He Must
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
7
Views:
7,139
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
7
Views:
7,139
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 6
A/N 1: I have thought this over and over and over again. I am not too interested in wedding ceremonies, but because some people are, I decided to give you one. It is not the one you hear in the church, though, and does not contain endless repetition. I hope it is enough for those wanting it, and not too much for those not wanting it.
*Aequus Rus, June-July 1998*
Two weeks after the end of his final year at Hogwarts Potter left his announcement of engagement to the ministry, together with his fiancé Severus Snape. The officer at duty actually fainted when he realized they were serious.
During the two weeks at Severus’ ancestral home Harry and Severus had talked about their plans for future, their ideals, their dreams. Severus had also called for his lawyer to talk about the legal aspects of the marriage and the creating of the child. Needless to say the lawyer was completely against their plans – those were highly illegal and could get his customer in serious trouble – but agreed to keep his mouth shut if Harry agreed to sign some very detailed documents declaring he was entering the marriage out of free will and getting pregnant was his own idea /before/ they registered their engagement at the ministry. Harry was happy to oblige.
Before going to the ministry, Harry had decided to inform his friends of his upcoming wedding. At first Ron had thought it was a joke, and then shouted for a half an hour before letting Harry explain. Hermione was worried, but tried to understand. They did not hear the whole truth, of course, and Harry admitted he was not in love with Severus any more than Severus was in love with him though they cared for each other. Both of his friends knew how hard it was for Harry to find a person who was not awed by his fame, and accepted his choice, albeit a little sadly. They knew how much Harry wanted a family.
As Harry could not get married until he was eighteen, certified wizard or not, they had decided to get married on August the second; it was a Sunday, so all invited should be able to come. The time until that was hectic, but it was not filled with the same activities that kept normal couples busy. The couple of house elves Severus had would take care of cleaning and food; they would be wearing regular dress robes (Severus had wanted to wear everyday robes, but Harry had pointed out that their few guests might not understand that); there would be no flower ornaments to design; needed jewelry would come from their family vaults. No, they were kept busy by the ministry and press.
They had to fill countless forms to state that yes, they really wanted to marry another man. They had to be interviewed by psychiatrists. They were questioned by a jury. Reporters waited for them outside the ministry, they were followed by them when they went to shop on Diagon Alley. They were front page news almost every day at the Daily Prophet. Witch Weekly made a special edition about them.
Harry was half afraid Severus would back out because of the publicity, but he didn’t even though he became testier and testier as the weeks passed. The fact that Aequus Rus had strong privacy wards helped immensely; no one pestered them there and they could both relax.
Both of them had their own apartments in the house. They were areas where the other had no business entering without specific invitation, and composed of three rooms each; Severus’ were his old bedroom, sitting room and study, Harry had yet to furnish his. One room they had decided to share from the beginning, though, was the master bedroom – Harry was actually quite adamant on it. It was supposed to alleviate the awkwardness created by the fact that they were not having sex just for fun from the beginning. They could always change the arrangement later, but it would be easier to separate than to move together.
*Aequus Rus, 2.8.1998*
Everybody was gathered in the small ball room. The high windows were open, letting an occasional gust from the flower gardens in. Sun was shining.
The ministry official cleared her throat and everybody turned their attention to her.
“Seeing that we are all here, shall we start?”
There were some agreeing murmuring and a few shuffled closer to the official and the men to be wed. The ceremony did not require anything from the audience; they could stand on their heads if they so wished.
“Good”, the official smiled and turned her attention to Severus and Harry who were standing in front of her. “You have expressed the wish to be wed to each other. This is not a step to be taken lightly. Marriage is a bond that lasts for life. It can not be broken just because you have gotten tired of the other’s face. It can not be broken when life stops smiling at you and you are in for difficult times. It can not be broken even if your heart goes to another. Marriage is for life. Are you aware of that and do you accept it?”
“Yes”, both men replied.
“Do you commit yourself to take care of the other, respect the other, and stand by the other, in good and bad, come what may?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to share your life, your joy and sorrow, with the man standing by your side?”
“Yes.”
“Harry James Potter, are you entering this marriage out of your own free will, without coercion or threats?”
“I am.”
“Are you willingly giving up your father’s name and becoming part of an other family, never able to get back what you were born with?”
“I am.”
“Severus Claudius Snape, do you enter this marriage with no ill intentions, be they towards your fiancé or his property?”
“I do.”
“Do you welcome him to your family, as a full member and not an outsider?”
“I do.”
“You have both affirmed that you know what a marriage means, that you are willing to become a family, and all that it entails. As a mark of that I ask you to trade rings.”
After that was done, the official took her wand in hand.
“For the last time I ask you, Harry James Potter, and you, Severus Claudius Snape, do you want to be bound together, forever in this life, with no turning back?”
“Yes.”
“So shall it be. /Amboeo/.”
A silvery beam shot out of the official’s wand, swirled around them, split in two and dived into the rings, emerged again and combined back into one before speeding above them and bursting into a quickly fading halo around them.
