You Know You Are Loved When A Gryffindor Loves You

15

The next evening and the Great Hall was full. Harry was in his robes as he greeted his two best friends and they sat down to eat. He quickly asked them to the meeting, “You won’t be able to stay for all of it, I’m afraid but I need an independent assessment of my, er, situation from you, Ron, and I need some input from you, ‘Mione on Muggle medicine”. The girl was confused, “Muggle?”, her voice rising above the Great Hall hubbub. Harry shushed her, “Yes, but I don’t want everyone to know. All will be explained later”. They both nodded their agreement and tucked into the food bantering with their house-mates around the table for the remainder of the meal.

Harry made his way to the Headmaster’s office on his own, the feeling of apprehension building in his gut, he’d sneaked a peek at the top table and saw his lover chatting amiably to his House-Head. Ron had nudged him, “Fuck, Harry, you must be making him happy. I mean, Severus Snape, smiling, and he doesn’t have huge fangs either”. Harry dug Ron in the ribs, “Ewww, I’d never snog anyone with fangs”, he murmured as he laughed.

Severus was waiting for him and the statue opened the staircase to them. Hand in hand they climbed up and stepped into the Headmaster’s chamber to be greeted nervously by the man himself. His hand shook as he dispensed tea then sat back behind his desk. “Boys, I owe you both a monumental apology and I should not have let my agenda and high dudgeon get in the way of my humanity. I will do anything in my power to rectify any hurt or damage I may have caused. I am aware that you have asked Poppy to this meeting and am wondering why, are you ill, hurt in any way?” His tone was all concern. Harry replied, “No, sir, but we will need her help in the time to come. That’s all I wish to say although I accept your apologies, sir”.

“Severus?”, the old man’s voice quavered. Harry could tell from his lover’s hooded expression that he had doubts, “Albus, there is a lot that could have been prevented if you had, shall we say, reacted differently. I accept your apologies in the spirit in which they are given but we are going to need more than that from you in the coming times”. He thrust a sealed parchment at the Headmaster which he took with trembling fingers, “This, sir, is my resignation, effective as from the end of the school year, but I will be unable to teach for most or all of my notice period. Before I go into any details, however, I would ask that we convene the rest of the attendees as we wish to have something confirmed first”. Dumbledore bowed his head gracefully and said, “As you wish”, activating the staircase.

They were all seated before Harry doused the lights with his wand and asked Ron what he could See of their auras. “Bloody hell! It’s changed colour. You’ve got a white bit around the middle now, both of you, but Professor Snape’s glows brighter”. Harry re-lit the candles with a wave of his wand, “Thanks, Ron, that’s confirmation enough for me”, and looked at the Headmaster, who had blanched and was shaking his head in disbelief, “Yes indeed, Headmaster, this is what comes of letting propriety get the upper hand over humanity”. Harry stood up and faced the room. “Severus and I are bonded soul-mates.....and we’re both pregnant”, then sat down again rather quickly as the room was starting to spin.

Albus sank his head in his hands and groaned. Ron and Poppy were aghast. The other four shared winks. Hermione whispered to Harry, “You told McGonagall?” Harry nodded, “Yesterday, when we got back”. Poppy stood before them, “I would like to dowse you both to see how far along you are and to discuss any problems you might have”. Harry smiled, “I’m a bit less than three weeks and Severus’s about nine, but there are other things we need to figure out tonight. We’ll arrange a private session for the very near future to dowse us, thank you”.

He turned to Hermione next, “As you can well imagine, ‘certain situations’ will crop up and I want to keep us both safe for now, no contact with, erm, you know, so we need a malady that Magical medicine cannot cure, preferably something that may need a complicated operation, something that, no disrespect meant Madam Pomfrey, a Medi-witch or wizard can only treat but not cure”. All leaned in to listen. Madam Pomfrey ventured, “I know that St Mungo’s has no way to treat certain cancers, but they tend to be the most life-threatening ones”.

Hermione bit her lip, “Madam Pomfrey, how about organ transplants?”. The Medi-Witch’s brows raised, “Muggles can do that?”. Hermione clapped her hands together, “Perfect. Kidneys. If they get infected, it’s a very long recovery time, like eight months. Mum had to take loads of time off work when she was ill with it. And if they’re really damaged, then they can be transplanted but there is a long waiting list on the NHS. Most who have to wait undergo a series of treatments called dialysis while they await a donor. Harry, I take it this is some kind of stalling tactic, for, erm, you know?”

