Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 03 : Epithalamium

Part III : The Beginning of Forever
Chapter Thirty Four : We Are What We Are

26 October 2003

Much to Severus and Harry's disappointment, Poppy anticipated them and woke Albus herself. Her 'timely' reminders followed them down the stairs where tea service for three awaited them at the chairs by the fire in Albus' office. With little fanfare, Albus moved a small table to hand for them and wordlessly conjured a third chair; Harry watched him with rapt concentration while Severus sat back, ready to silently observe the exchange.

With a grunt of frustration and a shake of his head, Harry exclaimed, "It's driving me mad! How do you do that? I did fine last night turning various objects into chairs until I tried to change one from a molecule of air--and it didn't work!"

Pouring the tea, Albus chuckled. "Well, I suppose, if one has sufficient time on their hands, it can be done--" he handed Severus a cup "--providing, of course, you figure out where you're going to put the other molecules you'll displace." He handed a cup to Harry and winked. Pouring his own, he asked, "Tell me, Harry, to the naked eye, what is the difference between one single molecule of air versus one billion?

Harry wondered if this was a trick question. "Um--nothing?"

Albus smiled. "Precisely and yet the removal of a small patch of molecules of air is not going to asphyxiate anyone," he picked up a biscuit, waving it in the air, "unless, of course, someone is standing right where you displaced it," he took a bite and spoke around it, "in which case it is safe to assume the person would be more concerned with the sudden appearance of the object than the lack of air."

Harry's face brightened. "It can't be that simple." When Albus nodded, still nibbling, Harry set his cup down on the table. He concentrated and within moments a dining chair hung for a split second in the air high above their heads before plummeting to the ground below.

Quicker than thought, Severus' wand was out, the chair hovering harmlessly a few inches off the floor. He raised a brow at Harry, saying dryly, "Perhaps you should work on molecules a bit closer to the floor."

Harry flushed with a muttered "Sorry." He turned to Albus. "That was fairly easy, but--I still don't know what I'm doing."

Albus thought a moment while sipping his tea. "Hmmm. You don't know as in what or how you do it, or as in controlling it so it does what you want?"

"I think I figured out what it is I do," Harry said slowly. "I can change the Schema of objects and people without using the Sanos."

"All right then. What's the problem?"

"I know what, I don't know how, and I don't know how to control it."

"Oh, I think I see--you want to know what changes you effect in yourself to be able to do this kind of magic--is that what you mean by 'how' you do it?"

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, filled with excitement.

Raising his cup in a salute, Albus said, shaking his head, "Ah. Haven't a clue. Sorry, but there it is. I think it and it happens--that's the most scientific explanation I've ever heard."

Harry sighed heavily and turned to his husband. "Severus, how do you read Schema? Have you ever thought about it?"

Severus settled into his chair, his eyes hooded. "This is most intriguing. I wonder if your continuing need for concrete explanations is a part of your early Muggle upbringing?" When Harry started to bristle, he waved his hand, shaking his head. "No, Harry, I meant no insult; you have consistently insisted on knowing the 'why' and the 'how' for every aspect of magic ever since you came to Hogwarts, and I know you feel slighted when others quite reasonably tell you 'just because', but the fact is, nine times out of ten they are right--there is no other explanation other than 'I just do'.

"I know, but you're as insatiable as I am in this sort of thing. Surely you have theories--?"

"Well, yes, there is that." He chuckled. "I believe it can be safely said that I was at least as annoying as you have ever been in questioning everything that came my way. And I suspected, at the time you attended Hogwarts, that you were my penance for plaguing my teachers. However, that does not further this discussion. Let me ask you--did you know the Schema of the chairs or the objects you used?"

"Yes, I knew the Schema of each."

"Did you know what process you used?"

"No. That's what I don't understand."

"I think I got that. However, did the objects still change into chairs even though you did not know 'how' you were doing it?"

"Well, yes. You were there. You saw it."

"We're not talking about my perceptions. We're trying to find your answers. In a similar vein, did you know the Schemata involved when you changed the curse?"

"Not initially. I eventually 'found' the Schema for the curse (although I was not familiar with it except for the description of it that I found in the library and that was not a true catalogue), but I already knew the ward's Schema quite well."

"Nevertheless, you knew the Schema of both, whether found or known is immaterial to this discussion, what matters is that with no knowledge of 'how', you still accomplished it, yes?"

