In My Mind

Disclaimer: Same for the previous chapters. lol


A/N: Sorry it took so long for this update! I was, and honestly, still am kind of unhappy with this chapter. I've gone over and over it, and I can't actually find anything wrong with it. lol I just don't like it. The next chapter will be better, though. *grins* Also, Christmas Day will be the one year anniversary of me being on this site. I'm 55 reviews from 500, anyone want to help me in my goal to reach 500 before next Sunday? You know you want to! lol

amanda: Thanks so very much for the review. Glad you liked it.

Aisling: I do so love Luna. She is pretty cool.

Hambares: We shall see if he does in this chapter!

Addiction: *hangs head* I know, I took too long. Please accept this update with my sincerest apologies. Thanks for the review!!

coyo: *looks around rather dazed* i don't think I've ever had a reader snog me. Thank you. lol You'll be happy to know that Draco-chan actually makes an appearance in this chapter, but he's not with Percy. (I also agree that Pansy with one of the twins is very ewwww, but I needed another Slytherin in the family. lol) Thanks so much for your review. It really brightened my day.

chinglingdragon: Thanks!! I'm glad you're enjoying it!!

Holly: I'm glad you like it!

Molko: Your review means alot, especially knowing that you don't usually read Mpreg. Before I started this fic, I didn't much care for it myself, but now, well, I read just about every Snarry Mpreg fic I find. lol

catnicobuie: Duncan isn't quite here just yet. We still have a bonding announcement dinner, a bonding, more drama, other stuff, and THEN Duncan makes his grand appearance. Thanks for the review!!

lilblueduck: Of course I will hon! Consider yourself emailed. Glad you like the story...


Last Time:

“Oh, Harry, this is huge. This dinner is a big thing in the wizarding world. Did he tell you anything about what is to happen? The ritual of it?”

Paling noticeably, Harry shook his head. Remus led the young man to the couch and sat him down. “Bonding dinners are a big event in the wizarding world because they are such an old tradition. Only those truly in love can bond, and it is obvious that you and he are because of Duncan. There is also going to be an array of food ranging from turkey and ham to papaya, strawberries, and grapes, each symbolizing something for the couple to be bonded.”

“I’ll never get through it,” Harry whined.

Remus put his arm around Harry’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine, Harry.”

He then began to tell the young man what to expect and what would be expected of him. Being the wizard who was asked, Harry would not be required to actually do anything but follow Severus’ lead, and for that, Harry was grateful.



The werewolf was still there when Severus walked through the front door. The dark haired wizard pulled Harry up from the couch and kissed him on the cheek. They walked into the kitchen where Severus immediately began pulling shrunken bags from the pockets of his robes.

Remus and Harry had been calling the Weasley’s practically all morning, inviting them over for what Remus called a ‘formal celebration.’ Everyone’s excitement was evident.

Snape kissed Harry again as he started pulling food from the bags. Harry helped as he pulled asparagus, oysters, truffles, two small bags of radishes, several bunches of bananas, and a large bag of figs from the sack. He looked at what Severus had already pulled from the other bags. Harry was lost. There were quite a few things that he could not partake of, like the spiral ham and the caviar, but the majority of the rest of the feast consisted of fruits and vegetables.

Leading Harry to the table and putting a cup of tea in the younger man’s hand, Severus looked into uncertain green eyes. He moved back to the counter and began tending the fruits on it. “Fear not, Harry. You will do fine tonight. Now, let me prepare this feast tonight for our family. If you wish, you may watch me, but it is I who must fix it. We also must wear our formal robes. Will you wear your green ones for me?”

Harry simply smiled. While Severus was speaking to him, he was also slicing a star fruit. He supposed that being a Potions Master made one extremely proficient in the kitchen. It was nice to watch the older man gracefully step from one side of the kitchen to the other preparing the food. Remus joined them after a few moments and smiled. Foods of love and passion, he thought looking at the unprepared feast and then to his surrogate son. “Shall we find your robes for later?” he asked Harry.

