CHAPTER 46

"Where are we going?" Harry asked curiously. Severus, too, was looking suspicious as he walked next to his husband. Dumbledore had asked them to meet at the entrance of the castle; the couple had been greeted warmly by the Headmaster and a beaming Hagrid. Harry had met all his friends again the day before– much hugging, kissing and tears of both sorrow and joy had ensued. People had praised him, making Harry feel rather uncomfortable. The young wizard pointed out that he would never have managed without the help of the Order, his family – and his husband. Severus had been standing quietly in a corner while everybody had surged towards Harry to embrace him. When Harry embraced and kissed him in front of everyone, he flushed a little and pressed Harry close to him; and now, following Dumbledore and Hagrid, they were holding hands and exchanging curious glances. Recognition sparked in their eyes as they were led into the Forbidden Forest and down a familiar pebbly path.

"But I thought this area had been restored to its original state?" Severus voiced Harry's thoughts as the honeymoon cottage, as they called it, rose before their eyes. It looked a little bigger than before. The wind chimes were still hanging from the porch. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"When it was time to clear the area after your stay, Hagrid suggested otherwise. He felt confident that you would return and the house would not wait in vain for you. Harry and Severus, would you like this house to be your home? It is in an area which the residents of the Forest don't mind giving up at all – especially not to you two, and it is at the very edge of the Forest – close to the castle. If you wish to live in this area, then a Floo portal will be included and the place shall be permanently registered with the Ministry. If not, then maybe you can use it as seasonal quarters or a temporary home."

Severus stared at it, drinking in the sight. Harry seemed to be lost in a dream. It was a small simple place, the opposite of Malfoy Manor or Grimmauld Place. Its homeliness reminded Harry of The Burrow, and the memories of his honeymoon came flooding back to him in vivid pictures. Grimmauld Place was a sinister house – too many unpleasant things had happened in there, and it only reminded him of Sirius's death. He had been making vague plans to renovate it once he started earning his own money, but using it as a home of his own had made him shudder.

Severus turned and looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes. Harry turned as well.

Severus's throat was too constricted for words. He merely nodded, and Harry whispered:

"Yes! We would love this to be our home..."

"You have always been like a father to me, Albus," Severus said softly.

"And you two are like sons," Albus said, eyes twinkling. He put his arms around their shoulders, and the three wizards embraced. Harry ran up to Hagrid as well.

"It's a marvellous idea, Hagrid!" he said, half crying, half laughing as the giant crushed him in a hug. Severus shook his hand warmly.

"Ye've made Harry happier than he's ever been," Hagrid told the Potions Master.

"I'm the happy one," Severus said. Even a few months ago, a comment like "What a touching image of domestic bliss" would have usually been Severus's first utterance at the sight of the house; but sarcasm was the furthest thing away from his mind as he looked at the new residence he would be sharing with Harry.

"Dobby and his wife-to-be Winky have insisted on looking after you and the house," Dumbledore added.

"Wife? Winky? How come Dobby didn't tell me?" Harry said, eyes sparkling.

"He wanted to surprise you," Dumbledore said.

The two house-elves had become as inseparable as Severus and Harry, although Dobby refused to pay attention whenever Winky talked about Dobby's dress sense. And so it was that Harry and Severus attended their very first elf-wedding. Elves never married indoors; they were creatures who maintained and nourished a strong bond with nature; the treetops made beautiful green arches and ceilings, and the summer grass provided a lush green carpet for their feet. Elves possessed their own kind of magic, and it became clear to Harry why they had been treated with such cruelty during Voldemort's reign. They had their own powers, and their close link with nature provided them with secrets and mysteries which wizards didn't and couldn't know about. Jealously and fury towards these little creatures who followed their own rules had led to a regime of utter repression; elves had been shipped off to camps which were just as bad as the Death Eater camps; and even centuries before Voldemort's time, wizarding folk had been envious of elf-powers which they could not access. Who else, after all, could manage to Apparate and Disapparate within the powerful walls and enchantments of Hogwarts?

After the beautiful and magic-infused elf-wedding, Severus and Harry started moving their belongings to the cottage. Dobby and Winky had their own spacious quarters back at Hogwarts – Harry's and Severus's wedding-gift to the overjoyed couple.

The cottage had been magically enlarged to adapt to Severus's and Harry's needs – a huge library and laboratory occupied the ground floor. The first thing Severus did was to transfer Harry's sketches from the dungeons to their new cottage and stick them to the walls; and Harry reverently placed the flasks containing their bonding blood in a special little box. The box resided in the bedroom, sitting enthroned on a little shelf of its own.

Harry inaugurated their first night within the walls of their new home by performing a striptease for Severus.

Harry was taking a shower and singing loudly.

"Whoo-hoo!" Harry was going. Severus's mouth quirked, and his eyebrows shot up when Harry ended his song with an explosive "Yeah, oh yeah!"

"What in Azkaban is that song called?" Severus wanted to know when Harry sauntered out.

"It's some disco song I heard on the radio. I really like the 'whoo-hoo' part."

"I gathered as much, though it sounded like a constipated werewolf."

