Severus's Secret Passion
As I always write at the start, I'm a member of the Snarry CZ/SK group, where the brilliant FemmeFragile came up with the Snapíšek gift exchange. This story was written as a contribution to it. We all have secret passions, so what might Severus's be? I'll admit I suffer from exactly the same passion myself, and I hope you'll tell us in the comments whether this story took you back to your childhood too. Thank you to Katetomlinson6917 and Martina Petreková for beta reading and editing! Enjoy the read!
I declare that the whole world of Harry Potter is the sole property of J.K. Rowling and that this story was not written for profit.
"Finally!" Harry thought as he watched the trunks of a certain sarcastic bastard being moved into his house at Grimmauld Place. As it happened, this bastard, by the name of Severus Snape, had been Harry's partner for five years and still hadn't been able to decide whether he could or couldn't live with Harry. He claimed there were insurmountable differences between them that neither of them would be able to accept while living together. But he never got round to explaining exactly what differences he meant. Harry had settled it with the conclusion that Severus was simply a big stick in the mud who wasn't willing to give up any of his comforts.
Then Severus surprised him when, two weeks before Christmas, he mentioned that he had sold his house and had to move, and that he had decided to give living together a chance. In those five years Harry had learned a lot about the Potions professor. He was loyal, loving, caring, but also sarcastic, easily offended and never forgot anything until the day he died. Terrible qualities, Harry shook his head as he thought about what would come next. He grabbed two trunks and went upstairs to the bedroom, where he set them against the wall so Severus could unpack them however he liked. Harry had already transfigured another wardrobe for him, because he had no intention of letting himself be squeezed out.
Suddenly there was a crash from downstairs, as if someone had dropped something, and an enormous stream of swearing. Harry didn't hesitate and ran downstairs, only to find that the someone was Severus, who had dropped one of his trunks, apparently with laboratory glassware he had refused to shrink. Of course, he found out that was really the case as soon as he looked at Severus's feet, where an open trunk lay surrounded by a ton of glass shards. "Hi, love. What are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow, to which Severus growled, "Can't you see? I thought St Mungo's had finally fixed your eyesight!" Harry sighed and called Kreacher, who went to clean it up, muttering. Harry took two more trunks and looked at Severus to see if he would follow. "Wait! The black trunk with the metal fittings belongs in the laboratory!" So Harry put it down on the floor and grabbed the dark green one. "Shall we?" Severus took the other two himself and followed Harry into the familiar bedroom. Upstairs he waved his wand and all four trunks opened at once, so that with another wave the folded clothes flew effortlessly straight onto the shelves and into the drawers. With another wave the clothes grew back to full size and the wardrobe finally looked full. Only one single trunk stayed closed. Harry curiously watched Severus open it carefully and take out neatly packed robes. Four identical black robes with a million buttons. Harry rolled his eyes as Severus carefully hung them in the wardrobe.
"You could start thinking about some other style, Severus!" Severus looked at him sideways. "I'm still teaching. It's still the same dull heads, and this is the only thing that protects me from their dreadful creations and the occasional explosion." Harry growled to himself, "And at home?" But Severus heard him and answered. "At home I have one Gryffindor idiot who didn't exactly distinguish himself in Potions either..." Harry decided not to say anything to that, because he suspected it would lead to a huge fight.
Severus didn't follow him straight away. But as far as Harry was concerned, that was just as well. He took two more trunks that Severus had marked as containing laboratory glass and went down to the basement, where Severus had cast spells in the cellar two days earlier and turned the gloomy room into a fully equipped laboratory. All that was missing were the glassware, cauldrons and ingredients. Harry chuckled when he saw another of Severus's robes hanging on the wall. "God!" He put the trunks down there and went for more. When he brought the last ones, Severus appeared right behind him. "I'll do the rest myself, Harry." Harry nodded and kept watching as Severus opened trunk after trunk by hand and put the glass in its place. The cauldrons had been shrunk, which surprised Harry, but when he saw that the biggest one could hold a body, he understood they would have been hard to move. His mind, which couldn't stay on one topic for long, landed on something he had been thinking about for several days. "Severus, sorry to interrupt, but it's going to be Christmas." He let it trail off, and when Severus didn't react, he added, "We have a lot of plans. Getting decorations, presents and Christmas chocolates. We're also invited to the Weasleys' for Christmas Eve dinner and..." Severus cut in. "I don't celebrate Christmas! I don't want any decorations and I don't know what I'd buy anyone! You won't get me to that dinner either! Have I answered everything you wanted to ask?" Harry swallowed, this was harder than he had expected. "For God's sake, Severus! I'm not going to discuss the decorations, the presents and the rest! I've told you, so deal with it somehow!" And he quickly fled the laboratory. He wondered who he would ask for help, now that Severus had swept Christmas off the table like that. He frowned. "I don't need anyone! Kreacher and I will manage on our own!" Severus didn't show himself until the evening.
