Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would be chillin' with DanRad. Enjoy.

Home

As the sun set behind the rolling hills of the Scottish countryside, vibrant hues of red-gold and orange faded into the subdued blues and purples of night, Harry found himself waiting, alone, unable to make himself move. The man still had not come home. Harry wasn't exactly worried, the man could certainly protect himself, he'd proven that time and time again over the years; there was no doubt in Harry's mind that the man was alright. Still, he sat at their small dinette set and chewed his already short nails, anxious to know for sure that the man was home; where he belonged. Harry being head of the Auror Department and Severus returning to Hogwarts as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin drained almost all time they had to spend together. He glanced impatiently at the clock; the hands had barely moved since the last time he looked; five minutes ago apparently; now it read 7:10. The Express usually left for the summer at noon; and the teachers usually had some cleaning up to do and a little planning before they too, went home for the nine warm weeks off. He ran a hand through his already messed up hair and sighed, looking up at the clock again. 7:12.

Suddenly, a loud crack sounded outside, and a grin broke across Harry's features. He was home. He listened as the front door opened, and heard the man shrug his coat off and the muttered spell that banished his bags into the bedroom. Harry placed his chin on his palm and stared at the door to the kitchen, where any minute the man would come through. He looked at the man with big green eyes and a goofy grin on his face when he finally made himself visible.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's about time you showed up."

"I got held up. My potion had to simmer longer than I had anticipated. Poppy ran out of Skele-Gro at the worst possible time. So I had to brew some last minute. Bloody difficult to get right; no wonder she usually owl-orders it. "

"I missed you," Harry smiled slightly at the older man, ignoring his ill-tempered rant; having grown accustomed to them.

The corners of Severus' mouth lifted slightly, as if the man was fighting a smile, but it was quickly turned into a sneer.

"Sometimes you make it painfully obvious you're a Gryffindor. A Slytherin would not be like such a lost little puppy." The last three words fell off his tongues gracefully, making Harry think for a second that being a lost little puppy was actually a good thing. His smile faltered for a second, but he soon bounced back, used to his banter. He had actually grown quite fond of the rude remarks and nasty comments; he supposed it was proof that the man cared enough to ridicule him.

"Either way," Harry shrugged, not letting Severus push his affections completely aside.

Severus sat down across from him and picked up the folded copy of the Daily Prophet lying face up on the table; the one Harry had made sure to put there for the man. He waited patiently as Severus perused the paper, scoffing every now and than; the comments made under his breath only added to Harry's amusement.

As Severus put the paper aside, he turned his deep, obsidian eyes onto Harry fully for the first time that night. He raked his gaze over the younger man, drinking up his features and rememorizing them; he let his gaze linger on the smooth skin of his neck, and the emerald of his eyes. Harry felt a wave of warmth wash over him; this was how he knew Severus had missed him in the months they were apart. Harry's eyes softened as he looked back at the man, fully realizing how much their separation had taken a toll on him. Life with the man was never particularly loud, they quite preferred the quiet proximity to each other; you wouldn't catch Severus throwing any raucous parties. Harry chuckled at the absurdity of the idea, especially since the dour ex-professor of his mixed with alcohol ended in misplaced anger and ever crueler comments than usual.

"Are you hungry?" Harry asked, feigning nonchalance after their subtle exchange.

"I ate before I left," Severus stated, matching his tone. "That obnoxious elf Dobby seems to have formed an unnatural attachment to me; simply by association. If he can't annoy you, well, I must be the next best thing." He complained.

Harry grinned ruefully. "Ah, Dobby. I miss that little elf."

"I don't see why," Severus retorted bitterly.

"Maybe I could come to the castle for a weekend here and there," he suggested casually.

"I fail to see why that should be unacceptable."

They had been together the better part of seven years, and Harry had barely stepped foot in the castle for the sole purpose of spending time with the man; he was always visiting Hermione, McGonagall, Hagrid or Neville. He would always stop in to see Severus, of course, but he had never stayed longer than a few hours. Everyone already knew about them anyway; all of the staff at any rate. They had kept quiet about their relationship for quite a while, and carefully avoided the paper as much as possible. Eventually, a new scandal had hit the front pages and they were left in peace to live their lives. A picture would occasionally grace the front page; however, with an air of contrived ignorance it was always soon forgotten.

The sun had long since set as they had sat there, reveling each others company, and as the hand on the clock steadily made its way around the face, they popped the cork on an antique bottle of red wine and migrated to the small living room, settling against the tan leather of the sofa. Harry waited until Severus sat down before settling in against his side comfortably. They sipped their wine in silence, staring at the flickering flames at their feet as the smell of burning oak caressed them softly.

Severus trailed his fingers along the skin of Harry's forearm, and Harry rested his head onto the slender shoulder that so often acted as his pillow. He took a deep, content breath and closed his eyes, turning his head into the subtly muscled chest next to him, and breathing in the intoxicating scent of the man he loved; the man he absolutely adored. He looked up through his lashes at the man that was many years his elder, like that mattered in the slightest. He gazed up at the crooked nose so often mistaken as harsh, but he knew better; he knew the truth. It wasn't harsh at all; it was beautiful, strong, and manly. Everything about the man was beautiful.

Sensing the eyes focused so intently on him, Severus cast his eyes downward. A strange gleam entered his eyes as he looked into Harry's fawning gaze. He put his wine glass down on the table beside the couch and placed a hand to the side of Harry's head as he leaned in to kiss him softly. He reached over and lifted Harry's glass out of his hand as well, and placed it next to his on the little table before pulling him further into his lap, wrapping his deceivingly strong arms around the slender man before him. Harry smiled against his lips, glad that Severus was finally, finally, home.