Harry's standards were fairly low, but even so, he'd never been happier in his life.
Living at Seren Du was like everything he'd dreamed of all at once. Spending his weekdays learning new spells and wizarding politics and his family history; flying whenever he wanted; swimming whenever he wanted; spending evenings curled up in the living room with some combination of his three housemates, reading or talking or playing card games. On weekends Remus always tried to take him somewhere, saying it wasn't good for him to be cooped up with just the three of them for company. Sometimes they took Sirius with them — usually as Padfoot, sometimes under a glamour in muggle areas. Every now and then, Remus bullied Snape into coming too. They went to the beach, to the cinema, to the muggle shopping centre in Cardiff. On one memorable occasion, the four of them even went to a Holyhead Harpies quidditch match. No one batted an eyelash at the big shaggy dog Remus claimed was his familiar, and thanks to Snape's disguise charms no one recognised them either. Seeing live professional quidditch was breathtaking, and it made Harry even more desperate to go to the Quidditch World Cup.
Even his Potions lessons were enjoyable, once he and Snape both realised Harry wasn't terrible at brewing if he was in the right environment.
Harry wasn't even missing his friends that much. He wasn't sure if it made him an awful person, but he quite liked his private little bubble of happiness. Sure, it got a little lonely sometimes — the three adults were often busy, and couldn't always be expected to entertain Harry's whims — but he was used to being lonely in the summer. It was nice not having to share with anyone, or make allowances for anyone, or fight for attention. At the Burrow, everything was chaos all the time, and Hogwarts was much the same. Here it was just him and his three sort-of guardians, and he was mostly left to his own devices unless he sought out company.
His birthday was slowly approaching, and for once Harry was actually looking forward to celebrating it. Sirius was up to something, the dog animagus just giving Harry a mischievous grin every time he asked about birthday plans, and Harry was dying with curiosity. Staring up at the brand new Holyhead Harpies poster stuck to his bedroom wall, Harry glanced over at his alarm clock. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday; Ceri wouldn't have breakfast ready for another hour. Sirius always liked to sleep in on weekends, unless they were going somewhere. If he could, he'd sleep in every day, but Remus kept insisting he couldn't laze about all morning.
Harry got up with a leisurely stretch, surprised to see Artemis perched outside his window. He grinned, bounding over to let her in. There was a letter tied to her leg, and once Harry had divested her of it she hooted softly and flew away, no doubt heading to the owlery. Harry opened the envelope with eager fingers.
Harry,
France is disgustingly hot. My poor fair skin is not made for these sorts of temperatures! Even with sun blocking charms, I'm having to spend most of my time indoors. Mother seems to think that's a perfect excuse to take me touring around old museums and such rot.
I refuse to believe you made a successful Wronski Feint. You'll have to show me when we get back to school, because I'm fairly sure you're lying to me. And if you're not lying, how dare you. Gryffindor can't win the cup two years in a row. That's just rude.
Have you been writing to Blaise Zabini? I was over at his house in Italy the other week and I could've sworn I saw this owl. If I'm not the only snake in your life, I'll be heartbroken, Potter. I thought we had something special.
Father visited yesterday. It was awful. There's something bothering him, and I don't know what it is, but it must spell trouble. I don't want to go back to England, not if it means putting up with his foul temper for the rest of the summer. Do you think I might burn to a crisp if I just stayed in France until September 1st?
I learnt a new card game from some French witches, too. They're daughters of my mother's friends. They go to Beauxbatons — that's another magic school out here on the continent, if you didn't know. The game is called Coup Le Chat, which is a ridiculous name that translates to 'blow the cat'. When I asked why, they just laughed. It's a fun game, I'll have to teach it to you. Though it's better with three players. Maybe we can invite Blaise to play with us, since you seem to have such fun talking to him.
Write to you soon, if I don't melt.
Draco
Harry was smiling by the end of the letter, even if there was an odd, twisting sensation in the pit of his stomach when Draco mentioned spending time with French witches. Dudley always said that European girls were prettier than any English girls. Was that the same for witches?
Not that it mattered, if Draco was hanging out with pretty girls. Harry didn't care.
He set the letter aside on his desk to reply to later, shrugging on his new green dressing gown and heading down to breakfast. "Good morning, Potter," Snape greeted cordially, in his usual spot at the table with tea and a potions journal. No one else was up yet; except for Ceri, of course. She had Harry's orange juice headed towards his place before he could even ask for it, and he gave her a grin in thanks.
