Standing Against the Tides

Last time I looked at my driver’s license, it did not say J. K. Rowling. Yep, it’s just me, an unpaid and unknown aspiring writer. The characters of the Potterverse do not belong to me and I am making no money from this endeavor.

A/N: Spoilers through OotP. As I am still in denial, I refuse to acknowledge the events of HBP or DH at this point.


Beta’d by the magical BabyGurl.




Chapter 45 Epilogue All is Right Again

To say that Rita Skeeter was surprised when she learned the identity of her visitor would be an understatement. But then again, the reporter had received many surprises in the past few weeks, so what was one more? Deciding quickly, Rita told her assistant to show the visitor in. This could prove interesting, was her thought as Molly Weasley was ushered through the door.

Standing up, Rita greeted the woman as proper Wizarding traditions dictated. “Ah, Mrs. Weasley, how are you this fine day? And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Rita inquired politely. After having witnessed the witch rail against the Minister of Magic, the reporter thought it best to keep on the volatile red-head’s good side.

Molly shook the offered hand and replied, “I have some information about Cornelius Fudge that you might find interesting. However, you must give me your Oath as a witch that you will never reveal the source of this information.”

Smiling, Rita quickly considered the situation. Not only was Mrs. Weasley married to a Ministry Official, but if Rita recalled correctly, one of her sons also worked closely with the Minister of Magic. It was therefore quite likely that this woman would indeed be privy to certain knowledge about the Minister of Magic. Taking out her wand, Rita performed the necessary Oath before gesturing for her guest to take a seat. It looked like another good story was coming her way.


Harry woke abruptly the next morning when something heavy plopped onto the bedcovers. Raising his head, he glared at Hedwig, who ruffled her feathers before flying over to her perch and settling next to Fawkes. Grumbling about smart aleck owls, Harry reached for his glasses and grabbed the offending item, which he saw was a copy of The Daily Prophet, from the bed. Looking over at his mate, he noticed with some dissatisfaction that Severus had managed to sleep through the exchange between wizard and owl. Snorting, Harry opened The Daily Prophet and began reading.


Referendum for Resignation of Minister Fudge!
A Special Report by Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter

Following in the wake of the recent allegations of the many wrongs committed by the current Minister of Magic against our very own Chosen One and his soul mate, come even more alarming revelations into the nefarious actions of Cornelius Fudge.

Sources, who have asked to not be identified, were able to point out several more instances of abuse to this reporter. There are so many instances of abuse of power and of taxpayers’ moneys that it is difficult to imagine just how Minister Fudge has managed to get away with these crimes for so long.

Having recently been in the Minister’s lavishly decorated office, this reporter innocently assumed that Cornelius Fudge was independently wealthy and had paid for the furnishings himself. Not so, dear readers. No, it seems that Minister Fudge has misappropriated public funds for his own private use, including personal trips, massages, private parties and the decorations for his office. None of these of these items are included in the budgeted accounts that are set up for the Minister of Magic.

In addition, Cornelius Fudge regularly forces Ministry employees to work free of charge for him, doing improper, and in some cases, illegal things. Some frightened Ministry workers, both male and female, have, under the promise of anonymity, come forward to report that Minister Fudge has demanded sexual favors in exchange for raises or career advancement. Those brave souls who have refused to bow to Fudge are severely punished, often finding themselves in dead-end jobs with little pay, if they are left with any job at all.

The list of misdeeds goes on and on, gentle readers, but rest assured that this reporter will not rest until Minister Fudge is brought to justice for his crimes against the people he is supposed to be serving. As such, advanced copies of this article, along with the pertinent documents detailing these abuses, have been sent to the presiding members of the Wizengamot. Let us hope that reason and decency will prevail and that honor will once again be restored to the top office of our Ministry.


Putting the paper down, Harry smiled. Perhaps there was hope yet for the Ministry. Setting the paper aside, the young Headmaster decided that it was time to wake his sleeping mate. Smirking as an idea came to him; Harry slipped under the covers and began the slow and sensuous process of teasing his lover’s body awake.