Severus smiled, “Well done, Miss Granger. Ten points, no, twenty and the same for you Harry for having the original idea”. Albus bristled, “I hardly think that the awarding of House points is appropriate here, Severus, particularly on so personal a matter”. Severus looked ready to explode, “In this school we reward quick thinking and original ideas especially where they might lead to the saving of lives, Albus, and now we have four at stake here”, he snapped. Harry couldn’t help it, propriety be damned, and closed his fingers over Severus’ where they gripped his chair arms.

Minerva asked quietly, “Harry, do you require any more input from your friends?” Harry shook his head and turned to them, “You’ve been great, thanks, guys”. Minerva said, “Then could I ask you to return to your evening activities, Ron and Hermione. Would you like to be obliviated before you go?” “You can trust us, Professor, just as Harry has done for many years”. “Then I will bid you both goodnight and ten points to Mr Weasley for his excellent Auror skills”. “Oh, wow, thanks, Professor”, he said and they left.

Harry tried to suppress a smirk as he glimpsed the Headmaster’s crestfallen face, he squeezed his lover’s hand instead then gently stroked the backs of his fingers as they clutched the chair. It was as Harry dipped his fingertips and began to massage the sensitive spots between that Severus turned his hand over and gripped Harry’s hand hard shooting him a ‘look’. But their hands stayed twined together.

The meeting came back to order. Albus was still looking disgusted but he realised he may have to back down. He was furious that his two most able fighters had taken themselves out of the arena. He asked Poppy, “Is there not anything that can be done, medically I mean, a delay, termination perhaps?” Then it was Harry’s turn to explode, “Abortion!! No way! You want me to abort my daughter?! You are a wicked...that’s unspeakable”, Harry was beside himself with rage. Poppy Pomfrey crossed to sit beside him glaring at the Headmaster, “It’s all right, Harry. No-one can compel you to abort your child. You are of age now and fully in control of your own...fertility”, she turned on the Headmaster, “Albus, I am disgusted that you can even suggest such a thing”. It was Albus Dumbledore’s turn to raise his voice, “While you bunch of women are all concerned for babies, there is a War on, damn you, and my two best fighters are out of the field, not to mention one of my ablest teachers”.

At this, Harry went ballistic, “That’s really all you care about!. Your fucking obsession with Voldemort! In case you’ve forgotten, the Prophecy was about me killing him. ME!! No-one else, just ME, so if the dark bastard wants his fucking war, then he’s just going to damn well wait until I am in a fit state to fight it and if you want us in your front lines then you’d better protect the four of us until we are ready. You will hire a locum in Severus’s place as there are many things he cannot be near even in his own lab and there are changes that I will have to effect in my own schedules. You WILL do these things or, adios, Severus and I disappear and you can take your chances where you may. If you had treated us better when we first told you, perhaps Severus could have come up with some protection for us both, however what has happened, has happened, and any more talk of aborting our children will lead to physical violence on my part and if either of us miscarries as a result of this argument then I will sue you through every court in the land. You will NOT turn us into machines. We are human and wish to remain so”, to a murmured “Hear hear” from the other three.

Severus’ tone was icy as it dropped into the conversation, “Albus, there is something we would like you to see, is your Pensieve empty?”, the man nodded. Severus turned to his lover, “D’you want to go first, Harry. I know it’s a difficult thing to ask but I’ll be holding you all the time, remember, love, I’m here”. Harry nodded and let himself be led to the bowl. Touching the tip of his wand to his temple he extracted the last time Voldemort had tortured his dreams through his scar, the cold chains, the bare dungeon, the flails and whips shredding his skin, the rapes, anal and oral, then the slow disembowelment that Harry had to watch happening to himself, kept alive by incantations until the final Avada finished him. He was weeping freely as the skein of silver smoke left his head and with a shaking hand he fed the smoke into the Pensieve, twirling the last bit off the tip, then turned and buried his face in Severus’ robes while the man held him close and murmured encouragement into his hair.

