Gaelic Blessing

Barely a month after Harry had informed Severus that he would accept both positions there was a huge ball hosted by the Ministry of Magick. The ball was held ostensibly to celebrate the end of the war and the restoration of the wizarding world in the wake of the devastation. Harry had failed to attend a single ball and this year his intentions were exactly the same. As far as he was concerned he was going to spend the night with the children in front of a dvd complete with popcorn. However, he hadn’t taken one thing into account; Severus.
The older man, like Harry, had refused to attend every single event but, this year he had been told by Professor McGonagall that he had no option whatsoever. He was expected to be at the ball, willing to socialise or at least not glare everyone into submission. Severus had scowled, glared and yelled but McGonagall had stood firm in her decision and insisted that as a senior member of staff and soon to be the new deputy headmaster it was his duty. Severus had growled and glared some more before he stormed out of her office uttering that if he had to sit through the ‘bloody ball’ he wasn’t going by himself and that he expected Harry to keep him company. Harry hadn’t been given a choice and had been steamrollered into attending by Severus’ more domineering personality.
Thus, it was a very unhappy Harry Potter that stood in the dungeons, trying to put off dressing for as long as possible. He started as Severus wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“I’m sorry love. I know that you don’t want to go, I don’t want to either. However, Minerva was fairly insistent that we both attend.”

Harry half-turned in Severus’ arms, entwining his arms around Severus’ waist and resting his head on the older man’s chest. “I know. It’s just a really big deal to me. I wouldn’t be doing this if you weren’t there with me. I just don’t know why she’s insisting that that both of us go now. You don’t think there’s anything she’s ‘forgotten’ to tell us do you?”

Severus sighed. “I don’t know. I hope not. I tell you what. We’ll go to this ball, stay for a couple of hours and then I’ll take you out for dinner. Just the two of us in Muggle London where we won’t be disturbed. How’s that?”

“Sounds brilliant love. Now, we don’t need to be there for a couple of hours so why don’t we have a bath and relax a little? Hmm?”

Severus smirked and gave Harry the look that turned his legs to jelly. “Oh, I have much more in mind than a bath. I need something to get me through tonight and I’m afraid the thought of you naked in my bathtub simply isn’t enough.”

“It isn’t?” Harry asked innocently.

“Oh no. I’m going to need something much more substantial than that.” Severus leered as he picked Harry up and swung him over his shoulder.

***

Over an hour later the two men were lying on Severus’ bed, Harry draped half over Severus’ chest, his fingers idly moving over the bare skin when they were disturbed by an irate Scottish brogue. Minerva McGonagall’s magickally enhanced voice echoed around the dungeon quarters.

“Severus Alexander Hades Snape and Harry James Potter! I have no idea what you think you’re playing at but I expect you to be at this ball within the next hour. If you’re not there will be hell to play. There is no doubt in my mind at what the two of you have been doing so I want you to get out of that bed and get dressed with no further distractions. You have one hour gentlemen.”

Whilst Harry was completely mortified, he could feel Severus’ chest vibrating as the other man laughed. Finally, Severus carded a hand through Harry’s hair.

“Come on love, maybe we should start making a move. It’s one thing for Minerva to know what we’re doing; it’s another thing entirely for her to see the evidence. I have no doubt that if we’re not at the Ministry within an hour she will come and get us. Minerva is nothing if not a determined witch. Come on. I promise, we need to get through two hours and then I’ll take you for dinner.”

Harry reached up and kissed Severus’ jaw. “Two hours. I’m holding you to that promise. I’m more than happy to stay here for the night, but I suppose....”

Harry moved reluctantly from what had quickly become his favourite pillow and reached for his boxers and then his formal trousers. He turned to see Severus watching his every move, eyes glittering with an unknown emotion.

“Aren’t you going to help me get dressed?” He asked flirtatiously, quirking an eyebrow at the Slytherin. To his delight, Severus’ response was almost petulant.

“No, because you’re doing it all wrong. You’re supposed to be taking your clothes off, not putting them back on.”

