"Hermione, please come in," Harry said, moving aside and allowing his best friend to enter Sirius's house. He was admittedly nervous about Hermione's being here. Ron hadn't spoken to him all holiday. He had sent a present to Ron, but it had come back unopened, which angered Harry even more. Ron was being such a stupid prat, but Harry could believe it. Ron had proven more than once that if things aren't the way he wants them, he throws a tantrum that can last for weeks, if not months.
"Hello, Harry." Hermione smiled warmly at him. She followed him into the living-room, and looked at those who were already there. Remus and Sirius were, present, of course, as were Severus and Draco. She knew this was to be a quiet affair. Harry had invited Neville, since the boy didn't have any friends that lived nearby, and his grandmother had allowed him to come. Neville was talking with Professor Snape, and Hermione was surprised to see that he looked at ease with the Potions professor. She walked up closer to them and she could hear that they were discussing herbs.
"They're getting along…let's not disturb them," Harry whispered, pulling Hermione toward Sirius.
Sirius greeted Hermione with a kiss on her hand. "Good evening, Hermione. I'm glad you could make it. We're still waiting for Fred and George, and George's date." Sirius handed Hermione a glass of juice.
"Oh, come on, Dad. You know that Fred likes to make an entrance," Harry replied.
Hermione choked on her juice. She looked up sharply at Harry. "What did you just call him?" she managed to choke out.
Harry laughed. "I forgot to tell you! Sirius adopted me. He saved it as a gift for Christmas."
"Harry James Potter! How could you just forget to tell me something like that?" Hermione demanded, catching the attention of all those around here.
Harry feigned remorse. "I'm really sorry, Hermione. I was just so excited that I forgot. Forgive me?"
Hermione sighed. "Well, I guess I can understand that. I'll forgive you…this time," she said, her eyes shining with happiness. She hugged Harry. "I'm happy for you," she whispered into his ear. "I know how much you've always wanted a family."
"Thank you," Harry said, pulling back. He looked over to see Severus watching the two of them. Harry winked at him and pulled Hermione over to the couch. "So, tell me how your holiday is going. Have you been having fun, or have you been revising all holiday?"
"What do you think?" Hermione said, laughing. "Seriously, I have studied, but my parents and I went to France for a few days to visit some of the museums. I had fun. What about you? Have you heard from Ron? Has he decided to stop acting like a twit?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from him. I sent him a gift, but it came back unopened. I really hate it when he acts like this. If he can't have things the way he thinks they should be, he gets all pissed off."
"I'm sure that he'll come around. Give him some time. He's just stubborn. Don't let him get to you." Hermione looked over at Severus, who had gone back to his discussion with Neville. "I never thought I'd see the day that the two of them could get along well enough to have a civil conversation."
Harry smiled. "Neither did I. Wonders never cease, though you should expect this truce to cease once we get back to Hogwarts," Harry quipped as he looked at his lover with a small, dreamy smile upon his lips. "You can fully expect Severus to go back to his 'greasy git' persona once classes resume. He does have a reputation to uphold."
Hermione watched Harry closely. She could tell how much Harry loved the Potions master, but she still wasn't sure about the relationship. She had to know how her professor felt about Harry before making up her mind.
As if he could read her mind, Severus broke off his conversation with Neville when Draco came up to speak with the young man, and Severus took the opportunity to speak with Harry and Hermione. He knew that Hermione was still uncertain about his relationship with one of her closest friends. He really didn't care what the know-it-all thought, but her acceptance meant so much to Harry that he would do whatever he could to put the girl at ease. It was bad enough that the youngest Weasley boy was a complete idiot. Severus didn't want to alienate Harry from all of his friends.
"Good evening, Miss Granger," he said politely as he sat down beside Harry. He slid his arm along the back of the sofa, resting it behind Harry in a clear show of territoriality.
Hermione got the message and smiled. Her professor had just said 'mine' without saying anything. "Good evening, Professor. How was your holiday?"
"It was quite enjoyable, despite being surrounded by Gryffindors," Severus said.
"I heard that, and I resent it! Since when did I become a Gryffindor?" Draco yelled across the room, all semblances of manners forgotten at the insult.
"Since you started dating a Weasley. Now do be quiet. We are trying to have a pleasant conversation." Severus turned to Hermione. "How was your holiday? I do hope that you didn't spend your entire holiday with your nose stuck in a book."
Hermione ignored Harry's smirk. "No, sir. My parents and I visited France for a few days."
Severus was about to say something, but he became distracted when a redhead that could only be a Weasley flew out of the fireplace, barely catching himself before falling onto the ground. His identical twin came in after him, and the two of them caught a young, blond woman on her way out. "Graceful entrance as always, Fred," Severus commented.
Fred looked over and grinned cheekily at Severus. "You know me. I always have to make a grand entrance." Fred's eyes fixed on Draco and lit up. He quickly went over to his boyfriend, and everyone else in the room was quickly forgotten.
Fred pulled Draco to him and kissed him fully. "Good evening, love," he whispered when he pulled away. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Draco murmured, pushing a strand of hair out of his boyfriend's beautiful blue eyes. "You would think I wouldn't, considering you were here yesterday."
Fred laughed and turned to his brother. "Well, are you going to introduce your friend, or what?"
George pretended to be offended. "I was merely waiting for the two of you to quit nattering on about your love and making us ill." He turned to the others in the room. "This is my friend Bianca. She finished her studies at Durmstrang last year, and she's working in Hogsmeade at the bookstore."
"Hello," Bianca said softly.
