Severus moved uncomfortably in his too tight robe. Everything was too tight, nowadays. His robes, this house, Albus standing so close. He shifted a little. Albus followed. Of course. "See Severus", the old man beamed into his ear, "Told you so."
Severus groaned, but held out his hand to his newly betrothed. "See, Mr. Weasley-Snape, you owe me a box of this champagne thingy you seem to be so overly fond of." Percy grinned. His face lit up as he did so and Severus was loath to admit that this hit him in the stomach every time. It was ridiculous, really. More ridiculous still, that he plotted things to make this smile appear.
A slim hand reached into his well-groomed hair and a nose dived into his ear. Severus hated it with all his heart. It tickled and was undignified. "I am fond of it, Sev, I grant you, but you are the one who behaves naughtily under its influence."
"Hrmpfh", said Severus and tried to suppress a grin. It was easier when his gaze fell on the faces of the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy-Granger foursome. It couldn't be helped. Molly wouldn't have heard of anything like a small and quiet ceremony, preferably in a dungeon on some deserted island in the south. South pole, would be more like it. He sighed deeply. Well, at least Crouch had lost what was left of his sanity long ago, so he didn't have to put up with that idiot on his wedding. Percy had been rather fond of him in his younger and more foolish days. And Arthur was minister of magic now, and Snape could cope with his father in law quite well. A little too fond of Muggle artefacts, but nothing too desperately idiotic.
Which was a completely other thing with his new – brothers in law. He snorted. The idea to be related to Fred and George Weasley satisfied his inner Slytherin to a degree that was astonishing. They must be hurt by that more than him. Bill and Charlie were okay, they worked all around the globe and wouldn't be seen often. Well, and the face of Ronald had really been something when the two of them had come out at last.
It had been something of a shock, Severus remembered fondly. He liked Molly well enough, she was okay for a witch that had bred so many havoc wreakers of Hogwarts. She had made his love, too. And the little Weasley, Ginevra, was quite all right, even if she was a little too fond of Potter to be exactly to his taste. But that was none of his concern, really.
It had been three months after their initial tryst that they had decided to stay together and make it official. After all, Percy had waited long enough for Severus to make up his mind, as he said. Severus hit him on the head, and quite hard at that, whenever he said something the like, but he was pleased none the less.
So Percy had called a family meeting and used his considerable powers of persuasion to make Severus come, too. Well, Severus had been as adverse to the idea as was to be expected, but had given in out of a strange sense of duty. After all, he had no family to confess to and so it was only fair that he helped his – well, partner, to come to terms with his. And there were issues to talk about, oh yes.
Where had they met?, an excited Molly wanted to know after the initial shock of Percy bringing Severus Snape of all people home as his chosen one. Wrong gender, wrong age, and wrong person altogether, Severus knew of the natural response to him. But the Percy the family thought they knew was not exactly the Percy he was propositioning.
Snape was sitting like a black eagle over all the freckled red heads crammed into the tiny living room of the Weasley family home. On this question he exchanged glances with Percy, who appeared as cool and calm as could be. He appeared. Snape knew the signs of excitement on his husband to be. They hadn't exactly planned the conversation. Snape had wanted to, but Percy had just sighed and told him that would be impossible. Snape, just for a moment trying to imagine all Weasleys in one room, shuddered and gave in. Percy was right.
On a matter concerning potions, he had answered that initial question coolly. That resulted in many glib jibes at the expense of Percy, about cauldron thickness and the like. Percy kept his calm remarkably well, but Severus found he was clenching his teeth. He could just imagine for the first time, how it must have been for someone like his lover to grow up in a family where he was an alien. He could see clearer than ever, why Percy had become such a scrupulous follower of rules. And had abandoned said rules head over heels and gone into a completely different direction, when his hero of rule-obeying, Barty Crouch, was found out. Percy had told him, after their love-making, of his desperate need for letting go. For living. Leading his own life. But he only really comprehended it when he saw the whole bunch of siblings, and none of them saw the Percy he knew.
Severus managed the whole talk quite wonderfully, though, not giving in to temptation to hex the whole horde to Siberia and beyond.
They staid for the night and that proved more than a bit awkward. It was when he and Percy were caught in an indiscreet moment, down in the garden. It wasn't as if anything serious had happened, but the twin who had walked in on them, went all screaming and shouting with a glee that was even more ridiculous than usual.
"Hey, you are actually having sex? Something like it, at any rate? Wow, Perce, who would have thought? Even if it is the greasy git, I would never have thought you capable of that." And of course all the red heads around came running to see just what was the matter. Well, and that was that.
Severus clenched his teeth in memory. He could and would have lived with the ridicule on his sexuality. But he would not have Percy abused by his idiot brothers any more. He was his to abuse, and his alone. So he gave them an earful telling them just what their brother was doing as a second job, a job that earned the family their first decent living, by the way.
They were totally dumb-founded. And after that stadium, flabbergasted. And after that watched Percy with an admiration that bordered on adoration. He could live with that. And Percy earned it, had earned it in his life-long struggle for appreciation, silently enduring the verbal flailing of his siblings. Snape grabbed the arm of his husband. He would kill the next one who thought of their marriage as a business relation. Well, that was good too. Just some more years and they would be free to go wherever they wanted. Well, provided there was no new rise of Voldemort and his in-laws would somehow learn to support themselves. Well, didn't matter. Severus sighed. It was as good a place here with Percy at his side than any where else.
His face showed his evil glare, taking in all the mindless twits he had to call wedding guests, but a soft touch of his husband and a grin, promising a great many things afterwards, made him grin, too, inwardly at last.
Yes, Albus had been quite right. What of it?
- The end -