Second Place - Drama

Harry rested his head on Severus� chest, listening to the steady beat of the older wizard�s heart. He idly toyed with a black curl of chest hair. He liked these quiet times with Severus; Uncle Leon only ever wanted to cuddle if the promise of sex was involved.

"I received my paperwork from Madam Jones this afternoon. I need to go shopping tomorrow in Muggle London."

Severus� dark eyes opened. "Muggle London? The supplies you require are all available in Diagon Alley."

"I�ll need to visit my bank to withdraw enough funds to cover my expenses. I also need to pick up more makeup to cover my scar."

The Potion Master�s fingers ghosted over the fading curse scar. With Voldemort dead, the curse was broken; perhaps it was possible to remove the scar, or at least cover it with a glamour charm. Makeup would be a too temporary and too dangerous of a solution; a mediwizard�s poorly directed "Scorify" charm could remove it.

"You do not need to concern yourself with the cost of the supplies. Madam Jones has already ordered and paid for your core textbooks � we will just need to pick them up at Flourish and Blotts. I will be purchasing your robes, potion supplies and incidentals."

"But you have already spent enough on me..."

"You are apprenticing under Madam Jones and myself � it is expected that we will cover your expenses."

Harry sighed. He hated to be in anyone�s debt.

"St. Mungo�s has dormitories for their apprentices. I�ll need to contact someone about a room."

"You will remain here with me." Severus replied bluntly.

Harry shifted his position so he could see the other man�s face. "I�ve invaded your privacy long enough."

"You have not invaded my privacy. I enjoy your company." A smile quirked the thin lips. "And my house has never been cleaner."

Harry appreciated Severus� attempt at levity, but he was not convinced. "But if all the apprentices are supposed to live at St. Mungo�s, won�t they question why I am living with you?"

"No, most of the apprentices do not live in the dormitory, especially the very young ones. Numerous novices live with their Masters and Mistresses. Because I am unmarried, they might question it more if you were a witch."

"For fear it could become a sexual relationship? We already have one and I�m not a witch."

"Can you get pregnant, Harry?� Severus arched an eyebrow.

Harry laughed. "I think I lack the essential anatomy for that, Sev. Or can potions be brewed to work around that obstacle?"

"I can perform magic, love, but not miracles." Severus rolled Harry beneath him, successfully ending the conversation for a more satisfying activity.

"Hold still, Dearie," The seamstress admonished as Harry perched on a stool in the fitting room at Madam Malkin�s. Scraps of fabric hung haphazardly all across the room. The elderly witch checked the hem one final time before moving on to shorten the sleeves.

The young wizard stared at his reflection and grimaced. While not quite as hideous as some of Dudley�s hand-me-downs, the striped purple and turquoise � no, he corrected himself � aubergine and aquamarine � fabric would have been at home on a circus clown.

"Very handsome, Mr. Corax." The witch said, standing back and admiring her design. "Best of luck on your apprenticeship."

Harry stepped off the stool and hastily removed the offending garment. Severus handed him a black casual robe with aubergine and aquamarine inserts to wear as the witch moved the apprentice�s work robe to a rack with two other identical work robes, several casual robes and a dress robe for the Ministry of Magic ball. Beside the rack was a neatly folded pile of undergarments, socks and footwear.

The apprentice-in-training glanced longingly at a rack of under robe trousers and dress shirts, but Severus shook his head. Traditionally dressed wizards did not wear Muggle like garments beneath full robes. Trousers were worn only beneath open robes and dueling robes, neither style appropriate for the traditionally-cut apprentice robes.

Harry brushed his hair behind an ear and caught his reflection once again. An androgynous creature stared back at him. Severus� reflection joined him in the mirror, fingers smoothing out an errant lock of hair in the sleek, shoulder length pageboy. Harry�s green eyes glittered in the sunlight streaming through the storefront window. A fringe of hair and Muggle cosmetics obscured his scar. Harry Potter was returning to the wizarding world, but he was doing so under the guise of Corvus Corax.

