Remember Your Heart

Waking was a gradual thing, as snug as Harry was this morning. For once, Severus was not draped over him, and though that was cozy, it often resulted in loss of circulation to a desired appendage. Rather, Harry found himself tucked up behind Severus, spooning him as it were, his chest pressed against a delightfully muscled back. A glance at the clock revealed some time before they had to be up for their morning appointment. Oh, what to do, thought Harry and he grinned.

Scooting back a bit to give himselfmore room, Harry let his fingertips explore. He traced along Severus' shoulders, and followed the outline of his scapulae, touching gently but not so much as to tickle. Using both hands, he smoothed over skin and muscle, starting from the center of the back and pushing out toward the sides and then went back to map each rib. Harry propped himself up on one hand and let his other drift to the small of the back, kneading for a few moments, before sliding his hand over the firm roundness of Severus' bottom.

"Mmm," sounded Severus and he rolled onto his stomach.

Harry tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but he lay facing away. Severus' breathing seemed to indicate that he was still sleeping. With a small sigh, Harry moved away from that rather distracting part of the body and wended his hand back up to slide along Severus' shoulder and down his arm. His hand charted the shape of the bicep, circled along the elbow and caressed the hand. Bringing his hand up, Harry lifted Severus' hair and moved forward to press warm lips and hot breath to the back of Severus' neck. A few soft kisses and Harry paused to comb his fingers through Severus' silky hair. Though Severus was still young in wizard years, a stressful life had resulted in the once jet black giving way to silver and white. The impression of greater age did not linger with Harry; instead he saw the change as an outward sign of the transition from the man Severus had once been to the man he was now. Harry loved Severus' hair and he placed several kisses on his head while stroking through the long lengths. Moving down, he nibbled on Severus' ear, earning another 'Mmm' from a supposedly sleeping man. Smiling, he let his kisses trail down, sucking at the point where he could feel a pulse beneath the skin and moving on to nip at the juncture of neck and shoulder.

Returning to the back of Severus' neck, Harry let hot exhalations ghost over the skin and was rewarded with gooseflesh and a shiver. Breath was replaced with flesh as Harry began once again pressing wet kisses on the back of Severus' neck. Shoulders, backbone, ribs were soon all worshipped by moist lips as Harry worked his way down Severus' back, teeth grazed one muscled buttock and continued with kisses down thigh and calf. Picking up Severus' foot, Harry massaged it and managed one brush of his lips against the sole before the foot was jerked away.

Chuckling, Harry picked up the other foot and contented himself with rubbing it, waiting for Severus to relax. When he felt the tension ease, he began kissing his way back up the other leg, pausing to pay particular homage to the backside of the knee before orally scouting out a delectable thigh. Using the tip of his tongue, he painted small circles across the curved cheek, delighted with the breathy moans that were induced.

"Roll over," whispered Harry.

Severus moved to lie on his back, a small smile playing across his face and warmth lighting his dark eyes. "Presumptuous imp," he growled in a low voice that made Harry burn, "assuming that I would want your attentions at this hour of the day."

"I'll do my best to make it worth your while," murmured Harry. He knelt inside of Severus' legs and he began caressing.

"That remains to be seen."

Harry leaned down to kiss the inside of his thighs, first soft moist kisses, followed by a tongue drawing delicate nonsensical patterns accented with random nips of teeth. Glancing up, he saw that Severus' eyes were closed but his mouth was opened slightly and his breath had quickened. He kissed up to the hip and was preparing further for more lingual adulation when Severus leaned down and, grasping Harry's arm, pulled him up.

"I wasn't done," Harry groused. "I've neglected far too much of your skin."

"I want to feel all of you against me," whispered Severus hoarsely.

"Oh," Harry moaned and lay atop of Severus, keeping his body partially propped up on his elbows.

"All of you!" he hissed, tugging at Harry's elbows.

Harry shifted off his elbows, letting all his weight press down on Severus, and he cupped Severus' face with his hands, letting his forearms rest on the pillow. Severus arms wrapped around him and began stroking, up to his shoulders, down to his bottom.

"Satisfactory, Oh Great Master?" inquired Harry.

Severus lifted his head and captured Harry's sarcastic mouth in a passionate kiss and at the same time squeezed his buttocks. Harry groaned into the kiss and Severus slid his tongue into that mouth in order to caress his teeth and tongue.

Harry couldn't imagine being any more intimate, pressed as he was against so much skin, Severus' legs hooked over his with one foot sweeping over the back of his calf, hands massaging his back, the rhythmic pounding of a heart in the chest molded against him, burnings lips devouring him. A blaze that had been slowly building inside him was threatening to overtake as the flames began to lick him from the spaces between his toes to his eyelashes.

Severus rolled his hips and Harry broke from the kiss to sob, "Oh God!" Another roll of the hips, combined with hands gripping, pressing down on his bottom and Harry found himself mewling.

"Your skin is on fire," Severus murmured in his ear.

Harry dove into his mouth, exploring teeth, sucking tongue, nibbling lips. Severus continued his smooth rocking motion, kneading Harry's backside, and kissing as eagerly as he was being kissed.

The friction was driving Harry mad, stoking the inferno within him, and Harry began to set the rhythm, moving against Severus' sweat-slicked body, kissing hungrily.

Severus wrapped his legs more firmly around Harry and, sensing the imminent explosion, he broke the kiss to whisper, "I love you," and Harry was completely undone.

