Here Be Dragons.

[pekeleke]

Title: Here Be Dragons.
Fandom: Harry Potter (Snarry)
Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape.
Author: pekeleke.
Rating: G.
Word count: 1059
Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. No money is being made out of this work.
A/N1: Unbetaed. Written for the adventdrabbles (DW,LJ, IJ) 2015 prompt 16: Footprints in the Snow/ prompt 17: Nativity scene.
A/N2: This is the tenth part of my Black Smoke series.
Summary: Forget the Drunk Elf Caroling Debacle of 1985, the Dark Lord's I-Can-Fix-My-Nose-In-A-Jiffy Catastrophe of 1996, and Potter's Morning Wood Fiasco of 2015. Potter liked him. Merlin!… Pot—Potter liked him. That was, hands down, the most shocking shock to have EVER shocked him.

Here Be Dragons.

Forget the Drunk Elf Caroling Debacle of 1985, the Dark Lord's I-Can-Fix-My-Nose-In-A-Jiffy Catastrophe of 1996, and Potter's Morning Wood Fiasco of 2015. Forget even the thoroughly embarrassing, Firewhiskey-induced, I-Called-The-Obliviators-Because-I-Hallucinated-Troll-Footprints-In-The-Snow-Around-A-Muggle-Nativity-Scene Incident of 2003. Potter liked him. Merlin!… Pot—Potter liked him. That was, hands down, the most shocking shock to have EVER shocked him. And he hadn't reacted well to it. He'd reacted rather badly.

He'd yowled in disbelief and hissed in outrage, tried to rip Potter's horrible 'doll' to shreds and, upon realizing that the blasted thing had been charmed Umbreakable, stomped into his shadowy haven under the umbrella stand. He hadn't left it since.

Potter had been understandably puzzled, but he'd blamed all the weirdness on 'kitty' being jealous. He promised ear scratches and belly rubs and, when that hadn't worked, attempted to lure Severus out of his hideaway by intimating he'd be forgiven for getting 'frisky' with 'SuperSnape.'

Severus wasn't coming out this century, though. He was shocked. Shaken. And Stirred. And not in the fun way. He wasn't in the mood to be petted anymore. He needed to come to terms with the incredible, astonishing, and absolutely bizarre concept Potter had just dropped on his unsuspecting head. Potter and him. Together. And not just together as friends, but 'together' together.

Severus had realized he wanted Potter's friendship and had taken a rather bold step forward to secure it, but Potter had to go and out-bold him. 'Of course he had to. He's the ultimate Gryffindor. Allowing an old snake to out-brave him must be against his principles or something. Oh, that annoying, greedy, bastard!  Why did he have to ruin everything?' Severus thought sourly, hiding his tiny face between his paws.

He'd wanted Potter's kindness. His cuddles. And his warmth. He'd wanted to open up a bit and see if that would make him happier, but he'd never wanted—No. That wasn't entirely true. He hadn't dared to expect more. And maybe he should have because, now that he thought about it, he realized that Poppy wouldn't have foisted him on Potter if she hadn't known about this already. She'd been too easily swayed by the savior's worry that day in the infirmary, which meant she must have been plotting to throw them together for some time.

Severus couldn't believe he was Harry Potter's hero. He couldn't get past the thought that he'd never been meant to find out, either. Potter wouldn't have told the cat such a thing if he'd known Severus was 'there.'  'Merlin!  He's going to kill me. Or be so mortified he'll never speak to me again. Possibly both. What on Earth am I supposed to do now?  How am I supposed to feel?  This is nuts. That's what it is. This is positively bonkers.'

“You realize you can't huff under there forever, don't you, lil' mate?” Potter's voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and Severus looked up, instantly spotting the bespectacled green eye that was staring at him from extremely close range. He hissed furiously and flashed razor-sharp teeth, peeved beyond belief by the realization that Potter had caught him indulging himself in a -small- fit of the vapors. 'Come on ground, swallow me now. I can not possibly stomach so much embarrassment.'

“Hush, kitty. Hush.” Potter soothed, reaching into his hideaway and patting his tiny left paw affectionately. “It's OK. I'm not going to scoop you out or anything. And I don't fit under there, so I can't steal your spot, either. I was worried about you because you've been there for ages, that's all. You haven't touched your food, and I doubt a lil' thing like you should be shivering down here for so long. It's the middle of December, you know? And it's kind of drafty so close to the fireplace vent. You should pull your blanket in, you, idiot. I can't tell how long my Warming Charms last on you.”

Severus' traitorous heart melted a little at Potter's caring. He was used to fending for himself. To being ultimately alone, regardless of how many people surrounded him on a daily basis. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to Poppy for medical care, and none of his colleagues would dare to imply that he looked anything other than 'especially peeved this morning' for fear of unleashing his 'ornery' temperament.

