The Most Difficult Of All Our Tasks

-- Hey, begging for reviews clearly works! Thanks for the responses: Quarter-Blooded Witch, Zozobozo, JoAnna Morgan, and, as ever, Jicky!

-- OK, shameless plug here for the other story I've just started - Areas of Expertise - I was supposed to be seeing a friend tonight but we've re-arranged which means I can write and update that. Lucky people!

-- Of course, I *might* update this as well if enough people seem to be enjoying it. Don't make me beg! SP



Chapter the Eighteenth – Ingravesco



Severus awoke with multiple aches. At his age, he was used to aching when he woke, but these aches were new and different. His ass was very sore, his balls and cock tingled, and …



“Ow!” He grunted in surprise, as a sharp stomach cramp stabbed at him.



Beside him, Harry rolled over and opened one eye. “Mornin’” he yawned, a hand covering his gaping mouth.



“Ow,” Severus grunted again as he shifted on the bed. His stomach hurt him so much he gingerly placed an arm across it for protection. Harry spotted the gesture.



“What’s wrong?” He asked, voice sharp and alert; suddenly very awake.



The older man controlled his breathing. The pain was receding somewhat. “Just some muscles complaining about being used so repeatedly.” He attempted a smile at his husband, but Harry, fighting down a smug feeling, stayed focused.



“In your stomach?!” The younger man was incredulous. Suddenly, the blood drained from his face. “I didn’t Protect you,” he whispered, eyes wide with horror. “Are you …?” he trailed off, unable to consider this twist.



“I’m not capable of carrying.” Severus admitted, face shadowed. “I’m not Fertile.”



Harry gave a sigh of relief. “You sure?” he queried, eyes fixed intently on his husband.



Severus’ mouth set into a grim line. “Being a Death Eater was not fun, Harry. Being used for sex is, as you know, not fun. Being used for sex time after time after time for years is definitely not fun, however it does allow me to say quite definitely, I am not Fertile.”



Harry felt sickened. He hadn’t meant to bring up unpleasant memories. He nodded to show he had understood and was sorry. He rolled out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. “Let me know if it doesn’t go away.”



He was gone for nearly fifteen minutes.



When he returned, showered and wearing nought but a towel, he frowned. “You’ll be late for work.”



“Harry,” Severus said, an almost tender smile on his face as he flipped the sheets back to welcome the other back into the bed, “it’s Sunday.”



Harry dropped the towel hurriedly and leapt onto the mattress. He pulled the sheets over him as he pressed his lips against the pulse beating in Severus’ neck. He felt the deep groan from the older man and smiled, lifting one leg and pressing it between the other’s thighs. Severus let the younger man between his legs willingly, shuddering as his balls were brushed by hard muscled limbs.



Harry slid one hand down his husband’s chest, deliberately scratching at a nipple as he passed, before gripping the other’s stiff length firmly. The Potions Master thrust into the touch, gasping slightly. A twist of his hand and Severus’ eyes closed, his hips pushing up into the exquisite hold. It was an easy matter for Harry to roll the older man onto his back, slide his second leg between the other’s thighs, and begin to kiss his way down the mostly smooth skin. His lips brushed lightly over the thin scars criss crossing his partner’s belly, tongue licking over the slight swelling before slicking over the straining tip, tongue jabbing down into the slit, hand gripping Severus firmly, preventing him from pushing up as forcefully as he would have wished to.



Severus panted as the younger man settled happily onto the straining dick, mouth wrapped lovingly around the aching shaft.



Harry sucked forcefully for a long moment, waiting for the peculiar keening cry that Severus always emitted. His jaw ached from the pressure he was applying to the cock, but, his tongue slicking against the length, he could wait for that sound. That sound made his balls tighten.



“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!”



Harry would have smiled. He always got what he wanted. Rewarding the other man he slid one hand around the heavy balls and weighed them in his palm before rubbing his thumb firmly over the shifting sacs. His fingers squeezed lightly and rhythmically whilst he backed his mouth off slightly and lashed the other’s leaking tip with strong swipes from his tongue.



Harry loved doing this to Severus. Loved feeling the other strain desperately against the hand on his hip, his thigh and ass muscles clenching as he tried to push up into the glorious tight wetness.



The Gryffindor moved his hand delicately from the balls down to the twitching muscle that guarded Severus’ entrance. The other threw his head back, shuddering as he felt the finger pressing lightly against him.



Hands clutching the sheets under him, Severus ground out, “Fuck me, you bastard!”