Severus beckoned the Headmaster over, “This is his way of nightly sport for those of us marked by his evil whether chosen or not, please, feel free”, he growled as Dumbledore bent over the bowl. He emerged again pale and shaking a few moments later, “Are, er, do you have these regularly?”, his voice was old and tired. Harry nodded, “About twice a week, sir. Severus is the only person that can stop them or ease them and I think it’s do to with the, er, love we have for each other”. Harry banished his nightmare with a flick of his wand and held Severus from behind as the dark man unspun some memories, “This is what goes on at the Death-Eater ‘parties’, not nightmares, this is what actually happens”. Harry could feel his lover tremble as he closed his eyes and dirty grey smoke was placed carefully in the bowl.

He clung to Harry as the Headmaster dipped his head again; to see a small group of six young Muggles being passed around from Death-Eater to Death-Eater to be used as they wished, tortured and raped before being flayed alive then burnt, still conscious and as the flesh roasted, some taking knives and cutting some of the more succulent flesh from belly or rump, seasoning with pepper and herbs and eating it. At this, Dumbledore shot backwards out of the pensieve and would have fallen but for the quick reaction of Harry and Severus who guided him to a chair. He stared numbly before him, his eyes still seeing the horrors.

He came back to himself to find the other four watching him intently, his breathing was loud and raspy and he was parchment pale, he took a sip of cold tea with a shaking hand, then looked between the two men, “I have seriously misjudged you both, you are constant warriors and it is nothing short of astonishing that you manage to lead something like a normal life. I applaud you on retaining your humanity in the midst of all this and Severus, now I realise what makes you a bit short with people on occasion. I never knew that his activities were so bestial”.

He cast teary eyes at his Potions Master, “Yes, well. My job is to report battle plans, raids etc to the Order and I do, these are only occasional gatherings and then only attended by the elite, there are no plans made, they are ‘social’ events. It was after one such that I came over to this side, they roasted a fourteen year old boy after raping and torturing him for hours then I watched as Voldemort ate the boy’s member as a delicacy. I have never nor will I ever consume human flesh and if he catches either of us in this condition, he will rip our babes from us and spit-roast them before our eyes before serving them to his guests, he has quite a taste for human flesh”.

The two women were appalled. Poppy was openly weeping and Minerva was trying to keep a grip on herself but her eyes were wet. She slid her arms around Poppy. There was a long silence broken only by Poppy’s sniffles. Albus looked over at the two men. Harry was now in Severus’ lap and they clung to each other, Harry trying to calm his lover down with love and gentle whispers, holding his beloved’s head in his hands and touching their brows together, thumbing away Severus’ tears that had escaped, kissing the tip of the man’s nose. Severus was gently stroking Harry’s back with one hand, the other he simply placed over Harry’s belly protectively.

Albus was ashamed of himself as he watched the normally dour man show such emotion and tenderness with his young bond-mate, he cleared his throat, “Well, boys, I haven’t a clue what to do now for the best, how to keep your situation under wraps, as you intimate, if he gets to hear of this, I hesitate to think.... and how to continue your education, Harry as there are so many classes you cannot now undertake and I should imagine that flying is no longer a possibility whilst you are pregnant”. Poppy interjected, “Flying per se is all right but competitive sports is out, a bludger to the belly will almost certainly harm your child”.

There was a long tense silence. Minerva broke it, “Severus, is it true that your place of residence is not plotted Magically?”. Severus nodded, “I use no Magic at home. I created a temporary Apparition point to get us home then a portkey back which leaves a negligible signature otherwise no, it is just another ordinary Muggle house. I have a small lab there but I use no cast Magic, nothing that can leave it’s mark behind it. I have no open fireplaces to connect to the Floo and I use the Muggle Postal facility if I need to send Mail”.

“Albus, you are not going to like this, but I suggest we send these boys back to Severus’ house. Both of their teaching and learning timetables will be seriously disrupted, I agree, but both can perhaps return next school year with us making some arrangement for the care of their children, perhaps with Mr Potter as a teaching or laboratory assistant. Harry, if we can find a trusted emissary, then your schoolwork may not suffer too badly and you may take your NEWTs with Ginny’s year, but if we set up these elaborate illness scenarios, which were an inspired idea, I agree, then it may only be a matter of time before our ruses are found out. I’m sorry, Harry, if you will not finish your schooling with the rest of your friends but keeping you safe has to be our first priority. A ruse of a planned kidnap or something in order to get you away from Hogwarts is a better idea than a long drawn out facade of illness and we would have to use something similar for you as you started to show”.

