CHAPTER 2

A/N: Dear all, I'm sorry about the delay – this time it was because I had the flu. I have finished the fever stage and am currently caught in the runny-nose and blocked-ears phase.

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Later, when I asked you why you decided to marry me in spite of your furious protests, you told me that you did it for Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was like the father you never had; but Dumbledore the father was very different from Dumbledore the mentor, the Headmaster, the person in charge of running Hogwarts – and even our lives, to a certain extent. Wedged between an insufferable brat on the verge of tears and an equally insufferable insane genius, as you put it, what other choice did you have? You also told me that you did it for my mother, Lily Evans, because she was very kind and selfless and refused to judge people on the basis of their appearance.

"I did not realise what I lost by rejecting her friendship and kindness until it was too late," you said to me.

And then you asked me why I said yes. I had matured during my sixth year; I was going to be an adult in the wizarding world. I thought a lot about you after Sirius's death. I wanted to blame you. I wanted to hate you as much as I could. I didn't want to trust you…

You saved my life yet again in my sixth year, putting my safety before yours when you revealed your true role to Voldemort. I cannot forget the expression on his snake-face. And I cannot forget your courage, the way you flung your arms around me and threw me onto the floor, out of harm's way, the Killing Curse flying just above our heads. You had been struck by the Cruciatus Curse, and still you looked out for me. There was blood on your lips. You tried to shield me from the next spell, but you were too much in pain…and I lost my voice. The Aurors came, and you were immediately sent to St. Mungo's. That day, I finally realised how much you were ready to sacrifice, and I realised it again in Dumbledore's office. Bitter, harsh and cynical as you were – I started to understand something of what you had suffered and were suffering. I knew that I could trust you. It was guilt which made me sign the parchment – guilt and, however reluctant I was to admit it, gratitude towards you…and, of course, I had just lost my voice. I felt that I had nothing more to lose after that. I was becoming slowly but steadily numbed by one blow following another. Every single spell I performed from now on would have to be voiceless, and we had not learnt the difficult advanced spells in our sixth year - that was reserved for the seventh. Apart from that, I would never be able to say a word aloud again - ever. Dumbledore had asked you to teach me Telepathy, and I remembered our Occlumency lessons only too well. My hope was dying.

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Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer, but Harry stepped between the two men, raising the quill and what remained of his parchment. He scribbled on it:

Only when I turn seventeen.

He held it up.

"It would solve the underage problem, and it would be legal," Dumbledore admitted, "but the marriage would still have to remain secret, and we have to act quickly. The sooner the better; and Harry would not have to stay with his relatives-"

Severus glared and interrupted him harshly:

"I will NOT marry Potter as long as he is a minor – which he will always be mentally, by the way. He can stay with his Muggle relatives until the end of July. They can still protect him."

Harry's eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to speak – and closed it when he remembered that he could not speak. His eyes dulled. In any case, staying with the Potions Master would be as bad as staying with the Dursleys – or even worse.

"In any case, marriages are automatically registered at the Ministry of Magic. Unions involving an underage partner are forbidden, though you have probably thought of a way to prevent the Ministry from finding out, seeing how you are always forging plans," Severus observed acidly.

"Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt will be notified of the ceremony in advance, and they will make sure to seize the marriage certificate as soon as it appeared at the Ministry and hide it – regardless of your status as a minor or as an adult, Harry. This marriage, of course, will only be known to a handful of people, and it can be terminated just as discreetly by divorce."

Severus snorted.

"Or by death. You have certainly thought of everything, haven't you? What will you give us as a wedding gift, Albus? A jar of lubrication?"

Harry's eyes widened with shock at Severus's rudeness. Not a muscle twitched in Dumbledore's face.

"That is quite enough, Severus. And I expect both of you to treat each other with respect. Severus, will you teach Harry Telepathy?" he said, his voice perfectly calm.

Severus nodded abruptly.

"Harry, will you learn from him?"

Harry nodded as well.

