Feline Gifts
Dec. 23rd, 2008 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drachenminaTitle: Feline Gifts
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
drachenmina
Word Count: ~2,100
Rating: PG
Characters: Severus Snape/Harry Potter
Summary: Non-magic AU. Severus gets a cat, and Harry gets a job.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended
AN: Sequel to Harvest Gifts , Gifts With Consequences and Homecoming Gifts , and you may wonder what's going on if you haven't read those.
Thanks for the once-over to the lovelytorino10154 *kiss*
Acquiring a cat proved to be surprisingly taxing. Severus had assumed that the volunteers at the Cats’ Protection League would greet him, a potential cat adopter, with open arms; instead they treated him as if they strongly suspected he was second cousin to Cruella de Vil. Still, after answering a thousand impertinent questions as to his abode, habits and income, and handing over a hefty donation, he found himself in possession of a half-grown ginger tom with a propensity to hiss and bare its claws at him.
Harry, however, was delighted. “Bloody hell, Sev, I can’t believe you did that! He’s gorgeous – wait, is it a he or a she?”
Severus grimaced. “It, Harry, is an it, the vet having done his duty. However, it used to be a he.”
Harry grinned. “Poor little sod. Hey, has he got a name?”
Severus raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would like to take care of that little detail. Although if you choose something asinine like Tiddles or Fluffy you may find yourself in a unique position to sympathise with the emasculated animal.”
“Never reckoned you’d be one to cut off your own nose to spite your face! Nah, I’ll think of something. Something poncey and dignified, all right?”
“Dignified will do, Harry. Poncey, I would say, is superfluous.”
……………………………
Severus closed the front door with a sigh of relief. His day, which had been spent in meetings with college staff, had been tedious in the extreme. He smiled at the sight of Harry sprawled on the sofa, feline companion purring on his lap.
“So, Harry, how was your day with the Cat Who Has Not Been Named?”
“Oh, I’ve given him a name. Mr Lupin.”
“What?”
“Mr Lupin. He was the new woodwork teacher in my fifth year. Was really nice to me. Course, then I had that, er, spot of bother with the police and I didn’t see him any more.”
Severus sighed. He’d been at school with a Lupin and he hadn’t liked him all that much. Still, it was highly unlikely to be the same person. “Let me guess. You have named our cat after the first older man you had a crush on.”
“Hey! It wasn’t like that! He was just, you know, nice to me. Doesn’t mean I wanted to shag the pants off him.”
“Not much of a looker, then?”
“Nah. Bit ordinary, really.”
Severus sneered. “Well, at least that is one thing of which you could hardly accuse me.”
Clearly bitterness had coloured his tone, as Harry looked at him oddly. “Don’t you like the way you look?”
Such an absurd question. “Would you willingly trade faces with me, Harry?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, come on, I’m just – fuck, I’m nobody. With crap glasses and stupid hair. You’ve – you’ve got presence. I mean, you walk into a room and everyone notices.”
Severus blinked. It was an odd experience, to see oneself through Harry-tinted spectacles. And, moreover, to see how the boy viewed himself. Could Harry really not see how beautiful he was? Severus struggled for a moment with warring impulses: to set his young lover straight, or to leave him in his ignorant gratitude for the attentions of an unattractive man twenty years his senior.
It was a sadly unequal contest. “Well, looks are not everything,” Severus said, with a smirk, as he took a seat beside his lover.
……………………………………….
Harry and Severus were curled up on the sofa in front of the telly, Severus doing quite a good job of pretending he wasn’t watching X Factor as he stroked Mr Lupin, wincing occasionally as the ungrateful wretch stuck its claws in his leg.
When the adverts came on, Harry resumed his part of their earlier conversation. “Anyway, I was thinking I ought to try and get a job. Not sure what to go for, though. I mean, I’d sort of like to work with homeless kids – “
“Wouldn’t that be rather like the blind leading the blind?”
“Git. But anyway, they don’t tend to pay you for that sort of stuff, so I was thinking maybe I could get a job in a restaurant or something.”
Severus considered. “Whilst I applaud your efforts to cease being a parasite upon society, I am not keen for you to work evenings. I should hardly see you.”
Harry’s face brightened. “OK, so I’ll see if I can find a coffee shop, then. Or a tea shop, maybe – bet they do a roaring trade in cream teas, a place like this.”
Mr Lupin miaowed petulantly. “Hey, do you think he heard me say cream?” Harry asked, obviously impressed.