Everyone voiced their greetings and soon enough Hermione cornered Bianca, and the two of them were talking about the different curricula of the schools, and George was pretending to gag.
Harry chuckled and turned to Fred. "Is your brother still being a prat?" he asked, knowing what the answer would be.
Fred sighed and sat down opposite Harry and Severus. "Of course, but that's the least of your problems."
Harry frowned. "What's wrong now?"
Fred looked over at his brother, and George came to sit beside him. Fred said, "Well, Mum asked Ron why he wasn't going to come to the party, and he said he didn't feel like it. He's been in a horrid little snit ever since he got home, and this afternoon Mum and Dad finally pushed him hard enough, and he told them that you and Severus were together."
"Bollocks," Severus muttered as Harry said, "Oh, shite!" Severus glowered at Harry. "Language, Harry."
Harry ignored him. "How in the world does your brother think it's okay to talk about my personal life without my permission?"
"My brother doesn't think half the time. That should tell you something," George muttered.
"Well, he'd bloody well better start! How dare he go around telling people what I told him in confidence, even if those people happen to be his parents?" Harry looked at Severus, saw the warning glare, and tried to calm down. After a moment, he said, "How did your Mum and Dad take the news?"
Fred shifted uneasily. "Not bloody well. They're furious. They're even more furious with George and me for taking your side. When we left the house earlier, Mum was still screaming about how Severus was taking advantage of you. I don't know what they are going to do."
"Well, that's just bloody brilliant!" Harry yelled, jumping up and pacing the room. "I told Ron so that he wouldn't get a shock when he showed up here tonight, and this is how he repays me? I can't believe this!"
Severus allowed Harry a moment to vent before standing up, taking Harry by the arm, and gently leading him into a nearby room. "Harry, calm down."
Harry twirled around and stared at him, unable to believe that his lover could be so calm. "How can you be so bloody calm? I want to tear the arms off his fucking body!"
"Harry, if you don't mind your language, I will take you over my knee and punish you like a naughty child."
Harry took a deep breath. "All right, I'll watch my language. I ask again, how can you be so calm? I have a feeling that this is not going to be good, and I can't understand why you are not furious."
Severus led Harry to the couch and they sat down. He pulled Harry closer and kissed him on the temple. "I'm furious that the little brat has absolutely no respect for my personal life, but throwing a tantrum in front of guests is not the way to go about remedying the idiot's faux pas."
"Severus, what if they do something? What if they try to make trouble? I won't let them take you away from me, I won't!" Harry seethed.
As Harry spoke, Severus could feel the air around them crackling. He slid as close to Harry as possible and tried to calm him down. He placed soft kisses along his cheek and neck. "Harry, no one can take you away from me. I won't let them. Neither will Sirius and Remus, and don't forget that we have Albus on our side. You need to calm down, love. What good will you do to me if you blow us up?"
In spite of himself, Harry let out a chuckle. The air around the two calmed down and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. "I know you're right, Sev, but it's upsetting, to say the least. I hate people gossiping about me, and that Ron's telling people, even his parents, really pisses me off."
"Don't let it. This all may blow over, and you'll have worried for nothing. Don't borrow trouble, Harry. Now, you and your…father," Severus swallowed back a grimace and Harry sniggered, "have guests out there. I suggest that you go out there and enjoy yourself, and we'll deal with anything that happens when it happens." Severus stood and pulled Harry into his embrace. He kissed him gently and pulled him toward the door.
He and Harry stopped short when they saw Hermione standing in the doorway. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when she looked from him to Severus and back to him, and smiled. "I thought I'd see if there was anything I could do for you, but you're in good hands," she said, turning and walking back into the living-room.
Harry turned to Severus. "Looks like we just got Hermione's seal of approval," he commented.
Severus smirked. "Wonderful. I'll be able to sleep well tonight knowing that."
Harry smacked him playfully. "Come along, and you will enjoy yourself tonight, Mr. Snape," Harry said, giving a passable impression of his lover.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was after one in the morning before everyone retired to the bedrooms. All of the guests were staying over for the night, all of them either too sleepy or too pissed to Apparate or use Floo powder.
Severus managed to get Harry's mind off the inevitable explosion that was about to occur with a rather extensive and thorough shag, but the biggest event of the night was occurring three doors down, in Draco's room.
The moment that Fred and Draco walked into the bedroom and Fred shut the door, Draco was all over his boyfriend.
They had spoken about their sexual relationship- or lack thereof- during the holiday, and Fred reaffirmed to Draco that he would wait as long as Draco needed to feel comfortable before going any further with their physical relationship.
Apparently, Draco had enough of a waiting period, and he had launched a physical attack on his boyfriend as soon as they were completely alone.
Draco first sought out Fred's mouth, exploring its depths thoroughly while his hands dove underneath Fred's shirt and travelled the expanse of his lover's chest.
Fred, in shock by the assault, just stood there for the first moment or to, trying to register the fact that his boyfriend was feeling him up rather solidly. He gasped and realisation hit when Draco tweaked his nipples.
Fred groaned and wrapped himself around the blond, pulling him closer, his hands travelling up and down Draco's back, his hands sliding just to the small of his back, not wanting to make Draco uncomfortable. This was the most passionate Draco had been in a long while, and he was doing so with an abandon that surprised Fred.
Draco growled at Fred's reluctance. He grabbed Fred's hands and firmly placed them on his arse. "You can touch me, Fred," Draco said seductively, moving his hands back to Fred's shirt and promptly ripping it open."
