Family Changes
PureBatWings
Summary:
At least once a week, sometimes more, Harry did Something for them as a couple. This time, their date night conversation takes a more serious turn...
Notes:
For ataraxis.
Inspired by To Hogwarts, With Love by ataraxis.
All usual legal disclaimers apply. Alas, not my creations.
Work Text:
He knew the lifeblood of a school was to be filled with students. However he truly loved the castle best when it was almost empty (of the living at least), during long breaks and short holidays.
He made his way down to their dungeon quarters from the Headmaster's office, his feet automatically adjusting to the shallow hollow worn into the top stone step by centuries of Slytherin feet.
Severus tread slowly and silently, decades of spying were engrained in his movements, even more than a decade after the Dark Lord's fall. Anticipation sang through his nerves. At least once a week, sometimes more, Harry did Something. Usually something small and sexy, a treat for his lover and partner—a new sex toy, muggle lubricant (never as good as his Severus' own concoctions, but what sort of demented mind imagined root beer was a good lubricant flavor?), or a scene to add variety to their loving.
It certainly simplified matters that Harry was skilled at transforming their quarters when he didn't want an audience for their role playing, and that he was a metamorphmagus. Severus shivered, enjoying his memories of two weeks back, being taken against a wall by "Sven", a lusty six foot Viking who didn't only have bulging biceps.
The month before that Harry had been in the guise of a teenage club kid, a—there was no better word for it—twink who'd promised, and delivered, a mind-blowing bit of fellatio in what had appeared to be a deserted gay club. He'd changed back into himself when Severus lifted him up, ordering, "Wrap your legs around me, Harry. I want you as yourself," before carrying him into their room for a thorough rogering.
Sometimes Harry showed up in the guise that had lured Severus into a friendship, four years after Harry's graduation, when he was on a mission to ferret out a new Dark Lord who had been recruiting amongst Hogwarts' students. As Emma Malsby, a red haired charms professor closer to Severus' age, they had been coworkers and become cordial and flirtatious until Albus' meddling had led to Severus' suspicions and discovery that Emma was Harry.
It didn't matter to Severus if the body was a curvy brown eyed witch riding him wantonly or his messy haired man. Harry's magic and loving nature were immutable. He got off on Harry telling him about how orgasms felt as a woman. They sounded more encompassing and intense, if his partner's quivering body and orgasmic after-shakes as a woman were anything to go by.
Tonight he found Harry unchanged, aside from being dressed in Muggle clothes. His face lit up when Severus came through the door. Leaning down for a kiss, the older man asked his lover with a lift of an eyebrow, "Where are we Muggle-slumming tonight?"
Harry feinted a mock-slug at him. "Just put on your nice black jeans and a tight shirt, maybe a pullover if it gets chilly later. We're going to supper and a wine tasting fundraiser at a museum here in Scotland."
"Yes, oh Savior of the Wizarding World, to hear is to obey," he drawled mockingly, dodging a hex aimed at his backside as he made his way to their bathroom. He murmured "Divestio" and sauntered, naked to his wardrobe, to put on the items in question and pulled his hair back into a low ponytail.
They had supper in Obsessions of India in Glasgow. Harry went for the Tandoori and Severus pronounced the Chicken Biryani excellent. By meal's end they were flushed and pink-cheeked from the spicy food. Some meals were cathartic that way. Eat, sweat, drink copious amounts of water.
"Is the wine tasting at the People's Palace?" asked Severus as they made their way to a narrow alley way used as an apparition point.
"That'd ruin the surprise," said Harry reprovingly, imitating his husband's smirk and wisking them away.
They ended up in a car park's corner in a lushly green setting. A modern low brick and glass roofed L-shaped building with wings sat a short distance away, nestled in a hollow.
"The Burrell collection," said Severus approvingly. "I should have thought to bring you here myself. It has fewer of the landscape paintings that bore you and more of the relics of daily life from long ago." The wine tasting part was fun—a Bordeaux was Severus' pick, while Harry settled on a glass of white with a faint scent of apples and berries. "Blackberries," pronounced Severus, taking a sip before passing it back.
Along with the other participants they wandered through the collections, bypassing the Gothic tapestries and stained glass for the Renaissance and Jacobean needlework and textiles. Harry stopped in front of a display of an elaborately smocked child's Christening gown. They were alone in the gallery, only faint voices carrying from other rooms.
