Warnings: severe domestic violence, Severus is more open than typical for him, but he wants Poppy to know they're really in love for Harry's sake.
***AN: The next chapter needs a rating edit and it's 11PM when I have to be up at 6-ish, so that'll have to wait until the next update. Hope this is enough to hold you off until then.***
CHAPTER 53
Caught in the Act
4 FEBRUARY
The next day, Ginny came into the Great Hall with a coat of makeup so thick, Harry could have scraped it off with a spoon. He winced as she walked past, leaving an odour of bruise paste that set Jabardi hissing in discomfort and made Harry's eyes water.
"Merlin," Harry breathed.
A bit further down the Gryffindor table, Ron's expression turned thunderous. He made to rise from his seat, but Parvati, Lavender, and Colin forced him right back into it.
"Sit down, Ron," Colin snapped. "If you make a huge scene here, you're just going to humiliate Ginny and drive her closer to the bastard."
Ron muttered something about setting the twins on the arsehole if he wasn't allowed to fight for her. Harry pretended he hadn't heard. Smith had a healthy dose of Fred and George's worst coming, and they were a hell of a lot more creative than just pummelling the berk. Not to mention sneaky enough to make sure Ginny never found out.
Those two would have made excellent Slytherins.
Speaking of, Harry started towards the Slytherin table, intent on grabbing Draco and asking him to sit with him, but the boy was nowhere in sight. Harry's stomach dropped as he sat beside Luna and Neville, ensconced at the far end of the Gryffindor table that morning. Dean wasn't about, and Hermione hadn't arrived yet.
"Lu, is Draco…?"
She nodded, her eyes troubled. "Home again, I'm afraid."
Harry grimaced. "Dear gods. He's barely had time to recover from the last bout."
"I know." Luna rubbed her arms and shivered. "Harry, we will need to remain alert. The Feathersprites fear it will be quite bad this time."
Harry shuddered. "How bad?"
"I cannot say for sure, but they are quite worried."
Harry closed his eyes and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Merlin. Well, I… I'll try to keep an eye on the map whenever I can. Will you listen for your spirits and let me know the second they know what's going on?"
"Of course." She straightened, resolution firm in her eyes. "In the meantime, we should practise our skills. I will research chants and emergency first aid. You practise trauma healing. Neville, please make sure Harry and his friend have plenty of high quality ingredients to make new medicines."
Neville nodded. "I'll bring what I have on hand by before lunch, and the rest after classes today. And I'll tell Dean and Blaise to be on alert. Hermione too."
"Thank you, love." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "And, Harry, do ask your mate to help you restock your apprentice kit, particularly for trauma work."
Harry gave her a grim nod. "Done."
~SSHP~
Two days later, Harry was in Charms when the call for Draco came through on his DA coin.
'Harry, Draco is at the gates, and the Feathersprites say he won't survive long without immediate help.'
"Oh dear gods!" He jerked to his feet, slammed his books back into his bag, grabbed his knapsack and apprentice kit, and rushed to Flitwick. "So sorry, sir, I've got to run—medical emergency." He whispered, "It's Draco."
Flitwick winced. "Go, child, and may Merlin guide your feet."
"Thank you!" Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and dashed out of the classroom to a chorus of mutters and whispers.
Harry rushed to the gates as fast as his feet would carry him, terror cold in his veins. He had to hurry—faster! Draco would die if he didn't pick up the pace. His feet flew, a stitch crept up his side, and his breath ran short, but by gods, he covered the distance to the Entrance Hall in record time. With a silent prayer to whoever was listening, Harry poured his magic and energy alike into his feet and bolted down the entrance path faster than he had ever done in his life.
Draco lay on his back, unconscious, just inside the gates. Under a mess of bruises and blood, his skin had gone bone white and his lips had a blue tinge. His breath came fast and shallow, and an unnatural gurgling sound with each exhalation sent Harry's stomach tumbling into his feet.
