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Red was the colour Severus has never expected to have in his life. But when Harry unexpectedly burst into his life with his exuberant personality and multi-coloured possessions, that previously despised colour gradually, but steadily, crept into every aspect of Severus’ orderly and sensibly-coloured life.
It all started with a Gryffindor tie which Harry carelessly forgot after visiting Severus in the Hogwarts infirmary. For some reason, still unknown for himself, Severus kept the thing and never even mentioned it to Harry. The battered piece of fabric still resided in the bottom drawer of Severus’ wardrobe.
Then it was Harry’s obnoxiously red robe which he wore to the trials. It clashed furiously with the formal robes of Wizengamot members, stood out amongst the general sombreness of the Ministry employees, and mocked daringly all the Aurors present in the courtroom, for everyone already knew that Harry had no intentions of becoming an Auror.
Next step of the invasion presented itself in a form of a dozen red roses which Harry brought to Severus’ house several days after the trials ended. The dilapidated building has never had anything so bright and beautiful inside it (and right now Severus wasn’t thinking just about the flowers).
At the time he felt immensely awkward and stupid, standing in the middle of a small, dirty and cluttered living room with a bunch of roses so red and fresh that he could see the drops of dew covering the delicate petals. Severus’s confusion was somewhat placated by the sight of similarly confused Harry, who seemed to realise that the flowers were too much, at least at that time.
He took pity on the boy whose face could rival the roses in colour. He spared him any scathing remarks and derogatory comments, and offered him some tea. He could say with absolute confidence that that was the most awkward tea any of them ever had. Ex-student and ex-professor with a complicated history had a lot to discuss and clear up; and they managed it without even hexing each other once.
After that Severus’ was swirled with all things red invading his life. Red cut-glass bottles for potions that Harry bought for him for no reason at all; Harry’s red socks in various states of wear, from brand-new to worn to holes; Harry’s favourite mug – red, of course, which quietly crept into Severus’ kitchen; Harry’s books on wand-making, which for some reason all seemed to have red covers.
And now Severus was staring at a pair of red boxers lying on the floor near the rumpled bed, while their owner was occupying Severus’ shower. Somehow he knew that it would come to this – that he would eventually see (and take off) this particular piece of Harry’s clothing, and that it would be red.
With a small smile Severus lay back on the bed. He could finally admit it; he didn’t mind all that at all – Harry, his things, his clothes and underwear, his kiss-swollen lips – being red. His life could use a bit of colour. Severus closed his eyes remembering the sight of an adorably flushed Harry underneath him. Yes, his life could definitely use some colour.