When Harry nodded, enthralled with the conversation, Severus continued. "What about when you changed the Dark Mark?" he asked, glancing at Dumbledore, who sat forward.

"I can't tell you what I did, I was asleep."

Severus put his hand over Harry's. Judging from the storm gathering on the headmaster's face, this was news to him, and he looked like he was about to explode. Mildly, Severus said, "Fair enough, I can tell you from my own observation that you read it and then changed it to ordinary skin, something which I assume you know very well. Didn't hurt a bit, either. And once again the how of it--"

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, his voice harsh. "Show me!"

Rolling up his sleeve, Severus held out his left forearm, as smooth as the day before he'd taken the Mark. There wasn't any indication it had even been there in the first place.

The headmaster sat back in his chair, stunned, muttering, "I tried. Severus tried. Hell, not even Voldemort could remove his own Marks. What the hell did you do, Harry?"

Seeing the panic on Harry's face, Severus interposed smoothly, "Perhaps because its maker was dead it was possible? I don't believe I ever asked you to try after Voldemort died," his voice hardened, "did I, Albus?"

Oblivious, Harry whispered, "Good gods! What am I?"

As if coming out of a fog with the tone in Severus' voice, Albus looked at Harry in alarm. Trying to undo the damage from his outburst, he said, "You're Harry," stating the obvious.

Harry shook himself and pulled his hand away from Severus' as if he'd been scorched. "No, not who am I! WHAT am I? What am I becoming?" He closed his eyes. "Like Voldemort? Some kind of monster?"

Albus said soothingly, "No, Harry. You are no monster. You are who and what you have always been. That is somewhat separate from what you can do or choose to do."

"More of your choices, Albus?" Harry ground out, his hands shaking. "If you don't know 'what the hell I did', then how can you know anything else about it?"

Severus decided that Albus had played with this enough. The waves of agitation and fright coming off his mate were quite oppressive and totally unnecessary at this point as far as he could see. However, he did have to acknowledge that Albus usually had good reasons for the way he went about things, at least with him he had, so he thought that perhaps it was time he tried to steer the conversation into more productive lines. "Albus, what do we know?"

Albus sighed almost in gratitude and Severus found it odd to see the his old friend at a loss. "All right. Let's take stock, shall we?" When he had Harry's attention, he ticked off on his fingers, saying, "You have adequate skills in Occlumency more so than Legilimency, but you are by no means a master of either. You have no peers with your use of the Sanos and of course Horatio appreciates your Parselmouth skills. What you are becoming is a formidable Schematamagus."

"A Schematamagus?" Harry asked, rolling the word around as if trying it on for size. "Schematamagus? What is that? Or should I say who? Is it a secret or something?"

Albus looked perplexed and then smiled. "I'm beginning to think that that the inclusion of these lessons is improperly placed in the History of Magic; perhaps establishing an advance orientation for those who are Muggle-born might be useful." He thought for a few moments and asked, "Had you ever heard of a Metamorphmagus before you met Tonks? Would you have known what she was if she hadn't told you? Would you not have just assumed she knew more charms than you did?"

Harry frowned. "No, I hadn't, and I suppose you're right. It wasn't on any of the lists of specialties we studied. Ron and Hermione knew, though, when I asked."

Albus shook his head. "Well, so it goes for the Schematamagus. That there are Schematamagi is not so well known among Wizarding folk in the first place, it's not something we tell people we are unless we trust them and their motives implicitly. I am sorry, Harry. I was not trying to be dramatic about this. I had thought that with the right clues you could draw your own conclusions. A bit difficult that, if you don't even know we exist."

Harry looked askance at him. "We?" he asked, brow raised.

"This, Harry, is what you and I are. Schematamagi--Wizards capable of manipulating, changing, and creating new Schema in anything--or anyone."

"Wait a minute, you said before 'have always been'." His eyes narrowed. "When did you know?"

Albus replied, his eyes carrying his smile, "I recognised your unconscious ability to read the Schema early on and tested it before your sixth year when I had you open all of Severus' cabinets and make the potion. Severus confirmed the talent after you'd been studying the Schema for your sixth year when he pointed out you had the potential, but that he could not teach it to you."

Harry turned round eyes to his husband. "You knew, too? And you never told me?"