Harry laughed and crawled across the bed on his hands and knees until he was leaning over Severus. He bent and placed a lingering kiss to the thin lips.

“I don’t want to go to this anymore than you do. However, the quicker that we go and get this spectacle over and done with, the sooner we can leave.”

He leaned down to kiss Severus again and smiled into the kiss as Severus pulled him down so that they were pressed bare chest to bare chest, wriggling as Severus pulled his trousers off and threw them over Harry’s shoulder. Harry allowed the distraction for several minutes before he pulled back.

“Come on Sev. As much as I would like to continue this we’re running out of time. You don’t want Minerva to see you naked do you?”

Harry giggled as Severus set him aside, a look of utter disgust on his face. “Thank you for that brat. Your virtue is now perfectly safe. That image has effectively killed any desire I had to debauch you.”

Harry couldn’t help it; he burst into first of giggles at the disgruntled look on Severus’ face. When Harry had managed to calm himself completely he got up from the bed and reached for his trousers again, only to have his attempts foiled by Severus. He looked up at the dark-haired man in confusion.

“Sev? Can you please let me put my trousers on and finish getting dressed?”

Severus grumbled and glared but finally allowed Harry to get off the bed and attempt to find his clothes. With a bit more grumbling and several exaggerated sighs the dark-haired professor got off his bed. He raised an eyebrow in silent question as Harry gave a snort of disgust.

“Oh, this is no good whatsoever. You’ve got me all sweaty. I’m going to have to have another shower.”

A lecherous grin spread across Severus’ face. “Need a hand?”

Harry pulled a face. “No I don’t really need a hand but you need a shower as well and we don’t have time for individual showers. You have to promise to behave though. If you don’t, McGonagall really will be finding you naked.”

Harry smirked, relishing the opportunity to be, in essence, the dominant one. Amidst much glaring and grumbling Harry managed to get both he and Severus into the showed, washed and dried within fifteen minutes. From there both men pulled on formal trousers, white shirts and dragon hide boots before they reached for their dress robes. Harry was wearing the green and gold velvet robes that Severus had bought him for Christmas while Severus was wearing the black velvet robes with silver clasps that Harry had gifted him with. Finally, they were ready and with enough time left within Minerva’s timeframe to make their way to the Ministry. They made their way into the living space having collected their travelling cloaks and stared at each other.

“So, how are we going to get there?” Harry asked.

“Floo.” Was the abrupt answer. “The Ministry has anti-apparition wards on it to prevent any unwanted guests and they strengthen them on nights such as tonight. Portkeys are out of the question for the obvious reasons. Floo powder is our only real option.”

Harry nodded although he wasn’t completely happy with the answer. For all his grace in the air and on a broomstick he was still a complete and utter klutz when it came down to flooing or virtually any other method of wizarding transport. Severus knew this however and reached out towards Harry, pulling him closer and, reaching out, collected a handful of floo powder. They stepped into the now bright green flames, Severus wrapping his arms firmly around Harry’s waist and calling out.

“Ministry of Magick atrium.”

With Severus holding Harry upright, the two of them stepped into the familiar hallway of the British Ministry of Magick. As they were so late the place was deserted with all of the guests already inside the main ballroom of the Ministry. Harry couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. He would have been much happier if they had had to deal with people a few at a time. At this rate Harry knew that he was going to have to walk into the ballroom, with Severus at his side, but everyone was going to turn and stare and talk. He was all of a sudden horribly conscious of the fact that not only was he returning to the wizarding world for the first time in four years but he was also publicly announcing his relationship with Severus. He gulped audibly as his courage started to fail him. Strong arms wrapped around his waist as though Severus knew precisely what he was thinking.

“Don’t think about it. I’ll stay with you for the whole time, I won’t leave you. Two hours I promise. Two hours and we’re out of here and going to a little French bistro where I’ve made reservations for us.”