Severus snorted. “I wouldn’t put anything past that creature. But going back to the prospect of your leaving the ranks of the idle poor, I should have thought you might prefer something a little less menial. After all, just because your experience of the school system was less than satisfactory, that does not mean you cannot take a job that provides some sort of training and educational opportunities.”
Harry shrugged. “Nah, that’s not really my sort of thing. Didn’t get any GCSEs anyway, did I? You’re bound to need one or two for stuff like that.”
Severus decided not to push it. He quirked an eyebrow. “In that case, perhaps you might consider a job as a punt chauffeur? After all, the aptitudes required would hardly be beyond even your sadly restricted skills range, damning indictment of the British school system though it may be.”
Harry grinned. “Yeah, I could make up a few stories about Cambridge for the tourists.” His gaze took on a predatory quality. “Reckon I might need a bit more practice handling a long, stiff pole though,” he continued, lunging at Severus, who had no compunction in shoving a complaining Mr Lupin off his lap to make room for a more congenial occupant.
………………………………………
In fact Harry had talked his way into a job at the new Starbucks that had opened on Market Street. Severus approved – the boy invariably brought home with him a faint but appealing aroma of freshly ground coffee. And having spent the day on his feet, he was generally quite happy to curl up on the sofa with Severus while he finished the tedious task of marking his students’ work.
Having a couple of hours free one crisp, frosty morning, Severus decided he was just in the mood for a mocha frappuccino. Whatever one of those might turn out to be. Accordingly, he took a short stroll along King’s Parade and then up to Market Street. The coffee shop was rather busy, and he didn’t spot Harry for a moment. He certainly wasn’t serving behind the counter. Glaring at a couple of young mothers until they moved their pushchairs out of his way, Severus moved further into the coffee shop. He frowned as he spied Harry amongst the tables. Tray in hand, he was apparently in earnest conversation with a tall, well-built young blond. The frown deepened as Severus recognised the interloper as a boxing blue from Magdalene. Although he had never been a sportsman himself, Severus made a point of attending as many varsity matches as he could; he felt it behoved him to show support for the students. The fact that they generally involved fit, sweaty young men in rather light clothing was, he told himself firmly, neither here nor there.
Severus scowled as he saw that this particular fit young man actually had a proprietary grasp on Harry’s arm. Dammit, Severus should have known not to let the boy out of his sight! Sick to his stomach, Severus was unsure whether to leave at once or stay and confront the traitor – and as he debated within himself, Harry caught sight of him and started guiltily. It was enough to tell him all he needed to know. Severus turned on his heel and stalked back to his rooms in college.
…………………………….
It was late when Severus returned home, having discovered a vast amount of paperwork that could not be put off any longer. His mood was not improved by the discovery, just a fraction of a second too late, of a perfectly bisected rodent on the doormat, reverently placed precisely where Severus was in the habit of putting his feet. Harry was hunched on the sofa watching telly and looked up guiltily when Severus glanced into the sitting room, having kicked off his shoes in disgust. Severus nodded to him curtly and made his way into the kitchen.
“There’s curry in the pan. I could heat it up for you,” came a voice behind his left ear.
Severus jumped. “Dammit, boy! Do you have to sneak up on me like that?”
“Sorry.”
It sounded so miserable that Severus turned despite himself to look at the boy. Underfed and under grown as he was, tonight he managed to look even smaller than usual as he leant against the kitchen worktop. Severus drew in a breath, but before he could say anything, Harry was speaking. “Look, I don’t know what you thought this morning – well, actually, I’ve got a pretty good idea – but it wasn’t like that, OK? He’s my cousin.”
Severus sneered. “I rather doubt medieval ideas about consanguinity really apply in this case, Harry.”
“What? I – look, you think I’m shagging him, right? Or planning to, whatever. I’m not, OK?”
“Then why can’t you look me in the eye, Harry? I may be an old fool, but I know guilt when I see it!” There was a bitter taste in his mouth and he was in dire need of a large glass of whiskey to wash it away.
Harry slammed the palm of his hand down on the worktop. “Look – oh, fuck it, what’s the use?” Propelling himself off the worktop with both hands, he started walking towards the door.
Severus had an instant of clarity that was physically painful and, almost without thought, grabbed Harry’s arm. The same one that brute from Magdalene had had hold of, his memory treacherously supplied. He forced himself to take a calming breath. “Tell me, Harry.”