Harry was thoughtful, “Dobby. The House-elf in my employ. He works here at Hogwarts and as he feels bound to me after getting him freed from the Malfoys, I know I can trust him absolutely and as house-elf magic is unplottable then he can be our go-between. He could also be a great help as we near our time. I would like to give birth here though, it could be difficult turning up at a Muggle hospital about to drop a kid. Severus, what do you think?”

“Well, Harry, glamours are weak Magically, so we can cover ourselves adequately until we start to waddle and I will keep you at the academic portion of your schoolwork. I am essentially useless as a teacher here until baby Bratling is born”. Harry laughed, “Bratling? You call our beautiful son Bratling?” Severus blushed, “Well, we haven’t talked names yet and I have to call him something, he can’t be just ‘it’ all the time”. His hand drifted to his stomach, “Poppy, I would like you to attend my birth too if you would. That is if we can sneak back here. I expect to give birth in the summer as school is breaking up and I suspect Harry is due round about the time term starts again, with luck, we may avoid the student body at all. Minerva, hat’s off to you for such a good idea. Harry, love, how do you feel?”

“Well, I’ll miss the guys, but if there’s any way we can meet up occasionally, say, in the city centre, and Dobby can carry coded letters, then I don’t mind coming back next year. I’m game. This way means we can be together as bond-mates should and we can keep us and Bratling and Princess safe and if you need stored mental images for when you are next Summoned, we’ll go around the local hospital or something”. Severus smiled, “Princess, eh? No, Harry, I can feel the Summons but as the Magic is virtually non-existent at home, I can ignore it. It hurts but he can’t get to me the same way he can in Magical locations. It’s one of the main reasons I go native in the first place and anyway, I like it. I don’t see any reason why you can’t meet up with your friends in anonymous locations but they must swear not to jeopardise us by bringing their wands, that’s all I ask”.

They all looked to Albus who was equal parts shocked and amazed. Still shocked by the Pensieve encounters and amazed by the great love before him. He had been a fool and now the best way to protect these two boys who he loved was to send them beyond his protection, but this idea was easily the best they had, “How do we present this to the school so as not to raise suspicion?” Minerva shrugged, “Tell a version of the truth, there is a grave and specific threat against them and they have been sent into hiding for their own protection. I would like to propose Aurora Sinistra to take over your Head of House duties, Severus. She is very capable as you know and has a certain affinity, shall we say, with your House”.

Albus called them to order, “Then it shall be done. Tonight, Harry, you need to have a talk with Dobby and your friends. I know you are close to Miss Weasley as well as her brother. Have you told her of any of this yet?”. Harry shook his head, “No, but I would like to. She is as dear to me as Ron or Hermione”. “Then have your chat and say your goodbyes. I suggest you do not spend the night in your dormitory but with your bond-mate and both of you be prepared to leave very early in the morning. I will make the announcement at tomorrow’s breakfast that a grave threat to you has forced us to send you into hiding for an indeterminate period of time and that you left tonight. Severus, I need you to pack your rooms up of all your personal effects, no, never mind, take only what you need and we will give the locum other apartments although we will need a set of keys to your Potions stores. I think we need to make it as if you have had to go with little more than the clothes on your backs. We will raise a hue and cry after we get you out”.

Harry ventured, “I still have my trunk shrunk, I haven’t unpacked yet. Could someone take care of Hedwig for me, please?” Dumbledore smiled, “It shall be done, Harry. In fact, I think I’m going to call your friends up here rather than have you wander the school, it will look as if this is what this meeting is all about. Harry, do you have your Cloak with you?”. Harry patted his robes, “Right here, sir”. “Then that will get you two to a place to sleep tonight. Severus can you make a portkey for around two in the morning?” The man nodded, “Yes sir”. Albus considered one of his most trustworthy teachers, “I shall miss you both”. He held up Severus’ resignation letter, still sealed, “May I tear this up?” and Severus smiled, “Yes, sir”. Harry beamed too, “We’ll be back, sir, to fight, but even we deserve a little chance at happiness, or at least someone to carry on the Potter-Snape name”. This caused gasps all round, “Potter-Snape?”, quizzed Minerva. Harry buried his head in Severus’ shoulder, “Oh shit, Severus, sorry”, he whispered. Severus lifted Harry’s face and kissed him briefly on the lips then turned to the others, “Yes, Potter-Snape. Harry asked me to marry him according to Mundane law and I have accepted him”, then hugged his beloved tight, his eyes closing as a blissful smile spread across his face to match Harry’s.