~*~

Harry smiled brightly at his mate just before he stopped in front of the staff entrance door to the Great Hall. It had been a week since they had rescued Severus from the Ministry and aside for the few hours Severus had been kept against his will in the Infirmary, the Potions Master had spent the entire time holed up in their quarters. In that time Rita’s article had done its work and Fudge had been ousted from office, much to the delight of both bond mates. Amelia Bones had been unanimously voted in by the Wizengamot as acting Minister and she in turn had appointed Arthur Weasley as her Deputy-Minister. Though formal elections were a few weeks away, Harry was certain that Madame Bones would win the Wizarding public vote as well. And of course, Harry couldn’t even begin to describe how happy he was for the Weasley family at Mr. Weasley’s promotion.

Now, however, the time had come for Severus to make his first public appearance since the battle. Harry suspected that the Potions Master would deny it, but he knew his soul mate well enough by now to know that the man was feeling distinctly nervous about appearing before the students and other staff for the first time since his release from Ministry custody. Briefly squeezing the older wizard’s hand, Harry opened the door and walked in. He felt the presence of his lover behind him as he made his way to the Headmaster’s chair at the center of the staff table.

All sound stopped as the two men stepped into the Great Hall and strode across the raised dais. Severus resolutely kept his face devoid of emotion and his eyes focused on the back of his soul mate. Years of being ridiculed and reviled, first by his classmates and especially the Marauders and then by Wizarding society and even those in the Order had inured him to all sorts of hateful and hurtful things. Thus, Severus was completely unprepared when as one; the occupants of the Great Hall rose and began clapping. No, it was more than that, for there were cries of “Severus Snape, our hero!” and cat calls. Severus finally looked around to see Slytherin banners and even a few life-size pictures of himself adorning the Great Hall.

Looking around at those applauding him, Severus was stunned to see that not only were they his Slytherins, but also Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The entire staff was also cheering madly as well as the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Even more surprising was the fact that the acting Minister of Magic was in attendance. Blinking his eyes in surprise, Severus turned to Harry, who simply smiled, shrugged and continued to clap and cheer along with the others.

It was several minutes before the applause and cheering died down, and then the acting Minister of Magic, Madame Amelia Bones, stepped forward. Casting Sonorous on herself, Minister Bones stated, “Professor Snape, for too long you have stood in the shadows. For too long, your sacrifices have gone unnoticed. For too long, those whom you have striven to protect have ridiculed you and your actions. No longer will that be the case. From this day forward, all will know that you, Severus Snape, are a hero! You have worked hard and long to protect our world and our Savior from the evil that was Lord Voldemort. You deserve all the thanks and praise we can give you! Thank you, Professor Snape. Thank you.”

Gesturing to her Deputy Minister, Arthur Weasley, Madam Bones picked up the Medal of Honor from his hand and motioned for Severus to stand before her. Reaching up, the petite woman pinned the Order of Merlin, First Class, on the Potions Master’s robes. “Wear this medal proudly, Professor Snape, for you have truly earned it,” the Minister told the somber man.

Turning back to the assembled crowd, Madame Bones announced, “Professor Severus Snape, recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class!”

Once again applause and cheers rang out and Severus was hard pressed to not wince in annoyance at the cacophony of sound echoing throughout the Great Hall. Only the solid presence of his bond mate beside him kept him from sneering, hexing everyone or bolting through the staff door. Whichever was easiest. In the end, the stoic ex-spy settled on holding his head high and keeping his emotionless masks firmly in place. He knew that his lover would be able to tell that he was pleased, and that was all that mattered, really.

~*~

Harry was busy in the weeks leading up to N.E.W.T.s and graduation. Besides the fact that he still had his tutors coming to the castle to teach his courses, he had a school to run. Harry was also not content to simply leave the current curriculum in place. As far as he was concerned, many of the problems with the pure blood superiority and Moldy Shorts could have been prevented or at least lessened if ignorance and prejudice weren’t so rampant in the Wizarding World. Fortunately, Hogwarts had seen fit to put him in a position where he could do something about that and Harry had every intention of using that power.

