Chapter five

Severus could tell Harry was a little self-conscious as they walked back down to the great hall to finish repairing it. Harry never lifted his head, just kept staring at the ground as he walked.

'Harry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.'

'How can you look at me?'

'I can look at you because I see the type of man you are. You have such a good heart and a caring nature. You said it to me, looks do not come into this. Yes, some people are shallow, but if there are real feelings, then these scars should not come into it. Naturally some will be shocked as you've been hiding your true looks since you entered the magical world,' Severus put his arm around Harry, 'Look at me.'

Harry slowly looked up, 'You're so gorgeous.'

'Maybe I am now I removed my glamour, but you loved me before I removed it. I loved you for you, not how you look. Let me explain something to you just in case you wish to do something about these scars. There is a very painful and hard process that you can go through to either remove your scars or make them less noticeable. I tell you this for your sake, not mine, I want you to feel good about yourself and if that means going through this procedure, then you do it. If you can see yourself as I see you, a man with a lot of love to give, that will do anything to protect anyone including people you don't know, that shows how good you are. It is a rare thing to have love, to think of others before yourself. Then let yourself show your true self. But let me ask you something, would you feel better if I put my glamour back on?'

'No, you have to be yourself and if this is your true self then that's how you should look.'

'You said earlier that all of you used those names, greasy haired, hooked nose, could you have seen yourself falling for someone like that, if it wasn't for the bond I mean?'

'As I said, looks don't worry me, they never did. Naturally I would see someone and think their good looking, I thought Cho was pretty, but I wasn't attracted to Cho because of her looks, she was a nice girl, she is a nice girl. I admit I though Malfoy was nice looking but not because I wanted him or anything. So if we got to know each other as most people do, yes I could see myself falling for you.'

'I am the same Harry, yes I notice looks, but I'm not attracted to them. It's what's inside that makes us who we truly are.'

'So you're okay with looking at me?'

Severus smiled then his lips were on Harry's, his fingers tracing the scars on Harry's neck and face. He tried to relay to Harry that his love was for who he was not how he looked and nothing would change his love especially not looks.

'You really do want to be with me, even with these?'

'Yes, I do, naturally you will get asked and you will get stared at until everyone is used to seeing your true self.'

'I get stared at now so I'm used to that.'

'I'm curious about something though. You said you used your aunts makeup, I saw you when you first arrived here yet I never noticed makeup.'

'When I was young, I had tops that covered my neck and arms. But when I had to go out in public with them, she put the make up on me, that's what gave me the idea. So I would practice doing it with the stuff I stole. I used to really watch her as she did it, how she blended it in so it looked natural. When I came here there was only one bit I was worried about, my hands weren't the same as my face, the colour just didn't match, so I used it on my hands as well. Ron almost caught me without it once, it was the second week here and I was just about to get out of the shower when he stepped into the bathroom. See, normally I would be up and showered before the others that way I had time to get dressed and put the makeup back on before anyone saw me. It was only a couple of weeks later that Hermione was talking about the glamour charm that Flitwick mentioned. At first I was hopeless, but after a lot of disastrous starts it worked. I only did it on my face, neck and arms that way I could wear short sleeve shirts in the warm weather. But after a few times at almost being caught in the showers whether it was the dorm showers or the quidditch showers I decided to do my whole body.'

'You had more talent than I thought, that is not an easy charm especially for a first year.'

'I think because I realised how much better my life would be using that charm and not make up so I was able to bring out enough magic to do it. But I watched Hermione as well, when she mentioned that charm I pretended to be clueless. I asked if she'd do the charm to show me. She has this faint scar on the back of her hand that she covered perfectly, it only took her a couple of tries to get it right. I watched what she did, and after the third time I said I missed it, so she did it again. Once I had the movement's right and the incantation I started to practice.'

'Even though I did give you a hard time and I had no choice about that as most of the Slytherin's always reported back to their parents anything about you, but I was also being watched. If I knew about how you had been treated I probably would not have been so hard on you.'

'It would have been nice if you didn't, but I get why you did.'

'Now let's go finish our work then we can spend more time in bed.'

'I love the way your mind works. Tomorrow we go shopping for new clothes and robes for you. If I can show my scars, you can show people that you aren't a big nasty greasy haired bat.'

'A bat, I never heard that name in all the years here.'

'Fred and George said it the first time I heard it. I asked why, they said it was the way you would grab your robes and fold your arms around yourself, it was like bat wings folding around their bodies and the way your robes flowed as you moved.'

'It seemed I was watched closely by a lot of students. Okay, we're about to head in and the others will see you. Try not to let it bother you, just give them a smile like always and go back to working on the walls.'

'Stay beside me Sev, just at first.'

'Not at first, always,' Severus smiled down at Harry, slipped his arm around his waist then they walked into the great hall together. Severus could feel Harry was nervous but he pulled out that Gryffindor courage he has always shown. He smiled at everyone in the great hall even though they all stared, some with opened mouthed shock, 'You did well, they will get used to seeing you my love.'

Harry nodded, 'If you can handle me like this, than I can.'

Severus and Harry stood side by side while they worked on one of the walls, every now and then Severus would glance at Harry who would sometimes look over his shoulder at the others in the hall, some still stared, some went back to work. Severus tried to reassure Harry that how he looked was not important and he would keep reassuring him, for as long as it takes.

Harry and Severus stepped into Madame Malkin's robes for all occasions and looked around.

'Mr. Potter, are you in need of some robes?'

'I will need some but not today, Severus is getting new robes. I thought he might look good in colours, dark colours, not black all the time.'

'I do have a lot of dark colours that you might like Professor Snape, I can bring out some samples if you like.'

Severus stared down at Harry, 'Do you have a colour similar to Harry's eye colour?'