“I – I didn’t want you to meet him, all right?” Harry’s gaze was fixed firmly on the worn linoleum and his free hand was running distractedly through his hair. “I didn’t want him telling you stuff about me.”
“What stuff, Harry?” Severus kept his voice low and tried not to sound threatening, but he had an uneasy feeling about this.
“Just – stuff. About when I was a kid. I – look, I told you I was crap at school, right? Well, I was really crap. I mean, it wasn’t just ‘cause I was messing around. And there’s – other things, all right? Which I don’t want to talk about.”
If his hand got any rougher as it ran through his hair he’d be pulling the stuff out in clumps. Suddenly it seemed absurd to doubt the boy any longer. Gently, Severus took hold of that fidgety right hand and slipped an arm around Harry’s waist. Green eyes snapped up to meet his gaze. “Foolish boy. Do you really imagine I should think any the less of you for hearing your cousin’s childhood tales?” Not that he couldn’t have filled a book with incidents from his own youth that he would be utterly mortified to have Harry discover. But that was beside the point.
Harry gave a twisted smile. “You’re always going on about those bloody students of yours – calling them dunderheads and stuff. What does that make me, with no bloody GCSEs to rub together?”
Severus smirked. “I can think of far better things for you to rub together, Harry.” He allowed his hand to drop to Harry’s arse and fondled it gently.
But that wasn’t fair to the boy. Severus pulled back slightly, still keeping both hands on his uncharacteristically skittish lover. “And I should like to see any of those students of mine make their way in the world as you have done, without family support or qualifications. Despite what I may occasionally tell my students, academic success is not everything.”
Harry was smiling properly now, and his lips looked red and eminently kissable, so Severus applied himself to kissing them. Matters were progressing in a decidedly satisfactory matter when Severus felt a sudden searing pain in his left leg. “Bloody hell!”
Mr Lupin sat on his haunches, claws now sheathed, and yowled impatiently.
Harry grinned, a little abashed. “Um, I may have forgotten to feed the cat.”
Severus fixed him with a piercing look. “Then I suggest you remedy that oversight, Harry. I should not like any further disruptions to my plans for this evening.”
Harry grinned. “Yeah? You planning on going out, or something?”
“No, Harry. However, I am most definitely planning on going in.”
fin
Author:
drachenminaWord Count: ~2,100
Rating: PG
Characters: Severus Snape/Harry Potter
Summary: Non-magic AU. Severus gets a cat, and Harry gets a job.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended
AN: Sequel to Harvest Gifts , Gifts With Consequences and Homecoming Gifts , and you may wonder what's going on if you haven't read those.
Thanks for the once-over to the lovely
torino10154 *kiss*Acquiring a cat proved to be surprisingly taxing. Severus had assumed that the volunteers at the Cats’ Protection League would greet him, a potential cat adopter, with open arms; instead they treated him as if they strongly suspected he was second cousin to Cruella de Vil. Still, after answering a thousand impertinent questions as to his abode, habits and income, and handing over a hefty donation, he found himself in possession of a half-grown ginger tom with a propensity to hiss and bare its claws at him.
Harry, however, was delighted. “Bloody hell, Sev, I can’t believe you did that! He’s gorgeous – wait, is it a he or a she?”
Severus grimaced. “It, Harry, is an it, the vet having done his duty. However, it used to be a he.”
Harry grinned. “Poor little sod. Hey, has he got a name?”
Severus raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would like to take care of that little detail. Although if you choose something asinine like Tiddles or Fluffy you may find yourself in a unique position to sympathise with the emasculated animal.”
“Never reckoned you’d be one to cut off your own nose to spite your face! Nah, I’ll think of something. Something poncey and dignified, all right?”
“Dignified will do, Harry. Poncey, I would say, is superfluous.”
……………………………
Severus closed the front door with a sigh of relief. His day, which had been spent in meetings with college staff, had been tedious in the extreme. He smiled at the sight of Harry sprawled on the sofa, feline companion purring on his lap.
“So, Harry, how was your day with the Cat Who Has Not Been Named?”
“Oh, I’ve given him a name. Mr Lupin.”
“What?”
“Mr Lupin. He was the new woodwork teacher in my fifth year. Was really nice to me. Course, then I had that, er, spot of bother with the police and I didn’t see him any more.”
Severus sighed. He’d been at school with a Lupin and he hadn’t liked him all that much. Still, it was highly unlikely to be the same person. “Let me guess. You have named our cat after the first older man you had a crush on.”