Hogwarts already had a Muggle Studies class on the curriculum, but it was currently being taught by a pure blood witch and it was also an elective course for third year students. Harry was determined that the class be a compulsory class for first through third years for all those who grew up in the Wizarding World and that it also be taught by a Muggle-born. After much thought, Harry approached Dean Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor, to assist the current Professor in that class. Dean readily agreed, having already expressed a desire to pursue a career in teaching.

The next step would be a bit more difficult as it meant adding an entirely new course to the curriculum. However, Harry knew from bitter experience just how much such a class could be helpful. Therefore, Harry contacted the School Governors with his idea, and having received their blessing, called Draco Malfoy in for a meeting. After some initial surprise, Draco agreed to accept the offered position – that of Wizarding World Studies instructor. The blond aristocrat agreed with his one-time nemesis that Muggle-borns would do better in the Wizarding World if they had a better idea of how and why things were the way they were. This course also would be compulsory, with all first through third year Muggle-borns attending so that they could learn more about this new world they were entering.

Equally surprising to both young men was the fact that they rather enjoyed their talks as they worked out the details for the course. While the two might never be best friends, they found that they got along quite a bit better now. Perhaps it had something to do with Draco dating Harry’s “sister” and Harry being bonded to Draco’s godfather?

Once Minister Bones struck down the antiquated laws banning werewolves from seeking gainful employment as long as they took the Wolfsbane Potion, Harry was able to approach Remus Lupin about coming back as the instructor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus gladly accepted the post after making sure that his pseudo godson was not just trying to be nice to him. Harry was delighted when his lover only put up a token protest at having the werewolf back at the castle permanently.

The final major change that Harry made for the time being was to ask Charlie Weasley to co-teach Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. Though Hagrid would always be Harry’s first friend, the half-giant was a bit careless when it came to his creatures and the safety of the students had to come first. Happily, Charlie agreed to come to Hogwarts and Hagrid was happy for the help.

~*~

Severus smirked. His contacts at St. Mungo’s had confirmed the admittance late last evening of a patient who had come down with a rare and perplexing case of eczema. It appeared that the individual could not stand to have any clothing at all touching his body and had been found running naked through Diagon Alley. As the wizard in question was also an Auror, it had been deemed best to quickly and quietly subdue the man and get him to St. Mungo’s for treatment. Chuckling as Severus reviewed his notes on the potion, he realized that Clive Ainsworth would not only not be able to wear any clothing, but that he would also not be able to sleep in a bed until a cure was found. And that is why one should never tick off a Slytherin, and especially a Slytherin who was also a Potions Master, Severus thought snidely as he turned his attention back to his marking.

~*~

Harry was smiling, something that in and of itself was not an uncommon thing as of late, but the reasons for this smile certainly were. N.E.W.T.s were finally over, he was confident that he had done well and that also meant that his mate’s classes were finished for the year. Slipping into the storage room where he knew that the older man would be busy cataloguing his supply of potion ingredients, Harry quietly closed and warded the door behind him. He set his bag down on the floor and leaned back against the door, content to watch his lover at work. It all seemed so long ago that they had been at each other’s throats, fueled in their mutual hatred by a crazed Headmaster. Shaking his head, Harry chuckled as he remembered the reason he had sought out his mate in the first place.

Without turning around Severus asked, “Is there something I can help you with, Harry? Or do you intend to just keep staring at my back?”

Laughing lightly, Harry replied, “Well, actually, I was looking a bit lower than your back, Sev.”

When the older man finally turned around and arched an eyebrow at him, Harry grinned before pushing away from the door and wrapping his arms around the Potions Master’s neck. “Hmm, now this is nice. But you’re right; this isn’t why I came to see you.” Pressing a quick kiss to his lover’s cheek, Harry pulled back so that he could look up at Severus. “I heard a couple of things today that I thought you also might like to hear.”

“In that case, perhaps we should go into my office so we can better discuss the matter,” Severus suggested.

