to do," he whispered.

"Figure it out," came the nearly amused response.

Harry pondered for a while before he began to blush. "I don't have any...you know."

"We do have a problem then, don't we Mr. Potter."

In that second, Harry was ready to kill him. Just before he could reach that decision, his brain made an appearance to remind him that he was a wizard and if there was a potion he needed then the uncooperative bastard tormenting him, would probably know it in his sleep.

"Is there a potion?"

"No." Snape glared briefly, before the expression collapsed into a pointed look. "There is a spell."

Harry was obviously at a loss. His face split into an instant smile however when Severus growled at him then began to rant about how much Potter had been an obvious waste of knowledge. A hand slipped downwards to caress Harry's nether region again. This time the complicated spell that Snape said was lost in the actual realization that Snape had not needed his wand to cast the spell.

"Take a deep breath," Severus instructed softly.

Harry howled the entire journey downwards as Severus slowly but rather efficiently slid into him.

He collapsed upon Severus, panting against a slim shoulder.

"You have to move."

Harry frantically shook his head. "Je ne peux pas."

Severus threaded his fingers through the hair at the back of Harry's head. He kissed the side of Harry's neck then his shoulder and finally the back of Harry's palm. A light sweat glistened on the toned muscles and the expanse of tanned coloured skin. He smelled intoxicating and tasted salty. He was trembling slightly.

"You can," Severus told him softly. "Est-ce que je t'ai fait mal?"

Harry shook his head, finally meeting Severus' eyes. It wasn't something as simple as pain that was reflecting in the green depth of his eyes. Severus hadn't hurt him when he had fully entered him. His emotions had him overwhelmed and they just seemed to intensify at the deep level of care he saw on Severus' face. Well at least he knew this wasn't just sex or release for Snape as well.

Using the carpeted floor for leverage, Severus thrust gently into Harry to coax him to move.

In the moments that followed, Harry managed only enough to call his wand to him and clean them both up as their bodies slid apart. Then he collapsed tiredly across Severus chest, panting softly against the other wizard's neck. Severus held him tightly, making soothing strokes against the still trembling back.

"Are you alright?" he asked Harry softly.

Harry nodded but then quickly shook his head. He trailed small kisses along Severus' throat and the sharp edge of Severus' jaw, then upon the corner of Severus' mouth before his lips crashed into the waiting lips beneath it. The kiss they shared was long and gentle as they reacquainted themselves with the taste of each other.

Harry broke the kiss first, with a sudden burst of laughter.

"You know the bed is just there. All we had to do was stumble over to it," he chuckled. "Yet here we are."

Severus raised an eyebrow in a perfect arch. He moved, dumping Harry heavily onto the ground, before he rose to his feet to stand peering imperiously down. Harry didn't seem to be able to move on his own. Severus reached down and with a firm tug he lifted Harry bodily into his arms.

Harry moaned his pleasure against the cool sheets as Severus deposited him on the bed.

"No cuddle?" he asked with a mock glare.

Severus lightly brushed his fingers through the mop of wild black hair. "Go to sleep."

Harry groaned petulantly, but when Severus only leaned to kiss him softly upon his forehead, he took that to mean that he had been right in assuming what he was assuming. He sighed as he closed his eyes. By Eurydice, he wasn't about to cry like a child in front of this man. He had been a willing participant and he didn't regret anything. Even if he was in so many ways, sleeping with the enemy now.

"I only have Nagini left to kill," he said softly. "I expect you know that though so you can go tell him that. I don't care."

"You think I'm here to get information on you?"

Harry refused to open back his eyes. "Well you didn't come here for your health as you said."

He was surprised when he felt a light kiss at his temple. It felt like an unspoken apology. It only made him feel worse, and the tears burned even worse behind his tightly shut eyelids. But he couldn't bear to see the man abandon him with only his memories and bruises as proof that he had even been there.

"Goodbye Harry," Severus whispered against the curve of Harry's ear.

He dressed with a quick efficiency, then used his wand and a summoning spell to call the five broken horcruxes to him. The Dark Lord would need proof and Snape intended to stay on his less vindictive side by producing the abused trophies. He could close his mind to whatever prodding it may come under but he knew that he was less likely to be punished once the Dark Lord was faced with his own impending downfall, if he was the one to bring the news.

