Deserving (Final Chapter)

Chapter 30

The three men turned expecting to see Millicent beam with happiness but instead they found her face contorting into horror before she fled to the kitchen. They were stunned, rooted to their places for a second before Sly was able to react and follow her, Severus and Harry close behind. They found her crying at the kitchen table her head buried in her arms. Harry looked up at Severus with unvoiced questions.

“I believe it is best that we give the couple some privacy,” said Severus, leading his husband out of the kitchen. Once they were in the dining area Harry exploded. “Why is she crying? Doesn’t she love him? You told me she had a dream about him way back…”

“Sir, all these things are true but what you and Mr. Sly fail to remember is that Millicent is a married woman,” explained Severus.

Harry blinked trying to bring his world into focus again. Millicent was married, Millicent married to her Guide, Millicent was married to Joseph Lang, how? Why? No! were all thoughts swirling in Harry’s head.

“She will petition a divorce,” proclaimed Harry.

“And give away her whereabouts?” countered Severus.

Harry knew he was right, but there had to be something they could do. It wasn’t fair. Millicent had never hurt a fly and now when she had an opportunity at happiness it was being ripped away from her.

“Snape, there’s gotta be a way,” pleaded Harry, hoping that Severus who always knew what to do, had the answer.

But Severus saw no way around it. Millicent was a married witch. She could not marry another while still married to Lang. Severus simply shook his head in defeat. At that moment Sly came out of the kitchen leading Millicent with care and tenderness.

“Harry, can we go back to the sitting area?” asked Sly.

Harry and Severus walked to the hearth followed by the couple. No one took a seat.

“Harry, as you well know, Millicent was forced to marry Lang, and know she is not able to accept my marriage proposal. I understand this and respect this, so I am changing my request to a courting proposal. Harry I wish your permission to formally court Millicent until the day I can gain her freedom.”

The phrase ‘Dead man walking’ popped into Harry’s head. If Sly wanted to gain Millicent’s freedom, without risking her captivity, then Lang was a dead man. He just didn’t know it.

“Sly, I don’t want you doing anything drastic. You are an innocent man and I want to keep it like that. I am sure we can find a way around this. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”

Millicent looked up at Sly, not understanding why Harry was making such a request. Then as if all the pieces fell into place her face lit up in understanding.

“No,” she said shaking her head. “No, you can’t,” she said in fear.

Sly took her in his arms. “Millicent, I promised you I would take care of everything that I would make everything all right.”

“No, you can’t kill him. You are not like them. You are not like him. Please, tell me you are not like them,” she said with tears falling yet again.

Those words shook Sly to the core. No, he could not kill the man that kept him from his family. Yes, they were his family. He may have no legal claim on Millicent and Mathew but they were his family and their respect meant everything to him. He kissed her forehead.

“No, love, I will not kill him. We will find a way. There has to be a way.”

Sly guided Millicent upstairs, leaving Harry and Severus standing in front of the fireplace.

“May I make a suggestion, Sir,” said Severus once the couple was out of sight.

“Finally!” said a frustrated Harry.

“Sir, I did not say I had a solution I was merely wishing to make a suggestion. I was thinking that a visit to Mrs. Weasley would be convenient,” cleared Severus.

“Mrs. Weasley? What good could she do?”

“Mrs. Hermione Weasley,” added Snape.

Harry looked at him with a beaming smile and apparated out of the room.


***


Severus was in the bedroom when Harry came back and to his relief Harry arrived with a grin on his face.

“Apparently they can have a union ceremony. One that will be accepted and respected by their peers,” recited Harry. “According to Hermione, if the community in which they live accepts them as a couple, then to all effects they are married to that community. Does that make sense to you?” he asked his husband.

“Yes, sir it does. I believe that it happened when Australia and the Americas were being colonized. People, that were already married but had no hope of reuniting with their spouses made unions with new partners.”

“Yeah, that’s what Hermione said. So I am thinking that all we have to do is invite some friends over and to wish them luck in their new life. Yes?” questioned Harry, not wanting to screw this up.

Severus gave an approving smile, “Yes, Sir.”