“Sev wants me to wear my green formal robes, so I already know what I’m going to wear,” Harry replied. “Tell me more about the feast, Remus.”

The dreamy expression on Harry’s face said it all. He wasn’t actually looking at or paying attention to Remus. He was watching Severus move about the kitchen with a fluid grace even a cat would be envious of. The werewolf pulled Harry from the table toward the couch in the living room. “If you need us, we’ll be in here,” Remus said to Severus as he pulled Harry out of the kitchen.

Harry sighed and rubbed his belly. “Now, cub, what do you want to know about the feast this evening?”

“How will I eat the things like the caviar or the ham?”

Remus pulled Harry’s head down into his lap and began carding his fingers through the dark hair. “I’m sure Severus will come up with something, Harry.”

“What about…Oh!” Harry grabbed his abdomen. “I think Duncan has decided that he wants to play.”

Harry pulled his robe open and unbuttoned the bottom buttons of his shirt. Remus put his hand over Harry’s now, outie, bellybutton and pressed lightly. Giggling, Harry tried to put the hand away. “Your hands are cold!”

Remus rolled his eyes. “I haven’t felt him move yet.”

Taking the cold fingers and pressing them down slightly, Harry said, “Duncan it’s Granddad Moony. He hasn’t felt you move yet.”

It almost felt to Harry that the baby decided to try doing flips from one side of his abdomen to the other. Tears welled up in the werewolf’s eyes. “I remember another cub that was active and liked to drive his mother up the wall while she carried him. Duncan moves around kind of like you did when Lily carried you. I wonder if he’ll begin stretching like you did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, Harry, when your mum was about seven months along, you would do this full body stretch that would absolutely drive her mad. She showed us one time and I thought Padfoot and your dad were going to pass out. We could see four little lumps in her tummy where your hands and feet were. I thought it was the most special thing that I’d ever seen.”

“That is pretty special, Remus. I hope he doesn’t do it, though; sounds painful. “

“She never complained, not really, so I don’t think it was too painful,” Remus replied with a wistful smile.

They spent the rest of the day discussing the baby and what they would do once he finally made his way into this world. Harry also confided in Remus that he kind of missed talking to his son and wished he could still do it at times.

Finally, Severus announced that everything was almost ready and he was returning to the castle to change. Remus went back to Grimmauld Place, and Harry made his way to his room. He bathed slowly, reveling in the luxurious rose scented bubbles. He pulled on a light pair of gray trousers and a white shirt to wear under his green formal robes.

In no time, Severus was back, changed into his formal robes. He called down the hall for Harry who stepped out of his room and stopped. His mouth fell open as he looked at the older man.

Severus stood there under the intense gaze of his love, but quickly became uncomfortable. He shifted from foot to foot as Harry slowly walked up to him. “You look amazing,” Harry whispered reverently touching the blue silk robe Severus was wearing.

He reached up and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind his love’s ear and kissed him on the cheek. “As do you,” Severus replied after returning the kiss.

The two men walked back into the sitting room. Harry waited for the guests as Severus finished setting everything up. He joined Harry just as Arthur and Molly stepped through the floo. Molly almost immediately burst into tears as she threw her arms around Harry in a hug. “You look so handsome!” she said as she pulled back.

Arthur shook Severus’ hand as Molly fussed over Harry. Her tears were beginning to dry up when she looked at Severus. That didn’t last long. She wailed again as she threw her arms around him. She put her hands on his cheeks in a motherly gesture. “Blue is your color, Severus. You really should wear it more often. Now,” she wiped her face and smiled, “where’s this celebration?”

Harry held his arm out for Molly and the four made their way out back to the garden. Both Molly and Arthur gasped and looked at the two men when they saw the array of foods on the table. Harry simply grinned and nodded. This brought another round of hugs and tears from Molly. “Our Harry’s all grown up, now,” Arthur said to his wife.