Dumbledore bent and picked up the pieces of the parchment Severus had shredded. Severus watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Don't you want to read what Harry has written?" Dumbledore asked, repairing the torn piece of parchment with a spell.

"Frankly no," Severus snapped, but he grabbed the parchment from Dumbledore and read it aloud:

"'We have to work together if we want to defeat Voldemort'. Well, I suppose marriage does entail a lot of work," the Potions Master sneered, incinerating the parchment. The enforced silence from the youth was starting to become quite unnerving, especially because his face was so still. Dumbledore rubbed his temples tiredly for a few seconds before announcing:

"I suggest the first of August, the day after your seventeenth birthday, Harry."

Harry gave Dumbledore a stiff nod.

"The first of August it is," Severus consented in a bored tone, "a civil marriage, I presume?"

"Yes, my dear boy. However, your closest friends and family may attend the ceremony."

Severus's mouth puckered, becoming a thin hard line. He did not have any friends or family, with the exception of Dumbledore, who, as Severus felt, was not being much of a friend at the moment. He was, however, going to be saddled with a…husband. And that was family. His stomach roiled with disgust. Harry James Potter. Family. Severus flexed his long fingers, the scowl on his face deepening.

The three wizards spent the next twenty minutes discussing the wedding arrangements, Harry scribbling on parchment while Severus shot him glacial glances every now and then. Harry wondered how Hermione and Ron would react to the news.

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"NO!" Ron's yell echoed around the Gryffindor common room. Harry had felt very thankful that he had lost his voice only after the sixth-year-exams. Now he came to the conclusion that a voice could be annoying – especially when Ron used his voice to shout. Several students looked around, peering at Harry, Hermione and Ron. Ron was clutching a piece of parchment Harry had written. Hermione had gone rather pale, but she remained calm.

"Shhh, Ron," she murmured, touching his arm. Ron took her hand – they had finally, finally, finally got together towards the end of their sixth year – and rubbed her fingers nervously.

"Harry, mate…you cannot…not with…with that…sadist! Is Dumbledore out of his sodding mind?" Ron whispered. Harry made a gesture of helplessness, fighting down the tears. Hermione put her arm around his thin shoulders.

"Harry, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore is not arranging your marriage just because you're both gay and both marked by Voldemort…Stop flinching, Ron! Maybe…it's an attempt to get you to work together. To bury the axe after all these years. Closure and cooperation."

"You call Harry having to be buggered by that idiot cooperation? And how does that crazy coot know you're gay, anyway?" Ron asked incredulously.

Hermione glared at him and withdrew her hand.

"You are not being very cooperative, Ronald Weasley!" she flared. Ron held up his hands.

"Okay, okay. But Harry…what if he…beats you? Abuses you? Makes you his personal slave?"

"Shut up, Ron! Professor Snape may be rather…difficult, but he will never hurt Harry like that!"

Harry informed them on parchment that they were permitted to attend the ceremony, which would take place in Dumbledore's office.

"I just hope Dad keeps the marriage certificate in a safe place, you never know with George and Fred," Ron said, trying to use humour to relieve the grim situation.

"Your whole family will know anyway, Ron," Hermione, "including the Order of the Phoenix. Will you still have to spend the summer holidays with the Dursleys, Harry?"

Harry nodded his head dully.

The new protection will only take effect once I have married Snape, and the effect will only last once the marriage has been consummated. I want to wait till I'm of age before I marry.

Ron read the note and shuddered.

"Can't be any worse than staying with Snape," he commented unhelpfully. "And how on earth will you and Snape..." he slid his hands back and forth in a meaningful gesture.

Hermione looked pained.

"Ron!" she hissed.

"Well, at least there's divorce," Ron said. Harry stared gloomily at him. Who knew how long it would take to destroy Voldemort? He was more worried that Snape and he would end up destroying each other for the time being.

"Don't worry, Harry. We're here. We won't leave you alone," Hermione said firmly.

"Yeah, and we'll whisk you away from those Screwts on your birthday – we're all going to celebrate at home," Ron said, ruffling Harry's hair affectionately. Harry smiled, already feeling better.

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