'Yes, I do, I'll be right back.'

Severus waited until the woman went into the back of the shop, 'You see love, she never mentioned your scars.'

'No, but she probably thought I got them from Voldemort and since I am the one to kill him she didn't want to upset me because of the way I'm thought of now.'

'You're probably right which means a lot of people will think the same way. But did you notice the other staff at breakfast, they didn't continue to stare.'

'I know Sev, but like I said, if you can handle them then I'm fine.'

'Here we go Professor Snape, what do you think of these?' Madame Malkin held up three different types of green, one emerald green the same colour as Harry's eyes, the other two a dark green.

'There all nice Sev.'

Severus placed the three samples over his arm, 'Yes, they are very nice, alright, I'll have one set made out of each of these but add a dark blue as well.'

'Then I just need to take your measurements, you have not been to see me for a few years so you're measurements might have changed.'

'A little, but Harry should have some robes as well, especially if you are going to assist me in my classes.'

'I never thought of that, okay, I'll get some as well, I'll match yours since we match.'

'If you wish Harry.'

'I read about your marriage and the bond your mother performed Mr. Potter, but you both seem very happy, I suppose that is all that matters.'

'But you thought the age difference might be a problem?' Harry raised his eyebrows.

'I was concerned that maybe you were a little young for Professor Snape. I did overhear others saying similar, but I suppose when love comes into it, then age does not matter.'

'No, it doesn't, I love Sev, and he makes me happy.'

'Then that's what matters, now come on, we'll get you both measured up.'

Harry smiled then stepped into the back with Severus, they both stood on stools while Madame Malkin measured first Severus than Harry, she told them they could pick up their robes in a week. After that, Harry took Severus into London to buy some muggle clothes, mainly jeans for himself, Severus did buy some jeans, for weekends, but mainly some nice black pants but a few coloured shirts instead of just black or white which was what he always wore. The shirts were all dark colours, but Harry thought he looked wonderful in all of them. After that Harry decided to get rid of his classes, so he had his eyes tested and ordered contact lenses which he would need to come back to pick up in a few days. They found a deserted alleyway, apparated to Hogsmeade where they decided to have lunch at the Three Broomsticks, so they sat down with all their bags and ordered a drink and their lunch.

'I must say Professor Snape, you look very different than we are used to, did you have some work done?'

'No, this is how I always looked, I used a glamour to change my appearance.'

'I have heard of people using glamour's to hide aspects of their features they do not like, but you have nice features.'

'All to do with my part of making everyone believe I was a death eater Rosmerta, but also to keep the children in line.'

'It worked Rosmerta; no one would ever dare cross Professor Snape with those looks he used to give you. But I think he looks gorgeous.'

'He is a very nice looking man Mr. Potter, but your scars, that man always had a cruel streak.'

Severus could tell Harry wasn't going to admit the truth about his scars, and decided to let everyone think his scars came from Voldemort and not his relatives.

'Voldemort did not like good looks Madame Rosmerta.' Severus said.

'No, but you're alive, that's the main thing Mr. Potter. I'll leave you to your lunch, enjoy,' Rosmerta smiled then went back to the front of her pub.

'You see Harry, they might ask but it does not seem to worry them.'

'No, but it's not really the truth, it wasn't Voldemort even though I do have scars from him. This procedure you mentioned, tell me about it.'

'It requires daily treatment, and it's quite painful. It's very similar to muggle skin grafts, the healer will remove a piece of skin from somewhere on your body, she will treat it with certain creams and potions. Then that gets placed over your scars, a bit at a time, specific charms are used to graft it into place. It's done using a numbing spell but it's after it's done that you feel it.'

'How do you know about this?'

'My mother had some scars covered up that my father did.'

'I'm sorry Sev, you didn't have a very good childhood did you?'

'Compared to yours it was good Harry. But my father wasn't a very nice man.'

'If you don't mind me asking Sev, but your father was a muggle, why did your mother allow him to hurt her?'

'She loved him and she told me once that since she was not a very nice looking woman, she did not believe she would find a man that would love her.'

'If my ugly aunt can find someone anyone can. Did your father love your mother?'

'I believe he did, he was just jealous that she was magical, and that is why he never really liked me.'

'Sort of like Petunia, she was jealous of my mother being a witch and she wasn't so she took it out on me.'

'Yes, she was jealous of Lily's abilities, that is why I gave you that memory; I wanted you to know how she always was with your mother.'

'After the way I was treated and I've heard about others, we really need to stay hidden, don't we?'

'Yes, we do and it is wrong, but that's the way this world works. The muggles would fear us until it got to the point they would see us as a threat. The original muggle witch hunts were real, just slightly changed so the muggles believed they burned witches at the stake, they never did but let the muggles believe it worked. They could cast a chilling charm and a shielding charm on themselves, but they would allow the flames to engulf them but not touch them. When the flames hid them from sight, they would conjured a burnt duplicate of themselves then disappear leaving the muggles to believe they had burned a witch to death.'

'Even though we probably wouldn't do that today, we'd just show our magic it would make them fear us even more. That was another reason they used to hit me so much, they feared what I might do to them. Like Hagrid, when he came to get me when I was eleven, he gave Dudley a pigs tail, that really scared them, but I loved seeing it, seeing magic for the first time, then everything I saw just amazed me.'

'We can do some wonderful spells, but as you know we can also use our magic the wrong way. Now let's eat lunch, we need to get back to Hogwarts.'

Harry stared at his husband, hardly believing this beautiful man belonged to him. If their feelings hadn't shown themselves earlier even with Sev knowing about his scars, he might have hated being with Sev and making Sev stay with someone that looked like him, so badly scared when he was so beautiful.