Dryly, he replied, "If you'll recall, I mentioned it last night that I knew you could change the Schema since you were sixteen."

As Harry remembered, he had the grace to flush a bit. "Oh. So you did." The question burning, he blurted out, "But did you know I could be--this?"

Severus nodded, his voice low and soothing as he said, "I knew you had the potential to be one, yes. Albus is right, I suspected you were capable of it when we were studying the Sanos. I am considered something of a Schema scholar, a collector if you will, and yet you almost outstripped me the first year, and in your second left me in the dust several times with how quickly and accurately you could understand the nature of things--and people."

Harry glowed with the unexpected praise, even if it was six years too late. "And of course you could say nothing of this to me," he commented dryly, a small satisfied smile on his lips.

Clearing his throat, Severus said quite seriously, "Unless the work is truly stellar, I do not compliment any student as it tends to breed fatal overconfidence."

Harry pulled his head back in surprise. "You truly believe this?"

Still serious, he replied, "In the more volatile disciplines, I have witnessed it."

Harry mused quietly, "Well, that explains a few things." To Dumbledore he said, "One thing bothers me. You keep talking about choices. You have all the time I've known you, I guess. Does this mean you are concerned that I can be more corrupted by this--ability--than any others I have?"

"No, Harry, I firmly believe your inner core has always been strong enough to resist the temptations your magic has dangled over time." He raised a brow and, lowering his head slightly, gave Harry a significant look. "And I think you have a better idea of what I mean, given what happened last night." Harry started. Seeing that Harry knew what he meant, Albus continued. "However, that same confidence cannot be expressed towards some of the others in your life; there are many who, if they knew of it, would seek to use your abilities to further their own goals, which might not be your own."

Harry interrupted him, staring at Severus. "Those are almost the exact words you used with me when you were showing me my career choices."

"Just because someone else said them first does not make them any less valid when spoken by someone else at another time," Severus replied with a telling glance over to the headmaster.

"While Severus is not the first, nor will he be the last, to whom I have expressed this sentiment, in this regard, he is a good match for you because he is strong enough to resist the pull of your magic--his moral and magical core is strong enough to remain his own person. Your life goals are the same and because of your marriage bond, among others, you are each your own checks and balances as you cannot hurt each other--either intentionally or unintentionally."

Harry exclaimed, "So you do think I could hurt people! Is this why you bound us, for Severus to be my conscience? To keep me from harming others?"

Albus leant forward, his eyes intense as he stated forceably, each word enunciated clearly, "Hear me well, Harry. Anyone with our talent has the potential to do great good or great harm. It is our intent that makes it so."

He waited to make sure Harry understood what he was saying. "You once asked us about the difference between dark and light magic, and Severus was correct when he answered that it is the intent, the choices of how and when it is used that makes any action, let alone magic, bad or good. In the same fashion, the intention always drives the result with the Schemata. If you intend to harm, you will, whether conscious or not. If you intend to help, you will with the same conditions and consequences. This is how one changes a Schema without knowing how, and why a strong awareness of what you are about and the motives of those around you is so important. Do you understand?"

Harry took a deep breath and sighed. Severus watched him closely, quite unsettled with the mixture of impressions from his husband. A man of strong emotions himself, he was almost overwhelmed by the confusion and fear and something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but it felt like the shock and despair he'd only observed before when Harry had finally realised he would have to kill to win the war. He couldn't be sure, but whatever it was, it wasn't positive. Moving his chair closer, he leaned over and captured Harry's hand, holding it with his own. Maybe if Harry could feel him, he would feel better.

Albus, watching their interaction and the emotions playing across his friends' faces, regretfully knew he would have to make it worse before it could be better. It was important Harry see all the facets. To this end, he continued gently, "And whether you like it or not, it will drive how you interact with yourself, with Severus, and with others."

He suddenly looked very tired. "I know you think I'm a meddlesome old man, and to a great extent, I am. I know you don't think I speak plainly enough, don't share enough of my thoughts with you. However, would you or anyone else, not really knowing me, keep me in good regard if you knew that, at any time, I could make you do my bidding, that I could take your very core and twist it to whatever I wanted? Would any of you follow me, even now, if you thought in any way you were being so coerced? This is the truth of it. This is what Voldemort sought from me--my and now your ability to make people do what we want them to do should we choose to do so. Would you so choose?"