"Do the robes have to look so hideous, Sev...er...Master Snape?" Harry corrected himself immediately, hoping the witch was too busy totaling the purchases to notice the slip of his tongue. As far as anyone in Diagon Alley was concerned, Potion Master Severus Snape was accompanying his new St. Mungo�s apprentice on a shopping excursion. Severus signed a script authorizing Madam Malkin to deduct the price of the purchases from his Gringotts account.

"They are honorable, if colorful, robes. Not many healers attempt a dual apprenticeship. Aubergine for Potions, aquamarine for Massotherapy." Severus sounded faintly amused. He remembered his own initial reaction to the aubergine robes he was expected to wear due to St. Mungo�s color-coding system. "Don�t worry, Mr Corax, you will find that as far as apprentice robes are concerned, you are wearing one of the more sedate fabrics. The surgical apprentices wear crimson and white � they look a bit like a peppermint stick."

Harry tried to read the total on the receipt the witch handed Severus, but to no success. He was unhappy that the older wizard was paying for his clothing. He did not like feeling as if he were being "kept", but Severus explained, once again, that as one of his "Masters", it was expected of him to provide for his apprentice. If Harry paid for his own supplies, it would have raised unnecessary eyebrows.

Harry followed a step behind Severus as they made their way through the various shops of Diagon Alley, completing the list of required supplies for Harry�s apprenticeship. He adjusted the parcels of potion ingredients in his arms as the duo navigated the crowded alleyway. All non-potion purchases were being delivered to the Snape townhouse via owl later that evening.

Severus paused at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. He studied his smaller companion. They had passed many former Hogwarts students in the crowded shopping district, but no one seemed to recognize Harry. The dark wizard found it oddly amusing; remove his eyeglasses, obscure the trademark scar and grow out the young man�s hair and no one recognized the fallen savior. Idiots, he thought.

The Potion Master caught Harry�s elbow. "I need to pick up an order at an apothecary just down the way and the doorways are rife with thieves. They would not be so foolish as to confront me, but you would appear to be a defenseless mark � I would feel more comfortable if you would wait for me at Florien Fortesque�s Ice Cream Parlor. Do you need any wizarding money?"

"No. I have a few sickles and knuts � more than enough for a bowl of ice cream. Did you want me to order anything for you?"

"I am not in the mood for sweets. No one seems to have recognized you but keep on your guard. Have your wand ready just in case. I should not be more than twenty minutes."

Tucked into the corner of Fortesque�s Ice Cream Parlor, Harry watched the witches and wizards pass by the storefront, savoring his anonymity and his bowl of orange chocolate swirl ice cream. He perused his supply list, checking off the purchases that had already been made and re-arranging the potion brewing parcels into a more manageable pile.

Florien recognized the cut of the young wizard�s robes to be apprentice robes. He�d known Severus Snape for years, both as the Hogwart�s Potion Master and as a member of the Order of the Phoenix; he was somewhat surprised that the severe wizard had taken on an apprentice. The young man must be an incredibly strong and intelligent wizard to attempt a dual apprenticeship. Florien only hoped the small wizard had spirit � he would need every ounce of it to survive the Potion Master�s acidic tongue.

Florien found his eyes drawn to the solitary figure. The proprietor closed his eyes, trying to place the familiar looking young man. The memory of a small, green-eyed boy with his homework spread out on a table in the afternoon sunlight came to mind. He caught the attention of the intelligent eyes and smiled, knowing the name would eventually come to him. A family stepping up to the counter drew his attention away. By the time he was finished completing their order, the young man had disappeared.

Severus traced Harry�s curse scar with a fingertip. He examined his lover�s features, eyes closed, long black eyelashes resting on his pale cheeks. A thick hair band held the black hair away from his face. Severus leaned down, kissing Harry�s soft lips. Harry did not respond to Severus� mistrations; he was under the effects of a strong anesthetizing potion.

"Is the child asleep?" Madam Jones inquired as she carried a covered tray into the guest room. A flick of her wand brightened the room considerably.