Harry nodded, words failing him, and stepped away from Severus but reaching out to entangle his fingers with the older man’s long elegant ingredient-stained digits. Severus looked over and smiled before he squared his shoulders and the two of them walked towards the sounds of chatter and music coming from the end of the hallway.
The first face that they saw upon entering the ballroom was the disapproving glare of Minerva McGonagall. Harry blushed immediately at seeing the woman who knew precisely what the two of them had been up to for the last several hours. To his amusement though, her ire wasn’t directed at him, but instead at Severus.

“Severus Snape! You’re finally here. I don’t believe the sheer audacity of you to arrive almost two hours late to a ball held by the Ministry. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Severus raised an eyebrow at her words. “I’m not an errant student that you can scold whenever you feel like it. As for my audacity as you term it, well, I had better places to be than here.”

“Argh! Severus! You can sleep with your lover whenever you want. You don’t need to sleep with him when you’re both supposed to be attending a Ministry event.”

“On the contrary, I did need to sleep with him rather than being here. After all, I needed some pleasant memories in order to sustain me through the utter tedium that this evening will undoubtedly prove to be. Now, if you don’t mind, people are staring at us.”

The witch shut her mouth with an audible snap as Severus steered Harry over towards Molly and Arthur Weasley who were stood with their two oldest sons, their partners and the Lupin’s. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his friends closed ranks around them and although he knew that people were staring at them, he could no longer see them.

Harry and Severus engrossed themselves in conversation with their colleagues but all too soon for their liking they heard the unwelcome sound of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magick, clearing his throat, the sound magickally enhanced.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We’d like to welcome you to tonight’s Ministry Ball and we’ve very glad to announce that, after four years, our guests of honour have finally consented to attend.”

Severus and Harry looked at each other with mounting horror. This was too much of a coincidence wasn’t it? They moved closer to each other as Fudge continued talking.

“It’s taken us four years to get these two gentlemen agree to attend a Ministry function and we’d like to take advantage of their situation to present them with the Order of Merlin first class. You of course know both of these gentlemen; Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and of course, defeated Voldemort and Professor Severus Snape. If both gentlemen would like to come up to the stage and collect their award.”

Harry simply froze. He couldn’t believe that this was his first night back in the wizarding world and already he was being made into a public spectacle. He didn’t fully comprehend everything that was going on. He felt numb as both he and Severus were ushered up to and onto the stage. He dimly realised that Severus had resorted to his usual charming personality and was glaring furiously at everyone, refusing adamantly to make a speech. Harry was in a daze as he felt himself pushed forward to the podium and he was vaguely conscious of saying a few words although he couldn’t have told you what they were. He was just eager to get off the stage and back into as much anonymity as he could muster. However, once he was off-stage, he and Severus were split up and things didn’t get any better.

“What do you think Potter sees in him?”

“Can you believe that he managed to keep his positions at Hogwarts after the war? I would have thought Dumbledore would have sacked him.”

“I know; can you believe that man is allowed to teach our children? I don’t care if he’s just been awarded the Order of Merlin, once a Death-Eater always a Death-Eater in my book.”

“Tell me about it. That man could be corrupting our children. He obviously must have corrupted Potter.”

“Why do you think that Death-Eater is with Potter? Do you think Snape’s going to try and bring back You-Know-Who somehow?”

“I don’t know but let’s face it. He’s only with Potter to make himself look good. I mean, how much better can it get than dating the Boy-Who-Lived?”

“Snape can’t possibly love Potter.”

“How do you think he’s got Potter to fall in love with him? Do you think he used the Dark Arts?”

“Possibly. He was always rumoured to be in love with the Dark Arts and he was after the Defence position at Hogwarts for years.”

“It’s such a shame. Potter deserves so much more than a man like him. He should be getting married to a nice witch and living in the Potter manor with lots of children.”