Harry moved his mouth back up to Severus’, one hand reaching for the lubricant. He slicked it over his length, shivering slightly as he fought back his climax, whilst their lips clung together, tongues twisting and folding around the other’s, feeling the passion that burnt between them, and the lust each man felt.



Harry settled on his knees and nudged at one of the other’s thighs with his slick hand. Once the older man had spread himself wide open, Harry moved until his dick found what it was aiming for. It rested against the pucker, an insistent pressure.



Severus’ tongue moved almost violently inside Harry. He was fucking the other’s mouth, moaning, trying to control the need racing through his body.



With a hand to guide him, Harry pressed into his husband.



The slow, easy slide of Harry’s cock into his ass made Severus shake with pleasure. He was so close to coming. With the other rammed up him he felt tense with need, and so happy he could’ve cried. Bent almost double, he lay there, legs spread wide and felt the other’s length open him. Felt the dangling balls, so hot, resting against him. Felt Harry’s tip swell and twitch within him.



Still they kissed, bodies linked as intimately as possible, Severus helplessly pinned beneath the weight of his partner. He pulled his lips free.



“Move,” he ordered, voice gravelly. “Move.”



“Like this?” Harry queried and rolled his hips.



Severus’ eyes rolled into the back of his head.



Harry was too hard to tease the other long and pulled himself free a little before he pressed back home. His cock moved easily within the older man as Severus’ ass had been fucked ruthlessly by Harry the previous day.



He tugged free and pushed back.



He wanted so much to take this slowly; to drive his husband insane with lust, but he needed release too much. His fingers gripped the other’s legs, pushing them even more firmly into the mattress, and he pounded into the other.



Severus shook, black eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling as he felt every single thing the younger man did to his body. Felt the bulbous tip rub all along his channel as it withdrew. Felt the vein along the length as the cock slid back into him. Felt the blood throbbing along the vein as Harry fucked him mercilessly.



Harry’s mouth closed on Severus’ ear before moving to his neck and licking and kissing there.



“I love you spread out like this,” he panted as he thrust into Severus, “Love to see you desperate for my cock.”



“I … love … you … fucking … me,” Severus panted out. “I love … your … cock … fucking … me.”



Harry whispered, voice ragged, “I’m gonna fuck you for hours. Hours and hours.”



“Merlin!” Severus sobbed and spurted, bucking so hard he almost threw the other from him.



Harry screamed as the ass clenched around his cock, and shouted something incoherent as his seed splattered inside the constricting channel.



For a long while afterward the only noise was harsh breathing.



Severus observed, voice a little hoarse: “I think you’ve killed me.”



***



Lying in their bed a week later – the spare room was beginning to become “their” room as more and more of their odds and ends ended up there – Harry frowned at his husband.



“Your stomach is still troubling you. You’ve GOT to go to a doctor.”



Severus growled. They had had this discussion several times already this week and he was too tired to end the argument in the usual way. “It’s nothing.”



Harry looked intently at the older man. “What are you so scared of? Why won’t you go and get it sorted out?”



“It’ll be fine.” The Potions Master insisted, not answering Harry’s questions.



There was a long stretch of silence. Severus waited for the other to respond. When no answer came immediately, he looked about the room. It really was becoming very untidy. Harry’s cloaks and other items of clothing were draped over a chair; on the floor next to them lay several magazines, some crumpled and well-read, others clearly just flicked through. The other side of the room also indicated occupancy, Severus thought as he looked at “his” chair with its neat pile of folded laundry, the two books resting on “his” bedside table, and “his” half empty glass sitting beside them.



Suddenly Harry spoke.



“Fine.” Harry rolled onto his side so that his back was facing away from the other.



“Fine?” Severus queried, surprised at such an inadequate response given the time involved for thought.



“Fine.”



***



The end of another tiring day. More idiot pupils trying to destroy his beautiful classroom. Severus was glad to be flooing home.



He got out of the fireplace, dusting himself off as usual.



Harry wasn’t there to meet him.



That was exceedingly odd, as they’d been screwing as soon as he arrived home – making the most of the boys’ afternoon naps. He ached slightly at the thought.



He wandered into the kitchen.



No Harry.



He meandered into the nursery.



Still no Harry.



“Kreacher?” He called.



With a pop the house elf appeared, eyes watery, back bent so low his ears nearly touched the floor.



“Master Harry’s husband, sir?” the being wheezed.



“Kreacher, do you know where Harry is?”