"Yes," The Potion Master replied as he sterilized his freshly scrubbed hands with an incantation. "Are you certain the potion will work? I would hate to think we would further disfigure him in an attempt to remove his legendary scar."

"Don�t you worry, Severus, Amelia has never failed me with one of her potions. While she is not as talented as you, she does brew many niche potions that are unsurpassable. And with her clientele, she would know about curse scars."

Severus held up a vial containing a specially ordered potion obtained from Amelia Bagshott�s Apothecary in Knockturn Alley. He held the tangerine liquid up to the light, watching it sparkle.

"Make sure he doesn�t move," Severus hissed as Madam Jones held Harry�s head in a vice-like grip. Severus held the razor sharp blade of a ceremonial dagger against the unconscious wizard�s forehead. A part of him still couldn�t believe Harry trusted him enough to attempt the operation. Carefully, the dark wizard gouged out the lightening bolt-shaped curse scar and scraped raw the surrounding unmarked flesh.

Severus daubed away the bright red blood from the newly opened wound. When the blood flow slowed, the older man uncorked the potion vial and dribbled four precise drops of the tangerine liquid onto the raw flesh. The potion glowed a soft yellow before sinking into the wound, slowly repairing the injured membranes.

"We will need to repeat the potion in an hour." Madam Jones arranged Harry�s unresponsive body into a more natural position, banishing the bloody toweling beneath his head. While covering the slender form with a blanket, the elderly witch noticed a scar marring the top of Harry�s hand.

"I will not tell lies." She quietly read the spidery scrawl. Her aged green eyes looked up at Severus in shock. "What is the meaning of this? The Cutting Charm is classified as dark magic."

"Delores Umbridge." Severus said shortly, remembering the amphibian-like witch�s reign over Hogwart�s. "Cornelius Fudge forced Umbridge onto Albus Dumbledore as a DADA professor in what would have been Harry�s fifth year. He was not the only student she scarred in this manner. If the �Golden Boy� hadn�t known to soak his hand in murlap, the scars would have been much worse."

"But...what lie did he tell? What could he have possibly done to deserve this deliberate disfigurement?"

"He refused to deny the return of Lord Voldemort."

Severus softly stroked the scar, listening to his lover�s deep breathing for several minutes. Picking up the dagger, he secured the smaller hand in his own and began to scrape away the marked flesh.

Twenty-year-old Blaise Zabini neatly arranged his potions ingredients while keeping a furtive eye on his former head of house�s diminutive apprentice. Corvus was an intriguing puzzle and, like many Slytherins, the Portuguese-born wizard enjoyed solving puzzles.

In his second year of a seven-year apprenticeship, Blaise was mildly surprised when Corvus Corax arrived unexpectedly one morning to the daily Potions Brewing classes taught by a revolving group of St. Mungo�s potion masters, including Severus Snape. Massotherapy and Potions appeared at first to be an extremely odd combination for apprenticeship, but, as the former Slytherin thought about it, it made perfect sense for someone desiring a complete education in Curse Damage.

Beside him, Zacharias Smith slammed his ingredients carelessly onto his worktable as he scowled at the solitary apprentice setting up his workstation furthest away from the other students behind a magic deadening ward.

Harry looked over his notes a final time before extracting a wooden match from a box of Muggle matches and lighting the Bunsen burner beneath his cauldron. His wand was sticking out of the satchel at his feet, far enough away to prevent unconscious casual use, but close enough to summon in case of emergency.

"Look at that," Zacharias hissed. "I can�t believe Snape denies me but is wasting his time on a Squib.... The little bastard can�t even brew a potion like a normal wizard."

Blaise let the former Hufflepuff rant. To him it was another blatant example of the other wizard�s immaturity. Obviously his former Hogwarts classmate had been improperly sorted � Hufflepuffs were supposed to be loyal and kind � and Zacharias was neither. Angry that his petition to apprentice under Severus Snape had been out-and-out rejected without even a perfunctory interview, Zacharias turned his bitter tongue against Severus, not even realizing that his attitude toward the Head of Medical Research occasionally amused Snape, but angered the other Masters working with the apprentices. If they learned nothing else, an apprentice learned to be respectful and Zacharias was skating close to the edge of outright dismissal.

