Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for Firediva0 - This is a replacement fic for the August Fic Exchange. I'm not sure if this is exactly what you would have had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. I used HarrySeverus, All three genre's in a fashion, and one of the quote prompts. So, yeah. I hope you like it.
Also Written for;
School Of Prompt - Pink.
The Restricted Collection - 37. No Less than 500 Words.
It's So Wrong but It Feels So Right Competition - Slash
Courtship Requests
31st July 2001, 11:59 am
Harry pushed through the crowds in the shop, making his way as quickly as he could without injuring anyone or disrupting what he was carrying, into the back room. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was thriving, and while Harry would usually be very happy to see that, as a silent partner he'd be making a tidy profit, today it was an annoyance he could have done without.
Finally making it to his desired destination, he found Fred and George sitting in their usual armchairs and dumper the armful of letters he was carrying onto the table between them.
"Help?"
The twins exchanged a quick look before turning their attention back to Harry with genuine smiles.
"Happy twenty first birthday, Harry!"
xxxx
31st July 2001, 10:03 am
Harry woke slowly, stretching his arms above his head. Thankfully, no hangover plagued him due to Hermione's quick thinking the night before in making him take a sober-up potion just before he returned home.
His birthday meal, now a tradition with his best friends for the night before his birthday, had been a lot of fun, but he was still glad that he didn't have to suffer the consequences of his enjoyment.
His birthday.
Merlin, he was twenty one!
While usually a big deal, in both muggle and magical worlds, Harry's twenty first was an even bigger deal than normal. As of midnight, Harry became Lord Potter-Black. Of course, to Harry and his friends, the title wasn't all that important, but to the wizarding world as a whole, it was huge.
Two pureblood lines, two lordships, two seats on the Winzengamot reactivating in society was a massive deal. As if Harry's birthday wasn't already a national holiday.
The young lord climbed out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to prepare himself for the day. Looking in the mirror, he absentmindedly noted that new title or no, he looked the same as he had the day before.
Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen to find that his table had been taken over by mail.
"Kreacher!" he called, raising his eyebrow when a second later, the aging house elf popped into view, placing Harry's breakfast in the last available space on the table.
"Happy Birthday, Master Harry, Sir," the elf intoned respectfully, dipping into a low bow.
"Thank you, Kreacher. Care to tell me why my kitchen has been invaded by parchment?" Harry asked, sitting down.
"Yes Master," Kreacher replied as Harry took a sip of his coffee. "These be from Gringotts," Kreacher informed him, pointing at the smallest pile which consisted of a single package and a letter. "These be from Master's friends, and there be stacks in the office from peoples Master doesn't know."
"And those?" Harry asked, pointing to the four sizable stacks left unexplained on the table.
"Those be Betrothal Contracts and Courtship Requests, Master Harry."
Harry was sure Kreacher timed his response as the elf smirked when Harry spat a mouthful of coffee out.
"Why are they still here? Burn them!" Harry exclaimed.
"Master Harry must read and respond to them," Kreacher scolded. "Master Harry is Lord Black and Lord Potter, he must take care of family businesses."
Harry let his head fall to the table. "I'm doomed."
xxxx
31st July 2001, 12:05 pm
"What can we humble servants do for you, Lord Potter-Black?" George asked, a devilish smirk on his face.
"Bugger off, prat," Harry muttered, gesturing to the letters.
"What are they, Harry?" Fred asked, casting a few privacy charms on the room.
"According to Kreacher, Betrothal Contracts and Courtship Requests."
The twins exchanged another look and dissolved into laughter.
Harry watched them laugh for a few moments before he lost his temper.
"Stop bloody laughing at me!" He shouted, stamping his foot in frustration.
"Ugh! You are the most adorable thing I have ever seen! All pink cheeked and pouty lips," George replied, wiping an errant tear of laughter from his face. "Of course we'll help you, Harry."
Fred took another look at the mess of envelopes on the table and shook his head. "Only you, Harry, I swear."
Before Harry could reply, George explained. "When one of the old families gets reinstated, they usually receive one or two Betrothal or Courtship requests. It's why we didn't mention it before. We should have known it would be different for you."
"Kreacher said I'd have to read and respond to them all. I, ah, told him to burn them and got told off by a very affronted house elf."
Both men nodded. "It's likely that most of the betrothal contracts won't actually be for you. They'll be for any children you have."
Harry rubbed at his temple.
"Harry, where are your rings?" Fred asked suddenly, a small frown on his face. "Did Gringotts not send them?"
"What? Oh, yeah, I've got them here," Harry said, pulling the package from Gringotts from his pocket.
He opened it quickly, sliding the two ring boxes out. Picking up the Potter ring, a gold band with the Potter Family Crest engraved on it and a diamond in the center, Harry slid it onto the middle finger of his right hand. He repeated the process with the Black ring, a silver band with the Black Family Crest engraved and an emerald, on his left hand.
"Alright, done. Now what am I going to do about those?" he asked again, gesturing to the letters with a look of distaste.
