Always

Chapter Five

Two weeks of idyllic summer passed and things settled into a natural rhythm rather well. Harry and Severus became house chums again with the addition of Maia, who was learning quickly that her Sev was not a pushover and demanded her best behaviour. Being a smart little girl, she quickly complied and Harry was seen spending more and more time in Severus' vicinity whenever Maia was home from her nursery school. It only took those two weeks for Draco to catch on and become a bit firmer with Maia as well.

But there was a distance between Harry and Draco, which Snape quickly picked up on.

"Do you and Draco have sex regularly?"

Harry stopped digging a hole in the soil and looked at Snape, who was still tagging a plant they had already put in the ground. The sun shone down on them warmly but not intensely.

"I... What?"

"I asked if you and Draco engaged in sexual intercourse on a regular basis," Snape said in a calm voice. He finished his task and reached for another seedling. "I am confused as to your... indifference towards each other."

"We're not indifferent toward each other!" Harry sat back on his heels. "How could you think that?"

"You rarely touch each other. In fact, you touch me more than you do him. Which, you must admit, is odd. If you wish to begin something with me, then I would accept, of course. But I am concerned that you have decided to discard Draco as your primary Supero. You are legally married, you understand."

"Yes, I do know that, thank you!" Harry snapped. He tossed his spade down. "I'm not.... Just stay out of it!"

"You will not speak to me like that, Harry." Snape's voice dropped to nearly ice. It made Harry immediately stop the agitated climb to his feet. He fell back down to his knees, his face in shock. "So, I was right. He's been handling you with kid gloves. You haven't felt this in years, have you?"

"Please... don't. I can't." Harry shook his head as the pheromones kept him on his knees and passive.

"Can't what?" Snape asked with a tone that seemed to cut right through Harry. "You can't speak to me with civility and respect? You can't answer the question?"

Harry shook his head again, his eyes pleading with Snape. "Don't... Please... Please, sir, don't put me here, please...." Harry got out through teeth that were clenched. The scent rising from Harry was a definite clue that he was terrified.

Snape pulled back and Harry was released from the dictates of the pheromones. But instead of lashing out and demanding that Snape leave, Harry scrambled to his feet and fled into the house without a word.

Letting him go, Snape continued planting the herbs the two of them had started, all the while contemplating how to fix this issue. Harry had called for him, which meant Harry was calling for help.

"What did you do?!"

Snape looked up from his book as Draco stormed into Snape's room. The blond Supero was red in the face as he slammed the door and glared at Snape.

"I come home to find Harry has locked himself in our room and refusing to get out of bed and that you have been caring for Maia all day!" Draco hissed. "You are interfering, old man! I'll toss you out of here on your bony arse if you don't leave Harry alone!"

"Leave him alone? As you have been doing, Draco?" Snape asked snidely. "I see that ignoring a problem, at least at home, is still your favoured way of dealing with it. I am almost surprised you didn't run to your father to fix things."

Draco snarled and came at Snape. Ready for him, Snape easily swivelled out of his chair and used it as a symbolic barrier between the two of them.