TITLE: Eternally Yours

AUTHOR: Blessing of Earendil

PAIRING: HP/SS (Slash)

ARCHIVE: Sure – Leave the link in your review

RATING: Mild R

WARNINGS: Rape, Language, Violence, Male Pregnancy, Sexual Situations – all are extremely non-graphic. Lots of Book 5 spoilers.

SUMMARY: Harry and Sev come together after both witnessing a traumatic memory Harry had repressed. Eventually leads to downfall of Voldemort.

DISCLAIMER: I (much to my chagrin) have no ties to any of J.K. Rowling’s work. I am only a humble peasant trying to bring meaning to my pitiful life.

Author Note: This story was started under another pseudonym. I've edited and finished it, and have decided to upload it as one chapter. I was totally shocked by all the wonderful reviews I've received and I hope this was worth the wait. -- B.O.E.

Chapter One: Help Me Breathe Again

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Year Six at Hogwarts was definitely the most memorable one Harry had spent there, and that was saying something. For that was the year that the Savior of the Wizarding World fell in love with and ultimately married and bonded with Severus Snape… bane of all Gryffindors and general all around Greasy Git.

The young man was currently sitting at his window in the bedroom of his aunt’s and uncle’s house (of all places) and thinking of how he had come to be here.

Harry could never say for sure how the change occurred. Maybe it was fate… Dumbledore knew they were soul mates before they did, so they would have ended up together anyway. He didn’t know if he believed in lives being pre-planned, but he knew it began with the continued Occlumency lessons. Even though they started to learn more about what made the other tick, the hate never abated -- at least not at first.

Both had reluctantly agreed to Dumbledore’s demands that the teaching continue, but Snape wouldn’t let Harry near any of his sanctuaries anymore with good reason.

The Gryffindor felt truly awful about invading the professor’s privacy and told the older man so. His overwhelming desire to see his parents as they were overrode common sense. It wasn’t until Snape viewed a certain memory through ‘Legilimens’ that Severus stopped berating Harry for last year’s invasion.

It was an awful memory… one that Harry must have repressed, for when he witnessed it with his most hated teacher he would have sworn on his mother’s grave that it had never happened -- not to him. The only things that told him it wasn’t some false information planted by Voldemort were the flashbacks sparked from THE memory… the memory of his drunken uncle raping his approximately eight-year-old self.

He was told later that he’d had a seizure coming out of the spell. Poppy explained to him after he woke up in her care that the seizure was the result of a repressed memory being ripped from its dormant state before his brain was ready to deal with it. So basically, he’d now been raped in both body and mind. Lovely.

Harry honestly couldn’t remember how he’d spent the following weeks. Everything was a blur. Occlumency was, of course, put on hold until further notice. All he had told his friends was he’d come across a ‘really bad memory’ in his lessons and no he didn’t want to talk about it but thank you for your concern.

He felt dead. He looked almost as bad. Absent was the spark of determination in his eyes… the fire that kept him going strong even when the majority dubbed him to be an insane attention-seeking liar.

Potions class was a hell all on its own. Snape pretty much left Harry alone, but it was agony being in the same room with a man who had seen the darkest moment of his life. He’d witnessed in brutal clarity an impossibly young version of Harry begging and pleading for the pain to end.

Harry noticed that Snape was unable to fully make eye contact with his most hated student. The raven-haired youth couldn’t blame him. He couldn’t look himself in the eye in the mirrors. For years he’d thought himself a freak – now he knew he was. An abused, dirty, used piece of garbage, tossed back in the cupboard after he’d served his purpose as a plaything for his uncle.

It didn’t take long before the teachers began to worry about him. The students were none the wiser. Shocked at first, they quickly adapted to the new quieter Harry who was more often than not seen with a book in his hand instead of his broom. But the teachers were older. Years of dealing with children in all states of mind, they picked up on the warning signs.

Snape was the first. He’d had his eyes open since the incident, knowing what to look for. He watched loose robes become looser, homework was more detailed, and dark circles under eyes spoke of long sleepless nights.

It was a cold November morning when the potions professor took action.

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Harry Potter was oblivious to the rest of the world with his head buried in ‘The Life and Times of Artemis Gullywinkle’. Severus finally found him perched in one of the astronomy tower windows after scouring all of the young man’s other recent study nooks.

Seeing him nowadays always brought a pang to the area his heart would be if he had one. Nevertheless, it was hard to harbor hatred for the boy after the last Occlumency lesson they had. In fact, for some odd reason his instincts were screaming at him to wrap his arms around the sixteen-year-old and protect him from the world. Shaking his head at the bizarre notion, he pushed himself away from the wall and moved closer to Potter.

"If you’re thirsting for something interesting to read, I daresay I could recommend about a thousand books more so than the one you are currently perusing." He ignored Harry’s startled owl-caught-in-the-path-of-a-broomstick look and smirked. "Though, at the rate you’ve been going, you’ve no doubt exhausted the list. Are you currently attempting to give Madame Pince a new lease on life?"

As per the norm with the new Potter, a blush colored the boy’s cheeks right before his gaze reached the stone floor. Severus resolved to do something about the boy’s absolute lack of self-esteem before the Dark Lord was spared the trouble of killing him. He knew what the outcome of his next sentence would be before he said it, and would have made bets if the situation wasn’t so dire.

"Detention, Potter. Meet me in the classroom at eight o’clock tonight."

"Yes sir."

No movement other than the further slump of his shoulders. Merlin, help this boy… what happened to the other Potter? The one who would have glared angrily at the injustice of an undeserved detention? Was it too late to save him? In the past Snape would have sneered at the boy’s fierce demand to know why he’d been punished and he would come up with some ludicrous crime which always translated into ‘For being James Potter’s son’.

Where is James Potter’s son now and who is this empty shell left behind?

Why the hell did he care so much?

--------------

The fact remained that he did care. Everyday he gave Harry a detention. Every day the despondent boy walked into the potions lab exactly on time. And every day Severus found the time to talk to Potter. He started slowly… at first speaking only of schoolwork. Then of things he’d read in books.

Soon the topics became looser. Quidditch was a big conversation motivator. Especially as the first Gryffindor game came closer. Of course the lifetime ban on Harry was lifted as soon as school began, and his broom was returned with a flourish from the headmaster himself.

The talks were working even though the men steered clear of more personal things. The closest they came was when Severus mentioned Harry should eat more lest he fall from his broomstick while in pursuit of the snitch. Harry didn’t respond, but the next day Snape noticed Harry took a little more on his plate than usual in all three meals.

If it hadn’t been number one in the top ten list of things Severus Snape does NOT do in public, he would have smiled at Harry. Instead, he did the second thing on his list and awarded Gryffindor house twenty points. (Anonymously, of course).

The professor soon ran out of things for Harry to do, so he moved on to letting the young man assist him in potion brewing. It was amazing how much the boy had learned. With the right environment, (lack of screaming and scathing remarks), Harry really excelled in potions. He had a high level of maturity that too few his age possessed. He handled the more volatile ingredients as if they were expensive glass.

Both were aware of the physical attraction growing between them, however neither was in any rush to acknowledge the fact. Severus, because he would die before he pushed a sexually abused boy into ANY kind of relationship, and Harry, because he was certain that no one could ever want him after what his uncle had done.

Of course, it didn’t help that Albus had also noticed the attraction and was taking every opportunity to nudge the two together. Severus had even gone so far as storming up to the old man’s office to tell him to kindly "Keep your manipulative nose in your own damn business".

The accursed twinkle in the headmaster’s eyes went up a notch. "Come now, Severus. It’s obvious the two of you are soul mates. You know as well as I that it’s not against any school rules as long as your intended is over the age of consent."

Severus growled and shot up from his chair. "Albus, the boy was raped! If that alone doesn’t scream ‘SLOW DOWN’, I don’t know what does! I will not mess this up, whatever ‘this’ is." He waved his hand around and retook his seat. Fawkes flew over and landed on his knee.

The potions professor absently stroked the birds head. "Speaking of which, I assume Dursley has been incarcerated?"

Dumbledore sighed, the twinkle absent. "He will be dealt with accordingly."

Severus’ eyes narrowed. "What do you mean ‘will be’? If he was to be ‘dealt with accordingly’, he’d have been hanging by his testicles in Azkaban three months ago!"

"Now, Severus…" Snape cut him off.

"Oh don’t you ‘Now, Severus’ me. I’ve known you too long and I KNOW you’re planning something." He deflated. "I also know that you’re not going to tell me what it is, but please Albus… be extra careful around Harry. You don’t know how close you came to losing your ‘Savior’."

The old wizard smiled gently and leaned back in his chair. "You love him."

Severus didn’t answer, but Albus wasn’t expecting him to. The truth was in his eyes as plain as day.

"He loves you too, Severus. You should let each other know."

Severus stood to leave, but before he reached the door he turned to face his mentor one more time. "Don’t hurt him, Albus." Then he was gone.

--------------

Try as they might to suppress them, the feelings only grew stronger as the days went by until one night their relationship took an unexpected turn.

--------------

Ironically, it was a flashback that pushed Harry into the arms of his professor. Sobbing and trembling, he burrowed deeper into the warmth. For once in his life he was comfortable with being cared for. Before, he’d never known how to act around a loving embrace or soothing words, but in Severus’ arms it felt natural. He felt as if he belonged there… as if he were truly ‘home’.

Totally lost in the feelings, Harry suddenly found himself kissing Severus. Completely shocked by his actions, Potter pulled away and stammered an apology.

Snape seemed to know that Harry had emotionally retreated because he believed himself to be undeserving of affection. Determined to quell these thoughts, he reached out to caress the young man’s face. When the action was met without protest, he gently grasped the other’s chin and pulled him up for the sweetest kiss either had ever experienced.

Severus poured his entire heart and soul into this kiss and Harry responded in kind.

As with all cases when a soul finds its mate, their love grew in leaps and bounds. A few months passed and one bright spring afternoon found Severus on bended knee in front of his beloved asking him to marry and bond with him. A second later he was holding a teary-eyed Gryffindor who was enthusiastically kissing him and saying ‘yes’ over and over.

Harry’s friends took the news surprisingly well. Naturally there were some that didn’t understand, but since Sev was still a spy they didn’t let anyone know who wasn’t one hundred percent trustworthy.

Unfortunately their hard work in keeping the affair secret proved to be in vain. Draco Malfoy, in his usual arrogant state, found himself to be above having to knock before entering any room. After all, he was a MALFOY, and there was no place worth going that a Malfoy wasn’t welcome.

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It was no secret that Draco had a HUGE crush on Professor Snape. The fact was very hard to miss when the blonde constantly flirted with him. He’d somehow worked into his mind that his advances weren’t being returned because his noble knight in black armor was waiting until he’d graduated. Therefore, it came as no small surprise when he barged into his Head of House’s office to find the object of his affections in a deep kiss with Harry bleeding Potter of all people.

The two had instantly sprung apart at his entrance, but what he saw was enough to make him livid. Potter had to have everything… the fame, glory, entourage, and now THIS.

Malfoy ignored his professor’s, "Was there something you needed, Draco?" As if he were trying to rush him out so he could continue to snog Draco’s nemesis. He jerkily shook his head and backed out the door, silently swearing revenge on Potter for continuing to ruin his life.

--------------

Needless to say, Severus did not go when the Dark Lord summoned his followers. He was not stupid enough to believe Draco did not take the information straight to Voldemort.

Sure enough, the entire school knew about them in the next few days. By the following week, there wasn’t a magical person in all of Europe who didn’t know their Savior was engaged to the potions professor. There were a ton of howlers, but when word got out the couple were soul mates, the amount of hate mail decreased.

Magical communities tended to put more faith in the idea of a soul mate than muggle communities. Wizards and witches in general cared not about their mate’s gender or race and concentrated more on love. They had no need for male/female relationships in advancing their numbers, as magic enabled same sex couples to have children of their own.

It was true that more often than not a wizard’s mate would be female and vice versa, but as a whole the world was truly open minded in the matters of the heart.

The age difference also doesn’t enter into the equation because wizards have much longer life spans than muggles. Dumbledore himself could claim over a hundred years, though his exact age was not widely known.

So, with the lukewarm acceptance of the wizarding world behind them, the two lovers were married and bonded in a spectacular ceremony officiated by Albus Dumbledore himself.

--------------

Harry was pacing. And fretting… mostly fretting. He was to be married in an hour to a man he’d truly known for less than six months -- at the age of sixteen, no less. He imagined that if his parents had been still alive they’d be screaming at him.

It wasn’t the wedding that was bothering him most – it was the thought of the wedding night. Harry had been going to a counselor at Sev’s request for over four months now and was slowly healing. But he was no fool. He knew things of that magnitude wouldn’t just go away because he wanted them to.

The young Potter sighed and ran his fingers through his hair for the fifteenth time. He had to find Severus and let him know he may be ready for marriage, but wasn’t sure about tonight. Better to get this out of the way now than to have Sev witness his young husband cowering under the table when the robes came off.

He found his husband-to-be in his office swatting away Mrs. Weasley’s hands as she was adjusting his white dress robes. Unlike muggle weddings, where only the bride traditionally wore white to symbolize purity, both parties in wizard bindings donned the color.

Harry smiled at the sight before him and brought his attention to what they were saying.

"…told her a thousand times not to bunch up the material in the waist. Move your hands Severus." It was quite an amusing sight to see the normally stern man obey the much shorter woman.

"Molly, really, I don’t think…"

"Hush dear, I’ll be done in a jiffy." Severus sighed. "And quit slouching!"

The peeping Harry couldn’t help chuckling at the last, thereby alerting the other two to his presence. Snape’s face instantly lit up, while Molly pulled him closer and began fussing over him as well.

"Good, now I don’t have to search all over creation for you as well, Harry dear. I swear, that Madaline Malkin gets battier every year. You tell her exactly how you want your robes cut and she does the opposite."

Severus leaned in for a kiss, which Harry immediately returned. "Where are your friends, love?"

"… and why she refuses to put…"

"Let’s see, Hermione took Ginny and left to touch up the decorations in the gardens. She’s got Ron keeping Fred and George away from the food, lest they get the urge to sabotage something."

"… after all these years she’d get better at…"

Severus winced. "Yes, I’d hate to have to kill the two Weasleys on my wedding day. And we’re certain none of the food and drink have been tampered with beforehand?"

It was not hard to guess that many Voldemort followers would love the chance to poison the grooms on their special day, so the question did not come as a surprise to Harry. "Absolutely. I put Dobby in charge of the food and he assured me that no one but trusted Hogwarts house elves came in contact with anything having to do with our wedding."

"… that’s about it, dears. I’m going to go make sure my boys stay in line. If you need me, I’ll be in the gardens." Mrs. Weasley kissed both men on the cheek, wished them luck, and left.

Severus stared after her. "She scares me."

Harry didn’t answer. He was too busy trying to figure out how to phrase his worry to Sev. He started when a gentle hand brushed through his hair.

"What’s wrong, love?"

The sixteen-year-old smiled sadly and took a seat, motioning for the other to do the same. When Severus complied, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Sev, would you be disappointed if I wasn’t ready for the wedding night?"