“With these words I declare you lawfully wed. May your years together be peaceful and many.”
~*~
The lunch served after the ceremony had been nice enough while not overly cheerful, Severus mused. The guests had stayed for a while after that, but departed relatively early anyhow. Now only Severus and Harry were left. The silence after the last guest had disappeared into the Floo was awkward.
“So… It’s over and done with now”, Harry said with a hesitant smile.
“Indeed. I hope you won’t regret it”, sighed Severus.
Harry made a face.
“For the thousandth, and hopefully last, time: I /really/ don’t think I will. But seeing that it will likely take me a few decades to convince you of that, I won’t even try. Instead I’ll go and worm my way out of these robes. They /are/ a bit much when it’s just the two of us, don’t you think?”
And with that Harry disappeared to his quarters.
Severus scowled; the brat was too optimistic. Then he scowled some more, this time to himself. It would do no good to think of the /young man/ that way. The young man who did have a point. He shrugged and made his way to his own rooms.
After getting into more comfortable clothes, Severus retreated to his study to mull over the situation. The previous weeks had been hectic, and the day, so far, eventful. Now his mind was starting to catch up with what had happened.
The most obvious change was the bonding spell which his body and magic was still getting used to. It hadn’t changed much, really, but the little it did, was profound; a little bit of Harry’s magic had been woven into his. It may not have meant anything concrete, but it was noticeable. It was also finally hitting home that the whole affair hadn’t been just some elaborate joke – he was really and truly married.
He was not a little horrified by the ramifications of this. Not so long ago he had been sure to never marry. It was over two decades since he had come to the conclusion he’d never have children. He had been content, if not always very happy, with his solitary life at Hogwarts.
Then there was the on-coming wedding night. They had shared a bed ever since the engagement, but they had not had sex. They had not even kissed, for that matter. Tonight /that/ was going to change.
They were not going to try and conceive tonight; no preparations had been made before the wedding in case something went wrong. Now it would take a few days to brew the necessary potions, and then maybe a week to let them work. Tonight would be about practise – getting to know the other so to speak.
Then a new thought occurred to Severus and he frowned once more. He had known about the bonding spell, naturally, but had not expected it to be so… physical. It might be prudent to wait some time extra to let it settle before adding anything to the mix. Severus hated the delay.
~*~
A/N 2:
amboeo = ambo, coeo
ambo = lat. both, two together
coeo = lat. to unite, combine
Latin dictionary at http://www.nd.edu'archives/latgramm.htm -- I do not speak a word of latin.
I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready; I have started it, but it’s not behaving. I also don’t know what, where or when I will be studying or will I be working this autumn. I’ll try to update before next year…
*Aequus Rus, June-July 1998*
Two weeks after the end of his final year at Hogwarts Potter left his announcement of engagement to the ministry, together with his fiancé Severus Snape. The officer at duty actually fainted when he realized they were serious.
During the two weeks at Severus’ ancestral home Harry and Severus had talked about their plans for future, their ideals, their dreams. Severus had also called for his lawyer to talk about the legal aspects of the marriage and the creating of the child. Needless to say the lawyer was completely against their plans – those were highly illegal and could get his customer in serious trouble – but agreed to keep his mouth shut if Harry agreed to sign some very detailed documents declaring he was entering the marriage out of free will and getting pregnant was his own idea /before/ they registered their engagement at the ministry. Harry was happy to oblige.
Before going to the ministry, Harry had decided to inform his friends of his upcoming wedding. At first Ron had thought it was a joke, and then shouted for a half an hour before letting Harry explain. Hermione was worried, but tried to understand. They did not hear the whole truth, of course, and Harry admitted he was not in love with Severus any more than Severus was in love with him though they cared for each other. Both of his friends knew how hard it was for Harry to find a person who was not awed by his fame, and accepted his choice, albeit a little sadly. They knew how much Harry wanted a family.
As Harry could not get married until he was eighteen, certified wizard or not, they had decided to get married on August the second; it was a Sunday, so all invited should be able to come. The time until that was hectic, but it was not filled with the same activities that kept normal couples busy. The couple of house elves Severus had would take care of cleaning and food; they would be wearing regular dress robes (Severus had wanted to wear everyday robes, but Harry had pointed out that their few guests might not understand that); there would be no flower ornaments to design; needed jewelry would come from their family vaults. No, they were kept busy by the ministry and press.
They had to fill countless forms to state that yes, they really wanted to marry another man. They had to be interviewed by psychiatrists. They were questioned by a jury. Reporters waited for them outside the ministry, they were followed by them when they went to shop on Diagon Alley. They were front page news almost every day at the Daily Prophet. Witch Weekly made a special edition about them.
Harry was half afraid Severus would back out because of the publicity, but he didn’t even though he became testier and testier as the weeks passed. The fact that Aequus Rus had strong privacy wards helped immensely; no one pestered them there and they could both relax.