“Master Harry has an appointment sir, and he told Kreacher to pass onto Master Harry’s husband that Master Harry’s husband should meet him there.”



“Where?” Severus asked impatiently.



Kreacher struggled for breath. He found it more and more difficult to speak for any length of time these days. Age was catching up on him.



“Master Harry gave Kreacher a note to give to Master Harry’s husband.” The little elf reached into his crisp white pillow case and drew out an envelope. With shaking hand, he held it out for the human.



Severus took it and turned over the parchment. He broke the seal and, as his finger just brushed the letter inside, he felt a hook beneath his navel and he was pulled into nothingness.



Kreacher watched the other go then laughed wearily. “Old Kreacher thinks Master Harry was Sorted into the wrong House.” Wheezing, the elf limped to the nursery to check on the boys.



***



“Ah, Severus,” Dr Fetch said as the man appeared.



The room he had fallen into was clearly a doctor’s examination room. One wall was dominated by a floor length window, through which the sun blazed. Near this a heavy, ornate mahogany desk resided. In the centre of the room was an examination couch, and lining the walls were numerous cupboards and shelves. The shelves were filled with books, and the one open cupboard revealed row upon row of neatly labelled bottles.



The doctor stood in the centre of the room, a smile of welcome on his face.



Beside him, Harry sat on the examination couch, swinging his legs. He had been bored. Now he felt a surge of pleasure flood through him. He grinned at his husband.



“Glad you caught us up, Sev,” Harry said, still beaming. “Dr Fetch wants to check you over.”



The Potions Master frowned. “We’ve had this argument already, several times in fact.”



“Yeeeeeeeess,” Harry drawled, “but you’re here now. Why not get it over with? I’ll stop nagging you.”



Severus gave in, with rather bad grace.



Dr Fetch selected his wand and, after shifting Harry from the couch, and ordering Severus onto it, moved it slowly over his patient’s stomach. Once completed, he hurried for a small bottle and opened it. “Tell me what you can smell,” he commanded.



Harry sniffed and smiled dreamily.



On the couch, Severus smelt it and turned green.



The doctor backed away urgently, stoppering the bottle. “Well,” he said, “Mr Snape-Potter, you are indeed pregnant.”



The Slytherin was so surprised his mouth fell open. “Wh-what? How?”



With a swift look at Harry the medical man went on, “I don’t think you really need me to answer that second question, now do you?”



Both Harry and Severus blushed. Even embarrassment couldn’t stop him however as he elaborated: “But I’m not Fertile.”



“Clearly you are.” The doctor responded, sitting down behind his desk.



Severus looked at Harry, trying to decide something. “Doctor,” he began, “in my past I have had a number of sexual partners, and had I been capable of carrying a child, I would already have done so. I do feel, therefore, that you have made a mistake.”



Dr Fetch raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps, Professor, you are aware of the Ingravesco draught?”



Glad for an excuse to focus on his area of expertise, Severus nodded. “Ingravesco is a potion made of stewed unicorn hair, phoenix tears, a dragon’s heart string, and water from the Hope Waterfalls. It is used as a temporary mood enhancer.”



“Correct. However, that is its common usage. Its medical one is rather different. One oddity of Ingravesco is that it adversely affects those who are pregnant. That is, instead of smelling something that brings pleasure a pregnant person would feel sick after smelling it.” He paused before saying pointedly, “Much as you did.”



He awaited the man’s next questions with patient tolerance.



“How?” Severus’ voice cracked. He tried again, “How have I become pregnant now, when I never did before?”



“Ah, now that is an interesting question.” Dr Fetch brought the tips of his fingers together before adding, “I can only offer theories, I’m afraid, Mr Snape-Potter, as to how that came about. Some medical mages offer the idea that Love magic will allow for a great many unlikely things to happen.”



Harry frowned. “Not likely in this case,” he said, almost bitterly, “try again.”



The doctor looked with interest at the younger man. He himself was forty, and well used to couples in all stages of love and hate. He knew quite clearly which category these two men fell into.



“Very well. If the Old magic did not work here, then I can only suggest that you were lucky as a younger man to avoid pregnancy with others.”



Severus shook his head in disbelief.



“Now,” Dr Fetch said briskly, standing up, “I am unfortunately late for an appointment.” He ushered them to the door. “May I just say congratulations to you both.”



He watched them leave before hurrying home to his dinner.



-- A nice long chapter and some sex. Happy now, Jicky? SP