I have affectionately dubbed this chapter, 'A Severing Of All Ties.' Lol, it didn't start out like that, but that's how it went, and I kinda like it now. Wraps things up pretty neatly if I do say so myself. I have now got the rest of this fic planned out, and I just need to find the words for the chapters. I hopefully won't lose the words like I do so often when I want to finish something. Well, you know the drill… here goes!

"He's really doing it then?"

"Oh, wow, he's really breaking up with all of them?"

"God, he's in for some huge fights today!"

"I wonder why he's breaking up with them all?"

Harry studiously ignored the whispers that were following him down the corridor. Hermione had been right, he needed to break up with all the people he was seeing and give them one of two versions of the story Hermione had helped him work out.

"Harry Potter! I wanna talk to you right now!"

Harry winced and turned to see Anthony Goldstein advancing down the corridor towards him, frowning heavily.

"Hi Anthony. Let's go into this classroom here." Harry felt himself lucky that there was an available room for them to duck into, he really didn't want to have this conversation in a public place.

"Harry! What's going on? I heard a rumor that you were going to get married to Snape of all people?" Anthony's face was beseeching, as if he were begging Harry to tell him it wasn't true. The boy-who-lived sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Anthony. It's true. We're getting married at the end of the term."

The normally strong Ravenclaw gasped, and his lip quivered alarmingly. "Married? To Snape? But… I know you saw other people Harry, but I thought we had something special…"

Harry couldn't help himself anymore, and he pulled Anthony into a hug. "We… we did, 'Tony. We had something really special." He made a decision then, and stepped back a little. "I have something important to tell you 'Tony, and I want you to listen carefully. I'm going to tell you something not many people know."

He wasn't really breaking the rules, Dumbledore had given him permission to tell those of his friends that could be considered trustworthy, and he had considered Anthony among that number from the very first. He hesitated for a moment longer, then began his story.

"Oh, Harry. What a tale. And you're sure that there's no other way?" Anthony was attempting to keep his emotions in check, and failing miserably as he usually did. "Is there… is there anything I can do?"

Harry bit his lip. He knew what Anthony was trying to say. He looked away for a moment, absurdly touched at the other boy's willingness to marry him and spare him from Snape. Smiling gently, he leaned over and kissed Anthony's cheek. "I appreciate it love. But no. There's nothing you can do, and even if you could, I wouldn't burden you with something like this. I know you would never think of it like that," he added when the boy opened his mouth to protest, "but I would, and you deserve so much better than me anyway, someone who loves you, and only you forever."

Anthony cried as Harry led him out the door of the classroom, and delivered him to the care of Justin Finch-Fletchley. He'd sensed something between them before, if Justin played his cards right, he could easily win Anthony's heart forever. Justin had heard the story which, by this time had spread around the school. It was vastly different than the one Harry had told Anthony, but he knew the gist at least and he too kissed Harry goodbye on the cheek. He seemed to be taking it much better than Anthony, but then again, he had never been as close to Harry as the other.

"Potter! I wish to speak to you! Now!" The clipped tones of Professor Minerva MacGonagall were chilly, the other students in the hallway looked to the unlucky Harry, wondering what he had done to raise her ire. "Yes Professor," he said meekly, and followed her to her office, knowing she was going to demand every piece of information he had.

"So you accepted his… assignation out of, gratitude?" Minerva was desperately trying to make sense of what Harry had told her.
"No, Professor, I accepted Professor Snape because he wanted me. Not because I'm Harry Potter, not because he loves me, but because he desires me. For me. And so I accepted. I don't regret it. If professor Snape hated me he wouldn't have saved my life all those times."

Minerva shook her head. "But Harry," her voice was softer now, a little less angry, less hurt. "Harry, there is no shortage of people who desire you, if you wished for affection, of your own, all you had to do was ask." Harry smiled at her, shaking his head, she still didn't get it.

"No. Don't you see, Professor Snape doesn't love me, and I certainly don't love him! But he doesn't hate me either. If he did, he wouldn't have saved my life so many times over the years. It wasn't the affection I wanted. It was how much he wanted me. He desires me. And I wanted him. I still do. So I accepted. I had a choice, and I made it. I suppose in a way, all this is my fault."

Minerva hugged him hard. "It's not your fault Harry. It is Madame Umbridge's fault for being an interfering… woman. Do not think you are to blame, never think that!" She pulled back. "I will miss you Harry. I will miss our time together, and I will miss knowing you better than any member of staff including the headmaster. However, I wish you luck."

Harry was glad to get out of MacGonagall's office. It had been incredibly painful to say his goodbye's to the woman.

"Harry Potter!" He winced. He really did not want to talk to Cho Chang right now.

"Hi Cho. How are you?" He managed a polite smile, which faded quickly at the look on her face. "Harry how could you?" She exclaimed. "I don't believe it! How can you possibly be marrying that git Snape? Is he forcing you to do it? You tell me and we'll go to Dumbledore! He'll fix it!" Harry sighed. Cho was one of the people he knew he definitely could not tell the truth. "I'm sorry Cho. He's not forcing me to do anything. I… I want this, I truly do. Please, don't make a fuss." Her gaze turned calculating. "But… surely you aren't going to be faithful to the bastard? We'll still have our appointments together?"

Harry shook his head. "We won't Cho. I'm breaking it off with everyone. I am marrying Snape and I will be faithful to him. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind." Cho snarled at him. "What? I can't believe this! I…" she cut herself off and lunged for him, stretching her arms out to grab hold of him, only to be cut off half way.

"Miss Chang, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you did not molest my fiancé." Harry's eyes widened and he turned to see Severus Snape with his wand out, stopping Cho from coming any closer.

