Title: Privacy v. Publicity

Author: Els-chan

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Severus Snape / Harry Potter

Summary: Some people will do anything for fame and fortune.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling. No monetary profit made on this story.

Challenge: First line Valentine's challenge: "The child isn't mine, Severus - I never slept with her!"

Note: Part of "From Dusk til Dawn - the Harry Potter/Severus Snape Fuh-Q-Fest" Fourth Wave at: http://www.kardasi.com/HPSS

Beta: Thank you, Wakka. You're a doll.

"The child isn't mine, Severus - I never slept with her!"

Severus Snape looked up from the book he was reading and regarded his lover of three years cooly. "Excuse me?" He set the book aside and removed his reading glasses. "What are you on about now?"

Harry Potter stood before him, trembling and clearly distressed. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, making a point of not meeting Severus's gaze. "You...uh...you mean you didn't see?"

"See what?" Severus replied as patiently as possible, which wasn't very and came out sounding an awful lot like an irritated growl. Harry winced.

"So you haven't seen it yet..." At Severus's blank look he frowned, reached into his robes, and pulled out a slightly crumpled copy of Witch Weekly. "Page 3," he said simply, handing the gossip rag over. "I swear it's all lies."

"Then why bother showing it to me?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow, but nonetheless opened it and scanned the article. Suddenly he let out a bark of laughter. Harry's eyes narrowed.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. Severus looked up at him, clearly amused.

"Why, Harry, I never knew you were interested in Millicent Bulstrode. You should have said something; I'm sure I could have arranged a meeting for you." He chuckled to himself as Harry turned bright red.

"This isn't funny, Severus! She's going to try to get money from me! She's trying to extort me!"

"Oh, do calm yourself. Did it never occur to you that there is no possible way for her to prove that the child is yours? Especially since you were with me all day - and night - last Valentine's Day, which is when she claims the child was conceived?"

Harry frowned. "Well, yes, but..."

"No 'buts', please. Besides, have you seen the child's picture? I've never seen anything look more like a Goyle at only three months. No one in his right mind would honestly believe her little fairy tale." He paused for a moment, then grudgingly added, "Of course, most of the wizarding world lost its mind years ago..."

Harry rolled his eyes, grabbed the magazine out of Severus's hands, and plopped himself down on his lover's bony lap, resting his head on Severus's shoulder. "How very helpful," he murmured as arms slid around his waist. Suddenly, he perked up. "Speaking of Valentine's Day..." He smiled. "It's on a Saturday this year."

"So it is," Severus agreed.

"Which means that neither of us is actually required to stay in this mouldy old castle," Harry continued.

Severus cocked an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Harry nuzzled Severus's neck and placed a gentle kiss at the nape. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could do something special this year," he murmured, beginning to trail kisses up to Severus's ear.

"Well, I..." Severus gasped quietly as Harry took the lobe between his teeth. "What exactly did you have in mind?" he finished.

"Mmm, I don't know. Didn't think that far ahead." Severus snorted. Harry ignored him and continued. "Dinner. Maybe take you back to my flat and ravish you senseless..." A tongue found its way into Severus's ear and he groaned.

"Stop that. I can't think with all those lovely distractions you're creating."

"So don't think then," Harry replied blithely, grinning and moving to straddle Severus's legs. He rested his forehead against his lover's before darting his tongue out to lick the tip of Severus's hooked nose, elliciting a rare giggle from the usually forbidding man. Harry chuckled. "You know, I used to think you were incapable of giggling. It still shocks me to hear it."

"Oh?" Severus replied, smirking. "Then maybe you should stop making me 'giggle', as you so quaintly put it, lest you give yourself a heart attack."

"Merlin, no," Harry replied, placing a quick kiss to the corner of Severus's mouth. "I don't think I could live without it now."

"Is that so?" Severus muttered before capturing Harry's lips with his. Harry happily melted into the kiss, and soon their tongues were battling for dominance. Suddenly, Severus pulled away, earning him a whine from his younger lover.

"Rather than going out, I was rather hoping to stay in again this year," he said. Harry blinked.

"Stay in? Why?"

Severus gave him a truly evil grin. "Would you like me to show you?"

A few hours later, a sweaty and spent Harry Potter rolled off of an equally tired and sweaty Severus Snape and grinned foolishly.

"That was wonderful," he murmured. Severus snorted. "But I still don't want to stay in."