“Hey! It wasn’t like that! He was just, you know, nice to me. Doesn’t mean I wanted to shag the pants off him.”
“Not much of a looker, then?”
“Nah. Bit ordinary, really.”
Severus sneered. “Well, at least that is one thing of which you could hardly accuse me.”
Clearly bitterness had coloured his tone, as Harry looked at him oddly. “Don’t you like the way you look?”
Such an absurd question. “Would you willingly trade faces with me, Harry?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, come on, I’m just – fuck, I’m nobody. With crap glasses and stupid hair. You’ve – you’ve got presence. I mean, you walk into a room and everyone notices.”
Severus blinked. It was an odd experience, to see oneself through Harry-tinted spectacles. And, moreover, to see how the boy viewed himself. Could Harry really not see how beautiful he was? Severus struggled for a moment with warring impulses: to set his young lover straight, or to leave him in his ignorant gratitude for the attentions of an unattractive man twenty years his senior.
It was a sadly unequal contest. “Well, looks are not everything,” Severus said, with a smirk, as he took a seat beside his lover.
……………………………………….
Harry and Severus were curled up on the sofa in front of the telly, Severus doing quite a good job of pretending he wasn’t watching X Factor as he stroked Mr Lupin, wincing occasionally as the ungrateful wretch stuck its claws in his leg.
When the adverts came on, Harry resumed his part of their earlier conversation. “Anyway, I was thinking I ought to try and get a job. Not sure what to go for, though. I mean, I’d sort of like to work with homeless kids – “
“Wouldn’t that be rather like the blind leading the blind?”
“Git. But anyway, they don’t tend to pay you for that sort of stuff, so I was thinking maybe I could get a job in a restaurant or something.”
Severus considered. “Whilst I applaud your efforts to cease being a parasite upon society, I am not keen for you to work evenings. I should hardly see you.”
Harry’s face brightened. “OK, so I’ll see if I can find a coffee shop, then. Or a tea shop, maybe – bet they do a roaring trade in cream teas, a place like this.”
Mr Lupin miaowed petulantly. “Hey, do you think he heard me say cream?” Harry asked, obviously impressed.
Severus snorted. “I wouldn’t put anything past that creature. But going back to the prospect of your leaving the ranks of the idle poor, I should have thought you might prefer something a little less menial. After all, just because your experience of the school system was less than satisfactory, that does not mean you cannot take a job that provides some sort of training and educational opportunities.”
Harry shrugged. “Nah, that’s not really my sort of thing. Didn’t get any GCSEs anyway, did I? You’re bound to need one or two for stuff like that.”
Severus decided not to push it. He quirked an eyebrow. “In that case, perhaps you might consider a job as a punt chauffeur? After all, the aptitudes required would hardly be beyond even your sadly restricted skills range, damning indictment of the British school system though it may be.”
Harry grinned. “Yeah, I could make up a few stories about Cambridge for the tourists.” His gaze took on a predatory quality. “Reckon I might need a bit more practice handling a long, stiff pole though,” he continued, lunging at Severus, who had no compunction in shoving a complaining Mr Lupin off his lap to make room for a more congenial occupant.
………………………………………
In fact Harry had talked his way into a job at the new Starbucks that had opened on Market Street. Severus approved – the boy invariably brought home with him a faint but appealing aroma of freshly ground coffee. And having spent the day on his feet, he was generally quite happy to curl up on the sofa with Severus while he finished the tedious task of marking his students’ work.
Having a couple of hours free one crisp, frosty morning, Severus decided he was just in the mood for a mocha frappuccino. Whatever one of those might turn out to be. Accordingly, he took a short stroll along King’s Parade and then up to Market Street. The coffee shop was rather busy, and he didn’t spot Harry for a moment. He certainly wasn’t serving behind the counter. Glaring at a couple of young mothers until they moved their pushchairs out of his way, Severus moved further into the coffee shop. He frowned as he spied Harry amongst the tables. Tray in hand, he was apparently in earnest conversation with a tall, well-built young blond. The frown deepened as Severus recognised the interloper as a boxing blue from Magdalene. Although he had never been a sportsman himself, Severus made a point of attending as many varsity matches as he could; he felt it behoved him to show support for the students. The fact that they generally involved fit, sweaty young men in rather light clothing was, he told himself firmly, neither here nor there.
