Chapter five

When Severus had put a very drank Harry to bed it had been eleven in the morning now it was just after three in the afternoon and Severus saw the first signs that Harry was waking. He had found some interesting books in Harry Potter's office so that his how he passed the time. He stayed where he was, just placed the book beside him.

'Shit,' Harry groaned loudly as he flung his arm over his eyes, 'Drunk again.'

'Yes, you were.'

Harry scrambled quickly upright, 'Snape, what are you doing in my bedroom?'

'After you passed out at the table I brought you up here. I have a hangover potion for you if you want it.'

'You…put me to…' Harry started to shake as he pulled his knees up to his chest.

'I placed you on the bed, removed your shoes then I sat here to make sure you were going to be alright. Oh I did borrow a book to read while I kept watch, I hope you don't mind. Now you are awake I will wait for you downstairs, the potion is beside you with your wand which you dropped.'

Severus picked up the book then strolled out of the bedroom, but his suspicions were almost confirmed, the way Harry is acting, the fear he is showing. To Severus he believed Harry's traumatic event happened not long ago, very recently in fact which meant Albus could not have been involved.

'So whatever he did wasn't what I thoughts, that was someone else, who, and when is the question Severus needed answers for?'

Harry kept his eyes on the door, when he heard Snape's footsteps die away he slowly released his legs. He turned to the right to see his wand and a small phial sitting beside it. He knew Snape was good at potions, but that didn't mean he might not try to poison him with something.

'Why would he, what does he want?' Harry finally got off his bed and headed for his bathroom.

Severus knew he wouldn't see Harry straight away, but it was half an hour later that he walked cautiously down the stairs. He had his wand in one hand and the still full phial in the other.

'You'll feel better if you drank that, I had Minerva send it to me after you passed out.'

Harry stared at Snape then down at the phial in his hand, 'How do I know this is safe?'

'You don't, but I give you my word on the friendship I had with your mother that it is perfectly safe to drink.'

Harry sat on the other sofa, curled his legs under him, his wand still in his hand but he did finally drink the potion, groaning as the effect was instant.

'Now…Harry, after your erratic behaviour I have come to the conclusion as to why, I may very well be wrong, which I doubt, I just do not understand how this is connected to Albus,' Severus raised his eyebrows at Harry's scoff, 'So Albus was involved, somehow, yet if it only happened recently then that is not possible.'

'You have no idea what happened and it definitely didn't happen recently,' Harry got up and poured himself a drink, his back was to Snape, but this time he sipped the drink.

'I believe I do know what happened as I have seen the signs before. Do you know that all death eaters are subjected to rape when they first take the dark mark. The dark lord takes you first then the rest take you, that is part of the initiation, apart from killing,' Severus had seen Harry's back stiffen but he still hadn't turned around, 'Then if the dark lord was pleased with you he would show it by making you share his bed, whether you wanted to or not.'

'You weren't a kid,' Harry whispered then took another sip of is drink.

'Then why are you only suffering now and not years before?'

'I didn't remember,' Harry shouted, 'He removed my memory, after every time…' Harry hastily took another sip.

'Then explain how you have this memory if you were obliviated?'

'Power, my power, right after he was dead, but it was a couple of weeks later that I woke to all these memories, real ones and fake ones. Oh fuck, I don't need this right now.'

Severus looked towards where Harry was staring to see a red envelope, he quickly cast a charm on the howler which allowed it to land quietly on the small table. He had seen Harry's surprise and realised he did not know you could do that to howlers.

'That is an easy enough charm to make them stay quiet, but who would send the saviour a howler?'

'Probably Molly Weasley, or Ginny Weasley or any of the Weasley's. That fucking old bastard promised them I would marry her in a purity bonding ceremony, I basically told them to fuck off.'

'Albus must have gained something if he made that deal with the Weasley's. Do you mind if I read this?'

'Go ahead,' Harry had finally sat down, his legs curled under him again but his eyes remained on his glass in his hand.

Severus opened the letter, "Harry, I do not appreciate you lying about Ginny and naturally you are lying in regards to your purity. I expect you here tomorrow to marry my daughter, just as we were promised you would. This is a magical binding bond, there is no way out of it."

'They can fuck off, I never made that promise, he did.'

'The only way you can get out of this is to prove you are not pure.'

'Fine, I'll tell them I'm gay and been out fucking blokes.'

'They will need proof, your word is not proof.'

'No,' Harry shouted then knocked back his drink.

'No more alcohol Harry, you have some issues that need to be addressed which means you need to be able to think clearly. Right first, if you will not show proof that you are no longer a…virgin then the marriage will have to go ahead.'

'Then I'll go marry someone else, I'll go tonight, give them some money as long as they don't want anything from me.'

'Yes, that is one way to stop this marriage. Now, I do not want anything from you so I will marry you,' Severus saw it instantly, the fear and wariness on Harry's face, 'I said I do not want anything from you, not money nor your body, this will be a marriage of convenience. There is one problem, if you do this they might announce this to the press which would give you a bad name. Refusing to fulfil a promise and breaking a young virgin's heart.'

'She's not a virgin, far from it.'

'Do you have proof?'

'No, my map showed she spent time alone with different boys, their dots were on top of each other which meant they were using the same spot. But are you serious Snape, marriage?'

'Yes, I am, but as I said earlier, I do not just give myself to anyone without receiving something in return. So what I said before still goes, you will talk to me and I will marry you and pass over information in regards to your mother. In a years' time we can divorce and that bonding will mean nothing so they cannot get you to marry her.'

'I'm not going to Hogwarts, I can't.'

'You do not have to, we can connect your fireplace to my private rooms. A few simple charms on top of it will allow me to receive messages from the staff if I am here.'

'But…we won't be…you know.'

'No, there will be no physical contact, but to make this marriage believable it must look like I spend the night here or you with me. With our permanently opened fireplaces then it will look as if we spend time together. So we do not restrict your fireplace we could use your office fireplace.'

'I haven't connected the fireplaces to the floo network, I didn't want people's heads just popping in all the time.'

'Then it can be a restricted connection, from here to my rooms only. Now if Molly and Arthur Weasley expects you to marry her daughter tomorrow we must do this tonight.'

'But it's too late to find someone to perform the ceremony.'

'We can do it alone, weddings of any kind in the magical world can be overseen by an official or the two joining can perform their own. We will need two items, which means a trip to Gringotts beforehand. You will need to retrieve the Potter ring for me to wear and I will need to retrieve the Prince ring for you to wear, they will prove we have joined in a magical legal ceremony because once they are placed on our fingers they can never be removed unless we divorce.'

Harry couldn't help stare at Snape, he was talking about marrying him as if it's just an ordinary day or assignment, something that wasn't important. Harry realised that it wasn't going to be a real marriage but he still couldn't believe the way Snape sounded but he also couldn't believe he was going to do it, marry Severus Snape. If he didn't though he would be stuck marrying Ginny Weasley, a girl, he was gay, so even though there would be no sex he still had to marry a man, didn't he? Harry was confused and wasn't sure what to think, about anything.