Snarry One Shots

Turning Back Time

Summary: Harry and Snape are equally sure about who made the first move. They just disagree about which of them it was.

Ships: SeverusSnapexHarryPotter

All credit goes to Anonymous on Ao3

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"You're late," Snape groused as Harry Potter came through the door, wearing a wide smile and carrying a large box. After having waited all day to see his lover, Snape had not meant to greet him with a complaint, but it was the third time he had been late in a week, and Snape suspected that Harry was having rather more fun than he let on as he cleared out the Malfoy Manor dungeons in his newly appointed position as an Auror.

Indeed, Harry replied cheerfully, "I am late, but I come bearing gifts." Setting down the box, he gave Snape a quick kiss before shedding his cloak and scarf.

"Is that a magical food warmer to keep your supper hot when you're late?" demanded Snape, perhaps not quite as crossly as his initial greeting, since Harry's robes were rumpled just enough from carrying the box to suggest the need to peel them off layer by layer.

"You don't need magic to keep supper hot -- just a Muggle electric tray. This is much better." Still grinning, Harry reached into the box. "For one thing, I have brought..." He pulled out a bottle of thousand-year-old Superior Red. "Direct from the Malfoy cellars. There were three cases, each missing at least one bottle. Can you believe anyone thought they might be cursed? Shacklebolt said he wouldn't mention me taking one in the logs for the Ministry if I didn't mention him doing the same."

"I see." Though Snape would never say so to Harry, he had to admit that one of the very few things he missed from occasional meetings with Lucius Malfoy was access to Malfoy Apothecary wines. "Are you planning to drink that tonight, or save it for a special occasion?"

"This is a special occasion. Because I also found this, and I may have accidentally failed to log it or mention it to Shacklebolt." Reaching again into the box, Harry pulled out an item that Snape had not seen in several years, since the Ministry of Magic's entire cache of them had been destroyed during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Dangling from the chain entwined in Harry's fingers, a tiny hourglass sparkled within the concentric golden rings that encircled it. "We might be in possession of the last remaining Time-Turner in the world."

"You do love me," Snape said, before quite realizing he'd spoken, as his fingers reached out to touch the hourglass-shaped crystal twirling on its chain. Harry held it as one of Snape's fingers stroked along the curve. His smile as Snape reverently touched the dial was amplified by the angle of the glass.

"Nice of you to notice," Harry agreed fondly as he dropped a kiss on Snape's cheek. "I remembered you talking to that bloke at the Ministry thing you went with me to --"

"I do not talk to blokes," Snape interrupted, eyes still fixed on the shifting sands inside the hourglass.

"You talked to this one about potions to make stuff like Time Turners..." Harry waved one hand in a hippogriffs ate my homework way, "...more efficient. Better." He let the chain slide through his fingers so that the gold pooled in Snape's palm. "But nobody had one then, and now you do." He beamed, obviously pleased with himself.

"You really did pay attention," Snape said, impressed though careful not to show it. He remembered the conversation because he had indeed been bored at the Ministry function that Harry had asked him to attend, though to be fair, they hadn't stayed long, and Harry had mostly stayed by his side save for a few forays to greet various Weasleys. The bloke had been a potions maker Snape had corresponded with about locating rare ingredients. Over the Ministry's inferior champagne, they had both bemoaned how many ingredients were becoming rare or losing potency and discussed ways to increase the strength of individual potions.