Both Harry and Severus sat there, unable to speak or even voice their shock and outrage at the Headmaster's confession. If they were feeling like pieces on a chess board before, than this certainly took the cake, and the silence was the only thing keeping them from shouting profanities to the man they still respected above all, despite everything that's happened.
"Allow me to explain my reasoning. I will tell you right now, that I still do not regret my actions as I watch the two of you together. That image alone will warm the heart of this meddling old coot until the end, even if you both choose never to trust or speak to me ever again after this. Let me take you back to the very beginning. When you were still in school Harry, I knew you and Severus had a similar past. I couldn't understand why you couldn't reach some common ground.
Severus, I wanted you to get to know the boy Harry was, and realize the kinship you shared. I knew you felt responsible for his life, but I wanted you to look passed your duty to your former friend and your former enemy, and see that Harry was not the young man you thought he would become with his name and fame shoved down his throat. That is why I wanted you to teach him Occlumency, so that you could see how similar he was to you. But you remained stubborn, and you couldn't see that you could have someone you could confide in, trust, and let your guard down to.
When Voldemort was defeated, you were still so lost, Severus. Like you didn't know where your life was heading, and I was afraid you might fall into depression, and perhaps end it all." Dumbledore cleared his throat as Harry reached over to grab Severus's hand. Dumbledore went on, "I knew Harry was fond of you, Severus. Or at least I knew that he cared about you very much. When he asked me to help him with the creation of the armguard he gifted you with, he never said who it was meant for. But when he specifically asked how it's possible to block the effects of something as strong as the Dark Mark. It didn't take a genius to figure out his true intent. Also, when you were at St. Mungo's at the end of the final battle, Harry was constantly by your side. He waited for days just sitting there, and holding your hand when he thought no one was looking. He stopped coming the day you woke up."
Severus squeezed the hand that Harry held, as though wishing he could remember. "You never told me that part." He said to Harry.
Harry blushed and looked down, "I didn't think it was important."
Dumbledore smiled, "When you brought Harry into the hospital wing that fateful day, there was something in your demeanor. It wasn't hatred, it was concern. You hid it behind a scowl, and I knew you felt the blame as well, but I could see, you were genuinely concerned for Harry."
Severus closed his eyes, remembering that day that was so long ago that it felt like another era. "Everything happened so fast, I still don't really understand what I was thinking back then… with any of it."
Dumbledore nodded, "I knew what the curse was, and what would need to be done. That was not the problem. The problem was helping you realize what you meant to Harry. That someone could indeed care about you. So I took the opportunity to do a little matchmaking, so to speak…" He chuckled at the looks on their faces. "I merely wanted you to put aside the pettiness of holding a grudge, and I wanted you to be able to at the very least, try to find some understanding, and maybe even try becoming friends. So I pushed and veered you both in that direction until you both left on your journey, and encouraged you both to live your lives to the fullest. You've both been trapped in the dark for so long, it was time that you both found something worth treasuring. I had faith that you both would be able to start anew. Though, even I could not anticipate just how close you two would become. I couldn't be happier for you both."
Severus looked down at his young bondmate… His husband… His life's reward for enduring so much… The only true happiness and peace he's ever known… He brushed a lock of Harry's hair with his fingers, and kissed his forehead. "It was a hard lesson to learn, but when I finally let go of my past, and my old self, I did find something to treasure. And it's brought me happiness beyond anything I've ever known." He said as he gently rubbed his forehead to Harry's. "I just want to know if there was anything else about the curse you haven't mentioned yet. For instance, you first told me that Harry was hurt by the harsh words from the one he loves. But from what I'm hearing, that doesn't sound like that was the case in the end."
"Like we established before, the curse was based on Harry's doubts. And though you were unaware of it, Harry valued your opinion of him quite heavily, Severus. Every time you expressed your disappointment in him, he felt disappointed in himself. And he doubted he could ever change how you saw him. The curse was just as deadly as I said, but I may have exaggerated the timeframe a bit, and romanticized the situation a little…" Dumbledore flinched.
"You mean I could have just had a gaping hole in my chest for years that never healed." Harry said, repeating what Tom had told him.