Horrified, Harry shook his head. Severus' hand tightened on his and Harry bowed his head in gratitude for the love he could feel washing over him.

"No? I didn't think so. But there it is, Harry. Without the humility, without the morality, without the perspective, and yes, even the whimsy, we could both be another Voldemort, or a Grindelwald, or any other Dark Lord we might choose to be. And I think it safe to say, this is not what either of us would ever want. So instead I find myself prodding people in certain directions, setting them up to respond in certain ways, but it is always their choice, never a compulsion." For the first time in a while, he smiled. "And it doesn't always go the way I planned it, or wanted it, especially with you two."

Severus chuckled, gratified to see the small smile on Harry's face, although his eyes still looked haunted.

"So, did I expect Severus to be your conscience? A hard question, overall, to answer. Harry, it is vital we have someone to ground us, someone who in the balance of things is equal to us. I have Poppy, you have Severus. My wife may not be my equal magically, but she is more than my equal emotionally--no one can bring me down to earth like she can. Severus, on the other hand, while equally capable of balancing you emotionally, is also your equal in many other respects."

His voice growing hoarse, Dumbledore warmed his tea and took a sip, peering over the cup to gauge Harry's reactions. While it appeared the worst was over, the furrow in Severus' brow spoke of some internal conflicts to which he was not privy. But he knew he had to finish this. "You may be a Schematamagus, but your bondmate is a powerful Legilimens and Occlumens. Had the authorities known just how powerful and skilled he truly is, they would have sent him to Azkaban years ago and given him the kiss. Now the only kisses he'll get are from you."

Severus snorted, but made no other move to interrupt him, so he went on. "You may be a Parselmouth, but Severus, if he so chooses, has the potential to be an Animagus, which we cannot." Albus waited for the surprise in Severus' eyes to turn to speculation before he finished with, "You both carry the Sanos ability, and Severus also has a strong Schema talent when he sees the synergy of his potions; it's what makes him a formidable Potions master with few peers."

He turned his regard to his old friend. "Severus, your magic balances Harry's as does your native common sense and deep core of morality. I was so proud of you when you refused to just jump up and chase Peter Pettigrew, even knowing we were right in what we said of him. I have always been proud of your keen sense of justice and you, as much as Poppy, have held me in check more than any other people in my long life."

Thunderstruck, Harry whispered, "Did you choose Severus as my mate? Did you manipulate us to be together?"

Severus startled at his question. Trying to buy time to ascertain what exactly he was feeling amidst the maelstrom of emotions flowing from Harry right now, he commented, "Hmmm. Interesting question. Well, old man?"

Albus laughed heartily, his merry face at odds with the question. "Oh, Harry! Asking me that is like asking me if I made the bees hunger for flowers. The attraction between you two was, and is, as strong as the sun to the inner planets." Still chuckling, he said ruefully, "No, while it's tempting to think so, I cannot take credit for fate."

Quieting, his eyes thoughtful, he added, "Although, I think it's safe to say you were also drawn to each other because of your strong Schema abilities, which, among other things, requires one to 'read' someone else to 'know' them. This, more than anything else, is why I insisted you write the Epithalamium. It was essential you consciously understand who you were and what you felt for each other or else the bond would have been weakened. And you will need all your combined strength in the years ahead. This was my gift to you--the binding of your magic."

When they failed to respond, he quietly explained his motives. "My time is passing, sooner than I'd like, but not as fast as it appears. There is still time to pass my legacy on to you both. Severus, to you, I need to give the remainder of my Legilimency skills and the secrets of the Orrery. To you, Harry, the guidance you will need along with that of your teacher for the Schematamagus skills."

Severus was curious, even though he thought he knew the answer. "What about Minerva? Isn't she, as the next headmistress, a more appropriate choice to wield the power of the Orrery?"

Albus shook his head. "No. Unfortunately not. Minerva has her strong points and certainly could be taught how to use it, but she does not have a bondmate to protect her. Using the Orrery has its inherent dangers; it can drain one's energy to nothing if one is not careful."

"So you will train Harry in this as well?" Severus asked cautiously.

"Actually, Poppy would probably be a better teacher in this regard for Harry. After all, she's the one who has had to rescue me more times that I care to admit." He laughed lightly, his gaze far away in his memories. "However, be prepared to get a proper scolding upon the occasions her lessons becomes a necessity."