Oh dear gods, Lucius had punctured Draco's lung. With a little cry, Harry conjured a stretcher under the boy and started his chanting the second he came within range. 'Auxilium Spiritus! Sarcio Vulnera! Purifico Pulmonis!" He didn't expect the last one to help, but in his terror, he was willing to try it.
He skidded to a halt beside the boy and levitated his stretcher, racing him towards the Infirmary even as he performed a diagnostic. Shite—yes, his lung was punctured, badly, and… damn! His spleen had ruptured too. Between both injuries, Draco was bleeding out and drowning in his own blood. He needed emergency surgery that instant.
"Fuck!" Harry struggled to clear his mind and focused on his mate. As classes would end for the period in a moment—he hoped—Harry used his Telepathic link to communicate his needs.
[Love, Draco's back and it's worse than we thought. I need you to bring loads of trauma potions, surgical supplies, and especially Blood Replenishers to the Infirmary. We don't keep as much as he'll need on hand.]
Severus' terror surged in the bond, but Harry felt a wave of affirmation too.
Harry levitated Draco's stretcher, secured the boy, and raced towards the Infirmary. [Okay, Sev. We're on our way.]
Luna met him at the Entrance Hall doors and raced beside him, chanting the same spells Harry was over Draco. Damn. Harry had half-hoped she would pull another miracle save out of her hat.
This time, it was up to him.
They ripped the Infirmary doors open and raced towards the private rooms in the back. "Poppy! Poppy, are you here?" The answering silence rang in his ears. "Merlin! Of all the times to be out of the Infirmary."
Luna panted out, "The Clarents say she is in the kitchens. I will go after her, but perhaps you might contact her through your Telepathy at the same time."
Harry grimaced. "She doesn't know."
"Now is hardly the time to worry about keeping it secret."
Harry nodded, worry written all over his face. "Y-you're right. I hope it doesn't blow up in our faces." He waved her off. "Go, hurry. I'll try to contact her too."
"The Clarents say he needs Blood Replenishers now." With that, Luna turned and dashed out of the Infirmary.
Harry spelled a phial from his kit into Draco and checked his numbers. A low whistle escaped him. "Gods!" He took a deep breath and focused on the matron even as he spelled the potion into Draco's stomach. [Poppy? This is Harry. Don't be afraid. I'm a Telepath. We had to keep it secret because of the war, but this is urgent. I need you in the Infirmary this instant. Draco is back, and he has a punctured lung and ruptured spleen. I'm doing my best to stabilise him, but he needs surgery, right now.]
He felt Poppy's confusion, then alarm, then resolution. With any luck, she had heard him and was on her way. Harry sighed and returned his attention to Draco, trying to keep him alive until Poppy and Severus arrived.
"Potter?" Severus called into the silence. "Where are you?"
"Here, sir."
Severus appeared around the edge of Draco's room bearing a box of supplies and cast a silencing charm. "Oh, love. How bad is it?"
Harry took the potions and supplies from his mate and set them beside the bed. Another quick diagnostic relieved the sharpest edge of his terror.
"Bad. He's stable at the moment, but it won't last long without emergency surgery. His lung is punctured, and his spleen is ruptured and bleeding into the hole in his lung."
"Dear gods," Severus breathed.
"Yeah."
Harry set a monitoring charm over Draco and, with one more check to make sure he was stable, ran into Severus' arms. "I'm so scared. I'm not ready for this level of trauma, but I don't think Poppy can handle such severe injuries on her own."
Severus brought Harry into a gentle kiss. "I believe in you."
"Thank you, love."
Harry kissed Severus back, loving and slow, and tangled his fingers in his mate's hair. Gods, he missed this, this feeling of his mate so close. A moan escaped him, and Harry pulled back with a gasp.
"Gotta stop, Sev. Draco needs help, and Poppy will be here any minute."
A feminine voice from just inside the room turned his blood cold. "She is already here, Mister Potter, and waiting on an explanation."
"Shite," Harry breathed into Severus' ear. "Love, what do we do?"
