Darkness Shadows Light 2

Chapter Nine – A Clear Conscience Is Usually The Sign Of A Bad Memory

Snape lay back on the examining table as Madam Pomfrey and Harry fussed over him. He snorted derisively.

\'I\'m fine, Poppy. I merely had a dizzy spell.\'

\'You fainted!\' Harrytesttested, hovering anxiously. \'In the middle of a lesson!\'

\'I\'ll never live that down,\' Snape grumbled tiredly. \'It *would* have to be seventh year Slytherin and Gryffindors.\'

\'At least they had the quick wit to catch you and the sense to get me straight away. I hate to think how some of the younger students might have panicked…\' Harry\'s face was creased with worry, making him look far older than his thirty years. He had been terrified when the white-faced pupil had rushed into his office stammering out her story. When he had automatically reached out for his husband through their bond, he had felt nothing but an empty void. Of course, he realised now, it was because he was unconscious. Still, it had been a harrowing few minutes.

\'Well, I\'m fine,\' Snape replied, reaching for Harry\'s hand and squeezing it gently. Harry entwined their fingers, but failed to look comforted.

\'I think that\'s up to me to decide,\' Madam Pomfrey interjected in a no-nonsense tone, wand in hand. She did a general health scan spell and seemed happy with the results. \'There doesn\'t appear to be any problems,\' she commented. \'Blood pressure is a little high…hmmm…\'

Harry looked alarmed as the medi-witch looked rather thoughtful. \'Is everything okay?\' he asked urgently.

\'The baby seems a little distressed…I\'d like to get a better look.\'

\'You mean that spell you used on Harry?\' Snape asked, also looking alarmed. \'You said that was too dangerous at my age.\'

\'I said it was inadvisable,\' Madam Pomfrey corrected him with pursed lips. \'However, I think it would set all our minds at rest to see the baby.\'

Snape and Harry looked at each other.

\'It\'s your decision,\' Harry said softly. \'It\'s your body.\'

\'If Poppy says it is safe, then I will allow it,\' Snape said after a lot of consideration. No matter what he occasionally said about her, he did trust her judgement.

Madam Pomfrey quickly walked over to a large cupboard and got out the required potion. When she returned to the bed, she handed the bottle to Snape. Snape pulled out the cork and sniffed it, making a face.

\'It tastes foul,\' Harry stage-whispered. \'I\'d drink it all in one go if I were you. Believe me, you won\'t want to go back for seconds!\'

Snape gave his husband a sour look, but nevertheless took his advice. \'I\'ve tasted worse,\' was his only comment. Though, the look on his face told Harry that it had come pretty close…

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Snape\'s stomach and said the necessary spell. Slowly, a cloudy, dark shape appeared. The medi-witch observed it closely and seemed satisfied. Though, to Snape and Harry, they could discern little in the way of actual features.

\'The babyperfperfectly healthy,\' she said, with a pleased smile, to the anxious couple.

Harry sighed with relief and squeezed the hand of his equally relieved husband. He was totally startled by his lover\'s next question.

\'Can you tell what sex it is?\' Snape asked.

Madam Pomfrey looked surprised. \'Of course I can,\' she replied. \'I assumed you didn\'t want to know, like with Matthew.\'

\'That was Harry\'s decision and I accepted that as it was his body. This, however, is mine. I wish to know whether I am carrying a boy or a girl.\' His tone was stubborn and brooked no argument. He turned his head to look at Harry. \'If you really don\'t want to know, you should leave now.\'

For a moment, a look of indecision was on Harry\'s face.

\'I\'ll stay,\' he eventually said. Then, he grinned at his husband. \'I\'d hate for you to know something I don\'t. Besides, I doubt you\'d be able to keep it a secret!\'

Madam Pomfrey looked on with an indulgent smile as the pair squabbled mildly. Although still not entirely happy about the unexpected pregnancy, she was pleased that a relationship she had witnessed as perilously close to ending was firmly on an even footing again. In fact, she had noticed that they seemed to have gained a maturity that had been sadly lacking. Mainly, she believed, because Harry had been still a teenager when they had fallen in love.

\'If you\'re quite finished, gentlemen,\' she said in a stern tone. Both looked at her fairly sheepishly.

\'Well?\' Snape asked. \'Is it a boy or a girl?\'

\'Well, Severus. I\'m pleased to tell you you\'re having a girl.\'

Harry beamed a huge smile. \'A girl!\' he exclaimed. \'We\'re going to have a daughter!\'

Madam Pomfrey, understood from experience that they needed their privacy to digest the news at this time, quickly left the room.

Snape looked at the back of the departing medi-witch, slightly stunned. \'I know nothing about females,\' he muttered uneasily.

