You Know You Are Loved When A Gryffindor Loves You

3

“I hate London in the summer”, Harry groused to his beloved as he arrived home with three fractious children. Amanda was held in his arms as he manoeuvred the double buggy into the house and Severus climbed down the front steps to assist him. Severus kissed him fondly and went back to the kitchen from which enticing cooking smells emanated. Harry undid the straps that held his two youngest and hauled them both from the buggy.

He collapsed, exhausted, against Severus’ chest and was held tight in one arm as his beloved stirred a pan on the stove, “Come on, love, why do you hate London?”, he purred. Harry shook his head in exasperation, “It’s such a bloody performance to get anywhere. ‘Manda insisted on walking, so I load up the other two and we went to see the latest Disney film in Leicester Square. The tube was a frigging nightmare. Someone tripped over the pushchair and made Amalia cry although no-one was hurt. The streets were really crowded and the people here are so damn rude, it’s not like Manchester at all, everybody is so faceless yet I feel like such a target here and I got really paranoid when some geezer was staring at us on the train. I could have sworn he was a Death-Eater and I felt so vulnerable. No-one helped me up the escalator with the three kids and I’m just so tired”. He leaned into his beloved’s comforting arms.

Severus turned the lights down on the cooker and helped bathe and change the children before they were all put to bed. All of them were whiny and crying and Severus could feel the exhaustion from them. He read them all a story while Harry showered and changed and were all fast asleep as Harry emerged with damp hair and his dressing gown on.

The older man had had a trying day at school and had Floo’d back to an empty house with a note pinned to the fridge from Harry telling him where they all were and he had started dinner. He handed Harry a cold can as he went back to cooking and glanced around to see Harry just rolling the cold can over his forehead, not even opening it. He dished up the meal and sat beside Harry on the bench.

Harry was beyond hunger and pushed his food around his plate, “So how was your day, love?” Severus sighed, “The sooner I get out of teaching, the better, as far as I am concerned”. Harry leaned over and kissed his husband’s cheek, “So, neither of us has had a good day then?” Severus shook his head, “I swear I get more impatient with each passing day. I just wanted to be here with you. The fourth years really are bloody impossible. I had a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff group today and they seemed to think it so amusing to jinx each other’s potions for a dare. I’m sick of dealing with all of this, and, like you, I’m not so sure that London is the ideal place to rear kids. I miss Manchester, too, all of the life and energy and the folk up there seem to really love kiddies, you would never have had to struggle like this. The tube is no place for small folk”, he sighed.

They liked the house and the area in which they lived but felt worn down by the overwhelming crowds that were everywhere the moment they stepped out of their front door. Harry started to eat slowly, the food was delicious and he loved it when Severus cooked for them, but could work up no enthusiasm for it and ate mechanically. They cleared the meal away and set the dishes to washing in the dishwasher. Old habits died hard at home and both had grown used to doing menial tasks the muggle way from their time in exile.

Harry cracked another can and Severus poured himself more wine before they both trailed into the lounge and sat together on the sofa. They didn’t switch on the TV or hi-fi, preferring instead to listen to the sounds of the piano coming from upstairs. Harry smiled, “He’s really good isn’t he?” glancing at the ceiling. Severus grinned, “Neither of his parents were musical in the slightest, but Narcissa bought him the piano as a birthday present before he came to Hogwarts and he’s pretty much self-taught, just like you on the guitar” Harry nuzzled into his husband’s side, “Don’t hate me for this, Severus, but I don’t want to live in London anymore. I really do hate the place. I know there’s loads of interesting places to look at and all that but it’s just so hard to get about and the traffic is a nightmare. I want to go back up north, I like the people loads better”.

Severus squeezed Harry’s shoulders gently, “I know, love, me too. I know we had this lovely fantasy of the four of us raising our kids together, but I’m not keen on London either. It’s lots more expensive to live here and the people are rude, I mean, we don’t even know our next door neighbours and we’ve been here a while now. When I first moved into Moss Side, Joyce appeared on my doorstep with a casserole that she had made for me. She didn’t know me from Adam but they were so welcoming, a single white guy who wasn’t around much, but the neighbours took me in nonetheless. It’s so anonymous here and people look straight through you”.

Harry looked up and pulled Severus down to him for a kiss. “Let’s move again, babe. I know we haven’t been here that long, but I want to go back up north, not necessarily back to Manchester, but somewhere. We should never have come to London. It’s not as if either of us has to be here, after all, and I’d like the kids settled somewhere soon before they have to start school so we haven’t got long”.

The younger man looked away dreamily, his eyes focussing on the middle distance, “You know, Draco and I have been talking and we’ve been hatching these plans, don’t you? I just think the whole thing would be a lot healthier for all concerned if we weren’t here in sweaty old London although I haven’t broached the subject yet with those two and I think the girls would be better off out of London too. Fuck it, we’ve got the Floo and Apparation and the like, we could be anywhere we wanted. It’s not like we’re restricted to being down here or anything”.

Severus smiled and kissed Harry. “All right, where do you suggest?” Green eyes, now fixed, looked up into deep brown, “I really fancy York. It’s small and beautiful and historical and, well, I just love the place and I bet we could find a house in the suburbs for all of us that would be loads cheaper than down here and the beer’s loads better up there. They can’t make decent beer worth shit down here. Either that or somewhere out of the British Isles like Dublin or Northern Spain”.

Harry watched his husband’s face as he thought about the options, “Mmm, York sounds great to me, love, but we’ll obviously have to chat to the others about it, after all, we own the house jointly between the four of us. Though, given the rate at which the house prices keep rocketing up, we should all make a nice little profit on this place and get something with a bit of serious land around it, enough to keep a pony for the kids, maybe a dog or two”. Harry grinned, “Are you still happy about living with the others?” Severus nodded, “I feel like we’re a big family. I wouldn’t mind the girlies being a part of this either, like a big collective. I’ve grown used to sharing and I rather like it, you know. Perhaps a big old farm somewhere, but I have this hankering for land and space and fresh air. London is so polluted. I can already hear Alex’s breathing becoming laboured and I’m afraid of him developing asthma which seems like a given around here and I’m not sure I want our children to be slaves to inhalers and potions and the like”.

Harry giggled, “And York would be perfect for mine and Draco’s little scheme. Let’s go and see them tomorrow and lay it all out to them. We’ll give the girls a call too and see what they think. We’ll call a meeting for tomorrow or Saturday”, and the matter was settled for now.

Severus pulled his lover closer and kissed him thoroughly, “For now, though, I want to take you to bed and fuck you ‘til you scream”. Harry sighed contentedly, “Now that sounds like a plan”.

That night was probably their most passionate since they had moved into this house and Severus soon had Harry crying out and moaning beneath him. He gazed deep into those wonderful pools of malachite and lost himself. It felt like old times as the bubble of their bond reasserted itself and they slept in a tangled pile of limbs and love.