12. BRUTAL HONESTY
Harry didn't think anything of it when Sirius greeted him with a sensual kiss and then said that Harry was the most beautiful person he had ever seen and that he was completely helpless against Harry's charm since Sirius was prone to flattery. But when they entered the Gryffindor common room, Harry began to become slightly suspicious because Sirius answered James' question if they wanted to play Exploding Snap with him and Lily with a:
"James, you're my best friend and my brother and during our First Year you were the only reason I got up in the morning. And I mean that in a completely platonic way."
James blinked. "Erm, thanks, Siri, you're my best friend as well, but are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, of course." Sirius shook his head. "Let's play Exploding Snap, alright?" He led Harry over to their table, motioning him to sit down in the armchair next to Lily.
"You could at least ask if Harry also wants to play," Lily reprimanded him, scowling.
"Lily, if I wasn't so completely in love with Harry that I can't think of anything else and if you weren't Jamie's girl you'd be on the very top of my list for potential dates," Sirius told her, immediately clasping his hands over his mouth. "I didn't mean to say that. I'd never - You know that, Prongsie, don't you?"
James' hands had tightened into fists and he stepped between Lily and Sirius, glaring at his best friend. "You better keep your hands off my mate, Sirius."
"You're a great Quidditch player, but I would never tell you because your ego is more than big enough already," Sirius burst out, his eyes widening in horror. "Merlin, what is happening?"
Lily's lips twisted as if she was holding back a smile, even as she pulled James back down in his seat, keeping him there by sitting down in his lap. The elf's expression changed from furious possessiveness to happy bliss and finally to gleeful amusement.
"So anything else you want to tell me, Paddy?" he asked innocently and even though Sirius tried to contain the words with his hands, they still escaped.
"I envy you for your family," Sirius mumbled, through his hands, before groaning loudly. "What is happening?"
"It could be Severus' potion," Harry offered cautiously, not sure if he really wanted to know what Sirius' thought of him.
"I wish I could make you see how much I love you and that my love would be enough to make you accept your elf side," Sirius said. "Damn that git. Tomorrow is Monday and the Professors won't be impressed by my newfound honesty."
James burst out laughing, grinning unsympathetically at his best friend. "I'd almost have to congratulate Snape on that prank."
"On what prank?" Remus asked, approaching together with Peter and took a seat on the sofa. "What did Snape do to you, Sirius?"
"Remus, I admire you for the fact that you never wallow in self-pity, even though you have every right to, and always have an open ear for my problems, however petty they may be," Sirius whispered. "I'm so going to kill Snape for this."
Remus had a faint blush on his cheeks. "So he tells everyone what he thinks of them when he's asked a question, James?"
"Why don't you ask him?" James laughed and Sirius glared at him.
"I'm going to go to bed," Sirius declared.
"It's only five o'clock," Peter pointed out, an eager expression on his face. "And don't you have to still do your homework?"
"Peter, you're my friend, but more out of loyalty than because I like you as a person," Sirius answered, and it was hard to say who of the two looked more horrified. "Wormy, that came out wrong. I do like you and you had some wicked ideas, but I just have the feeling that you don't like Harry and if you don't like Harry, I take it personally.
Harry startled when he was suddenly drawn into their conversation, watching unhappily when Peter stormed out of the common room, banging the portrait shut behind him.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, dropping to his knees in front of Sirius and putting his cheek against the rough palm of his hand. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh, breathtaking, I love how compassionate and sweet you are, but I never want to see you sad." Sirius replied, lifting Harry onto his lap. "You're not the one to blame. I'm just being an overprotective, stupid dominant and Peter knew very well that I didn't appreciate his hostility towards you. I'll talk to him once I'm back to normal and I'm sure he'll forgive me."
"Of course he will," James assured them. "Peter isn't unforgiving and he knows that we can't help our protective instincts. He'll come around."
But nonetheless, the atmosphere was strained and Sirius excused himself soon after.
The next day wasn't any better for Sirius, as he answered every question asked by a teacher with his own analysis of their character and looks. Professor McGonagall especially was not amused when Sirius called her an overly strict witch with no sense of humour, who acted as if she had swallowed a stick and gave him detention and told him to write an essay about politeness and proper respect.
"Snape is so dead," Sirius growled after their last class, frightening Harry even though he knew the anger wasn't directed at him.
"Talking about me, Black?" Severus' thin face was edged into a superior smirk. "Trouble in paradise now that you can't hide behind your eloquent lies anymore? Can't your friends deal with the bitter truth that you're an egocentrical, superficial, empty-minded bully and have no regard for them? How sad."