Blaise had discussed apprenticeship in general with Severus before leaving Hogwarts, but had never considered studying under his sponsorship. He was pleased with the Potion Master Severus had recommended. After learning from Snape for seven years, it was refreshing to examine potions from a different perspective. Unfortunately, Zacharias was blind to the priceless knowledge presented by the mixed skill set of the various St. Mungo�s Potion Masters.

Blaise lit a fire beneath his cauldron and carefully measured precisely three liters of distilled water into it. He began carefully preparing his other ingredients, ignoring the irritated wizard beside him. A small, smoky explosion and a soft sigh of frustration drew his attention back toward Corvus. Upon first meeting the quiet young wizard, Blaise�s initial thought was that Hades froze over and Harry Potter returned from the missing as Severus Snape�s novice, but he quickly rejected that notion. Although both wizards shared a similar build and had unusually hued eyes, Corvus did not wear eyeglasses or appear to have an insane desire to save the world, nor did he possess the trademark curse scar on his forehead. Corvus also possessed the startling ability to brew successful potions in a totally unconventional manner. And, unlike the unfortunate Harry Potter, Severus actually seemed to respect Corvus Corax.

"That idiot brews like Longbottom," Zacharias sneered as Harry added unknown ingredients to his smoking cauldron to bring his brew back under control. "He�s just added anise seeds to his potion...and anise seeds aren�t even used in it."

Blaise rolled his eyes, wishing he could conjure a gag for the irritating Hufflepuff.

"How do you know his potion doesn�t use anise seed? He�s not brewing according to our lesson plan. You obviously aren�t very perceptive. Corax shares a workroom with us, but only participates in the lectures. What he does is rare � that�s why Severus took him under his wing. Any other apprentice would bore him."

Zacharias snorted. "What�s so rare about a Squib?"

"Get your head out of your arse," Blaise snapped. "He�s not a Squib. He�s an intuitive brewer and they are exceptionally uncommon."

Harry knocked on the door to Severus� study. The dark wizard seemed pre-occupied and had not responded to Harry�s summons to dinner.

The young wizard was rather perplexed. The day had started off fine. A rare plant exhibition at the Arboretum sent Harry and Severus into Muggle London for the day. After a leisurely brunch, the pair spent hours visiting the various greenhouses and gardens and Harry was certain Severus nicked a few cuttings from some of the exotic foliage. It had been a relaxing, enjoyable outing for the master and his apprentice.

Upon their return, Severus settled into his favorite chair and began to read several Sunday Muggle newspapers they had picked up during their travels. Harry retreated to the kitchen to begin preparation for dinner. Harry didn�t know what had caused the older man to withdraw into his study.

"Severus," Harry tried again. When Severus did not acknowledge him, the green-eyed man approached his chair and wrapped his arms around the tall man, resting his cheek on the man�s shoulder. Severus started, dropping the brightly colored tabloid insert that had rested in his lap.

"Sorry, Sev. I thought you heard me. Dinner will be a few more minutes." Harry held out his hand, wandlessly casting a summoning charm. "Accio newspaper."

Severus caught the tabloid before it reached his lover�s hand. He sorted through the jumbled pages and held out a full-page advertisement. It was an ad for Cheaton�s Bodyworks.

Harry examined the photograph. Dil and Chrissy were in the foreground with the street bike, Harry in the background on the motor scooter. He looked critically at himself and gave a soft snort. "I look about fourteen years old in this shot...I�ll have to drop Malcolm a line...bastard conveniently forgot to pay me for that photo shoot.

"Well, here�s another one for your collection...one of the last, I�m afraid as I�ve been forced into retirement..." Harry shrugged and handed the ad back to Severus. The dark wizard�s face wore an odd expression. "What?"

