Summary: Harry and Severus hide out in Muggle London on Dumbledore's orders. They run into Harry's not-exactly-ex-boyfriend, who wants to propose to Harry. How will Harry get out of this mess? What does Severus have to say about all this?
A/N: In case you were wondering, Harry is seventeen in this story.
Oh, and in this fic, let's assume that men can get married, I mean REALLY married, not the 'civil unions'. I mean in a church and all, with the ceremony. I guess that kind of makes this an AU fic, but hey, maybe that'll change in the future, eh? *crosses fingers* GO MASSECHUSETTS (if you haven't heard, the courts in Massachusetts ruled that civil unions for gays is not enough and that gay marriage should no longer be denied there! I'm so happy! One state at a time! A city in New York, San Francisco, and New Mexico as well)!!!!
Marriage
Chapter 3:
Snape stared at Harry for a long time. Long, as in three men had time to go and leave before either of them moved again.
"I have said it for years, but no one ever believed me, Potter. You are mentally unstable." Then he turned on his heel and walked through the door.
"Snape!" Harry hissed desperately, trying to grab the man's sleeve. He succeeded, but Snape was stronger than his wiry frame let on, and Harry ended up being yanked after him.
"Snape, wait!" he whispered, now becoming angry. They were almost to the table.
"Harry Darling!"
Harry cringed, then forced a smile.
"Hello, Malcolm."
"Oh, Harry dear! What a delight it is to see you again!" Harry smiled feebly as Malcolm's mother, a frumpy looking woman named Elaine, stood up and kissed both his cheeks wetly.
"And who is this charming gentleman?" Elaine gushed.
The 'charming gentleman' rapidly turned into a thundercloud.
"Oh, er, well…" Harry cast around for something to say. His brain still wasn't functioning properly after being shot down by Snape. "He's my friend…."
Snape snorted and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Oh?" Elaine sat down and looked at Snape interestingly, waiting for an elaboration.
"Let's just call him my companion." Snape said shortly. "I wouldn't describe us as friends."
Malcolm pulled out the chair and ushered Harry into it as a mother hen would shepherd a chick back into the nest. Then he looked around.
"I need a chair."
* * *
"Oh, Harry love!" Mrs. Dower exclaimed as the salad was taken away. "How I've missed hearing Malcolm talk about you!" She sighed theatrically and dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "When you're not around, Malcolm just doesn't know which way is up!"
Snape rolled his eyes as he caught sight of Potter's glued-on smile. Honestly, did the boy have no spine whatsoever? He'd faced down far worse than a Muggle woman before!
"I hope you'll excuse me for saying this, Mrs. Dower –" Snape's scathing comment was cut short when Potter (brat!) kicked his shin rather hard.
"Yes, my dear?" The woman's eyes grew almost alarmingly wide with curiosity.
"Ah, that is, you seem to be wearing a lovely fragrance. It complements you so well. I do hope you'll forgive my impertinence."
"Why, of course Mr. Snape!" Elaine fanned herself and gave him a drippy smile. Potter smirked.
Snape reached for his wine and took a long sip. 'Cheeky brat'
* * *
"Harry, the chocolate soufflé looks marvelous. Shall we share it, love?"
Harry squirmed with embarrassment at the 'love' word. He sneaked a glance at his professor and saw the man's smirk over the dessert menu; he quickly averted his eyes with shame. He'd never felt so humiliated in front of his Potions Professor, which was saying something, given all the times he'd been torn down by the man.
"I, ah, I'm not really in the mood for chocolate."
"Oh. Well that's all right, Darling. Perhaps you shouldn't eat anymore anyway…I don't want to make you nervous."
Harry looked up, puzzled.
"Harry," Malcolm breathed, looking pointedly at his mother, who nodded encouragingly. Harry froze. "There's something that I must ask you –"
"Yes, Harry, there's something I would like to ask you too," Snape said in a crisp, professional tone, carefully setting down his menu.
* * *
Snape was struggling to hold in the snorts of laughter that were threatening to emerge any moment. Here was the Golden Boy, the Boy-Who-Lived, being babied and talked to like a five-year-old. Moments like these were the reason he was still a professor: seeing Potter, the bane of his existence, being cut down to –
"…I don't want to make you nervous."
Hmm. Snape tuned himself into the conversation and looked up from perusing the menu.
"Harry," the young man said with shining, anxious eyes. Snape tensed. The boy literally looked as though he were about to drop a bomb. As Malcolm cast a glance at his mother, a hot swoop of dread filled Snape's stomach. Was Potter right? Could he possibly be right?
"There's something that I must ask you –"
Suddenly, Snape's instincts took charge and before he could form the words in his brain, his tongue said: "Yes, Harry, there's something I would like to ask you too."
* * *
Harry almost fell out of his chair.
"But, er…Mr. Snape, do you think you could wait just one minute? This is kind of important –"
Harry shook his head violently.
"Don't fret, Mr. Dower, it will only take a second," Snape snapped irritably. He just wanted to get this foolishness over with.
"But –"
"Harry,"
Harry crossed his fingers. It was odd…if someone had told him a week ago that he'd be praying for Snape to propose to him, he'd have stunned them and sent them to St. Mungo's in a box.
"Will you marry me?" Snape spoke as though conducting a business transaction.
"Yes!" Harry gasped and put a hand to his nerve-wracked chest.
"Good. I understand that it is customary to give a ring on such an occasion, but you'll have to wait until we get back home."
"Oh, whatever, I don't care." Harry said quickly, eyes still wide and adrenaline still running through his veins.
"Well then, that's settled." Snape turned back to Malcolm, his face smug. "Now, Mr. Dower, what were you saying that was so important?"
Two sets of stupefied eyes gaped back at him, mouths ajar.
TBC
Yeah that took longer than it should have. Sorry it's short. You'll get over it. Anyway, I hope I'll be faster with the next one.