Severus stepped back into the house while this was going on and brought both of the twins and their wives to be seated. Their reaction was much the same with Pansy congratulating her former Head of House. Following the twins were Ginny and Neville, Ron and Hermione, Bill and Fleur, Draco, and finally, Remus. Once everyone arrived and was seated, red wine was poured into every glass but Harry’s; he received sparkling grape juice.

Severus took Harry’s hand and stood. Lifting his glass, he addressed everyone present. “As you have all figured out, this is the formal announcement, to our family, of our bonding. We are going to have a busy month ahead of us. Tonight is just as much about our honoring you, as it is about celebrating the new journey that Harry and I are about to embark upon. You have helped mould us into the people we are today. Thank you all for coming and being there for us when we have been in need of it. May our presence in your lives bless you as we have been blessed by your presence in ours.”

Everyone lifted their flutes of wine and the guests replied, “May your bonding be blessed with love, family, and friends.” Then, they all drank.

As the ‘father of the bride’ Remus stood. He smiled at the two men and took the large bowl in front of his plate. He laid two leaves of Romaine Lettuce on the plate in between Harry and Severus, followed by chopped basil leaves, a pinch of crushed garlic, a sprinkle of ginger, two baby carrots, and a bit of fresh rosemary. He covered the salad with citrus vinaigrette. Harry looked at Remus and then at Severus. He really had no clue as to what was going on. Severus leaned over with a smile and whispered, “We feed each other from this plate. Listen to Remus.”

The werewolf smiled down at both men. He put a hand on each of their shoulders. “As your family, we wish you love. May the love and the joy that comes with finding your intended, the one who is the other part of you, be with you until the end of time. May the love you feel today be as strong in eighty years and indeed until your final days.”

Everyone around the table nodded in agreement and watched as Severus cut the large lettuce leaves up for Harry and then fed him a bite. Harry picked up his fork with trembling hands and fed his love. Then, they waited. Everyone else fixed themselves a salad and the couples began to feed each other. Male laughter shattered the silence. Draco and Remus were the only two who didn’t bring a date, so they were trying to feed each other, and both found it funny, for some reason. Harry and Severus resumed feeding one another while the others chatted and laughed. Laughter and joy could only strengthen the magic of the evening.

When everyone was finished and the dishes were cleared away, Molly rose, as the ‘mother of the bride’. “We have wished love upon our children, now we wish fertility, not that that should be a problem.” Everyone chuckled at a red-faced Harry. “This blessing of fertility is not just for our potential grandchildren, though. It is also a reminder to keep love in your heart and allow it to grow. That is the key to a successful relationship.”

She then put several oysters in a half-shell on the plate in front of Harry. He paled and shot a panicked look at Severus who coolly lifted an eyebrow. Molly then put a bowl in front of Severus. It was full of blackberries, almond slivers, passion fruit, star fruit, papaya, and small chunks of dates.

Severus lifted the spoon to Harry’s mouth. Harry took it and groaned in pleasure at the taste. It really was quite good! He then lifted the raw oyster to Severus’ lips. Smoldering black eyes met uncertain green. Snape parted his thin lips and flicked his tongue under the oyster as Harry tilted it. The oyster slid effortlessly down the dark wizard’s throat. There was something undeniably and overtly sexual about the look on Severus’ face as he took the mollusk and swallowed, and everyone at the table caught it.

As berries and oysters, according to everyone’s tastes, were added to the other plates at the table, Severus fed Harry again, but with his fingers this time. The two men watched only one another and missed the feral looks as the other couples fed each other. The magic was affecting not only Harry and Severus, but also everyone else.

Hermione and Draco both stood and made their way over to the men. Draco stood behind Severus and Hermione stood behind Harry. “For two wizards, love may not be enough for the relationship to last a lifetime,” the blond began.

“Sometimes lust finds its way into the heart and tears the wizard’s apart,” Hermione said.

