Author's Note: Thanks so much for the continued response! Here's a longer chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of Harry Potter. I am not J.K. Rowling, though I wish I could be her. None of the characters or settings are mine, only the plot is mine.


Chapter 3:

About an hour later, Harry groggily opened his eyes, and he immediately was confused by his surroundings. He was lying on a large, very comfortable leather couch. In front of him a fire was roaring and warming the room in a large brick fireplace. To the left of the couch that he was currently occupying was a cushy loveseat, and another, smaller leather couch was located to the right. The room had hardwood floors with a large plush rug right in front of the fire. The walls were painted a warm beige. Harry decided that whoever had decorated this mysterious room had very good taste.

In an attempt to figure out where he was, Harry decided to sit up and take in the rest of the room. He learned that the sitting area he was in was at the right side of the room, while the left side consisted of two lavish cream suede armchairs with an ornate table in between them and a large archway, which appeared to linkto a kitchen. The front of the room was mainly taken up by a large hallway, which Harry assumed led to the entrance, a large wooden door was behind the smaller couch. Finally, the back of the room was occupied by two large wooden desks, which were separated by a set of stairs that led up to a second level.

Right in front of him was a cart with various silver platters on top of it. Harry assumed that the platters contained food, but he decided to refrain from eating, even though he now realized he was starving, until he figured out where he was.

Just as Harry was starting to worry about his safety, Severus Snape walked down the stairs and into Harry's line of vision.

That's when it all came rushing back to Harry. The law, the marriage, the baby, and what Snape had to do with it all.

No, no, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. Once Harry had finally gotten his freedom, it was taken away and he was going to be forced to live with one of the men that hated him the most. Harry had come to respect the man when he hear of his heroic involvement in the war, but that did not mean he would make a good husband or treat Harry well.

Just as he was starting to panic and felt bile starting to make its way up his throat, Snape spoke.

"Good Potter. You're up. We have much to address. Start eating while I talk, I will not have you passing out on me again."

Harry deftly reached and began to remove the tops of the platters. He fashioned himself a plate of grilled chicken, asparagus and a buttered roll while Snape gracefully took a seat on the smaller couch to his right. Harry began to eat, recognizing instantly that the house elves must have brought this up for him- there was no way Snape could cook anything that tasted close to this good.

"Now, Potter. First, I will lay down some ground rules. As anyone with a half a brain would be able to, I am sure you have figured out by now that these are our new shared quarters. It would be inappropriate for a married couple to live apart, especially with a child on the way. Since we are being forced to live each other and in close quarters, I suggest that you respect my space and privacy. Under no circumstances barring a serious emergency are you to enter my lab or bedroom."

Harry assumed that Snape's lab was what was located behind the big wooden door next to the hallway. He was extremely relieved to hear that they had separate bedrooms, which must be located on the second level and had been from where Snape had come.

"It is pertinent that you get good marks. I will not be embarrassed by my husband. I am a professor at this school, and as such my colleagues expect that my spouse would be competent and intelligent. In line with this, you will respect Slytherin House and its members. I am the Head of Slytherin and I will not see it disrespected or disgraced by my husband. You will stay out of trouble. You will soon be carrying my heir and I will not have you frolicking around, being a nuisance, and endangering the welfare of our child."

Snape paused hear to allow Harry to take in what he had said so far.

Harry was silently fuming. Snape had the audacity to tell him what he could and could not do? He thought that he went looking for trouble. Well, that wasn't the case. Trouble had always simply found him; it was not as if he had asked and implored Voldemort to have a personal vendetta against him since he was one year old! Harry's plate of food lay forgotten on the seat next to him. He was too worked up to care about eating at this point. Just as Harry was about to fill the silence with his views of these so-called rules, Snape resumed his speech.

"Our personal quarters are off limits to all of your silly little friends. I will not have my private space become a den for obnoxious, loud Gryffindors. You may still visit Gryffindor tower if you wish to spend time with your precious pals. Finally, Minerva has dictated that we must spend Sundays together as a married couple. Meals will be taken in our rooms to ensure that we have the maximum amount of time together on these days. You may also use them to complete much of your homework, which I will be checking for completion and satisfactoriness. Believe me, like you, I am not looking forward to this bonding time." Snape sneered the last two words.

