Love of a Leo and a Capricorn

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- CHAPTER FIVE: IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME -

Harry’s eyes widened and he swore pungently. He was almost going to jump into the water – boots and all – when Severus had resurfaced, and he was sputtering indignantly.

“This is not a pond,” Severus grated. “It’s a bloody pool.” With that, he swam toward the edge and remained there.

“The bottom’s deep then?”

“Twenty feet or more.”

Harry looked at Severus thoughtfully before nodding. Then, he started to remove his clothes. He was doing that rather efficiently, until he had inadvertently looked at Severus, as he was about to push his trousers down. He froze at his lover’s intense look.

“Hurry up,” Severus ordered in an irritated voice and Harry sighed softly, relieved. Intimacy was probably not floating around Severus’ mind at the moment.

Harry discarded the rest of his clothes without further embarrassment and went to place his wand next to where Severus had placed his wand of birch.

“Either you take your pair of glasses off, or you spell it to stay on you as you get wet,” Severus said calmly.

“Oh. Good idea,” Harry answered absently and cast the charm Hermione had taught him. He tested it first. His pair of glasses would not budge. Satisfied, he cautiously went into the pool and felt a little strange as he experienced being suspended in water immediately. He was more used to the gradual slope of a bank to a water pool, but this pond had no such slopes.

“It’s like a well, isn’t it?” Harry mused. He scowled a little. “No fish, no frogs, no tadpoles. No mosquitoes. Isn’t that strange?”

“You can’t be sure,” Severus drawled. “When I’d gone down, I thought I’d felt something feeling up my leg.”

Green eyes flared instantly with apprehension. “Severus. I’m getting out of the pool now.”

Severus let out an exasperated sigh. “By all means, do so if you wish, but after you have cleaned up,” he spoke resolutely.

Harry gave him a mock glare and swam to the opposite side of the pool. He pretended not to pay any amount of attention to the other bathing wizard, but he still gazed at Severus covertly. The coolness of the water against his skin was a blessing and the sigh of contentment that had escaped from his lips was intentional. He smiled inwardly to see Severus looking curiously in his direction. He cupped his hands and brought the clear liquid to his face. It felt clean and his enthusiasm to wash returned. He got rid of the dirt, dust, sand and caked blood that clung to his hair and skin with several washes, and again, he sighed in satisfaction as he floated in the pool dreamily.

The sound of water splashing on one side pulled his attention toward Severus. The glittering, white back – although marred by the huge bruise and old scars – seized his eyes and Harry stared, a little longingly. The nights in which he was able to bury his face between Severus’ shoulder blades and to kiss the back of Severus’ neck had been so long, long ago. Moreover, the injury was calling out to him, to soothe it with his lips. The older wizard had lifted himself out of the pool and he was gathering up their – somewhat stinky – pile of clothing, and without inviting Harry to help, he had started to dip their clothes into the water one by one.

“I don’t trust your cleaning skills,” Severus said suddenly. “I’d rather not wear rags when Weasley comes for us.” He began to wash their clothes determinedly.

Harry snorted and raised his eyebrow at Severus, who seemed to ignore him totally. “I guess that’s the reason why you have always made me clean floors, walls and pots rather than cleaning the daintier things.”

“Hmphf.”

Well, since Severus did not need his help….

He continued to watch Severus, and suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed. The Potions master seemed not to care about his dignity should anyone see him. Harry shook his head and tried not to think about it. It was not surprising that the greasy-haired wizard was able to do such chores without being fussy about it. It was something that Harry had found out on his own, and he was glad that he had.

Harry let his mind drift, while his eyes followed the movements of Severus’ hands. The fingers were so long and lovely, and again, Harry was feeling and thinking of inappropriate things. However, the image of himself in the hands that belonged to his lover continued to burn in his mind.

A quarter of an hour passed without incident and then Severus spoke, “Unless you want to get wrinkles, get out of the water and help me hang these.”

The green-eyed wizard knew that Severus was speaking to him but his brain refused to process what had been said. It seemed to take note of the way Severus’ hair shone under the sunlight.

“Harry!”

The sharp voice finally cut through his daze. “Yes?” he asked, a little unintelligently.

“Get out of the water and hang these blasted clothes,” Severus instructed gratingly.

“Why don’t you just spell them dry?”

Severus gave him a hard look. When Harry finally understood that he still had to hang the clothes, he sighed.

“All right, all right.” Harry heaved himself out of the pool and walked around the edge of the pond carefully. He shivered slightly; the water droplets on his body cooled rapidly as he moved. Unconsciously, he raked his fingers through his hair and pushed it away from his forehead. More droplets dripped onto his back and shoulders.

He retrieved his wand and he gathered the few clothes that Severus had already washed. He conjured a clothesline and attached the ends to the trunks of two pine trees. Then, he hung their trousers and shirts, and cast spells on them so that they would stay on the magical clothesline. He turned around but Severus dumped more damp clothes in his arms. The obsidian-eyed wizard walked away. Harry sighed and docilely hung their remaining clothes.

“Severus, do you know any spells to conjure clothes? Surely you don’t expect us to wait in the nude for our clothes to dry,” Harry said absently. There was no response from the other wizard. “Severus?” Harry frowned and finished securing the last article on the line.

He glanced at his left and jumped slightly in surprise. Severus was cutting several pine branches and then he was arranging them into a mat.

Harry continued to stare at Severus. After a moment, it occurred to him that he should voice out his thought.

“Severus, what are you doing?”

When Severus only looked intently at him, Harry started to comb his hair back in a nervous gesture. He moved forward unintentionally, stopped before Severus and he looked up at his lover uncertainly. As he stared into the pair of intense, black eyes, he forgot why he felt uncertain and nervous. He even forgot that they were not in a closed room, but the rather open world of a wood. Harry did not mind that Severus was staring at him. He smiled faintly – he would give up thousands of Galleons if Severus would just look at him like that. It was that familiar look, that look that was saying that, at that moment, Harry was the only thing that was present in Severus’ eyes. That look Severus was giving him was only for him. Just for him.

Then, feeling suddenly shy, Harry closed the distance and placed his arms around Severus. He buried his face in the crook of his lover’s neck and experienced the feeling of damp, cool skin against his own. He sighed, contented. It had felt as though they were at home, and were exchanging embraces after one of their showers.

Hands slid downward and pressed on his back. Harry arched, and purred to feel Severus’ strong heartbeat against his chest. He sighed happily and licked a detached earlobe playfully as Severus nuzzled his neck.

“Severus?” Harry’s voice was low and soft.

“It’s been a long time.”

Harry whimpered softly. Severus was placing sound kisses on his neck, throat, and his chin. His stomach tightened with anticipation and he let out groan when hot lips met his, and a sweet, agile tongue intertwined with his own. He melted in the older man’s arms, and Severus moved, to lay them down on their crude bed.

-oOooOoOooOo-

To Be Continued On Chapter 6