Silver and Gold 23/? DH Spoilers
SPOILERS FOR DH


Title: Silver and Gold 23/?
Author: Eriador117
Rating: NC-17, Snape/Harry
Spoilers up to and including Deathly Hallows
Summary: Things are never quite what they seem. Epilogue, what epilogue? ;)
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse, I'm just playing in it.
Beta'd by Rakina, many thanks :)
Warnings: AU, Angst, Mpreg. There are some other things I am not warning for as it will give away the plot and I myself don't exactly know where the story is going yet. Probably some D/s later.



Earlier Parts

Part Twenty Three

When Harry returned to the common room later that night with Severus' books clutched to his chest he was hoping that everyone else would have already gone to bed. Luck wasn't on his side. Nearly all of the upper years were still dotted about on the chairs and sofas eagerly looking towards the portrait hole when Harry stepped through it.

No lights were on, the only light was from the fire flickering in the grate. No one was even pretending to do any study. Harry should have guessed they would want to know what was going on but he didn't want to tell them. He was fed up with every man and his Crup wanting to know his business. Wasn't he allowed any privacy, ever?

Ron was staring at the books in Harry's hand and he flushed, wishing he'd thought to shrink them. There was no way Harry wanted anyone to else to know the subject matter contained within those pages.

"Did you get detention, Harry?" asked Neville.

"Yeah. I've got to help out in the hospital wing after classes for the rest of the week."

"Oh? Snape doesn't have you on your knees sucking his cock all week? Got fed up with you already?" asked Ron snidely.

"Shut up!" Harry could feel the anger bubbling beneath the surface. "What have you been telling everyone?"

"Just the truth. That you're Snape's new fucktoy."

All the other Gryffindors were looking from Harry to Ron and back again like spectators at a Quidditch match.

"Harry, is it true?" asked one of the sixth years whose name Harry didn't even remember. As he looked around the common room he realised something else as well: none of the girls were here. "That you're shagging Snape?"

"It's none of your damn business!" snapped Harry, livid beyond endurance. "It's my life and I'll thank you all for keeping your noses out of it!"

"He is Confunded!" said someone Harry couldn't see. "Harry Potter wouldn't get angry like that!"

"I told you!" Ron crowed. "Snape's done something to him. What's in the books, Harry?" asked Ron, advancing on him.

Harry edged towards the stairs but Ron was quicker and he managed to wrest the books from Harry's arms. They spilled onto the floor, some of them flipping open and the assembled students gasped at some of the images revealed within the pages: a tall man dressed all in leather, another man kneeling in front of him with a collar and a leash. Men in various sexual poses both dressed and undressed. Harry felt his whole body flush with embarrassment.

"How dare you!" Harry rounded on Ron. "Those are private!"

"They're Snape's!" retorted Ron. "That's sick, Harry! Can't you see that? He's just using you as a sex slave!"

"It's not sick," said Neville. "It's just different."

"Different?" snorted Ron. "Kneeling in front of him and calling him 'Master'? Just what I'd expect from a Death Eater!"

"Leave him alone, Ron!" shouted Neville. "It's not our business. Come on, Harry." Neville helped Harry gather up his books and walked with him up the stairs. There were still questions floating up behind them but Harry ignored them. He knew that if he turned and started trying to defend his relationship yet again his anger would get the better of him. Neville left him by his bedroom door and began climbing the stairs to his dormitory.

"That's right, Neville! You sickos have got to stick together!" Ron's voice carried up the stairwell.

"Neville, can you come in for a while? I don't feel like being alone right now."

"Sure. If you want me to."

Harry nodded and pushed his bedroom door open with his foot. As Harry set the books down in the centre of his bed, Neville admired the crystal chess set Severus had given Harry. "That's beautiful. He must really love you."

"Ron reckoned he was trying to buy me with expensive gifts."

Neville huffed. "And Ron calls himself a pureblood! That's a gift that can't be bought, Harry. Those are faery crystals. They can only be wrought with magic. Snape created that gift for you with his own magic, that's a very deep commitment. Working with crystals takes a lot out of you. It must have taken him weeks to make this."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, I didn't know that." Harry sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know what's got into Ron lately. He was fine with me being gay a couple of weeks ago and knew I was being Courted. I know he doesn't like Severus, but he's being so mean about it. And why does he keep going on about sex? We haven't even done that yet!"

"Um, Harry. I think it might be my fault. Why Ron's being so weird at the minute."

"Your fault? How do you figure that?"

