Scarred Souls

*****************************************************



Title: Scarred Souls



Author: Misty Moonlight/Co-author: QueenBoadicea



Beta: QueenBoadicea



Pairings: Severus/Harry



Published: 12/10/2008



Summary: A widowed Harry must bond with Snape in order to save his daughter’s life. Sev gains a family, for better or worse, and the hearts of two scarred souls will be changed forever.



Warnings: Romance, Drama, Angst, Alternate Universe, Sexual Situations, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slash, Anal, Language, Humor, possible MPreg, Bonding, Original Characters, Family, OOC-ness,

non-canon, WIP



*****************************************************



Chapter 41:





Severus strode into Harry’s room. The man was seated on his bed, fixing new twigs into his broom. Honestly, he was far too old to be playing that silly game. But he had invited Severus once and he had to admit it was thrilling to see Harry crouched over a broomstick. The man was bloody brilliant in the air and his dazzling moves were breathtaking to watch.



“Harry, I need to go to the cottage,” Severus told his bond mate.



Harry looked up from where he was binding the new twigs to the shaft. “Why?”



Severus pinched his lips into a narrow line, allowing a look of annoyance to cross his face fleetingly. “I—left something behind and wish to retrieve it. I won’t be gone long.” He crossed to the fireplace and stumbled on a nonexistent bump in the rug.



“Are you alright, Severus?”



“I’m fine,” Severus said through his teeth. There, now he sounded as if he were barely holding back a sound of pain. That should elicit the desired reaction.



Sure enough, Harry stood up, his mild curiosity giving way to concern. “Severus, you don’t look so well. What’s wrong?”



His awful looks were courtesy of a mild glamour that he’d learned to cast, one that gave him a sickly pallor. “Stop fussing, Potter!” he snapped. “I’ll be at the cottage and return in a few minutes.” He clamped his mouth shut and sagged against the mantelpiece.



That did it. Harry walked up to him and grabbed him by the arms. “Severus, something is wrong! I don’t think you should be doing any traveling.”



Severus rolled his eyes. “Potter, you have turned into a regular wet nurse. I’m not an invalid. I’m merely pregnant.” He closed his eyes and sucked in a short breath as if hit by a spasm of pain.



“I knew it. You’re sick. You’re not going anywhere until we get Poppy to look at you.”



“Po-Harry, I need to get to the cottage. I’ll be back shortly. Please.”



The begging tone, along with the polite term he never used, were the crowning touches. The emerald eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to go to the cottage? What is it that you’re getting there?”



Severus narrowed his eyes in turn. “Harry, I’m taking a short trip, not traveling across the Soviet Union. Why this interrogation? Don’t you trust me?” He attempted a smile, knowing how badly he did so when he was trying.



“No, I don’t. You’re staying here.”



That wasn’t what he wanted at all. “If you attempt to restrain me, I shall go to the cottage on my own the moment you leave me unattended,” Severus threatened.



Harry fumed. “Fine. Then we’re going together.”



“And leave your children alone? You really are a negligent parent, you know that, Potter?” Severus murmured silkily.



“You’re not going to make me feel guilty about my children, so don’t try that game. James, Albus!” Harry cried, raising his voice.



The boys came running into his room, so quickly Severus mentally rebuked them; they were going to give the game away. However, Harry seemed not so surprised at their alacrity as the fact that they were still dressed from this afternoon. “Why do you still have your day clothes on, you two? I thought you’d be in your pyjamas.”



They looked at each other and shrugged. “We got busy playing Exploding Snap,” James offered.



That excuse appeared to satisfy Harry. Really, the man was far too trusting of his offspring sometimes. “James, Albus, watch Severus. I’m going to get Lily.”



“You’re setting your children to mind me? This is the ultimate indignity,” Severus groused. “You are an idiot if you think I’m going to allow your ineffectual spawn—”



Harry concentrated and Severus’s wand flew into his open palm. Once more Severus was tied with that powerful invisible binding that Harry had used once before. Harry smirked at him and said, “Don’t move a muscle. I’ll be right back.”



At least he had spared Severus the humiliation of having him fall on the floor. Once he was gone, Severus looked at the twins. “Listen to me very carefully, you two. I’m saying this once and once only. I apologize.”



They gaped at him. “What? Really?” James squeaked.



“I have said it.”