"You will not contact that Muggle. If he betrayed you to Alistair once, what will stop him from doing so a second time?"

"A day�s shoot was five hundred pounds, Sev."

"And what is a �gang bang� worth to you?" Severus asked sharply. "I may not know much Muggle slang, but I sure as hell know what a �gang bang� is. You will NOT contact him."

Harry glared at the Potion Master, but held his tongue. Turning on his heel, he stalked to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on a dinner he was now too angry to eat. How dare Severus order him not to contact Malcolm; it was easy for him to say "no" because it was not his bank account threatening to dip into negative balance. He had earned every one of those five hundred pounds � and earning it had cost him his home and nearly all of his possessions.

Harry slammed the steaming pan heavily onto the countertop, not caring where the contents sprayed. Why did Severus persist in thinking him an idiotic Gryffindor? There was no way in the nine hells he would have ever considered approaching Malcolm alone.

Severus sat beside Harry on the Victorian settee in the parlor, settling a folder in his lap. Harry looked up at the older wizard with trepidation; he recognized the folder as the one containing Severus� collection of photographs and advertisements featuring Harry as a model.

"I want a little information about these photographs. I saw the one shoot at the motor bike shop...did they always end up with you performing �private� commissions?"

Harry held the folder for several minutes before opening it. The Potion Master told Harry he did not hold his dubious past against him, but Harry always feared Severus would cast him aside if the opportunity to pursue a �respectable� lover appeared. The young man did not want to hold this conversation but if he hoped for any future with the dark wizard, he needed to convince Severus that despite appearances, he was not a whore.

"No. Most of my modeling was fairly legitimate. I was not in the habit of pornographic modeling...Quentin called it �Art House� but smut is smut...it only happened when Quentin was the photographer...that�s why I had refused to work with him anymore..."

Harry handed back the folder, relieved that Severus had never seen any of the more graphic images of him Quentin and Alistair had on file. Harry was not outright lying to Severus, because the majority of his modeling work, while not necessarily benign, had been fairly respectable. There were episodes from his past that he was not proud of, but at the time, he had had very little in the way of options. If asked, he would not lie, but he dearly hoped that the questions would never come.

"What do you want to know?" he asked tentatively.

Severus held up the original cologne advertisement. "You were barely sixteen when this was shot...and the subject matter is highly suggestive. Were you frightened?"

"Yes. I had done fashion shoots before...but that was for juvenile clothing catalogs and that is rapid fire. In catalog work you are featuring the clothing, not the model. The model is fairly interchangeable, hired because they fit the clothes...But that photo shoot...that was important. If I fricked it up I would lose all chance at a legitimate career...and if the client liked me..."

"Did you know what they would ask you to do before hand?"

"No...I knew I�d be taking my shirt off or unbuttoning it because Malcolm asked to see my chest before he hired me in the first place...but when the photographer had me unzip my jeans...I was afraid it was going to be like those pictures taken of me when I was a child. The other model was really nice though, and he helped me...Modeling is a fairly cutthroat business so he was a bit of a surprise. But he was an older man and I was just a kid...we would never be up for the same kinds of shoots anyway so I was no threat...he was 100% professional...didn�t take advantage of the situation...his hand never went deeper than it did in the photo..."

Severus tucked back the cologne ad, skipping a few others for the same company as well as the clothing catalog and runway shots. Harry�s fingers touched the clothing catalog.

"This was a fairly obscure catalog, and you, obviously, would never order clothing from a catalog devoted to short Muggle men...how do you find these pictures of me?"

"As you already know, I read constantly and often visit Muggle booksellers and news stands. Some of these clippings, I actually found quite by accident."

"And the others?"

"Bill has sent me many of them."

"From Egypt?" Harry�s voice nearly squeaked. "How in Merlin�s name would he ever find them in Egypt?"

Severus smiled. He had wondered when Harry would finally ask questions about his collection and just not passively accept that it existed. "When you visited the �pyromaniac� twins, did you ever show them any of your work?"

