Author's Note:
The long-awaited (yeah, right) fourth chapter of "England" is here. Many, many apologies for the wait, but I was busy finishing "The Spells We Know" and starting "Quill." But now that summer vacation is upon us, be back for a lot of new updates!
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England
by Galae
"Of course," Severus said with a smile as he fingered the ring. "Claris's ring."
Harry nodded. "I had the jeweler take some designs off of it. But I added some of my own." Harry looked at him earnestly. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. It's your prerogative."
"Geez, I never thought about that. The proposer gets to choose the ring."
"You never had to think about that," said Severus, a slight chiding in his voice. "For that matter, neither did I."
"It's so nice, isn't it?" Harry said with a sigh. "We learn much from each other."
"Harry, what are we going to tell . . ."
" . . . The students?"
" . . . The staff?"
" . . . The parents?"
And then both of them looked at each other and cried simultaneously, ". . . DUMBLEDORE?"
~*~*~
When Severus coughed very conspicuously during the staff meeting two days later, Dumbledore looked at him and asked, "Yes, Severus? Is there anything you'd like to say?"
"I do, actually," Severus said, trying to look coolly at the rest of the professors. Kind of hard when you've spent all your life being the perpetual bachelor and you were going to announce your engagement. To a former student, to cap it off.
"The fact of the matter is this is something that is rather important to me, and of a . . . personal nature."
Hooch's coffee nearly tipped over. Obviously, the word "personal" woke up a few of the staff members.
Dumbledore was looking at him and Harry. That was expected.
"I would like to tell you all that Harry and I have been involved in a relationship."
All heads stared at him, and then whipped to the young professor beside him.
"A private relationship," Harry confirmed.
Idly, Severus wondered if the staff room had ever been so quiet. All of the mature, omniscient teachers were looking like they've been hit with the Silencing Spell and the Alarm Charm at the same time.
"Well," Dumbledore said, clearing the hush. "I, for one, am glad to hear that. It is sure to be the beginning of a wonderful atmosphere here at Hogwarts."
"B-but it can't be!" Minerva found her voice. "Severus? Harry? Is this a joke?"
"Not quite," said Severus soberly, wondering whether he should be indignant or relieved at her surprise.
"Oh." Minerva said nothing more.
Severus and Harry exchanged looks. "And that's not all," Harry said quickly. "As of Thursday, we are engaged."
Stony silence again.
"Well," said Severus to Dumbledore. "Next on the agenda?"
~*~*~
"You are ENGAGED to Snape?!"
Harry read the rest of Ron's letter in amusement, watching as Ron went from utter shock to utter denial to begrudging approval. As expected, Hermione had enclosed her letter too, although hers was warmer.
Dumbledore down. Staff down. Now what about the students?
Harry chose a Tuesday to talk to Dumbledore, who assured him that it would be fine. Harry chose that day because there was no Quidditch game (lest all of Slytherin or Gryffindor die from shock) and because it didn't carry the sleepiness of Monday or the excitement of Friday.
Dumbledore tapped his goblet with a fork. The Great Hall almost quieted immediately.
"Thank you for attention. However, it is not I who wish to make an announcement. I would like all of your individual interest on two of my staff members, who would like to make something known."
The students flitted looks. "Interest", Harry thought, was rather going to be an appropriate noun.
Dumbledore gave him a nod, and then, as practiced, Harry stood up. "Hello, students. I would like to take a minute to inform you all that Professor Snape, your Potions Master, and I, Harry Potter, have sealed our relationship with engagement."
It was scary, to say the least. Harry had faced one of history's most horrifying wizards more times than he could count, but he had never, ever heard anything like this before.
Utter, dead silence.
It was even quieter than the announcement in the staff room, because this was a hall of hundreds of chatty teenagers. And it was much more short-lived. After a second, Harry thought that the Great Hall had exploded.
Everywhere there was noise, screams and yells across the room. The students seriously were holding conferences. And then a hand rose in the air.
Harry squinted. "Yes, Frank?"
"Is this real?"
Harry glanced at Dumbledore. Then Severus stood up.
All of the sudden the hall quieted again. Slowly, Severus took Harry's hand and laced their fingers together.
He had never heard such eloquence.
~*~*~
It didn't take long to decide on a wedding date. Christmas Vacation was the only time that they had free until the end of the school.
"Two weeks," Harry said, "for a nice, long year honeymoon. And trust me—" he gave Severus a wicked look. "—I intend to put it to good use."
"I shouldn't be bored, hmm?" Severus said.
Harry resisted the urge to plop them both onto the couch and snog until the end of time. Or maybe to something more. "I would hope not. But that brings us to the next question: Where are we going to stay?"
"And then there's the ceremony."
Harry had put a lot of research into this. "Don't worry about it. Molly will do it."
"Is she a Weasley?"
"Ron's mum."
"I am highly unconvinced," sniffed Severus.
Harry smiled. "Would you rather do it yourself?"
"Mrs. Weasley is fine," said Severus immediately. "But nothing fancy—if she gets one plum tart I assure you that she will regret her decision for the rest of her life."
"I'll warn her."