\'Don\'t be silly, Severus,\' Harry admonished, his green eyes sparkling. \'Ashanti\'s our goddaughter and you\'ve never had any problems with her. Actually, sometimes I think you\'ve always got on better with her than Matthew!\'

Snape gave Harry a sardonic look. \'Not too difficult at the moment,\' he remarked dryly.

Harry inwardly cursed his thoughtless words. Reaching forward, he tucked a lock of wayward hair behind his husband\'s ear. \'I\'m sure Matthew will come to his senses, especially when he meets his baby sister,\' he said comfortingly. \'As a matter of fact, he and I had an almost civil conversation during lunch today.\' At this point, Harry suddenly remembered the necklace in his pocket that he had been looking for whilst talking to their son. He drew it out now. Snape\'s eyes widened in recognition. \'I thought it might be a good idea for you to wthisthis,\' Harry said in explanation.

\'Do you think I\'m in danger?\' Snape asked, his black eyes looking penetratingly into Harry\'s.

\'I…I think Draco being here is about more than just Potions,\' Harry replied in a hesitant voice. Then, continuing in a firmer tone, \'but I think you already knew that.\'

Snape shook his head in despair rather than in denial. He had hoped to keep Draco\'s real reasons for coming to Hogwarts from his husband. He should have known that was an impossible task. Briefly, Snape told Harry what Draco had told him. Harry looked stricken when he heard that someone wanted to use their son.

\'What sort of people would do such a thing?\' he gasped.

\'Just because Voldemort is gone, doesn\'t mean that all evil has left the world,\' Snape patiently explained.

\'I know! But it still doesn\'t mean they should be involving a twelve year old in in their plan.\'

Snape rolled his eyes. \'You, of all people, shoulow wow what a twelve year old *wizard* can do. And this particular twelve year old has more power than most wizards can ever dream of. It has to be expected that there are people in this world who would wish to exploit and subvert that. Who would find great satisfaction in turning him against us.\'

\'What do we do now?\' Harry asked. He was desperate to get out there and find the perpetrators.

\'*We* do nothing,\' Snape said firmly.

\'Nothing?\' Harry asked in confusion.

\'Draco will deal with this. That\'s what he\'s here for. Much as I loathe to admit it, I\'m in no condition to wage any war. I certainly don\'t want you rushing headlong in on your own.\'

\'But…\' Harry started to say. Snape held up his hand.

\'But nothing, Harry. I don\'t want you doing your old \"trying to be a hero\" act. You have responsibilities now.\' He paused and looked Harry straight in the eye. \'I want you to promise me that you won\'t go looking for these people.\'

Harry looked torn. Snape felt bad about using emotional blackmail on his lover, but he was desperate to keep him safe from danger. He knew that if anything happened to Harry, he would find it hard to carry on. However, he could tell his husband was still dithering. He tried one final plea that he knew Harry would not be able to resist. \'Please Harry, I need you.’ He placed Harry’s hand on his stomach and looked him straight in the eye. ‘Our daughter needs you.’

The effect on Harry was instantaneous. He immediately looked guilty. ‘I promise Iwon’t go looking for them,’ he said in a low voice. ‘However,’ he spoke defiantly. ‘I want to know everything Draco finds out. Not just what you *think* I should know.’

Snape nodded his head. ‘Agreed.’ It was a small request in the circumstances which he had no qualms in agreeing to. It didn’t necessarily mean he would keep to it…

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

Matthew checked around the dormitory just after midnight. Everyone appeared to be sleeping. Quietly, he got out of bed. Grabbing the item he had taken from his parents’ cupboard earlier that day from under his pillow, he hid it in his pocket.

It had been a busy day, he reflected. He had he managed to send a letter to Ron, telling him how everything was going. He had expressed his hopes that he would be able to spend Easter at Ashanti’s home so they could meet. At lunchtime, he was able to have an almost civil meeting with his dad (which was something Ron had urged him to do). He had also found something very interesting.

He made his way along the corridor to the common room, confident it would be empty at this time of night. He made himself comfortable on one of the large armchairs and drew the object out of his pocket.

He still wasn’t quite sure *why* he had taken it. It had almost felt like it was calling to him. It felt good in his hand, better than his own in fact. That was strange in itself.

Matthew slid his hand along the length of the piece of wood that had been someone’s wand. Yew, he thought, and at least thirteen inches long. ouldould almost feel the power emanating off it. He vaguely wondered who it had belonged to. He thought for a moment it might have been a spare of one of his fathers’. However, as far as he knew, only Aurors and others of similar occupations had ever bothered with that. Sirius had told him that since Voldemort’s defeat, hardly anyone bothered. Besides, it had been at the back of the closet, obviously lost and long forgotten.