Severus shivered. "Just… trust me. Lean on me. Show her how much you love me while still being discreet. I will do the rest."
Though Harry didn't know what would happen, he did trust his husband. "All right."
He allowed Severus to take the lead, but Gods, he was terrified. Poppy sounded furious, and if she said one word in the hearing of the wrong person….
Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "Ssh. It will be all right."
He tidied Harry's hair and his own, then turned to face the woman. Poppy stood at the entrance of the room looking livid, a basket of supplies in one hand and her wand in the other. Severus lifted both hands showing he was unarmed, then returned one to Harry's shoulder. Harry would have liked to be closer, but he feared irritating the woman further.
"I will tell you nothing here," Severus whispered to the woman. "I think you know the risks to both my life and Harry's if we reveal anything of the truth to the students—some of whom are Death Eaters in the making."
"We've a patient to treat regardless," said a brusque matron, "but don't think you'll escape explaining. I will go straight to the headmaster if you try to avoid it."
Severus rubbed his lip. "We should anyway. Once we are finished with Draco, we shall speak of this with Albus and he can decide what to do. But I should warn you, he already knows of the situation between Potter and myself. As do Minerva and Filius."
Harry nodded. "Albus was the one to suggest it, so by all means, go to him, Poppy."
Poppy gaped. "A-Albus did? But you're a student and—"
"Ssh," Severus hissed. "Say nothing of it in public. You are not risking our livelihoods by doing so, but our lives." He glared. "And I will remind you that Potter is no longer my student."
"But—"
"Poppy, please," Harry whispered. "You're going to get us both killed if you can't keep it together until we talk to the headmaster, and Draco's going to die without help."
The woman shook her head and pocketed her wand. "I cannot believe the lot of you." She jerked out her arm with the basket of supplies. "There had better be a good reason."
Fury sparked to life in Harry's chest. "Beyond the fact that we love each other, is keeping me from murdering the headmaster or my friends in my sleep reason enough?"
She paled. "I… what do you—"
"Not here. I shouldn't have said that much."
Severus ran his hand through Harry's curls. "No trouble, love. She is provoking you, but remember, you must hurry if we are to save Draco. I will go ahead to Albus' office as my presence with you will only be detrimental, both in terms of the war and… other matters." He kissed Harry lightly, ignoring Poppy's squeal of outrage. She wouldn't come between them, now or ever. "Good luck. I will see you in a moment."
Harry touched Severus' cheek. "You… you'll stay, right?"
"Always." Severus kissed Harry's forehead and swept away to the floo.
Harry sighed, then stood tall and glared at his teacher. "Now, Poppy," he said in a hard-as-flint voice, "are we going to save Draco's life or argue about what I can and cannot do as a consenting adult?"
Poppy sighed. "Obviously I've missed something along the way. Come then and we'll go to rescue your… friend."
"Hmm." Harry took the supply basket and concealed it, tucking it into the same pocket that he had stashed the other shrunken supplies and potions. "Let's go then."
~SSHP~
Thank Merlin, the surgery went well, but Harry had little time to relax afterwards. As soon as Draco was stable and recovering, Poppy set monitoring charms over him and dragged Harry to the floo. "Into the headmaster's office with you, Harry."
He shot her a dark look and jerked his arm away. "I'm not a recalcitrant child, so there's no need to drag me. Merlin." He tossed a pinch of floo powder into the flames. "Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts." He staggered through into the office, Poppy close on his heels.
Albus greeted them with a genial smile. "Ah, Poppy, Harry. Welcome. How is Draco?"
"He survived, but it was far too close," Harry said with a shuddering sigh. "We almost lost him on the table more than once. Thank Merlin, he pulled through, and he should be all right once his injuries heal. He'll be in recovery for two days to a week, depending on his ability to heal."
Albus nodded. "Well done, Harry, Poppy. I am relieved you were able to save him."
"Barely," said a pale, shaking Harry.
"Harry…." Severus opened his arms and motioned to his lap. "Come."