The next morning Harry went shopping. And surprisingly Severus went too, and Kreacher stayed at home! It was preceded by incredible obstruction, as Severus got up, stomped off for a black coffee and, with his eyes fixed on Harry, pulled on a white vest, underwear, black trousers, tucked a white shirt into his trousers and threw his typical robe over it. The whole time he looked at Harry ostentatiously, waiting for any remark or smirk from him! Harry knew that very well, so he got dressed himself and tried not to look at Severus, so as not to give him the slightest excuse not to go. But not one of those gestures escaped him. He promised himself he would pay him back some other way later. After breakfast they set off. Severus cast a warming charm on Harry and on himself too, before he put on his coat and a pair of boots that came above his ankles. "There's snow outside..." he added, when Harry looked at him in surprise as he tucked his trousers into those boots. "Oh." Harry added pointlessly. For the decorations he dragged Severus to a Muggle shopping centre.
When Severus saw the huge number of baubles, bows, sparkling candles and plastic trees, horror sank its teeth into him. He hated shopping and he hated Christmas! But what wouldn't he do for his little lion. Now, though, he was feeling sorry for himself. It was clear to him that Harry wasn't the type to simply push Christmas to the back of his mind and forget that such a thing existed. He walked beside Harry and hoped they would end up with some decent decorations. About 40 metres of green plastic garland ended up in the basket. "That would do," he sighed, and watched Harry fishing for the red ones in a pile of baubles. "Not red!" he blurted out. Harry wobbled and looked back at him. "But red can't be missing from the tree!" Severus closed his eyes. "The green ones are prettier!" He tried to show him the beautiful green glass baubles with a dusting on top, as if it were snow. "Well, we could put both on," Harry tried for a compromise. "No!" He almost stamped his foot like a little child. Harry swallowed uncertainly. "Well, what about red bows?" He looked at Severus hopefully. "That might do," Severus admitted after a moment's thought. So he watched as Harry gave up on the red baubles, took three packs of the expensive green ones and reached next to them, where he picked up several packs of small and huge red bows. Severus suffered in silence. Harry stood in front of the Christmas tinsel and pondered. He wanted the traditional colours, gold and red, but Severus had complicated that rather. In the end he reached for the silver tinsel and the silver glitter. After a moment's thought, Severus turned away, left Harry contemplating the little golden bells and took two boxes of gold baubles. In the end he felt sorry for snapping at Harry like that. With a sigh he put them in the basket and waited for Harry's reaction, which wasn't long in coming, because a smile and pure delight lit up the young man's face. "I'd never have thought of that!" He hugged him in front of everyone around and ran off for some wreaths. With a beginning migraine, Severus watched as things for decorating were added to the basket, like whole cinnamon sticks, some red berries and tiny golden bows. He rolled his eyes at the thought of how much it would cost. Finally they made it to the till, and Harry went back once more for fresh oranges, which he absolutely had to have. Severus hated standing in a queue while someone went back for something. He looked like a total idiot, because they were holding up everyone behind them. And he explained that to Harry thoroughly outside the shopping centre! "Like an idiot! Next time you'll go shopping alone! What on earth do you need butter, a million different nuts and so much flour for?! And why on earth didn't you get it before we headed for the till?!" he growled on the way home. His nose and ears were frozen and his mood was below zero. Harry looked like a wet hen too and preferred to stay quiet and not provoke him. Because he meant to drag Severus out shopping for presents the next day. There were only 13 days left until Christmas!