Potter would dare, though. Potter wanted to—Potter just wanted him, apparently. He wanted all of him. The kitten and the professor. The sulking creature hiding under his umbrella stand and the ex-Death Eater. The cold fish. The unlovable pariah…

“Don't look so glum, kitty. Whatever is wrong with your world can't possibly be that bad. You're warm and safe and loved, even if you're shunning most of it right now. Nothing out there can hurt you while you have all that, you see?  Because love—love is mighty, kitty. And it doesn't like leaving, so it's gonna wait right here for you. That way it'll be ready to welcome you with open arms when you come out, and it'll help you defeat whatever monsters you're afraid of all the faster.”

Severus blinked, shocked beyond words by that giant heap of sentimental tosh. Potter was an idiot. A naive, romantic idiot, but still... that speech had been insufferably charming. Swoon-worthy, even. 'Oh, Merlin! I can't believe this ridiculous Gryffindor goody-two-shoes just managed to impress me with the mushiest line in the book. Love is mighty—pft!'

He mewled with discontent, realizing he was more than half-doomed already if that ludicrous garbage could sway him. 'Might as well give up now, then. That way I'll never 'fail' to resist him. It'll just look like I decided to give love, that pesky, old bastard, one last chance.'

Severus took a deep breath and inched out of his hideaway, dragging his back paws dramatically until Potter laughed at his antics and drew him tenderly closer. 'This is mine.' He thought fiercely, resting his tiny head atop Potter's pounding heart and claiming its thump-thump-thump for himself. “This is mine, and it won't go away because it doesn't want to. This has waited for me and is willing to help me defeat every dragon who dwells here. So beware, ancient dragons. Beware.'

TBC

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Comments

[lara_quinn]

Yes, love is mighty and will overcome even the reluctance of a sulky old Slytherin.

[pekeleke]

LOL. Love is mighty indeed. *g* Poor Severus, I doubt his Slytherin pride will ever recover from the trauma of knowing that such a Gryffindor line actually worked on him. ;D

Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review another chapter of this crazy story of mine. Your kind and lovely comments never fail to make me smile. :D

[mrs_sweetpeach]

Now that's the spirit, Severus-Kitty!

I sure am enjoying this series pekeleke. Work and life have been busier than normal and I've had to time to write but I can read faster than I can type and I've read each part at least twice. *Hugs*

[pekeleke]

Oh, That's such a lovely and encouraging thing to say about this story, mrs_sweetpeach. I'm glad you're enjoying kitty!Severus' shenanigans so much.

Thanks for taking the time to keep up with these updates, despite your busy schedule. Your kind and lovely comments mean the world to me. <3

[torino10154]

Aw, Severus is thawing a bit. Good to see.

[pekeleke]

LOL. I don't think he has any other option. Harry is kind of irresistible, isn't he? ;D
Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review this story. Your kind and lovely comment was greatly appreciated. :D

[alisanne]

Yes! Finally!
And now we get cuddles and cookies and maybe even kisses? ;)
Nice to see Severus having some faith in his Harry.

[pekeleke]

LOL. I'm assuming there'll be cuddles, yes. The kissing will have to wait until Severus gets back to his own body or he might end up traumatized forever. He's not exactly adventurous when it comes to such things, is he? ;D

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to both read and review another update of this crazy story of mine, ali. Your kind and lovely comment was greatly appreciated.

[ajatshatru]

I read all of this now. And this part made me tear up a little bit :) Lovely, lovely work. I also love cat-Severus situations !

[pekeleke]

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review this story so far. Your kind and lovely comment was greatly appreciated. :D

[adafrog]

Yay!

[pekeleke]

Thanks so much, ada! :D

[lav123]

Aww...this so cute!

[pekeleke]

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it, lav. Thanks, as always, for your lovely comment. :D

[keyairreem]

*sobs* so mushy but soooooo lovely! *dashes off to read the next part.

[pekeleke]

LOL. Mushy is definitely the right description for this one, isn't it? :)

I'm glad that you enjoyed this update, keyairreem. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to both read and review another work of mine. Your lovely comment meant the world to me. :D

[teryarel]

Yes! Go in for the kill, little kitty! Grab love with both (all four?) paws, sink teeth and claws in, for good measure, and let the love shine!


Sorry. Got a bit carried away there.
But I love how Severus finally makes the right move: to trust his hero and take what is so obviously offered.

Again, pekeleke, thank you for sharing! ^^

[pekeleke]

LOL. Yes, Severus finally made the right move. He's chosen to both trust and claim his Harry, even if he's doing it because he hates the idea of 'failing' to resist Harry's mushy charms. :D

Thanks, once again, for taking the time to both read and review this story. Your kind and lovely comment left me smiling from ear to ear. <3