Snarry One Shots

The Expedition

Summary: Severus desperately needs the records of some ancient potion master, who by now is nothing more than a shriveled mummy, for his research. However, Severus conveniently forgot to mention to Harry that on their way there, they would not only face curses but also a damn dragon!

Ships: SeverusSnapexHarryPotter

All credit goes to Mabji_Goose on Ao3

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"Down!" Harry shouted, simultaneously punching Severus in the side to make sure he was out of the danger zone. Only then did he throw himself onto the sandy ground, behind a high ledge.
Blue flames flared just seconds later, scorching the opposite wall and the dust in the air above their heads. The creature's roar shook Harry to his core.
Panting, he rolled over to his employer and friend, who lay awkwardly in the small niche, pinning him with an angry glare.
"Dragons!" Harry hissed heatedly, but Severus only looked at him innocently. "Dragons, Severus! Bloody dragons! How could you let us, or rather me, walk blindly into this danger? I'm not trained for this!"
The potion master rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so dramatic! Didn't you brag about being the most skilled curse breaker in all of Europe?" Severus asked, his voice laced with mischief.
"Exactly! Curse breaker, not dragon tamer!" Harry fumed. "I've dealt with enough of those creatures in my life to want to avoid them for the rest of it."
He sighed deeply, then reconsidered their situation in detail. There was no way past this monster. The passage was too narrow, and finding another way to their goal could take weeks.
"We're done!" Harry finally said, resigned after some thought. "It's over! We have no chance. We might as well go home now and have a cold butterbeer."
"No!" the potion master protested, awkwardly grabbing Harry by the collar.
Luckily, it was terribly uncomfortable here, otherwise the closeness to the other man might have... let's call it 'distracted' Harry.
"We're very close!"
"But there's a damn dragon in our way! I'm not willing to risk my life for a stupid box!" Harry ranted.
"It's not just any box! I told you Renia Gaole's records must be here. The greatest potion master of the Pharaohs' era. I need those notes. Who else could I have asked for help? The other curse breakers have no dragon experience at all, unlike yourself. Besides, you're the only one I trust with this. At least with you, I can be sure you don't give a damn about the notes."
Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm rubbish at potions, everyone gets it! Still, if you had warned me, I could have brought Charlie along or at least gotten some tips."
Their loud bickering seemed to anger the dragon, as it roared and slammed its tail against the walls so hard that small stones and sand rained down on them.
Sighing, Harry rubbed his sunburned face with his hands.

The journey to this hidden pyramid hadn't been easy, even though he admitted it had been strangely erotic to have Severus suck out the scorpion's poison after it had stung Harry. But the heat, the lack of water, the monotonous sand dunes, the restless nights with not enough sleep, and the endless treks wore down his spirits.
Severus' presence helped only somewhat.
Whoever had assembled the miles-wide no-apparition zone knew what they were doing!
"Any other client I would have dragged out of here by their ears and left them standing outside a long time ago!" Harry confessed quietly as he let his hands fall.
"I'll pay you double?" Severus offered weakly but hopefully.
Harry just laughed.
"I never wanted to take your money. I already planned to 'accidentally' leave it with you. We both know you need every Knut for your research."
The potion master looked at him intently. The dim light of their wands was brightened by flames, but this time they weren't in the immediate vicinity of the blaze, so neither of them flinched.
"There must be something else. Something you've wanted for a long time, perhaps?" Severus asked softly, finally releasing his fingers from the fabric of Harry's shirt.
Absentmindedly, he smoothed the material, causing the green-eyed man to get goosebumps.
"You just have to tell me, Harry! You can have anything you want from me."
The young curse breaker doubted that greatly, so he couldn't suppress a disbelieving laugh.
The Slytherin's gaze became even more penetrating.
"I'm serious! If it's something I can't give you, then at least I could put in a good word for you. I noticed you've taken an interest in John Wisent-"
"Severus, stop! I'm not interested in Wisent, at least not the way you think! Ron asked me to keep an eye on the guy because he's suspected of dealing in dark magic substances. So I'm spying on him a bit and gathering information for the Aurors." Harry explained and then shuddered. "Besides, the guy looks like a wild boar. I have better taste than that."
The potion master said nothing to that.
Instead, he turned slightly and glanced over the ledge at the dragon, which had become strangely quiet.
"And?" Harry asked.
"He's still there, glaring in our direction, but he's not getting any closer. Seems to be waiting, the clever bugger."
They fell into silence, and Harry mentally reviewed what he had learned about dragons before the Triwizard Tournament. Too bad he didn't have a Firebolt within reach this time.
However, he had become much more accurate since then and could probably hit the monster in the eye if he aimed for it. He still thought the peppermint breath charm was a pretty bad idea!