"Yes, we should make ourselves comfortable." Albus tapped his wand and a cup of tea and plate of raspberry biscuits sailed into Harry's hands. "There you are, my boy. Have a seat so that we might settle this… faux pas. I am afraid that the war does not sleep and, unfortunately, I have yet to learn the trick of how to be everywhere at once."
Harry chuckled wanly and sipped at the dosed tea. "No time turners for you, sir?"
The old man shuddered. "Not so many to be sure." He sent a plate of biscuits and a cup of tea to a pursed-lipped Poppy as well. "Now, do sit down, everyone."
"Harry, love, it's all right." Severus patted his lap once more, and Harry stepped closer.
He cast Poppy a nervous glance, but in the end, his love for his husband won out over his fears. With a sigh, he set his tea aside, settled in Severus' lap, and curled into his husband's shoulder. "I was so scared he would die, Sev."
Severus held Harry tight and kissed his curls. "Ssh. He did not. You did well."
"That is entirely inappropriate," Poppy squawked, but the headmaster cut her off.
"It is not. Sit down, Poppy, and I will explain."
She huffed. "I don't understand why you're not angry, Albus, and I don't think I like it."
"Nevertheless, you will control your anger and your tongue or I will have no choice but to Obliviate you." Albus' voice was cold as ice, and he was gratified to see the woman pale and sit down without another protest, setting her tea and biscuits on the desk, both untouched.
"Now," Albus said in a softer tone, "as you can see, Poppy, Severus and Harry are bonded."
She choked on air. "Bonded!"
"Yes, soul-bonded, actually." Albus leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands. "As it so happens, ever since the incident at the Department of Mysteris at the end of Harry's fifth year, Vold—"
"Professor," Harry snapped, laying a gentle hand over Severus' arm. "I'm aware you like to turn that tactic against true Death Eaters, but Severus doesn't deserve it."
Albus gave Severus an apologetic look. "Quite right. Forgive me, my boys. I'm afraid, in my anger over Lucius' abhorrent abuse of his son, quite forgot the danger to Severus." He turned back to the bemused matron. "As I was saying, Poppy, since Sirius' unfortunate demise, Riddle has known he can take control of Harry's link and possess him. He has been using Harry's dreams to attempt to control him in his sleep. I am sure you recall how depressed Harry was after the death of his familiar this year?"
The matron nodded, her lips pursed. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."
Severus pinned her with a cold stare. "You are aware that depression lowers a person's resistance to Imperius?"
She frowned and nodded again.
"The night before Harry went to the tower, he kissed me. He was already in love with me, but I, believing such a relationship to be illegal—and having a severe phobia of love—refused him. He returned to his dorm after breaking down in my arms and found his familiar had been murdered. You are aware of the events that followed the day afterwards. Due to Harry's distress and my fear for his life, he stayed in my quarters that evening along with Neville, so it wouldn't be seen as improper."
"And, unfortunately," said Albus with a sigh, "I made a grave error of judgment the same evening, which I do not believe Harry has informed you of in his sessions as of yet. Believing Harry would be encouraged by having a dream to live for, I led him to the Mirror of Erised."
Poppy growled out, "Albus."
Albus' cheeks pinked. "I know, dear girl. It was foolish of me. I should have simply attempted to speak to him. But he did not trust me at the time—again, my own fault—so I came to the erroneous conclusion that the mirror was the only way to help him."
"Instead, it broke me into bits," said Harry with a shudder. "It was… a beautiful image. Severus and I bonded and in love. But knowing it was just a dream—that Sev didn't love me and couldn't—it destroyed me. I went back to Sev's quarters in complete despair."
Severus whispered in Harry's ear, "I did love you then, my Harry. I did not comprehend it, but I loved you dearly."
Harry turned into his arms and buried his chest in Severus' shoulder with a sigh. "I know that now, Sev, but I didn't then."
