I'll Be Home For Christmas

Sorry for the wait in updating. RL reared it's ugly head at the most inopportune moment. But now, all is well, and here's the next chapter for your perusal. As always thanks to all my reviewers. I do appreciate you taking the time. Read and enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Proprieties Observed


As the holidays drew to a close and the inevitable spectre of returning to Hogwarts loomed for Severus, he was faced with another dilemma, and that was what to do with Harry. As Head of House for Slytherin, Severus was required to be on premises most of the time, therefore he lived in his dungeon quarters when school was in session, with the occaisional weekend leave whereupon he returned home to his and Harry's house. That is, unless Harry was gone on an Auror mission, and then he stayed in the castle. Although most of the wizarding world was aware that he and Harry were together, and certainly Headmistress McGonagall was, Severus was in agreement with her that the proprieties must be maintained. Therefore, although Harry, if not on a mission, usually joined Severus in the Great Hall for dinner, they made a show of Severus escorting Harry to the front doors as if he were leaving, so that the students wouldn't get any wrong ideas about overnight guests. Harry's old Invisibility Cloak never came in as handy as it did then, for he would walk down to the gates and appear to apparate away, but what he was really doing was disappearing under the Invisibility Cloak and returning to the castle and Severus' dungeon rooms where he would occaisionally spend the night. Niether Severus nor Harry were foolish enough to think that Minerva McGonagall, still sharp as a tack, wasn't aware of this, but it was a silent understanding that she said nothing as long as they remained discreet and Harry wasn't actually living there.

Severus' dilemma stemmed from this. Technically, he was in agreement with Minerva about Harry spending the nights with him in the castle; it wouldn't do for the students to know that their Potions Master's lover spent the nights in the dungeons, and would lead to all sorts of inappropriate ideas of what they got up to down there. As a Professor of Hogwarts and Head of Slytherin, it was Severus' responsibility to set an example of proper behaviour while on school property, despite the fact that they all knew he and Harry lived together during the holidays. He knew that the only reason Minerva turned a blind eye to his and Harry's occaisional clandestine nights together was that they happened to be favourites of hers, Severus as a former student and colleague, Harry as a former student, and he did not wish to abuse their friendship any more than he already did. He respected Minerva McGonagall far too much to endanger her reputation and position as Headmistress should their secret be revealed, and so was circumspect in maintaining the charade. The problem was, as terrified as Severus was at the prosepct of becoming a father, a new feeling of protectiveness and possessiveness had come over him at the news of Harry's pregnancy, and Severus did not want Harry spending his nights alone at their house. He wanted Harry with him for this reason, but also so that Harry was close to Poppy in the infirmary should anything go wrong. Wizard pregnancy, although not exactly rare, was uncommon, and fraught with all sorts of potential problems. Severus would feel much better with Harry close to Poppy and himself, where he could be sure that he would get the proper care. The other thing that nagged at Severus was the fact that Harry was still a celebrity, still the Saviour of the Wizarding World, The Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived, and although the excitement had died down in recent years, the news that Harry was pregnant was sure to stir up all sorts of unwelcome media attention again. Rita Skeeter never failed to mention Harry as often as possible as it was, but Severus knew even she wouldn't dare darken Hogwarts' doorstep, let alone the rest of the rather questionable press corps. Harry would be safe, Severus would have peace of mind, and they would both be happier being together, particularly now that Harry wouldn't be going on any missions for some time. With this in mind, Severus went to speak to Minerva.

**********

"Holiday isn't quite over yet, Severus," Minerva McGonagall said from behind her desk, pouring tea for them both, "what brings you back to Hogwarts so soon? I would have thought you'd want to spend every last possible moment with Harry."

"Indeed I do, Minerva," Severus said, taking the cup, "that is precisely why I am here."

"Ah, Severus, my boy," Albus Dumbledore spoke from behind her, having just entered his frame, "how is Harry?"

"Albus," Severus nodded, wondering where his former boss had been off to. No doubt eavesdropping in the Ministry again. "Harry is fine. He is, in fact, the point of this meeting, Minerva."

"Oh?," she asked, "what seems to be the problem, Severus?"

Severus paused a moment, cringing inwardly at the reaction he supposed he would be getting when he told his news, particularly from Albus, who had stopped just short of "I told you so" when Severus had grudgingly told him that he and Harry were a couple. Fixing the portrait of the former Headmaster with a formidible glare, Severus said, "Harry...is pregnant. We are to become parents."

After a moment where her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew impossibly wide, Minerva recovered and a warm smile spread across her face. "Oh Severus," she said, a bit sniffly, standing and leaning over the desk, "how very very wonderful for you and Harry both."

"Thank you, Minerva," he said leaning forward and allowing her to kiss his cheek and squeeze his shoulder, something he rarely allowed anyone other than Harry to do. Minerva, however, had always been a sort of proxy mother figure to Severus, taking an interest in him when he was a student and doing her best to divert the unwelcome attention of her Gryffindor Marauder's.