"Yes. You might have been alright for the first few years, but it would get harder as time moved on. Eventually, the wound would have constantly bled, and wouldn't have been able to stop. No matter how carefully you tried to live, it would still kill you. Slowly, and painfully. I embellished the truth in order for you to find the important things worth living for sooner, rather than later. You see, when faced with dire situations, we allow ourselves to be more honest in what we want and what we need. It was a gamble, I know, to do that to the both of you. And what I said about the curse shifting to your child was true. That is what would have happened. So it was better to take care of your situation now."
"If you knew what to do to cure Harry of the curse, why did you wait so long?" Severus all but demanded. "Are you really telling me that you let Harry be in that much pain just so that I could learn to accept him as who he was rather than what he was?"
Dumbledore looked guilty, but he responded, "In a way… yes. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have tried to change yourself and find something worth living for. You would still be in your shell of dark rooms and antisocial natures."
Before Severus could start shouting, Harry spoke to him. "Severus… remember when we talked about what we might have been doing if nothing like this ever happened?" Severus looked down at Harry, and simply nodded, remembering how dull and bleak his life was before. "I know what you're thinking, love. You're wondering about the 'what if's' again. Well, like we've said it several times in the past, let's not focus on what could have happened… Instead, think about what you said last night. We are here, and we are alive. And I hope you're as happy with the outcome as I am, regardless of how we got here." He leaned up to give Severus a very gentle kiss.
That kiss transported Severus back to when they were on the cruise ship, sharing their first of many kisses. He knew the truth, and he knew he had to admit it. At first, he thought it was just his duty to look after Harry. But then it became so much more… The chains around his heart vanished the night he and Harry became dancing partners, and he held the young man in his arms for the first time. The first time Severus was truly grateful to be alive. No war, no expectations, no pressure, just two souls getting to know each other. Dumbledore wanted him to find some sort of happiness, and learn to appreciate it. "I have to ask. What would have happened if we hadn't come back, and Harry's heart was giving out?"
"You may have put a muggle chip on the locket Harry wore, but I put my own enchantments on it as my own source of security. When Harry asked Ms. Granger to check for tracking charms on the necklace, she discreetly forgot to mention any charms that were placed on it. I had informed her that there were untraceable charms that made the locket an emergency portkey with a mild heart monitor. If the necklace was close to Harry, it would be able to pick up whether or not he was in danger, and activated to bring him here anyways, and I would explain what needed to be done." Dumbledore knew Harry wouldn't get rid of that locket, even if he did find out it was bugged.
"But why did you wait until December to inform everyone?" Harry asked.
"I knew you would have been fine for a year at the very least, with or without Severus's help or influence. It felt like an appropriate time to let the cat out of the bag."
Having most of his answers, at least the important ones, Harry stood and stretched. "This is a lot of information to take in, and I hope we can talk about this later, but I think we should leave this issue for now. I can honestly say that I am hurt, shocked, feeling betrayed, as well as happy, grateful, and so much in love…" He said as he looked at Severus who was standing up as well. "I know you had your reasons for handling the situation the way you did, and in a way, I suppose I approve. I too cannot argue with the results." He rubbed his still flat stomach gently. "But the memory of the pain and fear will take some time to wash away. So if you'll please excuse us…" Harry took Severus's hand, and walked to the door.
Severus followed close behind, and chose not to look back as the door closed behind them. Perhaps he could forgive the man, one day. But not now…
Out in one of the gardens on the Hogwarts grounds, Harry, Severus, Ron, and Hermione were having a picnic and sharing stories of what they missed during the year apart.
Ron and Hermione felt a little strange talking with their former professor, but that didn't stop his dark sense of humor when he recounted his thoughts about the two of them in his old classes, and how utterly insufferable they were. Harry couldn't help but laugh as the two of them squirmed under his wit and sarcasm, but soon after, they found their voices and quipped back at the formerly brooding man, and playfully gave him a piece of their own minds.
"You're right. I was a bastard and an insufferable prick, who just needed to get laid." Of course he said this just as Ron was taking a drink of his butterbeer. Harry had just barely missed the line of fire as the sticky substance made its rather unattractive escape out the youth's nose. The look on Severus's face told everyone he was not sorry.