"Snape, you're a greasy git with no personality, sense of humour or friends and I shudder at the thought that I could have ended like you," Sirius retorted and then buried his face in Harry's neck. "This is enough, Snape. You had your revenge now give me the antidote."
"Why would I do that?" Severus asked curiously.
"Because I'm asking you to," Harry intervened, stopping Sirius from telling Severus another hard truth. "Please, Sev, this prank isn't only hurting Sirius but everyone around him. No First Year needs to be told that her pimples make her look like a crumble cake."
"Oh, well, she had to find out sooner or later." Severus shrugged, and Harry glared at him, petting Sirius' hair soothingly. "Who even says I have an antidote?"
Harry snorted. "I say so because you're paranoid. You wouldn't test any potion without having the antidote ready. Now, please, Sev."
"If I give you the antidote, Black, I want Harry," Severus stated and Sirius snarled viciously, pushing Harry behind himself.
"I don't traffic in human beings, Snape," Sirius spat. "Keep your stupid antidote, you won't get Harry, ever."
"So pathetic." Severus rolled his eyes. "I guess it didn't occur to you, Black, that Harry and I still have a Potions project to finish and that I merely asked you to let Harry go without making a fuss. Harry, are we going or not?"
Harry hesitantly looked at his dominant, pleading with his eyes. "Can I go, Sirius? We'll only be working on our project, I promise."
Sirius' grey eyes were still narrowed even as he told Harry how much he loved his smell and then nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but I'll come and fetch you in about two hours. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, that's great. Thank you." Harry smiled, licking his lips as he waited for a good-bye kiss from Sirius.
He didn't need to wait long for Sirius' lips to seal his, massaging and nipping and licking, while his hands caressed Harry's back and neck, drawing a moan of appreciation from the younger boy. Eventually, they had to separate, much to Harry's disappointment, and Sirius' arms slipped from around Harry's waist, allowing him to walk over to Severus, who had been looking out of the window.
"Ready?" he asked neutrally, turning around when Harry nodded. "The antidote is on the window sill."
He didn't wait for Sirius to answer but just strode away not even shorting his steps so that it would be easier for Harry to keep up with him.
When they reached the library, Harry dropped into his customary chair, regaining his breath while Severus fetched some books.
"Thank you," Harry said, when Severus returned with an armload of books.
"I still have three pranks." The tall young man shrugged.
"I know." Harry sighed. "What are you going to do?"
"Read that book, Harry," Severus told him. "I was thinking of saving my pranks since I don't think you would appreciate me changing Black's formidable looks or his engaging personality."
"Then why did you pull this prank?" Harry asked, listlessly leafing through his book.
Severus looked at him as if he had said something extremely stupid, but finally deigned to answer. "Because I wanted you to know if Black was serious about his compliments. Obviously that backfired as for once Black was honest."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. Now read, the project is due in one week." Severus ordered, opening his own book.
They read in silence for a while, but after Severus had turned down one more of Harry's suggestions, the elf lost his temper.
"Severus, just pick a stupid potion," Harry demanded, throwing his book at the other boy. "Some of the potions take much longer than a week to brew, so make up your mind or there won't be a potion left."
"I don't want to pick a stupid potion, I want the perfect potion," Severus growled. "We'd probably have found it already if you weren't always whining."
"I hope you know how unfair and unnecessary that comment was," Harry hissed at him. "I've put up with this long enough and you won't even tell me what you're looking for. Just tell me which potion you want to do and we do it, it's that easy."
"It's not," the older boy growled. "We don't have the ingredients for the potion I want to do and until now I haven't found one with at least scarcely the same effect. So go back to searching."
"Which ingredients?" Harry challenged. "I can most likely get them for you. Show me the recipe."
Severus snorted, but pulled a piece of parchment out of his bag and handed it to Harry. "Can we go back to work then?"
"I can get them," Harry declared.
"Stop this nonsense, Harry." Severus sneered in annoyance. "Phoenix tail feathers and powdered unicorn hooves are much too rare and expensive as if Degenhardt would just give them to you. I already asked her, so you can forget it."
Harry glared at him. "Fawkes? Would you mind coming here for a moment?"
Before Severus had time to question Harry's sanity, Dumbledore's fiery red phoenix appeared out of thin air, gave a happy trill and perched on Harry up-drawn knee.
"Fawkes, would you mind giving me one of your tail feathers for a potion?" Harry asked lowly, stroking the bird's head. "It would really help me to preserve my sanity."
Severus could swear that the phoenix grinned as he plugged out one of the long red-gold feathers and gave it to Harry before he disappeared with a second trill.