Even though he had painted it all in rosy colours, he hadn't expected it to be so hard. Unfortunately he didn't manage to get Severus to go shopping for presents. But with his usual cheerfulness he decided not to despair and went on his own. On the way he remembered he had forgotten to buy Christmas chocolates for the tree. So he headed to the shopping centre first, where a familiar song, All I Want for Christmas Is You, was playing, and he wondered what kind of chocolate Severus might like. He smirked, because the answer was easy, Severus couldn't stand chocolate. So he took one set of dark and one of milk chocolate, the way he liked them himself, and went to Diagon Alley to get presents. For Hermione it was expensive but extra soft kidskin gloves and a book on wizarding law, and for Ron he bought VIP tickets to a Chudley Cannons match with a chance to meet the players. He was sure Ron would be thrilled. For Mrs Weasley he bought new pots with a charm against chipping and burnt on food, because he had heard her complain that the old ones weren't what they used to be. He somehow hoped she wouldn't be offended. He had once heard that giving women things for the household was the worst present you could give them. Mr Weasley would get a Muggle record player with a few records he had seen in an electronics shop leaflet, and for the other siblings he picked out some interesting little things. He had everything shrunk in his bag and was thinking of having it wrapped somewhere. He himself wasn't any good at wrapping. Not even magical wrapping.
He was walking past Madam Malkin's shop when he stopped. "A joke present?" he chuckled to himself, when he spotted a robe like the ones Severus loved, in dark green. He went straight inside and smiled at Madam Malkin, who immediately rushed over to him. "I need to order clothes for my partner. A whole set, ideally." Madam Malkin made a mental note that Harry was gay, which was news to her. "And who is your boyfriend, dear?" Harry grinned. "Severus Snape." Madam Malkin burst out laughing. "Good joke!" Harry reacted in his own way. "It's not a joke. I want him to look a bit normal. So elegant, nothing extravagant, but modern!" Madam Malkin smiled. "I wouldn't have expected you to have such an older boyfriend, but it's none of my business, so I might have something for you!" And she pulled out camel coloured trousers, a white shirt and a robe in the same colour as the trousers. Harry shook his head. "Do you think I'd survive Christmas Eve if I pulled out the kind of clothes Lockhart used to love?" Madam Malkin looked at the clothes and burst out laughing. "I didn't think of that. Something else, then!" And she went to another wardrobe, where she had grey trousers, added a black shirt and a grey robe with a million buttons. She winked at Harry and added, "You're lucky I have Severus's measurements freshly taken." Harry smiled at her. "I am indeed, and yes! It's not such a big change, but still!" With that he paid and threw in the dark green robe from the window as well. Outside he shivered. It was clear to him that Severus would kill him. He went home content. He knew he would probably buy Severus another 20 little things. He started humming Christmas carols as he trudged home. He still wanted to make the dough for the Christmas biscuits. Something he wouldn't trust Kreacher with for anything in the world. He was curious whether Severus would want to help him.
"Given your skill at Potions, I'd rather not even taste those biscuits!" Severus told him when he asked whether he would like to help. Harry rolled his eyes, took him by the hand, dragged him to the table and sat him down. "Then watch!" With that he pulled out a small, dirty notebook, and Severus wrinkled his nose. Harry didn't let it bother him, opened the notebook at the first page with the shortbread dough and started weighing out the ingredients.
Severus watched and wondered how it was possible that Harry worked with such concentration and weighed out every single ingredient so neatly, while in Potions he was such a klutz. When Harry kneaded the dough, it suddenly occurred to Severus how much he would like Harry to knead him. He watched the muscles in his arms flex and swallowed. "Number one done!" Harry interrupted his thoughts, looking at Severus cheerfully, with a bit of dough on his finger, which he stuffed into Severus's mouth. "Harry!" Severus spluttered, but he rolled the dough around on his tongue, and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's like your grandmother used to make!" he breathed, and Harry nodded. "I got the notebook from the vault. It's rather strange, but Mum must have put it there."
Severus was quiet, and the whole time Harry worked, he watched him hungrily. The taste of the dough had sparked memories in him, and Severus thought he would like some of those Christmas chocolates for the tree. But he and Harry hadn't bought any. It occurred to him that it wouldn't hurt to go shopping and get Harry a present. At the same time he could secretly buy the chocolate too. Or he could look around the house first. Maybe Harry had bought some. After Harry had prepared about seven doughs, he explained to Severus that he would bake in two days, once they had rested nicely. And he narrowed his eyes. "And, Severus, you'll be cutting out shapes with me!" Severus only growled something about Gryffindors who had hit the nail on the head and went off to the bedroom, since it really was very late.
