Snape heard footsteps susurrating against stone before the tower door had even opened. He contemplated moving back into the shadows, but gave up the notion immediately. He knew Snape was there, just as Snape knew only one person would be searching for him during the deadest part of night.
“Potter,” Snape rumbled, without turning his head. His eyes continued to sweep restlessly over the grounds of Hogwarts, looking for any sign of covert movement. Even though the wards held, and would continue to do so for as long as they were needed (or so Dumbledore said), Snape had insisted on a nightly watch being set, and had volunteered for the mind-numbing, soul-crushing two ‘til five shift.
“Snape.”
Snape took a second to glance to his side, one quick glance letting him know exactly how the boy was faring, and was heartened to see that he was holding up surprisingly well. Apart from the dark circles under red-rimmed, tired eyes, no one would be able to tell that Harry had indeed been fighting the past few weeks, and fighting hard.
Harry’s body was still, his breathing relaxed as his eyes swept over the grounds in tandem with Snape’s, looking for the chink in the armour, the first sign that Voldemort and his Death-Eaters had managed to break through and carry their war on hitherto untouched land.
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Snape asked, careful to not let his concern show in his voice.
“Tried that, couldn’t do it. The dorms are too quiet.”
“Missing your legion of fans?”
“Missing my friends.” A small shuffle forward, and Harry had moved into his line of sight.
“What about you, Snape? Missing anything?” Harry asked, curious, motionless.
“I want for nothing,” Snape ground out. “What’s to miss? Hours spent trying to teach incompetent dunderheads? Nights prostrating myself to a mad man? Days when I – “
Harry stepped into his personal space and wrapped his arms around Snape’s waist.
Snape swallowed thickly. “What do you think you’re - ?”
“Is this so wrong?” Harry said, his voice muffled against Snape’s neck.
“I don’t know what you mean.“
“Is it?” Harry repeated, lifting his chin. Starlight glittered on the lenses of his glasses and Snape shifted their bodies so he could see Harry’s eyes.
“Whatever you think this is,” Snape muttered, “whatever you think you’re doing . . . you’re wrong. It’s not. It won’t be and it can’t.”
“Are you sure?”
Snape spluttered. “Of course I’m sure. One ill-advised liaison does not a . . . well, it makes a nothing. You’re not to keep coming up here. I have my job to do, as do you.”
“I know,” Harry said, lowering his head to Snape’s neck again. Snape could feel warm tendrils of air moving against his skin, could feel Harry’s lips moving while he spoke. “Don’t you think I know? Of all the people - , of everyone I’ve ever known, did you think I wanted it to be you?”
“It’s not me,” Snape whispered, spine straightening as his treacherous hands moved up to thread gently through Harry’s hair. “It’s not. I don’t - .”
“I know. I don’t want either,” Harry replied, chuckling mirthlessly. “I don’t, and you don’t, and here we both are. Waiting and wanting and – “
Snape pulled their faces together, lowering his lips to shut the boy up, to do anything to keep him from saying anything else. He was half-aware of the fact that he couldn’t effectively keep watch and kiss Potter at the same time, but the latter seemed more important in that moment.
“Severus,” Harry murmured, opening his mouth and taking advantage of Snape’s momentary surprise to slide his tongue in. They both huffed in the shock of a pleasure shared and enjoyed again, kisses becoming deeper, hungrier, more desperate.
“Enough,” Snape said, tightening his grip on Harry’s shoulders and pushing him away slightly. “Enough for now.”
“Okay,” Harry agreed, slightly breathless. “For now.”
Harry looked down and Snape became aware of the fact that he still held Potter’s body close to his. He dropped his arms.
“I’ll wait in your rooms. I’ll be there when you finish your shift,” Harry said, his eyes sparking in challenge.
And Snape found that he didn’t have the words to turn him away. “All right.”
Harry nodded and gave a small smile. He turned and looked over the empty grounds one last time. “Look! Is that - ?”
Snape jolted to his side and looked in the direction Harry was pointing. “No,” after a blood-freezing moment. “Not them. Something quite unusual and altogether easily explicable.”
Harry looked up at him and Snape found he couldn’t turn down the chance to teach the boy something he actually wanted to know that wasn’t incriminating to them both.
“A comet, Potter. Just an ordinary chunk of ice and rock circling its way across the universe. Here for a brief moment and, given enough time, it will return to cross our skies again.”
“Do you know what it’s called?” Harry asked, stepping back. Without meaning to, Snape found that he was embracing the boy again.
“No. Sinistra would, but – “
“But,” Harry repeated, falling silent. While the battle still waged, the combatants couldn’t afford to spend a moment of time thinking of those lost.
“Well,” Harry said, pressing his back into Snape’s chest, “just because we don’t know its name, or how long it’ll be here, doesn’t make it any less special. Or . . . or less real.”
Snape closed his eyes and gave into his drained body, pulling Harry closer. They held each other up. “No. No, it doesn’t.”
Story Notes:
Set in an alternative reality where Harry is over eighteen and attending Hogwarts.
