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Chasing Moonbeams. Ch27.
Title: Chasing Moonbeams.
Author: pekeleke
Pairing(s): Severus Snape/Harry Potter
Rating: NC-17, eventually.
Length: 82K+
Warnings: Extremely Slow burn. Pre-slash to slash. Enemies to friends to lovers. Pinning!Harry. Oblivious!Severus. Implied Bottom!Severus. EWE.
Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
Summary: “Really?” Harry beams, green eyes wide and full of wonder. “You’re going to let me snog you to my heart’s content?”
Chapter 27.
Severus isn’t the smallest bit surprised when Pansy and Daphne descend upon his humble abode the very next day, bearing the requisite box of his favorite exploding bonbons and a cauldron worth of puzzled curiosity. The girls are nothing if not diligent in their self-appointed task of gathering the most reliable insight into the latest gossip regardless of whether the regular press has already caught wind of it or not. Surprisingly, The Prophet’s morning article regarding yesterday’s outing was utterly free of either insinuation or innuendo. Severus hasn’t had enough time yet to find out if that is Harry’s doing, or if the paparazzi are so used to watching the boy grab his male friends’ hands willy-nilly that it honestly hasn’t occurred to them that their hero’s actions are out of character.
The Slytherin customers who were present at the bakery are another matter entirely. They may have been ready enough to cast Harry’s grabby behavior as some sort of peculiar Gryffindor quirk, but they must have been positively scandalized to see Severus accepting the touch without making a fuss of the wand drawn variety. Severus isn’t precisely known for being touchy-feely, and Elise Egglebert, one of the most prolific rumormongers to have ever graced the Slytherin dungeons had been steadily goggling at their linked hands throughout the last hour of their outing. Severus has a pretty accurate mental picture of how fast her tongue waged as soon as she made it to a secure Floo network.
The girls, elegant as always, have the grace to allow him to make tea and arrange a few delicate nibbles on a platter for all of them to share before their interrogation begins in earnest. “Dear Elise mentioned that she saw you engage in uncharacteristically friendly behavior with Harry Potter yesterday afternoon, Severus.” Pansy, the bravest of the two, opens the conversation.
“I see Miss. Egglebert’s appetite for gossip remains healthy despite her recent engagement. Shouldn’t her head be filled with more wedding-oriented topics? Spreading rumors about her former Head of House is hardly an appropriate pursuit for a future blushing bride.”
Daphne chuckles under her breath while Pansy’s dark eyes dance with unholy glee. She positively adores verbal sparring. “Surely a Slytherin blushing bride is allowed to have more than one type of thought running through her head. Especially in this day and age. I’d even suggest that she should be encouraged to remain extra-vigilant when the rumor in question also features Harry Potter possibly pressuring a beloved mentor into unsavory hand-holding.”
Severus’s left eyebrow twitches upward. “Can hand-holding ever be unsavory, Miss. Parkinson?” He asks calmly, lifting his teacup just enough to blow softly over the hot liquid’s surface.
“I’d dare say that depends on the willingness of both parties.”
“You believe Harry Potter has it in him to coerce the likes of me?”
Pansy stares assessingly at him for a solid minute. Her gaze deep and concerned. “I believe that you have grown too used to sacrificing yourself for the ‘Greater Good,’ Sir. Maybe Potter doesn’t need to coerce you. All he has to do is mention that he prefers his friends to be as touchy-feely as that uncouth barbarian, Weasley, for you to decide that accepting all that pawing is a small price to pay to remain in his good graces.”
“I thought we’d agreed that finding a way into Potter’s inner circle would benefit all of us, Pansy.” Severus reminds her calmly.
Daphne decides to enter the conversation at that point. “Yes, we agreed. And we were right. Cultivating Potter’s friendship did open the doors of wizarding businesses to us once more. Just yesterday, Pansy here received a letter from St. Mungo’s offering her that job they’d swore up and down she wasn’t ‘qualified’ for, but-
“I’ll turn it down, Severus.” Pansy interrupts Daphne with such uncharacteristic rudeness that Severus blinks at her, stunned.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll turn St. Mungo’s bloody offer down if that means you’ll feel free to punch Potter in the face the next time he tries getting handsy with you, professor.”
“You will do nothing of the sort, young lady!” Severus growls, thoroughly incensed.