Harry could not hold in his anger any longer. As a vase on the mantle shattered, he jumped up and burst out, "YOU ARE NOT MY FUCKING FATHER!"

Snape calmly replied, "I am aware of the fact that I am not an arrogant obnoxious bully. However, you will do as I say out of respect for what I have done for you in the past. I am merely attempting to make this awful situation more convenient and easier for all parties involved."

Harry did not know how to respond to that. Snape bringing up the numerous times he had saved Harry's life had knocked the wind out of his sails. He sat back down, realizing that Snape did not like this situation or his new spouse any more than he did. He opted to listen to what the man had to say, and get some answers to the many questions he had floating around in his head.

"I'm sorry about my outburst. This whole situation is just a bit much to take in right now. I shouldn't blame you for the ministry's stupid actions. Please continue," Harry choked out as civilly as he could manage.

Snape flicked his wand at the crystal mess on the floor, and the pieces of the vase came back together and floated up to their original position above the fireplace.

"Those are all the rules that I have thought necessary so far. I believe you are entertaining many questions in that small mind of yours. I will try my best to answer them as simply and amicably as I can."

Harry debated what question to ask first. He decided on the one about which he was the most curious.

"How is it possible for a man to have a baby?" Harry was embarrassed by his lack of knowledge of wizarding customs and ways of life, but he figured he had to know since he would be conceiving a child with a man.

"I thought you would ask that. Having been raised by muggles, you would not be aware that it is possible for wizards to get pregnant. All that is needed is for you to take a potion, which takes four days to brew and which I will be brewing to make sure that there are no errors, to consume the potion once a day for seven days. On the seventh day, copulation must occur to guarantee the potion's success. The potion will transfigure your sperm into an egg. My sperm will then fertilize that egg and a magical bubble will appear around the zygote. This bubble will protect the fetus until you go into labor. Since you do not have female organs, there is no place for the fetus to emerge from the womb. You will have to have what muggles call a Caesarean Section. Simply put, your stomach will have to be cut open and the child pulled out. Rest assured, you will not feel much pain and the wound will be quickly closed, but a scar will remain."

Harry just stared down into his lap the entire time Snape was talking. He couldn't believe the man could talk in such clinical and detached terms about his future child. Harry was mortified that Snape and he would have to have sex for a baby to form inside of him. He had hoped for the small chance that there was a spell that would simply charm a baby to grow inside him. Harry was very happy though that Snape had confirmed his belief that he would be the one carrying the child. He was relieved he did not have to ask Snape that question. He blushed just thinking about it: Uh, sir, will you be on top or bottom? Harry decided he would rather die than ask that, luckily now he did not have to. However, he did have lots more questions to ask, and, since Snape seemed to be in a relatively good mood and refrained from insulting him too much, he decided he might as well ask them now.

"When will the wedding be?" Harry understood by now that there was nothing he could do to put off the inevitable; he had resigned himself to his fate.

"The wedding must occur by October 1st as the law dictates. I will allow you to pick a date between now and then. I ask only that you keep the ceremony simple. I know that is asking a lot since you crave attention Potter, but I hope you will be able to follow that request."

Harry decided to let the insult slide, seeing as the man had answered his question and was conceding to him the power to pick the wedding date. He answered, "Don't worry sir, I only want something small as well. Probably just McGonagall presiding and a few close friends in attendance. I'll let you know once I've picked a date."

"Headmistress McGonagall, Potter. There is something you need to know about our wedding. For the wedding to be valid, it must be consummated on our wedding night."

Harry paled. He knew he would have to have sex with Snape eventually, but now it had to be within the next month! The situation they were in just got worse and worse. Then Harry got an idea, but he didn't know if he had the balls to say it aloud.

He decided just to go for it. "Uh, would it be possible to have the potion brewed by say the 22nd? That gives us three weeks until wedding day and forces us to only do it once…" He quietly trailed off.