This wasn’t satisfactory to Albus. He wanted Severus to apologize and say what for. He had a child’s need for specifics. “But—”



“You’re not getting anything else out of me. Take your apology and be satisfied.” Albus shut his mouth again, but he looked rather disgruntled. James on the other hand was smugly pleased; doubtless those abominable floating heads had been his idea.



Harry came back into the room carrying Lily. She was awake and dressed in a sweet pink little dress that complemented her reddish hair. “Severus, did you dress Lily this evening?”



“No. Perhaps the house-elf did.”



“Why would he dress Lily in one of her day dresses?”



Severus rolled his eyes. “How should I know? As I’ve stated before, I think that elf of yours is getting senile. Now if you’ll remove this spell—”



“Oh, right.”



Severus felt his bonds loosen and flexed his limbs. Without another word to Harry, he scooped up a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.



The room was dark but he could sense the presence of other people waiting breathlessly in the dark. He whispered, “Not yet,” hoping that they could hear him. He stepped aside to avoid colliding with Harry and his children and the floo whooshed out seconds later.



Harry paused. “Severus, are you there? Why’s it so dark in here?”



“SURPRISE!!!”



Suddenly all the house lights came up, revealing a room filled with people. They were wearing party hats and fairies flitted through the space carrying streamers and throwing confetti.



Harry fell back against the mantelpiece, the green eyes almost comically wide. Lily and the twins handled it far better than he, the boys laughing their heads off at their Daddy’s shock, the little girl squealing in delight. She wriggled until Harry put her down and a few people cooed like pigeons when she took staggering steps after her older brothers.



Harry whispered to Severus, “W-what is all this?”



“I would have thought it was obvious. It’s a surprise party, Harry, in honor of your birthday,” Severus intoned.



Harry stared at him. “You knew about this?”



“He did.” Molly came bustling up to them, clad in a shimmering dress of maroon. “I got together with him and he got me into the cottage so I could set up the decorations, the food, the presents…”



“The guests,” Severus said in a long-suffering tone.



“Oh, Severus,” and Harry’s eyes widened to hear his adoptive mum call his bond mate by his first name, “it won’t kill you to mingle and be sociable for once.”



“It might kill them,” Severus muttered but so softly Harry knew she hadn’t heard. She spun off in another corner to run after the twins, scolding them for reaching for the cake.



“So this is why you were acting so weird? I thought—” Harry stopped, looking ashamed.



“I know what you thought. It was my intention to make you suspicious so you would accompany me. But you were far more perspicacious than you realize. Molly was the mysterious visitor who came to the manor that evening Kreacher detected an unknown guest.”



“Ha! I knew it!” Harry flung his arms around Severus’s waist and smiled up into his face. “Thank you, Severus. This was wonderful.” He stood on his toes and kissed Severus on his cheek, ignoring the watching crowd.



Severus said gruffly, “It was Mrs. Weasley’s idea. Thank her, if you must.” Really, all these people made this room much too warm. His cheeks were burning.



“Oi, Harry, old sod. Good to see you. ‘Bout time the missus let you out of the house,” George said, bounding up to Harry with a noisemaker in one hand and a drink in the other.



“Watch whom you’re calling ‘missus’, Mr. Weasley,” Severus warned.



The one-eared Weasley just grinned at him. “Why, look at you, Severus. Marriage has been good to you. You’re positively…glowing,” George said innocently, batting his eyes at him.



Severus felt the blood drain from his face. He knew he couldn’t be showing; he was only two months gone! Had that blasted woman told…? He could see from the way George eyed his belly that she had. Furious at this betrayal, he pushed through the crowd to find Molly Weasley.



Harry was right behind him. “Severus, don’t.”



“Don’t tell me what to do, Harry. We demanded that woman keep this a secret and she went and told that chatterbox son of hers!” he hissed in a low voice.



Harry grabbed Severus by the arm and pulled him up the short flight of stairs, away from the partygoers. Severus had warded the upper flight so that no one could reach it except Harry and himself. The bedrooms were safe from interlopers and spies.



Once they found Harry’s bedroom, Harry shut the door and warded it. “Listen, Severus. We can trust George.”



“Can we?” Severus fumed.



“Yes, we can,” Harry stated firmly.



“Oh, don’t tell me. These are your family and none of them would ever do a thing to hurt you. Is that it?”



“That’s right.”



“They might wish to hurt me, Harry,” Severus snapped.



“Severus, don’t you get it. They’re not just my family now. They’re yours. I told you that right at the beginning. Remember?”