Harry was gradually becoming more and more stressed as it seemed that everyone was talking about Severus and him. He couldn’t believe that Albus and Minerva had manipulated him into attending tonight, knowing that both he and Severus would be receiving the Order of Merlin. In fact, he had no doubt that it was all Albus’ fault and that he had simply railroaded Minerva into doing his dirty work for him. He couldn’t believe what people were saying about Severus and about their relationship. All of a sudden it just became too much for him and he just needed to get out of the Ministry. As if realising what he was thinking, Severus was there all of a sudden, a warm, strong presence that Harry had come to depend on more than anything.

“Come on love, it’s time to get out of here. We’ve done our duty.”

Harry was more than happy to let Severus escort him out of the ballroom and as he heard the voices continue talking he realised what he had to do. How could he have let things get this far? He wouldn’t subject Severus to this and the realisation of what he was going to have to do caused him to stiffen noticeably.

****

As they left the Ministry, things between the couple were tense to say the least. Several times on the walk from the Ministry to the road where the restaurant was Severus asked Harry if he was okay and the younger man brushed him off, saying that he was fine and Severus was reluctant to push him. He knew the green-eyed man well enough to know that if he pushed too much then Harry would clam up completely and not speak at all. Instead, he simply held on tightly to the hand that was dwarfed by his own, and led the way to the restaurant. He had picked the restaurant upon a recommendation years ago from his closest friend at the time. Surprisingly, Lucius Malfoy had used the restaurant to propose to his then girlfriend Narcissa Black. Although it was situated in a Muggle area of London, the small French bistro was owned and run by a family of continental wizards. Severus had decided to visit the same place as Lucius had had so much luck twenty years previously; it was Severus’ intention to propose to Harry tonight.

Not wanting to draw attention to himself and open himself up to all of the awkward questions that would arise from him shopping in Diagon Alley, Severus had ventured out into Muggle London and the huge range of jewellers that worked there. It had taken him an incredibly long day of shopping but he had finally managed to find an engagement ring that was incredibly perfect. Still feeling slightly insecure and not wanting to jinx anything, he hadn’t told anybody about his plans with the exception of his godson Draco Malfoy. The young blonde had given his godfather a very knowing look as Severus and Harry had left the ballroom. Now though, Severus was wondering whether proposing to Harry would be the best idea.

All too soon, they reached the bistro and Severus held the door open for Harry, ushering him in out of the cold weather. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, they were greeted by a smart-looking waiter holding two menus.

“Good evening gentlemen. Did you have a reservation with us tonight?”

Severus nodded; one hand on the small of Harry’s back. “Yes; a reservation for two at ten pm. It was under the name Snape.”

The waiter checked the book, nodded as he made a mark against something and then led the two of them to a secluded table, where he sat them down and handed them the menus. “Here we go gentlemen, the specials are up on the board and I will be back to take your order shortly.”

Harry immediately buried his head in the menu and refused to look up despite Severus’ silent begging. Upon realising that the younger man wasn’t going to look at him let alone talk to him for the time being Severus looked down at his own menu despite not feeling remotely hungry. The awkward silence was broken as the waiter came back over to take their order.

“Are you ready to order gentlemen? Yes? In that case, what can I get you?”

Both men bypassed the starter completely and ordered a main course. Just as the waiter was leaving, Severus reached out and touched him on the arm. “Excuse me? Sorry, could we also order a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. The ’86 will be fine.”

“Certainly sir. I shall be back momentarily.”

True to his word the waiter was back within minutes, carrying the bottle of wine which he poured for Severus. He started to do the same for the Harry but the younger man shook his head and placed his hand over his glass so that no wine could be poured for him. Severus immediately took a large gulp of the alcohol, feeling as though he needed it tonight. Due to the late hour, the place was virtually empty and so their food arrived incredibly quickly. However, as soon as he looked down, Severus’ appetite deserted him completely. It seemed that the same was true for Harry.

Several times, Severus opened his mouth to speak but each time he backed out. Harry was fiddling with his cutlery, not eating any food, simply pushing it around his plate. Severus however, hadn’t even made a move to pick his cutlery up and was rapidly demolishing the bottle of wine. Finally, he gathered his courage and opened his mouth to speak but he was beaten to it by Harry.

“I can’t do this.”