Snape’s worried expression instantly vanished when he understood what was troubling the young man. Reaching out to grab the other’s hand, he absently began stroking his thumb across the back. "Harry, love… I am not now, nor could I ever be disappointed in you. You make me complete." He smiled at the look of awe on the young man’s face. "I will wait for you forever. If you’re not ready to make love one hundred years from now, then that’s perfectly all right with me. I fell in love with you for you. I’m sure the sex would be fabulous, as is everything else about you, but my interest lies with more than the physical aspect of a life as your husband."

Harry didn’t realize he was crying until Severus reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I love you, Severus. More than you’ll ever know." He straightened up. "Now, where’s my flower hat?"

Warm, rich laughter filled the room as Harry was handed his wreath of yellow roses – another sacred tradition meant to be worn on the heads of the couple. Theirs were always yellow to signify eternal love.

The attendants and officiant had their own ceremonial garb. Albus would be sporting golden robes with a white rose wreath, always the same colors – meant to be the opposite of the lovers. However, Harry and Severus were responsible for choosing the colors and flowers of the attendants.

Both ruled out Gryffindor and Slytherin colors immediately. After hours of debate, they agreed on a deep navy for the eight attendants with the wreaths sporting a mixture of baby’s breath and white carnations. Ron was ecstatic that the robes weren’t maroon.

For Harry’s attendants, he chose Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George. Severus asked Minerva, Filius, Vector, and Sinistra, who all accepted happily. The ceremony didn’t call for a ‘best man’. However, they were lined up in the order they became friends, with the newest friends standing the farthest away.

Harry glanced at the clock in the corner. It was time to head out to the gardens. On their way outside, as per tradition, any stray student the couple passed immediately sank down to one knee and crossed their arms over their chest. It was a sign of respect and good wishes. They passed loads of students, many of which were lined up waiting for them. All honored them except one.

Draco Malfoy was standing with Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle in the entrance hall talking. As the couple passed, the others dropped to their knee. The blonde took a bold and almost unheard of action, shocking even the other Death Eater children. Draco simply glared at Potter and turned his back on his house head. Severus nodded his head, signifying the rejection had been duly noted and they continued on their way.

--------------

Harry couldn’t help but be awed when they arrived at their destination. At first he didn’t even notice the selected few guests as they knelt down in the same manner as the rest of the school. The young Potter was too caught up in the beauty and life of the setting. Hermione and Ginny, who were in charge of decorating, had simply outdone themselves with the flower placements.

At the front of the guests were two intricately carved lattice pieces, meeting together at the top to make an upside down ‘V’. Morning Glory vines were interwoven throughout the entire structure, creating a breathtaking effect.

The small table holding the ceremonial goblet of red wine was placed at the front of the crowd to the right.

Among the guests were all of the Gryffindor sixth years, the entire Weasley clan minus Percy, (Bill and Charlie took off work to be there), Remus, Tonks, all of the Hogwarts teaching staff, and a few acquaintances of Severus’ from outside of school. Harry had even allowed Colin Creevy the job of taking pictures on the condition that photos were captured of everyone. At first the younger Gryffindor refused the thirty galleons payment, but the couple insisted.

Harry wondered with a sad smile if Sirius would have needed to be physically restrained, had he been alive. He closed his eyes tightly as he found his sight suddenly blurred. ‘Stop it – be happy, Harry. There’s no room for sadness today.’

The elegant buffet table stood off to the left, sporting an astonishing amount of food. The bonding cake was huge and looked to be four layers high, decorated in blue, yellow, and white. Dobby had really outdone himself.

The elf in question (who cried for six hours straight when told he was invited) stood proudly beside the table and smiled grandly at the couple. He was wearing a brand new tea towel for the occasion. Harry idly wondered, as he smiled back, where all his new hats were.

Soon, Harry found himself beside Ron as Albus began the ceremony.

"My friends, you have traveled here from near and far to witness one of the purest and most beautiful forms of magic. If there be anyone among you who does not wish for the couple standing here to be bonded, please leave now, for your animosity will disrupt the flow of magic needed to complete these ceremonies."

No one moved.

"Very well. I ask now for the couple to lock both their hands with each other’s – right to left, left to right with your wrists crossed." Albus walked over and picked up the goblet from the nearby table. He first handed it to Sinistra, who took a sip. She passed it to Vector and eventually it reached Minerva who, after taking a sip, held the cup to Severus’ mouth.

Albus then carried it to George where the process was repeated. After Ron held the goblet for Harry to drink, it was given back to the officiant and returned to its place.

The old wizard stood before them once more and took out his wand. "Bindings in our world are very rare. They can only occur when the soul has found its other half. Once this portion of the proceedings is completed, there is no going back. The spell used to bind your spirits is an ancient one passed down from the earliest of our ancestors and cannot be broken. When the spell is cast, you will be connected for all of eternity, whereas the marriage binds you in this life only. Do you wish to proceed?"

Both wizards nodded. Hagrid and Dobby could both be heard crying loudly, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Filius were trying discreetly to hide their own tears.

"So be it. I will ask you both to kneel before me now, as this spell will cause you to feel dizzy for a little while. You may brace yourselves against each other if you’d like."

They knelt on the large silver pillows laid out for that purpose and soon Albus was muttering the longest string of Latin Harry had ever heard. A sparkling golden light enveloped the two of them and for a split second, he found himself looking out of Severus’ eyes. Their hands remained tightly clasped throughout. Harry grew more and more disoriented, finally burying his face in the older man’s shoulder for stability. He felt an absent kiss placed on the top of his head and then it was over.

"You have been successfully bonded, my friends. Now I will ask you to stand and clasp each other’s right hand with your left, wrists uncrossed. Would the ring bearers please step forward?" Ron and Minerva both left the line and approached the couple. As one, they knelt before the two and held the rings aloft.

Ron began the part of the ceremony known as the ‘Presenting of the Rings’. "I, Ronald Weasley, trusted friend of Harold James Potter for six years, am here to present the ring intended for his mate, Severus Nathaniel Snape. I do this to show my faith that this marriage is meant to be and my loyalty remains true."

Harry bowed. "I accept this ring on behalf of my mate. You honor us."

Albus resumed speaking as soon as Harry took the gleaming platinum band from his best friend. "Harold James Potter, you stand before Severus Nathaniel Snape and all of your closest friends today on the twenty-first of May. As we are witnessing this blessed occasion, there stands no doubt of your love for your bonded. I will ask you now to place the wedding band on Severus’ finger and repeat after me. ‘With this ring, I pledge my heart and soul only to you’."

Hands slightly shaking, Harry gently slid the ring on. His eyes never strayed from his bondmate’s. "With this ring, I pledge my heart and soul only to you."

Albus nodded and gestured to Minerva. "I, Minerva McGonnagal, professor of Severus Nathaniel Snape for seven years and trusted friend and co-worker for seventeen years, am here to present the ring intended for his mate, Harold James Potter. I do this to show my faith that this marriage is meant to be and my loyalty remains true."

Severus bowed. "I accept this ring on behalf of my mate. You honor us." As he took the ring from Minerva, both she and Ron moved back to their places beside the grooms.

"Severus Nathaniel Snape, you stand before Harold James Potter and all of your closest friends today on the twenty-first of May. As we are witnessing this blessed occasion, there stands no doubt of your love for your bonded. I will ask you now to place the wedding band on Harold’s finger and repeat after me. ‘With this ring, I pledge my heart and soul only to you’."

He smiled gently at Harry before placing the sacred ring on his beloved’s hand. "With this ring, I pledge my heart and soul only to you."

The officiant smiled at his two surrogate sons. "There are many magics in the world, but love is by far the strongest of them all. Let me be the first to wish you an eternity filled with all the happiness existence has to offer. Merlin knows you both deserve it." He placed a hand on each man’s shoulder. "The last thing I will ask of you during this ceremony is for you to seal your union with a kiss."

Cheers broke out as Harry’s arms went around Severus’ neck and each kissed their husband for the very first time. They broke apart laughing as the cheers became louder and were soon joined by whistles.

Dumbledore chuckled and spoke one last time as officiant. "It is my pleasure to present to all of you, Mr. Severus Snape and Mr. Harold Potter-Snape. Please enjoy the celebratory feast, drink, and music, but don’t forget to wish the newlyweds a long and healthy life and afterlife together."

As one, all the guests raised their wands, (or in Hagrid’s and Dobby’s case – a pink umbrella and an index finger), in salute to the couple. Multi-colored sparks lit up the sky and the uninvited guests watched from the windows of the castle in awe.

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From the Slytherin Dorms, Draco watched with angry tears falling unnoticed from his eyes. His time was spent hoping that Severus would call the whole thing off and find him, explaining that the marriage and binding was a trap to kill Potter or take him to the Dark Lord.

He imagined him begging his forgiveness and making love to him right here on his bed. They would eventually marry and bind with each other and Potter would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory.

He stood closer to the window where the sparks were still marking the occasion. ‘But no more. The two could no longer be separated… even in death.’ Draco punched the wall and lay down on his bed. He closed the curtains to block the view of Severus’ ultimate betrayal and cried.

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Harry Potter-Snape was having the time of his life. He was currently dancing with Hermione while Sev shared a fast waltz with Molly Weasley. Harry was pleased to see everyone having a wonderful time. Even Dobby was bouncing around the dance floor with Tonks, Dean, and Seamus.

"So Harry, I hear Professor Dumbledore is excusing both you and your husband from school for a whole week! You’re going to have loads of homework to catch up on, you know."

Ron was dancing with Ginny and was close enough to catch Hermione’s last statement. "Geez, Hermione! Don’t you ever stop thinking about homework? I think Harry’s got a little more on his mind than wondering how to charm knitting needles or transfigure a burlap sack into a dress cloak."

Harry snickered. "I don’t know Ron. You can never have too many dress cloaks." With that, he spun Hermione around, much to her shock. "Besides, I got with the teachers last week and worked extra hard so I’d be completely caught up by the time Monday morning came."

Hermione beamed at him while Ron rolled his eyes and danced off muttering something about ‘bleeding bookworms’. Fred and George drifted past dancing a tango, complete with a red rose clamped in George’s teeth.

Harry shook his head as he stared after them. "I really worry about them sometimes." The young Granger nodded and spun Harry around in retaliation.

"So where are you going for your honeymoon? And did I tell you how marvelous you look since you got your eyes fixed?"

Her dance partner smirked. It had been a relief when they found out his eyesight could be easily corrected magically. "Thanks, and we’re staying in the castle for now. Dumbledore thinks it’s too dangerous to leave at the moment, so we decided to make do here." Hermione frowned. "Don’t worry ‘Mione. The headmaster has even set up new rooms for us in a more isolated part of the castle. We’ll have a lot more space, and I even have a study to myself!"

"Wow Harry! How did you manage all that?"

"Gift from Dumbledore. He says it’s all ours for as long as we want. There are all kinds of protection charms on the rooms, and even the hallway is charmed to keep stray students away."

The young girl’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Must be nice to be close friends with Professor Dumbledore."

Harry laughed and spun her once more.

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That evening, after the cake was eaten and presents opened, the two newlyweds snuck off to begin their weeklong retreat. Passing the barrier into their private part of the castle, they stopped at a door they had never seen before. A note was tacked on it in Professor Flitwick’s neat writing:

--

Congratulations once again to the both of you! Beyond this door is my gift. May it bring peace to your lives whenever you are in need. I created it to be a reminder that the love you share is rare and meant to be cherished.

I truly am jealous of you both, but never bitter.

So enjoy!

Filius Flitwick

--

The two men exchanged a look and pushed open the door. Their jaws simultaneously dropped at the sight that greeted them beyond the threshold.

Harry was reminded of Firenze’s classroom in that the ‘room’ was made to look like a clearing in a forest. The ceiling was charmed in the same manner as the great hall to reflect the weather outside. They followed a gentle roaring sound through the trees and came across another clearing.

In it was a gorgeous cascading waterfall that emptied into a small pond perfect for skinny-dipping. Winding away from the swimming hole was a crystal clear brook littered with small rocks of many shapes, sizes, and colors. Every now and again their eyes would catch movement in the stream. Closer inspection revealed tiny fish flitting about.

As they were standing there, a doe and her baby approached the water from the other side to have a sip. Neither reacted to the wizards’ presence. Standing proudly, about ten feet away from the pool’s edge was a tall willow tree. Harry imagined many hours would be spent under that tree having Sev read to him. The grass was as thick and green as it could be.

Following the path of a bright yellow butterfly with his eyes, the Gryffindor was the first to react. "Wow."

"’Wow’, indeed. I knew the man was a master at his craft, but this is…" Severus trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Indescribable."

"Exactly."

They stood there a few minutes more before Harry turned to his husband. "Sev, I want you to take me - right here, right now."

The professor jerked his head up to meet his husband’s passion-filled gaze. "Harry, are you sure?"

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around the other, bringing him down for a heated kiss. When they both came up for air, he answered. "I’m more than sure. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything before, and I trust you. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. But the way I feel right now… I just have to try."

Severus responded by slowly lowering his mate to the soft ground.

--------------

Harry threw back his head in a breathy "Oh!" He was currently straddling his husband on a soft blanket beneath the willow tree. One hand was tangled into Sev’s silky hair while the other held onto the sweaty shoulder for dear life.

Long fingers dug into his narrow hips and he rocked with every powerful thrust into his body.

He cried out as his husband’s swollen member found his prostate and repeatedly danced over it. Suddenly desperate to connect with Severus in every way possible, Harry tightened his hold on the inky-black locks and pulled the other man in for another passionate kiss.

Lips immediately parted, and tongues fought for dominance. Moans and gasps filled the clearing. Neither knew which sound was his or their mate’s. Nor did they care, for they truly were one person in that moment of time.

This was so right… so perfect.

As the ecstasy built and was close to overflowing, the two men clasped hands. Long, delicate fingers entwined with shorter ones and they rocked faster. Both refused to break their kiss.

A sudden explosion of bright light blinded them as they reached euphoria. They screamed in unison, never wanting the moment to end. Their spirits soared high above the clouds for a few seconds before crashing down into their bodies, causing them to collapse in a pile of sweaty limbs.

The kisses they shared after their orgasmic bliss were sweeter and less hurried. They were more due to a desire to let the other know how perfect that sacred ritual truly was. Neither felt the need to rekindle the passion so soon after their lovemaking.

As Harry leaned forward, Severus slowly slipped out of his body and they snuggled close. A cleaning spell was cast, taking away the evidence of their copulation.

They pulled a second blanket over them and slept beneath the stars.

--------------

During the honeymoon, the two got to know each other as intimately as possible. They spent their days talking and laughing – happily cut off from the rest of the castle. The nights found them sweaty and sated, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Sometimes they even made love in the pool, letting the churning waves help them find their rhythm while the waterfall washed away the results of their passion.

During their last weekend, Harry kept Hedwig busy sending off Thank-You notes. Severus wrote an extra note at the bottom of Filius’ stating he would never again complain about any potion the tiny wizard needed in the future.

But all too soon their vacation ended. They went to sleep wrapped around each other early Sunday night with the alarm set.

--------------

As they walked into the Great Hall together for breakfast, a huge round of applause met their ears. Harry promptly blushed, while Sev rolled his eyes and continued on to the head table. The two had decided beforehand that Harry would continue eating with his friends at the Gryffindor table since he had moved out of the dorms.

It was important to them both that he not drift apart from his peers any more than necessary during his remaining time at school. This was perfectly fine with Ron, who’d been moping about the entire week of Harry’s absence – certain he’d lost his best mate.