Severus was stunned. Potter would be ready to be pregnant within a few short weeks? He had thought for sure that the boy would want to put off pregnancy until the last possible day. He was prepared to spend his entire seventh year with child? Finding himself speechless for a few short moments, he quickly gathered himself and returned to his usual cool demeanor.

"I would be able to procure the proper ingredients and brew the potion within twelve days, meaning September 13th. Allowing you to have the full week needed plus a few extra days to ingest the potion. But Potter, are you sure of this? You will be spending your entire seventh year pregnant with my child, surely your peers will not be very understanding."

Severus was positive that the boy had simply not thought through what he had said. There was no way that the attention and trouble seeking Gryffindor Golden Boy would risk his reputation and standing among his friends.

"I know the implications of my decision. I want this done as soon as possible though, and if I even want to consider still being an auror I'll have to be ready for training come July. I can't do that if I'm pregnant."

Harry's answer proved Severus wrong. The child had known what he was saying, and he had weighed the options and considered the future like a mature adult. Potter had never been this logical or calculated in the past, maybe the boy had changed in his time away during the summer. Possibly the hunt for horcruxes and the war had matured Potter faster than Severus had thought. But Potter wiped away this dispute in Snape's head with his next words. Severus was assured then that at times Potter was still a child, and he could be weak and timid.

"Sir, what are we supposed to call each other?" Harry had feebly asked.

Snape confidently replied, "In public, we are expected to call each other by our given names. Except for in my classroom where you will not be given preferential treatment and will be expected to call me Professor like all the other students. In our personal quarters, it is up to you what we call each other."

Harry looked up at Snape through his lashes, trying to gather the courage to speak.

"I would prefer if you call me Harry. You calling me Potter reminds me of my aunt and uncle, death eaters, and Voldemort. Since you'll be calling me Harry, I think it'd be best for me to call you Severus since we are going to have a child together, but only if that's ok with you."

Severus was taken off guard by the boy's words. First of all, why would his aunt and uncle call him Potter? Secondly, why was he not being demanding? When he had been informed by Minerva that he had to marry Potter, he had been sure that the Gryffindor would be headstrong and demanding. Instead, he was curious, quiet, and polite most of the time. Severus decided that being called by his first name was not the worst thing in the world.

"That would be acceptable. Now I believe we have had enough excitement for the evening and that it is time for bed. Your room is up the stairs and to the left. Good night," Snape tersely said.

Harry watched as Snape brusquely stood up from the couch and quickly disappeared up the stairs. He soon stood up as well, placed his empty plate on the cart, which he assumed the house elves would retrieve, and made his way up the stairs. He had been pleasantly surprised by how civil Snape had been during the conversation, and he prayed that this cordiality would continue. At the top of the stairs was a small hallway with doors to the right and left and one in the middle. Harry figured that one of the doors was Snape's room and one was the bathroom. He resolved that he would have to explore the quarters more later, right now he was too tired to care. Harry pushed open the door to his room.

Harry was very pleased with what he saw. The room was painted a light blue with a large, mahogany queen bed with a navy blue comforter right in the center. The bed was way larger than his old four poster. His trunk was at the foot of his bed, but when he checked it was empty. The house elves must have unpacked for him and put his belongings in the large chest of drawer opposite his bed. The room also contained a night stand and a small book shelf. However, Harry's favorite part of the room was the large window opposite the door. It overlooked the lake, which Harry was sure was a beautiful view when it was light out. Harry decided that he could forgive the lack of Gryffindor colors in the room, which he was sure was Snape's doing, for the beautiful view. It had been very generous of Sna-Severus to give him the room with the view. Harry hoped that the kitchen also had a large window as it was on the same side of the quarters; he would have to investigate tomorrow.

Harry groaned when he remembered that tomorrow was the first day of classes, and that he would have to tell Ron and Hermione all that had transpired tonight. A goodnight's sleep was definitely needed to prepare him for the long day ahead.

He stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed in just his boxers, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.


I hope you liked it! More to come soon, please review!