"Yo, Gra'." I called to my brother who was currently working under one of our trucks. "We got a letter from Rube."

He rolled out and sat up so I could hand it to him. I was already thinking about where we'd put the camping gear. "Whoa, never mentioned anybody's name before has 'e."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. Think it's the same one he's been sighing over for the last few years?"

He sniggered and handed it back to me. "I wouldn't take any bets on it. Best let Angie know that we'll be away for a bit. You sending that on to Mum?"

"Aye, I'll no be keeping this from her. She'd snatch us both bald if'n we kept 'er in the dark." I headed for the front office of Hagrid & Hagrid Movers and our office manager, Angie Setters, to let her know we'd be heading south. I could hardly wait to meet this bloke who had our Rubeus all in a twitter.

**********
Severus
**********

The building was going faster than I'd dared hope. Between the two of them, Rubeus and Harry had finished digging out what would become my new lab and started on cementing in the tunnels, floor and walls. I watched from the shaded nook where Hagrid had prepared a veritable bower for me. My job was to read aloud to them and if I may say so, I did it quite well.

Hagrid's education had been a bit spotty and Harry was still behind in his reading so I read to them from some of the textbooks that were a part of my library. Slowly but surely, I was strengthening both in body, magic and spirit. I tired easily though and knew that my stamina was almost nonexistent. Of course, I preferred to keep my strength for the inspired lovemaking that took place when Harry left us each evening.

Smiling into the distance, I listened to the birds singing overhead. There was a gentle breeze tickling my cheeks and the pillows that I reclined upon automatically moved when I did so I was never uncomfortable. Really, Hagrid had proven to be quite resourceful in his magic abilities. I thought I knew why he hid some of those abilities but we had yet to speak of it. This place was truly enchanted with peace and healing. I never wanted to leave it or the gentle man who held my heart.

"Purr-rr-rr," Ty, the Nemean Lion had come to pay Hagrid a visit and I'd been brushing him while reading aloud. He butted his large head into my leg as a gentle reminder to cease thinking and get back to brushing.

I chuckled and started where I'd left off after first collecting the hair from the brush and putting it carefully into a sterile specimen bag. Ty had proven to be most accommodating about me using his fur in a potion or two. Between Hagrid and him, I was on my way to preparing some very powerful potions.

"Sev, you all right?" Hagrid's head appeared above the walls of dirt.

"I'm fine, Ru'. I was just resting my voice." I reassured him, watching for the grin that he always sent me. It wasn't sexual in the least but it always made me think of warm, dark honey dripping down the sides of a stack of his griddle cakes. In other words, it turned me on almost immediately.

His head disappeared. "What do you think, Harry? Is it time for a break?"

"Yes, please." Harry's rather breathless voice answered and I levitated the pitcher of iced tea from the cooler out to where I sat.

The rose and yellow quilt bag yielded three glasses, a pan of brownies that Hagrid had baked for us and a box of the chocolate frogs that Harry liked so much. The two appeared briefly then disappeared into the cottage for a quick wash-up. Ru' had shed his shirt and I watched him flex his muscles just a bit for me. That little warm glow in the pit of my stomach was back.

It pretty much appeared every time I saw him these days. I finished brushing Ty's tail and watched him wriggle all over in contentment. But when his head whipped around and he sprang up to stand guard over me, I almost dropped the brush. Casting a quick glance around, I couldn't see anything that might be dangerous. The sharp crack of a limb breaking sent my gaze towards the shore.

Dumbledore always announced his presence with a cheery call so it wasn't him. I groped for my wand before remembering that it didn't exist anymore. I had watched Voldemort burn it to ash in front of me, after all. I was struggling to my feet when two large men burst into sight. Luckily, I recognized them from the family picture on the mantle. I sagged back in relief only to sit bolt upright again.

Hagrid's brothers had obviously come to check out the strange man in his life.

I wasn't sure that I was going to pass their scrutiny. All the reasons for me cluttering up Hagrid's life seemed miniscule next to the reasons why I should protect him from myself.

"Hossic! Gration! You came!" Hagrid had just emerged from the cottage and he met them with a three-way hug.

Harry came over to me and dropped down to sit next to Ty, who was slowly relaxing on my right side. "Who are they, Professor?"

