Chapter 14: The problem with being dead

Severus stepped out of the fireplace in Harry's office, flowers in one hand and a book in the other, to witness his bondmate tickling the baby.

Jamies' giggles appeared to be infectious, as Harry giggled right along with him.

"Now that's a lovely sight," Severus said, smiling.

"Severus!" Harry called. "Come join us."

Obliging, Severus lay his offerings on Harry's desk and took his place on the carpet next to the giggling pair. "What's the game, then?" Severus asked.

"Just wiggles and giggles," Harry said breathlessly. "I tickle Jamie, he giggles, it makes me laugh."

"And who tickles you?"

"No one. I'm much too dignified."

With a whoosh, Harry found himself on his back on the floor as Severus' fingers attacked his sides brutally, and he shrieked with laughter. Jamie started shrieking, too, and a for a moment, all was madcap hilarity in their corner of the world.

None heard the soft pop of Rissa apparating into the room, or saw the indulgent smile on her face before she hid it, catching their attention with a snap of her fingers. "Master Harry, Mister Prince, it's not good to excite Master Jamie so close to his bed time."

"You're probably right, Rissa," Harry acknowledged ruefully, sitting up and gathering up his son, who was still excitedly wiggling, those his shrieks died down a bit as his father held him.

"I suppose that's logical," Severus admitted. "I've not had a great deal of experience with babies, but it seems to me the laughter is also important to their emotional development."

Harry looked at him slyly. "Then I think we all need more of it, don't you?"

Severus laughed at that, a deep, rich chuckle that sent shivers down Harry's spine. "We most assuredly do. Not getting enough giggles in early childhood will lead to morose, mean-spirited adulthood. As I have cause to know. When I shed my former life, I resolved to shed that mean-spirited man, so now I must seek out giggles."

"It's a mission," Harry nodded, playing along.

"Like Star Trek."

Harry's eyes widened a bit. "You know Star Trek?"

"My late, unlamented father was a fan," Severus said. "So, Harry, care to help me with my mission to seek out new worlds-of giggles?"

Harry cuddled his son, who was settling down on his left shoulder, and raised his right hand to stroke Severus' cheek. "If you'll help me. We can find a lifetime of them."

Severus leaned into Harry's touch, then leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's mouth, before adding another chaste kiss to Jamie's forehead. "I quite like the sound of that."

xxx

They settled Jamie down, fed him his supper, and put him to bed, before adjourning to the family dining room for their own dinner. As rare steaks popped into existence on their plates, Severus smiled broadly. "You remembered."

"It was only yesterday you told me you liked a good rare steak." Harry paused as he poured a nice, deep red wine out into their respective glasses. "Though it seems longer."

"It does." Severus sipped his wine. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," Harry blushed a bit. "I just want you to be happy coming here for dinner."

"I am."

For a moment, quiet settled on them as they ate, savoring the steak and the accompanying roasted potatoes and asparagus. Fresh rye bread rolls rounded out the menu.

"This is much better than trying to remember to cook for myself," Severus commented.

"Yes, now what is this about forgetting to eat while researching?" Harry asked. "Hermione gets like that. I suppose I should expect it from you, but you need to remember to break for meals. We don't need you sick."

Severus took the mild scolding with good grace. "Normally I set some sort of an alarm to remind me to break while I'm researching, but I didn't expect to be quite so absorbed in the morning's work. The research on naturally occurring bonds was fascinating. The biggest information I found was that we can guide magic toward our wishes through ritual, but in the end magic makes the choice for us. If we decide, as we complete a ritual bond, that we will be equal partners, that's the form the bond will take. Otherwise we leave it up to magic to decide."

Harry pondered that. "And a ritual bonding…does that have to be done publicly?"

"It would automatically be recorded by the Ministry, so no, not necessarily. As applied to us, though, it might be problematic to see 'Severus Snape' show up on the bonding registry, seeing as how he's dead."

Harry sat back with his glass of wine, taking another sip. "How deep is the Evan Prince identity?"

Severus shrugged. "Deep enough. I established the name and the credentials years ago, and I've been working under that name supplying potions for more than a decade. It's a false identity, but it's rock solid. However, my birth name is still Severus Snape, and that's what shows up magically."