“Lust itself is not bad, for it can also keep an eye prone to wandering where it should be, on the one you love. May you lust for each other and may it be fueled by your love,” the two finished together.

They handed each man a bowl lined with rose petals and filled with fresh apple slices, peach slices, grapes, apricots, strawberries, and cherries. At the same time, Harry and Severus fed each other with their fingers.

When the two young people sat back down, everyone pulled their bowls up and fed their partner. The magic in the air was intoxicating and everyone was affected in some way. Molly and Arthur stood. “Family and friends protect us. They keep our minds focused, our hearts pure. We joyfully accept you into our family and hope that you will readily accept us into yours.”

Severus stared into Harry’s eyes. “As you are Harry’s family, so are you mine.”

The whole table cheered. Finally, the ritual was done and the true feast could begin. Everyone began filling their plates with the bounty of foods on the table including pieces of the spiral ham, peas, sweet corn, and various cheese and fruits. Severus filled Harry’s plate with pomegranate, more strawberries, pineapple, scrambled eggs, and a couple of small chunks of cheddar cheese. He filled his own plate and then reached over and began feeding Harry. “It’s customary that I feed you before I eat anything,” he whispered as he dunked a strawberry in a bowl of cream.

The women at the table spent the rest of the evening drilling Harry about what he had planned for the bonding. The pregnant man blushed as he admitted that he really hadn’t had time to think about it yet. At the end of the meal, they all whisked him away to the kitchen and let the men stay in the garden.

Hermione got out a quill and parchment and began taking notes. They discussed everything from flowers to colors to food. By the time the men made their way inside, Harry was so exhausted that he was nodding off sitting there listening. “I believe that someone has had a bit too much excitement this evening,” Severus drawled as he carded his fingers through Harry’s hair.

Molly agreed and ushered all of her children and in-laws to the floo. Everyone said good-bye to Severus and again congratulated him and Harry on their engagement. The last two to leave were Remus and Draco, who had been practically inseparable since they fed each other the oysters. It was obvious where they were going and what they were going to do. Severus smirked. “And to think, everyone always thought you hated each other,” he said as they walked toward the fireplace.

Draco laughed as Remus pulled him into the floo. They were both going to Grimmauld place.

Bleary green eyes met sparkling black ones as Harry was aided to his room. Severus helped Harry from his robe and began undressing him. When he was down to his boxers, Severus helped him to bed. Before pulling the quilt up to Harry’s chin, he pressed several kisses to his distended stomach and put his ear to his young love’s bellybutton.

“Stay,” Harry whispered as he watched the gentleness with which his love caressed his body.

He needed more. So far in their relationship, they’d done little more than hold each other and kiss, and in this moment, Harry could not figure out why.

Severus was startled by the single word. Harry had asked him to stay before, but he had never really considered it. He stood and began to disrobe. Green eyes bright with emotion watched him intently. When he was only in his boxer-briefs, Severus slid between the sheets and lay on his side, gathering Harry to his chest.

Uncertain fingers danced up Severus’ side as if counting his ribs. “You’re too thin,” Harry observed as his fingers became emboldened and ran down his loves back, touching each knot on his spine.

Groaning, Severus shifted. His erection pressed slightly against Harry’s belly and the younger man stilled, but only for a moment. Open mouthed kisses were then pressed to a slightly scarred chest and across his collarbone.

Summoning all of his self-control, Severus looked down at the enraptured face now nibbling down his chest and said, “Harry…”

Green eyes met black as the younger man stopped his ministrations. “Make love to me,” Harry whispered.

His self-control crumbled at those words. Severus smiled down at Harry and then took his lips in a sweet kiss. He ran his fingers down Harry’s chest and rested them on his stomach, on their child. “Are you sure,” Severus asked after breaking the kiss, “because if I don’t stop right now, I will not be able to.”

“I need your touch, Severus,” Harry whispered. “Please, show me how much you love me.”