"They are Hagrid's twin brothers. Let's see if I have their genealogy down. There are six children in the family. In descending order, there's Hagrid, Rhea a sister, twins Hossic and Gration, then Royan another sister and Gersey his youngest brother."

"Wow, that is so cool to have such a big family." He beamed at them and I realized that I too thought it 'cool'.

But Hagrid was bringing them over to meet us and I took quick hold of my courage. "Sev, let me introduce ya to me brothers, Hossic and Gration. Boys, this is Professor Severus Snape and one of our students, Harry Potter."

"Pleased, I'm sure." Hossic was a little taller than Hagrid with wide shoulders and a muscular figure dressed in muggle jeans and a t-shirt. He knelt down next to Harry and shook hands with us both.

Gration's hair was almost as red as the hair of the Weasley clan. He looked more like Hagrid than his brother, something about the square-ness of his jaw and the lines around his eyes. He sat down squarely in front of me and also shook hands with us. I was almost hidden behind Ty and I was just coward enough to use him as a buffer.

Hagrid guessed, of course and made sure that he sat down so close that he could touch me. "Well, boys, a letter would 'ave been nice. Ya come to work or just check out Sev?"

Hossic laughed out loud. "Nah, Mum's comin' to check out Sev. We came to work."

"Dear god," I muttered under my breath and contemplated a quick run for the border.

"Not to worry, love. She's going to love ya just as much as I do." Hagrid squeezed my ankle gently.

Gration was looking at me with narrowed eyes. "Didn't I read something about a Snape bein' dead and a rogue wizard?"

I straightened my back and sat up straight. "Technically, I was dead when Ru' rescued and breathed life back into me. I'm also a former Death Eater, spy and teacher. What else would you like to know?"

"Hm, he's a feisty one, Rube. I think you better hang onto 'im." Gration grinned wide and slapped his brother on the shoulder. "It should be a great bondin'."

What? That was it? They just accepted my word?

Hagrid was blushing again. "Um, we kind of already bonded when the Headmaster was here as a witness." Actually we both blushed and looked at each other with what I am sure were very foolish smiles.

"Whew! You can explain that one to Mum." Hossic grinned. "Those brownies the kind with double chocolate?"

My head was still reeling at their matter-of-fact acceptance of our relationship but Hagrid simply started cutting into the still warm pan of brownies. I'd thought the size of the pan excessive but within a few moments, only crumbs were left. Harry was wide-eyed but smiling while they quizzed him about his Quidditch playing. Their amazing tact was truly astounding.

They did what I'd been trying to do for the last five years, accept him as a fifteen-year old boy and not as some kind of savior for the wizarding world. Slowly I began to relax a little and with a start I realized that Hagrid was still stroking my ankle - my very sensitive naked ankle that was even now sending signals to my brain and other parts south.

And he was doing it on purpose, crafty giant that he was. I glared at him and he just smiled harder. I was definitely going to give him a piece of my mind if I had any left after it exploded into bliss. Merlin, what those fingers could do, I decided with a quick gasp to get more air into my lungs. Ty gave a big yawn and sprawled out for a nap, his head resting on my thighs so that I found myself with a lion blanket.

The brothers snickered a bit then got up to pitch their tent near the cottage while Harry carried their bags in. Hagrid leaned over to kiss me and I opened for him automatically with welcome relief. It appeared the worst was over for now. The little confrontation had exhausted me and I lay back when Hagrid left to join his brothers and quickly fell asleep. Ty's purr sent me deep where dreams couldn't find me.

**********
Hagrid
**********

We got a lot done although I had to keep checking on Sev. I knew that Ty was guarding him but I also knew how much he'd feared meeting my brothers. Hossic was giving Harry lessons in stone-laying while Gration gave me what the Yanks would probably call the third degree. He kept asking questions until he was satisfied that he'd wrung me dry. Then he told me that I never did anything easy and hugged me close.

I felt a lot better after that. We finished laying the floor and three of the walls. I'd had a pot of stew simmering on the back burner since morning and once we'd cleaned up, we had a picnic in what I was calling Sev's nook. He looked more rested and at ease with the twins although he was still real quiet. He'd been an onlooker most of his life and this had to be hard for him.