"Shrink them and take them home. We'll come by for dinner with Neville and Hermione and help you go through them and with the replied," George suggested.
Harry nodded and smiled.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Fred asked as the three of them began shrinking the letters and tossing them into an empty box.
"Taking Teddy to the Magical Aquarium," Harry replied, a happy grin appearing on his face. He wasn't sure who was more excited about the planned trip; himself or Teddy.
xxxx
31st July 2001, 8:26 pm
Harry, Hermione, Neville, Fred and George sat in a circle on Harry's living room floor. They'd had an enjoyable meal, prepared and cooked masterfully by Kreacher, but now it was time to deal with the dreaded letters.
"Is it better to go through them one by one and sort them into 'simple no's' and 'more complicated but still no's'?" Harry asked, making the others chuckle.
"You shouldn't just dismiss the Courtship Requests," Fred advised. "There could be one or two that catch your interest."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You know I'm not interested."
"I'm just saying."
Harry wrinkled his nose but didn't reply, instead picking up the first letter.
xxxx
"There is no way on this fucking planet is any child of mine being betrothed to Pansy bloody Parkinson's family."
"The Pug?"
"Yep."
"Good decision."
xxxx
"Oh bloody hell. Harry, you don't want to enter a courtship with a Malfoy, right?"
"Draco?! Is he daft?"
"Nope. Think older and blonder."
"Oh Hell No!"
xxxx
"Harry? Betrothal request from the Bones Family?"
"I like Susan and Amelia, but still no."
"Alright. Complicated but still no."
xxxx
"Why do I keep getting Courtship Requests from people who tried to kill me?"
"Who is it this time?"
"Lestrange?"
"Dolohov?"
"Fudge?"
"No its - Hold on. Fudge didn't try to kill me, he was just an idiot."
"Are you sure? All that ineptitude could not possible have been real. No one is that stupid. It was a sneaky attempt at murder."
"Huh. I never thought of that."
xxxx
"Harry? Harry?"
"He's asleep."
"Oi! Lazy Bollocks!"
"Urgh. What?"
"Courtship. Severus Tobias Snape."
"You're shitting me!"
"Nope. Deadly serious."
"Bloody fucking hell. Now why'd he go and do something like that?"
"No idea. Maybe he realised he made a mistake?"
"Well, shit."
xxxx
January 20th 2000, 11:37 pm
Harry sat on the twins sofa, tears pouring silently down his cheeks while they plied him with hot chocolate and tried to coax him to speak. He'd been there for a little under an hour and he still couldn't bring himself to tell that that Severus had thrown him out.
That Severus had been using him for sex.
That Severus didn't love him.
That Severus thought he was an inconsequential idiot who wouldn't know real affection for fake if it bit him on the arse.
He didn't want to make them feel like they had to take his side when they'd been friends with Severus since Harry had been with him. They'd been the first to accept the relationship, the first to make them welcome, and the first to show Severus what real friendship meant. As much as Harry was hurt and devastated by his words, he didn't want to cost Severus some of the only true friends he ever had.
"He left me. He doesn't love me. I'm an idiot."
xxxx
January 22nd 2000, 8:03 am
Fred walked the familiar corridors of Hogwarts, making his way swiftly down the to the dungeons. Without knocking, he pushed his way into the Potions Master's office, not in the least bit surprised to find Severus already there, head bent over what was probably some poor unsuspecting first year's homework essay.
"Say whatever it is you have to say and get out," Severus sneered, not even bothering to look up.
"I don't have much of anything to say to you. I'm here for Harry's stuff."
When he heard Fred's voice, Severus' head shot up. Fred took note of the pain in the mans eyes, though he didn't say anything about it.
"I apologise. I imagined it to be your younger brother, or perhaps Miss Granger."
"You know Harry barely speaks to Ron any more, so I can't imagine why you'd be expecting him to darken your door," Fred replied mildly. "Why'd you break his heart, Severus?"
"I'm sure he's told you what I said to him in explicit, excruciating detail, I can't see why you'd need to hear it from me," Severus replied. "Misty!" When his personal elf popped into the room, Severus said, "Please pack up Mr Potter's belongings and fetch them here."
Fred raised his eyebrow. "I mean the real reason, not the bullshit you spewed at Harry."
Severus looked at a loss before he shook his head. "It was a foolish endeavor to begin with and this eventuality was an impossible one to avoid. He's so young, and dammit, Fred. He could have anyone, do anything. I won't stand in the way or hold him back any longer. I've been far too selfish where Harry's concerned, but I can't keep doing it."
"I thought it would be something like that. Do you love him, Severus?"
"That is neither here nor there. It has no bearing on -"
"Do you love him?"
"Of course I do! How could I not?"
"Then promise me this. If Harry is still single on his twenty first birthday, and you still love him, you'll send him a courtship request."
"He will have long since moved on by then."
"Then you'll have no problem agreeing."
Severus sighed. "Fine. If he remains single, I will offer him courtship."
"Only if you still love him. We're going to have a hell of a time helping him through this heartbreak. I won't see him hurt again."