***


Harry looked at his sitting room full of friends carrying gifts for the couple. One by one he smiled at those present: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George and Charlie, Bill and Fleur, Percy and Penelope, Ron and Hermione, Kings and Draco, Minerva, Hagrid and Poppy, and finally Mr. Creevy and Dennis. Then he turned to speak to his husband.

“I think we should call them.”


Severus gave an approving nod and Harry went to the staircase and called up to Millicent and Sly. The couple came down carrying Mathew and Richard. Harry and Severus relieved them of their load and saw with glee the stunned looked on the couples’ faces.

“Brilliant, isn’t it?” asked Harry with a toothy smile.

Knowing that they would not be able to make sense of Harry’s attitude they both turned to Snape with puzzled looks.

“We are all here to celebrate your love,” explained Snape.

“Yeah, we are your peers and we acknowledge your love and union,” added Harry.

Again they turned to Snape.

“Mrs. Hermione Weasley found that it is an old practice done in extreme cases such as yours,” offered the professor.

Sly and Millicent looked at each other with a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

“Well, go on, they are waiting for you,” said Harry, pushing them into the sitting room.

They were immediately surrounded by hugs and well wishes. Sly asked for the floor in order to express his feelings. He guided Millicent to sit at Harry’s chair by the fireplace and then knelt before her.

“Millicent, I would like to publicly ask you to be my partner. If you accept I promise to take care and protect you and Mathew with my life.”

Millicent looked at him lost for words. Was this really happening? Was she about to be Mark Sly’s partner in life? And then it all came back to her: Mark Sly had been married to one of the most beautiful witches of our times and without knowing the words tumbled out of her mouth: “… she was so beautiful.”

Sly looked at her puzzled by her words.

“How can you love me when you had the most beautiful witch as your…”

“Child, what are you talking about? Yes, she was beautiful and I loved her dearly, but she is my past and you are my present,” explained Sly.

Millicent looked up at Harry. “Tell him.”

Harry had no idea what she was on about. “Sorry?”

“Tell him how I was the ugliest girl in our class,” demanded Millicent of Harry.

Harry had to blink a couple of times in order to process the words coming out of her mouth. Ugly? What in the world made her think she was ugly? All of a sudden ugly seemed such a childish word to him. She was not ugly. She was amazing. She had been through so much and survived. She was a survivor.

“I don’t know Milly, I think I am going to have to go with Sly on this one,” he said with a warm smile to his partner.

“But you know I am…”


“Amazing,” interjected Snape, making everyone in the room smile warmly at her.

“Millicent Bulstrode, will you please accept my love?” asked Sly, still kneeling in front of her.

Millicent nodded her consent with a nod and a tear running down her right cheek. Richard called out to Mathew.

“Look, Baby, you got Dada,” he said, pointing at Sly.

The crowd laughed and Sly got up and took his son in his arms. “Yep, Richard is right, you have a dad.”

Mathew looked Sly in the eyes and with a huge smile said: “Dad… my” pointing at himself with pride.


***


Two weeks later Harry was at work when he overheard two Aurors speaking about a Marked One who had escaped. What really captured his interest was the name: Vincent Crabbe.

“Vincent Crabbe?” Harry said, not realizing he was saying it out loud.

“Yeah, that’s right, Harry, you know him?” asked one of his coworkers.

“Yeah, we went to school together. Last time I saw him he looked as if he was at the doors of death. Can’t believe he is still alive.”

“Well if you can call having sex with an elf in order to survive, life then I guess he has one.”

“What? Is that even possible?” questioned Harry.

“Yeah, it’s happening all the time. The Marked Ones know that the elves are the only ones capable of taking them to safety so they enamor them in order to gain their freedom. It’s really quite cruel. The poor elf lives in constant agony once they have taken their Marked Ones to safety. The whole going against their master bit,” explained the second Auror.

“But cant their masters just call them back?” questioned Harry.

“That’s just it, isn’t it? They can’t respond to their masters without handing in their ‘Loved One’,” mocked the first Auror. “So they are doomed to live in agony.”

These words were whirling around in Harry’s head. Can an elf and wizard really have a relationship? And then it struck him like lightning, Kreacher!


***

Harry entered his house through floo and began to yell out when he saw no one. The house felt empty but he continued to call out: “Snape!, Millicent!, Sly!” but there was no response until he called out to Kreacher.