Was that true? Severus kept interactions with the Weasleys at a minimum. During the last frenetic week of secret preparations with Molly, he’d gotten close to the Weasley matriarch, true. But that didn’t mean he was accepted by the others…did it?



Harry placed both hands on his bond mate’s face, staring him intently in the eyes. “Severus, they know that you’re important to me and that your baby is important to me, too. These are the people I trust the most in the world to protect me and my family. And that includes you now. You’ll just have to believe me on that,” he finished. His tone was firm and brooked no argument.



Severus sighed. “How you can still be so trusting about people after everything you’ve suffered at the hands of the Dursleys is beyond me.”



Harry stiffened and pulled away from him. “What do you mean, what I’ve suffered? What do you know about my time with the Dursleys?”



Severus thought back swiftly. Shit. Harry had never discussed with him the torment his relatives had inflicted. “I saw your mind during our Legilimency lessons, remember?”



“That’s why you kept accusing me of being a spoiled, arrogant brat. That’s why you tore into me the first time you saw me after I thought you’d been dead for years.” Those green eyes were flashing again, baffled anger shooting from them.



“While I was conspiring with Molly, we discussed something of your relationship with the Dursleys. They considered you to be a freak because of your magic, didn’t they?” That was close enough to the truth without being an actual lie.



“That doesn’t mean I was tormented by them. You sounded like you’re talking about something specific.” When he tried to answer, Harry held up his hand. “Severus, you’re really good at deceiving people. Merlin knows you managed to trick Voldemort for years. But I knew you had someone in the manor. You tried to pretend that you didn’t and blamed Kreacher for being senile. But I knew.” Harry’s face went stiff. “And I know you’re lying to me now.”



“Harry, I’m not lying to you. Besides, is this the time for pointless accusations? You have a roomful of people downstairs that are waiting for you to celebrate your birthday.” Severus stepped to the door and waited for Harry to undo the wards. Lately, he’d found that Harry’s wards were so powerful he had a great deal of difficulty getting through them. Another topic for discussion, no doubt.



The dropping of the wards caused a burst of noise, song and laughter to surge up the stairs. Harry marched past him, visibly fuming. But by the time he reached the stairs, he had managed a pleasant expression for his waiting fans and family.



The scene was chaotic, with various children running around chasing each other or stopping to stare wide eyed at him. Why? He knew his glamour was in place. What in the world was so fascinating about his appearance?



Hermione hugged Harry, turning to keep her stomach out of the way. She was six months pregnant and showing it. “Harry! I’m so glad you could make it. Thanks for luring him out here, Severus.”



“It wasn’t hard, Hermione. You know how gullible Harry can be.”



“Oi! That’s hardly fair,” Harry protested. “I nearly kept you trapped at the manor, you know.”



Fleur Weasley came up to Severus with a tray of champagne held in one dainty hand. “‘Ello, ‘Arry! ‘Ello, Severus! ‘Ave something to drink. This is some of the finest French champagne. None of that silly English wine that tries to pass for it.”



Severus looked longingly at the champagne. With his condition, he couldn’t indulge nor give a plausible reason why he wasn’t drinking.



Harry solved the problem by neatly sagged two flutes. “I’ll just hold yours, Sev. Thanks, Fleur!” Ron came up to Harry and they went off, Ron ribbing about Harry’s creeping years and how it wouldn’t be too much longer before he had to give up Quidditch.



Severus bowed his head. “Mrs. Weasley.”



The blond Frenchwoman gave a tinkling laugh that caused the heads of several males in her vicinity to swivel in her direction. Identical delirious smiles creased their faces as they unconsciously drifted towards her. “Oh, not Mrs. Weasley! Please call me Fleur.”



“Very well…Fleur.” Idly, Severus considered how many women of his acquaintance were named after plants—Poppy, Lily, Petunia, Pansy, Lavender, Pomona and now this French woman with enough veela in her ancestry to cause nearly every man around her to become drooling idiots. He wondered if such names were part of the European or wizarding custom.



“I must say I was veery surprise to hear you were alive. I was certen as anyone you were as dead as that Dumbledore.”



Gracious, this woman had all the tact of Hagrid when he was roaring drunk. “The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated,” he gritted.



She peered at him, oblivious to his discomfort. “Where are the scars Molly mentioned? You can show them to us. They can’t make you look any worse.”



“I have no wish to frighten the children, not even you.” Before she could process the insult, he pushed past her, searching for Harry. There wasn’t enough veela in this woman to make him tolerate her for a single instant—not without several stiff drinks in him.



