Prince Consort

Chapter 50

Harry pursed his lips, trying to stop his amusement showing, watching everyone prepare to leave. They were acting like they were setting out to defuse a live bomb. He should have found the entire thing annoying, but really? It was comical, although their caution had him feeling a pang of errant fear at the back of his mind. There was a reason they did this, the danger was ever present and very real, he was a target just as Severus was, in a war as old as the world. As creatures fought to gain the upper side, the better defences. There was nowhere better, nowhere more sustainable, than Prince Castle, the seat of vampiric power for centuries. Severus had done his best to ensure loyalty to his clan, safety, all the while creating one of the biggest clans out there to ensure their safety.

"Portkey's activating in exactly two minutes," Storm stated, giving the area another once over, the castle was safe as always. However, they would always prefer to be overly cautious than filled with regret when/if they failed their charges. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to her Lord and her Lord Consort. "Stay in formation."

"Is this normal for you? Or is this just them going overboard since it's really, really public?" Harry asked, watching them all while clutching at the portkey. He could feel their presence, all of them, ten guards were present to take them out today.

"It's a culmination of three things," Severus said, gazing at Harry fondly. He had felt a little let down – in heart of all hearts – when he realized how young his mate was. Fourteen-years-old, when they first met, at a Quidditch game of all things. Not that he'd enjoyed the match, but he was grateful that he had gone despite his reluctance. The wait had been horrendous, and how it had ultimately gone down…had risked everything. "I'm afraid dear heart, I'll have to ask you to be patient, for they will protect our child with a zealot's passion."

Harry blinked, more stunned by the sudden 'dear heart' than the statement. His gaze softened, and a sweet smile spread across his face. Warmth suffusing him, vampire or not, he felt this on a level of the soul. Even if this hadn't turned out to be the perfect relationship – he didn't care if people said a perfect relationship didn't exist it was for him, he guessed – he would have still gone through with it. To save Remus, his dad, he would have done anything. "I'm glad it was you," he murmured, just as the Portkey activated, whisking them away, at the same time all the guards were gone too.

Only once Harry landed on his feet did he realize he was wrong about the number. Apparently, a few had already been there to ensure everything was safe. There weren't just ten guards, there were fifteen, and honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if there were actually more, he couldn't see.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked, placing his hand on Harry's back, not to get him moving but in a move to comfort and support. That hand slid around to sit comfortably on his hip when Harry leaned into his comfort. He didn't seem too perturbed by all the fuss going on, but Harry was very good at concealing his feelings. Despite 'leaning in' Harry was rather twitchy.

"I can't wait!" Harry said, excitement thrumming through him.

"I am going to assume none of the items from storage will be removed for the new addition?" Alfred asked fondly, more of a tease and to let him know that there were alternatives if they didn't find something to their liking.

Harry turned to face Alfred who made his presence known, cocking his head to the side, "Some traditions are worth keeping, some are not."

"Are we still talking about baby items?" Alfred asked, not quite so teasing now.

"No," Harry said shaking his head, eyeing Alfred, "So, what's this newest piece of legislation they have planned to unveil today?" he needed all the upper hands he could get against those scheming defunct old men who think their wisdom meant anything nowadays.

"What makes you think I know?" Alfred questioned amused, "The council are more than aware that I favour you, it makes for…very uncomfortable conversations." He confessed, nothing in his countenance showed how hurt he was by that, except perhaps for a second, his eyes gleamed with the hurt of it all. These people were his friends, had been for a long, long time, and divided opinions shouldn't come into it. Unfortunately, it wasn't' always the case with age comes wisdom. Even five-hundred-year-old vampires were petulant when their feelings got hurt.

"Let's put it this way, I'd be very surprised if you didn't figure out what was in the newest piece of crap they've got stirred." Harry said, moving when Severus did, still firmly attached, his attention wavered but didn't drop quite yet as they made their way towards the store.

Alfred smirked, just out of Harry's eyeline, well, Harry, it turns out knew him rather well.

"Hmm, mustn't be something concerning then, or at least you don't consider it to be," Harry said, glancing back at the vampire with shewed eyes and nature that allowed him to deduce.

"Perhaps," Alfred replied, his amusement fading when Severus glanced sharply at him. Alfred sobered and nodded seriously, everything was fine, he was just teasing Harry. Harry was making more of it than it was, it was just a council, vampire politics, clan politics.

"Wow, this place is so big," Harry confessed, the smell of varnish, wood, plastics, clothes, fabrics, the newness of everything just a punch in the senses. "Well, it doesn't look like we'll need to shop anywhere else then." In wide eyed wonder. His entire body vibrating in excitement, not even the sight of only two workers in the shop deterred him, or the fact they were standing behind the register cautious and curious to know who they were dealing with.