Harry took another deep breath and then turned onto his stomach.
"Alright, let's keep going! Cover me."
But before he could push himself up, the long-haired man grabbed his shoulder and pressed him back into the sand.
"First, we settle your compensation. What do you want?"
"Nothing! Severus, you're a good friend. I can do things for my friends without expecting anything in return."
"But I want to give you something back. I'm going to gain so much from this, you should benefit from the venture too. So tell me what you wish for! Everyone wants something!"
"What I want, you won't be willing to give me."
"You can't know that."
"Of course I know that! I know you very well, remember, Severus? And you've never shown the slightest bit of interest." Harry grumbled.
He was starting to get a headache. Why did they have to have this pointless argument right now?
Their voices had grown heated and loud again, which the dragon answered with an annoyed roar. They fell silent briefly, then continued in whispers.
"You're going to tell me what you want right now, or I'll be forced to use Legilimency on you."
Harry gasped in outrage, while a triumphant grin crept onto the former teacher's face.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, I would. So you'd better speak up before things get uncomfortable."
"Sometimes you're such an asshole!"
"Insulting me won't save you. I'm counting to three! One..." The Slytherin drew his wand.
"Two..." He pointed it directly at Harry's nose.
"For crying out loud! I wish you'd kiss me, okay? I've wanted that for years!" Harry shouted at the other man, who froze.
Harry had managed to keep this secret for the past three years. That it was now being wrenched from him so easily, when he couldn't even escape Severus, was awful.
Even worse was the silence that followed. Not even the dragon seemed to have anything to say about this revelation.
Disappointed, the curse breaker closed his eyes.
"See, I told you. And now you're disgusted with me. It would be best if we finished this mission quickly so you can start ignoring me." Harry whispered in a neutral tone.
"Harry..."
"No! I don't want to hear it. I've always known I didn't stand a chance. So you don't need to justify yourself."
"Potter, you idiot!" Severus snapped, grabbing him by the collar again.
With a single tug, the former teacher had pulled him across the distance between them, so they were practically nose to nose.
"Are you serious? We've been trudging through this wasteland for two weeks, and you just want one kiss? That won't do. My minimum offer is 100 kisses."
If Harry hadn't already been lying down, his legs might have buckled.
"100 kisses?"
"You're right, that's far too few. This journey has been dangerous, and we've had to sleep in the dirt. 1000 kisses!" purred the potion master in a tone completely unfamiliar to Harry but liked it very much.
"1000 kisses? From you?"
"Tough negotiator, I see. Alright, 10,000 kisses, my final offer, and I'll throw in a down payment right now!" Severus rumbled, pressing his lips to Harry's immediately after.

It wasn't the best kiss ever.
They were covered in sand, and their lips were dry and chapped from the sun and lack of water. Not to mention, Harry expected the dragon to pounce on them at any moment.
But when they parted, and Harry realized there were at least 9999 more kisses to come, an incredible sense of happiness spread through him.
"Alright," Harry grinned, looking at Severus' satisfied expression. "I accept the offer. But I should mention, I charge interest. For every week the debt isn't paid in full, another 50 kisses will be added."
The potion master laughed. "Hmm, then I'll be busy for the rest of my life. Sounds fair!"
"Absolutely! Now let's go get your weird notes, so I can drag you home and start taking notes of your body for myself!"
"I told you, it's not just any notes! And they are not weird!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever! Ready or not, here I come!"

Harry's fourteen-year-old self would have been thrilled by the agility and speed of the young curse breaker. Severus, on the other hand, could only shake his head at Harry's eagerness, but he knew he wouldn't have it any other way.
After all, Severus had chosen this idiot for himself!