He found Harry in a corner chatting with a tall youth he vaguely recognized. The man had sleek red hair and a muscular build akin to that Viktor Krum. He was wearing tight Muggle trousers, jeans like those that Harry favored. Over a cotton tee-shirt he sported a loose jacket in bright green.



The man seemed very interested in his bond mate, bending closer to catch something Harry said, flashing an easy smile at some murmured comment. Severus didn’t care for the way he was standing next to Harry and decided to find out who this stranger was.



The man looked up as Severus approached. “Snape! Cripes! So it is true!” he said with astonishment.



“And who might you be?” Severus snapped.



“I’m a member of the family. Obviously. Who else could I be with hair like this?” he said with a lopsided grin.



“Severus, this is Charlie Weasley. You remember him, right?” Harry asked.



Charles Weasley? It had been years since he’d seen this youth but his face came back along with his name. This close, he could see the man was undeniably attractive. His fine-boned face was graced by eyes the dark blue of a late summer sky. The nose was delicate without being effeminate. Standing next to Harry, they presented quite the handsome couple. It made Severus’ stomach churn to see them together.



The man looked at Severus coolly without the slightest hint of apprehension. “Well, I have to say this is a shock. There were stories that you were alive but I wasn’t sure what to believe. So, Harry, it’s true the two of you are married?” he asked, turning back to Harry.



Harry shrugged. He wound his arm around Severus’s waist. “It’s true, Charlie. It’s been four months now.”



“I’ll be damned. Never thought I’d see the day this would happen.”



“Why do you seem so astonished? Surely you’ve had time to get used to the news,” Severus probed.



“Things can get pretty hairy when you’re working with dragons. Sometimes there were months at a time that I didn’t see a newspaper or get an owl. And when the news finally came from George, well, frankly, I thought he was just having a go at me. You know the way George is,” Charlie said with a shrug. He took a deep pull from his beer for emphasis. “Who’d have thought it, eh? Severus Snape getting married to Harry Potter!”



Severus peered at the bottle. Had they ordered in bottled brew for the festivities? He had left much of that to Molly Weasley, stipulating only that Harry’s favorite desserts and food be on hand. Of course, being as this was a social event, there would have been many comestibles provided to suit the various tastes.



“Life has a way of throwing funny surprises, Charlie,” Harry said quietly. Severus couldn’t tell what he was thinking. But he felt that Harry was bothered by the conversation and wanted it over.



The man laughed, showing off very white and even teeth. That annoyed Severus even more. Until very recently, he had never bothered to do anything about the yellow tinge to his dentures; he had dismissed such fripperies as silly vanity. Only when he’d made efforts to seduce Harry had he bothered. That was when he discovered that no amount of spellwork could erase years of dental neglect. Even now, his teeth still had a faint lemony cast to them.



“Oi, Charlie! You enjoying the party?” There was George again. He slung an arm around his brother. This close, Severus could indeed see the resemblance between him and the one-eared Weasley.



Before he could question George about his brother’s presence, the older Weasley had gone off with George, talking avidly about some of the man’s newest joke creations. Severus wanted to follow but Harry tapped him on the shoulder.



“What was that all about?” he asked softly.



“What was what about?”



“Don’t play dumb. You were pissed at Charlie. Why?”



“I just thought his shock at our marriage was grossly exaggerated and in poor taste.”



Harry tilted his head. “You could be right,” he said slowly.



“What?” He was often right. It was rare to have Harry admit to it, though.



“I don’t know what it is. But I got the feeling—that he was interested in something more than conversation.” Harry flushed and took a pull from his champagne.



“And that bothers you? I would have thought you’d be flattered by having another suitor wash up on your doorstep.”



That type of comment would have set Harry off a few months ago. Now he just gazed at Severus coolly. “I just wondered why he would hit on me when there are so many other good-looking blokes in the crowd.”



“So many…whom do you mean?”



“Well, there’s Kingsley Shacklebolt. He’s got that muscular, mysterious, sultry thing going for him and that booming voice like liquid smoke and some people find bald men sexy beasts. And Icarus Diggle isn’t so bad. He’s a hell of a lot more rugged than his dad and that tenor voice he’s got definitely could send tingles down a man’s spine.”