"Oi! That was my favourite shirt," Fred complained half-heartedly.
"I'll buy you a new one," Draco murmured. He nuzzled Fred's neck before biting down and sucking, marking Fred as his territory.
"Ow! What is it with your family and biting?" Fred asked with a playful gasp, alluding to the marks Harry often had on his neck.
"Well, I could lift my leg and mark you that way, but this seems to be much more pleasurable…for me, anyway," Draco quipped. "Would you rather I not do this?"
"Oh, no! Actually, I rather enjoy it," Fred said, gasping as Draco's mouth returned to his neck.
Draco chuckled as he reached for the button on Fred's trousers, his mouth never leaving his exploration of Fred's neck. He quickly unfastened the trousers and slipped his hand inside, sliding his fingers deftly over Fred's arousal, pulling it out of his boxers and massaging the tip.
Fred shuddered and moaned as his eyes rolled back into his head. He tried to keep his senses, but when Draco pulled his prick out of his own trousers and started rubbing up against Fred's, he lost control. He slid his hands up Draco's chest and tore at the shirt Draco was wearing. The tinkling of buttons hitting the floor was barely audible above their heavy gasps for air.
Before he could lose complete control of the situation, Fred pulled away from Draco. "Draco, are you sure about this? We don't have to go any further. Just tell me to stop," Fred said, searching Draco's face for any sign of discomfort.
Draco growled and impatiently stalked to the bed, pulling Fred along with him. "I'm sure. I want this, Fred. I want you," he insisted. He pulled off his trousers and tossed them to the side, revealing his body to his lover.
Fred audibly gulped as his eyes roamed his boyfriend's body, from the top of his gorgeous, blond hair, down to his creamy, nicely toned chest, down to his more than adequate erection and his well-toned thighs and calves. He slowly pulled his gaze back up to Draco's face and saw the hunger and the desire plastered all over his beautiful face.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, awed once again that someone as beautiful as Draco would want him. Someone like Draco just wasn't meant for a common wizard, pureblood or not.
"Fred, come here," he said, motioning for his soon-to-be-lover to come closer. As soon as Fred was close enough, he finished stripping the redhead and pulled him onto the bed. He pushed Fred down on the bed and covered Fred's body with his own, grinding his erection onto Fred's.
"I want you, love. I want to make love to you. I don't know if I'm ready to be on bottom, but I know that I love you, and I want for us to be together intimately. I want this…I want you…only you," he murmured in between little kisses placed on Fred's jaw line.
Fred gave into Draco's pleas, and gladly allowed his lover to explore him thoroughly.
Draco did explore indeed, though starting out gave him a bit of trouble, since he didn't know which part of the luscious redhead to start with. He decided that the best course of action was to start at the top and work his way down.
Draco slid his tongue across Fred's jaw line with deliberate slowness, relishing in the saltiness of his lover's skin. He sucked the lobe of Fred's ear into his mouth when he reached Fred's ear, and he took exquisite pleasure in taking his time sucking on the little protrusion.
Fred did his absolute best to be patient, but his long-neglected prick was screaming for attention. Since Draco's attack, Fred had not even participated in a little self-love, since Draco wasn't enjoying himself, and now that his dick had the chance to come out and play, it was soundly protesting the wait.
Finally, the tension got to be too much for Fred, and he resorted to begging. "Please, Draco," he whimpered.
Draco released his lobe and slid back a little, staring at Fred with complete innocence. "What's wrong, love? Did you want something?"
Much to Draco's amusement, his lover growled. "Draco!" he shouted as Draco's long fingers grasped his throbbing prick.
Draco chuckled, running his hand up and down Fred's shaft, teasing the tip with just the slightest touch. "Is this what you wanted? Impatient, aren't we?" Draco ignored the fact that his own prick was weeping with impatience. He wanted nothing more than to be embedded deep inside of Fred, but he loved tormenting the redhead.
Fred was unable to repress a small sob. "Please, Draco…I need you inside of me, now. I want you so much…please."
Draco smiled and pulled open the drawer of the bedside table. He pulled out the jar of lubricant his uncle had made for him before the attack, glad that he would finally have use for it.
Draco dipped his fingers inside the jar and set it aside. Fred spread his legs open, eager for any touch that Draco would bestow upon him. "You know, preparing me is not really necessary. I'm more than ready."
Draco smirked. "I know that well, love, but I live to torment," Draco teased. He spread Fred's cheeks with his thumb and index finger of his left hand, while he slid two fingers inside his lover.
Fred hissed and moaned as Draco slowly fucked him with his fingers, brushing over his prostate with every stroke, intent on killing Fred with pleasure.
Draco wanted this to be as good for Fred as possible. He had been so loving and patient with him since the attack, and Draco wanted to make sure that Fred knew exactly how much he appreciated it.
Soon enough, Draco pulled his fingers out, unable to ignore his protesting arousal any longer. He grabbed the lubricant again and slicked up his prick.
Fred's erection twitched happily as he watched Draco prepare himself. "How do you want me?" Fred asked.
"On your back. I want to be able to kiss you while we make love," Draco said, positioning himself between Fred's legs.
Fred lifted his legs, and Draco positioned himself. He pulled his lover's legs onto his shoulders and silently thanked those responsible for Fred's amazing flexibility.
Draco slowly slid into Fred, biting his bottom lip and concentrating on not coming as soon as Fred's snug warmth enveloped his shaft. A few small thrusts and he was completely buried. He leant his head down and rested on Fred's shoulders, trying to come to terms with the nearly forgotten sensations.