"No," said Severus, speaking loud enough for the others to hear again. "You could not know I had already fallen for you when I had just pushed you away and told you I did not believe myself capable of loving another. And so, Poppy, Harry's despair… was truly an awful thing to behold. Due to his mental anguish, though Harry usually has strong resistance to mind control—a trait of Telepaths and Zopaths alike—that night, he was too distraught to fight. The Dark Lord took control of him through his dreams, entirely. I stopped Harry outside the headmaster's office, and he was seconds from killing them both."
"Dear Merlin," Poppy breathed. "Took control? I'm not sure I understand how he could with you in Severus' quarters, Harry. The school would have been up in arms had You-Know-Who entered the grounds."
"Forgive me—we meant Riddle attempted to control him remotely," Severus explained.
"I've been having nightmares since the end of fifth year," Harry said with a shudder. "Riddle tries to cast Imperius on me and turn me into a murderer every single night. Until that night, I could throw off the curse. But in such despair, I was too weak."
"Yes," Severus said, "but as Harry and Neville had slept in my living room that evening, I discovered his absence quickly. With Neville's aid, I tracked Harry to the corridor outside this office, petrified him halfway through a blasting curse, and revived him. After much discussion, we learned the secret of his Imperius dreams, then we engaged upon an experiment to discover what, precisely, was happening with Harry's shields in the night. He is a superb Occlumens, so we needed to see what was happening in his sleep."
The headmaster took over. "Imagine our surprise, Poppy, when we discovered that Harry's shields were failing not because of a lack of skill in mental magic, but because of an abundance of it. Harry is a natural Telepath."
"Yes, I know," Poppy said with a frown. "He contacted me mentally to warn me of Draco's arrival and call me back to the Infirmary."
Albus gave Harry a sad smile. "I see." He stroked his beard and sighed. "In such times, Harry's Telepathy does prove itself quite useful, but Tom found a way to use it against him. Because of his scar, Harry has an unbreakable link to Tom, and Harry's natural Telepathic magic is so strong, he unconsciously links to anyone nearby in his sleep, including Tom. And so, the only way to prevent Tom from taking advantage of the situation and murdering me, Harry's friends, or Harry himself was to bond him to a natural Zopath or Occlumens and have his partner shield him externally."
Severus met her eyes with a level stare. "And I am a Zopath. The only one able to match Harry's powers, as we are both exceptionally strong even for our races."
"Indeed," Albus agreed. "Severus was the only compatible candidate—the only other natural Occlumens I know of is Elphias Doge, and I believe you understand why he would not be a good fit?"
Poppy scowled. "The man is as old as you are, Albus."
Albus chuckled. "Thank you, dear."
She blushed. "Oh Merlin. That was rather rude of me. Forgive me, Albus."
He waved her off. "Not at all, dear girl. You are quite distressed. It really is no trouble." His expression turned grave. "But I think you can understand I had no choice but to bond my boys, besides the fact that they were already falling in love, of course. Harry had loved him for over a year, and Severus was falling, though he was afraid.
"At any rate, they decided on a full soul-bonding, as Harry feared someone might attempt to kill Severus as a way of controlling who Harry is involved with… and for other reasons I will not divulge at this time, not without Harry's permission."
Harry shuddered and shook his head. "Not today, sir. Not after Draco."
Albus gave him a sad smile. "I do understand." He turned back to Poppy. "Back to their story then, at the time, it was… a difficult bonding. Severus still feared his own heart, and his fear kept the bond from sealing entirely on Harry's side. But I prayed love would, as they say, conquer all, and it has done. It has been a hard road for both of them, but they are in love now, and I, for one, will not deny them happiness inside a bond that neither had a choice about."
"Severus did," Harry said softly.
Severus kissed Harry's temple. "The option to watch you die or go mad…." He cast a glance at Poppy. "—Or worse… that was not a choice. Even when I hated you, I would not have condemned you to such a terrible fate. I would have sooner bonded you even then than watch you suffer so."
Harry smiled and buried his face in Severus' neck. "I know, love."