On the bed, Harry was breathing too shallow to really be sleeping.

Like the little cat that he was indicative of, he was curled into a foetal position letting stubbornness dictate his determination not to say a farewell. Snape didn't touch him again. He had damaged the lion inside the younger wizard enough for the night. By claiming him then abandoning him, he was causing Potter enough pain already. Even if as he turned away, Snape felt just as damaged inside.

Severus apparated with a pop that took Harry's heart with him, leaving both the room and the wizard feeling hollow.

.

"Go! Leave me!"

The minute Harry's feet touched solid ground he had pushed hard against the arms that held him prisoner. He caught the other wizard by surprise, enough for the hold to loosen. He ducked away, stumbling backwards.

Harry's vision blurred. The room seemed to sway and he swayed along with it, emitting a soft gasp from lips that were already turning blue. His leg throbbed with pain.

"Leave me," he whispered. "It's too late."

Strong arms grabbed him again, just as the floor rushed up to meet him.

"Stay here." Harry was abandoned on the cold tile floor. Somewhere behind the haze and pain he thought he recognized the place, but it was already too hard to concentrate. "Don't touch it and if it itches just bite on your tongue. I don't want the poison to accelerate."

Severus spared a glance at the wounded figure on his bathroom floor.

He never thought that the next time he took Harry to Spinner's End the boy would be the now grown but just as trusting person. He couldn't even remember if Harry had seen the bathroom when he was five and he doubted that the brat would remember either. But Severus had more important things to think about this time around.

The house had changed since the last time he had Harry over. It was no longer a studio, but a proper house. No one would even be able to tell that over a decade previous, there had been no separate kitchen or dining room, or the hidden staircase that Wormtail had taken such a shining to that ascended into the upper levels where the bedrooms had been conjured.

It was the kitchen that he ran to as his thoughts swirled. He ransacked his neat cupboards to grab a nearly empty bottle of firewhiskey and another one full of scotch. He detoured into his makeshift paint and potions room to grab a large stopper bottle off the shelf that he knew contained phoenix tears in the formula. It wasn't as if he could hope to call a phoenix and Harry didn't have all that time anyway.

Returning to the bathroom he threw the bottles to Harry.

"Drink it you bloody idiot!" he snapped when Harry sat staring stupidly at the firewhiskey. The look in the green eyes was so confused that a pillar of fear ran through Severus.

He ripped open one of Harry's pants legs with his bare hands, not giving Harry time to protest. He ripped off a strip of it to tie tightly around Harry's left leg and hoped that it was enough to stop the circulation of blood and poison.

The two points of red on the side of a pale calf had a greenish edge to them. The entire leg was swollen and hot. Slight spasms of tremor would course through at random intervals as if it was being electrocuted or crucioed.

Snape had never seen a snake bite like that before, but then Nagini had been a very special snake.

"You have about an hour before the Order starts to look for you Potter. I have about half an hour before someone in the Circle realizes that I'm missing and I'd rather avoid that. But if we don't get the poison out, that will not mean a thing so try your hardest not to move while I work."

Snape grabbed the now empty bottle of firewhiskey from Harry's tight grasp. He moved away only long enough to smash the glass against the brick edge of the doorway. He barely noticed the tiny pieces of glass that rained upon his wrist as he found the biggest shard.

He grabbed the bottle of whiskey next and somehow in his haste, managed to get the cork off. He splattered a large amount over the shard before pouring half the amount of golden liquid upon the bite mark.

Harry screamed.

Severus took the opportunity of Harry's distraction to reach out and grasp the leg tightly. With a few quick but brutal swipes he made the small holes bigger. Then he hurled the shard across the room to hold on to Harry's leg as the younger wizard tried to pull away in his pain.

"Courage mon petit chat," he murmured as Harry sobbed.