It had been so long since he felt this intimacy with anyone, and never with anyone he had loved. His emotions went into overdrive, and all at once he could feel everything: love, happiness, fear, lust. These emotions overwhelmed him, but he knew that this was right. This was where he was supposed to be.
If he had any lingering doubts about engaging in sex, they were all but forgotten as he slowly pulled out and thrust deeply into his lover. He pulled his head up and kissed Fred deeply as he set a slow pace. They had all night, and Draco didn't want to be anywhere else…not ever.
Fred let Draco do as he pleased, more than happy to give over control to the Slytherin. As they explored each other's mouths, Fred's hands stroked Draco's back, rubbing in little, lazy circles.
"I love you, Draco," Fred murmured during a brief parting of their lips.
"I love you," Draco replied, slowly increasing his thrusts.
"Stay slow, love," Fred murmured, running his fingers through Draco's hair. "I want this to last as long as possible."
Draco chuckled, but slowed back to his previous speed. "We have all night and the rest of our lives, Fred," he teased playfully, kissing the tip of Fred's nose.
"I know that, but this is our first time, and I don't want it to end."
Draco quieted Fred with another series of kisses, but after a while, their need for release sped their lovemaking and the two came while swallowing each other's shouts of pleasure.
They fell asleep in each other's arms, only to wake up twice more to repeat their declaration of love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry woke up with an uneasy feeling churning inside his stomach, almost like a premonition of what was to come. If he could get away with lying in bed for the next month or so, he would do so willingly.
He knew that Arthur and Molly Weasley wouldn't just leave this situation alone. The considered him a part of their family, and if they thought that he was being abused in any way, they wouldn't stop until they did something about it. That's the part that scared Harry. There was no way to know what they would do, or how far they would go to protect Harry.
Harry rolled over and watched Severus as he slept. He brushed a few stray strands of hair that were obstructing his view out of his lover's face. There was no way that he would let them harm his lover. He would fight for Severus, no matter what.
He thought about Ron. How could someone that was supposed to be his best friend do this to him? How could he betray him like that? Harry knew that Ron had been upset, but this…
"Harry, stop it," Severus murmured.
"I thought you were asleep," Harry said, trying to calm down.
"I was, but the crackling of magic shooting up my spine seems to have woken me up," Severus replied sleepily as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back.
Harry grinned sheepishly and leaned over and kissed Severus's cheek. "Sorry about that."
"Quite all right, I assure you. Please refrain, however, from blowing up anything that may be in my general area, and we will both be the better for it."
Harry laughed and the tension in the room eased. "I'll do my best. So, do you think we should go downstairs and face the world?"
Severus grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled Harry on top of him. "No," he murmured, running his fingers through Harry's impossibly messy hair. "No one will be up yet, and anything else can wait. It's New Year's Day, and I would like to spend this morning being shagged senseless by you," he said.
"Oh, I think I can arrange for that to happen," Harry murmured, leaning down for a kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sirius sipped his tea as he reached for The Daily Prophet, which his house-elf, Libby, had set out for him. He looked at the front page and spewed his tea all over Remus's breakfast.
Remus looked down with disgust. "Padfoot, while I don't mind sharing things with you, this is not one of them," he said, pushing away his plate. "Thank you, Libby," he said when the house-elf quickly took the plate away and brought him a new one.
Remus watched Sirius, who was ignoring him and his complaints, as he read the newspaper, steadily growing angrier the longer he read. "What is it, Sirius? Is it about Harry?"
Sirius shoved the paper in Remus's direction. "I cannot believe this! How dare they?"
Remus said nothing as he read the paper. When he finished, he slammed it down with a snarl. "Someone is going to pay for this!" he seethed, glaring down at the paper. "How dare they do this to him? After all he's been through, why can't they leave him alone? Does it always have to end up this way, with all of his personal life spread out for the entire world to see? How could they do this to him?"
"Them? How dare Arthur and Molly Weasley? They're the only ones who knew of their relationship, other than those of us here, and Ron. As mad as Ron is, I doubt that he said anything to a reporter," Sirius interjected. "Of course, I never would have thought it of Molly and Arthur, but there it is, all over the front page!"
"From what it says, I don't think that Molly, Arthur or Ron said anything to the reporters. It looks like the Ministry of Magic has a leak. There are some people that would do anything for a Galleon," Remus said, glaring down at the paper's headline.
When Draco and Fred sauntered into the dining room, arms wrapped around each other, they stopped short, feeling the tension in the room. "Did someone have a lover's spat?" Fred asked playfully.
Remus said nothing, but he shoved the Prophet in their direction. Draco's eyes widened with surprise and his mouth hung open. "Have Harry or Uncle Sev seen this?" he asked.
"No, and I can imagine their reaction."
"Whose reaction?" Harry asked, coming around the corner, with Severus following, admiring the view of Harry's arse as it shifted as Harry walked. Harry had on his leather trousers, as per Severus's request.
"Yours," Draco said bluntly, handing the newspaper to Harry. There was no way to sugar-coat what was in the paper, so he figured he might as well save himself the trouble. He sat down next to Fred and turned to watch the show.
Harry looked down at the paper curiously, and when he saw the two large pictures, one of him and the other of Severus, he paled. He looked down and saw the article that came with the pictures:
DEATH EATER BUGGERS 'BOY WHO LIVED'
Sources from the Ministry of Magic state that Severus Snape, Potions master of Hogwarts and a man known as once being a Death Eater, is having an illicit affair with Harry Potter, who is responsible for the ultimate demise of the Dark Lord.