After Severus had settled into his leather chair behind his desk, Harry climbed onto his lap before beginning, “Kingsley came to tell me that they found a place for Dumbledore.” Feeling his mate stiffen at the mention of the man who had brought them both so much grief, Harry reached up and caressed the older man’s cheek. “Dumbledore can’t hurt us anymore, love. He’s just a Squib now and he doesn’t even remember the last sixty years of his life. And he certainly doesn’t remember us anymore. Anyway, Kingsley and Remus have given it a great deal of thought and have decided that Dumbledore should be placed with another Squib – Arabella Figg to be precise. It’s a bit of poetic justice if you think about it. He’ll spend the rest of his life living in the same neighborhood that he condemned me to grow up in. Too bad he can’t be the Dursley’s House Elf as well,” Harry sniggered.

Severus was quiet for a moment before his trademarked smirk came into being. “Yes, fitting indeed, my love,” he replied. “But you implied that there were a couple of items that you had to share?”

“Yeah, and I think this one is even more wild. You know that it turned out that Bellatrix Lestrange had been poisoned and controlled by Dumbledore for all these years, right?” Seeing the older man’s nod, Harry continued, “Well, Kingsley had given her the antidote at the Ministry, but her mind was too far gone, so she was sent to the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo’s.” Stopping for a moment, Harry asked, “Um, you do know that is where Neville’s parents are, don’t you?” Not waiting for an acknowledgment this time, Harry spoke again, “Neville was shocked and downright dismayed and more than a little angry to find her in there with his parents when he went to visit last week. But then he found out that Bellatrix and his mum used to be best friends in school, or at least they were before Dumbledore did all that to Bella.” Shaking his head, Harry carried on the tale, “Neville said that now they just sit there all day braiding each other’s hair, nattering on about gum wrappers and hair brushes. Actually, he said they seem to be rather good for each other. He hasn’t seen his mum that animated ever. I think it will take some time for Neville to become comfortable with the situation, although I’m not sure he will ever be able to forget that it was because of Bellatrix that his parents are in that ward to begin with. Strange how things work out if you think about it.” Finished speaking for now, Harry sighed. He laid his head against his mate’s chest, letting the steady rhythm of Sev’s heart soothe him. This is where his life made sense now.

Bemused, both by the news his mate had brought and by his love’s behavior, Severus sat there and ran a hand up and down the younger man’s side while Harry settled down. Soon, Severus heard his breathing even out and knew that Harry had drifted off to sleep. Silently casting a Feather-light charm on his mate, Severus stood; his precious cargo in his arms and carried the young Headmaster in to their chambers.

~*~

Graduation morning dawned brightly and entirely too early as far as Harry was concerned. As a graduating student he would be busy enough today, but as Headmaster, he had additional duties. Fortunately, both Professor McGonagall and Severus would be there to help him with some of his official duties. And for the first time in several years, graduation would be held in a peaceful setting. Moldy Shorts was gone, Fudge had been arrested and was awaiting trial, Dumbledore had been taken care of and as Harry had predicted, Madame Amelia Bones had won the Wizarding elections by a landslide. This year would be a good year for the graduates of Hogwarts.

Grumbling, Harry prodded his lover and pushed back the covers. Plodding over to the bathroom to get ready for the big day, the young man stopped to pet both Hedwig and Fawkes. The two birds had become fast friends these past few months and often delighted in soaring together in the air around the many castle turrets. Quickly making sure that each had its favorite treats, Harry went into the bathroom to get his shower.

Quickly going through his morning ablutions, Harry listened to Hogwarts rattle off the myriad of items that had been done, were being done and still needed to be done. Merlin, but if this is what the Headmaster had to listen to all the time, no wonder Dumbledore had gone off the deep end!

Stepping into the bedroom, Harry tilted his head up for a quick kiss from his mate before the man disappeared into the bathroom. Pulling out his new robes, done in the finest dark green silk, Harry ran his fingers appreciatively over the soft fabric. Even though he was graduating today with his classmates, he was also the Headmaster, and as such needed to dress the part. These robes had been a gift from Minerva and though Harry had blushed when the older witch had presented him with the gift, he was deeply grateful for her thoughtfulness. As was typical for the Scottish woman, she simply had replied that they were a reward for doing so well on his N.E.W.T.s. In these past few months, since finding out about Dumbledore’s duplicity, his former Head of House had become a friend as well as a much needed aide in running Hogwarts.