When tears started rolling down her cheeks, Harry knew he was safe. "You can let her down now Professor. She won't hurt me now." He directed a look towards the girl. "Will you Cho?" She shook her head sadly, and was released.

"I'm sorry Harry," She said mutedly. "I just, I was so angry, I wanted to lash out at something. I really am sorry."

Surprisingly, he believed her. "It's ok Cho. But you have to realize, it's over. But not just between the two of us. Between me and everybody. I would never cheat on my husband."
She nodded, and seemed to regain some of her composure. Walking slowly so as not to enrage Snape anymore, she hugged him gently. "Alright Harry. And I really am sorry." With that, she smiled and walked away. Harry turned, only to find Severus still standing there. "Professor?" He asked softly. "Did you want something?"

Severus found his body warming at the tone of voice Harry had used, but he quickly shook himself out of it. He wanted to talk to Harry about what he'd just overheard.

"Potter, I wish to speak with you. Can you come to my office now, or are you still… busy?"
Harry sighed. "No, I think I'm done Professor. I can come with you now." He smiled hesitantly up at the man, who turned and swept off to the dungeons, leaving Harry trailing in his wake.

"Take a seat Potter."

Harry obediently lowered himself into the nearest chair, watching Severus take another. "What did you want to talk about, Professor?" he asked, and Severus sighed.
"I wanted to ask you, Potter, whether you meant what you said to Miss Chang about being faithful to your husband."

Harry stood up. "What are you saying exactly Professor?" His eyes glinted with an emotion Severus couldn't quite place. "I am asking you Potter, whether you told her the truth, or whether you were saying it merely to get her off your back."

Harry gasped in shock. "I was telling her the truth, of course! What, did you think I'd marry you and keep seeing people on the side or something? How stupid!" He took a deep breath and turned away. "I guess I see now exactly how much you trust me Professor. I thought we could make this work, but if you don't even trust me to be faithful to you, then maybe we should call the whole thing off."

Severus sat for a moment, too astonished to even move. He'd never imagined Harry would react like that. In truth, he'd imagined the boy would tell him that he was breaking up with most of his lovers, but keeping some few of his favorites to play with when he got bored with his husband.

"I… I apologize, Potter. I… underestimated you it seems. Please, forgive me."

Harry turned slowly back to Severus, surprise evident in his eyes. "Really?" He frowned, obviously still not convinced. "You accuse me of cheating on you before we're even married and expect me to forgive you as soon as you apologize? Sorry Professor, but it doesn't work that way. You need to prove you're really sorry."

Severus took a long hard look at the expression on Harry's face. "I… I see." He stood up and moved to stand in front of the boy. "Harry." He touched the boy's face, smiled just a little as the boy gasped. "Harry, you must believe me. I truly am sorry. Let me make it up to you."

Harry was still wondering at that odd little smile as Severus closed the distance between their mouths. He gasped and moaned as Severus thrust his tongue deeply into his mouth, a hand sliding around to cup the back of his head. Harry's arms moved of their own accord to wrap around Severus' waist, pulling him closer even as the older man deepened the kiss. The hand not tangled in Harry's hair moved around, and slowly slid up the front of his shirt, Harry hummed blissfully into the kiss as Severus gently pinched his nipples, grazing his nails over the now hard little nub.

"Fascinating as this is, Professor, Harry, I think you should probably cool it off just a little, the Headmaster won't be happy if you guys go too far before the wedding."

In his dazed state, Harry found it a little hard to focus on the blur of frizzy hair that was his best friend. "…huh?" He managed eventually. Severus though, was a little more coherent. "Miss Granger. Do you have a reason to be interrupting us, or were you just trying to protect your friend's considerably questionable virtue?" Even Harry blushed at that one.

"Sorry Professor, but Professor McGonagall wanted me to find you. She wants to talk to you. She said it was very important."

If possible, Harry went even redder. "Uh-oh." He turned to Severus, who had quirked his eyebrow up. "Uh-oh? And what, pray tell, is the problem, Potter?"

Harry grimaced at him. "Don't let Professor McGonagall bully you sir. She's going to insist you protect me and treat me as well as you're able to make up for wanting me but not caring for me. If you just agree with whatever she says you should escape unharmed, even if what she expects of you is ridiculous. It's just because she's upset over losing me to you. Oh, she'll probably tell you not to fix my potions scores anymore, that you'll have to be fair about it from now on."

Severus blanched, and Hermione gasped, outraged. "Professor? You were deliberately lowering Harry's potions scores? But why?"

Severus sighed, and stepped away from Harry, putting a small distance between them. "I was doing it for him. Surely you have wondered why Ha-Potter's scores never increased, even though he was obviously improving in potions? He is a natural for some one who grew up with muggles, nearly as good as yourself, Miss Granger. I had to keep his scores lower than normal, to keep him off the radar, so to speak. Harry Potter should not be brilliant at everything. If the minister of magic had found out about Harry-Potter's abilities in potions, he might have tried to pass the boy off as a genius and have him moved to a so called 'better' school, where there would be no one to protect him. Do you see now?"

Hermione nodded mutely, then pointed at the door. "Professor McGonagall, sir. She wanted to see you immediately."

Severus nodded, and left.

Alright, I'm not going to have the McGonagall Snape confrontation that has been mentioned here and came completely out of nowhere by the way, as with all that stuff about Harry being a genius at potions. Sorry, but it just wandered in, and has absolutely no relevance to anything else in the story, so it's not going any further. I'm finally stepping along, because my friend Bec is demanding I finish my stories, and that's the motivation I need. Demand away my friends!!!

PS, I told you they'd get longer!