Severus chuckled but stopped when a glance at his husband revealed him to be deep in thought, the pensive, distant look well known; Harry was gnawing on something previously said. He was about to ask him what was wrong when Harry spoke up.

"Albus, you said you will guide my teacher? Why can I not learn from you?"

Gently, the old man replied, "Your training may take more years than I have, my boy. I would recommend you either to go to Professor Augustus Gimbley at St. John's or we might consider keeping Septimius here as he is a skilled Schematamagus as well."

At Harry's perplexed frown, Severus said, "Having Septimius around might be 'interesting', but you should wait until you meet him before making any decision."

Harry asked, pressing the issue, "Is it important I only have one teacher?" At their looks of surprise, he added, "I do not want to spread myself too thin again with this new study, my work both here and outside, and my personal life."

Dumbledore sensed there was more, but said nothing. "You have a valid point. Let me think on it; this is not something to rush into--we can talk more about it when you get back." He looked over at a strange clock on his mantel, full of floating balls rolling around each other. "I'm afraid our time grows short. I must leave you now to get ready for tonight. I assume you are going to attend?"

Severus nodded, distracted by Harry's continuing external quiet that by no means revealed his internal turmoil.

"Take all the time you need," Albus said. He reached over and patted Harry's hand. "It will be all right, you'll see."

Not convinced Harry had heard him, but certain, with the understanding stare he'd given him, that Severus had, he stood and went to the stair to his quarters without further comment. Halfway up, he stopped, his eyes softening as he watched them walking to the door, their bodies canted towards each other, although even here, they did not touch. He knew they would be all right; Severus would help Harry through this crisis, and a serious one he somehow knew it was, even though he hadn't peeked. He briefly regretted he would probably cause them even more tonight at the reception, but it couldn't be helped. The wheels were in motion, the players set on the stage. It was now time to see the drama unfold.

Severus and Harry walked to their quarters, each silent with their own thoughts. Once inside, Severus stopped, concerned when he noticed Harry standing still just past the entry, as if this was as far as his active volition could take him. Worried over the paleness of his features, he tried to open the bond, but found that either Harry had closed him off, or else was so deep in his own turmoil he couldn't feel him. He took Harry's hand, stunned at how cold it was. When he received no response to his hand caressing his lover's face, further investigation revealed a passive, unresponsive body, almost rigid, the exposed skin chilled despite the warmth of the room; he began to suspect Harry was in some kind of shock.

Quite understandable given the circumstances.

He needed to get him warm and, taking Harry's hand, led him, unresisting, to the bathing pool. At the edge, it was a matter of moments to shuck their clothes, his magic flinging them to the side. He wrapped his arm around his lover's waist, guiding him down the stairs like an invalid into the steaming water. A gasp at the heat was his reward for the effort, but he got no other response. By slow degrees, he drew Harry over to the other side, settling him on the ledge near the middle. As he sat down next to him, he noticed that Harry's body floated limply as he made no attempt to hold himself in place.

Feeling the first stirrings of alarm, Severus slipped an arm around his shoulders, his free hand settling Harry's head against his elbow. Not knowing what else to do, he ran his fingertips down Harry's arm, until he reached his hand. Taking it, he curled it up out of the water and held it with his own against Harry's chest. He leaned in and softly kissed Harry on the forehead, ghosting his lips over his eyes, his cheeks, his lips and, just as he was about to despair, he felt his lover twitch, his head falling back against his arm.

Heartened, Severus let go of his hand and continued his journey down Harry's throat, inch by inch with both mouth and hand until he could feel a stirring in his own skin as Harry slowly came back to reality. He knew he was making headway when Harry mewled deep in his throat, the hand left on his chest rising to slide up Severus' arm, to his shoulder, to finally rest at the back of his head, Harry's fingers tangling in his hair. Raising up a bit, he brought their mouths back together, nipping with light touches of his lips and tongue. Harry's mouth moved under his, just a little, his own tongue slipping out to touch Severus', to guide it back into his mouth.

The kiss grew from chaste to sloppy and wet as open mouthed, their tongues slipped around each other, lapping and stroking and sucking at each other, the only part of them interacting for the moment. Like fire melting ice, Severus felt a warmth slowly spread from their joined mouths down his neck to his shoulders and on as Harry began to thaw, his skin flushed. Severus used his hand to follow the heat as it spread, the fingers tenderly stroking each area as it came to life, until his hand settled into the 'V' of his lover's legs, the heat pooling at the point as he fondled him, his hand inevitably seeking the hardening length, holding it against the flat abdomen as it stretched from its place of darkness.