Arthur Weasley and his wife, Molly, lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Magic yesterday evening, after their son, Ronald Weasley, a student at Hogwarts and one of Harry Potter's closest friends, reportedly told his parents of the affair, after it was confided to him by Harry Potter.
The complaint filed states that the Weasley family fears that the affair started while Mr Potter was living with Severus Snape during the summer, while hiding from the media after the Dark Lord's downfall, and that the affair may have started before Harry reached the age of consent. The Weasleys also fear that Severus Snape used his position at Hogwarts to corrupt and defile the boy.
The complaint also questions Sirius Black's ability to parent. To think that Mr. Black would condone such a relationship is disturbing, but not surprising. Years in Azkaban have to have affected his judgement.
Severus Snape, Harry Potter and Sirius Black were not available for comment.
By the time Severus and Harry finished reading, Harry was shaking so much and his magic was crackling so much in his anger that the newspaper combusted while still in Harry's hand.
Harry yelped and dropped the paper. Severus quickly stamped out the fire and glared at Harry. "You have got to get that under control," he snapped. "You could have really harmed yourself."
"I'm sorry," Harry said meekly, staring at the ashes. "I'm just so angry I could kill! How dare they? How dare they sully your intentions at school and insinuate that anything you've done is less than noble! And how dare they question Dad's love and good intentions for me! I'd like nothing better right now than to go over there and give them a piece of my mind…and perhaps destroy a floor or two of both the Ministry and the Prophet!"
Severus pulled Harry closer to him and slowly rubbed the small of his back. He knew that this always released the tension in Harry, and he didn't relish the thought of the entire house falling down on top of them. "As would I love, but right now, I don't think that is the best thing. First, we need to do some investigating, and a bit of damage control. We need to get in touch with Albus."
"Perhaps we should go back to Hogwarts early and consult with the Headmaster," Severus said, staring at Remus and Sirius.
They got the message. "Yes, we should," Sirius said. "Albus will know what's going on with the Ministry, and he's our best bet for the truth. Sit down, Harry, and eat. We'll pack after that, and we'll head back to the school."
Harry scowled, but nodded. He took his customary seat beside Remus, who patted his knee. "Everything will be all right, Harry. We'll take care of the Ministry, and then you can tear down the entire Daily Prophet building for all we care."
Harry nodded and looked over at Draco. He took one look at Draco's face, and his eyes lit up and his right eyebrow shot up in surprise.
Draco caught the look, and he blushed and nodded slightly.
Harry gave him a beaming smile, winked at Fred, and then started to pick at his food. He wanted nothing more than to leave right this moment, but he'd do as his father and Severus asked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After breakfast, they all went about packing their things, as soon as their guests departed. Luckily, they had not been witness to Harry's little display. That's all Harry needed was for Neville to be afraid of him.
As soon as they were done, they all used Floo powder to travel to their respective rooms. They left their things for the house-elves to put away, and they went directly to the Great Hall. If they knew the Headmaster, that was where he would be waiting for them.
What they did not expect to see, however, was the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, standing in the Great Hall, flanked by two Aurors.
They crept closer, knowing that their presence was not yet detected. With Fudge's big mouth, they could clearly make out what he was saying.
"Albus, this is an outrage! How dare you allow this to go on under the roof of this school! I demand that you fire that paedophile immediately!"
"Fudge, as I have already told you, this is a matter for the school, and not for the Ministry. There are no bylaws against this sort of relationship, even if it is indeed highly unusual."
"There is no way that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, would allow a horrid man like Severus Snape to touch him! I mean really! The saviour of the wizarding world and a known Death Eater together? The very thought boggles the mind. Snape must have Potter under some kind of love spell!"
"Somehow I seriously doubt that," Harry growled.
Fudge nearly jumped out of his clothes at the sound of Harry's voice. He quickly turned around and stared straight into the face of an irate Harry Potter. "Mr Potter, I assure you that you're in good hands now. This will all be taken care of, and whatever spell you're under will be lifted. I'm sure that you'll see reason after that."
Harry sneered at the Minister. "If I'm under a spell, why don't you have it lifted right this moment? I'm sure that one of these gentlemen, or Madam Pomfrey, would be perfectly capable of such a thing."
Fudge motioned to the Auror on his left, who walked straight up to Harry and pulled his wand. Before he could make another move, Sirius grabbed the Auror's arm and said, "If you do anything to harm him or scar him in any way, I will kill you the very next moment."
The Auror nodded and proceeded to cast a Revealing charm over Harry. When nothing happened the third time, Harry turned to Fudge and said, "You were saying?"
"I cannot believe that you would willingly give yourself to this…this…"
Harry glared. "Watch yourself, Fudge. You are talking about the man that I'm in love with. Be very careful."
Fudge straightened and glared at both Harry and Severus. "The fact remains that a major investigation is to be launched, since the allegations of the Weasleys' complaint were quite serious." Fudge turned to Albus. "I suggest that you start looking for a new Potions master, Dumbledore. If this investigation goes as I think it will, Snape will be spending the rest of his life in Azkaban prison."
Severus was outraged. "I would never-!"
"I know that, Severus, and I've sent back letters already telling them this. But unfortunately, the Board of Governors does not feel the same way. They are launching their own investigation into this. If you are found guilty, you will be released from your position, Severus. I'm sorry. I've tried to make them see reason, but they will not have it."
Harry stared at the Headmaster, doing his best to keep control of his emotions. "What do we do now?"