"Congratulations, my boy," Albus said from overhead, and although his eyes still held that infuriating twinkle, he said nothing more.

"Thank you, Albus," Severus said rather stiffly, daring the man to say more. Dumbledore, however, kept silent.

"I assume Harry will be joining you in the dungeons then when term resumes," Minerva said, "he is now entitled to do so."

"Yes," Severus replied, "that is my intention, however, there is something else I wish to ask of you, Minerva." He glanced up at the portrait of Dumbledore again, scowled, and motioned for Minerva to lean forward again. As she did, he did also, and whispered something into her ear. Dumbledore appeared to be very interested in the ceiling of his former office, humming tunelessly to himself as he gazed up out of his portrait, a smug smile on his face.

"I would be honoured, Severus," Minerva said, sitting back down in her chair, wearing her own smug smile, "simply inform me of when."

"Thank you, Minerva," Severus said gratefully, with another glance at the old man in the protrait behind her, "I wish as little fuss as possible, as I'm sure, will Harry."

"Of course," she said pleasantly, and turned their talk to school matters.

**********

Severus arrived back home to find Harry sitting in the middle of that ghastly white fur carpet he insisted on keeping, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth, staring into the fire.

"Harry?" he asked with a concerned frown, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a sigh, "just...you're going back to school soon, Ginny's gone, I'm stuck at a desk job..... It's going to be awfully lonely here without you, Sev."

Severus smiled and went to sit on the appalling carpet next to his love, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. "Does that mean you'll miss me?" he asked, nuzzling Harry's ear.

"I always miss you when you're not around," Harry said wistfully, leaning into Severus' embrace, "just....you know...my work day ends a lot earlier now that I'm not on active Auror duty and that's great while you're home, but ...it's going to make for some long and boring nights when you're at Hogwarts. And...I'm...afraid, Sev."

"Afraid?," Severus said, somewhat surprised. Harry loved being an Auror, sometimes so much that it frightened Severus; he never hesitated no matter how dangerous the mission might be. It worried Severus sometimes, thinking that perhaps Harry, having vanquished evil incarnate, thought he was truly invincible.

"Before, when it was just me, well and you too, it was different," Harry said somewhat fretfully, "if something happened to me, there was you, but....you know, it was just me. But now, every little thing I do affects someone else. Our babies. I mean, I'm pregnant! I'm happy about it, thrilled, but I'm also really afraid that something might happen. To them or to us."

"To us?" Severus said, surprised again, "what could possibly happen to us?" He could understand being afraid of becoming a parent, Merlin knew he was terrified of it himself, but he doubted Harry's fears were the same as his own. Harry was born to be a parent, he loved children. It was natural to be afraid of something happening to one's own children, but what could Harry possibly think would happen to them? Severus would never leave Harry, surely he knew that by now? "Harry," he said, "despite my previous behaviour, you do know that I would never leave you. You, or our children."

"No, I know that, Sev," Harry smiled briefly, "I mean....face it, you're older than I am, and...not that I think you're like....ancient but...anything could happen....and even if it doesn't.......you are most likely to go first......"

"Harry," Severus chuckled, "I do forget that you've been raised in the Muggle world...."

"You always say that," Harry said with annoyance, sitting up again, "what is it this time? What else don't I know about the Wizarding World?"

"Calm down," Severus said, pulling his frowning lover back into his arms. "once again, thank you for reminding me that I'm old enough to be your father, however, in the relative scheme of things, I am still quite young and you yourself are yet but a child."

"See, this is what I hated about you as a teacher," Harry grumbled irritably, "you're supposed to speak in English! What the hell does all that mean?"

"It means that Wizards live far longer than Muggles do," Severus said with amusement, "and while yes, I will most likely die before you do, that could conceivably be yet a hundred years in the future. By which time you will, no doubt, be well and truly tired of me."

Harry blinked his large emerald eyes at Severus blankly a few times before banging his head on his knees and moaning, "Of course. I knew that! Hermione must have pointed it out to me a million times over the years!" He suddenly looked at Severus again and said earnestly, "You know I'll never be tired of you, Sev. Even a hundred years with you wouldn't be enough."

Caught off guard, Severus clutched Harry tighter and had to swallow around the lump in his throat before he could say hoarsely, "You're coming to Hogwarts with me."

"What?," Harry said, his voice muffled against Severus' chest. He pulled away to look at the older man and said, "what about corrupting the students' pure little minds with speculation about us shagging the nights away in the dungeons?" He snorted and added, "as if they hadn't already been up to just that themselves. Especially you Slytherins. I was a student there myself, you know. Believe me, they aren't all as clueless as you and Minerva like to think they are."

"Which Slytherin laid a hand on you?" Severus growled. He had been Head of House then too, and felt it not too late to hunt down the miscreant now. Malfoy, he thought disgustedly, and scowled at the thought.