“Harry Potter, Sir, is being very early,” said Kreacher, looking up at a very upset Harry.

“Where is my family?” demanded Harry.

Kreacher popped out and then back in with Snape and Richard by his side.

“Sir, you are early. Is there something wrong?” asked a confused Severus.

Harry curled up his fist. “Kreacher take my son up to his room,” demanded Harry.

“Dada, you angry?” questioned Richard. Harry approached his son and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“No, Richard, I just need to speak to Papa. I think it is time for your nap; isn’t it?” looking up at Snape who agreed with a nod.

Once Kreacher had disappeared with Richard, Harry’s questioning began.

“Where were you?”

“At the glade,” answered Snape, having no idea where his husband’s anger was coming from.

“Glade? What glade?”

“It is Tuesday. It is Kreacher’s day off.”

“Yeah, well, I noticed it isn’t his day off from you.”

Severus was still lost.

“On his days off and weather permitting, Kreacher always takes us to a glade in the Forbidden Forest.”

“I don’t recall ever given you permission to go to any glade,” countered Harry with anger seeping through his words.

Snape had to think fast. He did not remember Harry giving him permission but he knew he would not have done it without his consent and he had been doing it for almost three years now. Then it all came back to him.

“You told me I was to do anything Kreacher told me to do,” explained Severus once the memory was clear in his mind.

“I DID NO SUCH THING!” roared Harry.

Severus closed his eyes, trying to not give into the shouting match.

“First morning I was here and I wanted to help with the chores, you told me it was up to Kreacher and I was to do everything he told me,” said Snape in a whisper.

“You totally took that out of context,” accused Harry.

“Sir, for nearly three years I have been going with Kreacher to the glade. Richard loves it and gives him the opportunity to see new creatures. Hagrid often takes him for a walk and now that Millicent is in hiding it gives her the opportunity to be out and about at least one day a week. I assure you I did not mean to cross you with my actions and if you so wish it I will stop immediately,” explained Severus.

It did seem to Harry like a wonderful opportunity for Richard and Millicent but there was still a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Where are Millicent and Sly?”

“You asked Kreacher for your family so he only retrieved us.”

“But Millicent has been with us for less than a year, so that means you used to go alone with Kreacher.”

“Yes, that is correct, Sir,” reassured Snape, not understanding where Harry was going with this.

Harry could see by Snape’s casual answer that he didn’t know where Harry was coming from.

“Vincent Crabbe escaped,” announced Harry.

Severus closed his eyes and gave a thanks out to the powers at be. “So long without knowing of him I had feared the worst. I must thank the coalition once I see them.”

“No, it wasn’t the coalition; it was his lover.”

Severus smiled, so another one of his little snakes had found happiness in midst of this madness.

“Yes, he fell in love with his Guide’s elf in order to gain his freedom,” Harry said with words dripping with sarcasm.

“That is a lie!” said Severus, standing up to his full height and with hands curled up into fists.

“Really, there is an elf suffering un-imaginable pain just to keep your little snake safe.”

“You cannot be falling for lies put out by Single to further disgrace MY snakes,” said Snape in what felt to Harry as a demand. “Surely you can see past his scheme. No elf would ever…”

“You are going to stand there and tell me that Kreacher would not do it for you if you asked it of him. That you haven’t ensured that he cares for you enough to live a life of agony in order to make you happy.”

Severus was gasping, be it for air or for words, he could not say, but both were evading him.

“Kreacher… Kreacher is a noble servant…” and making a conscious decision to let it all out, “whom I would be more than flattered to have him have any feelings for me, but as you have said over and over again I am but an ugly, worthless, no good, scum of the earth, who cannot ever hope to be loved,” Severus said as he turned and went up the stairs.

Harry was usually clueless, but he knew enough to know that most of those adjectives had not been uttered by him, but by Severus’ father. The image of Millicent looking up at him and demanding he told Sly how ugly she was popped into his mind. He had to admit he had said some stupid things to Snape; some very childish and cruel things to the man who had given him a home. He summoned his broom and flew off.

Kreacher, who had heard the conversation from the nursery and so popped onto the staircase for a better listen, groaned in disgust. What elf would ever find it appealing to couple with a human?