Severus walked into the bedroom in time to see his mate fighting with the silk tie for his formal robes. Smirking, he took over the task, easily coercing the wayward piece of silk into behaving as a proper tie. Stepping back, he looked at his lover and smiled. “Beautiful, Harry,” he said in that voice that he knew drove his mate to distraction.

Blushing, Harry ducked his head and mumbled, “I’m not a girl, Sev. Can’t be beautiful.”

“Oh I know very well that you are not a girl, but you are still beautiful, my Harry,” Severus murmured, his dark eyes sparkling with mirth, before turning to put on his own formal robes.


Harry looked out over the assembled crowd that had gathered in the temporary stands on the Quidditch pitch. Family, friends, and of course reporters were in attendance for this graduation. Overhead, Hedwig and Fawkes dipped and whirled, flying circles around each other, much to the delight of the crowd.

Much to the young Headmaster’s immense delight, the ceremony went off very smoothly. He would have to remember to order new dish towels for all of the House Elves as a treat. Now if he could just figure out how to keep Hogwarts from laughing in his head every five minutes and he’d be right as rain.

“Harry, Harry,” Hermione shrieked as she embraced her friend, effectively knocking the other voice out of his head.

“You called, Hermione?” Harry asked.

Ignoring the jab, his best friend went on excitedly, “I got in! I just received my letter this morning. I was accepted at the Wizarding branch of Oxford University!”

Smiling, the Headmaster hugged his friend, “That’s great, Hermione. I knew you could do it.”

“I can’t wait to begin studying Wizarding Law next fall,” the girl replied.

Just then Ron ambled up. “So, Harry, did she screech the news to you too?”

“I did not screech, Ronald Weasley,” Hermione screamed at her boyfriend, looking for all intents and purposes ready to take the young red-head to task.

Harry decided that now would be an excellent time to be elsewhere, so he left his clueless friend and their angry, but not screeching, friend behind. Besides, there was just one more important thing left to do today.


Finally the graduates and family and friends had left Hogwarts, leaving only those who had received the exclusive invitations that Harry and Severus had sent out. The staff of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dobby and the Weasleys had been invited. Of course, Harry had asked his friends to be there and Severus had asked Draco to attend.

There, in the gazebo overlooking the gardens of Hogwarts in the glowing rays of the setting sun, Harry Potter and Severus Snape were officially married in the presence of those that they considered family. Hedwig and Fawkes sat in the rafters of the structure, lending their support to the union while Hogwarts gave her silent blessing.

Smiling up at the man he had come to love more than anything, Harry tipped his head up when Madame Bones gave them permission to kiss. Sighing into his lover’s mouth, Harry was glad that he had finally found happiness.

As they turned to their guests while Madame Bones introduced them as Messer’s Potter-Snape, Severus understood for the first time what true contentment was. Holding his young husband by his side, Severus was truly happy for the first time in his life.


Later that evening, after the dinner and after their guests had finally left and the other professors had retired to their own quarters, Harry and Severus made the trek down to the dungeons. Thankful that the students had all gone home for the summer, the men were silent as they entered their rooms.

Harry turned to his soul mate and wanted nothing more than to ravish the older man in the privacy of their quarters. A flash of light startled both men and Severus turned to the wall that had held the door to the outside corridor.

Heaving a long suffering sigh, Severus asked, “Harry, where did you put the door to our rooms this time?”

“Oops,” Harry replied, just before he dashed off to the bedroom, with one amorous Potions Master hot on his trail.

~The End~

A/N: This story has truly been a journey for me. I have mourned the loss of one plot bunny and then my muse ran away for a time, but perseverance paid off in the end and hopefully I am a better writer for the experience. I appreciate all of your kind comments. Thank you to all for sticking with me and the story.