Harry's arm, floating freely in the water, fastened around his lover's waist, followed by his legs as he wrapped Severus within them. Their bodies pulled together, straining against each other as the kiss deepened, Harry's hand still twined in his hair, holding his head in place as their mouths mated, tongues sliding against each other to the pace Severus set with his hand fisting Harry's cock in the water below.

There was a desperation he could feel in Harry, something more than the need for release from the havoc Severus wrought, something he was urgently trying to tell him with a body fraught with more than simple desire. And Severus 'listened', his body trying to fathom through touch what Harry could not yet express in words.

They were close, Severus could feel the tension coiling within him from his lover, his hand never faltering in its rhythm. Harry tore his mouth away. "I chose you," he gasped, twisting as Severus continued to stroke him long and hard from base to head, the rigid length almost jumping in his hand as the head slid in and out of its slippery foreskin. Harry's hand fell from his lover's hair to grip Severus' biceps hard as the pleasure spiralled through them. "No one else--I did--ahhhh!" His breathing rasped loudly into the silence and with a thin wail, he pulled on Severus with arms and legs, drawing him tight to him, his whole body taut as he hung on the edge.

"Oh gods, Severus! Only you!" he exclaimed, pushing into Severus' hand as they came, the thick ribbons of their release floating away with the current until all evidence of their passion was gone. Panting, his eyes wide open, Harry pulled Severus' head to his, kissing him fiercely. "Only you," he murmured into his lips harshly, "there's no one else for me." He dropped his head back to the edge of the pool while Severus tried to soothe his lingering distress with hands and lips. Harry's fingers stroked his cheek, his eyes and voice intense. "Do you understand, my love?" When Severus kissed him gently, Harry pulled away, his eyes searching. "Of all the souls--"

The bond blazed through them, bringing with it clear understanding.

"--I wanted only you," Severus breathed into his mouth, knowing now what Harry had struggled against. And to one whose every choice had been stripped from him since birth, the thought that his lifemate had been chosen for him, that the feelings he had might have been engineered, was devastating.

It was a question he, Severus, had never thought to ask; had they really chosen each other? Or were their choices hidden in the machinations of an old man well known for them, by his own admission? And they'd found their answer, the truth of their choices carried by the bond pulsing through them, for it could not lie, it could only mirror the truth within them.

They had chosen each other.

The desperation and terror he'd been feeling strongly from Harry throughout their time with Dumbledore, was gone, shattered by the gentle persistence of their bond. The serious kiss they shared, arms tight around each other, Harry's legs wrapped around his own, brought only a perfect accord, a joy as buoyant as the warm water surrounding them. Severus gently flipped them so he was resting against the side of the ledge, all thoughts of bathing lost as he held his bondmate snug in his arms, the peace within so rare, he refused to move as long as he could savour it. They were together, they were one, they were loved.

It was their truth.

"I look like a prune," Harry groused on their way back to their bedchamber.

"Although few would credit that I know anything about bathing, I have found that long periods of immersion in water has that effect."

Harry, his arms wrapped tight around his chest just laughed, his teeth chattering, "Hurry, it's cold. I hope Dobby's springtime is still there, I'm freezing."

"Well, you don't look like you're in any danger yet, lobster boy. Although there's steam coming off your skin, you're not yet turning blue."

Entering the warmth of their chamber, Harry heaved a sigh of relief, his limbs loosening. Turning to face Severus with a wicked grin, he asked, "Lobster boy?"

"Hmmm, yes," Severus murmured against his neck, his arms twining around Harry's waist and back. "You're a lovely shade of red from our bath. A bit wrinkled, though, but I think I can work my way around it."

"Damn, Severus," Harry gasped, his neck extended, arms gripping his husband's shoulders to steady himself, "Will this ever let up?"

Walking him backward through the field towards the bed, Severus feasted on Harry's throat. Raising his head to smirk at the man grousing with his eyes closed, face scrunched in hedonistic concentration, he snorted and went back to his 'work', muttering, "When you get to be my age, I'll remind you of this moment." Harry's knees hit the bed, and he sat abruptly, his legs wide. Severus followed, pushing him back, his arms taut as he held everything but his groin off of his husband.