To make matters worse, Severus decided to play up on the lovey doveyness as he and Harry both fed each other grapes or finger sandwiches. Harry would nibble on Severus's fingers, licking the grape juice off them, and Severus would lean in to lick Harry's cheek, where a few crumbs were stuck. Ron groaned in discomfort and embarrassment, and Hermione just giggled and blushed at seeing the man in a new light. She couldn't have been happier for the two of them.
The whole afternoon felt very domestic, and normal. Yet to Harry and Severus, it was a perfect dream. They were simply sitting, talking, eating, breathing, smiling, laughing, and everything that made a person feel good and peaceful. That feeling that everything was right with the world. As Harry and Severus held hands, they both silently vowed never to take this kind of peace for granted. And for Harry, it was even more special, since he truly believed he would never see his two best friends in person ever again. His heart sang with happiness, and it was all the sweeter as he unashamedly held hands with Severus. After they finished eating, they decided to take a walk around the castle to continue their conversation.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for keeping that secret from you, Harry. It damn near killed me, but the thought that I could help cure you was what kept me going. I hope you can forgive me." Hermione said, shifting the conversation to something a little more serious in order to get something off her chest.
"And me. She wasn't alone in this." Ron said, standing next to her, ready to take any wrath Harry wished to purge onto them.
Harry shook his head and just hugged the two of them. "Just tell me you both accept being the godparents to my child, and we'll call the matter settled." Hermione squealed at the idea, and Ron tightened his hold on both of them. When Harry could breathe again, he turned towards Hermione. "So you knew before Christmas. That's why you were way too chipper in your Christmas message to me, wasn't it?"
Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I couldn't help it. I was so full of hope that it could work. I gave Dumbledore my own verbal beating for having all the answers from the beginning. Did you know he removed pretty much any reference guide from the restricted section of the library? Anything that could have possibly lead to Merlin or his Grimoire…"
"No wonder my search was also fruitless…" Severus said quietly.
"I still can't believe he obtained such a book." Harry said.
"Which book?" Hermione asked.
"The Grimoire. It must not have been easy to get."
"Oh. …Um…"
"What?"
"… Like I said… He's had ALL the answers since the beginning."
"He said he went through thick and thin in order to obtain such a rare book."
"Well… that may have been true at some point, but that was years and years ago when he was laying claim to it."
"Laying claim?"
"Right of ownership… Only a direct descendant could claim ownership of the manuscript…"
"… Wait… are you saying that… Dumbledore…?"
Hermione nodded. "There's a reason why he's the most powerful wizard of this age…"
Harry looked over to Severus, and by the flabbergasted look on his face, this was news to him as well.
They all walked in silence for a moment, in silent contemplation about the man who they knew so well, and apparently not at all. Severus just took a moment to reflect. He drew Harry close so that he could embrace him from behind and bury his nose into that unruly mop atop his head. He focused on the warmth of the body he held, the smell of his hair, and then he tried picturing what it felt like not to have these things… these simple things… he honestly couldn't bare it. Especially now when every dream he ever dared wished for has come true. Leaning further down, he spoke directly into Harry's ear, making him shiver at the sensation of feeling his warm breath over his sensitive lobe. "Isn't there an official wedding we should be planning?"
Ron put his arm around Hermione as he watched the carefree couple. "My mother would murder me if you didn't let her plan most of it. She still doesn't know that I've known all along what was wrong with Harry, and let me tell you, that's one lecture I would rather not have. So if you both would be so kind as to give her something more pleasant to focus on, I'd be very much obliged to get my head of the proverbial chopping block." He stroked his neck as everyone else laughed, including Severus. It was indeed a good day.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter tied up any and all the loose ends and answered all remaining questions. If not, let me know. This is the problem with having a stop and go story. You forget about the little details, and this story has veered far away from where it was originally going to go or end. Geeze, I can't believe it's been over a year since I started posting this story. How time flies.
And now, it's winding down… As such, I need a Vote! - Should I just write the Epilogue, or should I write about the Wedding, and possible Honeymoon?