Severus’s brows drew together. He knew he was frowning forbiddingly. But he couldn’t seem to help it. He hadn’t wanted people from the Ministry at this party. But Arthur had insisted these were men that he found reliable, ones who had been substantial players in the last war against Voldemort. If they couldn’t be trusted, then who could? “Icarus Diggle is married.”



“So am I and that didn’t stop Charlie, did it?” Harry grinned at him and took a swig of his drink.



Severus wondered why Harry hadn’t put himself among the listing of attractive men—or Severus. Perhaps he didn’t see Severus as being handsome. Then again, there was no reason why he should. Old, ugly and greasy—that was Severus Snape and when he stood next to handsome men like Charlie, he knew it acutely.



All at once, he felt an unaccountable weariness. His feet swelled up easily if he stayed too long on them and he was feeling the pinch now. He wanted to slip away quietly but Harry wouldn’t want to leave now. Perhaps he could suggest it in half an hour…



“Harry, you lump! Come over here and blow out your candles!” George cried.



Harry was jostled and grabbed by his friends and family and shoved over to his cake. Severus thought he was going to be ignored, which suited him just fine. But he felt his hands being clasped and looked down to see the twins staring up at him.



“C’mon, Severus! They’re cutting the cake!”



“You should see it! It’s got three steps…” James babbled, tugging him towards the confection.



“That’s tiers, James,” Severus corrected moodily.



“Make a wish, Harry!” “Make a wish!” Cries came from all sides and Harry bent down towards his cake. He appeared to think for a moment and then puffed out his cheeks and blew. The candles went out in a whoosh and cheers went up.



It seemed a great deal of fuss to be made over such a simple act. But when Severus saw the radiance of Harry’s joy, that seemed to encompass everyone in the room, he couldn’t begrudge it. Goodness knows, Harry’s early life had been completely bereft of such things as cakes, parties or presents. It wasn’t too much to grant him this and Severus was suddenly proud of the hand he’d had in bringing such happiness to his bond mate.



Presents were unwrapped with eager abandon. Among other things, there were mittens and woolen pants from Molly (“For winter, dear”), a pound of treacle tart from Ron, a bunch of dubious wrinkly balls from George (“Put ‘em to good use, mate”) and a book of Hogwarts: A History – New and Updated Edition from Hermione (“It’s never too early to get the children reading about it, Harry. Maybe this time you could actually read it, too.”).



Charlie shuffled his feet. “Sorry, Harry. This was all a bit last-minute, yeah? I didn’t have time to get you a gift.”



“That’s all right, Charlie. I’m just glad you’re here.” The older man beamed, ridiculously happy for someone who’d been so thoughtless. Severus still didn’t want him around Harry.



The party was in full swing with liquor flowing (and a watchful eye kept on the children). Lily got smeared with cake and fussed over by almost everyone; Timothy and the twins took a little bit of almost everything on the table.



During a quiet moment in the corner, Charlie said to Harry, “Oi, Harry. Where’s the kitchen? Been searching for it and can’t find it. Then again, I may be a bit sloshed.” He wagged his nearly empty beer bottle.



“I’ll show you.” Harry took Charlie to the kitchen. He swung around almost at once. “Charlie, why’d you ward the door?”



“I just wanted to give you this and didn’t want Snape giving me a hard time. He seems just as nasty as when we were in Hogwarts.” He pulled out a plain wooden box and handed it to Harry.



“What? I thought you didn’t get me a present.”



“Well, not for today, exactly. See, I’ve had this a long while. But it never seemed the right time to give it to you. Then you got married to Ginny and now Snape…” He shook his head, bemused. “Guess the timing was always off. So you might as well have it now.”



Harry hefted the box. Whatever was inside, it felt rather heavy. He opened it and his mouth fell open.



Lying nestled in a bed of black velvet was a bracelet of shiny platinum, wound around with dragons in gleaming red. They had tiny green stones for eyes and he could tell just from looking at it that it must be quality work.



He looked up to see Charlie eyeing him. “Charlie, this is really… This must have cost a mint!”



The man shrugged. “Dragon keeping really pays, Harry. You should look into it.”



“Are you kidding? I’ve got enough to do keeping the children in line.”



Charlie frowned a little. “Well? Aren’t you going to put it on?”



“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Harry lifted it out. Just as he clasped it on his wrist, Charlie’s hand shot out and grabbed his. A wide grin, maniacal and triumphant, creased his face just as the world whirled around them both.



Harry’s final thought as the Portkey swept them away was Oh shit. Severus is going to be pissed.





TBC