***


That night when Harry flew into his room he found it empty, but of course he knew where to look. Sure enough, Snape was in the kitchen wearing his purple nightgown with the violet roses imprinted on it, reading a book.

“Snape, I am not sleeping on the floor. You have no reason to take this attitude. I simply wanted to know where my family was. I have the right, don’t I?’

But Snape did not answer.

“Snape!”

Snape lifted his head out of the book and very methodically turned to look at Harry.

“Shall I go up and prepare myself for YOUR pleasure?” asked Snape with piercing black eyes.

Harry was enraged by Snape’s attitude. He approached him and took him by the arm. Severus was struggling so Harry did not dare and apparate them. He was dragging Severus through the sitting area: “I will not put up with you. I have all the right in the world to question who you’ve been with and where.” Severus was not arguing but he was trying to get his husband’s hands off of him when he heard the little voice.

“Bad Dada, Bad Dada,” said Richard extending his little fingers and shooting twinkles. “No, hurt my Papa,” he demanded, casting more feeble twinkles.

Harry and Severus froze looking into each other’s eyes in horror.

Severus went to Richard and kneeled before him so he could be at eye level. “Silly child, what are you on about?” said Severus, moving a strand of hair away from his son’s eye.

“Dada is yelling at you,” said a very angry Richard.

“No, Dada is just being obnoxious. Can you believe he wants me to go flying with him on his broom?”

Richard looked at his dada with a wicked smile across his face and laughed.

“Dada take Papa up, up, up. Zoom, zoom, zoom,” he babbled, moving his hand in an upward movement.

Harry couldn’t believe it. Just like that, Severus had changed the situation around. Now his son, who just a moment ago wanted to curse him, was his accomplice. He approached his son and knelt besides Snape.

“Papa doesn’t like brooms. I think he is afraid of them,” he said touching his child tentatively.

“Papahhh, no be afraid, dada no let you fall, right dada?”

Harry looked at his husband. He had let him down. Snape had kept his side of the deal and made sure Richard never lived what Harry had lived growing up. He was a happy little boy, well taken care of, Snape made sure of that. Unlike Harry, who had allowed Richard to see and live what Severus had suffered all his life. He was a failure.


“I know Dada would never let me fall. I simply do not like brooms. Never have; never will.”

“PAPA! Broom go up, up, up. Broom funnnnnnnnnnnnnnn,” announced Richard.

“Let’s not make Papa do something he doesn’t want to do,” he said turning to Snape. “I am sorry, Papa, I didn’t mean to scare you. I shouldn’t have insisted. Can you forgive me?”

Richard was looking up very intently at his fathers’ interaction.

“All is well, husband.”

“Kiss, Kiss,” demanded Richard.

Harry kissed Snape’s forehead then his cheek, then his nose and finally his lips.

“Yay!” cheered Richard.

Severus took him in his arms and rocked him shortly sending him to the world of dreams. He caressed his son’s features and contemplated his beauty. Harry watched silently. There was a special connection between Richard and Snape, a connection he could never dream of being part of.

“… for a split second, he hated me,” said Harry breaking the silence.

“He could never hate you,” responded Severus, still caressing his son’s features.

“Didn’t you see how he came down on me?”

Still admiring his son: “I saw a young child that did not stop to think before he took on a task way too big for him. I saw a very young Harry Potter beaming right through him.”

Harry didn’t know what to focus on. Everything had happened way too quickly. Richard did react in a way he himself would have reacted. He could not help but feel a stitch of pride. Richard would stand up for those he felt were in need. He would be a good man; a good wizard.

“I failed… I failed my end of the bargain, but you have to understand. I don’t even know how we got here. One moment I am seeking revenge and the next I have a son… a family… a home,” said Harry, trying to analyze as he spoke. “One morning I woke up and I had everything I ever wanted out of life and I just know something or someone is going to yank it right out of my hands.”

Severus took a deep breath and finally turned to look at his husband. “I do not know how else to assure you that I am not going anywhere. Do you not understand that I woke up in that same home as you did? Do you not understand that I have as much to lose as you do? Tell me what I can do to assure you of my commitment and I will not hesitate,” said Severus, not understanding the ramifications his words would carry.


A/N

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Moon of the Sea