"Good morning, Professor. Remus not up yet?" The full moon was two nights ago, and he was still suffering a little from it.
"Not yet, but I don't think it will be long. He's feeling much better than he was yesterday."
"That's good. Is there a plan for the day?" With the moon, Harry wasn't sure if they were going to go anywhere like they did last Saturday. Sirius couldn't take him by himself, and he didn't want Remus to push himself.
"Indeed, but not until this evening. Plenty of time for Remus to gather his strength." As Severus spoke, they heard muffled footsteps down the stairs, and soon a drowsy Remus Lupin shuffled into the kitchen, mid-yawn. He ran a hand over the back of Harry's neck as he passed, then, to Harry's surprise, draped himself over Snape's back and buried his nose in the man's neck, pressing a kiss to the skin there. Snape didn't seem bothered, tilting his neck to bare it to the werewolf, who hummed in satisfaction.
"Smell good," he murmured. Snape's lips curled in the corners in what might have been a fond smile.
"Do sit down, you're embarrassing Potter."
Remus huffed softly, dragging his nose up Snape's jaw and pressing a kiss to his cheekbone. "Don't care." But he did take his seat at the table, even if it involved him shuffling his chair closer to Snape's and resting his head on the man's shoulder, letting his eyes fall half-shut. Ever since Snape had finally removed Dumbledore's curse from Remus, allowing him to reconnect with his wolf side, he'd had the occasional day like this. Especially around the days of the full moon. Days when he let his wolf instincts out a little more keenly, when he was more aware of the scent and feel of pack. Harry had never see him be this affectionate to Snape, though. It was sort of sweet. And the way Snape wasn't even batting an eyelash, Harry wondered if the couple were more tactile in private. Remus had told him that Harry's parents and Sirius were the only ones to ever know the truth of their relationship, before; clearly keeping their distance in front of others was not a new thing for them.
As Remus slowly woke up, he started to come back to himself a little more, though he didn't seem particularly embarrassed by his behaviour. He pressed another kiss to Snape's jaw, then scooted his chair back to its usual spot.
Ceri set breakfast out, and none of them bothered waiting for Sirius to appear, tucking in with aplomb. He showed up about ten minutes later, dressed and ready for the day. "Morning, you lot. Moony, did you even sleep last night, or did Snape keep you up? Oops, sorry Harry," he added when the teen blushed brightly. "I'm just saying, you look like you could do with a few more hours."
"I'm awake," Remus promised. "It's just taking a bit for my human brain to kick in."
"Pfft, human brains," Sirius dismissed. "Who needs 'em?"
"Is it hard to become an animagus?" Harry asked suddenly, the thought crossing his mind. Sirius blinked.
"I mean, it's not easy. There's a reason most people don't do it. But most witches and wizards are capable."
"How old were you and Dad when you did it?"
"Sixteen or so," Sirius said, brow furrowed in thought. "Got the idea halfway through fifth year, managed the transformations by Christmas in sixth. So yeah, sixteen, seventeen-ish. So wait until you're a little older," he added with a grin. Harry pouted.
"Can't I at least find out what animal I'd be?" he wheedled. Sirius barked out a laugh.
"That's a slippery slope, little pup. Once you know, it's hard to wait. Unless you're something awful, like a slug." He stuffed a huge piece of toast in his mouth. When he'd swallowed, he eyed Harry in consideration. "Tell you what, you keep up your grades through fourth year, maybe I'll start teaching you in your fifth. Could come in handy."
Harry brightened up considerably; that was easy!. "It's a deal."
"That includes your Arithmancy and Runes grades, alright? There will be tests. Won't there, Remus?"
"Absolutely. Gruelling ones," Remus agreed, perking up now he'd had his second cup of tea. "Harder than your OWLs." Once Harry had finished all his homework, he'd requested his schoolwork sessions be turned into Arithmancy and Runes lessons. He had so many regrets about his choices of elective, but it was too late now.
"I'll pass them," Harry declared confidently. He finished off his orange juice, and Ceri took his empty plate off the table to be washed. "What are we doing today?"
"We don't need to leave until six, so until then, whatever you want," Sirius replied. Harry's interest was piqued.
"Where are we going at six?"
Sirius grinned wolfishly. "It's a surprise."
Harry huffed; Sirius never spoiled surprises. "Can we go swimming for a bit?" His prior experience of swimming pools was the obligatory lessons in muggle primary school to make sure kids knew how to not drown. Considering Dudley's favourite past-time in those lessons was actively trying to drown Harry, he hadn't really enjoyed them. Now, he found he quite liked being in the water.