Harry happily informed him to think of it this way: "You haven’t lost a friend, but gained a surly Potions Master".

The entire Gryffindor table went into hysterics when Ron playfully responded that he’d rather lose his friend.

All in all life went on as usual. Draco was a lot meaner to Harry, if that was even possible. The taunts grew by leaps and bounds and more often than not Harry would arrive home with a headache. It was those days that Severus would massage his back and repeatedly tell him how much he loved him.

Personally, the young man thought each and every massage was worth all the hateful words uttered from the mouth of Draco Malfoy. He did his best to keep from rising to the bait, but it was difficult when his friends were included in the vulgar insults.

--------------

Their new marriage wasn’t always hugs and kisses. They argued and sniped at each other about insignificant things, as they always have. It wasn't until Severus saw Harry downing a vial filled with a pink potion that they had their first real fight as a married couple.

Severus curiously asked Harry what the potion was for. His husband had said that he had been diagnosed with Treptocentric Inagmia – A strictly magical ailment that causes headaches and mild dizziness. The disease was in no way life threatening, but the afflicted had to drink a potion everyday to ease the symptoms.

Harry had admitted to seeing Poppy two weeks prior about his headaches, and Sev became angry for not being told before now.

--------------

Severus paced. Harry sat in his chair and stared blankly at the fire.

"How could you possibly keep this from me, Harry?"

The young man cringed at the tone of betrayal, but turned to face his husband. "It’s not a big deal, Severus."

"Not a big deal? YOU HAVE A BLOODY INCURABLE DISEASE!" The potions professor ignored the startled jump from the other. He was WAY past compassion at this moment. "Were you planning to keep it a secret from me forever?"

"It’s not like that, Sev. Poppy says…"

"I don’t give a shit about what Poppy says. It’s what you say that matters to me, and don’t think I don’t notice that you tell me less and less as days go by, Harry."

"Oh, don’t you FUCKING DARE pull that on me!" It was Severus’ turn to look startled. Harry never cursed. "You are the fucking KING of silence, Severus!"

The younger man jumped out of his chair and glared at his spouse. "You want to know why I didn’t tell you about my illness? FINE! Because YOU never tell me ANYTHING at all!"

Harry furiously ran a hand through his tousled hair. "I’ve told you EVERY goddamned thing about my childhood, my hopes, my dreams… You know every single weakness I possess. DAMN IT, SEV! Do you know how it feels to confess all your darkest moments to a man who never admits to having any of his own?!"

"I don’t under…"

Harry didn’t even allow him to finish his sentence before whirling back around to face him. "Severus, I don’t want you to be strong for me all the time. I’m tired of feeling weak and when I’m with you, that’s how I feel."

Harry’s shoulders slumped. "Until you can learn to trust me with your pain, then there’s no way I can continue to confront you with mine." He turned and walked into their bedroom.

Severus watched him go.

--------------

Harry was lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling when Severus entered the room. He didn’t even notice the other man’s presence until he had sat down beside him and began speaking.

"I was seven years old when my mother died." Harry looked up in surprise at the words, but remained silent. "My father, despite popular belief, was not a Death Eater, though he could have easily become one. He was a cruel and sadistic bastard who reveled in the pain of others.

"Every day, he made our lives a living hell. At first the abuse was verbal. It became physical when he decided that I wasn’t shaping up to be the type of wizard he wanted for his heir. My mother would protect me from most of the beatings, but then he would start in on her."

Harry began caressing Severus’ hair, silently encouraging him to purge his demons.

"As I said before, mum died. The three of us were out horseback riding when my mother and father began arguing about whether I was old enough to ride a horse by myself. The argument quickly escalated into a screaming match. My father became enraged by something mum said. He picked up a thick branch from the ground and struck my mother across the temple. She died almost instantly."

Tears coursed silently down the pale cheeks. Harry closed his eyes in shock and held onto him more tightly, letting Severus know he wasn’t alone. Never, in a million years, could he have guessed what his gorgeous mate had been hiding from the world.

"When the aurors came, my father told them she ran into a low-hanging branch during our ride. They had no reason not to believe him, as his story coincided with the wound. No one questioned me. I don’t think I could have answered if they had.

"For a long time after the event, I was angry with my mother. I know it sounds idiotic, for she did nothing wrong. But she left me. I can remember her consoling me late at night after some of his more brutal tantrums. She would tell me stories about how we’d soon escape together and never see him again. I suspected she had been trying to get in touch with her family because she often mentioned distant cousins during these talks.

"I was so angry with her because she escaped and left me behind. God, I hated her for that!" Sev clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles soon turned white from the strain.

"When I received my acceptance letter, I came to Hogwarts with a newfound hope. I honestly did not care which house I was sorted into, be it Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. All I knew was that I wouldn’t see the tyrant again for months. That’s all that mattered to me, Harry.

"Hogwarts was my sanctuary, much like it became yours. I made a few friends, but none were true. I didn’t completely fit in Slytherin House. Desperate to belong, I began studying Dark Arts with my peers. Lucius Malfoy tutored me on many unpleasant spells."

Harry handed the older man a glass of water from the bedside table. Sev took a sip and handed it back, squeezing his lover’s hand in thanks.

"The problem was, while I harbored more than enough anger to fuel the dark curses, my heart wasn’t in it. Not wanting to lose face with the few people who accepted me, I created this stoic mask for the world to see. But inside I was still a scared little boy. The only thing I felt I needed was a friend who wanted to be with me whether I knew illicit curses or not.

"I didn’t care about house rivalries. I saw them as idiotic, and would never have refused to associate with a person because of which dorm they resided in. Unfortunately, there weren’t many who shared my views. The first time I saw James Potter, my foremost thought was that this was someone I would like to get to know.

"He was always smiling and laughing with his three friends. I desperately wanted to be that carefree. He always seemed so friendly to everyone, and it never occurred to me that he would take the rivalries to heart. But he did."

Sev paused for a moment. He stared off in the distance, perhaps witnessing the memories that have plagued him for years.

"He preyed on me all of the time, I guess because I seemed weak to him. I felt weak, in any case. For all of my seven years as a student here, I was the butt of many pranks and humiliations. Of course I retaliated, or tried to. That was probably what started my love of potions. I can’t say I gave as good as I got because it was four against one, and, well… I think the ‘Marauders’ reputation speaks for itself.

"I hated James Potter then, and that hate is just as strong now. He took my one sanctuary and turned it into a place nearly as bad as my father’s home."

Harry wiped his tears on his sleeve. Right now he could honestly say that he hated his father as well.

"When I saw you, standing in line to be sorted, the hatred flared up again. I was determined to make your life here as bad as mine was. It never occurred to me that I was dealing with an abused boy with a childhood so similar to mine. Looking at you with that nervous expression on your face, I didn’t see the pale, skinny boy who had obviously been maltreated. No, I saw James Potter – back from the dead with his ever-present arrogance. The ability to make friends seemed to come so easy to you, as it did him.

"I didn’t care that people were flocking to you because of your fame. Deep down, I think I knew you hated the attention, but I wasn’t seeing you. James Potter would have latched onto that fame and used it for all it was worth to make things go his way."

Severus looked at Harry for the first time since he came through the door. The younger man shivered at the intensity of emotions swirling in the ebony orbs.

"I’m sorry, Harry. I purposely hurt you, and I used my status as a spy for Albus as an excuse to continue the torment. I’m sorry I couldn’t get over my anger at your father enough to see you. But most of all, I’m sorry I haven’t told you all this sooner. I honestly don’t mean to keep my pain from you, and I’m not doing it to appear strong. I don’t like to remember because it hurts to do so, but for you I will. From now on, I promise to be more open with you about my life. After all, you are a major part of it now."

Harry pulled Sev into his arms and started stroking his back. "Severus, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have told you I was ill. My dad was an idiot and right now I would like nothing more than to bring him back from the dead and punch him out for hurting you."

He felt hot tears soaking into his nightshirt and began a gentle rocking motion. "As far as you and I go, love, there’s nothing to forgive. When I started liking you, I had already made the decision to let the past go. Then, when I fell desperately in love with you, there was no room for animosity."

He helped Severus lay down on their bed and removed his shoes. After retrieving a wet flannel from the bathroom, he lovingly wiped the saline from the beloved face. "Is your father still living?" His voice was tight from barely controlled anger.

Sev sniffled and shook his head. "No, he was killed in a broomstick accident about a year after I graduated."

Harry nodded. "Go to sleep, love. Do you need a calming potion? Or I can read to you?"

"Read to me. It’s about time you returned the favor, anyway."

Harry chuckled as he leaned over his husband to grab the copy of ‘Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe’. "Can I help it if you have a sexy voice?"

After shifting around a bit, Severus settled against his mate’s chest. Harry was propped up against a pile of pillows and kept his arm around his husband. He began reading where they’d left off last night.

He was halfway through ‘Ligeia’ when he noticed the other man was sound asleep. He smiled and closed the book, making sure to mark the page. After some gentle manipulations, Harry snuggled close to the love of his life and slept.

--------------

The newly bonded men worked hard to balance school and home. Harry, who had matured even more with the added responsibility, could often be found researching in the library along side of Hermione. Ron’s grades drastically improved because he discovered studying was the only way he’d get to spend any time with his friends.

Of course, Harry’s love for quidditch was still strong, so Ron wasn’t made to sacrifice everything. The two always found time for one-on-one matches when their homework was done.

When he wasn’t studying or spending quality time with his friends, Harry often helped Severus with his duties. Usually before bed the men could be found working side by side on potions for the hospital wing or grading parchments for Sev’s classes. The older man often joked that he should have married Harry years ago, as his workload was now reduced by half.

With the added help, Professor Snape found more time to work on his personal experiments and Harry had his own private tutor when he didn’t understand his homework. It was a win-win situation all around.

Finals arrived and Harry’s hard work paid off. He received the second-highest score in his year, only four points behind Hermione. They tied in every class they had together save History of Magic, (where she surpassed him by ten points), and Defense Against the Dark Arts, (where Harry had the highest marks in the entire school). Ron also did well on his tests, making his mum and dad very proud.

Above all, it had been a great year for Harry. That is, until Dumbledore called him and his husband to his office three days before the end of term.

--------------

The two men should have known something was amiss when they were not offered candy as they arrived. The second clue was the noticeable lack of twinkle in the old man’s eyes.

Not one for beating around the bush, Severus spoke first. "You asked to see us, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore looked up from his folded hands. "Yes. I’m afraid Harry will have to return to his relatives’ house this summer."

Harry paled immediately. He didn’t even notice when Severus shot out of his chair.

"Over my dead body, Albus! Have you finally lost your mind?!"

"I understand why you feel this way, Severus, but it truly is the only choice unless you can somehow persuade his aunt to stay with you here. And I really don’t think that will happen."

Severus ran his fingers through his hair. "No it won’t, but neither will he return to that… that prison! Is Dursley still there?" He absently reached out to grab the young man’s hand as if needing proof he was still with him.

Albus sighed. "I assume you mean Vernon. Yes, he’s still there. The Muggle Relations branch of Aurors sent a team out and they issued a severe warning to Mr. Dursley for his behavior. They wanted to do more but Petunia Dursley said that if anything happened to her husband she would refuse to take Harry back."

Professor Snape was so livid that he couldn’t talk. He instead pulled his upset husband into his arms and rubbed his back. Harry didn’t understand. "But we’re married…"

The headmaster looked on the verge of tears. "I know, my boy, but I will be gone from the castle most of the summer and there is not enough protection for you here when Hogwarts is so empty. We can’t take the chance."

Harry nodded. He understood Dumbledore’s reasons. After all, if he died, there was no hope at all for the rest of the world – Magical or Muggle.

Severus growled. "Fine, Albus. But I’m staying with him. There’s no way in all nine levels of hell I’m letting him alone with those monsters."

Albus smiled sadly. "I never expected otherwise, Severus."

Harry grabbed his mate’s arm. "But Severus, you won’t be able to work on your potions. I don’t think you quite understand how much the Dursleys hate magic. You’ll be miserable there."

The Slytherin ran his fingers through his love’s silken hair. "Harry, first of all, you’re stuck with me. So get it through your thick head that I’m going to be with you now, a month from now, and always. Second of all, I would be much more miserable knowing you were anywhere alone with that bastard. And finally, those imbeciles will be too busy minding their manners to worry about making anyone’s life miserable."

The last was spoken with a strange glint in the professor’s eye. Harry knew this summer would be going down in the record books.

--------------

"Make sure to bring enough of your potion to last our entire stay."

Harry rolled his eyes at the shout from the sitting room. "Yes, dear." Under his breath, he added sarcastically, "Now why didn’t I think of that?"

For two hours Severus had been bugging the hell out of him. "Did you remember this", or "Don’t forget that". He swore silently that if Sev didn’t leave him to pack in peace, he was going to have to kill him.

"Hmmm… dress shirts? Why in the world does he need those? It’s not like we’re going to get to go anywhere special…" He shrugged and placed them back in the bag. Harry supposed Sev had his reasons.

"Don’t forget to pack cooler clothes."

Harry’s eye twitched.

--------------

Severus could never have said what happened. He had been in the sitting room, drinking a glass of wine and skimming his new book on the properties of aconite when he suddenly found himself being propelled out the front door. He looked down to find that both his book and the wineglass had been replaced with next year’s lesson plans and his favorite quill.

He started to ask his husband if something was bothering him, but the portal door had slammed shut before he was able to voice his concern.

Sev momentarily glared at the untitled portrait of a mysterious lady in red before taking the hint and heading for his office. He needed to be available anyway in case his Slytherins required him for a word of advice before going back to their homes.

Snape entered the cold room and immediately lit the fire and surrounding candles. He really should organize his desk before he lost himself in his research, as Harry always claimed he’d do. He spent ten minutes making neat stacks of his latest experiment’s documentation before beginning his work.

Until any of the children visited him, he would finalize his lesson plans for Albus. Well, that and attempt to figure out what he had done to earn himself a place in the proverbial doghouse.

The last time he’d been in trouble, (for insulting Granger), he’d slept on the couch for three nights before he’d broken down and apologized to the girl. Severus never thought he’d see the day when a teenager had more control over his sex drive than he did.

Sev still couldn’t believe he had begged his husband for sex! It was humiliating, though damn well worth it now that he thought about it. He smiled. Make-up sex was definitely a bonus.

He was brought back to the present when his door slowly creaked open. Draco Malfoy stuck his head in and Severus suppressed a sigh. He had barely seen this wayward youth outside of a classroom setting since the young man’s public denial of his bonding.

Malfoy Junior lifted an inquisitive eyebrow and Severus waved him toward a chair. Arrogant or not – this boy was still one of his, and Slytherins always take care of their own.

Draco shifted nervously in his seat before cautiously raising his eyes. Sev remained silent, but open at the same time. He observed the weariness his student was radiating. His shoulders were slumped, and there were light shadows beneath the grayish-blue eyes.

This young man had not been sleeping well. Perhaps a mild sedative would be in order?

"Severus, I want to know why you did that."

Snape arched an eyebrow. Since when were they on a first-name basis? He chose not to acknowledge the breach, focusing instead on the words spoken. "To what are you referring, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Damn it! There’s something between us, Severus. Don’t deny it. I love you, and I KNOW you love me back!" He stuck out his chin, seeming to dare the professor to say otherwise.