Harry took a deep breath. "Severus, we've been together nearly ten years… do you ever think of us having a child or two?"
"What, adopting?" There were still orphanages, though no longer as dire as those from Tom Riddle's childhood.
"No, I'd prefer ones of our own," said Harry. He looked at the wee christening cap rather than meeting Severus' eyes.
"I don't mind either way, Harry. I love having you to myself. If the potions for male fertility work for us, I would enjoy raising children with you, but just one or two. If the potions didn't work, I am more than happy with the relationship we have, and having Teddy visit when he's on hols and Andromeda wants a teenager out of her hair."
He turned Harry by the shoulder to meet his uncertain eyes. "I knew you'd been brooding over something the last few weeks, I wondered when you'd get around to letting me know what it was."
"It'd be a huge change—I don't want to ruin what we have – I'm scared I'd be pants at being a Dad. Not like I had a normal childhood."
"Tobias was a good example of what not to do as a father," offered Severus, taking hold of Harry's empty glass and placing it on a nearby bench along with his own. "Harry, Teddy adores you. His eyes still go faintly greenish every time his grandmother mentions your name, she says. What's really bothering you?"
"I'm scared, because I realized, talking about this, I want this so much. I really want our family to include some kids. I can imagine a dark eyed little girl with my crazy hair and your brains with a kiddie potions set. Or a little boy with green eyes and dark hair learning Quidditch with Ron and Hermione's kids or the Weasley cousins."
Severus hummed consideringly. It was an appealing picture. "Let's go home," invited Severus, taking Harry's arm and side apparating them back to Hogwarts. He settled Harry in his arms as they lay on the couch.
"Do you really want kids with me? You hated teaching children," Harry said in a small scared voice.
"Life definitely improved when Albus retired and I became headmaster," allowed Severus. "That suits me better than teaching ever did. I don't hate all children, just the ones who don't pay attention and endanger themselves and their fellow students with cauldron explosions."
"I don't think you'll fight me on this point, if we do this," said Harry. "I want to be the bearer. What little I could find in the library suggests that the stronger wizard of a male couple should carry the children."
"What about your work as a sometime spy for the ministry? You couldn't do that while pregnant and risk a stray curse or injury harming the fetus."
"I've had enough of that. Ten years moonlighting for the Aurors is long enough, I want to do something different. I reckoned I'd talk with you about kids and my being the stay at home parent, maybe teach part time and if we couldn't or you didn't want kids, I'd keep on with being Charms teacher and maybe volunteer to help orphans or muggleborn kids with their accidental magic."
"Merlin knows there's enough in your vaults and mine that you can take as long as you like figuring out a new career, Harry, or take several years to raise kids until they're old enough for Hogwarts. I can't say I'd want to try carrying children to term at nearly fifty."
"Besides, I wouldn't need potions to grow the parts I need to carry a baby or two," pointed out Harry, snuggling into Severus' side and inhaling the mixture of sandalwood and potions that was his unique scent.
"Metamorphmagus," said Severus consideringly. "I'd forgotten that angle with all the other changes we're talking about. Could you keep your form female for the length of the pregnancy?"
"Yeah, if not I can certainly at least keep my internal organs female enough to manage for six or seven months. Male pregnancies tend to run shorter than regular witches' ones, after all."
"We've just finished a term. If I got knocked up soon, we might have a child for Christmas or soon after," Harry said and then fell silent, letting Severus weigh all the factors that wouldn't occur to Harry. Severus was the planner in their relationship and Harry the one who took advantage of things as they came up. A cliché of Slytherin and Gryffindor approaches to life, they agreed.
"Let me brew a few fertility potions and whenever you want to try, we'll do this."
Five years ago he would have squealed in delight like a third year Hufflepuff. It didn't seem a very grown up future parent response at thirty. Instead he grinned and peppered Severus' cheeks, mouth and long nose with little pecking kisses. "I love you! Thank you for agreeing!"
Severus' cheeks flushed. "Maybe we should practice some side by side positions for when you're too big to do anything acrobatic."
"Last one to the bedroom has to top!" declared Harry, scurrying for the bedroom and throwing up wards that slowed Severus down for a few minutes until he broke them and beheld his every-changing, ever the same partner spread on the bed.
His Harry as Emma smiled up at him, red hair spread on the pillow, brown eyes glinting with flashes of green, arms held out to embrace him and legs spread.