InsaneJournal

FIC: for synn and magic_helmet
Here are the next two ficlets I owe to folks who wagered a guess on which merry_smutmas fic was mine. (It was Occam's Razor.) Thanks to jadzialove for the read-throughs. These are both Snarrys with an R-rating.

For synn, who requested Snarry:



Harry/Severus: Make a Memory
Rating: R

"Why do you do it that way?" The voice made Harry look up.

He frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, as he looked down at the ornament in his hand.

Severus carefully marked his place, then set his book aside. "Take them off by hand. Wrap each one in paper." He shrugged, gesturing to Harry's wand on the side table. "You could have it done in minutes, were you to remember that you're a wizard," he said mockingly.

Harry smiled as he returned to wrapping the delicate ornament in the flimsy paper. "You're an arse, you know that?" He placed the globe in the box on the floor, then reached into the tree to remove the next one. As he wrapped, he told Severus, "I like to do it by hand. It's a time…to remember." He smiled indulgently, then added, "I think about the Christmas when we got each one, remember what we were like. Take this one, for example," he paused as he held up the half-wrapped miniature sleigh. "We'd walked into the village for a few last minute things—and bought this on a whim. Nearly froze our toes off, walking back." He shook his head at the look of incredulity on Severus' face. "You don't remember, do you?" He finished wrapping the sleigh, then looked back to Severus after he'd deposited it in the box. "Do you?"

Severus pursed his lips. "I remember…vaguely. So…this manual wrapping of ornaments is a trip down memory lane?" he asked, clearly amused.

Harry nodded as he pulled a wooden nutcracker figurine from the tree. "This one, we've had it since our first year together—that's the year you wouldn't get a tree—but for some reason," he frowned as he turned the object in his hand, "you bought this." He glanced up at Severus. "God, it's ugly." He snorted as he rolled it in paper then tossed it into the box.

Pulling off another, he fingered the white-spun hair of the angel. "This one…" He looked to Severus, then suddenly flushed. "This is stupid. They're just Christmas ornaments," he muttered, ripping off a length of paper, then deftly made a neat package of it, before dropping it into the box.

He'd turned and reached to the side of the tree, groping for a moment until his hand found an ornament. When he turned back, he was startled to find Severus standing next to him, unwrapping the angel ornament he'd evidently retrieved from the box.

"If I recall correctly," Severus said dryly, studying the fragile porcelain object, "Molly presented this to us the first time we spent Christmas there." He looked up at Harry, with a hint of a smile. "The first time we managed sex in a houseful of Weasleys. No small feat, that." He rewrapped the angel, then stooped to replace it in the box. Standing again, he reached out for what Harry held in his hands. Harry hesitated, trying to read the expression on Severus' face, then smiled as he handed it to him.

"Go on, let's see what you know," Harry challenged him, watching while Severus turned the silver snowflake so that the light reflected from its multifaceted surface.

"Hmmm, let me see," Severus mused. He held it up to the light, then as he lowered it, he caught Harry's eye. "This one's from Chamonix. You remember, we were alone on the ski-lift?" His eyes flashed with merriment. "We purchased this as a memento of that occasion." He licked the tip of his finger to draw up a piece of tissue paper.

"Yeah, remember how cold it was? I was afraid my mouth would get stuck to your cock," Harry said, dead-pan, then smiled when Severus laughed softly out loud.

"Hand me the next one," Severus directed Harry, who studied him for a moment, before turning back to the tree. Untangling the golden ribbon, Harry handed it to him.

"This one," Severus paused, seeming to lose his train of thought, "oh yes, this one." He stood still, gazing at the tiny, intricately wrought holly wreath on his outstretched palm. "From the Ministry Ball. We danced, and I remember wanting…so very much..." He looked up to find Harry studying him curiously.

"Wanting very much what?" Harry asked.

"Wanting to kiss you," Severus said simply, his voice strangely husky as he began to wrap the ornament.

"Really? 'Cause that's the year I went home with you," Harry teased.

"And we didn't set foot out of bed except for the loo…for an entire day."

"Almost two," Harry corrected him, leaning over to kiss Severus lightly on the cheek.

They continued to undecorate the tree, taking turns to relate the history of each ornament, laughing softly, quibbling over details, correcting faulty memories, until there was just one ornament left.

Harry removed the tiny snow globe from the branch, held it out to Severus, who shook it once, then placed it on his palm so both of them could see inside.

"That's odd," Severus murmured, "it's empty." He shot Harry a questioning look.

"Yeah, we choose the memory we want to remember this Christmas by, and that's the one that'll be in there."

"You're serious?" Severus asked him, his head tilted to the side.

"I am. I'd forgotten about it until now. So, what do you think?" Harry asked him as he took the globe from Severus to examine it up close. "What shall it be?" His eyes widened as he watched Severus drop his trousers and kick them to the side.