"I can check with Remus," Harry grinned, "but it has also got a good rhythm…"

He started swaying his hips languidly from side to side; he raised his arms and ran his hands through his hair. Severus's eyes glinted. Harry noticed the sign of beginning desire. He made a few more dancing moves and slowly pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Mr Potter, are these supposed to be seduction tactics?" Severus asked.

"Naturally," Harry said nonchalantly, flinging his t-shirt at Severus, who caught it and inhaled its scent. Harry moved panther-like towards his husband and straddled his lap. Severus leant in for a kiss, but Harry laughed and avoided it.

"Harry Potter," Severus said warningly as the young wizard rocked back and forth on his lap before standing up and undoing his jeans, all the while teasing his husband by dancing just out of his reach.

"How about helping me out of my pants?" Harry suggested. Severus rose in a flash and draped his arm around Harry's upper body from behind. Harry stretched his body and leant into Severus, who caressed his bare chest and stomach with skilled hands. They moved down to Harry's jeans and slid them over his hips, his tall frame bowing as he peeled them all the way down to Harry's bare feet.

"Thank you," Harry said, kicking them off. He leant backwards even more so that his face was underneath Severus's. He parted his lips, as if waiting to be kissed. Severus bent to taste the warm mouth; but Harry snapped upright again. He twisted gracefully in Severus's arms and undressed him speedily, kissing him all the while. Severus bent his head, and his lips brushed the falcon scar on his chest.

"It's the most remarkable phenomenon I have come across in all my years as a practising wizard," he remarked.

"There's nothing remarkable about it at all. It's love," Harry said, smiling as Severus traced the wings of the falcon with his mouth and lazily moved on to a hardened nipple. Harry started to pant with pleasure. When they were both naked, Harry placed his palm upon Severus's chest and pushed him towards the bed. Severus stepped back and lay down. Harry slid on top of him and summoned a condom. Severus's dark eyes blazed in anticipation, and he pulled Harry's head down for another exchange of heated kisses. Even in his most passionate moments, Harry was caring, making sure that the tourmaline pendant didn't hit Severus in the face or that he did not kiss Severus too impulsively – it had once resulted in their teeth clashing and Severus cutting his lower lip. Harry loved to see Severus lose control. It was especially delightful when he slowed down the rhythm of his movements, or even stopped altogether just before the moment of completion, making Severus nearly insane with desire. He could be sure that Severus would "punish" him the same way next time.

When it was over, they looked into each other's eyes, breathing hard, Harry lying on top of Severus, who locked him in a fierce embrace.

"Please never ever leave me!" he whispered, and Harry knew that he was crying.

"I won't," he said through his own tears, pressing his face into the hollow of Severus's neck – something he always did after their lovemaking. They lay like that together for a little, comforting each other with soft words and caresses. It was the first time they had made love since Voldemort had been defeated. Madam Pomfrey had been insistent on that both of them refrain from "strenuous activities", and Severus had sternly pointed out that marital activities of an exhausting nature had to be postponed, much to Harry's chagrin - and to his own.

Harry rolled off Severus and lay on his side; Severus turned to look at him. Harry wiped Severus's tears away with his hand. Outside, the wind chimes tinkled softly, soothingly.

"We'll be colleagues next term," Harry said, smiling. He had been offered the DADA job and he had accepted enthusiastically.

"Don't remind me," Severus said sarcastically.

"I'll finally get to know the inside of the staff room," Harry said dreamily.

"How exciting," his husband said in a bored tone, but the sparkle in his eyes revealed that he was rather pleased at the prospect of having Harry close to him every day, and Harry knew it. He grinned.

When the couple had settled down properly, Harry insisted on a house-warming party. Severus reluctantly agreed to "socialise", as he put it. And so, in the middle of August, the Hogwarts staff, several Order members and friends were invited; one half arrived via Floo and the other half scuttled merrily across the Hogwarts grounds to the cottage, including Fang. Lupin was excited and happy – Shacklebolt had employed him at the Ministry, and he was looking forward to being a father in about eight months.

"Anyone's guess how they celebrated You-Know-Who's demise," Ron said. Hermione ignored her fiancé pointedly. Dumbledore was smiling benignly as he surveyed the whole scene behind his half-moon spectacles. He could not help feeling just a bit smug as he watched Harry steal a passionate kiss from Severus. The older wizard looked a little disgruntled at Harry's course of action; Dumbledore knew how reticent he was when it came to showing emotions in public; but there was a slight flush accentuating his arrogant cheekbones and a sparkle in his eyes which belied his reaction. Severus Snape was a very happy man.

"All's well that ends well," Dumbledore murmured to himself with a chuckle as he sipped his Firewhiskey and searched around in his robes for a lemon drop.

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FIN

A/N: °howls° I can't believe it's over! What a long and wonderful trip it was – especially thanks to you and your reviews and PMs! I can't thank you enough – I can only point out again that my Snarry blog is not only dedicated to our favourite Snarry couple but also to you. I don't think the blog or the story would have been born without you, and the former has been thriving because of your visits, comments and participation, especially in the polls I opened. I will be writing a fourth Snarry story - I'm searching for a plot. Thanks again for reading this story!

Hugs,
Steppi