"I assure you, Fred. That stipulation will not be a problem. I just want him to be happy."
"You've got a funny way of showing it," Fred replied bluntly as Misty reappeared with Harry's belongings. "When will you believe that he loves you?"
Fred could feel Severus' eyes on his back as he turned and walked away with Harry's shrunken trunk in his pocket, but he didn't turn back. He'd said all he could, now it was on Severus.
xxxx
August 1st 2001, 9:01 am
Harry lay on his back in bed, reading the Courtship request from Severus for the umpteenth time. While it was the same formal request he'd received many times over, Harry couldn't stop looking at it.
What was the man playing at?
His friends had helped him quill the negative replies the previous night but he still didn't know what to do with the one he held in his hands. According to the traditions that dictated Wizarding Courtship Rituals, if Harry accepted the Courtship, he wasn't allowed any communication with Severus for a month, during which time Severus would send a minimum of four gifts to prove how well he knew his intended.
Only then would any contact be allowed.
Harry didn't want to wait a month and he wasn't interested in receiving gifts of things that he didn't need. He just wanted an explanation.
But then, on the flip side of the sickle, if Harry rejected him, Severus could and probably would, get defensive and shut himself off.
Getting up, Harry decided he'd nip and see Minerva at Hogwarts. If he happened upon the dungeons and, by extension, Severus, well, he hadn't accepted or rejected the request and there were no rules on contact before he'd made his decision. Before that though, he had to pop by Gringotts. There was something he was going to need.
xxxx
August 1st 2001, 11:12 am
A pleasant hour spent with the Headmistress informed Harry that Severus was enjoying a free period in his office in solitude.
Harry forced down his nerves as he knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed open the door, closing it quietly behind him with a soft click. He watched as Severus looked up, saw him, and froze.
"Harry."
"Hello Severus. Care to explain what the fuck you were thinking when you sent this?" Harry asked, holding up the Courtship Request as he perched on the edge of the desk directly in front of Severus' own.
"You couldn't just send the rejection then? Had to deliver it in person?" Severus asked tiredly, rubbing his temple.
"I didn't say anything about rejection, Severus," Harry replied, the fight leaving him as quickly as it arose. "I just don't understand the motivation. You made your feelings quite clear when you kicked me out."
"Harry, I -"
"Merlin. How can you not know that all you have to do it ask, and I'd come back. How can you now know that I love you?"
"Still? Even after..."
"Forever, Severus. I believe I've told you that before."
"I'm sorry, Harry. Sorry I ever pushed you away, sorry I hurt you. You should know, I only ever wanted you to -"
"Be happy," Harry finished the sentence for him. "Why can't you believe that I'm happiest when I'm in your arms?"
"I wanted more for you that what I can give."
"I never wanted more! I wanted you! And before you say it, for me, there is no better than you."
"I'm sorry."
"Severus Tobias Snape, I am sincerely honored by your request for Courtship, but at this time find myself unable to accept it. I return your request to you with heartfelt apologies," Harry said suddenly, the formal words engraved in his mind after having to write it so many times.
Placing the parchment on Severus' desk, Harry took out a small box from his pocket and placed it carefully on top of the parchment.
"This is rightfully yours, as the only man who has ever and will ever own my heart. Whether you choose to accept and wear it, is your decision. If you do, well, you know where to find me."
xxxx
August 1st 2001, 12:46 pm
Harry slumped in his usual chair in the back room of WWW.
"Have you decided what to do yet, mate?" George asked.
Harry nodded. "Just came from Hogwarts. I rejected the courtship."
"He's going to kill me," Fred whimpered, making Harry frown.
"What?"
"What did Severus say?" George prompted, sending a waning look at Fred.
"We'll come back to that," Harry muttered, his eyes on Fred. "I left him the Potter Bonding Ring. If he turns up here, it means he's accepted me for who I am. If he doesn't..." Harry shrugged. "At least I'll know where I stand. Now, why would Severus kill you?"
"He, I mean, I, I mean..."
"Harry," George whispered, interrupting Fred's stuttering. He pointed to where Severus stood in the doorway to the backroom, looking somewhat uncertain of his welcome.
Harry's eyes instinctively looked at Severus' hand, and he suddenly felt like his heart would burst. There, adorning the ring finger of Severus' left hand, was the Potter bonding ring.
"If you meant what you said, if you still want me, I... I'd very much like to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you," Severus said quietly, though his words sounded like they were being shouted to Harry.
He stood slowly, moving towards Severus. Taking his hand, Harry joined their rings together, feeling a warmth shooting straight through his body. "I meant every word. I want forever, Severus."
"Then you shall have it."
Harry shifted, leaning his head up as Severus stooped slightly, their lips meeting in a passionate yet loving kiss.
"I missed you."
"And I you."
"Tell me, Severus. Why would you kill Fred?"
Severus chuckled. "He was the one who suggested I send you the courtship request."
"Ah."
Harry turned around and moved closer to the cowering redhead.
"Fred?"
"Yes, Harry."
"Thank you."