The next morning Harry went out again, and Severus's moment had come. First he looked around the bedroom. Lily's mum had always hidden these things in the wardrobe. When he found nothing, he searched the other rooms until he got downstairs. He looked through the living room cabinets and then headed for the kitchen. He felt like a dog on a scent. When he opened the larder, he couldn't believe his eyes. "Doesn't Harry know these things can't just be left lying around?" First he took the set with dark chocolate and went upstairs. He thought he would eat one piece and hide it so Harry wouldn't find out. What he didn't count on was that when he sat downstairs half an hour later, reading a book, an incredible craving for sweets would chase him. All he could think about was that delicious dark Christmas chocolate. So he went up to the bedroom, but first he ordered a black coffee from Kreacher. He took about four pieces from the set and went back. Finally content, he read, nibbled the chocolate and let it melt on his tongue. Then he put a piece on a spoon and dipped it into his black coffee. When he pulled it out, the chocolate on the spoon was beautifully melting. Severus looked at it for a second and then put it in his mouth. He couldn't do anything but enjoy the bliss. Harry must never find out about this bad habit! flashed through his head when he heard the door open, and he quickly grabbed the foil wrappers and threw them into the burning fireplace. When Harry walked in, Severus was sitting as if nothing had happened, a book on his lap, sipping his coffee. Harry went straight to him. "Hi, love!" And he gave him a short but heartfelt kiss. "You've got coffee on the corners of your mouth, Severus!" Severus wiped them with one finger, embarrassed. "Ah, well, look at that." And then he looked at what Harry was holding. "Biscuit cutters!" Harry explained and pointed to the kitchen. "I'll put these down and then we could finally decorate the house and go and get a tree, what do you say?" Severus nodded eagerly, completely forgetting that he was behaving very suspiciously. Of course Harry realised it very quickly, because this wasn't his Severus. He looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but he had a lot to do, so he went to put his things away, while Severus summoned the Christmas decorations in the living room.
They both looked in surprise at the old Christmas decorations that had answered Severus's Accio together with the new ones, and Harry suddenly lit up. "Perfect! We're going to have a truly amazing Christmas!" And he called Kreacher. Severus's brain could think of only one thing. 'How to get to the bedroom for more chocolate.' And he looked for the right moment to retreat.
Kreacher and Harry skilfully fastened the garland they had bought along the staircase, and Severus followed behind them pinning on the huge red bows and alternating golden bells with green baubles and old Christmas ornaments. Then he assembled the inherited magical angel chimes and watched them spin nicely above the burning candles. At the first opportunity he secretly slipped into the bedroom and stretched across the bed, groping blindly under it for the box. When he succeeded, he rolled onto his stomach and shifted so he could see it properly. There was only one chocolate left in the box, and Severus closed his eyes. "How am I going to smuggle the other one up here now?" he whispered to himself, reached for that last chocolate and pushed the box back so it couldn't be seen. He peeled off the foil and bit into it luxuriously, when Harry's voice rang out. "Severus? It's time to go and buy a tree and some branches for the walls and vases!" Severus shook himself, quickly swallowed the chocolate, regretting that he couldn't savour it properly. "Coming down!" He got dressed, wiped his mouth and hurried downstairs. He felt like a boy again. With a quick glance he checked whether the empty box was visible, and when he saw it wasn't, he hurried down.
Harry picked the biggest tree Severus had ever had the pleasure of seeing in the hall of a house. Not that it happened often, but he had seen a few trees. Now he was angrily dragging the big one home with Harry. He didn't understand why they couldn't make the job easier. Harry looked ready to kill him on the spot when he suggested shrinking the tree and carrying it home comfortably. Severus kept asking himself what would be so wrong with that.
Of course Harry saw Severus grumbling under his breath, so he explained it to him without asking what was bothering him. "Simply put, Severus, it's tradition! It's something that keeps the magic of Christmas alive! I never had the pleasure of going out with my dad to pick a tree." He soon regretted his thoughtless words.
It immediately goaded Severus into getting angry. "So am I some kind of substitute for your dad, or what?" Harry shook his head. "You're my partner! Do you think I'd want to have sex with my dad?" Harry blurted out angrily. Severus didn't even flinch, the squabble was playing right into his hands. "Who am I to know your secret desires!" he launched his offensive. But Harry had no intention of arguing, so with a frown he hoisted the tree onto his shoulder and pushed to hurry Severus along. The result was Severus on the ground and the tree next to him.