Albus sighed. "The first thing we must do is remove you from the dungeons until this matter has been settled. Before you say anything," Albus said, knowing that Harry was about to launch a tirade of protests, "the governors have asked that you be removed from the vicinity. You cannot take Potions classes either while the investigation is underway. You two are not to be in the same room as the other, which means that one of you will have to take meals elsewhere."
"I'll take my meals in the dungeons, Albus," Severus said.
Harry shook his head. "You need to be there, as the Head of Slytherin. You go to the Great Hall for meals. I'll stay in my quarters, which will be where?"
Albus thought for a moment. "The best place would be in the rooms we had prepared for you some time back, near Sirius and Remus. I suggest that you go downstairs and pack up all your belongings, Harry. Oh, and do not leave anything in Severus's rooms, Harry, just in case."
Harry nodded and turned, walking quickly toward the dungeons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry packed up the last of his possessions, angrily tossing them into his trunk. "I can't believe I have to not only move out of your rooms, but also out of the dungeons? This is so unfair. I'd like nothing better than to grab Fudge and Ron around their necks and squeeze until their heads pop right off their bodies."
Severus sighed and pulled Harry to him. "I know, but this is for our own good. Until this is settled with the Ministry and the Board of Governors, it is the best course of action. We cannot give them anything more to work with. As soon as this is over, and if we prevail, I'm sure something more suitable can be worked out."
Harry knew that Severus was placating him, not really believing that everything would work out for them and pretending that this was their own choice and not the governors', but he allowed his lover to comfort him in the way he saw fit. "I'm sure, Sev, but I'm still so angry that I could hex Ron into oblivion, which is probably why Professor Dumbledore won't allow me back in Gryffindor."
"I know that only too well. It will be a trial for me not to drown the brat in his cauldron."
Harry turned around and pulled Severus as close to him as possible. "I'm going to miss you so much. I can't believe that they're removing me from class! Who knows how long these morons will take, and I can't see you at all until they pull the brooms out of their arses!"
"I know, love, but we still have a little time. Albus said that the separation will take place as of three o'clock, which gives us a few hours for a proper goodbye," Severus murmured in Harry's hair, "and Draco and Fred have offered to pack your belongings that are not in this room…"
Harry smiled in spite of their dire situation. "Why don't you show me how much you're going to miss me?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days later, the rest of the students returned to Hogwarts, all of them talking about the alleged affair between Harry Potter and their Potions master.
Harry could care less what the others were saying about him. It had been only two days, and he was already going mad. At least when he and Severus had broken up after Draco's attack, he got to see him and he wished he hadn't. Now he had to stay away, and he didn't want to, and it was going to drive him insane.
Hermione and Draco came up that night to have dinner with him, since Sirius and Remus were required in the Great Hall.
Draco frowned as Harry picked at his food. "Is this what you want me to report back to my uncle, Harry? That you sat here moping and picking at your food."
Harry sighed and threw down his fork. "I can't stand this! It's not fair at all. I can't see him at all, and we didn't do anything wrong!" He picked his fork back up and resumed picking at his food. "I'm sorry, Draco, Hermione. I just miss him."
"I know, Harry, but tomorrow we start classes again, and at least that will give you something else to think about," Hermione said, smiling sympathetically at him.
"I know. I'm actually looking forward to the classes," Harry said. "I just wish I could go to Potions as well."
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Classes the next day went pretty much as Harry had predicted. Everyone was staring at him and talking about him behind his back, but since they'd done that every year since he got here, it didn't much matter to him.
The one thing that really irked him that first day, besides being away from Severus, was the smirk plastered on Ron's face the moment they saw each other.
It was a smirk that Harry wouldn't allow to go unnoticed. As soon as Ron took his customary seat next to Harry, since McGonagall required assigned seating, Harry leant over and whispered, "You had better hope that Severus comes out of this unscathed, because if he doesn't, what I did to Voldemort will be a picnic in the bloody park compared to what I'll do to you."
It was Harry's turn to smirk as Ron paled. Harry then pasted on his best innocent, attentive expression as McGonagall entered the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a fortnight, and Harry was quickly losing his sanity from being cooped up so much and not seeing Severus, Severus was even crueller to selective Gryffindors and the entire student population in general, and Albus had quite enough of the Ministry and the governors.
While both had immediately launched investigations, both were dawdling when it came to actually performing them. After two weeks of waiting to see some results of these investigations, Albus thought that maybe it was time to pay a little visit to one Cornelius Fudge and see what was taking so long.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You know that the relationship is illegal, Dumbledore," Fudge stated smugly, sitting back in his large, comfortable desk chair, practically purring like a contented kitten. "The law states that a minor cannot consent to a relationship with an adult until he is eighteen."
Albus's eyes flashed dangerously. "Nice try, but trying to pull this with me won't work, you incompetent idiot. Quit wasting my time telling me about Muggle laws. We are not talking about two Muggles! We are talking about two of the most powerful wizards in the entire wizarding world. Muggle law does not apply here. You and I both know that wizard law states that the age of consent is 16, and that goes for any relationship, unless school law states otherwise. At Hogwarts, there is no rule against such a union. They have done nothing wrong."
Fudge waved his hand, carelessly dismissing the words of Hogwarts' headmaster. "Potter was raised in the Muggle world. If his Muggle relatives were alive, I'm sure that they would agree-"
Albus laughed coldly. "You simple-minded fool. Did you think that we would overlook anything? Sirius has adopted Harry…yes, Fudge, Harry is now the son of Sirius Black, a wizard. Harry's Muggle relatives, all of them, are dead. He no longer has ties to the Muggle world," Albus announced icily, wiping the smugness off Fudge's face.