"On the last Hogsmeade weekend, I stayed at the castle. Someone was visiting me and Ron saw us together in the dorms. He freaked out."

"It wasn't Ginny, was it?" Harry asked although he thought that might explain a few things.

"No. It was George and we – we were playing."

"Playing what? Exploding Snap?"

Neville blushed and pointed at the books.

"Oh. Oh!" said Harry not sure what else he could say. He hadn't seen that coming.

"I'm his sub," said Neville. "Ron didn't understand what he was seeing, he just ran off and he hasn't spoken to George since. He can barely look at me either."

"So – so you know a bit about this?" asked Harry, waving his arms around at the books. "We haven't decided on anything yet, I don't know a lot about it, that's why Severus gave me the books."

"I'm still being trained," said Neville. "It's difficult to see each other very often, but George tries to come and see me on Hogsmeade weekends and he's invited me to the Burrow with him at Christmas. He's told his parents that we're a couple, but not what sort of couple."

Harry tried not to feel upset at Neville's words. It was the first Christmas he hadn't been invited to the Burrow and the way Ron was feeling towards him right now he reckoned he wouldn't be getting an invitation any time soon.

Neville wandered over to the bed and skimmed through a few of the books. "The Art of Submission, that's a good one. George gave me that for my birthday. Boys in Chains: Erotic Tales of Bondage and Submission, oh that sounds good, can I borrow that when you've finished with it?"

"I'll have to ask Severus."

"Oh, of course," said Neville as if it was the most natural thing in the world for Harry to have to ask permission. "If you've any questions, Harry, you can ask me. If your Master allows that."

"So you've no problem with me seeing a teacher?"

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Harry. And if you want to have the same type of relationship as George and I have, well I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I said I couldn't understand that need, wouldn't I?"

"It's a bit scary," Harry admitted. "I told him I needed to think about it."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? You'll make the right decision." Neville yawned. "I'd better get back to the dorms. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the talk, Neville."

"You're very welcome, Harry."

***

When Harry awoke the next morning there was a single white rose on the pillow beside his bed along with a scrolled up piece of parchment. Harry smiled to himself and unfurled it; there was only one person who could have bypassed his wards to magic those into the room.

Impatient always for the hour
When next I feel your gentle touch
I yearn to hold my virgin flower
Long for the boy I love so much

Nothing could wrest me from your side
Neither gold nor silver, force nor guile
Erstwhile ambitions pale beside
The ache I have to make you smile

All my love, Severus

P.S. Wipe that silly grin off your face and get to our session!

Harry giggled as he set the poem aside and sighed deeply. God, who knew Severus would have been such a romantic? Harry glanced at the alarm clock; he wouldn't even have time for a wash before he was due to join Severus in their training session. Just because they were Courting now didn't mean that Severus was about to let him slack off. Harry scrambled for his work-out clothes, hurled them into his bag and dashed out the door, almost running the entire way to the dungeons.

Harry skidded to a halt outside the gym and tried flattening down his hair, even knowing as he did so that it was a futile task. It made him feel better that he'd tried though. Severus was already there, as usual wearing one of the tight black t-shirts and a pair of jogging bottoms. Harry tried his best not to stare, but that was almost as futile as trying to tame his hair. His eyes were drawn to those muscles time and time again.

"You're late," said Severus, although there was a clock nowhere in evidence. "Discipline is very important, Harry."

Harry wondered if there was a double meaning behind Severus' words today. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I forgot to set my alarm last night."

"Very well, don't let it happen again. Get changed and we can start, or were you thinking of exercising in your pyjamas?"

Severus grinned at him and Harry looked down at his attire in alarm. He'd been so keen to get here on time that he hadn't even dressed first. He was still wearing a pair of plaid pyjama bottoms and a long sleeved t-shirt that he'd slept in the night before. "It was your fault," said Harry. "I was all flustered after reading your poem, I forgot to get changed."

"I make you flustered, do I?" Severus asked innocently standing close to Harry and trailing a finger along Harry's lower lip. Harry made a strange noise, somewhere between a moan and a whimper and he angled his body towards Severus' only for Severus to step back away from him.

Severus slapped him lightly on the thigh. "Discipline, Harry. Work first, play later."

"You promise?" Harry asked.

"Where you are concerned, I will always keep my promises."

Staring up at him, Harry didn't doubt it for a moment.

TBC


A/N: The poem is changed a little from one my husband wrote to me (used with permission, LOL!)