"No, we can get almost everything here," Severus agreed, "Every piece is one of a kind." It was a baby boutique but with added benefits of each piece being handmade, at least most things, the clothes and such weren't quite so unique as the cribs and such.

"Oh, great, you brought us to the most expensive place, didn't you?" Harry asked dryly, but he honestly didn't mind. He didn't care himself for spending money for him, but for their baby? He found it didn't bother him the slightest.

"Actually, I did not," Severus revealed, stepping out of the doorway, and making a left, deciding to circle around left to right, and up and down the aisles. They could have technically looked at everything and piled it all high within twenty-five minutes, probably a lot less, they were vampires, if they wanted to. Neither were in a hurry, they had hours before the council meeting and other than that? Their schedules were clear at least until the visiting dignitaries – the clan – got here. "But I have heard nothing but very good reviews about this particular store, the brands and products."

"Right," Harry said, in realization, of course, how stupid of him. It wasn't like Severus will have been shopping for baby stuff before or felt the need to. "Did you ask Adam?" their baby was just passed the year-old stage. Selvic was very, very protective, despite the fact their son wasn't as vulnerable as a human child, their child was more than half-vampire. He was beautiful, and Harry adored getting to spend time with him when he could.

To think he'd have siblings soon…and a child…he pondered on whether he was technically half-siblings or if they'd just be siblings? He hated those sorts of distinctions. Then again, technically he wasn't legally or blood related to either Remus or the babies. He shook off those thoughts, they had no place in his life. It was the Harry who had lived with the Dursley's, that was a little insecure that thought such things.

"Harry?" Severus murmured, pausing staring down at his mate, noticing that he was a hundred miles away. Vastly different from what he'd been just moments prior, he was doing this for Harry, he would have been happy to owl order. "Do you wish to go back to the castle?" was he having a bad feeling?

"No," Harry said emphatically, shaking his head, "Sorry, just…lost in thought."

"Anything I can dispel?" Severus murmured quietly, and the other guards, bless them, always tried to give as much privacy as they could muster. They were unfortunately, used to hearing more private conversations between their Lord and Lord Consort. Although, to be honest, Harry was the most vocal of them all. Even Rose had been rather quiet, content to let Glenn take the lead and follow where he led.

Harry shook his head, "No, it was dispelled a long time ago," he promised Severus, "They like to crop up now and again, but I'll never be that frightened little boy again."

Severus nodded pensively; Langdon had regaled him with what he knew of Harry. Every single detail he could get. Which was surprisingly a lot, but not difficult to do when Langdon was one of Harry's favourite professors despite him being a vampire. Creatures didn't have the best of reputations, and people feared them. Langdon had left nothing out, and he also made sure to teach Harry how to defend himself, even if it was just the 'odd spell' here and there while avoiding drawing attention. "Then let's focus on something better." touching Harry's stomach for a second, before intertwining their fingers, and Harry followed as Severus tugged him in the direction of the cribs.

The first one they came upon, both grimaced, the price tag was extortionate for the design, it was basic, and if they were entirely honest…it looked like a professional printer used in most workplaces. Three thousand galleons for that? "Nope," Harry said, staring at it as if expecting it to change especially for the price.

"Agreed," Severus murmured, eyeing it with unconcealed distaste. It was a surprise that he didn't like it, it was plain, did its job and didn't have any fancy bits and bobs yet here he was, he genuinely did not like the design and he was a very utilitarian man.

"When you said they were one of a kind, you weren't kidding," Harry said, as they walked past a second one without stopping, and then the third one.

Severus made a sound of agreement. Only to begin eyeing the fifth one with interest, a wrought iron cot with a canopy. It would go very well with their bedroom; he would say that for it. Well, the darkness and the canopy anyway, perhaps not the wrought iron. The five thousand galleons price tag was definitely worth it for this one.

"It's nice, simple," Harry said feeling Severus' agreement rather than hearing it vocalised. "It turns into a changing station as well." Impressed, okay, he liked this one, it was definitely one to consider.

"Shall we get it?" Severus questioned Harry, he really liked it. "Or shall we browse some more?" there were still dozens of cribs to get through, no expense was spared when they were made.

"Browse," Harry fully agreed, he wanted to see if any others could compete with the crib.

The next three didn't speak to them the slightest, and then they happened upon one that had them blanching. "Were they serious?" Harry asked, eyeing the Cinderella like coach crib in horrified fascination. The bows, the colours, just everything about it was horrid. The wheels made for easy transportation, painted in a non-toxic paint, six different colours, there were birds twittering on top of the 'carriage'. It was just too much, "You know I only found out that Cinderella was a real story here when I was thirteen, dad told me, I thought he was joking." He'd grown up with the tales, it was hardly surprising that he felt like it was a huge joke.