What in the hell was this boy talking about? The older man carefully kept his face from showing surprise. Though, he was way beyond shock at the moment. He stared into Draco’s eyes and saw the truth there. This boy really did believe there was love between them! ‘Hmmm… now how to rid his student of this foolish notion without crushing his fragile ego?’

Sev stood up and began pacing in front of the fire. "Mr. Malfoy, I must apologize if I have ever given you any indication that I care for you as more than my student." Draco stood up and approached Snape. "However, the fact remains that UMPPH…!"

Malfoy had completely ignored his gentle letdown in favor of attaching his lips to those of his head of house. This brat was KISSING HIM! Severus immediately shoved the boy backwards. "MR. MALFOY, HAVE YOU COMPLETELY TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR SENSES?!"

The student looked up with wounded eyes. He also seemed a little shocked that the one-sided kiss failed to ‘sweep him off of his feet’. Ugh! He wiped his hand across his mouth. He felt violated!

"Severus…"

"MY NAME IS ‘PROFESSOR SNAPE’." He glared at the squirming youth before him. "I think you have taken quite enough liberties today, don’t you?"

Sev sighed, completely clueless as to how to best handle this problem. He needed time to come up with a plan. "I believe you should return to your dormitory, Mr. Malfoy. I won’t inform the headmaster of your lapse in common sense. HOWEVER, the next time you decide to include me in ANY of your moments of insanity, I WILL see you expelled."

The brat had the nerve to glare at him before stomping out of the room like a two-year-old. ‘Merlin, I hate Malfoys! Every generation is more arrogant than the last.’

He shook his head before transfiguring a toothbrush from a broken quill and entering his bathroom. He was determined to get the horrible taste out of his mouth as soon as possible.

--------------

"HE WHAT?!" Harry looked as if he was about to go out and murder Draco Malfoy.

"The brat kissed me!" He ran his fingers through his hair. "Not only that, but he truly believes that I’m in love with him! I don’t know where he got the lame-brained notion that I have feelings for him, but…" Severus waved his hand in the air before plopping down on the couch next to Harry. "This is something that would happen to YOU, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Maybe I’m contagious?"

They shared a smile. After snuggling together, the two talked for over an hour, trying to decide what the best course of action would be in this situation. They finally came to the conclusion that Draco’s embarrassment would most likely keep him at bay. Severus agreed that he would take no action unless something else happened, while Harry promised he wouldn’t kill the boy.

After the debate, they sat in silence and stared into the fire. Harry’s head rested on Sev’s shoulder with his feet curled beneath him.

Snape gently kissed the top of his head. "So, did you remember to pack your moisturizer?"

"AAGH!!"

Severus stared at the slamming bedroom door. "What did I say?"

--------------

They arrived at King’s Cross on the train. Harry had really wanted the extra hours to get his wits together and spend some more time with his friends, so Severus woke them up early enough to take the carriages to Hogsmeade Station.

The older man spent most of the ride reading in one of the teacher’s compartments. With only an hour before arrival, the Gryffindor slipped inside and, (with a hasty silencing and locking spell), proceeded to give his husband something much more entertaining to do with his time.

While Severus was loading their trunks and assorted baggage onto the trolley, Harry said his good-byes to all his friends. He took a deep breath, grabbed his husband’s arm for comfort, and together they stepped through the barrier.

When he caught sight of his cousin, aunt, and uncle standing close to the front of the station with horrible scowls on their faces, he had to fight the urge to turn and run back to the train. Instead, he squeezed Sev’s arm tighter and pointed them out.

The young man was very impressed (and feeling a little betrayed) by how polite Severus was to his relations. He introduced himself as Harry’s husband. He was sure Aunt Petunia would have fallen in shock had his purple-faced Uncle Vernon not tightened his grip on her suddenly. Dudley’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the menacing figure that had an arm casually draped across his cousin’s shoulders.

They were none too happy with the surprise, but all three would have sooner took up tap dancing than make a scene in a public place. So with his fiercest scowl, Vernon led the four of them back to the car.

At first Harry didn’t know how they all would fit, especially with the extra baggage. Then he remembered Sev was most definitely allowed to do magic away from Hogwarts. He shrunk the luggage, ignoring the yelps from all three of the muggles, and handed Hedwig to her master.

Though Dudley had developed more muscles while wrestling, he still took up most of the backseat. Severus finally decided on sitting next to the obese boy with Harry on his lap holding the owl.

Needless to say, Vernon was more than prepared to lay down the law as soon as they reached the privacy of Number Four, Privet Drive. What he didn’t know was that Sev had the same thing on his mind.

--------------

Vernon, angrier than he could ever remember being, slammed through the door behind his ‘houseguests’ with Petunia and Dudley hiding behind him. Harry never paused on his way upstairs, but no matter. He’d get what was coming to him soon enough. For now he would content himself by dealing with the queer freak’s so-called ‘husband’.

Preparing to rip his target apart verbally before casting the monstrosity from his perfect home, Dursley was surprised to find himself suddenly shoved hard against the wall. Accosted in his own household – the nerve of this two-bit ruffian! Before he was able to voice his displeasure, however, he suddenly found an arm pressed against his throat.

Snape leaned in close to his face, ignoring Pet’s and Duddy’s whimpers. "You had better listen closely, you raping son of a bitch, for I’m NOT going to repeat myself. I know what you’ve done, and if it were up to me you would be spending eternity chasing after your soul."

Vernon did not dare utter a single syllable. The barely restrained fury in the wizard’s black eyes promised a slow and painful death upon the first sign of disobedience. He found himself nodding dumbly and growing more lightheaded with every word that came from the horrid man’s mouth.

"However, deciding your penance isn’t up to me... yet. But make no mistake, Vernon Dursley; you WILL receive your atonement for the crimes of which you have committed. Whether or not justice will be served through me has yet to be seen. Harry and I have arrived in this godforsaken house against both of our wills. You can either help make this a relatively uneventful summer, or you can get in our way."

Severus moved until his nose was almost touching the other man’s.

"You DON’T want to get in our way, Mr. Dursley. So you know, I am not only a fully-fledged wizard, but have been known to practice dark arts. How would you like to wake up one morning to find your skin missing?" Snape looked down to Vernon’s groin. "Or perhaps some of the more precious parts of your anatomy? Seems like a more than fair punishment for what you’ve done to Harry, wouldn’t you think?"

He couldn’t help a whimper. Vernon wanted so dearly to glare at the bastard and tell him that the freak deserved everything he got. But bravery was nowhere to be found when faced with this abhorrence in his lovely home. In fact, it was taking every last bit of strength he had not to make an embarrassing puddle on his floor. Oh how he wished he could change history! He would have drowned the runt before Petunia had talked him into keeping it. An action she surely regretted as deeply as he did.

"One other thing. Harry is my husband. I’m sure that homosexuality is high on an undoubtedly long list of so-called ‘abnormal’ things your family despises. Feel free to continue with your prejudices, as I do NOT care if we ever meet your approval. However, if you value your pathetic existence, you will keep all idiotic opinions to yourselves. You would do well to remember that I am not good company when someone has insulted me or the person I love."

Snape’s mouth formed a slight smirk as he regarded the trembling form before him. Snape softly asked, "Would you like to kill me Dursley? Poison my food, perhaps? Get me out of the way so you can once again be free to control my husband?"

Vernon did not dare answer, even though that had been precisely what he had been considering. Not that he would go through with it. Too much of a mess to cover up, but how had this Snape fellow known his thoughts? If possible, his fear increased. Could wizards read minds? Oh god….

"Well, you may try. But you will fail. I am a certified Master of Potions, and there is no poison that I cannot detect. Arsenic is mere child’s play when compared with some of the ingredients I have in my bag upstairs. Or you can try to catch me off guard and attack me physically… Merlin knows stronger men than you are rotting in their graves for having underestimated me."

Severus abruptly released him and turned, smiling. Vernon followed his gaze. The brat was downstairs and looking curiously at them – as if he wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.

"Shall we unpack, love?"

Vernon wanted to scream… he NEEDED to scream. ‘Love’? These pansies would probably be snogging on his couch soon. And he could do nothing to stop them without risking Snape’s wrath. The very idea enraged him. ‘I need to calm down. Can’t put Petunia and Dudley in danger with my temper.’ He decided to pretend as if there weren’t a madman in the house and watch the telly while he nursed his dignity back to health.

Damn wizards… FREAKS – the lot of them.

--------------

As Harry took the still shrunken bags and placed them in his room upstairs, he took a long look around. Broken toys still littered the area, only now there were even more than when he’d last been there. He was certain that with his husband with him, there would be no need to hide anything under the loose floorboards.

Shaking his head, he placed Hedwig’s cage on the small desk and opened the window for her so she could stretch her wings after the long trip. She happily accepted the owl treats he fed her before flying off. Knowing she’d be back soon to rest up for her nightly hunt, he propped open the window with a broken piece of a broom handle he’d salvaged just for the occasion.

Since he couldn’t do any actual unpacking until Sev unshrunk the luggage, he wandered back downstairs to see what was taking so long. He was met with an extremely unusual sight.

Severus had Uncle Vernon pinned to the wall with his forearm directly across the man’s windpipe. Harry couldn’t hear what his husband was saying, but the effects were astonishing. His uncle was nearly the color of oatmeal and growing paler by the second. Every now and again Vernon would nod shakily. Aunt Petunia was standing close by and clutching Dudley to her as if he was her last hope for survival from the professor’s anger.

Finally finished with his speech, the ex-death eater released the large man and turned to face Harry with a smile. "Shall we unpack, love?" Vernon, acting as if he hadn’t even heard the small endearment, went into the sitting room and turned the telly on. He was still white as parchment, but making an effort to calm his nerves. Dudley soon joined him on the sofa and Petunia went into the kitchen to begin dinner.

Harry couldn’t believe his eyes at the lack of indignant screaming from his so-called family at whatever threats his mate had bestowed upon them. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he smiled and nodded before taking the offered hand and leading the other man to their room.

Hedwig was back already and napping in her cage by the time they reached the smallest bedroom. Sev shook his head at the mess, which was making the already too small room even smaller.

"This simply will not do." He pulled out his wand and began working while the amused boy sat on the bed and watched.

The first thing he did was make the broken toys disappear. Harry was sure Dudley would throw a fit if he ever noticed, but he was so sick of wading through junk that he couldn’t care less. Next, Hedwig’s cage was enlarged and placed on the stand he had transfigured from the broken broom handle. The owl extended her wings and gave a sleepy hoot of approval.

The window was fixed, of course, and the walls were pushed back to create a room roughly the size of his aunt and uncle’s. A private bathroom was added because Severus claimed he would rather die than have to share one with the three muggles.

None of the rest of the house needed to be altered, as all the expansions were done magically. From any place in or outside of the house, save the room they currently occupied, this would still appear to be the smallest bedroom on the second floor.

The bed was changed from a rickety twin sized metal cot to an elegant queen sized four poster in three seconds. The tatty sheets and threadbare blanket suddenly became light blue silk sheets with a thick white down comforter. Plump pillows in a mixture of light blue and white completed the effect.

Dark blue carpeting replaced the scratched up wooden floor and the dirty off-white walls soon appeared to be freshly painted. Every speck of dust in the room was removed with a single word.

He left the large collection of Dudley’s books, but transfigured the bookcase into a larger, more stable piece of furniture. The wardrobe was also expanded so it would hold all of their clothing.

Unused to muggle electricity, Severus left the ceiling light alone and added floating candles instead. He not only enlarged the size of the desk in the corner; he also added another one on the opposite side of the room.

Finally finished with the renovations, he then unshrunk his and Harry’s belongings. With a few more flicks of his wand, clothes were de-wrinkled and stored, books were placed on the bookshelf, toiletries made their way into the bathroom, and odds and ends were set on the tables and other surfaces he had conjured.

Harry began straightening various objects. He put up their framed photographs and set both their wedding album and his family album on the bookcase. Some things he felt were too precious not to do by hand. His wand went into the bedside table on his side.

Severus then began weaving an intricate silencing spell on the room along with a thick layer of wards to keep nosey Dursleys at bay.

Gazing at the finished product, Harry had to admit it was the closest he’d ever come to feeling at home in this house.

Harry wrapped his arms around Sev’s waist and hugged him from behind. "Not bad at all, love. I really could have used you when I had to live in the cupboard under the stairs."

Snape leaned back into the loving arms and snorted. "I would have left that damn cupboard exactly the way it was. The only difference I’d have made was those three muggles would be locked in it together while you and I had our choice of bedrooms."

The two men laughed and went to wash up for dinner.

--------------

The summer seemed to go by so slowly to Harry, but thankfully the Dursleys were indeed too busy ‘minding their manners’ around Severus to ridicule their nephew.

Occasionally Severus had to leave him to attend a few Order meetings, but during those times Harry stayed in their room and read while waiting for his husband to return. He wasn’t at all comfortable enough to venture downstairs without his protector nearby.

He was brought back from his memories by a dog barking next door. Harry stood up from the chair Sev had conjured next to the window and stretched his aching muscles. The book he had been immersed in fell from his lap.

The young man had grown so accustomed to being close to his love since they were bonded. He absently traced the intricate design etched into his wedding band as he wondered where his other half was. They were probably at 12 Grimmauld Place, no doubt, going over battle plans.

As much as Harry wanted to be in the thick of things with his husband, he didn’t think he’d be able to enter Sirius’ childhood house and listen to Mrs. Black’s screams. Plus, if he ever caught sight of Kreacher again, he would staple that elf’s head to a plaque on the wall himself - with the bastard still alive.

No, the memory of his godfather’s death was still much too close to the surface for a visit there.

Harry sighed and began making up the bed. He truly hated being cooped up in his bedroom, but at least this time it was his decision to stay there. The captivity was worth seeing the worry fade from Sev’s face when Dumbledore owled him with a meeting announcement.

If Severus were there, he and Harry would probably be doing yard work right now. The sun was shining brightly and the wind was blowing just enough to keep the temperature from being unbearable. Though Dudley still insisted on lazing about all day, Harry liked the rewarding feeling he got from doing odd chores.

The work was even more pleasant because he was doing it without being ordered around by his relatives. Plus – he found that if he’d done an honest day’s work with Sev helping him, his uncle wasn’t quite so red-faced in the evenings.

Though things at Four, Privet Drive were much more tolerable than… well, EVER, they were not perfect. Harry still heard the word ‘freak’ muttered loud enough for only him to catch. His uncle would give him the most threatening looks when Sev’s back was turned and Harry would immediately look to the ground.

He hated the feeling of shame that came over him whenever his uncle was too close, or too angry. At least before, when the memory was repressed, he stood up for himself. Harry had a feeling that had Sev not been there, things would have ended up violent this summer.

Then there was the time when the two men were working side by side weeding his aunt’s prized flower garden and Harry was hit in the back of the head with a rock. Furious, Severus stormed past the fence where the culprit would have been hiding, but they were already gone.

He immediately went back to Harry, who had his hand pressed to the wound trying to stop the flow of blood. Silent tears were running down his face. When Severus attempted to help him stand, he found he was too dizzy to stay upright for long.

He was then swept into strong arms and carried upstairs to their bathroom. After cleaning and dressing the cut, he had Harry lie on the bed with a wet flannel over his eyes and explicit instructions to ‘stay awake’.

