In Want of a Child

Chapter 6:

The Perfect Solution
By Moon of the Sea
Beta: Ari
***

Harry was waiting for the professor in the dungeons with take-out. Severus would arrive today and was sure to be hungry. At least this was the excuse that Harry gave himself for not giving the professor time to come home and rest before receiving guest.


“Harry!” exclaimed Snape with a broad smile on his face. “I was not expecting you to be here waiting for me. However, I am very happy that you are. The trip has proven very beneficial. It seems I will be able to beat the odds and walk on my own two feet; if I may quote a friend.”


Harry was stunned. He had never seen the professor so excited about anything. So this was it. Snape had found a way to have his baby; to make the potion work.


“So have you done it or will you be drinking the potion soon? Hang on, how are you sure it will work?”


“ I am not using a potion, Harry. I am doing it the traditional way. An old friend that I reunited with at the convention said that he would be willing to be the father of my child. Well only during the conception part because he is not the father type but has no problems in letting me have the child.”


Harry was even more stunned. Snape was going to have sex with another man.
Something about that did not bode well with Harry.


“Can it be done with a muggle? You said it was a simple enough process when it was wizard/wizard but will it work in a wizard/muggle situation?”


Snape had honestly not even considered it. “In all honesty… I don’t know. If a witch and a muggle can have a baby, I do not see why it would not work in a wizard/muggle situation.”


“ But you said it was a magical conception and if one of the fathers does not have magic...”


“Harry, why are you doing this to me? Why are you, out of all people, trying to discourage me? To this point, you have been very supportive. Why would you do this to me now?”


“ Professor it is not my intention to rain on your parade. Really but I just don’t want you getting hurt. You are talking of a one off with this bloke and if nothing is gained by it you will just feel used and simply awful.”


“Thank you Mr. Potter I feel just wonderful now that you have pointed this out to me.” Snape’s voice dripped with sarcasm, sarcasm that had not been present in such a long time. Harry could not believe that he had awoken that sleeping monster in Snape.


“Look, all I am saying is that you should not rush into things. You are not like this. You usually think things through and I understand that you are discouraged by the potion you have been trying to develop but that doesn’t mean you should put yourself through this.”


“What exactly am I putting myself through? Brian has invited me to a weekend in the Florida Keys. You might get these invitations all the time but this is a first for me and I am looking forward to it no matter the end result.”


Harry opened his mouth but closed it when he realized he had no idea what to say to that. Then found the words and opened his mouth again, “Professor, you don’t even like blokes.”


“Harry what makes you think I do not care for wizards?” asked the puzzled professor.


“I thought that the only time you were ever in love it was… well… with my mum.”


Severus closed his eyes, bowed his head and shook it “Yes, Harry I loved your mum very much, but I was not in love with your mum. I would think that you of all people would understand that. Do you not love Mrs. Hermione Weasley? Does this mean that you are in love with her?” Snape raised his eyebrow to bring home his point. “Listen, Harry I know you think of me as an old man…”


“Professor I have never thought of you as old…” Snape raised his finger to Harry in a request for silence.


“Harry you do not think of me as a sexual being and the truth is that I am a wizard in my prime. By wizarding standards forty is quite young. It is very frustrating and humbling to have such an intimate relationship with my right hand.”


Harry’s face turned all the colors in the rainbow. Snape had to bow his head in a failed attempt to hide a smile. “You see Harry you do not think of me as a man with normal urges. You think of me only as the Professor, the Potions Master, the Spy; never a man.”


“Relationships are not easy things. They can cause pain and scars, scars that do not heal very easily. Your right hand is always there. It couldn’t leave you even if it wanted to.” Snape could hear and see the meaning behind Harry’s words.


“Yes, Harry, relationships can be a very complicated affair, but do you really want to go through life denying yourself the warmth of another body for fear of losing it.”


Harry didn’t even know when the topic of their conversation had shifted, but he didn’t feel comfortable with the change and decided to end it at once.


“You must be tired after your trip I should go now and allow you to get some rest.”


***


Two days later Harry barged into the Potions Masters quarters. He stood nose to nose with the professor and said, “Marry me.”