InsaneJournal

As Good A Start As Any - Snape/Krum
It's been a while since I did something that was not attached to an exchange or fest, so hopefully this will be enjoyed. ^_^

Title: As Good A Start As Any
Author: iheartbowie
Pairing: Snape/Krum
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~3700
Summary: After fleeing the country, Snape comes across someone that he was not expecting.
Author’s Note: Many thanks to my super beta, asrai99. She made sure that I made sense when I usually don’t. ^_^;;; I know there is a serious lack of this pairing and I thought it would be best to simply write something to start off the following.



For a morning after, it had all of the required elements of a good time. He had a splitting headache from his hangover. He could barely open his eyes to the bright daylight that shone into the room through the open window opposite the bed. The bed, of course, was not his own and he was sharing it with his naked temporary companion. In similar cases, a man would feel that he had been rather accomplished evening before.

Severus forced himself out of bed and stumbled into the loo. It was not the first time that he had gotten himself into this kind of situation. However, it had been years since the last time he had done this. He allowed himself the brief moment of satisfaction that it could still happen at his age before going through his morning absolutions. It required a bit of transfiguration to get his teeth brushed as he did not have any personal effects in the house.

Despite the horrible pounding in his head, he was certainly feeling better now that he had gone through the morning routine. At the least he could manage to Apparate himself back to the hotel he was staying at and collect his belongings. It would be in his best interest to move on quickly.

"So it vas you."

All plans of retreat suddenly came to a crashing halt as the bed's other occupant looked Severus over. Severus's eyes widened and he tried to recall anything from the previous evening that would explain why he had somehow arrived in the home of Viktor Krum.

"It vould be best if you vould fix your robes. I do not have anything that vould fit you," Krum said in a rough voice, his thickly accented English coming out slowly. He was coming to his feet slowly, his hair still a mess and naked as well. "I vill make some tea. You vill be needing it, I am certain."

Severus shook his head, hoping to rid himself of the notion that he had somehow found himself in the home of someone with the fame and notoriety that could bring his carefully laid plans to a crashing halt. He quickly completed the repairs to his torn robes, feeling a faint flush hit him. It was apparent that they had had a good time considering they had not even bothered to undress properly. There were still buttons missing when he finished, and he did not know where they could be.

The older man went through the halls to the kitchen where Krum was pulling out the fixings for tea and toast. Krum had thankfully collected a robe and was no longer roaming through his home naked. He nodded briefly to Severus, motioning for him to take a seat at the kitchen table.

It took Severus a few moments to decide that he would need to speak with Krum before simply obliviating him. He could not allow anyone to know that he was in Bulgaria. First, Severus had to know if there was any way that someone could have known who he was and if the information could be sent to England.

Voldemort's defeat had come as no surprise to Severus in the end. It was surprisingly simple once he had put the pieces together. Voldemort had been secretive about his precious Horcrux, even though he had assigned the pieces to be protected by his Death Eaters. None of them realized that they were in fact setting up protection to precious items that contained pieces of the Dark Lord, pieces that would ensure that not even death could stop him. It was a wise decision to ensure that the less people knew about the matter the better.

It was almost painful for Severus to admit that Regulus Black, of all people, had learned about it before he did.

The Boy-Who-Would-Not-Die had collected each piece one at a time and destroyed them. When the time came for the final battle against the Dark Lord, Potter’s victories over the Horcruxes had yet to truly come to light, so much that the Dark Lord was careless and almost eager to show his hand. Potter did the deed and it was finally over.

It was in the aftermath of the fighting that Severus had washed his hands of Great Britain, its wars and his past life. It was not that hard to fake his death among a burning field of Aurors and Death Eaters. There would be no one to follow him if they thought him dead.

That would, of course, be difficult if someone informed the Ministry that he was in fact not deceased.

Krum put a cup down on the table in front of Severus and then a plate of toast. It was hardly an illustrious breakfast for someone of his fame. In fact there were several things that seemed out of place, the lack of a house elf being one of the most unusual ones. The house was shabby, with worn furniture and faded curtains. Severus looked around, fixing his tea to his liking, and wondering if this was even Krum's home.