Severus sighed. "Why not? Do I need to demonstr..." He was cut off by the look in his lover's eyes.

Harry was silent for a long moment while he studied Severus. "...It occurs to me," he began, "that we have, not once, ever gone out together in public. In fact, in the two years we have been together, I think the only people who know that we are an 'us' are Remus Lupin and Dumbledore, and that's only because I told them, after which you pitched a minor fit." There was another long pause before he spoke again. "...Severus, are you ashamed of me?"

"Ashamed?" Severus asked, clearly shocked. "Why on earth would I be ashamed? I have a beautiful young lover who is absolutely insatiable in bed. What's to be ashamed about?"

Harry frowned. "I don't know, you tell me. It's been bothering me for a really long time now. Why don't you want people to see me with you?"

Severus sighed and sat up. "I'm a private person, Harry. You know that." He looked over at his lover, who obviously expected him to continue. "Being in the public eye...it's none of their business, and I don't see why they should bear witness to our comings and goings. That's all."

Harry frowned. "...Then what if we went somewhere where they wouldn't notice us? Would that be better?"

"Harry..."

"Severus, please. I just want to go on one normal date with you, like other couples do." His eyes pleaded his case far better than his words, and Severus felt himself caving. He sighed.

"All right, then. Where did you have in mind?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Someone might see us..."

"Oh, stop it. Of course people will see us, we're in the middle of muggle London."

"I meant wizards, Harry."

"I know what you meant. Stop fretting so bloody much..."

"But if they recognize..."

"Severus." Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. They were sitting in a small italian restaurant, and Severus couldn't seem to relax. He kept looking around suspiciously, as if waiting for someone to jump out at him or a camera bulb to flash. It was driving Harry insane. "Look, I'm sorry I dragged you out here. I didn't realize how uncomfortable you would..."

"Harry Potter?" a distinctly female, and slightly familiar, voice came from behind him. He started, then turned slowly to face one Millicent Bulstrode. She'd changed since her school days, and was now a fairly attractive, if rather plain young woman. "So there you are. Why haven't you returned my owls?"

"Miss Bulstrode," Severus said, suddenly standing. Millicent jumped slightly, apparently having not noticed her former professor until he spoke. She smiled nervously at him.

"Hello, Professor," she said politely. "How have you been?"

"Better," he replied coldly. "It seems someone has been making life difficult for my Harry."

Both Harry and Millicent's eyes widened at the word 'my' and the downright possessive tone of Severus's voice. Harry smiled, but Millicent's eyes narrowed as her face arranged itself into a scowl.

"What do you mean, 'your Harry'?" she demanded. Severus cocked an eyebrow.

"I rather thought the meaning was clear. 'My' being a term referring to possession, and 'Harry' being the name of the man standing before us. Surely you learned at least that much during your time at school?"

Millicent's scowl deepened. "I think someone has you under a Confundus charm, professor, because you're obviously mista..."

"Miss Bulstrode? Mr. Potter? ...Mr. Snape?" a new voice came creeping in. Harry glanced around and realized that not only was the entire restaurant watching them, but a reporter and cameraman from the Daily Prophet were standing nearby, the reporter scribbling down notes as the argument went on. He wondered why he hadn't noticed them before, and then realized that they'd probably come in either with or after Millicent. He buried his face in his hands. Talk about a worst-case scenario... "Mr. Snape, would you care to expand on that?"

Severus glared at the reporter. "You want an expansion, do you?" He grabbed Harry and pulled him close, then, still glaring at everyone around them, pulled him in for a deep kiss. Harry, dazed, couldn't do much more than kiss back, and barely noticed the flashbulbs going off around them. Suddenly, Severus pulled away. "He's mine. He was never yours, Miss Bulstrode, nor shall he ever be." And with that, he grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out of the restaurant, ignoring the catcalls and pleas for them to wait and come back and make a statement. As soon as he felt he had calmed himself enough, he apparated them both away, back to Hogsmeade.

Harry, still slightly disoriented, looked up at his lover. "You didn't have to do that, you know," he whispered. Severus looked down at him, then rolled his eyes.

"Of course I did. Don't be foolish. Now where's your flat? I plan on shagging you through the mattress tonight." Harry grinned.

The next day's Daily Prophet bore the picture of Severus and Harry kissing on the front cover, along with an article about Bulstrode's fraud and extortion attempt. Neither Harry nor Severus saw it, however, as they were both far too busy recovering from the previous night's activities, and then repeating them.

~Fin~