“The hell I won’t!” Pansy growls right back, “I won’t be the reason why you force yourself into fitting a mold of Potter’s making. Dumbledore may have had no qualms asking you to do that for the sake of ‘The Light,’ but he had neither respect nor love for you. I do. Every one of us does, Sir. And we’d rather go back to being social pariahs than see you become someone you are not.”
Severus’s rising frustration deflates like a punctured balloon. He looks at these two girls he’s known and cared for throughout most of their lives and feels an almost overwhelming wave of pride at the fine pair of young women they’ve become. “I’m grateful for the sentiment, my ladies. I truly am. But, in this case, your protectiveness is misplaced.”
“Severus, please, let us-
“No. I— We made a terrible mistake in our evaluation of Potter. He never fell in love with a motherly woman, Pansy. Harry Potter is gay, and he-
“Salazar!” Daphne gasps, goggling at him as if he’s suddenly turned into a bright pink toad. “Potter is in love with you. Isn’t he, Severus?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, no.”
“Girls-
“This is worse than we feared. We need to contact Draco. He’ll know what to do.”
“Pansy, will you please-
“No. No, Pans. That’s a terrible idea. You know Draco will storm out of here and go rip Potter’s balls off as soon as he finds out. We should call Blaise instead.”
“Daphne, there is no need to-
“Yes, you’re right, Daph. Blaise is a much better choice. He’ll find a way of poisoning that bastard, Potter, on the quiet when he next sets foot at the club, and justice will be served in a way that can never be traced back to us.”
“Will the two of you shut the fuck up, and listen to me for a bloody minute?” Severus finally roars, shocking the girls so completely with the use of such foul language in their presence that they stop plotting and gaze at him, appalled.
“Professor!” Daphne gasps and opens her mouth to speak further only to be silenced by the frustrated glare Severus throws her way. She’s never in her entire life been on the receiving end of such look.
“I do not require my honor avenged in any way, thank you very much.”
“But-
“No.”
“You don’t have to-
“I said no, Miss Parkinson!”
“You can’t expect us to accept that sort of sacrifice in good faith, Sir. Befriending the Savior is one thing. Allowing yourself to become his plaything for our sake is way out of line.”
“It is, indeed, Pansy. Which is why I’m doing nothing of the sort. Please, have some faith in my integrity.”
“I do! But I have even more faith in your almost Hufflepuffish sacrificial tendencies, Severus. Don’t you even try to deny you’d do almost anything for us.”
“Oh, I would.” Severus agrees candidly, and his gaze becomes softer when he bends forward enough in his chair to grasp Pansy’s fisted hands in his own, cradling them gently. “I would do many things indeed to ensure you are all safe and happy, Pansy. But, in this case, I don’t have to. Harry Potter isn’t the sort of bloke who’d accept coerced affection.”
“Y-you mean you honestly want him?”
“I mean we’re already exactly where we wanted to be when we first hatched this crazy plan. It never worked, by the way. Harry knew from the beginning that improving our lot’s standing in society was the main reason why I accepted his original invitation to tea at the bakery. He used the argument himself to tip the balance in his favor.”
“That was almost Slytherin of him.” Daphne whispers, impressed.
“Yes. It was.” Severus agrees, releasing his ex-pupil’s hands and settling back against the backrest of his chair to better look them both in the eye. “We no longer need him to prop up our reputation. Our future successes in the fields opening up to us will do that. You’ll be the best thing that’s ever happened to St. Mungo’s, Pansy. And you will do that on your own. The same can be said for all the snakes that will follow. I don’t need to become Harry’s partner to ensure any of you will thrive. The first door has been opened, and that’s all you’ve ever needed.”
“And you?”
“I’m— exploring possibilities.”
“That doesn’t sound like you love him, Severus.” Pansy points out, clearly worried.
“I don’t, but I could. Harry Potter is— kind.”
“Oh!” The girls gasp in unison and Severus has to grit his teeth to resist the temptation of wriggling nervously in his chair. He wonders when, exactly, did he become so transparent to the children he helped raise and feels both strangely proud of them and incredibly vulnerable. “That’s— wonderful, Sir. Y-you certainly deserve kindness.”
“I’m glad you approve, Miss Greengrass.” Severus replies stiffly and ends up huffing when the two idiots laugh and, looking at each other before rolling their eyes in unison, have the actual gall of claiming that it’s time to change the subject for they both know how ‘testy’ he becomes whenever he gets flustered.
