(A/N: It has been awhile since I just did a oneshot, and I feel myself in need of a break from all of the series that I have been working on updating. Make no mistake, I won't be abandoning anything any time soon, and I have no intention of leaving for a great length of time again that just isn't fair to you guys. But for now, here is a quick oneshot, featuring Harry/Draco romance and a Harry/Severus mentor/guardian relationship. It is just a small thing, but I feel that it doesn't need to have anything added to it. Now, on with the show!)
He Makes the Stars Sing
The winter had settled in around them in a silent creeping of cold, the subtle shortening of days, and the inescapable draftiness that graced the halls of the place that they had long called home. Harry stared out over the grounds of Hogwarts, snow piling itself up in huge drifts, ensuring that there would be no outdoor classes the next day, and that the dungeons would be colder than ever. The cloak that rested over his shoulders was fur-lined, a gift from Viktor Krum, of all people, an apology for what had happened in Fourth Year, and a token of admiration for equally matched Quidditch skills.
"Even with that cloak, you are going to catch your death," Professor Snape's voice was soft, less harsh than it once would have been when catching Harry out after curfew. Harry turned slightly, looking at the older man through the fringe of his hair as a gentle warming charm swallowed him.
"Sorry, I just needed some time to think," Harry said, allowing the Professor to help him up, his legs having stiffened in the cold. With Snape's arm around his middle, Harry sighed against the warmth of his Professor's side.
"About what?" the Professor asked, bundling his cloak around the both of them and moving the wayward Seventh Year toward the protection of the inner hallways.
"Draco…you know we've been friends for a few months now…but I've been thinking about him a lot lately, a whole lot. It's embarrassing," Harry muttered and Severus drew them to a top, tilting the younger man's face up so that he could look into shining jade eyes. There was certainly discomfort in that expression, and something like shame.
"Harry, you can talk to me about it," the Professor said softly, his voice full of the compassion that it had learned to acquire over the last two years. Harry blinked fiercely and scrubbed away tears, trying to avoid looking like he was doing so.
"I think…I think I'm gay, and I don't know what to do. Can you even still like me if I like guys? Will Draco think I'm a freak?" Harry said, voice breaking in a sob, his fingers clenching in the warmth of Severus's robes. He at once melted into the embrace that wrapped around him and pulled him up against Snape's chest.
"Of course, I still like you. You've been my son for two years you foolish child, and I am not about to throw you away because you fancy my godson," Severus threaded his fingers into Harry's untidy black locks and pressed the boy's head to his chest. He had long since grown used to Harry's insecurities and his need for physical reassurance, and, sadly enough, any sign of parental affection at all. So he held onto his son and allowed broken sobs to muffle themselves against his chest, rocking them back and forth while rubbing Harry's back to help calm the boy.
"I've been so worried," Harry admitted softly, trembling as he always seemed to when he cried, not that it was a common occurrence, but Snape was observant if nothing else. He did not expect to ever have the sort of relationship with Harry that he had at that very moment, but after Sirius's near death experience Dumbledore had insisted that Severus be Harry's fulltime guardian. He had resisted the idea at first, but Sirius was unable to care for the boy, and the Dursley family had never wanted him. In the end, the love that he had felt for Lily won out and Severus welcomed Potter into his home.
"After all that we have gone through together, you worry that I would give up on you because of your orientation? You are worth more to me than that. You are my son and I love you accordingly. I would brain you senseless if you told me you fancied Goyle, of course, as a point of pride you see," Snape said and earned the snort of laughter that he had been aiming for, it made him smile slightly. Harry leaned back and wiped his eyes, sniffling slightly but managing a smile all the same.
"But what about Draco, I mean, how do I even begin to have that conversation?" the boy muttered and Snape ruffled his hair gently, pulling him back against his side so that they were once again warm enough to fight the winter chill.
"There isn't much of a conversation to be had. You like him, he likes you, or so I hear from several reliable sources, one of you needs to find the courage to make the first move. Other than that, what is there really? Draco is a Slytherin, make no mistake about that, but a little brash Gryffindor behavior may not be remiss in this situation," Snape offered, leading them through the winding corridors until they reached the flat that they shared in the dungeons. Harry had gone silent, but that was okay.
"Thanks Da, really," Harry said at last, his shoes off and cloak hanging in the closet. Snape gave him a slight nod and shooed him off to bed. It was not long before the Winter Holidays, and there were several tests coming up that Harry was going to need all of his energy to study for.
5 months later
Harry blushed fiercely but smiled into the kiss, his hands lightly resting against Draco's lower back as they slowly spun in a dance. It was their first year post Voldemort and the Professors had deemed it a good idea to have a Spring Formal. So, there they were, Slytherin and Gryffindor, wrapped around one another for the school to see, slow dancing and very much in love. Draco had kissed Harry, he started most of their kisses as Harry still hadn't quite learned to demonstrate affection, but Harry always responded happily.
"My Dad is watching us," Harry muttered after they had broken apart, his head resting on Draco's shoulder. His gaze was directed toward the Head Table where Snape sat beside McGonagall, none too subtly watching the pair. Draco laughed softly, twining his fingers into Harry's a little more firmly and rotating them slowly on the spot.
"I would be surprised if he wasn't. He is startlingly protective of the man that killed the most powerful Dark Wizard of our time. Surely it must be because he has lived with you long enough to see your own feet attempt to murder you," Draco joked softly, making light of the issue that had arisen after the destruction of Voldemort. Harry had lost much of his coordination, something about Voldemort's soul having damaged his motor cortex. Professor Snape was steadily repairing the damage with curative potions, but for the time, Harry was still quite clumsy and would likely be repeating his last year at Hogwarts because of his inability to move his wand properly.
"Or because some little blonde prat has his hand on my arse for the world to see," Harry muttered, satisfied when Draco blushed and slid his hand back up to Harry's hipbone.
"Fair point Potter," Draco kissed Harry on the nose, glancing at his watch to confirm the time. "But now I have to get you home, or Severus will have my head," Draco said softly, taking Harry's hand and leading him out of the Great Hall. Harry blushed again; he had done poorly on his Charms practical the week before and was grounded as a result. It was hard to care that he was grounded, because he finally had a father that cared enough to ground him over his grades.
"He wouldn't have your head. It'd be mine," Harry said cheerfully, clasping his boyfriend's hand as they walked back toward the place that Harry called home. He thought about the fact that he might not have Draco were it not for his father's advice, and was very glad that he had taken it, grabbing Draco's hand one day in the Library. They had been together ever since.
(A/N: Sort of short, certainly fluffy, but also complete. So, tell me what you thought if you would. I like reviews, and quite frankly it seems like people have gotten lazy about them lately on this site. I have no idea why, but I would like to see it change. Thanks for reading.)