Title: What his eyes believe in

Author: Death of the Endless

Rating: R? Oh, and it's slash. You heard me, right? If not: This story is S*L*A*S*H!

Pairing: Severus Snape/Neville Longbottom

Summary: Uh oh. What would happen if our favourite potions Master suddenly found himself attracted to his most clumsy student? Well, probably something worse than this, but what the heck, I'll give it a go.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not the characters, not the setting. I would own the plot, except that there isn't any.

This is my first story here, so please, PLEASE read & review. Flames will be passed around friends and laughed at.

What his eyes believe in

ch.2

The next day at potions class Neville didn't dare to look at his teacher. It was all too embarrassing, and he was scared that Snape would simply read the truth in his eyes. So he kept his head down and barely managed to read the notes on the black board. Hermione noted his behaviour with mounting impatience.

"Neville! This potion is rather complicated, if you don't pay attention to what we're doing you'll fail again, and you'll make the cauldron explode and we'll lose points and you'll get detention! Again." She hissed, frustration making her voice a bit louder than she liked. Sure enough, Snape swept down on them and said in a silky voice: "Well now, miss Granger. You wouldn't be helping mr Longbottom with his potion yet again, would you? Surely not, after I explicitly told you not to."

Hermione's face went white as she tried to come up with an excuse. "I was just repeating the ingredients to myself, sir." she said finally. He shook his head in mock sympathy. "Oh dear. After all the books you've read you still can't read quietly? May I suggest that's the next thing you try to learn, instead of busying yourself with competing with the seventh years. Carry on." He gave a final sneer and walked past them, casting a lingering glance at the bowed head of Neville, viciously fighting of a wave of concern. He didn't care about the boy! He'd never...

Neville, on the other hand, had given up completely on his potion. Maybe if he got himself into detention again he could sort out his feelings towards his potions master. His heart fluttered madly as he watched his thin lips sneer cruelly at Harry's work, his slim hands swiftly going through their papers. In Neville's eyes, Snape's hair didn't seem oily at all, only shiny and soft as silk... Suddenly, Snape looked up from his papers and caught Neville's eyes. Time stood still as he in the boy's gaze saw everything Neville couldn't hide if his life depended on it. He saw naked desire, confusion, vurnability, and shy, almost desperate warmth. Neville felt his cheeks turn red and he dropped his gaze almost immediately at what he saw in his professor's eyes. The surprise had given away to raw hunger, and he felt his skin prickle with the sensation. He still felt the man's eyes roam over his body, something that he found both terrifying and exciting. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask for a detention... he thought nervously. I'm not sure I'm ready to face this just now. I'm lucky it's Friday, tomorrow's Hogsmeade. The thought made him light up just a little, and unfortunately totally forget about his potion which promptly boiled over and got all over his hands. The class broke into a cacophony of shouts and laughs as he yelled out and tried to protect his hands from the stinging fluid. He desperately tried to remember what he potion was for, what he had done wrong and what could be done about the burning wounds that seem to spread and ooze blood. Even Draco's laugh seemed to get stuck in his throat when he saw the blood.

Snape barely had time to react before he saw Neville's wounded hands, but after that he rushed into action. He began yelling out orders while he dragged the paralysed boy out of the classroom. "Stay away from the potion! Those of you who can, begin to dispose of it immediately! Those of you who can't will go to the dorms at once, or help those who need to get to Madam Pomfrey! You, come with me!" The last statement was for Neville, who watched his hands with mounting horror. They seemed to be... dissolving slowly. The pain was horrible and he tried not to scream out loud. Snape had an iron grip on his arm, though, and hauled him out of the class room.

When they got there Madam Pomfrey widened her eyes at the mess and examined Neville's hands carefully. "What happened?" She asked shortly, not taking her eyes of the wounds. Snape, black eyes burning with anger and something akin to worry, answered swiftly. "Longbottom really outdid himself this time, Pomfrey. He was supposed to make a simple cleaning potion, but naturally failed to begin with and then let it boil over. Of course it made it react like acid. I'm thinking about cutting him off Potions altogether, since he's so clearly a danger to himself and everyone else." The last statement was growled under his breath, just loud enough for them to hear it, and Neville flinched. He felt ashamed, he knew he was a failure, practically a squib anyway, why should he be allowed into class again?

He just sat there quietly, which only annoyed Snape even more. "Well? When will he be alright?" The question, albeit dry, didn't have the usual sting to it. He noticed it himself and scowled. Even Pomfrey looked a bit surprised, but answered briskly. "I better keep him here for tonight. It was a rather nasty potion. I'll see how he's doing tomorrow. Does it hurt?" Neville nodded. "Yes, ma'am." he answered quietly. "I'll put some ointment on. Lie down on the bed for awhile. I'll have dinner brought here." He nodded again and looked up at his teacher when he laid down on the bed. Snape was watching him in silence, and as usual his expression was unreadable. Neville bit his lip and a few seconds past in silence before spoke.

"Thank you." He breathed. Snape was silent, but he opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again and left without a word.