Then, dragging his cauldron and bag of potion ingredients downstairs, he proceeded to make an anti-concussion potion on the stovetop… Dursleys be damned.

They never discovered who had thrown the rock, but Harry knew in his heart that it was Dudley and his friends. Later, he realized that ‘Ickle Duddikins’ had been scheduled to ‘have tea’ with Piers that day.

Harry jumped about a foot in the air when a hand settled on his shoulder.

--------------

Whirling around, he saw Severus gazing at him with a look of concern on his face. "Harry, I’ve been calling your name for the last two minutes. Is something wrong?"

The younger man’s face softened and he set the pillow he’d been holding on the bed. "No, Love. I guess I was lost in my head for awhile there. How was your meeting? Any news?"

Severus groaned and sat down, pulling Harry into his lap. He began massaging his shoulders as he answered. "Well, the meeting went on for too long, as usual. Which is agony because everyone kept saying the exact same things over and over."

Harry stood and poured his lover a glass of brandy from Sev’s ‘secret’ stash then reclaimed his comfy seat on the man’s lap. "And what is it they keep saying?"

"That no one has any clue as to what the Dark Lord is planning. Minerva is determined he’s still on about the prophecy and may attempt to go after Trelawney, but most of us think that’s absurd."

"Why is it absurd? I mean, sure, the few true predictions she’s made, she didn’t remember a thing after them. But who’s to say Vol… er, the Dark Lord won’t attempt to break into her memories?"

Severus set his half-empty glass on the windowsill. "Because he has no way of knowing she’s the one who made the prediction. True, there are extremely few seers in this area who are worth their salt. She’s not one of them. Sybil is known by pretty much everyone but herself to be a fraud. Albus never told anyone besides you and the new Order that she predicted the fall of the Dark Lord."

Harry took a small sip of the forgotten brandy. "So Pettigrew never knew, and therefore can’t tell his master."

"Exactly. Also, he can’t ‘break into her memories’ when she has absolutely no memory of the event anyway. It’s not like Albus cast a memory charm on her afterwards… she just doesn’t remember. The Dark Lord would have to break into Albus’ memories to see the prophecy, and we all know the chances that that’s going to happen."

The Gryffindor frowned and Severus tightened his hold.

"Don’t worry so much, Harry. She’s fine. She’ll be predicting your gruesome death again before you know it."

Harry laughed. "Actually, the last thing she predicted about me was that I would live a long life… um, have a bunch of children, and become Minister of Magic, I believe."

Sev stared at him, wide-eyed. "SHE said all that?!"

"Yep. Of course it was right after they printed my interview about what really happened the night of the third task. All the teachers were really nice to me after that… well, except you."

His husband looked affronted. "I beg your pardon. If you would kindly cast your memory back to the day after the event in question, I would like to point out that you dropped an entire vial of cobra venom and not one point was taken from you."

Harry was astonished. "You knew?! Cripes, I’d thought you were so engrossed in that magazine you were reading that you were oblivious."

"Well, I couldn’t very well pat you on the back, now could I? By acting as though I was too busy to be bothered, I not only let you get away with your transgression, but kept immature tattlers like Malfoy from disturbing me with silly finger-pointing."

The green-eyed boy smirked and turned around so he was straddling the other. They began kissing lazily. "And to think, all this time I thought I’d gotten away with the perfect crime due to my dumb luck."

Severus started to answer, but was cut off by a deep and passion-filled kiss. As they grew more heated, the two began undressing each other while fumbling around for the bed.

They both missed dinner that night, but neither really noticed.

--------------

The morning of Harry’s birthday Severus woke up extra early. He gently untangled himself from his mate, careful not to wake him. He then crept quietly down the stairs making sure to avoid the squeaky step.

Confident that the Dursleys wouldn’t wake up until much later as it was a Saturday, he began his work in the kitchen. He waved his wand around and bowls came out of their hiding places, followed by a parade of different ingredients. After the birthday cake was safely in the oven, he started on breakfast.

When he was finally done, he cleaned all the dishes he had used and the kitchen went back to its original spotless state. He traveled back upstairs with the fruits of his labor floating behind him.

He set the cake down on Harry’s desk and conjured seventeen candles to place in it. Breakfast was placed on a small table, which he moved to the window along with the two matching chairs.

Reaching into a hiding place behind the bookcase, he pulled out both of the neatly wrapped packages he had bought the last time he went to a meeting. Harry’s friends, unable to owl again this summer, sent along their presents as well as letters. He pulled them all out of his bag.

He placed all six brightly colored gifts on the desk next to the cake. He snuck in Harry’s bedside table, pushed aside his journal and grabbed the boy’s wand. It was placed next to the cake as well.

Severus then conjured a tray with legs and placed a plate filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, and hashed browns on it. A cup of orange juice sat to the right of the plate, along with the silverware. A green crystal vase with a single red rose was arranged on the left.

He set the tray on the bedside table and proceeded to wake his husband up with kisses.

At first the young man didn’t respond, but eventually he rolled over and snuggled into Severus with a smile on his face. He didn’t open his eyes, but reached up to stroke the soft, inky black hair.

"Morning." His voice was hoarse from just waking up. He eventually opened his eyes to see Sev smiling down at him.

"Good morning, sleepy head. May I be the first to wish you a Happy Birthday today?"

He smiled. "You may, but I feel I should let you know that every day with you is proving to be a happy one." He followed his nose and caught sight of the tray. "Wow! I get breakfast in bed! I thought you only did that when I was sick… I need to have birthdays more often."

Severus chuckled and placed the tray over the other’s lap as he sat up. "Yes, I can see how it would be difficult to enjoy being pampered when you’re running a fever of 104 degrees."

Harry brought the flower close to his nose to enjoy the light fragrance. He then dug into the eggs, which were still warm thanks to a handy little charm Sev’s grandmother taught him.

"I was lucky to keep a quarter of the food down that week, never mind enjoying it. I think that’s the closest I’ve ever come to killing Ron. I swear, if I’d had the strength, I would have choked him with my bare hands for pushing me into that poisonous bush in the first place."

Severus remembered when Ron had half carried Harry into the hospital wing. He’d just happened to be there with one of his Slytherins as the two hobbled through the door. Harry was covered in scratches from the plant’s poisonous thorns and was already beginning to develop chills.

With a steady stream of healing potions and cooling charms, they were able to keep the illness from going out of control. Severus had been allowed to move the sick man back to their rooms. There was nothing Poppy could do for him that he couldn’t, so it wasn’t a big deal. He’d requested a substitute for his classes for the entire week so he could take care of Harry.

It wasn’t until the following week that his fever broke for good. "He pushed you? I thought you fell."

Harry drunk some of the orange juice and set the glass back down. "No. He saw some kind of shadow pass over us. I told him it was a bird, but he swore it was an acromantula. Never mind that we were only about ten feet into the forest looking for the quaffle we lost. Anyway, he decided to run for his life and ran into me instead, knocking me into the bushes."

"Hmmm… remind me to deduct points from Gryffindor for that when school starts." He pushed a stray lock of Harry’s hair behind his ear.

The other looked up innocently. "Oh, did I say Ron? I meant Blaise. Yes, now I remember correctly… it was Blaise Zabini who pushed me." Finished with breakfast, Harry set the tray back on the bedside table.

Severus smiled. "Ah, well that changes everything. Remind me to award points to Slytherin for getting you to the hospital wing so quickly and then deduct points from Gryffindor for playing quidditch well outside the boundaries of the pitch." He laughed when Harry glared at him.

"You are incorrigible, Severus."

"Most likely. Now which would you like first, presents or cake?"

Harry was nearly bouncing with joy. He chose presents since he’d just eaten a hearty breakfast. Before he tore into them, he decided on a trip to the loo. Severus took this time to spoon himself a little food.

When the younger man emerged, he was looking decidedly more awake. He was currently wearing Sev’s dressing gown over his drawstring pajama bottoms and drying his face on a hand towel.

Harry brought the gifts over to the table so he could be close to Severus while opening them. He unwrapped the ones from his friends first.

Hermione had bought him the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts book from his favorite author. The youngest male Weasley gave him a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and a subscription to Quidditch Weekly. There was a note under the subscription notice that told him not to forget to have fun just because he was married. He laughed.

Hagrid had sent along the customary rock cakes and a photograph of him and his brother Grawp. The giant was holding a large banner saying ‘Hopy Burthday Hary’. According to Hagrid’s note, Grawp was coming along real well on learning English and had even made the banner himself, with his brother’s help of course.

The Weasley Twins sent a tiny box. Not knowing what to expect from those two, Harry opened the box as carefully as he could. Inside was a key taped to a letter. As he read the note, his eyes widened comically and he looked at the key as if he’d never seen one before.

"What is it?" Sev had long ago finished his meal and had been watching his husband open all his gifts.

"It’s a key to a Gringott’s Vault. They said that since I insisted on giving them my triwizard winnings in fourth year, they’ve made me a silent partner in their business. My share of the profits is going into the new account at the bank. They say this way, I can’t refuse the money since no one can get into the vault except for you or I."

He pulled the key from the letter and set it aside. "Sev, they say there’s over five thousand galleons in there, already! That’s five times the amount of money I gave them!"

Severus grabbed the letter and read through it. "Who would have thought people would actually pay for the things those miscreants cook up together?"

"I knew their business was a hit, but they must be working non-stop to make this kind of money so fast." He took the key and placed it inside the box charmed to clamp down tightly on any fingers not belonging to the owners. The key, (numbered 882), now rested safely with three others: the Potter, Snape, and Black family vault keys. Between the two of them, they would never be in need of money.

Harry had found out earlier that the Snape and Black families had been extremely wealthy for countless generations. The couple now easily had more riches than even the Malfoys. Harry knew most of that money would be passed down to their descendants, as neither of them felt the need to flaunt their wealth.

The birthday boy set the box back on the bookshelf and went to his remaining gifts, placing a kiss on the side of his husband’s head as he passed. He received a pinched ass in return.

Grinning, Harry picked up the heavier of the two presents and pulled the paper off. Inside was a heavy metal box. He wasn’t sure what it was made of, but it was silver in color. When he finally found out how to open it, he pulled the lid off and was astonished at the heat that escaped the box.

There, nestled in a bed of straw was the oddest egg he’d ever seen. It was golden with tiny swirls of orange and seemed to be slightly glowing. As he reached down to touch it, Harry noticed that the unidentifiable heat source seemed to be beneath the egg. He pulled his fingers back from the magical incubator and smiled.

When he asked what kind of egg he’d been given, he was instructed to open the latch at the bottom of the box. Doing so revealed a previously hidden compartment that contained a book entitled ‘From Egg to Ash: Everything There is to Know About Phoenix Rearing’.

Trembling fingers set the book down on the table. "You bought me a Phoenix Egg?!"

When Severus smiled and nodded, he suddenly found himself with a lap full of Gryffindor. "Oh Severus, it’s perfect!"

Snape chuckled and told him to put the lid on the box before they both died of heat stroke.

Doing so, he asked. "How will we know when he hatches?"

"Well, the box works two ways. Firstly, it keeps the heat from escaping and torturing us. Second, when the phoenix hatches, which it’s not supposed to do for another two weeks, the box magically turns to ash along with the egg. Which is why I’d recommend not putting the book back in the compartment below it – just in case."

Harry nodded and reached for his last present. Inside the jeweler’s box was a gorgeous gold chain. Hanging from it was a tiny shield with a sword sticking out from behind it. The pendant was colored maroon and gold and had a roaring lion in the center of the shield.

"It’s so beautiful, Sev! I love it!!"

Severus reached out and turned the charm over. "Read the back."

Harry read aloud: "Love always, Sev" He had tears in his eyes when he pulled Severus in a hug. "You are the most wonderful husband a person could ask for."

Snape smiled smugly as he rubbed the other’s back. "Yes I am, aren’t I?"

Harry chuckled and playfully punched his arm. "Now I’m ready for the cake!"

"Alright. We’ll need to light the candles. Unfortunately my wand is way over on the other side of the room and I don’t feel like getting up to retrieve it. You’ll have to light them since your wand is already beside the cake."

"Severus, It’s the holidays. I can’t…" A look of dawning realization came over him. "I’m seventeen years old. I am now considered to be a fully trained wizard! YES!"

Harry happily lit the candles with his wand. He nearly cried with joy when the action did not bring any owls from the ministry. Then he blushed scarlet when his husband insisted on singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. He never would have guessed being sung to would be so embarrassing.

It was the first time he was able to blow out proper candles and not imaginary ones. Oddly enough, it was also the first time he had trouble thinking of something to wish for. He finally settled on wishing Voldemort would be gone for good.

It was, truly, a happy birthday.

--------------

When Harry’s book list came a few days later, Severus sent Hedwig off with a bag of galleons to Diagon Alley. She brought back all of the requested school supplies along with a few things he needed for himself.

--------------

Precisely two weeks and three days after Harry’s birthday, the metal box containing his phoenix burst into flames. Harry was so startled that he knocked Severus out of the bed in his haste to leave it.

Sev calmly explained to his husband that the flames were magical and he need not fear the house burning down. Sure enough, the flames vanished as quickly as they had come. In their place was a tiny wrinkled baby phoenix sitting atop a mound of ashes.

From reading his book, Harry knew the bird was a female, as the males come from solid red eggs. He decided to name her Lexi. He’d come across that name in a book somewhere and thought it was pretty.

Lexi soon grew her feathers. She was almost a solid gold, but had scarlet tips on the ends of her wings and the top of her head. Severus kept teasing Harry that ‘If I’d known she would be in Gryffindor colors, I’d have gotten you a parrot instead’.

Surprisingly, Hedwig got along well with the new member of the family. She didn’t mind sharing her water with her. Of course, this was after Harry had assured the owl that Lexi would not be taking over her job of delivering mail.

--------------

Severus spent the remaining days of August going over his lesson plans while Harry read through his new books to get a feel for the material.

The morning that they were to leave to return to Hogwarts, the two men changed the room back to exactly the way it was before they had arrived. Every last broken toy was put back in its place with Dudley none the wiser.

Lexi got many wary looks from the Dursleys as Harry brought her and Hedwig down. The two birds had grown to be friends and were happy to share a cage until Lexi received a perch of her own.

They placed their shrunken bags in the boot of Vernon’s car and were promptly deposited at King’s Cross without even a glance. The trolley was loaded down with their things. As soon as they began walking away from Vernon, the automobile’s tires squealed in his uncle’s desire to put as much distance between him and the couple as quickly as possible.

Harry shook his head at the idiocy of the man and held Sev’s hand as they strolled through the station. Later, Harry would learn that part of Vernon’s hasty retreat had to do with him having a severe case of diarrhea. The illness, according to the Potion Master’s calculations, would last over two months.

Severus had placed the nifty little potion in the man’s coffee that morning along with a draught that would make him impotent for life. There was no cure.

--------------

They had arrived relatively early, so Platform 9 ¾ was not nearly as crowded as it could have been.

A few of the other professors were already on board, and Harry left Sev in their company with a small kiss as he sought out his friends.

--------------

Ron was flipping through a quidditch book the twins bought him on famous keeper strategies when Harry slid the compartment door open. They exchanged pleasantries and talked awhile in regards to quidditch before he asked about Hermione.