Harry�s jaw dropped. "Fred and George know about your collection? They send you pictures of me?"

Severus snorted. "Hardly. I would assume they think that it is Bill that fancies you."

Harry just shook his head in bemusement. Severus sifted through the folder again. He indicated the animal welfare calendar and note card. "Tell me about these?"

"That was an unusual shoot...most of the time the photographer works with one or two models at a time, but they were on a fairly tight budget. Many of the more famous models and photographers were donating their time. Hedwig and I were paid a bit over scale; folks in the trade asked for me because they knew about my �tame� bird.

"They jumbled us all in a bundle with a number of animals and just let things evolve. I was shot using several of the animals and Hedwig was used a few times as well, but we were most comfortable with one another and that�s why that shot came out so well."

"And the snake?"

"Pamela was originally brought in to work with a film actress, but the tart was terrified of her."

"Pamela?"

"The python...she was a pretty girl. A washed up rock star and I were the only ones not too scared to pose with her...Being a Parseltongue does have some advantages, you know."

Severus picked up the Cheaton�s advertisement. "The photographer threatened you before you ever went before the camera...why didn�t you just leave?"

Harry paused. Severus was heading for dangerous territory.

"I needed the money...and if I left Malcolm would cut my contract loose."

The room was silent for several minutes. Severus broke the silence with a question that had troubled him for weeks.

"What is a �rent boy�?"

Harry winced and looked away. "A street whore...a prostitute too poor to have a room. Quentin knew Uncle Leon �kept� me...Malcolm probably did, too. Blackmail is easy when your target is vulnerable...and once Uncle Leon died, I became easy prey."

"How easy?" Severus� voice was hard.

Tired of the entire situation, Harry lashed out.

"Malcolm never fucked me, but he made me suck his cock. If I didn�t, he would not send me out on shoots."

Harry tossed the folder across the room, watching the contents scatter.

"I don�t want to talk about this any longer." He snarled. "I have done many things I am not proud of, but I did what I had to do to survive. Do you have any idea how many days I woke up wishing for it all to end? Wishing I had enough courage to kill myself? But I�m too much of a fucking Gryffindor...too much of a Don Quixote battling the fucking windmills."

Harry inhaled a shuddering breath, past the point of calming himself. He plucked up the animal welfare note card and held out the image of himself wearing only a snake.

"If all I am to you is a folder filled with fantasies then perhaps I should leave you with them...In the end, I will only be a disappointment to you."

Harry set the note card on the table and stalked to the door. He looked back at Severus, his eyes a mix of hurt and anger.

"I don�t know why I ever thought I could escape my past. I will always be nothing but a whore to you. I will owl Madam Jones tomorrow to officially withdraw from the Apprenticeship Program. Good night, Professor Snape."

Severus stared at his hands as he listened to Harry�s footsteps pace above him. His fingers drifted to the faded Dark Mark on his forearm. More than anyone, he understood what it felt like to fight for basic survival. Don Quixote, indeed.

"Accio. Accio. Accio." He cast in quick succession, gathering up the scattered photographs. His fingers paused a moment on the October calendar image before he snapped the folder shut. Tucking the flat package beneath his arm, he followed Harry�s path up the stairs.

For several moments, Severus watched Harry gather his meager possessions into a messy pile on the bed. The dark wizard saw Harry�s hands pause on a thick anatomy tome; the thin fingers caressed the spine before leaving it on the desk. No matter how angry Harry was with him, the Potion Master would not let him throw away a promising future in Mediwizardry.

Harry pointedly ignored the older wizard as he checked the wardrobe for a missing trainer. His heart hurt so much; he felt as if the organ would explode in his chest. He was angrier at himself than he was at Severus. It was his own fault for hoping anyone would ever think he was more than a toy.

"You are not a disappointment...and you are not a whore." Severus stepped into the bedroom and handed the folder to Harry. "These are yours to do with as you wish. Keep them as mementos of your professional modeling career or incinerate them...I do not want a fantasy lover...and I do not want you to leave."