"Sounds good to me. What are you two up to?" He turned the question to Remus and Snape, who shared a glance.
"I had no prior plans," Snape replied. "Though I won't be here tomorrow. The headmaster has need of me for something." All four of them shared a dark look at the mention of Dumbledore.
Harry ambled back upstairs to change into his swimming trunks, and he didn't wait for Sirius before heading to the pool, running the last couple of steps to jump in with a splash. He heard a loud bark behind him, and turned just in time to be hit with a wave of water as a huge dog cannon-balled into the pool. Laughing, Harry swam over to the edge, watching Sirius' doggy paddle turn into an effortless front crawl as he changed from dog to man. "Got you there, pup," he teased, ruffling Harry's wet hair. Harry ducked out of the way, diving under the water once more, grateful for the charms Snape had added to his glasses so he could see underwater with them. He sat in the shallow end for a bit, watching Sirius swim lazy lengths. Even after just a few weeks of freedom, he was looking years better from his time in Azkaban and on the run. You couldn't see all of his ribs anymore, and he actually had some muscle definition to his arms and shoulders, his olive-toned skin taking on a bit of colour from the sun. Nothing, he kept insisting, like he'd looked in 'the good old days', but he looked healthier.
Harry, too, was looking a lot better for his Dursley-free summer. Ceri's cooking combined with hours in the pool or on his broom — or duelling with Remus and Sirius, which was a workout in itself — was helping him pack on quite a bit of muscle. He hadn't grown much taller, only a couple of inches, but he was starting to look less like a starving runaway.
Joining his godfather in his swimming, trying halfheartedly to race the man, Harry didn't realise they had company until a body splashed into the pool. There was a beat, and then Remus' head popped up out of the water, his hair flat against his forehead and a grin on his face. Harry beamed at him. Remus hardly ever came swimming with them!
To his utter astonishment, Remus wasn't alone. Snape was walking towards the pool wearing a pair of black swimming shorts and a plain grey t-shirt, a book tucked under his arm, his Dark Mark a grey smudge on his left forearm. He cast a disparaging look at the trio frolicking in the pool, then stretched himself out on one of the deck chairs nearby. Harry couldn't look away from his pale, hairy calves. Snape, in shorts. Ron would never believe him.
Ron would never believe a lot about Harry's summer. Harry swam towards Remus, who ducked underwater and tackled Harry around the waist, throwing him up and towards Sirius. He hit the water with a splash that almost reached Snape, who glared from behind his book. "Do you mind?"
"Not really," Sirius replied nonchalantly, splashing a little more water in his direction. Harry snickered before he could help himself.
"Where's that beach ball got to?" Remus asked, looking around for the brightly coloured inflatable they'd brought back from their trip to the seaside. Harry looked around, saw it wedged under a deck chair, and grinned to himself. He focused his magic, reaching a hand out towards the ball.
"Accio beach ball," he whispered. There was a brief tug, and the ball zoomed towards him.
"Look at you!" Sirius cheered, diving over to sprawl on Harry's shoulders, beaming delightedly. "A wandless Summoning charm, you little show-off!" Harry's cheeks glowed with pride. He'd been working on it for a while, using the book he'd bought to help him stay more aware of his magical core. After the extra spells Snape had found on him, he didn't ever want to be at the mercy of someone else's magic again.
The three of them tossed the beach ball between them, Sirius getting slowly more aggressive and daring as the game went on. At one point, he launched himself off Remus' shoulders to reach up and spike the ball down towards the water, laughing when it made Harry squawk. Needing a minute to catch his breath, Harry swam over to the edge of the pool, leaning his elbows on the stone tiles.
"Good book, Professor?" he called cheerfully to Snape, who glanced up at him.
"Indeed."
"You should come swim for a bit, y'know," Harry offered. "Maybe you could try and drown Sirius."
"Oi!" came the cry from across the pool. Snape's eyes glittered in amusement.
"Tempting," he mused. Then, to Harry's utter astonishment, Snape put his book down and sat up. Seconds later, Harry was looking at his professor's bare chest as he shed his t-shirt and walked towards the pool. There was a loud wolf-whistle, and when Harry whipped around, the exasperated look on Remus' face confirmed that he had definitely not made that noise. Sirius on the other hand was smirking, beach ball in one hand. Snape was pale as snow, thin and wiry, with several faint scars across his torso and biceps. Harry tried not to gawk at him. Snape hadn't even taken his shirt off when they went to the beach!
