Chapter 26
The great hall was yet to be packed with students when Severus, Harry, and Sebastian entered for breakfast. Of course, when those present did notice the trio, surprise was an understatement. Some older students who were under tutelage from Snape cowered a little. Most of the younger students, however, looked at Harry with reverence. The girls though... no matter their ages, cooed at Sebastian who waved at everyone cheerfully while holding his daddy's hand.
The silence in the hall was astounding. If one listened carefully, they could probably hear the underlying magic swirling within the castle. That did not stop Severus though and he still maintained his indifference, walked to the head table with his chin high and non-teaching robes billowing. Harry had to stop himself from laughing when Sebastian tried (and failed) to copy his papa. The little boy only looked like he was trying to get an insect off his adorable matching robe.
Severus proceeded to sit on his usual chair but this time, next to a high-chair. Harry lifted Sebastian into his seat and came to sit next to the boy. The room was still quiet and when both men glanced to their sides, all the professors bar the Headmistress had their jaws dropped to the table, Hagrid smearing strawberry jam all over his beard.
"Good morning, professors," said Harry, voice cutting through the silence.
The Head of Ravenclaw was the first one to make a sound albeit only a squeak. Minerva rolled her eyes at her colleagues and cleared her throat.
"Severus, Mr. Potter, and their son, Sebastian will be staying here in Hogwarts until Prince Manor is habitable," informed the witch.
The exclamations of joy and excitement instantly commenced but so did the commiserations for the recent incident.
"I am very happy to finally meet the distinguished Sebastian Potter," said Pomona, a smile stretching on her face as she glanced at Severus and Harry. "All Filius talks about is your son's aptitude in charms."
"My Sebastian also has a knack for Potions, Pomona," bragged the Potions Master, looking both proud and smug. Sebastian beamed at his papa happily while Harry hid a laugh under a napkin. Severus just had to be possessive as if there was any doubt Sebastian was his son.
The witch only chuckled and waved at the precious little boy sitting beside the dour man. Conversations took place after that and Severus, like always, prepared a plate for Sebastian, making sure to cut the sausages of his English breakfast into bite-sized pieces. Those who had not seen Severus with his son before were astonished and confounded by the stern man's behavior. Severus merely arched an eyebrow at them and everyone was back to their meals, relieved that their old coworker was still under the doting father.
Every time a student comes into the great hall for breakfast and glances up to the head table, there was always another gasp and curse echoing. Some of the students who were present earlier when the trio arrived even started betting which house had the most number of students who tripped and cursed when they saw the couple and their son.
Gryffindor won by a landslide. The Slytherins would have won but they were more composed and collected not to show that much surprise in public. Of course, breakfast was not a mandatory gathering so who knows, really?
"Daddy?" asked a small voice from Harry's side. Harry turned to the boy and inclined his head for him to continue. "Why there so many people? Is there a birfday?"
Harry chuckled and wiped off the jam on the boy's chin. "No, there is no birthday, Sebbie. You know we can't come home yet and we're going to stay in a castle for now, right? This isn't just a castle, love. This is also a school."
The three-year-old's eyes widened, "A school... what's a school, daddy?"
Harry could feel the smirk on Severus' face, seriously wanting to wipe that off the git's mouth, but chose to ignore him entirely. "A school is a place where children learn. Like when papa teaches you but with other children."
Sebastian had always been a curious child but they had been through his increasing amount of incessant and questioning for weeks. While both parents argued that their answers were better than the other to the point that it became a little competition between them, neither had that much patience to begin with.
Sebastian tilted his head to the side, "But papa only teach Sebbie."
"Yes, but when you grow up, papa won't be teaching you all the time. You will be attending school instead. When you're a little older than now, daddy will enroll you to a wizarding primary school," said Harry.
"Oh..." Sebastian nodded, his mouth forming a prolonged O-shape. "What's a primawy?"
Harry groaned while Severus snorted and the rest of the staff who heard the conversation from the beginning laughed. This is going to be a long morning.
"Harry! We've found him!" cried Ron as he stepped out of the floo. "We found Lance!"
Of course, the man need not shout really as Harry was just sitting a few feet from the fireplace, quietly reading one of Severus' Potions Journal. Ron's arrival did startle him for a minute causing him to jolt in his place and clutch a hand to his heart. Harry scowled lightly at his friend who had the decency to look apologetic.
Harry quickly sent a Patronus to Severus informing him of the recent development. His fiancé was taking their son on a stroll by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, picking up a few ingredients. Harry wasn't allowed to go because Severus would not let him do any strenuous work, and by Severus' definition, walking around the vast grounds of Hogwarts was strenuous.
Ron plopped down on the couch opposite to Harry and ran a hand through his ruffled hair. It was only then Harry noticed his friend was utterly disheveled and had a gash on his cheek.
Harry instantly summoned their healing kit and knelt in front of Ron, dabbing healing paste over the wound.
"What happened to you?" asked Harry.
"He wasn't hiding, alright... but he put up a good fight, magic and muggle style. He cut me with a steak knife!" exclaimed Ron looking peeved at being wounded by a utensil.