While Harry was trying to work out what had happened, he got a fit of laughter. Severus didn't find it nearly as funny, rather he got uncontrollably angry and silently swore revenge on Harry, but only after it flashed through his head that this was the perfect opportunity to carry the second chocolate set upstairs. He got up, cast a shrinking charm on the tree without looking around to see if anyone was watching, stuffed the tree into his coat and left Harry standing there alone. At home he quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed the second set and carried it upstairs before Harry could Apparate after him. He hid it under the bed, next to the empty box, and ran back downstairs. Kreacher watched him go in disbelief, shaking his head. "Master Snape is like a child." And he went on his way, determined to throw out the empty box.
Harry stared for a good five minutes at the spot where Severus and the tree had been lying, before his brain and his laughter allowed him to Apparate home after him. He found him in the hall, where he had already enlarged the tree back to its original size and was setting it in place with a levitation and stabilising charm. He watched him for a moment and then went to help. "All good now?" he asked carefully, while he balanced the tree into place from the other side. "Was something wrong?" Severus asked indifferently. Harry silently shook his head, even though Severus couldn't see him, and worked. When the tree was in place, Harry decided to bring the chocolates first. At Ron's he had seen how to decorate a tree properly. But when he opened the larder in the kitchen, he was surprised. "Where the hell did that chocolate go?"
Severus, who thought that was it for the day, decided to have a bath. Upstairs he ran water into the tub, poured in his special potion for skin hydration and went back to the bedroom, where he stretched across the bed and happily unwrapped the next box under it. He could already smell that magical chocolate. He didn't notice Harry open the door and walk in at all. He fished out a chocolate fish, bit into it and sat up on the bed, only to look straight into the eyes of a surprised Harry.
Harry watched Severus curiously and wondered what he was doing there, when Severus finally rolled back with the tail of a chocolate fish sticking out of his mouth. Harry's jaw dropped and Severus froze. For a while they stared at each other, and then Harry turned on his heel and ran downstairs. He was choking with laughter and didn't want Severus to know. He couldn't get that image out of his head, if anyone from school saw this, Severus's reputation would probably be gone in an instant. It was clear to him that the tree would be without chocolate, because Severus would eat it all before Christmas Eve came anyway!
Severus went to turn off the water, took the box, from which he had managed to take one more chocolate, and went after Harry with only a towel around his waist. He found him in the kitchen, pouring himself tea and one black coffee. It was clear to Severus that the coffee was for him, so he cleared his throat, put down the box and did something he had done only very rarely in his life. "I'm sorry."
Harry froze, turned to Severus, and when he saw how tragic he looked, the laughter bubbled up in him again, and this time he couldn't hold it and burst out laughing at full volume. "Shame I didn't know sooner!" He opened the box, dipped a piece of chocolate into Severus's coffee and pushed it into his mouth, which he then kissed thoroughly. Severus deepened that chocolate kiss and Harry closed his eyes sensually. Severus's spicy taste mixed with the taste of the fine chocolate and gave Harry an appetite for something else. He slid his hand into Severus's lap and squeezed his cock through the towel. Severus closed his eyes and then said curtly, "Upstairs!" He bit Harry's neck. "Now…" He turned, quickly grabbed the chocolate and smiled hungrily. Harry didn't wait, and hand in hand with Severus, whose towel fell to the floor in front of a surprised Kreacher clutching the empty wrappers from the earlier chocolate, he ran upstairs to the bedroom to enjoy some chocolate games.
THE END
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Mimosa Confiante
By day, I work somewhere between marketing, copy and campaigns; by night, I usually end up somewhere between fanfiction, cosplay and yet another “what if” that refuses to leave me alone. I write mainly in the Harry Potter and Mo Dao Zu Shi fandoms, most often Snarry, Snamione, HarryLu and WangXian. My healthcare background means that anatomy, medicine and far too much research occasionally find their way into my stories. Cosplay is another way for me to play with the characters I love, whether I stay close to canon or turn them into my own fanfiction and AU versions. In Diary of a Slytherin Girl with ADHD, I write openly about life with a brain that usually has far too many tabs open at once.
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