Severus held his husband close and traced a gentle hand down his back. "Poppy, we have made every effort to be discreet, but our time has been so terribly stretched lately that I have hardly seen Harry for five minutes this week, which is why you caught us in the situation you did earlier. The pull is driving us both too close to the edge."
"I feel better like this," said a contented Harry. He sighed into Severus' throat, kissed the stubble-roughened skin under his jaw, and straightened. "Poppy, I'm happy for the first time in seventeen years. For Sev, it's been even longer. Can you be happy for me? For us?"
"And even if you cannot," said Severus in a hard voice, "can you be discreet? One word to the wrong person will condemn us both to death."
"Without an oath that this stays between us," said Albus in a quiet, but forceful tone, "I am afraid I will need to Obliviate you, Poppy."
She glared at Albus. "Of course I'm not going to go blathering on about it, but Merlin, I'm ashamed of you, Albus. Manipulating them into a bond when Severus was phobic of love—you might have condemned them both to a life with an empty hole in their spirits. Do you have any idea of what it means to know your bondmate doesn't love you in return?"
"Yes, actually," Albus said in a low, sorrowful voice. "And I have lived with the pain for eighty years. I confess, I had hopes those two would do better by each other than my ill-fated affair. Of course, neither Harry nor Severus is a power-hungry fool, so they have already made better choices than I."
Three sets of eyes fixed on Albus.
Albus sighed. "Gellert was a lovely man before I saw the truth of him. By then, it was too late."
Severus gasped. "Gellert? Dear gods, Albus! You are bonded to Grindelwald?"
Albus gave a sad nod. "A life bond rather than a soul bond, but it is close enough to cause me intense pain at all hours of the day. It is why I dose my sweets."
"Sweet Merlin." Harry's stomach lurched. "But… Albus, wait. Didn't you…?"
"Defeat him?" Albus had gone sheet-white. "Yes. I could not kill him, could not bring myself to kill him, but I stripped his magic. And have lived with the pain of an unfulfilled bond ever since. So yes, Poppy, I believe I am quite an expert on the situation."
"That makes it even more foolhardy to have forced them together like this!" Poppy stood akimbo and glared. "Albus Dumbledore, you and your bloody meddling. The odds were entirely stacked against them. Severus was terrified of love—completely traumatised. And you thought it a good idea to bond them to each other's souls—for eternity?"
Albus winced. "I… I only wanted to give them the chance…."
"Humph! I cannot condone this. I canno—"
Severus' gentle hand on Poppy's arm stopped her tirade cold.
"Please. Poppy, you do not understand. Please listen without judgment."
Poppy looked at Severus' hand in wonder. "Severus… you're touching me?"
He gave her a wry smile. "Harry helped me overcome my fears. Now, will you listen?"
Poppy glanced to Severus' hand and back up to his face. "If he can do this for you, I suppose I had better."
"Thank you."
~SSHP~
Severus took a deep breath, relieved he had stopped the matron's anger, for now, at least. With a quiet sigh, he settled back into his chair and listened as Harry took over.
"Severus is right, Poppy," Harry said, his expression soft. "Professor Dumbledore is a meddling old coot, but you haven't seen Severus in private with me. You haven't seen him conquer his phobias of touch and hold me like something precious. You didn't see him take me into his arms and kiss me when I was afraid. I love him with everything I am, Poppy. I have done since I was sixteen. And, that night, Albus saw that Severus loved me too."
"Harry is correct," Severus murmured. "I was terrified, but Harry knew this and accepted me without condition regardless. He offered me the life I had always dreamed of beyond my phobias, and asked for nothing in return but my hand and protection." He pressed a soft kiss to Harry's temple. "He has healed me. I am no longer afraid. Not of him, not in any fashion."
Harry breathed, "Severus…."
Severus kissed him lightly and turned back to the others. "Poppy, Albus saw the birth of our love, and he was simply attempting to give us a chance at happiness that night. We both wanted this bond, wanted each other. It was a long road to over0come my fears, but we have. I am whole again."