Minerva was the first to awkwardly hug them, then kissed both on the cheek, “Be happy. Take care of each other, be safe”. Poppy was next, “If you two need anything, send Dobby for me or get your arses back here, pronto. Oh, do you actually want me to confirm the genders of your children for you before you go?” Harry shook his head, “Nah, just give us a quick dowse for problems like high blood pressure”.

She stood and whipped out her wand rolling it sideways in front of each of them, “Harry, eat more protein, you need more meat in your diet and Severus make sure you rest whenever you feel tired and try to have less salt in your diet, obviously no alcohol for either of you, but both of you are in excellent health, as are your babies. You may Apparate but only in the second two trimesters, but when it’s time you must travel back here when your contractions are no shorter than ten minutes apart. I’d hate the child to be born partway between there and here, portkeys are okay in your first trimester if a little unsettling. Take care of each other and enjoy this time together. Try not to get too stressed and try and be happy”. With a quick peck she stood back from them.

Albus asked the two ladies to please leave them, “I will send Ron, Hermione and Ginny up, Harry”, said Minerva as they left. When they were alone, Albus summoned Dobby and Harry had a hurried and low-voiced conference with him off to one side. Dobby was delighted to once again be serving his Harry Potter and swore to be his usual discreet self. Harry hugged him and the Elf ‘popped’ out of the room.

The hardest thing was telling Ginny and saying goodbye to his three friends. “Don’t believe the announcement about imminent danger tomorrow, but despite the ideas to stay here, this is probably the best course of action. Give Dobby letters and stuff, he’ll be bringing my schoolwork back and forth and being the main contact between us and here. Fuck, I’ll miss you lot and I’m sorry Gin, that I didn’t tell you about the bond but you know now and we can all meet up again, maybe at half term or something”. He hugged his friends one by one, they all shed tears, Hermione sniffled, “Do you call your babies something other than ‘it’?”. Harry laughed, “Yeah, I think I’m carrying a girl and I call her Princess. Severus thinks he’s carrying a boy and he calls him Bratling”, this broke the tension and they all laughed. Ron high-fived him, “Hey, you knocked him up first, you sex demon”, as they embraced. Harry asked, “So how’s the blond slut?”. Ron smirked, “He’s my boyfriend now, we snog, but we don’t do the soul-searching bit and he’s still a whinging slut. He moaned like fuck when I was called back up here”. They laughed and hugged tight.

Ginny was still gob-smacked by it all but hugged Harry and wished him well promising to write with any gossip. They filed out of the small side room into the main study and were about to leave when Hermione parted from them and walked over to her Potions teacher. She held her hand out, “Good luck, sir, and look after Bratling in there”, Severus smiled and took it, “Thank you, Miss Granger. Do well in your life”, he bowed slightly over her hand and released it. The others called their goodbyes from the door. “Mr Weasley”, Severus called and Ron turned, “Keep my godson in line”, he smirked and winked then grinned. Ron went bright red but held the man’s eyes and nodded slightly, “Will do, sir, good luck” and the three left.

After saying their goodbyes to the headmaster, Severus strode to his quarters with Harry behind him in his Cloak. Severus spent an hour shrinking his belongings back into his trunk leaving his study and living room a mess as if he had to leave in a hurry. Then sank, exhausted onto the couch beside his lover who was nodding off and took Harry into his arms, “Bloody hell, Harry, I hope this is the best decision. I’m worried about one of us having a complication and being miles from help. I was quite prepared to go with your plan”. Harry yawned, “I know, but this way is probably best, one big lie at the start and less accumulations of lies and deceits which just get bigger in the middle of this gossipy place, no, we’re better off I think living a quiet unassuming life in Muggleville. We may have to tell Steve, to explain the lack of alcohol, but we can plausibly make something up, a health kick or whatever. Merlin, I’m tired, can we go to bed, lover?”

They had no energy for anything drastic, just a pleasant mutual wank that sent them to sleep for what seemed like five minutes until Harry’s phone buzzed the alarm. They quickly dressed and gathered their shrunken personal effects then they walked out into the silent grounds under Harry’s Cloak, through the gate and ported away. They landed about a mile from the house and started walking. Severus had deliberately landed them in the middle of Hough End fields to minimise their chances of being seen and they walked purposefully to their home for the foreseeable future, letting themselves in quietly and went straight to bed.