Harry knew it was inappropriate to laugh at his best friend's experience especially if he was the one healing him but he just could not hold his snickers. Ron scowled playfully and hit him in the head with a throw pillow.
"Let's wait for Severus before you begin so you don't have to tell it twice," Harry then grabbed his wand and muttered a cleaning spell over Ron's very unusual flour-covered robes, the red hair sending him a thankful look.
"Bugger... I forgot about that, sorry," said Ron sheepishly.
Harry was about to ask why he was covered in flour in the first place when Severus entered the quarters alone. Harry looked at him quizzically, wondering where their son was.
Seeing his lover's confused expression, Severus informed, "I left him with Poppy before coming here." He then looked to their visitor, "Mr. Weasley, welcome back to Hogwarts."
Ron stared wide-eyed at Severus and glanced around him. "Blimey! This is your room, Snape? I thought there'd be jars of body parts or something..."
"Yours would be the first," smirked the older wizard making Ron snort and roll his eyes.
"I knew you'd like to keep a part of me around... Anyway, now that you're here, I'll start at the beginning, yeah?"
So Ron began narrating the events. They received a tip from their correspondence in Scotland Yard informing them of Pierce's location. The man was staying in an apartment in the middle of London. A team of Aurors went in to get him including Ron. His friend told them that Lance had no idea his accomplices have been captured. The man was even baking cookies when they arrived in his apartment which explained why Ron was covered in flour earlier.
Lance didn't make their task easy though. While he wasn't that proficient in spells, he was good with muggle fighting. Still, he had no chance with 5 fully-trained Aurors. They managed to bind him and then took him straight to Azkaban to wait for his trial. The Lestrange's official trial would be moved next week Monday instead of the end of this week so it can be done on the same day. Harry initially preferred not to attend the trial but he had questions for Lance. He was very curious why he had done all of these. They would have to get someone else to watch Sebastian because they sure as hell won't bring him to a trial.
When Ron left to return home for the day, Severus instantly pulled Harry to his lap, surprising the younger man.
"They've got him..." muttered Severus distractedly.
Harry rested his forehead on the man's shoulder and breathed, "They did. He won't get to hurt us anymore."
Severus wrapped both arms around Harry and softly pressed a kiss on his head. Severus knew there will always be something or someone that may hurt them but knowing that the person who almost took Harry and Sebastian from him was finally caught, he can't help but feel elated. He had been having trouble sleeping since that bombing incident because every time he closed his eyes, he'd recall the look of horror in Harry's eyes and the sound of Sebastian's cries. Merlin, even Sebastian had nightmares for a while. Molly told them that much but they hadn't experienced it until the first night they slept in Hogwarts.
"NO!!! DADDY!!" screamed Sebastian from his room.
Both men instantly got to their feet the second they heard their son cry out. Sebastian was trashing in his bed and tears were falling from his shut eyes. Harry immediately came to scoop him into his arms and Severus sat next to them, rubbing soothing circles on Seb's back.
"Seb, baby... wake up. Daddy's here... papa's here," pleaded Harry. The three-year-old gradually ceased crying as his parents comforted him. He opened his tearful eyes and looked at his father.
"Daddy, Sebbie scared," mumbled the toddler in between sobs. Severus brushed a hand over the bed-hair and pressed a soft kiss on top of it.
"Was it a bad dream, love?" asked Severus gently, a tone he only used for Harry and Sebastian.
Sebastian nodded and clutched hard onto three of Severus' fingers. The papa brought the little boy's hands to his lips and pressed more soft kisses.
"Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" asked Harry and the boy nodded again.
Severus pulled Sebastian off Harry without another word and carried him to their room, placing him right in the middle of the bed. Harry followed right after and settled on his side with Severus climbed on the other, sandwiching their little miracle between them.
"Daddy..." called the toddler quietly, "don't leave Sebbie and papa, okay?"
Severus understood why Sebastian feared for Harry. The child had seen his father bleeding and sleeping for a long time in the hospital bed. "Don't worry, little prince, daddy will not leave us. Isn't that right, daddy?" Severus looked back to Harry only to see him softly crying, brushing the toddler's hair. The man brought the pads of his fingers to wipe Harry's tears off before leaning in to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"No, baby... daddy won't leave you, I promise," said Harry.
Thinking of their son, Severus suddenly had the urge to go and get Sebastian from the infirmary and give him a good cuddle.
"I'll floo call Poppy and have her send Sebastian right now," announced Severus before lifting Harry off of him and going straight to the fireplace.
About 5 minutes later, the small figure of their son dashed out of the floo gracefully. Severus peered at Harry with a smirk as he caught the boy in his arms.
"You're very good with the floo, love. Not like daddy," said Severus. His eyes were shining of smugness and amusement.
Sebastian grinned at Harry and nodded mischievously. "Daddy falls."
Harry rolled his eyes at them both and opened his arms gesturing for the boy to climb into his lap, which Sebastian did.
"I'm thinking of cooking for us tonight," said Severus, sitting down beside his family. "It's been a while since I made you your favorite, little prince."