"Please don't be angry anymore, Poppy," Harry said. "This is what we want."
Poppy sighed and sank back into her chair. "You're honestly happy, Harry?"
Severus trembled slightly and clutched Harry tighter. Gods, he had tried so hard to make up for the past. Had he done enough?
Harry turned in Severus' lap and stroked a gentle hand down the man's face. "Ssh, love. It's all right. You've been wonderful to me."
Severus sighed and laid his head against Harry's, trying to show Poppy he did love his husband, just as much as Harry loved him. He adamantly refused to become that cold, unfeeling man again. At least when he was safe to show Harry the changes his love had wrought, Severus had vowed long ago to show his affection-starved partner all the love he needed.
Severus needed it too.
With a whisper of Harry's name, Severus pressed a soft kiss to the top of Harry's ear and held him closer.
"I love you too, Sev," Harry murmured.
Severus closed his eyes and squeezed his husband tight. Harry's gentle voice brushed across his cheek.
"You tell me, Poppy. Are we happy?"
She sighed. "Never in twenty-six years have I seen Severus act like this, Harry. If you've brought about such a change in him, then I must admit, it seems you are."
"We are," Severus murmured. "I must act as if I loathe him in public, but it… it grows more difficult to pretend every day. Especially when my words still cut too deep sometimes. I try not to hurt him, but it is not always avoidable."
Harry kissed Severus lightly. "I know you don't mean it, love. I hear your thoughts when you let me. I know you'd rather kiss me than snap at me. It's okay, angel. One day this war will be over, and we can be as open as you want."
Severus winced. "People will hurt you for your choice, Harry. They will abandon you because of me."
"The only true friends I have left aren't the type to judge, Sev. Neville actually likes you fairly well these days and Luna, well, she knows what it means to be judged unfairly. Besides, they already know. Hermione, Daphne, and Millie are the only ones who don't, and they all respect and like you now that they know the truth about your nature. I think we'll be okay."
"What about the Weasleys, Harry?"
Harry shook his head sadly. "The ones who care about me will only want to make sure we're happy and the others don't matter. The twins will probably be excited, actually. They'll want to pick your brains."
Severus snorted. "Let them pick yours instead."
"Now there's an idea. Harry Potter-Snape, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes Charms Master extraordinaire."
"What did I say about that ego of yours?"
Harry laughed. "Lately, you've been telling me to find one. I suppose I'm doing a good job of it if I already need to be taken down a peg."
Severus chuckled and kissed Harry's cheek. "So you are."
Poppy sighed. "I am not sure I approve of this completely, but then, it does appear that you are happy, Harry, and that you had little choice in the matter."
"I'm happy," Harry replied. "It was rocky at first, but we're doing all right now."
Severus held him closer and nuzzled his cheek. "I am happy too, if it matters."
Poppy huffed. "Of course it does." She shook her head and gave Dumbledore a look. "You have some things to answer for, Albus, but at least it turned out well. I'm off to see to Mister Malfoy then, and yes, I'll keep your secret. But the two of you must be more careful. You're fortunate I was the only one who saw."
Harry nodded. "We will."
Poppy patted his shoulder and swept out of the Headmaster's office.
"That… wasn't as disastrous as I had imagined," said Severus after a moment.
Harry nodded and kissed his husband. "While Poppy's tending to Malfoy, let's take some time for each other. You have a free period now, right?"
Severus nodded. "I had intended to use it for grading, but you are right. We have not had enough time together and the bond is strained."
"I miss you too."
Severus smiled against Harry's cheek.
"Off with you, boys," said Albus with a chuckle. "Go ease your bond and then you should return to the Infirmary to help Poppy, Harry."
Harry stood and offered his bonded a hand. Severus blushed faintly as he accepted and let Harry help him to his feet.
"Let's go then, love."
Severus kissed Harry lightly and, once the younger man was disillusioned and muffled, led his husband back to their quarters.
