the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 49 - Dancing

Severus stepped into the Room of Requirement and nodded in satisfaction at the environment provided. The room was a close replica of the sword studio he had been trained in - an open space with padded mats on the floor. One wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and the long tables against the far wall were laden down with every type of sword imaginable. There would be plenty of weapons for Harry to choose from.

Severus strode purposefully across the room and stripped off his outer robe and tunic until he was wearing only a pair of well-fitted black trousers and his white linen undershirt. A wave of his wand warmed the air of the room and staved off the winter chill that clung to the old stones of the castle.

His offer to Harry had been impulsive and probably ill conceived, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Try as he might he could not shake off the lust that had gripped him, could not tame the desire to touch Harry. Since he refused to give in to the lust, he was left with only two socially acceptable means to ease the desire to touch - dancing or swordplay. Somehow he did not think the boy would be keen on dancing lessons.

He had trained with a variety of sword masters over the years - some of whom he'd liked, some he'd hated. It was his hope that he could make this a pleasurable experience for Harry, forge some common bond that they could share between them. Merlin knew he had no such hope with potions; Harry merely tolerated that subject. But perhaps this - something physical that would appeal to a Gryffindor - would do the trick, and make him think more fondly on Severus. He knew the boy needed some distraction; his constant worry for the wolf and the mutt, as well as the machinations of the Ministry, would drive him mad in time. Severus knew from experience that sword training could often given a person a sense of control over an otherwise chaotic life.

The door opened and Harry hurried in, somewhat out of breath as if he'd run there. He'd gone up to the Gryffindor common room after they'd spoken to work on his homework. Severus watched as the boy took in his surroundings, his green eyes lighting up as he spied the swords on the table. He couldn't help but admire the flush that stained Harry's features.

"Remove your robes," Severus told him, catching his attention.

Startled, the boy stared at him for a moment, bewildered by the order. And then his gaze swept over Severus' body and he noticed the manner in which he was dressed. Grinning in understanding, he began stripping off his outer robes. Unlike Severus he wore a green Muggle t-shirt underneath his heavy winter robes, but the form-fitting black trousers were ones that Severus had purchased for him. Something stirred inside Severus at the sight - it pleased him to see Harry dressed in clothing he had bought.

"Now you must pick a sword," he urged, motioning to the table. He stood back as the boy approached the blades, curious to see which one he would select.

He stopped first as the enormous, two-handed Scottish Claymores. With a cheeky grin, he hefted one off the table, glancing mischievously over at Severus. The blade was over six feet long, taller than the boy himself and far too heavy for him. He staggered under the weight. Alrik could wield such a thing, but not Harry.

"Predictable," Severus smirked at the boy. "One might think you were compensating for some inadequacy."

Far from being insulted, the boy seemed to know he was teasing, for he laughed and set the blade aside, moving on to the others. He lifted them all one by one, admiring each - from the Roman Gladius and Spatha favored by many of the younger men in the Winter Lands, to the larger curved Scimitar and Khopesh. There were several different types of fencing foils and he gave each of them a swing through the air several times before setting each aside with a puzzled frown on his face.

He seemed drawn to the Japanese Katana and he admired it for a long time, holding the hilt and drawing the blade slowly from the wooden sheath before turning it carefully in his hands. It was one of Severus' favorite weapons, though the smaller Wakizashi would be a better match for Harry. But eventually Harry set it aside as well and turned finally to the English Longswords.