Severus chuckled, "Most of the stories the Muggles tell their own happen to be true," he may have grown up in the Muggle world…but he'd known everything about the magical world. didn't stop it from being 'home' and the most amazing experience ever taking his first steps into this whole new world. "Did he give you a copy of any of the books?" eyeing the library at the other side of the shop filled with rows upon rows of books available and recommended for new-borns up to four years of age.

"One, it was a book of fairy tales, unfortunately a lot of the pages were missing, I never told him," Harry confessed, he'd never wanted Remus to feel bad about not having a lot of money. He hadn't shown enthusiasm about them thus Remus noticed and didn't buy more. Which was a shame, because what he had read had sounded really good. Remus often frequented second hand stores for gifts. "I've still got it actually." He revealed as they checked out the next few cribs.

Severus made a mental note to get Harry a copy, the gleam in his eyes suggested he'd very much enjoyed reading what he had. Nothing was more infuriating than finding out pages were missing, he wondered if there was a copy in the vault, probably, but he'd rather get one for Harry all the same, for his own personal collection.

When it was time for him and Harry to 'retire' so to speak, everything in the vault would remain in the vault. They would only take their personal belongings, although, sometimes they did take books from the vault. Glenn had, and it was written in his will that it would be returned to its rightful place upon his death. Nobody had tried to stop Glenn either, after giving them Severus, giving them safety, it had been allowed.

"That's…quite large," Harry said, staring up at the height of the crib, a design inspired by the 'gardens of Versailles' beautiful floral fence that completed the look. It was an imposing design, carved wood, it was one hell of a luxury item, and worth a whopping five thousand galleons. "It's nearly impossible to carve with a wand…at least for me…this must have taken weeks if not months!" taking a step back awed by what he was seeing the crib was breathtakingly beautiful. This had been shipped from a very famous design in France.

"And that's why it's so costly," Severus murmured, wrapping his arms around Harry, relishing in his ability – where time constraints were concerned – to do so without someone trying to urge him to the meetings that had been planned for weeks if not months ahead of time.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, as they stood and stared, leaning his full weight against Severus. It was so good getting to leave the castle, and spend time with Severus. Only Alfred and one guard – standing at the front door – were in the shop, it gave them the illusion of privacy even if they didn't have any.

"It's a possible contender," Severus answered.

"That design is aesthetically pleasing," Harry commented as they walked past another one. "Old fashioned for sure."

"You mean fit for a Prince?" Alfred asked wryly.

Harry laughed, "In more ways than one," not only would his child be raised like a Prince, actually a Prince by name but loved and spoiled like one too but only to a certain extent.

"You know it's said that Lord Jerimiah Prince had a cot made of gold for his heir to sleep in," Alfred explained as they pressed onto another section. "It's said to weight 188 kgs of gold."

Harry choked, wheezing a little, "You're joking?" surely, they had to be kidding? 188 kgs of gold to sleep in? They'd been obscenely wealthy even then? He could barely imagine a king doing such a thing never mind this family…just how well off were they that they could afford that? His mind reeled beyond belief. It had to be around seventeen million galleons, but who knows its actual value back then? Double, quadruple for all he knew.

"Oh, no, not at all," Alfred said placidly, "It's hardly the most expensive item in the vaults." The jewellery, robes, basilisk armour, silk gowns from an Acromantula, weaponry with gemstones imbedded that would make the goblins seethe in envy. Ironically enough, Harry was the only Lord Consort that hadn't taken full advantage of everything. The only things he touched was books, not everything else.

"What happened when Glenn and Rose stepped down and Severus took over? I mean didn't he get into the vault?" you'd think someone would completely wipe it out, sell everything, and pillage anything they could.

Alfred snorted indelicately, "Gracious no," shaking his head, not shying away from the attention of both of them. "When Glenn realized his position, he had the wards shut down entirely. The only thing that would lift them was the blood of another Prince. Not that they knew this naturally, only a few know just how the ward structure of the vaults work."

Which was ultimately how he'd gained Glenn's trust with his grandson and heir.

Before too long they had a crib – ironically the first one they liked – and that was just the first of their many, many purchases. The big ones were overseen first, the crib, wardrobe, drawers and chest all to match (colour wise) and Harry was pleased that they weren't overpriced. The bassinet had been Severus' find, and was beautiful. Changing table despite the fact the crib they had chosen could transfigure into one. They had argued over which rocking chair to get, and Severus ultimately decided to purchase both that they loved so much. One they decided could be in the bedroom with them, and the second could be in the living area.