His mouth closed firmly over the oozing points of red. He sucked as hard as he could. Harry screamed and screamed again as Severus got a pattern going. Suck. Spit. Suck. Spit. The black liquid that ran from the wound seemed to never end, but Severus would not stop. Over and over, as he worked he silently prayed to whatever deity existed to not let him fail. The venom just kept pouring bitter and metallic in his mouth as it mixed with Harry's blood. And suddenly it was all blood and no black that was being sucked out and he could finally stop. He paused to cleanse his mouth of the foul fluid. Then, he poured the remainder of the scotch on the reddened area to cauterise the wound before he finally dared to remove the strip of cloth.

Harry had passed out, but he wasn't dead and that was all that Severus cared about.

Severus took a minute to gaze down on him as the adrenaline in his body stilled and the fear he had refused to admit to calmed to just a buzz inside of him.

He could see the slight rise and fall of Harry's chest as proof that the boy was still alive. There were tear tracks that lined the reddened cheeks - Merlin had it been so painful? - and the lower lip was bleeding as if Harry had taken a chunk out of it.

Severus took up the vial of tears that had rolled a short distance away when Harry had collapsed. He rubbed it over the wound on Harry's leg and gently over the abused bottom lip and then over the crescent points that bled in the palms of Harry's hands where the boy had clenched his nails into his own flesh to combat the agony.

"Harry?" Severus reached for the still figure, pulling him tightly into his arms, burying his face in the space between the side of the stubborn chin and still too thin shoulders. He was whispering in French like a man gone mad who spoke only to dying things. "Wake up. We have to go back."

Perhaps the tone of the words tugged at something in Harry's heart because the green eyes fluttered open.

"You shouldn't have done that," he whispered in the same fluent French. His voice was no longer slurred. The split in his lip had already healed.

"Should I have let you die?"

Harry twisted a little in Snape's arms. He rubbed the small stubble on his chin against the hollow pale skin of Severus' cheek. He tried not to kiss the smooth expanse of skin. His insides ached to do just that.

"They'll know," he murmured softly. "Once he finds Nagini dead then it won't take long to realize that you're nowhere to be found and he'll know you helped."

Snape scoffed. "No such thing will happen Potter because I do not plan on being missing once the carcass is found -"

Harry interrupted as if Snape had never spoken. "The Order will be looking for me and if they find us they'll skin you before asking me any questions. We should get back."

"Not until I am sure you will not keel over the instant you rise to your feet."

Harry smiled a little to himself and a little on the outside. "I'm fine. Stop worrying."

Surprisingly it was Snape who gave into the desire first and brought their lips together. It had been three months since they last saw each other. Far too long to try and fight the pull they both felt from being so close.

"Missed you," Harry admitted brokenly against the lips he dreamt about tasting every night. "It's not fair. I know you're not evil, because although you're covered in darkness, it is not the same thing."

Severus gave him a parting kiss that lasted longer than it should have.

"We must leave now," he finally said, rising to his feet and pulling Harry up with him. "We must get back to the people we pledged our souls to. Apparate."

Harry clung to him tightly. Arms wrapped vice-like around the slim form, he tried to merge with the body against him and when it didn't happen he felt like his heart was bleeding. But he would not admit to the words that encircled his mind. It was too soon. He was probably too young. If anyone deserved his heart though it was this man that he secretly loved.

'Don't leave me,' he wanted to say.

"When will I see you again?" he asked instead.

Potion stained fingers on the hand of an artist, traced the curve of Harry's face. It almost seemed as if Snape was memorizing him. The pink of his cheeks. The edge of his jaw. The tip of his nose. The startling green of his eyes. The shape of his lightning bolt scar. Severus tried to hide the feelings the man in his arms evoked in him.

"I will find you," he finally responded. "Just as I do now."

Harry just nodded. In dejection, perhaps. In fear, maybe. He didn't stay long enough for Snape to pinpoint the reason behind the subdued nature. One second he was there and the next he was gone with a loud pop and no words, in his determination to not say goodbye. Snape stood in the silence and the empty spaces for a long time, before he followed suit and also apparated, leaving sharp pieces of glass, a strip of black cloth and a pool of blood and poison in the middle of the room.

'Stay here,' he had wanted to whisper...but he hadn't.

.

