Chapter Twenty-One

First off let me just say that I should be murdered for not updating sooner! I had this written out ages and ages ago, and thought that I had posted it the day I wrote it. Then I just happened to get an email from telling me someone was waiting for an update . . . I panicked. Anyway, once you read this you can come to my house and murder me for not realizing sooner that I hadn't finished the story! chews fingernails and locks front door tightly

- - - - - Once again, Severus found himself pinned to the wall by Harry, but this time Harry was kissing him on the mouth.

Harry was not a very good kisser. Hoping it was just lack of experience, Severus tentatively kissed him back.

They stayed that way, glued together at the lips until they were both gasping for breath. Then Severus pulled back, surprise evident on his face.

"Now, do you mind telling me what that was about?"

"I know how to kill Volde – sorry. The Dark Lord. I know how to kill him." - - - - - - - -

It was all too simple really. Someone should have thought it up weeks ago. All they would have to do was to douse the Dark Lord and all his followers in the Shrinking Solution Snape had fallen victim to. Then they would be vulnerable, and killing them would be easy. Not only would they be bite-sized morsels for Hedwig and the other owls, but they would be unable to use their wands. It was perfect.

Or almost perfect. The hard part was getting enough of the botched potion to use on the Death Eaters.

"We can make more," Harry said hopefully as he accepted a steaming cup of tea from Snape.

Severus sighed and sank down onto the sofa next to Harry. "It's not that simple, Potter."

"Harry," Harry said absently. "And why not? Those potions masters analyzed it, surely they can recreate it?"

"They analyzed it to develop an antidote, not to make a whole cauldron full. I doubt that potion could be recreated at all, no matter how much analysis took place! It was an accident. Merlin only knows what Longbottom did to it!"

"We could get Neville to remake it!" Harry said triumphantly. "Maybe he'll make the same mistake twice!"

Severus raised an eyebrow, but chose to say nothing. Longbottom couldn't even do the right thing twice in a row, let alone do the wrong thing twice. Or could he?

"It's an interesting theory, however," he said after a few moments of silence, "it is more than unlikely. The chances of Longbottom making the same mistake twice . . ."

"We could always try, though," Harry said, sounding somewhat hurt.

Severus took Harry's teacup from him and set it on the end table. "There's something else I'd rather try just now, Mr. Potter."

Harry shivered. The look in Snape's eyes as he said that . . . he was in for a real treat.

"Lie back. Relax. And watch me."

Severus smirked as he reached over and undid the zip of Harry's trousers. Green eyes followed him as he leaned over, took Harry out. A hot mouth closed around Harry's soft member and began to suck gently, bringing him to full attention.

"Uhhg," was the noise Harry made in the back of his throat as the sucking grew more intense. Snape was doing something with his tongue – swirling it around – oh, oh, oh . . .

"YESSSS!" Harry screamed and bucked his hips frantically. His eyes flew closed of their own accord. All too soon his orgasm was upon him. He writhed uncontrollably as Snape swallowed him down. And then it was over and he collapsed, limp and panting, back onto the sofa.

"That was – short," Severus said, sitting up and repositioning himself on the sofa. "Was that your first blowjob?"

Harry blushed. A short nod followed, and then he turned his face away, clearly trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I thought as much," Severus said, putting Harry to rights again. "You shouldn't feel bad. My first time was just as short. The intensity. . ."

Harry turned back as Snape trailed off, thinking. "Who was your first?"

"Can you not guess?" Severus said as he stood and stretched. "I had only one friend while at Hogwarts. Well, two, but only one that I fully trusted. He was in Slytherin, just a couple of years older than me."

"Malfoy," Harry said quietly.

"Yes. Lucius Malfoy." Snape turned away from Harry and took a couple of steps toward the fireplace mantle and a picture of Lucius he had there. "He told me that he . . . well, never mind. Suffice it to say that he led me to believe that he cared, only to turn at the last minute to Narcissa Black."

"And that's why you think no one will love you?" Harry asked quietly. "Because of what he did?"

"Yes. I – wait a minute, Potter. Where did you get the idea that I –"

"From Dumbledore," Harry interrupted.

Severus whipped around, his pale face contorted in rage. "So he told you, did he? Told you everything about me? I knew this whole thing was suspicious from the start! He set this up and told you everything so that you could 'break into my shell' or some other such rubbish. Tell me, Potter, what else do you know about me? Did he tell you that I was afraid of heights? Or that I can't swim? Or maybe he told you about the secret crush I had on your father, is that it?"

Harry wisely said nothing. He allowed Severus to continue yelling at him, letting the words fall on deaf ears. He very calmly stood up and took Severus' hands in his own. Taking advantage of Snape's open mouth, he leaned forward and kissed him. Severus fell silent from shock.

"I think we argue every time we do something sexual, don't we, Professor?" Harry said quietly. "Right after, we're always yelling at each other. I don't know if I can take it. So either you stop yelling at me all the time, or –"

"Or what? You'll leave? Go ahead. Get out, Potter."

Harry sighed. "No. I was going to say, 'Stop yelling at me' again. You've only got one choice, Snape. I'm not leaving. Not until we come up with a way to kill Volde – sorry. The Dark Lord."

"It's Dumbledore you should be talking to."

"I want to talk to you about it. Is there something wrong with that?"