The man stepped up to the edge of the pool, diving smoothly into the deep end and reappearing a few feet from Remus' side. His dark hair stuck down flat, and he glanced askance at Remus. "Am I allowed to drown the mutt?" he asked. Remus sighed, struggling to hold in his amusement.
"I'd rather you didn't," he replied conversationally. "But whatever makes you happy."
"Oi!" Sirius said again, mock-angry. "No drowning the Padfoot! This is a no-drowning pool."
"What a pity," Snape drawled, before launching off into the water again. He ignored the three of them entirely, swimming steady lengths along the edge of the pool, dodging the beach ball when necessary. After about twenty minutes, he hoisted himself out of the water, heading back towards his deck chair. As he walked away, Harry caught sight of a nasty, twisted scar running diagonally across his mid-back. It looked almost like he'd been whipped.
"Don't ask," Remus murmured softly, his honey eyes on his partner as the man cast a Drying charm on himself, then tugged his t-shirt back on. "He's trusting you enormously to even let you see them."
Harry nodded, turning back to the pool. Much to his surprise, he was actually starting to like Snape quite a lot. The man's quick wit and dry humour were unexpectedly hilarious, and he was a great teacher now he didn't hate Harry. Harry wasn't looking forward to going back to school in September, when they'd have to pretend to be enemies again.
They stayed in the pool for a while longer, then eventually dried off and dragged themselves back to the house, Sirius playfully wrestling Harry on the way. Snape and Remus disappeared into their room after lunch, Remus claiming to need a nap before their evening plans, so Harry pestered Sirius into helping him practice fourth year Transfiguration spells. Even if he couldn't show it in his classwork without making Dumbledore suspicious, he wanted to prepare himself as much as he could. Even Hermione would be impressed at how much of a bookworm he was becoming; the manor library was one of his favourite places, and the bookshelves in his room were rapidly filling up. He had an entire section for fiction novels now, both wizarding and muggle — Remus insisted there was more to books than just learning, and wanted to make sure Harry started out with the classics. Reading muggle versions of magic in books was wildly entertaining. Ceri called them down for an early dinner, and Harry was practically vibrating with excitement through the meal, wondering what his godfather had in store for him. He wolfed down his food, looking up at the clock. They still had another twenty minutes. "Do I need to go change?" he asked, looking down at the plain jeans and t-shirt he was wearing, then looking at the adults. "Where are we going, magic or muggle?"
"Muggle. Grab your jacket, we'll be outside," was all Sirius would tell him. Harry nodded, racing up to his bedroom and throwing his wardrobe open, looking at his choices. Sirius had been in jeans and a t-shirt, but he made everything he wore look cool. Snape was wearing black jeans and a dark green button-up, while Remus had on grey trousers, a button-up and a cardigan. Not helpful.
Eventually, Harry decided on a nice pair of dark jeans, a blue long-sleeve shirt with a geometric design on it, and his Silverling's jacket and boots. He made an attempt at taming his wild hair, but gave up within a couple minutes, shrugging helplessly at his reflection.
Making sure his wand was in its invisible holster, Harry grabbed his muggle wallet off his desk and hurried back downstairs, where the three adults were waiting in the entrance hall. "You ready, pup?" Sirius asked, excitement lighting up his grey eyes. Harry grinned, nodding, and followed them out into the driveway.
You couldn't apparate or disapparate from inside the house, so they always had to walk about twenty feet away to get past the wards. Before they left, Snape turned to Sirius, casting a few spells to mask his true identity; his hair became short and mid-brown, his jaw narrower, his skin several shades darker. It wasn't entirely necessary — after several weeks of good meals, a shave and a haircut, Sirius was a far cry from the man on the wanted posters, and his face hadn't been on the muggle news in months. But, better safe than sorry.
Harry took Sirius' arm, waiting for the now-familiar feeling of being squeezed through a tube. They appeared in an empty alley somewhere, Remus and Snape right behind them. Harry fell into step beside his godfather, bouncing on his toes as they left the alley and emerged on a street right next to what looked like a huge park. It was full of people, blocked in by barriers, and rising over the crowd Harry could see some sort of stage structure. There was loud music coming from the crowd; a kind of gentle, folksy rock music.
Sirius put an arm around his shoulder, keeping him close as they joined a line of people at some sort of entrance gate. "Have you ever been to a concert before, cub?" Remus asked from behind him, his eyes bright. Harry shook his head. "Well, this is a good one for your first time. Just stay close to us, okay?"