The redhead snorted. "I think you mean Head Girl Granger… she’s up in the prefect’s compartment giving the other lowly Prefects a lengthy lecture about what’s expected of them. I swear, by the time she’s finished talking, they’ll all be too scared to step off the train."

"Hermione made ‘Head Girl’ – that’s wonderful! Not unexpected, but it’s still great!"

"Thank you Harry." Both looked up, startled as neither heard the bushy haired witch come inside. "It’s nice to know SOME of my friends are still supportive and don’t make jokes all the time."

Ron had the good grace to look sheepish. She ignored him in favor of hugging Harry.

"So, how was your summer? Did the Dursleys give you and Professor Snape a horrid time?"

The youngest Weasley male snickered. "Yeah right, ‘Mione. I would pay my last sickle to see anyone deliberately giving Snape a hard time. He’d use their spleen for potion ingredients. Am I right Harry?"

"Too right, Ron. He won’t tell me precisely what he said, but I saw him threatening them with something the day we got there. Not one of them has been brave enough to say anything bad to my face the whole summer. It was great!"

Hermione smiled. "That’s brilliant. Now, have you two done all your summer homework?"

Ron groaned. "Yes. I finished my final essay last night."

Harry raised an eyebrow as she looked his way. "Do you really need to ask? Look who I live with now."

"Good point. Anyway, since the N.E.W.T.s are coming up, I’ve devised the ultimate study schedule for us. Okay, on Saturdays…" She dug through her bag for the time sheets.

The boys looked at each other and groaned. It was going to be a long train ride.

--------------

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Harry smiled at the matronly woman. "Yes, I believe I will have something."

--------------

"Excuse me, Professor Snape?"

Severus paused in his reading to glance up at the woman who pushed the snack trolley. "Yes?"

She reached forward and handed him a cauldron cake – one of his favorite sweets. "This is for you, courtesy of a rather handsome brunette in compartment 11-G."

He smirked and accepted the cake. "Who am I to turn down a nice gesture from such a handsome man. Perhaps I will visit 11-G to thank my mysterious benefactor in person. Thank you."

As she left, he marked his page and put his book away. On one hand, it would completely wreck his image to sit with Harry and his giggling teenaged friends in the student’s cars. On the other hand, to hell with his image… he missed his mate.

11-G was easy enough to find. He ran into a few stray students, but none seemed overly surprised to see him there. As the door slid open, he was amazed at seeing all three of the inhabitants buried in books.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Hello, Love. Come to help us study? After all, the N.E.W.T.s are only nine months away."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly! If you two don’t want to study, by all means don’t study. But don’t expect me to cry along with you when you fail all of your exams!"

"Actually, I received a marvelous gift from a ‘handsome brunette’ in this compartment. I thought it would only be polite to thank the young man face-to-face." He sat down beside Harry as Ron moved over beside Hermione.

Harry smirked. "Ah, well. If he comes back, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to know he has your gratitu…"

Severus cut him off with a kiss. The other two rolled their eyes at the mushiness and continued reading.

They soon settled in for the remaining trip. Severus finally decided on leaning back against the window with Harry snuggled in his lap. The four of them spent their time chatting or reading.

They were interrupted only once when Draco and his two bodyguards barged in. All three had been prepared to make Harry’s life hell, but paled at the sight of their head of house.

Later, Ron said with a smile that he could have sworn he saw tears in Malfoy’s eyes when he saw them cuddling.

--------------

The feast was magnificent as always. Harry stared at the first years and couldn’t believe he was ever that small. He could only imagine how he appeared to everyone at his sorting: severely under weight, ratty trainers, horrid glasses, and too-pale skin from having been locked in the tiny cupboard for weeks after the ‘zoo’ incident. He was and still is shorter than all of the other boys in his class.

He remembered how it felt to be unwanted and unloved. He also remembered how he felt the first time he was offered a home by his godfather, whom he’d just met.

Merlin, he missed Sirius.

For reasons totally unknown to himself and the other Gryffindors, Harry started crying. Right there at the table, during the feast. If he could have found a hole large enough, he would have crawled in it at that moment and refused to come out.

As it were, he told his confused friends he was fine and left the hall. He leaned against the statue right around the corner and sobbed into his hands. A few seconds later, a black blur sped by him, screeched to a halt, and grabbed his shoulders. Harry looked up into his lover’s face, which held signs of concern and anger.

"Harry, are you okay? Did one of those brats say anything to you?"

He shook his head and cried harder. What the hell was wrong with him?! When he started to speak, Sev had to lean in close to understand the words. "I… to s. . Some..something’s wrong."

Severus nodded and began guiding the young man toward the hospital wing. "Okay, Love. Are you in any pain?"

Harry shook his head. He was starting to get really scared. Though thoughts of Sirius may have spurred this episode, it wasn’t grief that he was feeling at the moment. He didn’t really feel any emotion at all that would be causing this and that made his tears all the more frightening.

By the time they reached their destination and the medi-witch had him sitting on a bed, his eyes were feeling blistered from the continuous streams of saline.

She handed him a calming draught and soon he was able to catch his breath as the tears stopped coming. Poppy then pushed him to lie back while she waved her wand over his body. Severus never let go of his hand. He summoned a wet flannel from the restroom to ease the stinging while the witch worked.

Every now and again Harry hiccuped, but otherwise no noise was made until Madame Pomfrey looked up. "Well, I’ve found the cause. You’re both going to have a baby. You’re about two weeks along. Congratulations!"

--------------

Severus jerked his head up in surprise while Harry pulled the cloth away from his eyes. "What the hell do you mean we’re ‘going to have a baby’? We haven’t said any spells to enable us to get pregnant, and we’re both male so that rules out ‘accidents’… right?!"

Poppy wasn’t at all phased by the outburst. She smiled and patted the young man’s hand. "I’m afraid it doesn’t always work that way, dear. Sometimes when the love between two people is strong, as well as their magic… well, things happen."

Harry was speechless, so she continued. "Now, your body is going through a tremendous change. I assume you know, or are at least aware of how hormonal pregnant women get?"

They both nodded. "Well, it’s going to go double for you, Harry, because you’re a male and your body is not used to the chemicals needed to support this pregnancy."

She focused on Severus. "I’m going to give you a list of potions he’s going to need as the months go by. I’m afraid the mood swings are going to be something to see. But you have to be patient with him because even though he’s screaming at you and you don’t know why – just remember that it’s not something he can help, okay?"

"Of course, Poppy." Sev began caressing Harry’s hair as the calming potion put him to sleep. "I’ll take good care of him. How is this going to effect his schooling?"

"It’ll be tough. Especially as morning sickness sets in. I’m afraid there are no potions strong enough to stop it that are safe for him, but the one on the list will help. I see no reason why he can’t join his peers in class. He’ll need lots of support, but I know he will have plenty of people wanting to tote his books when his tummy gets big."

Severus sighed. "I suppose quidditch is totally out. He’s not going to be happy about that."

Poppy scowled at the mention of the dangerous sport. "Absolutely no quidditch. I’m sure he’ll agree that the baby must come first. Besides, he won’t feel like flying around on a broomstick anyway as the pregnancy progresses. Are there any other questions?"

Severus smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you Poppy."

"Well then, you pick up Sleeping Beauty and get to bed. I’ll want to see him in here once every six weeks. Make sure he eats enough healthy foods. His body’s going to need the boost." She handed him the list of potions. "You may want to have some more calming draughts ready while he’s getting used to things. He’ll be at a delicate stage of his pregnancy for another two months at least, and doesn’t need to get too worked up."

Sev tucked the list into his robes and gently picked up his husband, trying not to wake him. After one more nod in Poppy’s direction, he carried the sleeping wizard to their rooms and lay him down on the bed.

The house elves had already brought their things in, but they still had to be unpacked. Sev dug around in a few of the bags looking for sleepwear. He came across the defense book Harry had been engrossed in for the past few days and placed it on his bedside table.

Finally locating one of his older nightshirts, he undressed his husband and put him in it. When he was finished settling Harry under the covers, he was exhausted. Instead of another major hunt, he opted to leave the mess for morning and stripped down to his boxers before joining his mate.

Lexi flew over to her masters and slept perched on the headboard. Until she was big enough to hunt for herself, she would keep watch over her family at night.

--------------

All three of them woke up the next morning to pounding on their door. Harry slipped out of bed and threw on his dressing gown on the way to answer it. As he looked into the hallway, he was greeted to a very odd sight.

Hermione and Ron were standing there bickering as usual. The funny thing was that his redheaded best mate was currently sporting rabbit ears, while Herm was going around with a fluffy brown cat’s tail.

"Well – I know they say that we teenagers go through weird fads, but I think this is taking it a bit too far."

They immediately stopped arguing upon hearing Harry’s amused voice. The two Gryffindors glared at him until he stepped aside to let them enter.

"Very funny, Harry. I want you to know this embarrassment is all Hermione’s doing."

"MY doing?! I believe this was YOUR bright idea, Einstein! All I did was make the potion. It was YOUR spell that caused this!" She had a little trouble figuring out how to sit beside Ron on the sofa, as her tail kept getting in the way.

Harry had chosen to sit in his reading chair by the fire, but he turned it around to face his friends. "What were you brewing the potion to do?"

Hermione blushed. "Well, it was supposed to aid us in Transfiguration. Ron found a book that would help me with my essay on turning one animal into another one using the combination of a spell and a potion. I just wanted to make it more interesting before classes Monday. Anyway, we used my cat and Lavender’s bunny Mr. Flopsy for the test subjects."

"Damn rabbit bit me!"

She rolled her eyes. "We had just finished giving them the potion, and that was no walk in the park, believe me. Ron said the spell wrong, and well… you see the results."

"I’m telling you for the last time, ‘Mione, that spell was perfect!"

"OH, so it was my potion that’s to blame here? I don’t think so Ronald Weasley. Maybe if you wouldn’t hold your wand like you’re about to run someone through with it!"

Harry couldn’t help it… he laughed. They both glared at him, but he didn’t care. This was too funny. And to further the two’s embarrassment, Sev entered the room. He took one look at the couple and burst out in laughter.

Hermione’s expression was a kind of indignant resignation, while Ron seemed to want to burrow into the couch and never be heard from again.

Finally, after Harry had taken pictures, Sev gave them a counter potion. They thanked him profusely, then asked Harry why he was upset the night before.

Harry decided to share his news with them even though he had not fully discussed it with Severus. They were shocked, but excited for the bonded couple.

Sev told them what to expect from Harry, and to be patient through the mood swings.

Ron looked at Harry. "So, you’re gonna act all crazy on us now?"

The young father-to-be steered his two best friends toward the door. As they stepped out into the corridor, he responded. "I won’t be acting, Ron." He then smiled and shut the door.

Sev was smirking at him when he turned around. "What?"

"You, my dear husband, have been hanging around me too long."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is that right? I’ll be making seventh years wet their pants before you know it." He walked by Sev, stealing a kiss in passing. "Now if you don’t mind, I believe I’m going to have a long, refreshing shower and greet the day properly."

Snape smiled and shook his head as the bathroom door closed.

--------------

A month later, Harry awoke around 5:30 am feeling decidedly queasy. He was a little uncomfortable, but was determined that morning sickness wasn’t as bad as Poppy had told him it would be. ‘I can get through this easily.’

Then he sat up.

Evidently movement triggered the REAL sickness which made the previous queasiness feel like paradise. He slapped his hand over his mouth, lest he throw up all over Severus and tumbled out of bed as quickly as he could. Harry proceeded to empty his stomach of everything he had ever eaten. When that was done, he purged himself of everything he had ever considered eating.

--------------

Severus found his partner about thirty minutes later sitting on the floor against the tub with a wet flannel across his eyes.

He leaned down to brush the younger man’s hair back, but paused when a hoarse voice told him crankily, "If you touch me, I’m going to rip out your heart with my bare hands and shove it down your throat."

Sev raised an eyebrow in surprise, but kept his tone light. "Is there anything I can do for you, love?"

Harry pulled the cloth away from his face slowly and favored his husband with a steely glare. "Yes. You can never have sex with me again, for starters." He began to pull himself up using the edge of the bath for leverage. The young man stumbled once, but slapped Sev’s hand away when he reached out to steady him.

"Look Severus – if you’re so determined to do something, go brew that potion Poppy said would help and quit bothering me!"

Sev sighed. "Harry, I’m only trying to comfort you."

To his immense shock, angry tears began cascading down his mate’s face. "COMFORT me? I didn’t see you comforting me when I was puking my guts out! I could have DIED right there on the floor with my head in the toilet and you wouldn’t have even NOTICED!"

‘Oh shit… what the hell do I say?’ The professor began to panic. He had to calm Harry down before he hurt himself and the baby. "Love, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you, or I would have…"

Red-faced with fury, Harry shoved him out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut before locking it. "Just make the damn potion and leave me ALONE!"

Severus stared blankly at the door and blinked. These mood swings were going to be the death of him. When the sound of the shower running met his ears, he headed toward his lab and quickly finished the potion.

--------------

Harry stood in the shower, letting the warm water soothe him. He was fully aware that his violent mood swings were confusing the hell out of Severus, but it wasn’t something he could help.

Still feeling exhausted from the morning’s events; he finished his shower and pulled the biggest, fluffiest towel around his waist. Harry went through his usual morning routine in the loo before leaving to dress.

He checked the time after pulling on a clean uniform, finding he had ten minutes before breakfast started in the Great Hall. His stomach lurched at the thought so he decided to work some more on his Charms essay, which was due next Friday. After lacing up his shoes he looked up to find his husband standing in the doorway. He held the morning sickness concoction in one hand, and his daily symptom reliever in the other.

Harry smiled at the cautious look on Sev’s face. "Don’t worry, I won’t bite."

Severus smirked and handed him the potions, which Harry drank down in two gulps. "Are you feeling better?"

Grimacing at the bitterness of the elixirs, the younger man nodded. "Yeah, the shower helped." His expression turned sheepish. "I’m sorry… about before. I just…"

Severus placed a finger against his love’s lips. "Harry, you don’t ever have to apologize to me. You know that."

Harry smirked and put his arms around Sev’s neck. The older man pulled him close. They began a slow dance to music only they could hear. "Never? Not even when I’m acting completely irrational?"

The older man chuckled. "If that were the case, you’d be apologizing constantly. I don’t think my ears could take that."

Rolling his eyes, the young Potter-Snape lovingly smacked his husband on the back of the head. "Oh, you…"

--------------

Sev didn’t like the way his spouse appeared so worn out all the time. He practically begged him to stay home in bed on the mornings where the sickness was worse, but Harry was stubborn. He was determined to finish out the year without letting his grades slide.

Harry’s ever changing moods left his classmates and teachers walking on eggshells around him. They knew the pregnancy was a delicate one and did their best to keep him calm. Except for Draco Malfoy. He was the only student at school who seemed to want Harry to lose the baby, and most likely would have caused the tragedy had Ron not intervened.

--------------

Harry was running late for breakfast. Not that he was especially hungry, but he enjoyed spending time with his peers. He knew that his friends were used to his morning trials, but he still hated the knowing looks his classmates shared when he was tardy.

He was almost to the Great Hall when Harry was stopped by a loud, obnoxious voice.