But Gration liked his dry comments and pretty soon Sev had them rolling on the grass with his tale of the first time he met Sebastian the sea dragon. It was just a good thing that he usually shielded himself when he was gathering magical scales. In this case, let's just say that Sebastian's breath was worse than his flame, especially after one of my jalapeno pepper mashes.

Harry went off to Hogwarts about eight o'clock with Ty keeping him company to the edge of the Forest. The twins went to wash up in the lake and I carried Sev in for our bath. I'd already told Gration that we were going to bed early and he just winked and promised not to interrupt us. I know I was grinning but I was so relieved that they'd accepted Sev and me that I couldn't seem to stop.

"Ah, alone at last," I said, kicking the door shut behind me.

Sev chuckled. "It's going to be an interesting week, Ru'. Are they really all right with us?"

I kissed him while carrying him into the bathroom and setting him down. I made sure he was steady before moving to the tub and turning on the water. "They're fine, Sev. I'm the first to bring a mate to the family. We're going to be a Hagrid family first in a lot of ways."

He was undressing slowly and I watched each piece of cloth flutter to the tiles, revealing more and more of that beautiful ivory skin that I love to touch. I didn't have as much to take off so I was in the tub when he finally stepped over the side and sank into the steaming water. He lay down on my chest and kissed me slowly. This was the moment of the day when everything went away but us.

We were once again the only people in the whole Forest. This small space was ours alone while we reconnected after being apart for most of the day. Our washing was leisurely, the soap slicking our skins while the bubbles tickled us. Sev loved soaping up my chest and watching the curls spring up to greet him. That's not the only thing that liked to spring up when he was lying naked on my chest.

Getting hard around Sev had become a habit that I really enjoyed. He'd wiggle over me and pretty soon, I'd be growing up through his legs. I'd given up hope of ever coming inside of him, I just wouldn't fit in there. That had always been a possibility and I'd taken it philosophically. There were lots of other things we could do and Sev was learning real fast what turned me on and made me explode.

"Ru', may we please take this to the bed?" He was kneeling between my legs, holding onto my cock with both hands and he had a real thoughtful look on his face.

"Good idea, Sev. This bathtub isn't big enough." I sat up and made sure that I was rinsed off. I hate the feel of dried soap flaking off me. He let me go reluctantly and I watched him climb out and pick up a towel. He has the most beautiful body of anyone that I know and I loved the long lean lines of him. He's got muscle where he needs it although I still thought he was a little too skinny.

His appetite was good though and he ate most everything I set in front of him, which reminded me that I needed to harvest some more of the apples. He'd really liked the apple crumb cake. I almost forgot to dry off myself because of watching him but he shook his head and began helping me. I was hard as a rock by the time we were both dry. I picked him up again, even though I knew he could walk that far.

I just liked holding him and so far he hadn't called me on it. He'd been a little scared, I think, about whether my brothers would like him touching me. But at the moment, he was kneeling beside me on our wide bed while he contemplated my cock, tracing some kind of pattern on it with one finger.

"You're beautiful here, Ru'," his voice was lazy and thoughtful at the same time. "I've measured you and measured me and it just won't work."

"I know, Sev." I reassured him. "But that's okay, I love it when you rub me and lick me all over. I'd really like it if you came inside of me. You can't hurt me or anything. It will just feel real good."

He looked at me with his head to one side and a little smile on his lips. "Thank you, Ru'. But that's not quite what I meant. I like your size and I very much want to feel you inside of me. I did a little research," he raised his hand and a bottle of oil appeared in it. "This is a rather rare potion just for lubricating." He poured some on his hands, spelling it away and beginning to slide them up and down my cock. "You actually had most of the ingredients and Harry brought me the last one from my stores just yesterday."

It felt so good that I was sure I was going right out of my mind.

"There, that's better." He smiled at me before straddling me. "Give me your hands, Ru'."

I clasped his tight. "Wait a minute, ya're not ready yet."

He chuckled and wiggled just a bit. "Amplificare, consummare."

And slowly, I slid into the tightest, hottest place I'd ever been.

*********************
The end of part 8

Chapter Nine