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"Merlin... Fred! George!" Harry shouted in dismay, rushing over to the trouble twins. "Are you insane? Don't set off your fireworks so close to the lake! None of us want to be blown up if the giant squid decides to splash around and drench everything."
Of course, the two redheads seemed entirely unimpressed by the green-eyed wizard's warning. Actually, it would have surprised Harry if they had listened to him.
Ever since he had decided to take on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the two troublemakers had been somewhat resentful. They constantly accused him of turning into a boring old stick-in-the-mud.
"Yeah, yeah, Percy!" one of them called back to him now. In the darkness of the Hogwarts grounds, it was impossible to say for certain which of the two it had been.
But Harry could clearly see that they rolled their eyes at each other.
Harry sighed and rubbed his nose. "Guys, please. I love you, but I value my life. If this goes down wrong, Minerva won't just fire me, she'll lock me in the Chamber of Secrets with the remains of the basilisk, where I'll rot alongside it. Just move the stuff five meters to the left, and that's it!"
"Alright, but only because it's you!" they finally admitted. "But you owe us a night out soon. Your next free weekend belongs to us!"
"Fine," the green-eyed man grumbled somewhat discontentedly.
He really wasn't looking forward to that!
Every time he went out with the twins to the bars, he ended up embarrassing himself to the bone, and usually it was Severus who found him afterward.
He still blushed with shame when he remembered Snape finding him unconscious in the boys' bathroom, apparently falling asleep in the middle of washing his hands. In fact, he would have preferred it if he had drowned himself in the sink rather than enduring the cold, judgmental stare of the Potions Master for the entire following week.
That was especially uncomfortable when you had finally built a friendship with the man.
Severus really made you feel it when he thought you were being idiotic.
If he weren't so terrible at potions, he would have mixed himself a sobering potion long ago just to avoid being exposed as a complete idiot again!
On the other hand, the Potions Master probably knew best what he was dealing with when it came to Harry. And at least all his intimate body parts had been concealed, when Severus had found him, so it hadn't become even more embarrassing for him.
Shaking his head, he looked at the clock. It was almost 11 p.m. now.
They had a little over an hour left to finish the last preparations, but most things were already being taken care of by the house-elves anyway.
Harry really wouldn't know what to do without those little lifesavers!
This year, Minerva had come up with the idea of hosting a big new year’s party at the castle. All the children who stayed here over the holidays, for whatever reason, were allowed to invite friends or family to celebrate Christmas and New Year with them.
It probably didn't need to be mentioned that the staff hadn't had a moment's peace since then, did it?
The castle was fuller than during normal class times.
Among the current residents was also the entire Weasley family, who wouldn’t miss a chance to visit Harry after he announced he couldn't take time off to come to the burrow.
But the number of people also meant a great deal of potential for accidents.
Just yesterday, Peeves had stolen several bottles of olive oil from the kitchen. The headmistress was still puzzling over how the poltergeist had bypassed the enchantments. And then Peeves smeared the entire entrance hall with it.
Throughout the day, everyone had slipped at least once because they had simply lost footing. It was stupid how resistant the stuff turned out to be against spells.
Harry had no idea what the reason for that might be.
Anyway, there were probably about twenty-five really nasty bone fractures from this disaster, which not only annoyed Poppy but also got Severus, as the acting Potions Master, extremely worked up because he had to brew healing potions all night.
Goodness, when Harry ran into the man this morning, he seemed on the verge of fighting with Hagrid because the half-giant hadn't moved out of his way quickly enough.
When Harry pulled him aside anxiously and gently talked to him, the long-haired man actually fell asleep for a moment. His head simply dropped onto Harry's shoulder, while his entire body slumped against Harry's chest. With a pounding heart, the green-eyed man had stood there, holding Severus in his arms and exchanging a bewildered look with Hagrid over his shoulder.
Until Snape, just as suddenly, woke up again, straightened up, and walked off.
If Harry were honest, he hadn't seen the long-haired man since.
Maybe something else had happened?
He went back to the Great Hall, where almost everyone was gathered, chattering and eating away until it was time for the fireworks.
However, Snape wasn't among them, the green-eyed man noted with a disappointed feeling in his chest.
But internally, he scolded himself for being an idiot.
He couldn't say what it was this time. He didn't suspect any malicious schemes from the Slytherin and didn't distrust him anymore. But his thoughts and even his gaze often lingered on the older man, completely without rhyme or reason! Every now and then, he had caught himself gazing dreamily at the long-haired man. How does one explain to someone why they had been staring at his crotch for a solid five minutes?
It was fortunate that Snape couldn't know that he also had an itching desire to trace the visible contours of his manhood!
Furthermore, he probably shouldn't let Ron know that he now found the Slytherin highly amusing! Many of his snarky comments, which had gotten under one's skin as a student, were simply pure gallows humor from a teacher's perspective.
Minerva was pleased that he seemed to find his colleague's barbs so amusing. Ron, on the other hand, would immediately take him to St. Mungo's for a thorough examination.
Who would have ever thought that Ron would become a mental healer?
Hermione probably did; she was likely the proudest wife of all time. Although she herself was quite successful as the new head of the Law Enforcement Department.