"Hey look – crybaby’s come out to eat." Draco Malfoy pushed himself off the wall where he was leaning, talking to his two bodyguards and Parkinson. Under normal circumstances Harry would have ignored him and kept walking, but something inside him wanted to confront the blonde.

"Get bent, Malfoy."

The Slytherin scrunched his face up and pretended to cry. His friends were snickering at his antics. Finally, Draco laughed at his own joke before glaring at the Gryffindor.

"You know what, Potter? You’re pathetic. I’m sure Snape stays up all night long, wondering why in the hell he ever burdened himself with you."

Despite the source, Harry couldn’t help the sting of the word ‘burdened’. It was, after all, what the Dursleys had raised him to believe himself to be. Nevertheless, he didn’t allow the pain to show on his face.

"And now you’re going to have a miniature brat running around that he never asked for. I’ll bet he takes off running as soon as you start getting fat."

The young Malfoy smirked, as Harry became unable to mask the pain he was feeling at the cruel words.

"After all, I’m willing to bet that the only reason he keeps you around is your appearance. I can’t wait to see the look of disgust on his face when you start waddling around the school like an elephant walking on its hind legs."

Harry couldn’t take anymore. He buried his face in his hands and ran back down the hall, a chorus of malicious laughter echoing in the corridors. He cursed himself for letting the bastard get to him like that, but his raging hormones seemed to be in control of his body more often than not.

When the Gryffindor missed Transfigurations class, his friends became worried. Ron and Hermione finally found him in the Astronomy Tower, thankfully before they alerted Severus that he was missing. After pulling the truth from him as to why he was hiding, Ron stormed off in search of the ferret, while Hermione consoled him.

Later that same day, Draco showed up in the hospital wing with a broken nose and a missing tooth. The boy was healed, and his tooth replaced. Then he, Ron, Severus, and McGonagall were summoned to Albus’ office. There, the heads of houses could listen to both boys’ versions of the events leading to the fight before doling out punishments. The headmaster’s presence was to ensure petty rivalries wouldn’t cloud the professors’ judgements.

Professor Snape was absolutely livid by the time Weasley finished telling his side of the story and proceeded to deduct 100 points…

…from Slytherin.

He ignored the dropped jaws of everyone in the room, as this was the first time in his teaching career that he had ever removed points from his own house. Severus then gave the blond a month’s worth of detentions to be served with Argus Filch.

Not a point was taken from Gryffindor for Ron’s involvement in the fiasco, but Draco took one look at his professor’s angry demeanor before wisely shutting his mouth.

Sev left as soon as Albus began his ‘I’m very disappointed in you – why can’t we all get along?’ speech, presumably to locate and reassure his husband.

Needless to say, Malfoy kept his comments to himself after that.

--------------

There were other things that set Harry off. Severus once found him sobbing in their rooms when he didn’t show up to dinner. When asked what was wrong, he said they didn’t have the baby’s room ready yet.

"Harry, love, you’re not even two months along." He tried pulling the distraught man into his arms, but was pushed away.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?! Are you saying my needs don’t matter when you think they don’t make sense?!"

Sev noticed the rising temper and gentled his voice. "You’re right, Harry. We do need to start on the baby’s room. I’m sorry."

Instead of placating him, Harry’s glare went up a notch. "FINE! BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! ‘Watch out for Harry Potter-Snape… he’s pregnant and you can’t make him mad or he’ll go loony!’ SO YOU THINK I’M A TICKING BOMB AND WILL JUST GO OFF IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH ME ALL THE TIME?!"

Severus blinked. He was damned no matter which path he took. Harry never gave him a chance to respond, however, and stormed out the door. After a frantic search, Severus found him two hours later in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom having a screaming match with the ghost. Both looked to be enjoying it.

As the weeks went by, the hormones settled down. Everyone was happy to have a saner Harry among them. Just as he told Sev, he was determined to keep his grades up despite the huge effort it took, and could more often than not be seen in his study or the library with his nose in a book.

Ron followed his lead, and soon every essay assigned to them was turned in on time and well written. Hermione was a little jealous for no longer being intellectually superior to the other two, but she got over it.

When Harry’s stomach started to grow, Severus ordered some paternity robes for him. Students fought over who got to carry his books to class and he was grateful for the help, as he generally felt tired and achy.

--------------

When April came around, Harry was huge. The baby was due at the end of the month and both were anxious for it to happen.

Together, they had added a nursery for their son or daughter and fixed it up. Toys were piled in the corners and on shelves. Harry’s shower had been wonderful. Gifts poured in from all their friends. Molly had insisted upon hosting the event, and had ended up expanding her sitting room to make space for everyone.

The child would want for nothing, that much was obvious.

As the due date loomed closer, Harry often spent time with Sev picking out baby names, or cuddling. They had decided on Evelyn Josette if it was a girl and Jacob Nathaniel if it happened to be a boy.

All in all, life was perfect. At least until Voldemort decided to make a deal with Draco Malfoy.

--------------

Harry was waddling down from the quidditch stands one afternoon after watching the Ravenclaws get their butts kicked by the Hufflepuffs. He paused after seeing Severus heading towards the dark forest. ‘I thought he was working on an experimental potion and would be there until seven.’ He shook his head and told his friends to go on ahead as he followed his wayward husband.

About twenty feet in, he began to get nervous. It was so dark and silent. He suddenly heard a rustling behind him. "Sev?"

"Guess again."

Harry whirled around and something hit him hard in the face. He caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy’s smirking countenance before darkness descended upon him.

--------------

When Harry next awoke, he was chained at the wrists to two concrete pillars. His scar was on fire and he soon realized why.

He was in a clearing, surrounded by Death Eaters. Voldemort stood before him, red eyes glowing brightly with approval and hatred. And Draco… where was the little ferret?

Suddenly Voldemort spoke. "You have done well, young Malfoy. You have fulfilled your part of the deal by bringing me Potter, so I shall keep my promise and remove the bond between him and the traitor. You’ll soon be with your love while I will have my revenge."

Harry paled as he felt a contraction ripple through him. ‘Oh god, not now… not here! I know labor can be induced when stress levels are high, but this is ridiculous.’ He glared at the Dark Lord, showing no outward sign of his pain. "You can’t break the bond between me and Severus. It’s eternal, and was cast by Dumbledore himself!"

Voldemort chuckled. "Young fool, I am Lord Voldemort. If I say it can be done, it will be done. Tell me Potter, how do you suppose the traitor will remain linked to you if you have no soul?"

Harry couldn’t think of a retort, a fact that seemed to amuse Voldemort greatly.

"Yes, Draco has done well. He will be a good servant to me, as was his father. I will honor him for his loyalty by allowing him to ‘play’ with you before I destroy you."

It was then that he saw the younger Malfoy. He was standing behind Harry to the left, unfurling a long leather whip and smiling as if Christmas had come early.

Harry could only think of one thing before the first strike hit him. ‘Oh, shit.’

--------------

The same time Draco had knocked out Harry in the forest, Sev felt a tingle run down his spine. He had never experienced the feeling before, but somehow he knew that it meant Harry was in danger.

He quickly neutralized his potion and ran to his rooms. He dug around in Harry’s things and finally found the infernal Marauder’s Map. After activating it, he searched all over for his spouse.

He finally found him at the edge of the forest with a dot labeled ‘Draco Malfoy’ a split second before they both disappeared. "NO!"

Wasting no time, he was out the door and in Dumbledore’s office as fast as humanly possible.

After explaining what he saw, Albus checked the wards and acknowledged that a portkey had been used as soon as the two boys were outside the boundaries.

Aurors were called in immediately.

As they were arguing over the most likely places that Draco would have taken the boy, Severus interrupted them.

With a look of fierce concentration on his face, he spoke. "They’re in a clearing… a forest. Not the forbidden forest, but somewhere else." Everyone was silent as Sev focused on Harry. "I can see a statue in a different clearing… nearby. It’s of a female elf with a sword drawn sitting atop a horse."

One of the aurors looked up. "Ardunelle the Fearless. She gave her life to save Ruby Glen – the village where I was raised in Ireland. Her monument stands in Fletcher’s Wood near my home."

Soon plans were made and aurors were apparating by the dozens to the statue of the elf savior. Alerted by the wards Voldemort had raised, the Death Eaters were dispatched to take care of the ‘problem’. They had no idea they were about to be fighting a losing battle. Soon, Order members were arriving and the badly outnumbered Death Eaters began falling one by one to the Light.

Severus ignored the fighting and snuck through the woods in the direction from which Voldemort’s minions had come.

--------------

Harry sagged after the whipping was done. He’d never in his life been in as much pain as he was at that moment. He silently prayed that the torture he was going through didn’t harm his child in any way. Draco had finally quit delivering blows, probably only because his master was growing tired of Harry’s lack of screaming.

He slowly raised his head as all the Death Eaters were dispatched to the wards on the west side. The Dark Lord then gave some orders to Draco, but a strong wave of pain hit him and he couldn’t make out the words.

The younger Malfoy was soon gone, having taken a portkey to some unknown location. Harry was left alone with possibly the most evil creature the world has ever seen. Voldemort drew his wand and stalked closer to the pregnant man. A satisfied smirk graced his serpent-like face.

This didn’t bode well.

"So, Harry. Are you prepared to spend the rest of your eternity lost in limbo?" He gave a hissing laugh as he steadied his wand.

Harry had no time to acknowledge his husband, who had suddenly appeared at the edge of the clearing. Voldemort cast the spell, and he began acting on instinct. He felt his magic grow to astronomical heights and his right wrist was suddenly freed. The chain had miraculously broken under the force.

He raised his hand and caught the spell in the very center of his palm. Somehow, he knew what to do. He focused everything he had on sending the spell back to the castor.

With a sucking noise and an explosion of red light, the rebounded spell hit Voldemort directly in the chest.

Having done what should have been impossible, Harry collapsed in sheer exhaustion.

--------------

Severus didn’t even wait for Voldemort’s corpse to hit the ground before he ran to Harry. Having used a large amount of his power to kill the Dark Lord, the young savior could no longer support his own weight. His manacled wrist was currently the only thing holding him up.

In the background he heard the telltale sounds of a huge battle, but nothing mattered at the moment besides his husband. When he reached him, he immediately freed the boy’s wrist and pulled him into his arms. Severus felt a warm liquid under his hands a second before Harry hissed in pain.

Loosening his grip, he cried out in shock as he saw the gashes across his back for the first time. "Son of a BITCH! Who whipped you?! I swear I will personally shove their balls down their throat!"

Harry moaned in pain. "Sev… take me home. Want to go home. Please… contraction… baby’s coming… need…." He broke off as he tried to catch his breath.

Severus began to panic. Revenge could wait. He only hoped the bastard would be left alive so he could murder him personally. "Okay, Love. When I stand you up I want you to lean on me as much as you can. We’re going to have to find Albus. He has the portkey, and then we’ll go home. Are you ready?"

At first, Severus thought his mate didn’t hear him. He pushed the tousled hair away from the bruising on the beautiful face and Harry nodded.

"Okay, on three: one, two, THREE." Harry cried out in pain at the movement and Sev paused to let him adjust.

"Oh god…"

Sev kissed Harry’s unbruised temple. "I know, baby. We’ll go as slow as you need. I want us to walk through the forest so we’ll come up behind the aurors. The Death Eaters were greatly outnumbered, but I still don’t want to take the chance of a stray curse hitting us. Besides, we’ll have a better opportunity to spot Albus that way."

Harry gave an affirmative grunt and they began the slow trek to where the battle had been raging only minutes before. Harry often had to pause to regain control of the pain. Even though the contractions were still pretty far apart, he was in constant agony due to his flayed back.

Severus did his best to shield him, but occasionally the wind would blow too hard, or a branch would brush up against the bloodied mess regardless. It hurt Sev immensely to watch his lover in so much distress.

They finally reached the battlefield and Sev was astonished at what he saw. The ground was littered in black-cloaked bodies. He didn’t know if they were dead, but he really didn’t care at the moment. Thankful there were no more curses flying, he sought out Albus.

There didn’t seem to be any major casualties on the Light side, which was fine by him. He caught sight of the old wizard about twenty feet away and called him over. Harry’s head lolled tiredly against Severus’ shoulder. He seemed to be using every ounce of his remaining energy to remain conscious.

Dumbledore ran up to the two men and looked Harry over. "How is he?"

"Hurt and in labor. We need a portkey, Albus."

The old man wasted no time in picking up a nearby rock and casting the spell. He handed it to Severus. "Good luck. I will be there as soon as this mess is taken care of… Voldemort?"

Wincing at the name, Severus allowed a tiny smile to show. "Harry blasted him straight back to hell. He won’t be returning."

Snape held the rock between his and Harry’s hands. Albus let out a relieved sigh. He waved his wand once more and the fathers-to-be were gone in a flash of light.

--------------

Poppy let out a small shriek when Severus Snape suddenly appeared in her hospital ward struggling with a bloody and semi-conscious Harry Potter-Snape.

Between she and Severus, Harry was stripped behind a curtained off area. She cleaned his back wounds and placed a healing salve on each one of the whip marks. He would need to stay off his back for at least an hour. She sighed in frustration. Even though he wasn’t far along in his labor, it would still be torture for him.

In any other case she would have the patient lay on their stomach, but that was not even an option. She finally decided that the best way was having Severus propped up at the head of the bed with Harry facing him. That way he could rest against Sev without placing pressure on any part of his healing back.

It wasn’t going to be very comfortable for either of them, but that was the best she could do. Poppy went to retrieve an open-backed gown for Harry and helped him into it.

She then cast a monitoring spell to let her know how far apart his contractions were before fire-calling St. Mungo’s and requesting they have someone on standby for when Harry was ready to deliver. Poppy let them know that it would be hours from now, but she didn’t want to take any chances. This was a male pregnancy, which was more difficult and dangerous as a rule.

The minutes passed by slowly and soon Pomfrey was dealing with three fifth-year Hufflepuffs. They had accidentally fused their skin together while attempting to brew a complicated love potion. Severus rolled his eyes as he listened to their pathetic whining.

When they were finally unstuck and sent on their way, (after a lengthy lecture on unsupervised potion making), she wiped the excess cream from Harry’s back. "Okay, the wounds are closed. I’ll take care of the scars later Harry, but right now I expect you’re more than ready to lay on your back again."

He nodded and Severus moved him around so he could get comfortable on the bed. Poppy pulled a vial of thick green paste from her storage cabinet along with a crimson red potion. After smearing some of the green goo on his bruises, she wiped her hands and poured some of the sweet smelling liquid in a goblet.

"Here you go dear, drink this down. It’s a mild sedative to help you relax. I want you to sleep while you can and build your energy back up. You’ll be needing your strength for later."

Severus helped him take the potion. He was asleep before his head touched the pillow. Sev settled himself down in a chair beside his husband and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He drifted off to sleep still holding Harry’s hand.

--------------

Snape was startled awake hours later when his hand felt like it had been put in a vice. He immediately looked to Harry, who was also awake and squeezing Severus’ hand during a contraction.

Sev began coaching Harry through the breathing exercises. Soon the spasm ended and the professor reached down to kiss the sweaty forehead. "Can I get you anything, love?"

The bruising on Harry’s face was almost gone. Poppy must have come in sometime during their nap to cast a cleaning spell on his face. His skin didn’t look quite as pale without the green sludge.