The baby swing, baby mat and monitors – which were a must – all ended up priced up and waiting for them at the till. Each time they decided on something, Alfred informed one of the women whom were quick to rush towards the stock and get what they desired. They weren't allowed to use their magic while Lord Prince was in their store. So, they were having to go back and forth, lugging the requested items.

"Oh, would you look at that!" Harry said in awe, staring at the mobile hanging against the wall beside all other baby mobiles.

"Wolves," Severus said dryly, unimpressed.

"But it's so cute! We have to get it!" Harry said touching the mobile, that had wolves, moons and stars, grinning widely, "Too bad they're one of a kind."

"They aren't only the big items are," Severus refuted, knowing where his mates' thoughts were going. "But wolves?" they were vampires, their child was going to be at least part vampire.

Harry laughed, "Don't you think it's adorable?" he was definitely getting it.

"It's something alright," Severus muttered, which naturally Harry heard, truth be told he did like it, but he'd have rather had something different. "How about something different? The one with all the animals? I can see a wolf on that too."

"Oh, Merlin, you really don't like it?" Harry asked bemused, ignoring the anxious look on the guard's face, they had been in the shop for the past hour and a half. He refused to be hurried, so he could make all the faces he wanted, even Alfred didn't seem all that perturbed either.

"Perhaps this?" Severus wandered over to one.

"Bats?" Harry said, a wide grin appearing across his face, "Way to mark him a vampire before they're born." Touching the baby mobile curiously, oh, he loved both of them really. The bats were in a deep burgundy red, changing form and colour, to the moon, cloudy sky almost like a projection. Harry had never really seen a child's mobile before, so he was amazed. "I wonder if I had one…"

"Of course, you did," Severus murmured, "And if I recall correctly, it was a Quidditch themed one, snitches, beater bats, chaser balls, broomsticks, goal posts."

"Oh," Harry said smiling a little, as much as he hated his father for being such an idiot with the Potter fortune – and trusting Dumbledore – he still liked to get information he didn't have before. "Get the both of them, I'll give the wolf one to dad,"

"You've certainly left nothing for anyone to get for you in a baby shower," Alfred said, having mentally made a list of everything they had gotten so he could think of something.

"Who said anything about having a baby shower?" Harry said, giving Alfred a perplexed look.

"You aren't?" Alfred asked just as perplexed.

"You've already had a party," pointing out the obvious.

"Yes, a celebratory party, not a baby shower," Alfred pointed out, as he gestured for the clerk to add the baby mobiles to the long list of purchases, they'd bought. He had a feeling he'd be asked a million times before the weeks were up, with others coming to him asking for a suggestion or two.

"I can't expect Blaise and Theo to buy this sort of stuff for us," Harry pointed out, "Or any of the others. I suppose we can refrain from getting anything else so they have something to buy?" glancing at Severus in suggestion. "The clothes?" couldn't hurt, he gasped when he saw the wolf Onesie.

"You were saying?" Severus said, watching him positively coo over it.

"Look how small it is?" he said, his tone awed setting the new born size against his hands, it was tiny.

Severus approached him, a small fond smile on his face, the look of longing, of love, of desire and need on Harry's face, "You are happy, aren't you?" he asked quietly, reverentially. His focus solely on his mate, while he'd been happy it was lovely to see him this happy especially about their child. cupping his cheek, those stunning green eyes meeting his. How he could look so innocent when a little minx lived within was beyond him.

"Yes," Harry said sincerely, sweetly kissing Severus' hand and leaning into the comfort Severus offered so freely and that Harry hadn't had for a whole decade. He was greedy for affection, for touch, after being starved of it for so long.

"Add it to the lot," Severus murmured, eyes gleaming hotly, a quick glance at the time before he returned his gaze to Harry, "I do believe we still have at least two hours before the council meeting," pressed as he was against Harry, there would be no room to disguise the burgeoning problem, or where his thoughts were currently going.

A/N – I'd love to say the wolf idea was mine but it was a reviewer 😉 thank you for the idea! I was slightly wavering on what to write but I did want to write some sappiness. So, do you want to see some more Snarry smut or do you want to see the council meeting in the next chapter? I know, I know it's so rare for me to write smutty stuff these days 😊 I think I did promise to write a few pieces but I have no idea which story it was for…and for some reason I kept thinking Harry was pregnant with twins in this when it's Walking Dead Wizard that's happening in 😉 I've checked it over and it doesn't look like I've got my tenses mixed but If I have let me know! and the cribs? They actually exist including the gold one if you'd believe it! The insanity of a gold crib blows my mind! especially knowing what you could do with just a fraction of that money 😊 either way another one update one day yay! R&R please

And as always, if you want to chat, support or join me I have a Facebook group available its DebsTheSlytherinSnapeFanStories if you're interested x