"I think," Severus told him as took the ornament from him and set it aside, "that our mistletoe's been sorely underutilized." After a wave of his hand and an, "Accio mistletoe," he held it out to Harry as he said, "Tied on your cock would be best, I believe, and then let's see if we can come up with something memorable, hmmm?"


For magic_helmet, who requested Snarry:



Harry/Severus: Truce
Rating: R

Harry sat in silence, watching as Kreacher served him soup and then shuffled to the other end of the table. Instead of serving Severus, though, the elf let the tureen settle to the table with a thud, causing Severus to startle in surprise as soup sloshed over the edge and onto his sleeve.

"Kreacher is very sorry, Master Severus," the elf sing-songed in a not-so-sorry voice.

Severus cast the elf an irritated glance, then moved to serve himself.

Harry picked up his spoon and hazarded a cautious sip. "Excellent soup, Kreacher," he smiled.

"Kreacher lives to serve the noble Harry Potter," the elf replied, with a definite sneer sent to the other end of the table. Then in the bat of an eye, Kreacher beamed, as he levitated a slice of bread to the side of Harry's bowl.

Harry watched, perplexed, as Kreacher waved his hand carelessly to deliver Severus' bread neatly to the man's lap. When Severus glowered at the elf, Kreacher rolled his eyes as he apologized once again.

Setting down his spoon, Harry placed his napkin to the side as he sat back. "What did you do this time?" he asked Severus resignedly.

Severus' spoon halted halfway to his mouth. "Do? Whatever do you mean?"

Harry jerked his head in Kreacher's direction.

Severus frowned. "Nothing that I can recall."

"Oh no, such a small thing, Master Severus cannot even be remembering it," Kreacher said under his breath, but loud enough for both men to hear. He shot a furtive look at Severus as he spilt a bit of wine meant for the man's goblet.

"Kreacher," Harry directed, "what happened?"

Both Harry and Severus startled slightly when the elf allowed the carafe to bang to the table with a crack! Hands on his hips, his ears twitching in tandem, his lips quivered as Kreacher blurted out, "What happened? Master Harry Potter wants to know what happened?"

"Yes!" Harry growled. "Tell me."

"Master Severus is trying to give Kreacher clothes! All that Kreacher has ever been wanting is to be serving his Master." The house-elf's voice now wobbled as his large, bulbous eyes flashed. "Kreacher has tried to treat Master Severus as he does Master Harry Potter! But Kreacher knows Master Severus does not want a house-elf. Kreacher knows that Master Severus is trying to trick Kreacher, he is!"

"You tried to give him clothes?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Severus rested his forehead in his hand, his eyes on Harry. "No, I didn't." When Kreacher made a snorting sound, Severus held up his hand. "I merely tried to hand him a stack of your clothing that has collected in my rooms. To return them to you," he said as he waved in Harry's direction.

"Yeaaaaah," Harrry said, drawing the word out. "That would be giving him clothes, Severus."

"For pity's sake, it was an honest mistake," Severus muttered as he dipped his bread in his soup. Nothing further was said until Kreacher trudged from the room, still muttering under his breath.

Harry shrugged as he said, "It'd be nice if the two of you could get along." He looked up and their eyes connected. "Such a small thing, really."

***

Just on the verge of entering the study that evening, Harry stopped at the sound of the voices within.

"It was not my intention to bait you in any way," Severus said.

There was a pause.

"Kreacher is not fooled. He knows that Master Severus is not sorry," the house-elf sniffed.

"I imagine I'm not. However," Severus hesitated as his voice lowered, "there is one thing for which I am sorry. Within reason, you understand, I do try to make Master Harry…happy."

Harry heard Kreacher make a small sound of commiseration, then his nasal reply. "Kreacher wants Master Harry Potter to be happy as well."

There was a pause so lengthy that Harry was about to turn away, when Severus spoke softly.

"Then we must both endeavor to get along. For Master Harry's sake."

"Kreacher will try."

Harry smiled as he slipped along the hallway.

***

"So," Harry began as Severus slid into the bed beside him, "you and Kreacher talked?"

As he rolled to face him, Severus made a face of distaste. "I talked, he listened. You mollycoddle him far too much. He is still a house-elf; he should be taught his place."

Harry insinuated a knee between Severus' thighs, running his fingertips down the man's chest. "That was it, then?" Harry asked, biting back a smile.

Severus narrowed his eyes, groaned as Harry twisted a nipple hard, then ground out, "More or less."

Harry took Severus' hands in his own, then guided them down to his cock, smiling slightly. "Good to hear it. So, how about making Master Harry happy?"

"You…eavesdropped," Severus murmured, leaning in to breathe into the hair at Harry's ear. "I'm afraid there will be consequences."

Shivering involuntarily at the touch of the tongue in his ear, Harry gasped, "God, I should get something for putting up with the two of you."