Harry moved underneath him, earning a groan as they slid together, his arms raising to grasp Severus' shoulders, pulling him down. "C'mere, you," Harry whispered, his head already angling to take a kiss when his mate got there, his eyes half-closed watching their bodies press together in degrees as Severus came to join him, lowering his head to receive the kiss Harry had ready for him, his forearms supporting his weight on either side of his lover. He'd just taken the kiss, pushing Harry deep into the bed, when his mate ripped his mouth away with a "Ow, damnit! What the hell is that?" as he struggled to pull up from the bed.

Dazed, Severus pushed on his legs and stood, his eyes focusing slowly. Harry sat up, twisting at his waist to look behind him. "My back! There's something in my back!" he cried, his arms working behind him unsuccessfully.

"It's a long pin," Severus said as he reached over and carefully worked the piece of jeweled metal still deeply embedded in Harry's skin despite the small tear it had made when he sat up. Holding its wicked length to the light, he asked, "How did this get here?"

"Um, I think it was attached to this," Harry replied, holding out a note and pointing to a soft, cloth wrapped package on the bed.

Severus put the note and the pin on the bedside table. "Turn around and let me look at that; you're bleeding."

The cut was small and shallow. A quick spell later, he was much more comfortable as Severus healed the small hurt. "Kiss it and make it all better?" Harry asked, chuckling. He shivered at the puff of air on his back as Severus snorted and did just that.

Shaking his head as he straightened, Severus plucked the note off of the table and, opening it, read:

Dear Severus,
I hope this small apology will adequately compensate you for the error I made last evening with the spell I cast to keep your clothes from sticking to you. However, I do have to admit the only real regret I have is that I didn't think to do it on purpose, but I consoled myself with the vision of you trying to get them off. On your honeymoon no less. While you and Harry might not agree, the thought was quite amusing.
All the best,
Carlotta Quiesta

Laughing, Severus handed the note to Harry, unable to speak for the moment. As Harry started chuckling, then grinning, Severus sat on the side of the bed and opened the package. When he hissed in a breath, Harry looked up from the note to see what could have caused such a reaction and gasped.

Severus had folded the cloth all the way back to reveal formal dress robes in the darkest black he'd ever seen, so deep, the tone on tone weaving in the heavy silk of the outer robe shimmered in the soft light of the candles, making the dense silver thread work running around the wide collar and cuffs glow. Closer inspection revealed that the intricate design of the chasing was that of tangled snakes, each forming continuous Celtic lover's knots. Near the chest in the centre of the collar was a silver circlet with a simple rendition of their glyph, the sides of which were open, ready for the pin Harry had so precipitously found to be inserted, thus making a clasp. A thin chain with a cap on the end was welded to the back of the circlet, its purpose clearly to shield the sharp end of the pin once in place.

Wordlessly, Severus flipped the folded shawl collar back to reveal an under robe of the same fabric, sans design, in a style similar to the one he'd worn that afternoon, only it buttoned. A high mandarin collar and a waistband of the same fabric as the outer robe's collar completed it. He fingered the cloth of both, murmuring, "It's not stiff. For some reason I thought it would be. Quite supple, really. Amazing."

Harry was the first to recover, sitting on the bed facing his husband, the robes between them. "Hmmm. What's it worth to you for me not to tell her that she rendered you almost speechless?"

Severus looked up at him, stunned. "I can't accept these."

"Why ever not?" Harry asked reasonably. "I did have to destroy yours." When Severus shook his head, Harry put a hand on his arm. "I'm not so naïve as to not know that these robes are extremely expensive. However, so were yours, and one has to ask what price can be set to compensate for the destruction of your wedding clothes? There are many things one can say about Quiesta, but one thing I learned in my time with her was that, despite her sharp tongue, she has a keen sense of fair play and equality. Obviously she thought the loss priceless, hence the reciprocated value of this replacement. Quite the compliment, really. Please don't insult her apology by refusing them."

Severus nodded thoughtfully, running his hand over the robes again. "Very well, I'll wear them. But if she makes one comment about her 'visions'--"

"I'll help," Harry said with a smile. He covered Severus' hand where it still rested on the robes. "They are quite handsome, although not nearly as fetching as what will fill them."