"You seem surprised by my home?" Krum said, leaning against the kitchen counter. He crossed his arms and seemed almost amused.

Severus shrugged, but did not vocalize his thoughts on the issue.

"This vas the home of my parents," Krum said. "I live here now since they have passed on."

"Ahh…"

Krum chuckled lightly. "You are still surprised."

"It is rather difficult to picture someone like yourself in this home," Severus said finally, rolling his eyes.

"Because you assume that I am something I am not," Krum said with a faint shrug. "I suppose you do not know much of the goings on in Bulgaria."

Severus arched a brow.

"I have not been velcome in Bulgaria for a long time now," Krum said. "I have not played Quidditch for a long time. Since the Dark Lord has finally been killed, perhaps they will seek me out like they do other Death Eaters."

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Severus said. The entire conversation was spiraling into territory that he had no knowledge of. It certainly made no sense as to why anyone would make such a ridiculous false assumption about Krum. If anyone would know it would be him.

Krum sighed faintly and turned to look out the window. "It is a long story. I have not played Quidditch since Karkaroff's death and I have been unpopular since that time, as vell. I do not have the vealth and fame that I once had."

Severus put down his now empty cup of tea. "Regardless of your status in this country, I will be leaving shortly and I do not suspect that it would be in my best interest to allow you to remember my being here."

"Then you vill need to erase the memories of many people in the pub that ve drank at last evening," Krum said. He turned back to Severus and shook his head. "You do not need to leave so soon. No one vill come here and no one knows that you are the Snape that vas a Death Eater as Karkaroff vas."

There was more to the statement than Severus would be welcome to stay for as long as he liked. Krum was still very young and obviously not pleased with his current place in life. Truth be told, despite all appearances otherwise, Severus was not the sort to want to be cold to people. Krum was being ostracized by association. It was something that he could understand simply because he had been in Slytherin during his school days. People wanted an enemy or a scapegoat to point the finger at. It gave them more power to be able to think that they were better than someone else.

In a more selfish vein, Severus mused that he had no specific destination in mind, much less anyone waiting for his arrival. Remaining in this house for some time would not cause any undue problems. The company was better than what he had had in quite some time and company was a precious thing after years of being shunned or forced to shun others.

"I shall stay…for a few days," Severus said finally.

Krum smiled and turned back to Severus. "I vill make room for you then."

*

Like many other people in his circumstances, Krum had his own routine for the day. By the end of the second evening in the house, Severus had been able to nearly recite the entire day perfectly. Mornings were early, going out to care for the meager farm animals that he had on the property. One cow, one goat and a handful of chicken took most of the early morning hours to care for. Krum brought in the day's haul, setting aside enough for himself and the rest to take into town to be sold for other necessities. Krum explained that during the warmer months he also had a small garden to supplement his stores and his income. It was very difficult for him to get work, but his family had been financially secure prior to Krum's brief stint in Quidditch. He was able to survive with a combination of work and occasionally dipping into his inheritance.

After a meager breakfast, Krum usually worked out. Long ingrained habits from his sporting days, he would perform a series of exercises and completed a ridiculously high numbers of reps. If nothing else, it gave Severus something attractive to look at for a while.

From there it moved to lunch and in the afternoons, Krum would either read or listen to the local wire. Severus could not understand what was being said, as there were no English frequencies in the area. From the sounds of the cheering and screaming, he assumed that they were most likely Quidditch matches.

Krum made large dinners for them. Severus supposed it was his way to be more hospitable to his guest. Severus hardly needed the extra effort. The peaceful house was enough and Severus was taking the time to teach himself the local tongue. Krum seemed to find his mutterings about the language to be amusing. He most likely had made similar complaints about learning English.

"Are you certain that there is nothing that you vould like to do or see vile you are here?" Krum asked over dinner on the fourth night.

"I am not particularly fond of sight seeing, much less being around large crowds of people. I believe remaining here is more than enough of a pleasant respite," Severus said, shaking his head.

"You are looking for something, though," the former Quidditch star said, sounding oddly wise.

Severus looked up at the young man, arching a brow. "What would make you think that?"