Severus scowled as he saw that this particular fit young man actually had a proprietary grasp on Harry’s arm. Dammit, Severus should have known not to let the boy out of his sight! Sick to his stomach, Severus was unsure whether to leave at once or stay and confront the traitor – and as he debated within himself, Harry caught sight of him and started guiltily. It was enough to tell him all he needed to know. Severus turned on his heel and stalked back to his rooms in college.
…………………………….
It was late when Severus returned home, having discovered a vast amount of paperwork that could not be put off any longer. His mood was not improved by the discovery, just a fraction of a second too late, of a perfectly bisected rodent on the doormat, reverently placed precisely where Severus was in the habit of putting his feet. Harry was hunched on the sofa watching telly and looked up guiltily when Severus glanced into the sitting room, having kicked off his shoes in disgust. Severus nodded to him curtly and made his way into the kitchen.
“There’s curry in the pan. I could heat it up for you,” came a voice behind his left ear.
Severus jumped. “Dammit, boy! Do you have to sneak up on me like that?”
“Sorry.”
It sounded so miserable that Severus turned despite himself to look at the boy. Underfed and under grown as he was, tonight he managed to look even smaller than usual as he leant against the kitchen worktop. Severus drew in a breath, but before he could say anything, Harry was speaking. “Look, I don’t know what you thought this morning – well, actually, I’ve got a pretty good idea – but it wasn’t like that, OK? He’s my cousin.”
Severus sneered. “I rather doubt medieval ideas about consanguinity really apply in this case, Harry.”
“What? I – look, you think I’m shagging him, right? Or planning to, whatever. I’m not, OK?”
“Then why can’t you look me in the eye, Harry? I may be an old fool, but I know guilt when I see it!” There was a bitter taste in his mouth and he was in dire need of a large glass of whiskey to wash it away.
Harry slammed the palm of his hand down on the worktop. “Look – oh, fuck it, what’s the use?” Propelling himself off the worktop with both hands, he started walking towards the door.
Severus had an instant of clarity that was physically painful and, almost without thought, grabbed Harry’s arm. The same one that brute from Magdalene had had hold of, his memory treacherously supplied. He forced himself to take a calming breath. “Tell me, Harry.”
“I – I didn’t want you to meet him, all right?” Harry’s gaze was fixed firmly on the worn linoleum and his free hand was running distractedly through his hair. “I didn’t want him telling you stuff about me.”
“What stuff, Harry?” Severus kept his voice low and tried not to sound threatening, but he had an uneasy feeling about this.
“Just – stuff. About when I was a kid. I – look, I told you I was crap at school, right? Well, I was really crap. I mean, it wasn’t just ‘cause I was messing around. And there’s – other things, all right? Which I don’t want to talk about.”
If his hand got any rougher as it ran through his hair he’d be pulling the stuff out in clumps. Suddenly it seemed absurd to doubt the boy any longer. Gently, Severus took hold of that fidgety right hand and slipped an arm around Harry’s waist. Green eyes snapped up to meet his gaze. “Foolish boy. Do you really imagine I should think any the less of you for hearing your cousin’s childhood tales?” Not that he couldn’t have filled a book with incidents from his own youth that he would be utterly mortified to have Harry discover. But that was beside the point.
Harry gave a twisted smile. “You’re always going on about those bloody students of yours – calling them dunderheads and stuff. What does that make me, with no bloody GCSEs to rub together?”
Severus smirked. “I can think of far better things for you to rub together, Harry.” He allowed his hand to drop to Harry’s arse and fondled it gently.
But that wasn’t fair to the boy. Severus pulled back slightly, still keeping both hands on his uncharacteristically skittish lover. “And I should like to see any of those students of mine make their way in the world as you have done, without family support or qualifications. Despite what I may occasionally tell my students, academic success is not everything.”
Harry was smiling properly now, and his lips looked red and eminently kissable, so Severus applied himself to kissing them. Matters were progressing in a decidedly satisfactory matter when Severus felt a sudden searing pain in his left leg. “Bloody hell!”
Mr Lupin sat on his haunches, claws now sheathed, and yowled impatiently.
Harry grinned, a little abashed. “Um, I may have forgotten to feed the cat.”
Severus fixed him with a piercing look. “Then I suggest you remedy that oversight, Harry. I should not like any further disruptions to my plans for this evening.”
Harry grinned. “Yeah? You planning on going out, or something?”
“No, Harry. However, I am most definitely planning on going in.”
fin