Sirius handed over four tickets at the gate, and each of them was given a wristband, Harry's red to show he was underage. The crowd thinned out once they got through the barriers, and Harry saw a line of smaller stalls selling food and merchandise and such. "Open air concerts are always better than something in a venue," Sirius declared, his arm still across Harry's shoulders. "There's more space, it's not as smoky, and the music sounds better too."
The song ended, and a wave of applause rose up. The lead singer said something Harry couldn't quite make out, then the next song started up. Sirius steered him around a corner, and he could finally see the stage. The concert seemed to be pretty family-orientated; there was a huge cluster of people at the very front, but further back people were more spread out, many people with blankets and picnics spread about them. Sirius found a good spot that wasn't too close to the crush up front, and offered Harry a grin. "Can you see alright, pup?"
"Yeah," he assured, having to speak loudly over the music. "Sirius, this is amazing!" He'd never seen any kind of live music before. He could feel the bass guitar rumbling in his chest, the drum pounding in his ears like a heartbeat. Sirius beamed.
"You're gonna love it, kiddo!"
Harry glanced back at Remus and Snape, who were stood close to each other but not touching; it was the muggle world, after all, and you could never be too careful. They still curved into each other, just a little bit, like they couldn't help themselves. They probably didn't even notice they were doing it. Snape didn't always come with them on their weekend trips, but Harry liked it when he did. Remus was happier when he did. The werewolf was smiling faintly, his head bobbing along to the music.
Sirius spun Harry around, grabbing the boy's hands in his much larger ones and lifting them over his head, waving them in time with the music along with the rest of the crowd. Harry laughed, leaning back against his godfather's chest, hearing the man sing along with his slightly husky baritone.
Best summer ever.
.-.-.-.
Sprawled out on the living room sofa in front of a crackling fire, Padfoot wedged between him and the back of the sofa and demanding head-scratches every few seconds, Remus could hardly believe how much his life had turned around in the last two months. He had his best friend, his pack cub, and the love of his life all under one roof, with nothing to disturb them until school began. And he was connecting with his inner wolf in ways he never had before. Transformations were easier than ever, and he felt ten years younger. If not for Harry's age and the lack of Lily and James, it would almost be like none of the last thirteen years had happened.
Padfoot let out a loud doggy snore, and Remus snickered, adjusting to make himself more comfortable. Sirius was getting much better, but he still often spent time in his animal form; after practically living as a dog for twelve years, it was hard for him to adjust to being human sometimes.
Harry and Severus were downstairs somewhere practicing Harry's Occlumency, so Remus officially had nothing to do until dinner. He could get used to being a man of leisure; after having to scrape whatever job he could find just to survive, he still couldn't quite get used to doing nothing. He missed teaching — more than he expected to, honestly — but tutoring Harry gave him so much joy, and it was nice to take a break as well. He cocked his head when he heard familiar footsteps heading his way; was that the time already?
Severus appeared in the doorway, his fairly neutral expression turning into a scowl when he saw the way Padfoot was stretched out over Remus. Remus bit back a sigh. "I can see I'm interrupting," Severus said sharply. "I'll come back later."
"Severus," Remus called, but the man turned away. Remus sighed, dragging himself out from under the dog and off the sofa. "Go back to sleep, Padfoot," he muttered, rubbing the dog's head as he looked up in drowsy confusion.
He caught up to Severus halfway down the corridor, grabbing him gently by the elbow. "Severus, what did you need?"
"I was going to ask if you wanted company reading before dinner, but I see you already found it," the Slytherin retorted. He was unable to hide the hurt in his tone from Remus' practiced ear, and the werewolf frowned.
"I always want your company," he murmured, leaning in close to the man. "Sirius snores."
That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Severus wrenched his arm from Remus' grip, stalking off towards the stairs. Remus hurried after him. "Severus, please," he urged. "Tell me what I'm doing wrong."
"If you can't figure it out yourself, that should be proof enough," Severus snapped.
Remus felt like they were sixteen again, navigating the minefield of Slytherin versus Gryffindor, werewolf versus future Death Eater, two teenage boys desperate for connection but so scared of getting hurt.
He'd hated being sixteen.
"Severus," he said again, sliding a hand to the back of the man's neck. Moony whined in the back of his head, asking why their mate was sad. Remus wished he had an answer. He looked deep into the near-black eyes he loved, trying to figure it out.
"Go back to your mutt, Lupin," Severus urged. "I have other places to be."