Severus raised a brow and leant over to kiss Harry. Regretfully, he pulled back sooner than either one of them would have preferred, saying, "I suppose we should be getting ready."

"Ah, Dad, do we have to?" Harry joked, standing.

Severus eyed Harry's delicious arse as he made his way over to the wardrobe. "Careful, boy, or I may think you need some discipline."

Harry looked at him over his shoulder, waggling his buttocks. "Ooo. Detentions! I can't wait!"

Severus put his hand over his eyes, shaking his head at the lascivious vision Harry sent him as he muttered, "Promises, promises. I think you just ruined me for life." He stood and separated the inner robe from the outer on the bed and started unbuttoning it.

"Oh? How so?" Harry asked, stepping into his boxers.

Slipping the robe on, Severus began the arduous task of fastening it, sighing as the fabric whispered sensually along his skin. "How can I be properly stern and sneering handing out detentions if that is what I see in my head every time."

Harry laughed, pulling on a different inner robe than the one he'd worn the night before. It was of a darker blue, matching the outer robe, but of a lighter woven silk, the fabric almost sticky to the touch. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something. Severus Snape without detentions? The world would end."

"Hmmm, I had better, or else my reputation will be ruined forever."

With a grin, Harry teased, "I thought that had already happened when you married down."

Severus paused, the outer robe pulled half on. Smirking, he said, "I think you have that backwards. If you'll recall, most people think I married up."

Harry shrugged. "Up, down--makes no never mind if we're not talking about sex."

Smiling at Severus huff of laughter, Harry stood in front of the Muggle mirror, smoothing the lines of his outer robe, adjusting the cuff to compensate for the drag of the nubbly inner robe. Refocusing his eyes, he saw Severus' reflection behind him watching him, his expression softened by whatever thoughts were running through his mind. Noticing Harry gazing at him in the glass, he straightened, his face falling into its normal severe planes and angles. Harry didn't need to ask what, or more accurately, of whom he'd been thinking; the caress of the bond across his heart was hint enough.

Satisfied with the fall of the robe, Harry walked over to his bedside table and, picking up his wand, he slid it into a soft holder built into the sleeve of his inner robe along the left forearm. He squelched a small concern that he would not be able to wield it with any speed should the need arise, but mentally shrugged, thinking it was only a party. That is until he remembered who some of the 'guests' would be. He wryly thought that under the circumstances, given what he'd like to do to a couple of them in particular, it might be best if he didn't bring it all. However, he had to wonder if they would dare show themselves. Vaguely uneasy, he asked, walking over to his lover, "Speaking of appearances, do you think the Malfoys will show up tonight?"

Severus, who had been visually following Harry's train of thought as it flitted across his expressive face, replied with some irony, "What? And take the chance we'll say something without them there to refute it? Of course they'll attend. Both of them. They are well aware we can say nothing as long as they are present."

Harry tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Why is that? What prevents us from telling everyone the whole sordid mess? Who would they believe--them or us?"

His hands stilled as he put the cap on the pin, Severus stared seriously at him, his brows drawn contemplatively. "Would you really do so? Would you announce to the guests that Lucius Malfoy caught a werewolf and a former Death Eater? That he 'punished' us? That he tried to drive me mad and, as much as I hate to admit it, almost succeeded?"

At the rebellious comprehension on Harry's face, Severus continued gently. "No, my love. I think not. Not when Lucius has you and countless others as such impeccable alibis for his presence in Diagon Alley through much of the day. Not when I am so obviously in good health. And certainly not given our respective reputations in the community."

He ran his hand down Harry's face and carded his fingers through his hair while murmuring, "So loyal. You'd have everyone see me the way you do, wouldn't you?" Harry leant into his hand, his eyes closing as he nodded slightly. Severus gave a harsh huff of resignation before bending slightly to kiss Harry softly. He whispered into his lips, "They'd no more believe you on this than they would on the other. Only you--" Harry pressed their mouths together before Severus could finish.

The waves of comfort, unstintingly offered, were a balm, easing his small hurt. Severus knew he shouldn't let the perceptions of others harm him in this manner but, despite his best efforts, it always did. He deepened the kiss, telling Harry in his own way how little all of the external things really mattered.

When Harry drew back, his eyes opened, the deep green holding a new understanding as he murmured, "Only me."

TBC