"You vould not be traveling and in a rush to leave if you vere not looking for something," Krum said, looking up from his plate briefly.

"For your information, I am not looking for anything," Severus said.

"I see…"

Severus scowled at the impertinence of Krum's simple statement. "You seem very willing to take liberties with things that you lack the right to question."

"Considering the fact that I have had your cock up my arse, I believe that grants me a bit more intimacy than most," Krum retorted.

Severus snorted in response. For the moment he could not bring himself to argue with Krum over the details of the statement. It brought with it a flash of memory. He had used a very similar tactic in order to gain knowledge from several Death Eaters and Order Members. He sat back in his chair and looked at Krum for a moment, curiosity growing in him over the strange young man.

"Did you learn to be manipulative while in school or from necessity after it?" Severus asked.

"I could tell you, but then I vould have to kill you," Krum said with a smirk.

That caused the otherwise stoic man to laugh. That had to have been the most ridiculous response that Krum could have come up with at that moment. A well of tension seemed to release from deep inside of him with the laughter. Why had he not seen this ridiculous humor previously? Or had Krum been saving it for the right moment?

Krum smiled, looking pleased but not smug. If he had, Severus most likely would have been forced to hex him. Severus took a moment to compose himself, sipping the wine that had been offered to him with dinner. Putting down his glass, he looked back at Krum.

"I'll grant you one question, due to our…intimacy," Severus offered.

"I have already asked you a question," Krum pointed out.

"I couldn't answer it. I do not honestly know the answer," Severus said.

Krum crossed his arms, leaning against the table for a moment. "Why here?" he asked.

Severus shrugged faintly. "I have family from here. My father's mother and much of her family were originally from here. She passed on while I was still young. I have no knowledge of my mother's family, so despite my dislike for my father, this seemed as good as any place to go."

"You did not have a good relationship with your father?" Krum asked.

"I have already answered your question," Severus said, shaking his head.

Krum smiled and nodded. "You are correct. Perhaps I should lie vith you more often. I should be allowed to ask more questions then."

Severus snorted and shook his head. "I highly doubt that you would have much interest in me."

"You are the most interesting person that I have known in many years. Do not think it so difficult to believe that I vould be interested in knowing you," Krum said. He stood and began to clear the table.

There were no further questions that evening and they returned to their mostly silent routine.

*

After Krum's line of questions, Severus found himself watching the young man more. There had to be some kind of trick in his line of questioning. It was completely ridiculous to assume that anyone at all would have any kind of interest in him whatsoever. Perhaps it was ingrained in him from years of being a combination of spy, school's least favorite teacher, and general recluse, but Severus found it rather difficult to believe Krum's words.

Krum decided at lunch the following day that if he would not be allowed to question Severus further, then he would simply be forced to talk about himself. He told Severus several stories about his childhood and the house that they were in. He spoke little of his time on the Quidditch pitch, but at times it seemed unavoidable. Severus found that most of Krum's happier memories were somehow connected to flying or his brief school year in England.

The former Quidditch star talked a great deal with his hands. He could not often find the exact words for his stories and seemed grateful that Severus had been studying, as he could tell his story in his native tongue. He was enthusiastic, which Severus could never recall him being before. While he had been at Hogwarts, Krum was stern faced and followed Karkaroff like an obedient hound. He had been young and enjoyed his position within the school and the country's sports team, and obviously impressionable enough not to realize what exactly it was that he was doing.

He was 21 years old and yet he talked like a teenager that was still excited about returning to school. It was strange and like nothing Severus had ever come across. Krum was quick and before Severus realized what was going on he found himself responding to the young man's questions. Krum found it easiest to say that he had done something as a child and to turn around and question if Severus had as well. Severus would respond before realizing that he was in fact doing what he had stressed that he would not. Before long he had given up information about his childhood, including the fact that his father was a muggle and not the best of men.

Severus realized that this was the closest he had ever been to peaceful and content. More than two weeks of this and he was comfortable. Eyeing Krum as he worked through his daily ritual of exercises he thought it had been too long for him to remain unnecessarily celibate. Originally he kept his distance because he was wary of Krum and the possible threat to his freedom. It was more than proven to Severus by now that Krum was harmless, or at least that he intended no harm. There was no longer a reason for the unnecessary distance that he was forcing between them. Considering the heated glances he was receiving over wine glasses, it was a wonder that he had any patience left.