Slowly the matter dawned on Remus, and he almost groaned. Again? He thought he'd put this to rest over a decade ago. "Severus," he murmured, gently pushing the man up against the wall. Not hard enough that he couldn't fight it; never hard enough to hurt. Severus' back hit the dark blue wallpaper. "There is nothing between Sirius and I. There never has been and never will be anything but a very deep, utterly platonic love between Sirius and I. You know that. You know we kissed once when we were drunk fifth years and it was the worst kiss of my entire life."
"He might've gotten better since then," Severus muttered. Remus snorted.
"If you want to go find out, by all means, go ahead," he retorted dryly. "But I have zero interest in doing so."
"Does he know that?"
"Of course he does! Severus, my God, a blind man could see the way I look at you like you hung the whole Merlin-damned Milky Way!" He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart breaking that even after all these years, Severus still just didn't get it. "Sirius has been through hell. Over a decade surrounded by dementors, then hiding in the Forbidden Forest living off rats. He hadn't had a comforting touch since before Lily and James died, til he came here. He still has nightmares about being back in that place! Sometimes he needs someone to be there just to remind him he's not alone. If I can be that person for my best friend, my brother, then you bet your arse I will. And I… I lost everything that night. I lost my pack, I lost my place in the wizarding world, I lost you. I've got most of it back, and I'm so grateful for every day I get to keep it. I lost Sirius for thirteen years. I need him, Severus. Not the same way I need you, but I need him all the same. Please don't begrudge me that. Know that I only ever want you. You're my heart, Severus, you have been since we were bloody thirteen!"
He had tears in his eyes now, his grip on Severus' shoulders turning desperate. He couldn't bear it if Severus ever tried to make him choose between him and Sirius. "You need that affection," Severus said knowingly. "The affection I can never give you."
"I don't care!" Remus burst out in frustration. "I'm not ashamed of loving you. I didn't hide it from Harry, I won't hide it from Sirius — I'd announce it in the bloody Prophet if it wouldn't risk both our lives. You're more reserved, I understand that completely, and I love that about you. But don't tell me you can't give me affection when you show it to me all the time. It's not the typical public affection, but I've never expected that, Severus. I've never doubted your love for me, please don't insult me by doubting mine for you. Cuddling with Sirius — especially when he's a dog, Merlin! — It's nothing more than platonic comfort. I won't give that up. But I need you to trust me."
Severus breathed deep into the silence that stretched between them, until his anguished eyes opened to meet Remus' once more. "You're not the only one who lost everything that night, Remus," he said eventually, every word dripping with pain. "I had to live through the aftermath. I had to carry on. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe we're done hurting each other."
Remus gripped the front of the man's robes, pulling him into a furious kiss, trying to shove every ounce of what he was feeling into the embrace. It was messy, with teeth clashing and a desperate little groan ripping from Severus' throat, and they were both breathing hard when he pulled away. "Believe it, Severus Snape," Remus declared firmly. He was never more sure of anything in his life. "We are done. Darkness is coming, but whatever may happen, we will face it side by side, on the same team, and if anything wants to get to you it's going to have to go through me, because we are done hurting each other and you are mine." The last word was a growl, and he knew his eyes were glowing gold. "We've wasted so much time, Severus. So much time fighting the inevitable, pushing each other away to try and stop future pain. We're too bloody old for that now."
"I can't lose you again." Severus' voice was a heartbroken whisper. Remus pressed closer to him, like he was trying to crawl inside the man's chest and call it home.
"You won't," he promised, though it was a vow he could never keep. Anything could happen. But he knew only death would tear him away from the man he called his own. "You won't lose me. I'm yours. I've always been yours. My heart beats the rhythm of your name, my soul has your magic threaded through it, there is no part of me that isn't entirely devoted to you. Severus, please."
Severus let out a low growl, and all of a sudden Remus was being pushed back, through a door that quickly slammed behind him. He looked up — they were in a bedroom. It wasn't theirs, but it wasn't Sirius' or Harry's either, so that was good enough for him. With a sound that was more wolf than man, he tossed his Slytherin lover onto the bed, crawling after him with hooded eyes. One of them threw a hand out, he wasn't sure who, but he heard the lock click firmly, and then he stopped caring about anything that wasn't Severus' skin, Severus' voice, Severus' scent. Moony howled in the back of his head. Severus met him at every move, ripping at clothing and tugging hair. Remus was lost. But it was fine, it was perfect.
Severus would find him again. He always did.