"There's one more thing." Severus looked at Harry for a while. "My mother would want to meet you."
Harry nearly fell off his chair. "Your—your what?"
"Mother."
"But—but—I never knew—" Since when did Severus have a mother? Okay. That was a dumb question. But of all the times . . . of all the things he had told him . . . Severus had never once mentioned anyone in his family being alive.
"Yes, I never talked about her," Severus said sharply. "But I do have one, Harry."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry demanded.
Severus sighed. "It's a long story. My mother . . . she had always been in the background of my life, I suppose. She was meek before she married my father, and after she did, she became more of a shadow than a woman. The day I was born, a nurse took me away and cared for me. My mother was in delicate health, you see. Father ran the house all by himself. She was simply there, as a decorative object, because one was expected to have a wife. If I was a girl, I would have been treated the same way."
Harry winced. The Dursleys were bad, all right, but at least they knew that he existed.
"When my father died," Severus continued, "I went back to the Hall for the first time in fifteen years. My mother was alive and well, of course, but she had been so stifled for decades that she could hardly say a word. All of Father's friends and cohorts were coming after the house. She didn't know what to do; she was nearly going crazy. I went down quickly and I asked her where she wanted to go. She wanted to go to Montiago. I closed up the house, dismissed the servants, and sent her there. Since then, she had become rather self-dependent. And happier, I hope."
"So, for the ceremony . . ."
"I expect that she would like to see me married," Severus said, softly.
Harry smiled at him. "I would love to meet your mother."
~*~*~
Soon December was upon them. The Great Hall became decked with boughs of holly, and Harry was literally dancing on his toes. One month. His students tried to profit from his mood, but they found (after five failed tests) that it was not to be capitalized on.
However happy he was, Harry couldn't help but notice that Severus was becoming quieter. He contributed that to the fact that Severus was, after all, introducing him to his mother in a couple of days.
It was that first weekend in December that Harry and Severus went to London.
The place they entered was called the Magnolia. It was some kind of a modern teahouse, decorated solely in green, black and white. It just figured. Somehow Harry's stomach became knotted up with qualms. A Slytherin Minerva now emerged in his imagination.
"And your mother is?" Harry asked his fiancé as he looked around.
"Follow me. Of course," Severus added for good measure.
They pushed past a set of glass doors and into a room that was quite different from the one they entered. It was in the same color scheme, but warmed by candlelight. It was sparsely populated, only a few women and two pinstriped businessmen.
He knew her right away. A thin, slight woman with grey hair and a perfect posture. She was sitting alone, and studying a newspaper of sorts.
That was Harry's first glimpse of his future mother-in-law.
"Mother," Severus said.
Mrs. Snape stood up.
He didn't know what he was expecting. But somehow she fit his nonexistent depiction perfectly. She was of medium height, just a little shorter than he. And she was beautiful in such a fragile, strange way. Her long, dark-lashed eyes contrasted remarkably with that translucent skin. Her light grey hair was still streaked with brown. Her lips were thin but expressive. She was dressed impeccably, in a dark beige ensemble and a sapphire necklace.
"Madam," he stammered.
Brown eyes—Severus's eyes!—examined him. "Hello. I suppose you are Harry Potter."
"Yes, madam," Harry said. He didn't know whether he should kiss her hand.
She smiled, and motioned for them to sit down. Severus went immediately to push in her chair for her. Harry felt like a cad.
All through tea, he wondered how this lady had been wedded to Severus's father—who, from Severus's words, had been one of the most ruthless men who ever lived. Her voice was soft, her etiquette was perfect. He could not see her as a bride, walking down the aisle innocently to marry a man who would suppress her callously for the rest of his life. She was so confident of herself! But as the conversation wore on, Harry started to pick out little details, like the fact that her voice was just a little too soft. Even though her posture was perfect, her eyes flitted cautiously. Harry licked his lips, with an indescribable sense that it was all his fault.
But Mrs. Snape was wonderful woman. She spoke big—she knew the Muggle world inside out. At the end of their tea, Mrs. Snape smiled at him.
"I am so glad that you are marrying my son," she said. "Severus needs someone who can balance him in manner, mind, and speech. You are a very bright young man, and courageous too, from what I have heard from Severus."
"Mother," Severus said, clearing his throat.
Harry gave him a look. "Thank you for your blessing, madam."
"Oh, don't call me that anymore. My name is Clarissa."
Dalloway, Harry thought immediately.
She folded her napkin and set it upon the table. "I will come to Derbyshire, then, the day before the wedding. If you need anything, simply owl me and I will be there."
"Thank you, Mother," Severus said. "We will look forward to your arrival."
They stood up. Severus gave her a small peck on the cheek, and Harry did the same. They went out to the street and saw her off in a taxi.
"I thought you two would get along rather well," Severus said as they waited for the Hogwarts Express.
"She is so . . . wonderful," said Harry, dazed.
"Father always thought her spineless," Severus answered. "It is both her fortune and catastrophe that he died early."
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So. Harry met Severus's mother. Does this mean something? And why is Severus quiet? Was he really worried about the meeting? Stay tuned.
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