Severus groaned and let Harry lead him back to the sofa.

"Oh, and did I hear you say something about a crush on my father?"

Before Severus could begin another tirade, Harry leaned over and kissed him.

"Relax. I was joking."

Neville was already sweating and he hadn't even begun making the potion yet. Harry had said that recreating the botched potion was important, but he hadn't revealed too much about it.

Snape sat in the corner of the classroom, his quill inked and ready to record Neville's procedure exactly. Not only was this potion an important part of the plan to bring down the Dark Lord, it was also an important discovery in the potions field. A permanent shrinking solution, which needed only a few drops and didn't have to be taken internally. Snape was dying to know the secret.

"Well, Longbottom? What are you waiting for?"

Neville nervously picked up the parchment with his notes and began trying to chop the first ingredient, though his hands were shaking so badly he was sure he was going to cut off his own finger. He took a deep breath to calm himself and began to work.

It took all of Snape's effort to just sit and watch the boy work. When Neville began to "chop" his ginger root, his first instinct was to snap and take house points. Where on earth had the boy gotten the idea that chopping meant hacking at the root so? But he forced himself to bite his tongue and say nothing. That may very well be an important part of the process.

As Neville continued to work, Snape began to find himself holding his breath. Soon, it would be time to test the potion. There was plenty of antidote on hand in case it truly worked.

At last the final ingredient had been thrown into the cauldron and Neville stepped back to let it simmer. When at last he extinguished the fire beneath the pewter cauldron, Snape was disappointed. It was only a passable temporary shrinking potion, the potion Neville was supposed to make in class on that fateful day.

"We'll just have to try again!" Harry said exasperatedly. "It's just got to work!"

"Harry –" Snape began.

"No. You've just got to do it again!"

"The chances of Longbottom messing up now –"

"Do it again."

So they did it again. And again. And again. And again. For three weeks they worked. Neville made the potion every night, and the only thing that happened was that he got better and better at making the simple shrinking solution. Snape was getting impatient.

"Longbottom, you might as well just leave. When you are supposed to make a potion the right way you can't, and when we ask you to make it the wrong way you can't do that either. You are the most incompetent boy I have ever met. It's a wonder you've managed to make it this far in life!"

A miraculous thing happened just then. Nervous at what Snape might do when he was angry, Neville dropped in the wrong ingredient. He panicked and began stirring hastily, trying desperately to keep the ingredient from screwing up his latest work. Right before his eyes, the potion began to bubble up, nearly reaching the rim now . . ."

"Professor –"

"What is it, Longbottom?"

Too late. The heated concoction overflowed, streaming out of the cauldron. Snape got to his feet hastily.

"Step back from it, boy. You don't want to be the tester, do you? What if this time you've made some kind of deadly poison?"

Neville's eyes widened and he climbed to stand on his stool. Had he done it? Had he really done what Harry had asked him to do?

Severus cautiously scooped up some of the potion into a phial and examined its color and consistency.

"Longbottom," he said quietly. "I believe you may have just found a permanent shrinking solution. Congratulations."

He was right. The potion was a huge success, and Snape had the notes so he could recreate it in his lab. Oh, what recognition he was going to get in the potions world! He would be interviewed and written about for months! Maybe even get to write an article for Potions Monthly!

First, though, he had to help Harry set up for his plan to kill the Dark Lord.

They would have to find a way of inconspicuously dropping some of the potion onto him. A few drops would be sufficient, though it had to be skin-to-skin contact. How could they do it?

"Okay, how's this," Harry said eagerly. "You get a big balloon and fill it with the potion. And then you throw it at him. Once he's hit there's nothing he can do about it, and if the other Death Eaters run over to help him then they're caught, too."

Severus smirked. The Dark Lord would never suspect something so juvenile. Perhaps Harry had a point.

So that's what they did. Severus, with the aid of Alana Masterson, filled a couple of large balloons with potion, and then he hid them in his robes. He waited until he was summoned, which was only a week, and then he positioned himself so he could throw them without being seen.

It worked like a charm. It's always amazing how the simplest and most juvenile of ideas work so well. The Dark Lord, splashed with the new potion, rapidly shrunk to a size of three inches, and when the other Death Eaters saw it they ran to help him. Severus laughed, watching them slip and slide in the spilt potion. This was perhaps the funniest thing he'd seen in his life. He swept all of the tiny men and women into a cardboard box and then took them back to Hogwarts.

It went out all over the world – the Dark Lord and his minions had been doused in shrinking solution. While not dead, exactly, they were the perfect bite-sized morsels for owls and cats, and none of them could do any magic. Harry, for one, had fun tormenting Voldemort until he began to cry, begging for his life. Harry couldn't spare him. The prophecy said that he had to kill him. It only took a second for Hedwig to gobble the snake-man up.

"Well, Harry," Severus said with a content sigh, "You were completely right."

Harry grinned. "Yep. I killed Voldemort, or rather I let Hedwig do away with him, and now I am free, and you are free, and we're all free."

"You're drunk, Mr. Potter."

"Harry!" said the young man, still wearing his stupid grin. "And yes, I am. Care to join me?"

"I think not," Snape smirked. "I will, however, not refrain from taking advantage of you."

"SEVERUS!" Harry squealed as his lover lifted him and swept the both of them to the bedroom. It was going to be a wonderful evening.