Before Harry could further ponder his life, his gaze fell on two fifth-year students who were about to tamper with the punch bowl.
However, the headmistress was quicker than him. Still the tough woman, just like in his own school days (and just as nimble), the witch assigned detention to her students, while Harry took the Firewhisky away.
As the two Ravenclaws slunk off with their heads down, Harry reassuringly placed a hand on the woman's arm.
"I can't remember ever having so much mischief on my mind!" he said somewhat wistfully.
The woman laughed. "No, perhaps not mischief, but adventures! You were constantly getting into trouble!"
"I didn't! Trouble usually found me! And while we're at it, where has Severus disappeared to? I haven't seen him for a while. I'm afraid he might have fallen down a flight of stairs from exhaustion."
The headmistress smiled in a peculiar way that intuitively reminded Harry of Albus Dumbledore and made him feel like hiding under the nearest rock.
"I can imagine that the old grump is once again trying to hide in his beloved dungeons," she said candidly, surveying her realm with satisfaction. "But perhaps you should check on him and chase him back up here. He should be with us when we greet the New Year. And Harry, don't let him intimidate you! He probably won't exactly welcome you with open arms! He's tried to curse me enough times when I've disturbed him."
The green-eyed man felt somewhat taken aback by suddenly being shooed around, especially when Severus obviously wasn't in the mood for company.
Nevertheless, he resigned himself to his fate.
At least Snape's quarters were no longer quite as infinitely deep in the dark dungeons as before.
The potions master had insisted on getting a brighter apartment because the memories in his little cubbyhole had been too negative, Minerva had explained to Harry upon inquiry.
That was something Harry found oddly sympathetic as well.
Feeling nervous (which again made no sense to him and his crazy sense of perception), he finally stood in front of his colleague's door and knocked.
It took an unusually long time for it to be opened.
So long, in fact, that Harry had already half-turned to search for him in the man's office.
But when the door finally opened, Harry felt pure surprise welling up inside him.
Before him stood Severus Snape, wearing nothing but loose pajama pants and an extremely sleepy expression. Merlin, even the wrinkles of the Potions Master's bedding had imprinted on his skin, making him look adorably rumpled.
"Oh!" he blurted out, startled. "You were sleeping. Sorry, Severus. Minerva sent me to drag you upstairs."
For several seconds, it was impossible to discern from the teacher's expression whether he had even heard him. Then he grunted once shortly and simply turned back around.
He left the door wide open, so Harry cautiously entered and followed him.
He had seen Severus's apartment a few times before, but it had never been so dark or messy.
Snape himself had slumped back down on the sofa, lying on his stomach in a prone position. His eyes were closed, and it looked as if he had already fallen asleep again.
Grinning, Harry crouched down beside him. "Severus. Wake up! Minerva will be really mad at both of us otherwise!"
He didn't know why he had suddenly slipped into this cloying sing-song voice or used something akin to baby talk, but it must have been because the long-haired man just looked so darn cute.
Surely, that was Snape's own fault!
Severus didn't even open his eyes, he just snorted in annoyance. A deep crease formed on his forehead.
"What time is it?" he asked, his voice muffled through the sofa cushions.
"Twenty to twelve. Just enough time to get dressed and come with me."
"Too tired!" grumbled Severus, slowly rolling onto his side so he could look at Harry better.
Black eyes blinked lazily at him, and Harry had to suppress the overwhelming urge to brush the tousled strands of hair behind the man's ear.
Seriously, what was wrong with him?
"I understand, but come along anyway. It would be a shame if we didn't have you there. You just need to throw something on quickly, and in half an hour, I'll personally take you back to your bed, I promise! Does that sound acceptable?"
The Potions Master's face twisted reluctantly. "I don't think so. But I have a significantly better idea!"
In the next moment, the Slytherin had wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him onto the sofa with him.
Their limbs didn't quite seem to fit together in this unfamiliar angle, and Harry felt like he was about to slide off the piece of furniture with his butt first, so he clung stubbornly to his colleague.
When he looked up into the dark eyes, he only then realized how fast his heart was racing and how warm his cheeks felt.
Snape grinned as if he understood something Harry couldn't see.
"How about this. We just stay here together and cuddle. I don't need fireworks, just the New Year's kiss from you that I've been waiting for."
"I... You... WHAT?!?" stuttered the green-eyed man, but he was interrupted by a dark chuckle.
"Oh, Harry. Everyone can see how we're circling around each other. Only you seem to be blind, even to your own feelings!" smirked the Slytherin, his hands gently brushing over Harry's body as he spoke.
He seemed to wait.
Harry couldn't deny that he was feeling exceptionally good right now.
After a while, during which the Gryffindor made no move to break free, the long-haired one leaned forward and pressed a feather-light kiss to Harry's lips.
Harry gasped in surprise, although he should have seen it coming. However, his surprise had nothing to do with Snape actually being brave enough to take this step, but more with how good the kiss felt.
The kiss quickly deepened, while Severus seemed to have forgotten his tiredness. Seconds turned into minutes, and soon it was time for the New Year.
However, the two of them didn't notice the fireworks far above their heads anymore, as they were too engrossed in the fireworks they could ignite in each other.