It was no surprise then that evening, after a few glasses of wine, Severus found himself pressing Krum against the kitchen counter in an attempt to steal the last traces of wine from inside his mouth. He dug his fingers into the shoulder length hair that had grown since he had been at Hogwarts last, relish the feel of the silken strands against his skin. Krum's arms were around him, holding him tightly. He could feel strength that he had locked in the finely tuned body like a radiator giving off heat.

"Vould it be too forward of me to say that I am hoping that you vill take me over the kitchen table?" Krum asked with a seductive smirk.

"To hell with being forward," Severus said, shutting him up effectively with another kiss. He tugged open Krum's shirt, satisfied that this time he would not be the one repairing clothing. Buttons scattered across the floor and Krum let out a groan as his head tilted back in obvious bliss.

Severus latched onto Krum's tanned throat, sucking and biting the flesh to leave deep purple marks. The remainder of their clothing trailed from the kitchen to the living room where they had finally settled on the sofa as it was a more comfortable surface than the kitchen table. Krum's body arched under his hands and mouth, moans pouring from his mouth as Severus prepared him with conveniently placed oil.

"You were hopeful weren't you?"

"Can you blame me?"

He forced himself to go slow when he finally entered Krum's eager body. Severus reveled in the feel of each moment, knowing that it would not be so easily forgotten in the hazy of a drunken stupor the following morning. Krum scrambled to draw him closer, wrapping his legs tightly around Severus's chest and dug his fingers into the pale back.

"Severus…Severus…" Krum moaned in time with each slow thrust.

The moment for savoring passed in an instant and Severus lost all control. He rode Krum fast and hard, rocking the sofa with the force of his lust. Absently he was able to think long enough to take hold of Krum's length between them, squeezing him with each deep thrust. That was all it took for Krum to finally lose himself and he nearly screamed out his release. Severus tumbled head first with only a soft groan a moment later.

They lay on the sofa collecting themselves for several moments before Severus finally pulled away. He absently preformed a wandless cleaning charm over the both. Krum stretched out an arm, tilting his head to the side before pulling himself up to a seated position. The younger man reached out to Severus, his hand coming to rest at the nape of his neck.

"I have been vaiting for you to do that for some time," Krum said before kissing him once again.

Severus lazily returned the kiss, feeling too sated and comfortable to answer properly.

Krum finally stood up after a moment and headed back towards the kitchen. "I vill finish cleaning up after dinner. If you are going to shower, I vould suggest you do so now. I vill need one this evening as vell."

Severus nodded and collected his clothing from the floor before heading back to the bathroom. Once under the comfort of the hot water, Severus allowed himself the opportunity to think through what had just happened. Was it possible for things to not change, save this new addition of intercourse?

The details would have to wait to the following day. Once out of the shower, the former Potions Master trudged to his bed and passed out without putting on his sleeping clothes.

*

Krum was already in the kitchen the following morning as he always was. He finished breakfast and fixed Severus a plate as Severus took care of fixing his morning cup of tea. He eyed the former Quidditch star briefly, noting (with no small amount of pleasure) the naked torso and low hanging waistline of his pajama bottoms.

"I should tell you that nothing is different from it vas the day that you arrived," Krum said, putting Severus's plate down on the table. Severus's raised brow caused him to continue. "I said before that I find you to be the most interesting person that I know and you are very attractive. I have no desire to give you any false declarations, but I am comfortable vith our arrangement and vith anything that you are villing to do vith me."

Severus took his seat and poked at his plate for a moment, thinking on what would be the best response to Krum's statement. He looked up at him as the younger man took the seat beside him. He found that he could not disagree with his words. It was comfortable and he would only lie if he stated that Krum was not physically attractive. There was no need for anything beyond that at the moment.

"I believe that will be acceptable…Viktor," Severus said, purposely using the young man's first name.

Viktor gave a pleased smile before nodding and tucking into his food. He was a friend now and that was as good a start as any for this next chapter in Severus's life.