"Severus!" He shouted and flames flashed, blinding him with searing light while every inch of him was scorched. Laying his head down, the flames flickered and dissipated, leaving him feeling warm and languid.

"I suppose the pleasure of this outweighs the mess you made," muttered Severus.

Harry rolled off Severus and waved away 'the mess'. "As long as it is a pleasure for both of us," said Harry, eyeing Severus, challenging him to deny that he enjoyed it as well.

"When we're so close..." Severus said softly and then trailed off.

Harry waited, knowing there was more and that Severus still had trouble saying some things to him

"When we're like that, so tightly embraced that I don't know where I end and you begin, and I feel the way you move against me and how that changes as you near your climax, well," Severus paused, a faint blush tinting his cheeks, "sometimes I feel that I am a part of you, reaching that peak with you."

Severus' continued impotence had been a source of much angst. Severus suffered from multiple frustrations, at not being able to reverse the damage the original potion had afflicted, the self-doubt of his ability to please Harry, and his desire to experience such things with Harry. Harry, on the other hand, experienced a great deal of guilt at being aroused and able to reach orgasm because of Severus, while that was denied to Severus. It had taken a great deal of work with their counselor for both to come to acceptance and to treasure sex as a time to enjoy one another without the preoccupation of some specific end result.

"Good," murmured Harry, as he snuggled close. "That's just the way it should be."

Severus smiled, kissed him gently and both dozed off.

A short time later, Harry bolted awake, causing Severus to jerk and look around wildly for the attack.

"Severus! We'll be late!" called Harry, as he struggled out of bed. After using a cleansing charm, Harry began dressing quickly. "Get dressed!"

"What the bloody hell are referring to?" hissed Severus, hand over his racing heart and he worked to calm himself from the panic that Harry had induced.

"It's September first, remember? Think of how disappointed Miloand David will feel if Uncle Sev and Uncle Harry aren't there to see them off on their first ride on the Hogwarts Express."

"Yes, I'm sure they'll be devastated," Severus sneered, but he got out of bed and dressed as well. "Don't call me Sev."

"I'd love to sneak up to Hogwarts and watch the sorting ceremony. Due to your influence over the years, especially with Milo, I think we could see the first Weasley sorted into Slytherin." Harry shrugged on a simple blue robe over his slacks and button down and watched as Severus completed his dressing.

Severus snorted. "How many of the next generation of Weasleys are at Hogwarts now? Five, six?"

"Bill's daughter, Charlie's two boys, and Percy's triplet's makes six and yes they are all Gryffindors, but Milo and David are different. I bet Milo with be a Slytherin and David a Ravenclaw. And don't you try to tell me that you won't be pleased if that happens," admonished Harry.

"Perhaps," said Severus noncommittally. "If you wish to witness the Sorting Ceremony, I'm sure Longbottom will welcome you as a guest. As Headmaster, that is within his purview."

Harry grinned. Quite a lot had changed because of Harry's little party all those years ago. Amelia Bones resigned shortly thereafter, taking full responsibility for the mishandlings by the Ministry of Severus Snape and Michael Mulciber. Kingsley Shacklebolt now served as the Minister of Magic, without controversy to date. Mulciber had been magically reduced to a Squib and had been given over to the Muggle justice system for his crimes against Muggles. Susan Bones Longbottom was found guilty on several charges and served time in Azkaban, which, fortunately for her, was no longer populated with Dementors. And several years ago Minerva McGonagall retired, after vigorously training Neville Longbottom in the duties of being Headmaster. Neville was the youngest Headmaster in Hogwarts history. Seeking a distraction from his separation from Susan, he had thrown himself into his work and it was quite an accomplishment that he was already considered one of Hogwarts' finest Headmasters. I'm sure he's learned quite a bit from a certain portrait hanging in his office, thought Harry.

"I'm sure the author of Practical Defense: Your Best Chance to Stay Alive and Potions for the New Millennium would be a welcome guest. The students would love to meet the author of the textbooks used to torture, excuse me, teach them," Harry teased.

"You've forgotten The Darkest Path: Memoirs of a Death Eater, an international bestseller as recently stated in the Daily Prophet," answered a smug Severus.

Harry chuckled. "Bring your self-inking quill then for all the autographs you'll need to sign on the platform."

"Shall we see who gets more requests for autographs today?" snickered Severus.

Grinning, Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Severus' neck. "Nearly seventeen years ago Albus Dumbledore left me the advice to remember my heart. Such a simple thing to say, and yet such a profound effect on my life. Everyday I think that I couldn't possibly love you more and then the next day comes and I find that I do."

Severus sniffed. "You are ever the overly sentimental Gryffindor." He wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and cupping his cheek with his free hand, he softly kissed Harry. "And I must be insane to tolerate such effusive drivel from you. I guess that comes with loving you." He kissed Harry again, a slow sensual kiss that sparked the fire within Harry.

"Time to depart," said Severus, not relinquishing his hold on Harry.

"Yeah," mumbled Harry.

"Remember, we cannot disappoint Miloand David," said Severus mockingly.

Harry sighed, and pushed away the desire to kidnap Severus and hold him hostage in bed. "All right," he said, stepping back from Severus.

With a nod, Severus disapparated.

Harry glanced around the room, letting his eyes linger on the rumpled sheets of the bed where he and Severus had lain. Smiling, he murmured, "Thanks Albus. There's no way I'd forget my heart now. Severus has become my heart." A moment later, he disapparated as well.

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The End

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