"What do you mean? How can I not know that Harry Potter was adopted?"
"Harry Potter-Black," Albus corrected. "The reason you do not know is because I used my personal contacts to ensure Harry's privacy. You do not need to know things that are none of your business. Now, I suggest that you leave this to Hogwarts and its board of governors, and you'd do well to forget that you ever thought to bring charges against Severus."
Albus walked around the desk and leaned closer so that he was eye to eye with the Minister. "You know how powerful young Harry is. Have you felt the tension reverberating throughout the country? That's Harry's anger…yes, he is that powerful, and he's close to losing control of it. You know what he did to Voldemort. Even after all of these months, we still haven't figured out what he did or how he did it. All we know is that with one simple word, one small syllable, he managed not only to incinerate Voldemort's body, but also his soul. That kind of power is…unexplainable, and dangerous. This young boy was able to kill someone very nearly immortal with one word."
Albus sat back and glared at the pale man in front of him. "Harry loves Severus more than his own life. What do you think is going to happen if you take away that security? Severus, Remus, Sirius and Draco are his family, all he has left in this world. They are his stability and you are threatening that stability, shaking the very foundations of Harry's world. You seem to forget that Harry, while he is not the heir of Slytherin, carries the power of Salazar within his veins, thanks to Voldemort. He is also the heir to the power of Godric Gryffindor. He has tremendous power that no one can compare him to. Do you truly want this lineage, this power, aimed at you and the rest of the wizarding world?"
Fudge turned green and then lost all colour at the implications of Albus's words. "P-perhaps I was a b-bit h-hast-ty," Fudge stammered. "You're right, of course. This is a wizarding matter, not a Muggle one. There will be no charges brought up against Snape."
It was Albus's turn to throw Fudge a smug smile. "I knew you would see reason. Good man. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and make sure that the governors see things as clearly as you do."
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"Well, I have good news," Albus said as soon as Severus and Harry took their seats. He had called them into his office as soon as he had returned from London. "Cornelius Fudge has seen reason and he won't press charges against you."
Harry released a huge sigh of relief, and both men could feel the tension that had been throbbing throughout the castle for some time ease up considerably. Harry clasped Severus's hand tightly.
Severus asked, "What about the governors?" He knew that while there may be no criminal charges brought up against him, he could still be sacked, if the board decided that new rules were needed and they decided that their relationship should be illegal.
"I went to see them just a few moments ago. Before they make any hasty decisions, they want to speak to Harry. We can come along, if we wish, but we will not be allowed into the room while they speak to Harry."
Albus turned to Harry. "They don't want either of us influencing you," he said. "Don't worry, though. Just tell them the truth, be honest, and do be polite. Angering them won't help this situation any."
Harry nodded. "I'll do my best, sir," he said, smiling at the Headmaster. "When do we have to go to see the governors?"
"We are to be there in about two hours." Albus faked a yawn. "Well, I'm rather tired. I think I'll go lied down for a little nap, until it's time to go. The two of you are welcome to stay in the office and…talk," he said, standing up and heading toward the door to his bedroom chambers.
As soon as the door closed, Severus found himself with a lap-full of Harry. "God, I've missed being with you, Severus. I can't wait for all this to be over, so I can come back to your rooms. I hate waking up without you. I miss just looking at you. Thank Merlin that Fudge isn't that much of a moron."
"I guess there are gods somewhere out there on our side. Well, in a few hours, we will know the outcome, whatever it may be, and if we prevail, then you are most welcome to return to my chambers," Severus said as he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him as close as possible.
Harry chuckled. "I'm glad you missed me. And we will prevail. Otherwise, they're going to be sorry they ever heard the name 'Harry Potter'," Harry stated matter-of-factly. "I won't let them take you away from me."
"Harry, even if I do get sacked, it doesn't mean that we can't continue our relationship."
"I know that," Harry said, resting his head on Severus's shoulder. "But I don't want you to lose your position at Hogwarts because of me."
"I know that, but as I said before, don't borrow trouble. Let's see what they have to say, first. But you must promise me that you will have an eye on that temper of yours."
Harry raised his head and kissed Severus. "I promise that I'll do my very best. Now, do be quiet and kiss me. We have a great deal of time alone, and I do not wish to waste it arguing about the board and whether or not they can see reason."
Severus pulled Harry's face closer and kissed him a firm but quick kiss. "Is that what you wanted?" he teased.
Harry scowled. "If I wanted that, I would have gone to Draco." Harry leant over and pressed a series of soft, feathery kisses on his lover's lips.
Severus moaned and melted into Harry, sliding his tongue across those soft, delicate lips that had evaded him for the past two weeks.
Harry deepened their kiss, opening his mouth to Severus's exploration. Harry's hands slid up and down Severus's body, trying to touch every inch, reacquainting himself with every part he could reach.
Severus pulled back after a few minutes. "Harry, stop. We can't go too far. We're in Albus's offices, and we have that meeting in two hours. We can't go looking like we've just buggered each other senseless."
Harry moaned, but laid his head on Severus shoulder, snuggling close. "I know that, but I missed you so much. I just want to be close to you."
Severus pushed Harry up, ignoring his protests. He stood up, pulled out his wand, and transformed the chair he was sitting on into a larger, more comfortable chair. He sat back down and pulled Harry on top of him. "That's much better," he murmured, kissing Harry's neck.
