Chapter 15

The morning light shone through the high windows of the laboratory Lord Sytherin had so generously let Severus use once he'd uncovered that Potter and Black had set the man's house and all his possessions ablaze. Severus sat hunched at his workbench, staring at a cauldron that had long since gone cold, when Lucius Malfoy strode in without knocking.

"Lucius," Severus sat up when he noticed the blonde. "Let me just get Astoria's potions. The Potion master was about to stand up when the other held up a hand.

"Merlin's beard, Severus," Lucius drawled, nose wrinkling. "You look like you've been mauled by a dementor. What happened?"

Severus didn't answer immediately. He rubbed his temples and muttered, "It's nothing."

Lucius arched a brow as he took in his friend's state. "Nothing?"

Severus sighed, long and weary, but he finally gave in when it became apparent that Lucius wouldn't drop it. "Lord Slytherin... he," Severus's voice faltered slightly. "He confessed. Said he loved me."

Lucius blinked. "Loved you? After less than a week of knowing you?" His voice rose in disbelief, which was something for a Malfoy who prided himself on keeping a calm demeanor in any situation. "That man has the subtlety of a Bludger. What did you do?" Lucius then asked.

"What do you think I did?" Severus snapped. "I froze. I left. I don't..." He stopped, jaw tightening. "I don't know what to do with that. Sure, I initiated our last encounter, but I hadn't expected a declaration of love so soon!"

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you don't. You've spent your life snarling at anyone who dared look at you twice. And now someone actually says they love you, and you're shocked? Severus, you're brilliant, but you're also an idiot."

Severus glared and deadpanned. "Thank you, Lucius. Your support is overwhelming."

Lucius's smirk widened. "You know, I think I'll play wingman today."

"Wait, what?!"

Lucius wasted no time. He dragged Severus, quite literally, down corridors and into Lord Slytherin's office. Harry looked up from a stack of parchment, startled at the sudden entrance. Lucius had thrown the wooden door to the study open with a bang and then proceeded to shove Severus forward like a reluctant schoolboy.

"Fix this," Lucius ordered, pointing at Severus. "He's a mess. You're probably a mess too. I refuse to deal with two melodramatic wizards before noon."

Harry blinked before his eyes narrowed. "Lucius..."

"No," Lucius cut in. "Talk. I'll be outside, listening for explosions."

He swept out, leaving Severus standing stiffly in the study while the door clicked shut behind him. Harry rose slowly, eyes soft but cautious. "Severus..."

Severus crossed his arms in a defensive posture and narrowed his eyes. "Why? Why would you say something like that? You don't know me. Not really. You've known me less than a week."

Harry stepped closer. "I know enough. I know the way you stay up late brewing potions for others without complaint. I know the sharp wit you hide behind sarcasm. I know the loyalty you bury under layers of cynicism. And I know that when you look at me, it isn't indifference."

Severus scoffed. "You're romanticizing. I'm not the Severus from your reality. My past, my home life. None of it is worth loving. I am not worth loving."

"Of course you are worth loving!" Harry protested.

Severus barked a self-deprecating laugh, "You don't even know me, not really. You're hung up on the Severus from your reality, the one who raised you, taught you, fought beside you. I am not him. I don't have his history with you. I don't have his scars, his choices, his regrets. We aren't the same."

"Do you want the ghost of the man you lost?" the Potion master continued, "I'm not a replacement. I'm not a shadow of your Severus. I'm my own man, with my own sins. And if you want a relationship with me, you'll have to accept that."

Harry's throat tightened, but he didn't look away. "I do still think of him," he admitted quietly. "He mattered to me. He taught me, protected me, and in the end... he died for me. I can't erase that, and I don't want to. But that doesn't mean I see you as his shadow."

He then stepped closer, taking Severus's hands in his, "I don't need you to be him. I need you to be you."

Harry's hands squeezed the Potion master's. "Please let me prove I can love you even knowing the differences."

For a moment, Severus said nothing, then he muttered, "You're impossible."

Harry's grin widened. "And you're worth it. How about after dinner tonight, I show you a special place? There is something I need to set straight."

The door creaked open, and Lucius's pale head appeared around the frame. "Well," he drawled, "I heard no curses. Am I to assume progress has been made?"

Severus shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass, while Lord Slytherin laughed under his breath. "He's trying, Severus."

Lucius smirked, "Trying? I'm succeeding. My work here is practically heroic. I should be knighted."

Severus deadpanned, "Yes, Sir Lucius the Meddlesome. Patron saint of unwanted interruptions."

Lucius's grin widened. "I'll take it. Now, do carry on with your declarations of undying affection. I am meeting Cissy for brunch. Ciao!"