"We won't need the unicorn hooves for a while so I'll get them tomorrow," Harry said crisply.
"Harry, that's great -"
"It would have been even greater if you had told me about this little problem three weeks ago," Harry snapped at him.
"I'm sorry, okay, Harry?" Severus tried to calm him. "I should have told you about it. Don't be angry with me, please?"
"Fine, if you tell me what this great potion does," Harry demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It helps you to change into any desired animal," Severus sounded truly excited and Harry's expression softened. "It's very painful normally, but if we combine it with the other two potions it will be like being an Animagus only better. You ingest the potion and only change back when you want to."
"That really sounds good," Harry admitted, smiling a little as Severus hugged him, something he had never done before without Harry initiating it first.
"We can start the potion now, let it simmer over night and add the remaining ingredients tomorrow," the taller boy said. "We can also test it tomorrow."
"Okay, Severus," Harry agreed. "What do you think of Remus?"
"What?" Severus asked absently, packing his things.
"I asked what you think of Remus," Harry repeated. "You know tall, brown-haired, amber-eyed, polite, caring, with a big heart?"
"Why do you want to know?" Severus asked suspiciously before he began to rapidly shake his head. "No, absolutely not. You will not set me up with a Gryffindor."
"But I think he likes you," Harry argued. "And I have seen you looking at him."
"Everybody looks at someone, who is puking his guts out. It's a reflex."
"I didn't mean today," Harry glared at him. "He was just sick. I saw you looking before that, don't you deny it and I want an answer or you can forget those hooves."
"Then you ruin your Potions grade as well as mine."
"True, but I'm used to having abhorrent grades in potions," Harry declared, tapping his foot. "I can live with another one."
"Fine, but if you tell anyone about this..." he trailed off meaningfully, but Harry merely rolled his eyes, nodding impatiently. "He's the best of them, which doesn't say much. He's not exactly bad looking and, wonder over wonder, he's not hopelessly retarded."
"So you like him," Harry concluded. "Good, because he will ask you to a date for Saturday."
"What?" Severus spluttered.
"I want you to at least give him a chance, Severus," Harry pleaded. "Go out with him once and if you don't like him after that, fine, but don't hurt him. He's done a lot for me. Can't you, please, just try?"
Harry looked very much like he would burst into tears if Severus said no and since he really didn't know how nor want to deal with a crying Harry he reluctantly agreed. Of course, that was the only reason!
"Thank you." Harry threw his arms around the taller boy. "You won't regret it."
"I hope for you that I won't," Severus muttered.
Harry sighed, looking up at him, through dark lashes. "You know I mean well, don't you?"
"Of course you do." Severus sighed, fleetingly touching Harry's cheek, "I'm not angry."
"Good, because I hate it when someone is angry at me." Harry smiled at him. "Want to get started on that potion?"
Severus nodded eagerly and soon after they were both standing around a boiling cauldron, Severus handing Harry the prepared and perfectly measured ingredients at the appropriate time, and told Harry how to stir.
"We need to let it simmer now," Severus said finally, catching Harry as he swayed a little from fatigue. "I'll take you up to the tower."
"Don't bother, Snape." Sirius stepped out of the shadows and Harry moved into his arms.
"You were spying on me again," Harry stated.
"Yeah," Sirius admitted, unrepentant. "I just miss you so much."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Tomorrow, Severus?"
"Yes, after dinner," Severus nodded. "Make sure to bring those hooves then we can try it."
"Good night, Severus." Harry smiled at him. "Don't forget what you promised."
Severus scowled, not deigning him a reply, and after putting a protection charm around the cauldron moved past Harry and Sirius.
The veela carefully scooped Harry up in his arms, kissing his nose, and carried the smaller boy up to the Gryffindor tower and though Harry thought that he very well could have walked on his own, he couldn't help but enjoy it and almost drifted into sleep before Sirius put him down in his bed.
Sirius untied his shoes and Harry wriggled his toes, mumbling and sighing blissfully. He then helped Harry out of his robes and the rest of his clothes and even in his half-asleep state Harry still blushed at the fact that Sirius saw him in his underwear. A chaste kiss was pressed to his chest before Sirius buttoned up his pyjama top and Harry arched into the gentle contact.
"Sirius?"
"Yes, gorgeous?"
"Can you kiss me?"
Sirius smirked, slipping in behind Harry and spooning around his small mate, before he turned Harry's head with one hand and brought their lips together in a demanding kiss. Harry made a keening sound as Sirius' tongue invaded his mouth and invited his own to a dance while the older boy's hand gently caressed his stomach.