Severus shakes his head from left to right and allows them to do as they please. The rest of their visit follows their usual pattern of gossip-sharing, Slytherin plotting, and fond bickering. Severus learns that Greg’s security firm will open its first UK office before the end of the year, that Theo ended up caving to Blaise’s insistence that he showed up at the club on the same night young Ginevra Weasley was due to do so, and they ended up striking a conversation that lasted several hours and left young Mr. Nott starry-eyed. Astoria has been approached by Madam Malkin with an offer to become the first English business to showcase -and sell- her Haute Couture handbags. Narcissa is considering participating once again on this year’s Wizarding Green-thumb Showcase, and Flourish and Blotts have finally run out of the first edition copies of Draco’s Magical Defense books. They are all doing well, and Severus is happy. All he’s ever wanted is for their society to give his precious snakes the chance to shine and, now that it has, he is a hairbreadth away from finally proving his point, for nobody realizes the truth yet, but Severus has always known this: he’s nurtured a generation of Slytherins that is ready to take the world by storm. And none of their peers can outshine them.
Next.
Back.
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Whoa, I almost sprayed my laptop with the tea I was originally trying to drink in just that moment.
Ohhhh, oh my gosh. She's such a sweet Hufflepuff!
Aww. Severus's Snakes are slowly slytherin into my heart...
Ha, ha, ha! Brilliant scene! I can see Severus's gaze going from the one to the other like in a tennis match, eyes widening more and more the more outrageous their plotting gets. At first he's slightly flustered, then somewhat annoyed and finally he's boiling with anger - complete with raised eyebrow and deep frown and maybe even showing some teeth in a incensed snarl. If I had been there I'd have brought my carrot sticks to nibble, leaning back and enjoying the show. :D
They are truly like a tight-knit family, these Slytherins. It's so good and satisfying to see that there are people (except for Harry, of course) who care so much about their former professor that they're not only plotting murder (and getting away with it, too) for him but who understand him to the very core... And who doesn't like to see Severus squirm a bit, now and then? ;)
Hufflepuffs, the lot of them! <3
So, this was the second gossip-scene you promised. It is indeed very much like I thought it'd be and also so different! Each of the characters has their own personality that shines through. Like Pansy's fierce protectiveness and Daphne's quick grasp and understanding. And also there are these little tidbits that make the characters come alive - even those that are only mentioned during the gossip-sharing, like Greg (like in Gregory Goyle?) or Theo. :)
Thank you for another lovely chapter, dear pekeleke! ^^
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"Ha, ha, ha! Brilliant scene! I can see Severus's gaze going from the one to the other like in a tennis match, eyes widening more and more the more outrageous their plotting gets." LOL. Yeah, things got a little bit out of Severus's control there for a minute or two. At least he managed to calm the girls down before they could put their plotting into action and do something unspeakable to poor, unsuspecting Harry. :)
Yes, the Slytherins are like a tightly-knit family. They look after one another, and I have the feeling this comes from the fact that they're sort of isolated at Hogwarts. They have to stick together, don't they? Because the rest of the Houses are united in treating them with suspicion. :)
"Hufflepuffs, the lot of them! <3" LOL Oh, no! Now you've done it. You've set off the girls' murderous plotting again and this time they're out to get you, teryarel, for you have offended them greatly. The bad news is that you've offended Severus too, so he may feel inclined to let them avenge the snakes' collective honor. I'd run away and hide if I were you. :)
Yes, this one is the second gossip scene I told you about, and I'm glad to hear that it was, and also wasn't, what you expected. It's nice to be surprised by a character -or even a group of characters- every now and then, isn't it? I'm thrilled that the Slytherins' different personalities shine through so clearly for you, and that you like them all. Yes, the Greg they mention in this chapter is Gregory Goyle. :)
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to both read and review another chapter of this fic, my dear friend. Your kind and lovely comment meant the world to me. :)
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O _ O'
*peaks out from the stone she's hiding under* Are they gone? I take back everything. They're no Hufflepuffs! Really, I officially renounce my previous statement. I didn't mean it like that. :/ Would it help if I promise not to allude to any Hufflepuff-ishness from now on? At least let me read the last chapter before taking your revenge?! *crawls back under the stone to hide some more*
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*crawls out from underneath her stone, dusts off her clothes*
Phew, that was close... Heh, I guess I owe them a favour, then. The main thing is that I can continue to read the story now. That's how I roll. ;)
(Hm, maybe you're a Slytherin yourself, after all.)