What the young wizard didn’t know was that yes, Harry had possessed the wand for a short while. Had, in fact, gotten rid of it as soon as he had been well enough to go to Ollivanders and pick up a new one. Because, no matter what his husband said, the wand had been used for murder and it didn’t feel right.

Matthew spent a long time that night gazing into space, absentmindedly stroking the wand that had killed the grandparents he had never known, among many others.

Voldemort’s wand.

Just how much of Voldemort’s characteristics the wand had taken on, was yet to be discovered.

*******

Unaware of what their son was currently doing, Harry and Snape were curled up together on their large bed quietly talking about their rather eventful day. Two tall, white candles were all that lit the room.

‘So, when will Malfoy take over?’ Harry asked. Draco and Snape had spent a couple of hours closeted in Snape’s office once he had been discharged from the infirmary.

‘As soon as he is capable.’ Snape replied shortly. It was not something that he was happy about. But, he had to admit that the fainting fit had scared him. Plus, Madam Pomfrey had given him a severe lecture on taking it easy. Harry had, by then, gone back to finish up both their afternoon lessons (only after much persuasion by his husband).

‘It’s going to be kind of strange working side by side with someone I’ve considered an enemy for so many years,’ Harry mused.

‘But not a completely novel experience,’ Snape reminded him with a smirk. After all, it had been working together towards Harry’s Potions exam that had led to Matthew. ‘Though, I would appreciate it if you and Draco did not become as close as me and you.’

Harry screwed up his nose, looking disgusted.herehere’s no fear of that,’ he said fervently.

‘Why not? You can’t deny he is an attractive young man.’ Snape looked amused.

‘Much as I hate to admit it, Draco is extremely handsome,’ Harry agreed. ‘However, I don’t think Malfoy swings our way.’ He still remembered how much Draco had crowed when both his sexuality and condition had been revealed in the Daily Prophet.

‘Draco swings *every* which way,’ Snape replied calmly.

Harry stared at his husband to see if he was joking. Snape’s perfectly straight face told him otherwise.

‘Really?’ he gasped. ‘He’s always seemed so *straight*.’

Snape seemed to find this quite amusing. ‘You obviously missed all those lustful glances he used to shoot me.’

Harry’s eyebrows shot up so far they nearly got lost in his fringe. ‘He *fancied* you?’

Snape pretended to look affronted. ‘Is that so difficult to believe?’

‘No, of course not! Still, he must have been really pissed when he found out about us.’ Harry found this thought rather pleasing.

‘I think he had more pressing concerns at the time,’ Snape replied dryly, dispelling the nice image that Harry had in his mind. ‘Like seeing his father thrown in Azkaban and trying to prove his own innocence.’

‘True,’ agreed Harry.

‘I suspect by now his tastes don’t run to pregnant, old men.’

‘Hopefully not. However, my tastes certainly run more to the tall, dark and handsome with a touch of snarkiness, than medium-height blondes who live to irritate me.’ Harry punctuated his statement with a light kiss to his lover’s lips. Quickly, the kiss deepened. Snape slid down the bed until he was on his back. Harry slid down with him, not taking his lips away from his husband’s. He ran his hands over Snape’s body, pushing up the grey nightshirt and caressing the stretched skin of his stomach. Snape made a move to touch Harry, but his hand was stopped partway. ‘You should be saving your energy,’ he admonished. ‘Relax, let me do this for you.’

With reluctance, Snape lowered his hand back down. Though, truthfully, he quite liked the dominant Harry that had been unleashed since their reunion. Harry moved to straddle him, placing his hands on either side of his lover’s stomach and trailing kisses down it until he reached Snape’s eager member.

Snape kept his eyes closed as he felt Harry reach for the lubricant. He heard Harry open it and anxiously awaited the familiar feel of his finger at his entrance. He gasped instead as he felt the slick potion being spread over his erection. He opened his eyes and looked at Harry in surprise. Harry merely smiled back at him, a wicked look on his face. From his position, Snape could just about make out that the hand not stroking him was behind Harry’s back, obviously fingering himself.

‘What are you doing?’ Snape asked hoarsely.

‘What does it look like?’ Harry smirked. Then, before he could think of a response, the younger wizard, who had moved to position himself over his husband’s cock, was slowly lowering himself onto it.

Snape could not prevent a strangled moan as the tightness and heat he had taken for granted until a year ago, engulfed him.

They made love slowly and almost silently. Just the odd, sharp intake of breath and murmured endearment could be heard. For a brief moment in time, everything seemed perfect. They both knew the illusion would not last.

TBC.