"I don't like it when you hug other men," he murmured absently, as he traced Harry's abdomen with his finger before he placed another kiss over Harry's belly button. "You are all mine and no-one is allowed to touch you."
"You are kind of cute when you go all possessive." Harry chuckled. "Rather annoying, but cute nonetheless."
Sirius growled playfully. "You can count yourself very lucky that I'm so controlled or I would pound you into the mattress until you can no longer walk so that you'd know who you belong to, tempting little tease."
"I know that I'm yours," Harry said earnestly. "Yours only."
"Good," Sirius growled, linking his arms with Harry's. "I love you, tiny."
"I care a lot about you," Harry mumbled, not sure how to react to such a declaration, but Sirius didn't seem to take offence and instead buried his nose in Harry's hair like he always did, while his right hand kept stroking his belly lightly.
Harry was already drifting off to sleep when Sirius said something else, "I will come with you tomorrow, don't even start to argue with me. I won't let you test a potion with Snape alone in a room. Sleep now."
Before he could think about replying, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and was claimed by the land of dreams, thinking that Sirius was being unfair and that the arms around him felt fabulous.
"What is he doing here?" Severus sneered as Sirius followed Harry into the classroom.
"Being paranoid," Harry muttered. "Ignore him. Here are the powdered unicorn hooves." He handed Severus a small plastic bag with fine gold powder in it and then sat down with his back to Sirius. "Will it take long until the potion is finished?"
"About ten minutes," Severus muttered absently, measuring the powder while stirring the potion with his other hand. "I kept my promise, by the way."
"I know." Harry grinned. "He had a huge smile on his face when I saw him earlier. Thank you."
"You are easy to please," Severus murmured. "Here, keep stirring counter-clockwise and not too fast."
He gave Harry the spoon and then slowly let the powder trickle into the potion that turned a vicious purple before slowly changing into orange.
"It's finished," Severus declared after eyeing it critically and filled several vials with the orange liquid. "I'll try it."
"Who says that you get to try it?" Harry demanded.
"Harry, you are the one good with animals. I'm sure it worked so don't worry," Severus appeased him. "I'll take it, change and change back after about ten minutes. That's all. The antidote is over there." He motioned over to a smaller table. "Essence of mandragola will do, should something go amiss."
"Fine," Harry relented. "But if you get ill I won't visit you in the hospital."
"You know you would." Severus smirked before quickly downing one of the bottles.
He grimaced in distaste and stepped a bit away from Harry so that he was standing in the shadows. Harry strained his eyes to see something, but it was his elf senses that told him first that Severus had changed.
"Oh, you are such a cutie, aren't you?" he cooed automatically, dropping to his knees and holding out his hands. "My aren't you beautiful. Come here, let me pat you."
"Harry, get away from it," Sirius hissed warningly. "It's dangerous."
"Sirius," Harry whined. "He's not dangerous. Look how cute he is."
"It's a fucking Nundu, Harry," Sirius growled. "Nundus aren't fucking cute."
"Please, Sirius, please," Harry begged. "He is cute to me. He won't hurt me. Trust me."
"Harry," the veela started, freezing as the large cat carefully got up from his crouched position and brushed against Harry's legs, purring contently as Harry began to pat his head.
"See? He's not dangerous. No animal would hurt me. Besides he's still Severus."
As Sirius didn't immediately protest, Harry sat back down on the floor, cooing and cuddling with the large beast that was noticeably enjoying himself.
"That's quite enough now," Sirius finally said, staring pointedly at the Nundu. "Ten minutes are over."
Severus rolled his eyes, lazily got up and transformed back. "It worked and I was right."
"What a surprise," Harry mocked. "You make a cute Nundu."
"You use that word much too frequently," Severus teased him.
"Not true." Harry pouted.
"If I remember correctly you called Degenhardt cute the other day."
"She looks like some kind of cute alien," Harry protested. "And you agreed."
"Only to make you shut up," Severus defended himself. "You are even worse when you try to make me see your point."
"You are mean," Harry whined before he grinned impishly. "I know who you think is cute."
"And you better keep that assumption to yourself," Severus told him sharply.
"I know, don't worry." Harry sighed. "Want to come with us?"
"Of course, I always wanted to be blinded by an indubitably very red common room just to see a lot of morons despair with their homework," Severus retorted. "How do you always know what I'm dreaming of at night?"
"Suit yourself." Harry shrugged, clasping a hand over Sirius' mouth and gently pushing him out of the door. "Bye."
"Bye, Harry." Severus waved him off.