Had he imagined it? The hungry look in Snape's eyes when he looked at him? Had it been nothing more than a hormone charged teenager's wet dream? Neville sighed and twirled a lock of blond hair around his finger. He wasn't a child anymore, and it was about time he stopped acting like one. Maybe he wasn't a grown man yet, but he shouldn't feel ashamed of the desires he had, he decided. Harry had already had several girlfriends, and Ginny, well, she had moved on to Hermione. They fitted well together, he thought. They snuck away between classes to snog in the corridors, and he was so envious. They didn't seem to care about what people said about them. Even the Slytherins had stopped teasing them, because they simply didn't react. Well, there was this one time Ginny punched Draco in the face and called him a pretentious git. That was actually quite entertaining, he thought smugly. Maybe I can talk to them. They should know what to do.

"Ginny, don't you think we should be checking on Neville? He has been gone an awful long time. What if he the wounds are really serious?" Hermione eyed her girlfriend, who sat pouting on her bed. They had been snogging just a few moments ago, and then she had made the mistake of bringing up Neville. Ginny had a tendency to sulk when Hermione didn't pay enough attention to her. "I suppose we could." she finally said reluctantly. "I just don't understand what the fuss is about. He's blowing himself up twice a day, why should this day be any different?"

Hermione sighed and straightened her clothes. "I'm just worried about him, that's all. His hands looked awful, and he's been acting strange lately. I want to know what's up with him." She smiled slyly. "If you come with me, I'm gonna do that special thing you like so much... tonight." Ginny perked up, as always when her brainiac girlfriend were willing to do something naughty. "Promise? Right, let's go!"

Meanwhile, Snape had some problems of his own. He just couldn't concentrate on grading those papers. Especially when he came to one particularly bad one with the name 'Neville Longbottom' written on top. He stopped and stared blankly at it for a few moments, haunted by flashbacks from his time as a Death Eater. Although he had never participated, there had been rapes, and tortures, where he had done nothing. Lucius Malfoy had several times invited him over, but he had refused. Most of the victims of those little get-togethers were now either dead or committed.

He didn't deserve Neville. The boy was innocent, and he hoped that he could control himself enough for him to remain that way. He scowled. The boy obviously needed a good talk, and as much as he hated the thought, it seemed as though the duty fell on him. He sneered. When he was done with him, Neville would be cured of this ludicrous crush.

The unknowing reason for the recent confusion sat lost in his own thoughts when he heard a soft knock on the door. Before he could find his voice the door glided open, slowly and in complete silence.

"Neville... are you awake..?" The soft whisper made him exhale in relief. He didn't know who he had been expected, but Hermione was definitely as safe as you could come. "He is now." came the matter-of-fact reply from behind Hermione. A cute red head peeked out and gave Neville a dry smile. "She's been worried about you, you know." she said, and almost made it sound like an accusation.

"I know, I'm sorry. You know how clumsy I am." Neville muttered, his eyes downcast. Hermione snorted. "That's not all, and you know it. You've been acting weird these last few weeks. What's eating you?" Neville paled and started to fidget with the covers. Ginny sat down on the bed next to him and took one of his hands in a firm grip. "Come on, Neville. You know we're here for you. This smells like love sickness. You're smitten." Neville blushed beet red. "No, I'm not!" he denied hotly. "You are too! You're me before Hermione finally fessed up and told me she loved me too." At this Hermione sputtered indignantly, then became lost in thought.

"Well? Who is it?" Ginny looked stubborn. "I'm not leaving the bed until you say who it is." Neville squirmed under her stare but said nothing. None of them heard the soft steps that stopped just outside the door.

"It's professor Snape, isn't it?" Hermione said quietly, but the name managed to silence her girlfriend effectively. For a few seconds. "You must be joking... right Neville? I mean, it's not Snape is it? Not really..." When he didn't answer she exploded. "Neville, the man has been bullying you for the last six years! You can barely manage to go to his classes, he scares the living daylights out of you, not to mention the fact that he's always mean to you!"

"Don't talk about him that way!" For the first time ever Hermione and Ginny watched in shock as gentle Neville became angry. "He's saved me time and time again! Can you think of someone else who would?"

"It's okay, Ginny was only worried about you, tight Ginny? Right. And so am I, to be honest. Even if I just skip the part where I'm shocked beyond therapeutic repair there's still the practical issues. Even if you both agree to pursue a relationship, good luck with dragging that out of him by the way, he's still way older than you."

"I've thought about that. And I'm okay with it. So he's older than me. I don't care if he has had a thousand other relationships before me. Really that would give us an edge, don't you think? The only thing that worries me is that he would probably grow bored of me after a while..."

Hermione nodded slowly, as if considering his point. His cheeks were still red, but his eyes glittered passionately beneath long lashes.

"Right then, skipping the age issues. What about his background..?" she inquired delicately. She watched him pale again.

"I do care about that. I'm not that big a fool. But this is what I'm thinking. Here goes... um... I think that it says more about him that he managed to get up and out than that he tripped and fell in the first place. Everybody can make a mistake... and when it comes to real grave ones, only a few can gather enough courage to get their lives back together. He chose us, and that's what matters to me." He was sweating now that he revealed all the things he had come to terms with alone in the darkness of his bed at night. Hermione looked thoughtful and a little impressed.

"I see your point... you're really in love with him, aren't you?" she said and patted her confused girlfriend on the arm.

"Yes." he said simply.

Outside the door a tall lanky man stood in complete silence, hidden in the shadows, while he listened to the boy inside pour his heart out. Jaws clenched, he turned without another word and made his way back to the dungeons.