The baker and the potion master

Chapter fifteen: to sleep perchance to dream: the potion maker brew

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream:The Potion Maker's Brew

Severus checked the potion again, pleased to see that it had turned a honey gold. It had brewed to perfection and would help Potter immensely. He poured the doses into their vials, one for each day the young man would need to take it. It would help to stabilize his magical core and replenish the taxed magic. Most of all, it would help Potter to finally sleep. The first potion kept him awake. This one would ensure that he slept the rest of the week within the first hour of taking the first dose.

Anything to take those dark shadows away from under those beautiful green eyes.

Once completed, Severus labeled each dose, put them carefully into a box, and set it behind the counter. He would ensure that Weasley could monitor the brat for the next few days, albeit with frequent check-ins with Severus. He wished that he could watch him himself, but it just didn't seem possible as they had no real relationship beyond these few visits. How could he force himself on Potter at Grimmauld, demanding to be in charge of his well-being when they had so little contact? No, Weasley would have to be his eyes and his ears. Again. Just like he had been while Potter had been manic.

Severus unrolled the paper on the counter and froze. There, on the front page, was a picture of himself with Potter. He stared at it, stunned. How had this been taken without him noticing? Who had taken this?

The shot captured the moment he had embraced Potter, steadying him before he could sit on the stool. Severus' eyes went wide as he saw just how open his usually controlled expression was in the picture. Anyone who looked at this moment would have no questions about how he felt about the brat. In the moment, he had felt such joy in holding Potter, even if it was after a frightening medical moment. He hadn't had to hide the gesture, Potter's unsteadiness all the reason he would need. Severus had allowed his true feelings to splash across his face.

And now everyone would see.

Severus looked at Potter's expression. So open. So honest. He looked joyful. A soft smile crossed his lips. Severus recognized the emotion in his eyes but refused to name it for the fragility of his own heart.

It would shatter into a million shards if he were wrong.

Severus had wanted to be the man with Potter on the front page. Be careful what you wish for flashed through his mind. He should have known better. Now that he was front page news with Potter, he felt shame flood him.

It only grew as he read the article. Severus was not surprised that Skeeter had managed to dramatize his statements. He was, however, stunned by her conclusions. Rita Skeeter believed Severus and Potter to be in a romantic relationship. Just from this one photograph. How? How could he face Potter this morning, knowing that his secret desires had been splashed across the front page for all to see? Potter deserved someone younger, less jaded, attractive.

"May-December, honestly. I'm only 43 years old. Certainly not in the twilight of my life," Severus scoffed. "Skeeter is just as sensational as ever."

Severus turned the page, the other photos capturing his attention. These showed him and Potter sharing baked treats. Potter couldn't keep his eyes off of Severus in them. The way they shared small smiles alluded to inside jokes, ones Severus wished he could be privy to himself. Mortification flooded him as Severus watched his own hands often support Potter, placed on the small of his back or on his shoulder.

No wonder Skeeter envisioned a romantic entanglement between the two of them. His true feelings for Potter telegraphed in every frame. Severus ached as he imagined seeing the same from Potter. The young man kept leaning into his touch, flashing smiles at him, or tracking him with his eyes. Severus desperately wanted it to be true, that Potter loved him as much as he loved Potter.