They sat there for the next hour and a half, talking, holding each other, kissing each other, until Albus came back out and told them to get ready for their meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry stood in front of the twelve governors of Hogwarts, attempting not to fidget. To say that he was nervous was an understatement: Severus's position was in his hands. Unless he could unequivocally convince the board to see his perspective and understand it, Severus could very well be sacked.
Harry took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. At least he could be thankful that the air around him was no longer charged by his anger. He knew that the very worst that could happen would be that Severus lost his job, which would be disheartening and upsetting, to say the very least, but Severus would be able to find other work. After all, there was always work available for those with Severus's talent, well liked or not.
"Have a seat, Mr Potter," one of the governors said, motioning to a chair in front of the panel. Harry quickly took his seat.
"Now, Mr Potter, we need to ask you some questions. Do you mind if we administer a truth serum? It's not Veritaserum, but it will just convince us of your honesty."
Harry frowned, but nodded. He took the serum one of the governors handed to him, knowing that Albus wouldn't tolerate them giving him something that was bad.
Now, Mr Potter, we need to know some information about your relationship with Professor Severus Snape. When did the two of you first become intimate?"
"On my sixteenth birthday."
"Did he approach you or coerce you in any way?"
Harry shook his head. "No, he did not coerce me, nor did he approach me. I was the one that approached him. I initiated the relationship."
"Wasn't this terribly fast? Did he encourage your advances?"
Harry laughed in spite of himself. "I've had feelings for him since my fifth year, but he would never have touched me then. In fact, he wouldn't have touched me after I came of age, if I hadn't been so persistent. I practically stalked him, and he did his very best to dissuade me. It didn't work, however, and I eventually wore him down."
"So, in your eyes, he has done nothing wrong?"
Harry scowled. "Of course not! There are no rules stating that this kind of relationship is illegal. If there were, I would have waited until I was finished with school before approaching him. I would never have done anything to jeopardise his career or his reputation, but that's what this investigation has done, and it's completely unfounded. I expected people to be uncomfortable with our relationship because of who people think we are, but I never once thought that he would get into trouble for it."
One of the governors smiled sympathetically at Harry and said, "Who do people think the two of you are?"
Harry sighed. "The Boy Who Lived, and a reformed Death Eater. People know nothing about him, or me, yet they label us as these larger than life icons of good and evil, and we're nothing of the sort. We're just Harry and Severus, two ordinary people trying to live the same as every other witch and wizard around."
"Tell me, does your relationship affect your grades in Potions in any way. I see that you've improved greatly this year, which coincides with your relationship."
Harry glared. "The reason that my Potions marks are better this year is because I was able to study this summer. For the previous years, I had to sneak my books out late at night to do my homework, because my relatives labelled me a freak for being a wizard and wouldn't let me work on my schoolwork. While I was at Severus's, hiding from the media, I was able to study when I wanted, as much as I wanted, and when Severus found out why I wasn't as caught up in Potions as I should have been, he tutored me over the summer, just as he tutored his nephew, Draco Malfoy. To insinuate that Severus is less than professional in his grading is an insult not only to him, but also to me."
"Very well," one of the governors said after a few moments of silence. "If you would wait outside, Mr Potter, we will have a little chat and come to our decision shortly."
Harry quickly went outside and sat down on the bench next to the door. He hoped that what he said would convince them to drop the investigation and allow him to get on with his life.
A few moments later, Severus and Albus joined him.
Severus sat down next to him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for what you said in there. I'm touched that you would defend me so vehemently."
"I only told the truth, Severus. No need to thank me. I just hope that they're not a bunch of imbeciles."
Albus smirked at the Snape-ish word that came out of Harry's mouth. He thought that Harry would be sounding more and more like Severus as time went on. He decided that it wasn't a bad thing at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later, the three were standing in front of the governors. One stood up and said, "We have decided that there has been no wrongdoing on the part of Severus Snape. He had entered into a relationship with a student legally, and we find no grounds for termination. We are sorry for the inconvenience, and we wish you, Mr Snape, and you, Mr Potter, the best of luck in your relationship. Again, we are sorry for any inconvenience."
"Not at all," Severus said, relieved that he wouldn't have to leave. Contrary to popular belief, he actually enjoyed teaching Potions, even though many saw his methods as cruel. He knew that a lesser teacher would be sending their students home in body bags, due to a lack of discipline. "Thank you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The moment that they arrived back into the Headmaster's office by the Floo system, Harry launched himself into his lover's arms, kissing him all over his face, heedless of the protests from Severus and the amusement of Albus.
"I'm moving back in tomorrow, Severus," Harry declared, pulling him toward the door. "But right now we're going down into the dungeons. Professor Dumbledore, don't expect Severus for dinner."
Albus laughed openly at the mortified look on Severus's face. His professor was most obviously not used to having his life ordered around by a randy teenager. "Good luck with that one, Severus," Albus teased, ignoring the glare sent his direction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry let go of Severus as soon as they were in the hallway. While they quickly made their way down to the dungeons, they ran into Ron. Harry smiled winningly at him and said, "Looks like you have nothing to worry about, Weasel. Everything's fine now."
"What was that all about?" Severus asked as they reached the dungeons.
"I told Ron that if anything happened to you, I would inflict such torture on him that he would wish he was Voldemort. I had more mercy on him than I would have had on Ron."
Severus chuckled and opened his chambers. "My protector."
"Don't you know it," Harry murmured, dragging his lover to the bedroom.