Harry cast him a wary eye.

"And my past?"

"Is the past," Severus said quietly, wrapping the smaller figure up in his arms.

The room was too bright, too sterile, and much too cheery. He now understood where Harry�s uncontrollable cleaning obsession came from. The Potion Master took a sip of tea, hiding his grimace at the poor quality of the leaf. Tea was not meant to be brewed from little paper bags, he thought. Muggles were barbaric.

He turned his attention back to the thin, nervous woman sitting across from him in the immaculate kitchen. The brightness of the room highlighting the bruises she was trying to hide beneath a layer of Muggle cosmetics. Her eyes drifted to a clock on the wall.

"When do you expect your husband home, Mrs. Dursley?"

"Vernon won�t be home for hours...I...I have to be at work in an hour. I...I�m a checkout clerk at Tesco."

Severus� eyes slowly blinked. He indicated the woman�s battered face. "And you would go out in public like this?"

Petunia Dursley looked away and Severus could see a dark bruise on her shoulder. Obviously once Vernon Dursley had lost his nephew as a target for his anger, his focus shifted to his wife. The dark wizard loathed men who beat their wives almost as much as he loathed those who abused their children.

"Why do you stay with him?"

"I have no place else to go. Vernon won�t let me work and he controls all the finances. When Dudley - he�s my son - went on to University, I wanted to go to secretarial school but Vernon said no wife of his would ever work. My...my place was here."

"He doesn�t know about your job, does he?"

"No. He thinks I am volunteering at the church. He�d kill me." Petunia set down her shaking teacup. "I�ve a little saved...but not nearly enough..."

Severus leaned forward, locking the frightened blue eyes with his own. "Harry told me that the day you helped him escape, you found a box of photographs. Did your husband keep them?"

"Yes...but he moved them to a trunk...and I don�t have a key...There are videos there as well."

Severus casually drew his wand and nonchalantly tapped it with his index finger as if deep in thought. He ignored the hitch in Petunia�s breathing. He smiled a feral smile, causing her to recoil.

"I don�t think I�ll have any problems with a Muggle lock."

Severus rested his hands on the railing of the second level of the St. Mungo�s Medical Research Library and glanced down to the heavy oak tables below. He was gratified to see many of the hospital apprentices taking their studies seriously. He did not see his lover among them, but that was not too much of a surprise. A late arrival into the program, Harry had not yet found his social niche.

The longer Harry roamed the very public hallways in his minimal disguise as Corvus, the more his confidence level built. Early on, he had been terrified that someone would discover his true identity and call for his immediate expulsion, but he soon realized that the majority of witches and wizards were so absorbed in what ever personal drama brought them to St. Mungo�s in the first place to pay much attention to the slightly built apprentice. If questioned, Severus seriously doubted that many could have even remembered his gender.

But Harry was still wary to mix with the general hospital staff and especially to mix with the apprentices. Many were former Hogwarts classmates. Thankfully, of the apprentices Harry had direct contact with, none were from the Gryffindor House and the rigid class structure and political climate at Hogwarts had prevented much in the way of inter-house association.

Severus acknowledged the presence of Healer Hippocrates Smethwyck, the Head of the General Maladies Department. The middle-aged wizard stepped beside him, peering over the railing to check on his own departmental apprentices.

The heavy oak door to the library opened and Severus noticed the unique aubergine and aquamarine robes of his lover and apprentice. Picking a research table away from the general study group, Harry set down his satchel and glanced at a parchment listing several reference books. Madam Jones wanted him to fully research the side effects of an extended Cruciatus Curse and to develop a possible means to repair the long term mental and physical damage it caused to its victims.

Harry perused the shelves and soon located a section devoted to dark curses. He pulled one of his reference books from the neat shelves and continued on his search for the remaining tomes. As Harry reached the end of a long row, he passed a group of second year apprentices deep in a quiet discussion of an Advanced Mediwizardry assignment. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, the slight wizard eased behind the group intending to duck down the next row of shelves.