The Gryffindor smiled tiredly up at his husband. "I would love some water, Sev. And could you open the curtains? I feel kind of closed in."

"Absolutely." He ran his fingers through the silky strands of his beloved’s hair before stepping out of the enclosure. He moved all of the dividing curtains away except for the one to the right of the bed. Severus left that up to shield Harry from people entering the room.

The professor quickly made his way over to the next room. Poppy was too busy scribbling notes from a book to pay him any attention. Luckily, he had no trouble finding the cups and soon had one filled with cool water for Harry.

By the time he got back to the main ward, there was a strange man standing next to his husband’s bed. The hair on the back of his neck rose, as it always did when strangers approached his spouse. Harry didn’t appear to be tense, so Sev approached slowly and silently in an attempt to size up the situation.

He was halfway to the bed when his ears finally caught what his husband was saying to the man.

"…well, one of the ones you’ve listed. I’m allergic to the bat spleens."

"Hmmm, and what potion were you ingesting at the time?" Severus was now close enough to see the insignia on the man’s robes. He was a healer from St. Mungo’s.

"It was one of Severus’ strong headache draughts. I broke out in purple spots that itched like mad. He said that the bat spleen was the only thing in there that would have caused that reaction. Why do you need to know all this?"

The healer looked up with a gentle smile that reached his chocolate brown eyes. "Well, Mr. Potter-Snape, I’ve brought a potion with me that would have lessened the pain of giving birth for you. Unfortunately bat spleen is one of the main ingredients."

Severus stepped next to Harry at that moment. He ignored the healer’s startled yelp in favor of handing his husband the cup of water he’d requested.

Harry took a long drink and set the water on the table beside him. "I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Kip, but I don’t take any potions that Severus doesn’t make, anyway." He reached out to grab Sev’s hand. "I mean no disrespect, sir. It’s just that I’ve had so many attempts to kill me from various people, some of which were trusted, that I’ve become somewhat paranoid."

Mr. Kip’s smile turned a little sad. He nodded in understanding. "I don’t blame you one bit, Mr. Potter-Snape. I’m sure I would be the same way in your position."

Severus took a moment to glance at the man. He wasn’t a bad looking fellow. He seemed to be in mid-forties, dark brown hair. Not too tall or short… basically all-around average.

In the silence following his statement, Harry’s eyes widened. "Oh, where are my manners? Mr. Kip, this is my husband, Severus Snape. Sev, this is a healer from St. Mungo’s that specializes in male pregnancies, Rutherford Kip."

The two men shook hands. A gasp caused them to break away and look down at the patient. Harry’s face was scrunched up in pain. His hands were clenched on the bed covers so tightly that the knuckles were turning white.

Severus placed his hand over one of Harry’s and began whispering words of encouragement in the delicate ear. When it was over, Harry’s head fell back onto the pillow and his face looked a shade paler than before.

"They’re getting worse, Severus."

Suddenly a cool flannel was handed to Sev. He didn’t even notice the older man leave. Nodding his thanks, he sat down on the chair and wiped the sweat from his husband’s brow.

"Mr. Snape, I don’t suppose you have any Givello’s Elixir brewed, or any strong painkiller that doesn’t contain aconite. Or bat spleens, of course."

Sev thought for a moment. "No, the closest potion I have in my stores that fits your description is a muscle relaxant/painkiller that is mild, at best."

"How often can it be taken?"

"Every two hours for ten hours straight. It can’t be re-administered for two days after that. If it is, it starts to build up in the system and could cause long-term problems."

Mr. Kip nodded. After a moment he responded. "Well, if that’s the best we’ve got, we’ll have to make do." By that time Poppy had joined them. "Why don’t you bring up enough of the potion for ten hours while Poppy and I get Harry moved into a private room in the back. I doubt he wants to give birth in an open ward."

Severus leaned down to kiss Harry. "Do you want anything from our rooms, love?"

"Yes. Grab the receiving blanket Mrs. Weasley made… the one with the baby dragons all over it. And don’t forget the baby sleeper Hermione gave us. I left it folded on top of the changing table. Better grab some clothes for me… nothing uncomfortable. I guess that’s about it." Severus started to leave only to be stopped at the door by Harry’s voice. "No! My pendant – the one you gave me for my birthday. It’s in the box in my bedside table."

Sev nodded to show he heard and left.

--------------

As soon as the potions professor walked out the door, Poppy conjured a stretcher and both she and the healer helped Harry onto it. By the time they moved him into a private room, he was breathless from another contraction.

"They’re coming faster now… and stronger." Harry was idly rubbing his stomach as Poppy turned down the covers.

Mr. Kip smiled. "Well, the little bugger’s ready to see you. I’ll give it another half-hour before we need to cast the charm to alter your body. Then we’ll work on pushing the baby along."

"Mr. Kip, about the charms… what would have happened if I’d had to give birth away from a healer?" Harry kept thinking about where he was when his first contraction came.

Rutherford looked up from the young man’s chart. "Well, you can give birth just as you are, but you would be in a lot more pain. The charms temporarily change your reproductive organs into something more resembling a female’s." The healer grimaced. "Can you imagine what it would be like to push a seven pound baby from a male’s reproductive organs?"

Harry winced, causing a chuckle from the other two adults in the room.

Mr. Kip began checking Harry’s pulse. "Luckily you don’t have to worry about that now. Do you know what the gender is?"

"No. Both Sev and I wanted it to be a surprise. I have a feeling it’s a boy, though. Don’t ask me why, but I often find myself unconsciously referring to our baby as ‘he’." Harry slid under the covers. The stretcher disappeared with a ‘pop’.

"Actually, that’s not so hard to believe. You share a bond with this baby stronger than many people realize. A lot of carrying mothers and fathers claim they can tell the sex of their child without ever being told. More often than not, they’re right."

"I just want it to be healthy and have a happy life… that’s all I care about."

--------------

"Push Harry, C’mon. You’re doing fine." Rutherford Kip’s voice was really starting to grate on Harry’s nerves.

Poppy was moving about the room, getting things the healer requested. The patient had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping at her for making him dizzy.

Even Severus, a man he’d happily give his life to save, was about to get socked in the jaw if he kissed his forehead and told him to ‘keep breathing’ one more time.

Childbirth was hell.

Harry was currently in the most undignified position possible. His legs were spread open as wide as they could be with his knees around his head. Severus sat behind him and had one arm looped under each knee to keep him in the ungodly arrangement. If Colin were to come in with a camera, he’d hastily meet the same end as Voldemort.

Unfortunately, he was in too much pain to care (much) as he leaned forward, breathing with Sev, and pushing like crazy. Poor Sev’s knees would be bruised with the force of his grip by the time the baby was born, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. Maybe if HE were giving birth to something the size of a Buick, Harry would be more considerate.

"Push Harry, push hard."

Harry snapped. He gave the healer his best icy glare. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!" Naturally, Mr. Kip paid him no mind and kept coaching. Ending the contraction with a pain-filled scream, Harry swore that when this was over he was going to throttle the man at the foot of his bed. Then he would permanently glue Poppy’s butt to a chair and have Sev castrated.

It would serve them ALL right.

--------------

Hours later, Harry was at the end of his rope.

"Okay... I believe we’re just about finished here."

He lay there listlessly against Severus as Poppy placed a fresh cloth on his forehead. At the healer's words he nodded faintly, his eyes closed and face deathly white.

"Now, Harry, the next contraction you feel I need you to bear down and push as hard and for as long as possible."

Harry began crying. "I can't... too tired."

Severus hugged Harry close to him and kissed his temple. "I know it's hard, love, but you can do it."

Shaking his head, he replied, "No Sev... not strong enough."

"Then take my strength." Harry looked momentarily confused but otherwise didn't react. "I’m with you always and forever… when you can’t find the power within yourself, take it from me. Now push."

As he felt the pain come over him again, Harry bit down on his lip and concentrated fully on what he prayed was the end of this long and pain-filled journey. Severus was still behind him as he supported Harry through the contraction. With a huge burst of ripping pain, the baby slipped free from his body.

"It’s a BOY!"

As he heard his son’s screams fill the air for the first time, he shed tears of his own. Looking up at Severus, he smiled at the expression of pride and astonishment that adorned his face as he watched his child being taken care of.

Severus lowered his head to meet Harry’s gaze. He smiled back and leaned down to kiss him. "You did it, baby. You were amazing."

Harry shook his head and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "WE did it. I had your strength, remember."

"You always have that, love. Always."

Suddenly Sev was handed the tiny-blanketed baby. They silently stared at each other before he kissed the top of the baby’s head and placed him in Harry’s arms.

Exhaustion forgotten, Harry cooed at the tiny boy. "He’s so tiny. He sure didn’t feel this small when he was coming out of me."

The other three chuckled. Poppy beamed at the new fathers. "So, does this handsome young man have a name yet?"

Severus answered her. "Jacob. Jacob Nathaniel Snape."

After talking gently to Jacob as long as he was physically able, Harry handed him back to Poppy and instantly fell asleep in Sev’s arms.

--------------

Harry woke up the next morning. Severus was no longer in the bed with him and he was cocooned in warm blankets. He was also extremely sore from head to foot, but he put that complaint on hold until he could better assess his situation.

He cracked open an eyelid and was greeted to the sight of a sea of redheads. He could hear people talking quietly, obviously trying not to wake him.

Harry opened the other eye. Molly Weasley was cradling Jacob in a rocking chair. He felt a brief stab of panic that he didn’t understand before he made himself calm down. Evidently this was some paternal instinct.

Arthur, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were crowded around the chair cooing at the infant. Severus and Albus were in the corner speaking quietly. No one had noticed him yet, so he remained the silent observer.

About five minutes later Fred came in the door followed closely by George. Fred had a box of what looked like chocolate frogs, which he sat on the table next to Harry’s bed before moving to see the baby. The table was absolutely filled with candy, cards, and stuffed animals. A banner hung across one of the walls and read: ‘Congratulations! It’s a wizard!'

"Harry!" Hermione rushed over to hug him, followed by a horde of Weasleys.

They all congratulated him on both his defeat of Vold… er, You Know Who, and his giving birth to ‘absolutely one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen’, as proclaimed by Ginny.

After talking to him for a few minutes, they eventually returned to their mother. She was smiling gently at Harry while rocking Jacob, who was sound asleep.

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into the piercing blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. "I am most proud of you, Harry. You have single handedly saved us all from a fate worse than death." He looked over to the bundle in Mrs. Weasley’s arms. "And produced a wondrous miracle on the very same day. Yes, I am most proud. The entire wizarding world is singing your praises once again."

Harry blushed. "Thank you, sir. I’ll just be glad to help raise my son in a world free from Voldemort."

Albus chuckled. "That you will, Harry. That you will." He squeezed Harry’s shoulder and left the room smiling.

Severus sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed Harry’s hand. He placed an absent kiss to the fingers. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore, but content." He gazed into the ebony eyes. "You?"

Sev smiled. "Damn proud of you… of our son. I feel like I want to shout out for the world to hear how much I love you both."

"I feel the same way about the two of you." They shared a kiss. Jacob woke up and began fussing a second before Poppy came in the room.

"Okay, everyone out. I need to give Harry his potion, then he’ll be wanting to feed Jacob." Harry drank down the goblet of the awful-tasting potion while Severus gently took his son from the Weasley matriarch.

With Poppy’s help, Harry was soon settled in the rocking chair. Sev tenderly placed Jacob in his arms while Madame Pomfrey fetched a bottle.

Harry would swear that he’d never known love in its truest form until the first moment he gazed into his son’s newborn eyes. Looking at his husband, he knew the older man felt the same way. It was perfection. "He looks just like you, Sev. He has your bone structure."

"Thank goodness he has your nose."

Harry rolled his eyes. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with your nose. It fits your face. His fingers are so long, not short and stubby like mine. I’ll bet he grows up to be either a Potions Master or a Pianist with these hands."

Poppy handed him a bottle and soon the infant was suckling hungrily.

Harry gently ran a finger across an impossibly soft cheek. "I wonder what color his eyes will be. I hope they’re dark like yours."

"I’m rather fond of bright green eyes, myself."

He grinned impishly. "Well, the poor thing has my hair." Sure enough, perched on top of the feeding child’s head was a patch of dark, unruly hair. "I’ve never seen a picture of my dad’s father, but I’m starting to suspect this ‘Potter’ hair is some kind of genetic defect."

Severus chuckled.

After baby Jacob had decided he was full, Harry placed a nearby rag over his shoulder and was soon rubbing his son’s back. He waited patiently for the child to burp. Soon the little one was sleeping soundly in his bassinet.

--------------

Later that day, Harry was sitting in the magical equivalent of a wheelchair on his way home. The principle was basically the same, except this chair was self propelled and instead of wheels, had moving legs which could navigate stairs with ease. The baby was swaddled in his blanket and cradled protectively against Harry’s chest.

Severus followed behind with Harry’s bag draped over one shoulder and a shrunken box containing all the gifts and cards under his left arm.

The halls were deserted. Professor Dumbledore had let school out for an entire week in celebration of the final defeat of the Dark Lord. Students were not forced to leave, but most did anyway.

Harry stood up at the entrance to their rooms and the chair crawled back to the hospital wing.

Lexi was very happy to see her family again. She perched on the baby crib as Harry placed Jacob inside and sang softly. Harry placed a hand on the tiny back and was again amazed at how small he was. Hands snaked around his waist and they stood there for a minute before moving into the sitting room.

Severus pulled Harry’s shoes and socks off and began massaging his feet. Harry moaned in contentment.

"Tell me about Draco… was he ever found?"

"Oh yes. The bastard must have portkeyed directly back here when he left the clearing. Albus questioned him with my strongest truth serum. He admitted to kidnapping and whipping you." Severus clenched his fist in remembered anger. "Albus had to place me in a partial body bind to keep me from ringing the boy’s neck."

Harry rubbed his foot over Sev’s leg in comfort.

"Anyway, by order of the late Dark Lord, Draco came back here and snuck up to his dorm. He was to act as though he’d never left the school. He’d told some friends that he would be in the library studying so he would have an alibi."

"What about Madam Pince?"

Severus snorted. "She wouldn’t recognize anyone unless they were doing harm to her books. By then the Dark Lord would have destroyed your soul, which would have destroyed mine also, by the way. And Mr. Malfoy actually believed he would comfort me in my grief and I’d fall in love with him, blah, blah, blah. He’s currently in a holding cell in the ministry. His wand’s been snapped and he’ll be in Azkaban before the week’s up."

Harry looked up. "You mean if his plan had worked out and my soul was lost, we’d be in limbo forever TOGETHER?"

Severus smiled. "That’s right. As the muggles say, ‘For better or for worse’. We’re in this together no matter what happens. If I were to die tomorrow, I’d come back as a ghost until it’s your time to go. Then we’ll be back in each other’s arms as we’re spending eternity in heaven."

"Or hell."

Sev barked out a laugh. "My dear Harry, we’ve just come from the deepest depths of hell. I refuse to think we’ll end up anywhere other than paradise."

Harry snuggled up to his husband. "Sev?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I honestly don’t think hell could exist anyplace we’re together."

Severus smiled and pulled Harry closer. "I think that’s the first time a Gryffindor has ever made sense."

As their laughter echoed softly in the room, Harry had to wonder if eternity spent with this man could ever be long enough.

He couldn’t wait to find out.

The End