The toddler's eyes instantly lit up. "Roccli and cheese, papa!"
"Broccoli, Sebastian," corrected Severus but the boy only nodded as if that was what he had said.
"By the way, babe... how are the house-elves?" asked Harry.
"Helping out on Prince Manor. Betsy is especially miserable and kept on blaming herself for the package. I told her it was none of her fault," said Severus. Betsy was the one who took care of their mail but even she did not know of it.
"Poor Betsy," muttered Harry.
"Betsy sad," agreed the boy in his lap. Harry nodded at him and rubbed their noses together making Sebastian giggle.
Harry turned to Severus and asked, "How did that package get into your office anyway?"
"They imperioused a house-elf that used to work in Prince Manor. Dippy noticed the presence of elf-magic that wasn't familiar in the area it happened. The Princes had more than 30 house-elves before Uncle Cassius sent them to distant relatives and I sent more to Hogwarts when I took the position as Head of the family," informed the older wizard. "Only elves that served the Princes have access to the Manor."
"I hope they haven't hurt the house-elf... and why do the Princes have so many house-elves anyway?" Harry asked. The Blacks only had Kreacher as far as he knew and the Potters... well, he wasn't sure how many they had. When his grandparents died and his parents went to hiding, Potter Manor wasn't used again. Harry hadn't even visited the place or any other properties they had aside from the muggle restaurant they went to for Severus' birthday and the properties in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.
"The Princes are one of the wealthiest families in Britain, Harry. They just don't flaunt it like the Malfoys," commented Severus, sneering at the thought of Lucius walking around like a peacock. He knew that without the man, he might not have gotten his family, but he will forever be repulsed by that bastard.
"Oh... so I'm marrying a rich guy, eh?" smiled Harry wryly, wiggling his eyebrows at the man.
Severus snorted and smacked the back of Harry's head lightly, "Says the Head of two Noble and Ancient Houses. Merlin!" His eyes widened and glanced at their son who was busy buttoning and unbuttoning Harry's robes. "Sebastian is the wealthiest and most powerful child in all of Wizarding World. We're going to have to watch out for scoundrels, love," groaned the father. Sebastian who heard his name being mentioned only smiled at them endearingly.
"You don't have to worry about that. I still think he'll end up with Victoire," chuckled Harry.
At the mention of Victoire's name, Sebastian instantly grinned, "Tori!"
Harry looked at Severus with a similar grin, "See?"
Severus huffed and crossed his arms. Bill's daughter was an adequate witch for his son... as adequate a witch can be for a 4-year-old anyway. But if he had any say in it, his baby won't be allowed to date until he's 30.
Harry was finally handed a clean bill of health. It was a bit later than he hoped but free from his confinement all the same.
If there was one thing Harry was entirely pleased of, it was that Severus really executed his promise and had Harry sprawled naked on his old table that Friday evening. That was one of the best sex Harry ever had with his lover. Severus even transfigured their clothes into his teaching robes and Gryffindor robes for Harry.
He had to admit, while the idea of actually fucking his professor inside a classroom was unethical and sinful, their role-playing was nothing but hot and arousing. He was very glad Severus wasn't his professor anymore or Harry would have definitely caused an uproar more than he already had.
They probably had three wonderful penetrative sex that night and Harry was always bottom. From all their past experiences, Severus never really bottomed. Harry supposed he preferred fucking than being fucked, which he definitely had no qualms about by the way. Being pounded into ecstasy by the Snake King of Hogwarts was hell of a throne to keep. He wasn't sure though if it was because Severus liked topping or was it because Harry was younger than him?
Harry knew their relationship was not and won't ever be like the traditional ancient house husband-wife system where the Head of the family makes money and the wife raises the children. First of all, they would be both husbands. Second, he was head of two families and there was no way Severus was going to let Harry provide for them. And finally, they would be raising their son together. Aside from their sex life, everything else was a mutual give-and-take.
They would also be hyphenating their names. After the bonding, they would become Potter-Prince, as per Severus' request. The stern man would never let himself be called Prince-Potter and not because it sounded horrific, which it does, but because he used to mock Harry with the same name before. He didn't want the constant reminder.
They would, however, still need to discuss the specifics of their wedding. Both have not decided on anything yet aside from having their wedding at the Oakland Farm and Restaurant, the same place Harry took Sev on his birthday. Since they were both focused on their careers, Harry thought they should get help from Molly which Severus reluctantly agreed to.
Harry would be going back to work after the trials. While he actually did not have to be in the shop to do his job, he did want to be able to look over the business himself. Dennis did most of the organizing and customer service and Harry handled the deliveries, restocking, and a little brewing on the side.
Severus, on the other hand, just finished his improvements on Wolfsbane and had it on trials in St. Mungo's. He told Harry he started another project but he wouldn't say anything about it until he's sure it's feasible. Harry understood that. He knew Severus hated disappointing people especially those who were important to him.
No matter what, Harry will always be proud of his soon-to-be-husband.
A/N: Mostly fillers :) Virtual school will start soon but I will still try to update as much as I can. Don't worry, I won't abandon this story.