Both of them had their own apartments in the house. They were areas where the other had no business entering without specific invitation, and composed of three rooms each; Severus’ were his old bedroom, sitting room and study, Harry had yet to furnish his. One room they had decided to share from the beginning, though, was the master bedroom – Harry was actually quite adamant on it. It was supposed to alleviate the awkwardness created by the fact that they were not having sex just for fun from the beginning. They could always change the arrangement later, but it would be easier to separate than to move together.
*Aequus Rus, 2.8.1998*
Everybody was gathered in the small ball room. The high windows were open, letting an occasional gust from the flower gardens in. Sun was shining.
The ministry official cleared her throat and everybody turned their attention to her.
“Seeing that we are all here, shall we start?”
There were some agreeing murmuring and a few shuffled closer to the official and the men to be wed. The ceremony did not require anything from the audience; they could stand on their heads if they so wished.
“Good”, the official smiled and turned her attention to Severus and Harry who were standing in front of her. “You have expressed the wish to be wed to each other. This is not a step to be taken lightly. Marriage is a bond that lasts for life. It can not be broken just because you have gotten tired of the other’s face. It can not be broken when life stops smiling at you and you are in for difficult times. It can not be broken even if your heart goes to another. Marriage is for life. Are you aware of that and do you accept it?”
“Yes”, both men replied.
“Do you commit yourself to take care of the other, respect the other, and stand by the other, in good and bad, come what may?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to share your life, your joy and sorrow, with the man standing by your side?”
“Yes.”
“Harry James Potter, are you entering this marriage out of your own free will, without coercion or threats?”
“I am.”
“Are you willingly giving up your father’s name and becoming part of an other family, never able to get back what you were born with?”
“I am.”
“Severus Claudius Snape, do you enter this marriage with no ill intentions, be they towards your fiancé or his property?”
“I do.”
“Do you welcome him to your family, as a full member and not an outsider?”
“I do.”
“You have both affirmed that you know what a marriage means, that you are willing to become a family, and all that it entails. As a mark of that I ask you to trade rings.”
After that was done, the official took her wand in hand.
“For the last time I ask you, Harry James Potter, and you, Severus Claudius Snape, do you want to be bound together, forever in this life, with no turning back?”
“Yes.”
“So shall it be. /Amboeo/.”
A silvery beam shot out of the official’s wand, swirled around them, split in two and dived into the rings, emerged again and combined back into one before speeding above them and bursting into a quickly fading halo around them.
“With these words I declare you lawfully wed. May your years together be peaceful and many.”
~*~
The lunch served after the ceremony had been nice enough while not overly cheerful, Severus mused. The guests had stayed for a while after that, but departed relatively early anyhow. Now only Severus and Harry were left. The silence after the last guest had disappeared into the Floo was awkward.
“So… It’s over and done with now”, Harry said with a hesitant smile.
“Indeed. I hope you won’t regret it”, sighed Severus.
Harry made a face.
“For the thousandth, and hopefully last, time: I /really/ don’t think I will. But seeing that it will likely take me a few decades to convince you of that, I won’t even try. Instead I’ll go and worm my way out of these robes. They /are/ a bit much when it’s just the two of us, don’t you think?”
And with that Harry disappeared to his quarters.
Severus scowled; the brat was too optimistic. Then he scowled some more, this time to himself. It would do no good to think of the /young man/ that way. The young man who did have a point. He shrugged and made his way to his own rooms.
After getting into more comfortable clothes, Severus retreated to his study to mull over the situation. The previous weeks had been hectic, and the day, so far, eventful. Now his mind was starting to catch up with what had happened.
The most obvious change was the bonding spell which his body and magic was still getting used to. It hadn’t changed much, really, but the little it did, was profound; a little bit of Harry’s magic had been woven into his. It may not have meant anything concrete, but it was noticeable. It was also finally hitting home that the whole affair hadn’t been just some elaborate joke – he was really and truly married.
He was not a little horrified by the ramifications of this. Not so long ago he had been sure to never marry. It was over two decades since he had come to the conclusion he’d never have children. He had been content, if not always very happy, with his solitary life at Hogwarts.
Then there was the on-coming wedding night. They had shared a bed ever since the engagement, but they had not had sex. They had not even kissed, for that matter. Tonight /that/ was going to change.
They were not going to try and conceive tonight; no preparations had been made before the wedding in case something went wrong. Now it would take a few days to brew the necessary potions, and then maybe a week to let them work. Tonight would be about practise – getting to know the other so to speak.
Then a new thought occurred to Severus and he frowned once more. He had known about the bonding spell, naturally, but had not expected it to be so… physical. It might be prudent to wait some time extra to let it settle before adding anything to the mix. Severus hated the delay.
~*~
A/N 2:
amboeo = ambo, coeo
ambo = lat. both, two together
coeo = lat. to unite, combine
Latin dictionary at http://www.nd.edu'archives/latgramm.htm -- I do not speak a word of latin.
I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready; I have started it, but it’s not behaving. I also don’t know what, where or when I will be studying or will I be working this autumn. I’ll try to update before next year…