"Besides you?" Harry said playfully, seeing his lover's scowl. He thought it was sweet of Severus to be so jealous, although the man would go to the grave before he'd admit it in words to anyone else. Harry saw his scowl deepen and relented, saying, "Nobody. I'm just saying that the students aren't as innocent as Minerva likes to think they are. I'm sure it was the same in your day."

"Be that as it may," Severus said pointedly, "things have changed now."

"Because I'm pregnant?" Harry said doubtfully, "you'd think that would make it worse. Obviously I got pregnant at Hogwarts. Must have been that first time I stayed after the school year started. You were pretty horny then, Sev. We were at it all night long. Sort of returning to the scene of the crime, isn't it?" he added thoughtfully.

Nonplussed as always at Harry's bluntness in such matters, Severus stared at his lover momentarily before sputtering indignantly, "I suppose it wasn't you who turned up after a month of being gone God knows where on one of your missions and begged me to shag you into the mattress!"

"Yeah, but you did it, didn't you?" Harry said slyly. He could never resist teasing Severus about his bedroom enthusiasm. He loved the contrast between his lover's grim and intimidating public persona, and the unbridled and uninhibited passion of their private sex life. Who knew the man would be an animal in bed? And what Harry loved best was that it was all for him. He watched with amusement as the man scowled at him even as his pale cheeks blushed faintly, and thought about how he loved this prickly and difficult man beyond all reason.

"Are you finished?" Severus asked acidly cocking his eyebrow.

"I just want to know why the sudden change of heart?" Harry asked, knowing when his limit had been reached. "I would think that my being pregnant would be teaching a bad lesson is all. "After all, I'm an unmarried mother, so to speak." He couldn't help batting his eyes as he said that, and laughed when Severus rolled his.

"Although you are pregnant, you are still referred to as the child's...children's... father," Severus informed him. "In our world, although we refer to such a union as a marriage, you know from attending your best friends' wedding that it is actually a bonding ceremony, the participants are bonded together rather than "married", which is a Muggle term we have adopted."

"Even so, we aren't married or bonded," Harry said.

"Yes, we are," Severus said to Harry's surprise. "Even though we have not stood togther in a ceremony, we are bonded nonetheless. Your pregnancy is proof of that, and our union is regarded as valid , the same as if we had stood together in a ceremony, although it is a magical union rather than a legal one. We are, therefore, considered to be one another's spouse, and as such, we are allowed to live together at Hogwarts."

"We're married?" Harry asked wonderingly.

"No," Severus said with a sigh. Did the boy listen to nothing?! "We are bonded. Did I not just explain this to you? We refer to those who participate in a wedding as "married", although they are actually bonded. We are not required to have a ceremony to be bonded. We are magically bonded, your pregnancy is the proof of that." Severus made a noise of derision and said, "Ironically enough, when you said that your pregnancy should shut up all those that wonder what you see in me, you were closer to the mark than you knew. As Poppy and I told you, not all wizard couples can create a child; it is impossible if the bond isn't there, and there is no way of knowing if the bond is there until the child is created in the first place. Nobody questions a wizard pregnancy, Harry, the bond is inherent, and on a much deeper level. A relationship that results in a wizard pregnancy is a realtionship that is truly meant to be."

"Wow," Harry breathed and turned to look at the older man. "You really do love me, don't you?"

"Did you doubt it?" Severus asked with a frown.

"No, of course not," Harry hastened to reassure him, "Only...it's nice to have the proof of it," he added, looking down at his stomach.

"Perhaps this will dispel any lingering doubt," Severus said and pressed something into Harry's hand.

"What's this?" Harry said and then looked at it for a long moment. "Wow, Sev," he asked faintly, looking up from the ring he held in his hand, "are you....proposing to me?"

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Severus smiled and said, "Well, I wouldn't want my children to think I wouldn't marry their mother, would I?"

"Thought you said I was their father?" Harry said, "it doesn't make me your wife, does it?"

"Of course not," Severus said, "it makes you my husband."

"Then you're the wife?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Don't be ridiculous," Severus said irritably, "I'll be your husband. Can you not answer a simple question?"

"You didn't ask," Harry countered.

"You live to torture me, don't you?" Severus growled.

"Well?", Harry said pointedly, cocking his own eyebrow, "you have to ask to get an answer!"

"You do realise I don't have to do this?" Severus said with annoyance, "we are bonded already."

"Fine," Harry shrugged, getting up, "then don't."

Severus frantically grabbed his hand as he made to move off and said hurriedly, "Will you marry me?"

Rather stunned that he'd actually put it into words, Harry looked down at the man clutching his hand and kneeling before him. "Wow, Sev, you're on your knees and everything. You really are proposing."

Taking a deep breath to contain his swiftly evaporating patience, Severus said, "Yes, Harry, I am proposing." The boy could be positively infuriating at times!

"This is so weird," Harry said, "before you came along, I used to dream about doing this with Ginny..."

That was it. "Are you going to marry me or not?!" Severus shouted, no longer able to contain his temper.

Harry only smiled, leaned down, took his lover's scowling face in his hands, and said, "Well Sev......did you doubt it?"

**********

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