"More than a decade, so the name 'Evan Prince' would have been attached to you while I was at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"Then, you're right. Magical items still recognize you as Severus Snape. The Marauders' Map of Hogwarts always identified you that way."

"It did?"

"Yes."

Severus sat back with his own wine, the brooding look in his eyes familiar to Harry. "Then it seems to me we have a few options."

"Name them," Harry prompted.

"One, I could re-emerge as Severus Snape. Trials, fuss, publicity."

"Ugh."

"Precisely. Two, I could try to perform a naming ritual to magically change my name to Evan Prince. That would require my magical adoption by a prospective parent who could name me. That also might change some of my physical appearance, though as I am an adult, it's unlikely there would be substantial changes. We'd also have to find someone to 'parent' me, knowing my original identity."

"Hmm. It has possibilities, though I dislike the idea of changes in your physical appearance. I quite like my Severus."

Severus blushed himself a bit, unused to compliments about his looks. "Third, we could let me hide, and not bond publicly."

"You haven't even asked me officially, yet," Harry pointed out. "And I refuse to not bond with you."

"I brought you flowers," Severus admitted. "I planned to ask you officially this evening."

"And I plan to say yes when you do," Harry said. "I did a little research of my own today, and I discovered that second marriages in nobility with same-sex couples do have precedents. We should be able to manage the legal ramifications on my end quite well, though you would have a title."

Severus choked on a sip of wine. "Title?"

"You'd be Lord Consort Potter."

"Da would turn over in his grave," Severus muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, just thinking about how my blue-collar muggle father would react to his worthless son marrying nobility," Severus said quietly. "He hated magic, but he hated the nobles more. Why should they have everything, and we have to work for every scrap? He was a union man, through and through, and would rather a punch in the face at the pub than a favor from a lord."

Harry was taken aback, but shook it off. "It's just me, Severus."

Severus looked up swiftly, meeting Harry's eyes. "It's fine, Harry. Sometimes I just remember what a true bastard he was, is all, and he'd find all this very strange." He snorted. "Like I care what he'd think." He reached out and picked Harry's hand up from where it rested on the table, lacing their fingers together, feeling the hum of their magic as it intertwined. "This is real. What we have here...I wouldn't trade it. Not for anything. And I'm willing to do what's necessary to make this work." He smiled softly at Harry. "Partner."

Harry smiled back, squeezing their fingers together. "Partner."

Severus took a deep breath. "I think it would be best if Severus Snape stayed dead. If we can find an appropriate person to take into our confidence, a naming ritual would give me a new name, may even change my appearance slightly, and I could be at your side. My name would change again, it appears, to Potter, regardless of ritual."

"Are you sure, Severus? This is a big step for you. I gather you've had a peaceful life the last few years, and if you bond with me publicly, there will be less peace than you'd like."

Severus was quiet for a moment. "May I keep my Wales cottage as my potions lab and retreat?"

"You don't have to ask, Severus; it's yours. Why would I have anything to say about it?"

"Because the title you just told me would be bestowed on me filled the last piece of the bonding ritual puzzle in for me. By its very nature, your nobility and title trumps my status, and I would be recognized as the 'submissive' partner. Everything I have would belong to you."

Harry shook his head. "Not if we put a magically binding pre-nup together."

Severus raised a brow. "Continue."

"It's something Lucius told me about when I wrote him this morning. He said same-sex bindings among nobles do have precedent, mostly as second marriages when an heir already exists-such as in our case-and in order to protect the wealth of the submissive partner, a binding magical agreement before the bonding would do it. We spell out what will continue to belong to you after our bonding in writing, file it, and you'd keep whatever was spelled out in it. You can have your cottage, your business, your lab-everything you've worked for, Severus. I'm not taking that from you. Ever. You more than earned it, and I have no right to take that away. Nor would I want to."

Severus stood abruptly, moved around the table to Harry's seat, and pulled him up from it. He took his mouth in a deep and bruising kiss, tongues dancing for dominance as they fell into each other. For long moments they kissed, pressed together tightly, until their lips softened against each other, and Severus drew back, then dropped his forehead against Harry's. "Thank you."

Bright green eyes close to his own sparkled with lust and love. "If that's my reward, then you're VERY welcome."

Severus laughed softly, breathing him in. "Will you marry me, Harry? Will you be my partner for life?"

"With everything I am," Harry replied. And their lips met again.