"Oh look," Zacharias� voice echoed in the silent library. "If it isn�t Snapsie�s catamite."

On the floor above, several members of the senior staff looked on the scene below in horror. One of their own had just been publicly accused of an improper sexual relationship with his trainee. Healer Smethwyck began to speak but silenced at Severus� upraised hand. The staff members approached, curious to see Severus� reaction to still another attack on his character.

Beside him Smethwyck sputtered. "You can not continue to ignore him, Severus. His blatant show of disrespect has gone on long enough. It is time Mr. Smith was censured."

The other staff members nodded in agreement, but Severus kept his hand raised as he leaned over the balcony to view the confrontation below.

"Oh, I heartily agree, Hippocrates, but let us see how Mr. Corax handles it first, shall we?"

�Snapsie�s catamite�. Harry�s blood ran cold. He had had enough of Zacharias and his petty vindictiveness. It was time to take the Hufflepuff down a peg.

Harry looked around the first floor of the library, not seeing any masters or senior staff members to come to his defense or to witness the exchange. He licked his lower lip to moisten it before setting his research materials down on the nearest flat surface. He smoothed his hands down his striped apprentice robes, a calculating smile gracing his face as he decided how to best handle the situation. He held his wand loosely in his hand, as a precaution.

"Jealous are we, Mr. Smith?" Harry approached the Hufflefuff with the same cat-like grace he had used while waiting tables at Tommy�s. He stopped just inside Zacharias� personal space. Harry tilted his head, his eyes looking the other wizard over in a blatantly sexual fashion. Zacharias audibly swallowed.

Harry reached up and ran a finger down Zacharias� jawline, feeling the taller man tremble. In a voice that almost purred, he continued.

"But what exactly are you jealous of, love? Is it because Master Snape is supposedly shoving his big cock up my arse and not yours? Or..." Harry leaned forward, breathing in Zacharias� ear. "Or is it because you want it to be your cock shoved up my tight arse?"

The apprentices were deathly silent as they observed the color tint Zacharias� cheeks and watched the usually verbose wizard stumble over a reply, noticing he did not deny Harry�s accusation. But Snape�s apprentice wasn�t finished.

"You want to know how I keep my master pleased? Why he keeps coming back to me for more?" Zacharias nodded, dumbly. Harry cast him a seductive smile, years as a model paying off. "He has a healthy appetite, does my master...and I love to hear him moan as he bites into my nice, hot..."

Harry paused for effect, conscious of the rapt attention of their audience. It was time to go in for the kill. "...Orange poppy seed scones."

As one, the apprentices jolted. Scones? Zacharias finally found his voice. "W-what?"

"Scones," Harry repeated. "Master Snape just loves my orange poppy seed scones."

"But you...he..." Zacharias sputtered.

"Share his bed?" Harry asked archly, needing to protect Severus� professional reputation as well as deflect unwanted attention from their clandestine relationship. "Master Snape possesses neither a wife nor a house elf. Shortly after he resigned from Hogwarts to take the position of Head of Medical Research, I was hired to perform as both housekeeper and cook. I have always had my own bedroom and he has always had his own."

Harry pushed his wand sharply against Zacharias� ribs. "You will cease this daily assassination of his character and of mine."

Zacharias sputtered, the only coherent words being, "orange poppy seed scones."

Blaise�s sudden laughter echoed into the stunned silence of the library. The Portuguese-born wizard wrapped a muscular arm around Harry�s slight shoulders, almost knocking him off his feet.

"Biting your nice, hot scones...Brilliant! You really had us going there for a minute, you know. Corvus, I think you�re going to fit in just fine."

Blaise�s laughter was infectious as the other apprentices began to laugh as well, breaking the tension. No one really knew what to expect from the always-shy Corvus Corax. Zacharias gathered up his belongings, trying to distance himself from the ridicule he had brought down on himself. He did not appreciate how easily the other wizard had bested him.

Up in the balcony above, Severus smirked and Smethwyck tried to stifle a snort of amusement.