Snarry One Shots

For Want of a Sponsor

Summary: Mixed signals can only account for some of the worlds great misunderstandings. Sometimes, sheer bullheaded determination to keep being in the wrong, makes up the rest of it.

Ships: SeverusSnapexHarryPotter

All credit goes to Jackswild on Ao3

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"Severus, it's been six months! Can we please talk about it?"

He heard the prat, rattling on with absolutely no sense of decorum from the passageway outside of his quarters. He had packed all of his office and private rooms, and was a floo call away from heading to his cottage in the woods, away from ignorant children, nosey colleagues, and painful reminders.

And Potter.

There was little that he could imagine Potter saying that could appease what they both knew to be a mistake. The fact that the whelp of a man was still trying to nearly 6 months later, was beyond his fortitude to rationalize, and yet...

He opened the door and gave his most feral stare. "You've 4 minutes before I leave. Use them wisely."

He watched in unmitigated glee as panic, confusion, frustration, and resolve danced across the face of the man who he was sure hadn't planned on Severus actually answering the door. It took 20 seconds of the precious time he'd allotted for this misadventure in conversating and he relished it.

"We need more than four minutes to discuss what happened, Severus."

"We can start with the fact that I never gave you leave to use my given name." he replied, using his silkiest, iciest voice to convey his distaste for the man's liberties.

"No, you didn't. But the fact that your tongue has tasted the inside of my mouth, I figured it came with the liberty. My apologies, Professor Snape."

He couldn't believe the man held the audacity in saying such indelicate things in the open air. Regardless of the fact that neither employee or student remained on campus, let alone within vicinity of the Slytherin's office; the walls had ears and he was sure that they had mouths as well.

"Hush. Come inside." He walked away from the door, rather hoping that Potter would lose his nerve and leave. Ever the one to be disappointed in life, the man followed him in and closed the door behind them.

"You've two minutes left." He continued, as he shrunk his belongings and began placing them in his bag.

"I want to take you to dinner."

He stopped.

Of all the hairbrained foolery that he had been sure could come tumbling out of the green eyed deviants mouth, he hadn't factored on insanity. "No."

"Seve... Professor." He heard the exasperated sigh, and relished it, but the joy was short lived as Potter trudged on. "You felt comfortable enough to kiss me on the balcony during a Ministry event before you knew that I had been hired as the Defense Professor. What changed?"

"Oh look, your time is up. Be on your way." He put the last item in his bag and closed it, not looking up at the man that he'd summarily dismissed.

"You aren't a coward, so why are you acting as one?"

That stopped him. In the way that Potter had always had the perfect tools to get under his skin, Severus knew that the man had worded the question exactly right so as to not offend him. Though it rankled just the same, that it hadn't offended him.

Gods he was annoyed at not being offended by the whelp. He was losing his mind.

"You would do well to take a hint. I wish nothing to do with your dalliances outside of a professional working relationship. Now, I will be off and you will be too." And with a flick of his wrist, the wards eschewed Potter out of his office and closed and locked the door behind the man.