The room was deadly silent as Severus made his way over to the chair that he had occupied the last time he had stolen into Harry's new house. It was still too easy to infiltrate. Easier still as Severus suspected that Harry had charmed the wards to allow him specific entry. It was a mark of trust that would eventually be abused. There was not a person alive who had trusted Snape and not died at the tip of a wand.

Standing over the sleeping figure on the bed, Severus had the overwhelming urge to remind himself of how soft those cheeks were and how silky the black hair felt. But there was no time to pull Harry into his arms and hold him against his body in hope of protecting his little cat.

Instead he retreated to the side, and sat on the chair.

Pulling out his wand he cast a soft lumos spell before levitating the wand as a sort of spotlight. He had made sure to bring with him the minimal equipment he would need to do his task and that only involved sticks of charcoal and a piece of paper. He wandlessly transfigured one stick of charcoal into a tilted easel that almost rested on his lap as he began the drawing that had been in his head ever since Nagini's murder the week before.

The scratching sound of charcoal on paper was like morphine to Severus' system. It had been so long since he gave in to his artistic side. He fell into a slight trance as the piece took shape, seeming to come to life even though it was being drawn crudely and with a small amount of dark magic being bled into it. It was special because he was not using Harry as a model in this one. He was using him as a muse.

Two figures stood facing each other. Severus did not have time to draw the fine details that faces would require, so the shorter of the two men had his head tilted upon the other's shoulder with arms wrapped tightly around the taller man's neck. It was as if he was clinging from fear and trusted only the man he held on to.

The taller man was frozen in the act of pressing a kiss upon the mess of black hair that obstructed everything but his eyes from view. There was no mistaking the darkness in those eyes, but they held tenderness too. And they were sad, as if he knew he would not be able to protect this man he held forever. His arms were wrapped tightly around the smaller man's waist, cradling him against his body.

His large, black, bat-like wings folded around the two of them, forming a shield that held at bay whatever it was that was trying to tear them apart.

"What did you draw?"

Severus almost expected the emerald eyes, which peered at him, to glow in the dark, before Harry shifted and reached for his glasses and then a lamp-switch. The night lamp that Harry turned on flooded the room with a soft light that was not strong enough to illuminate where Snape sat, still hidden in shadows.

Severus added finishing touches to the sketch before grabbing his wand out of the air. A quick succession of spells got rid of the blue light at the tip and the transfigured table. He rose from the chair slowly, holding the sketch between his fingertips as he approached. He could feel tingles running up and down his arm as he held out the picture in a sacrificial manner as if it was an offering to a god of whom he was not worthy.

The tingles spiked randomly. Severus watched as Harry rubbed his scar slowly, as if he barely noticed the pain he was no doubt feeling. The sketch was just as slowly taken from his hand and Severus then watched the emotions that played across the younger man's face.

"It's us," Harry said softly. Severus nodded but Harry did not notice. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you," Severus whispered so softly that it was just air.

His dark mark began to burn excruciatingly and even in the dark he could see the way Harry's scar was reddening to an angry-looking blob. Still they did not move. Even as the pain got to be so much that they were both breathing shattered breaths of air.

"They're coming." Harry's voice was so calm that it sent shivers down Snape's spine. "You opened up the wards. You've led them straight to me."

There were no words that could be said, so Severus nodded.

"They're almost here." Harry closed his eyes and one single tear escaped, but when he opened them again there was just a void in the green eyes that gave away no emotion. "Go then. He's waiting for you. Go play the perfect little servant. I'm sure I'll be seeing you in a little while."

Severus reached out and lifted the stubborn chin with the tips of his fingers. He leaned down so that he could tilt his forehead upon Harry's warm and pounding scar. He aligned their noses before capturing Harry's lips in a kiss that tore a sob from the younger wizard.

"Be brave my little cat," He whispered against the soft lips. "I will be with you to the end."

They pulled apart as feet thundered up the stairs approaching the bedroom. Severus stepped away as the door flew to pieces. He covered his face with his white mask as no less than ten other wizards joined him. And he raised his wand at the Gryffindor who sat calmly watching the preceding.

Severus apparated away to the sound of Harry screaming.

~X~