Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Harry Potter.
Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews. We have a winner. Ckarrine is the official 100th reviews and she will get a one of a kind Snape hug, I will send him over as soon as the chapter is done. So props to her but I am going to give everybody free Harry hugs because the boy needs it and because you have all been so kind to leave a review.
Next contest will be 150 reviews, shall we see if we can make that? But anyway enough of my babbling let's begin with the chapter. A quick word on the resurrection spell. I looked it up and while the original was Ennervate this was later changed by JKR to Rennervate because it changed the meaning of the word around. I am sticking to Rennervate so just to let you know.
About Snape's reactions. As head of house I can imagine that he has to deal with students who can be emotional. That is why he has to be kind of patient with them. He has had much practice.
Harry licked his suddenly dry lips, watching his husband's face closely. Snape appeared shocked, unable to come to terms with what he was seeing. One hand was still resting on the door handle and Snape had frozen.
But as Harry watched Snape's face was changing. The shock was quickly wearing off and for a moment the cold black mask slid back into place which was far easier to deal with but then suddenly the thin lips twisted into a cruel and nasty resemblance of a smile. Harry's heart immediately started pounding.
Then Snape moved, fluently for barely a second and Harry backed away without helping himself. He cursed at himself; he needed to show he was brave and not afraid like some little kid. Snape saw it and the dark eyes began to gleam with malice and then Snape reached out with one hand as Harry turned his face away, looking at the ground to hide how he felt.
The strong fingers dug into his chin as they turned his face upwards to meet Snape's gaze, which was inches from his own. He could feel the body heat of the older wizard and he couldn't help but swallow thickly before he opened his lips, licking them again to wet them.
If this was going to be it, then it might not be so bad. If only the emotion in Snape's eyes could be different. Harry could take pity, or triumph but he couldn't take this malice, knowing Snape was being incredible cruel to him by having sex.
It would be great a victory for the Potion Master. What better ways to humiliate the son of your enemy than by having him on his knees before him or making him scream out your name in ecstasy?
But Harry was only beginning to see the cruelty of his former teacher as Snape leaned in, at which Harry couldn't suppress a shiver of whatever it was as Snape whispered in his ear, his voice a low seductive purr.
"Get dressed, child, you disgust me." The words were like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head as Harry was pushed away from Snape roughly and he stumbled in his haste as he turned his face up to the older wizard who was already leaving the room.
His breathing was coming in shorter gasps as he realized what he had heard. Snape had rejected him but Harry Potter wouldn't be Harry Potter if he would have allowed it to rest at that.
His legs were a bit unsteady but Harry took strength from the anger that suddenly coursed through him. Who was Snape to reject what Harry had offered? His heart was suddenly beating a bit too heavily and he managed to force past numb lips, with relief or otherwise Harry couldn't tell.
"It was you who said that we had to consummate the wedding as soon as possible?"
Snape stopped dead in his tracks but he didn't turn to Harry. The dark clad back was stiff as the Potions Master replied. "I changed my mind. I have no taste for this, boy."
Harry winced sharply at that. Snape had always insulted him but this went beyond that. Snape was insulting Harry on a much more personal level. Husbands were supposed to look out for one another and have each other's back. Of course Harry hadn't expected it to happen within a few days after they had woken up but after yesterday he had hoped that Snape could show a little bit more sympathy towards him. They were in this together after all.
But Snape had never been the person to focus upon the bright spots in life; Harry should have known that already. He tried to gather the quickly breaking pieces of his heart and spoke in a soft whisper; he couldn't bring his voice to be more than that at the moment.
"But why? I mean it will be over quickly and then our magic will be normal again. It was during the kiss yesterday..."
"I didn't feel anything! You must have been imaging it, Potter! Do you think the moment we would have been married I would have been hoping to get into your pants? Think again, boy, like I said before, you are not that special." Snape sneered, turning around.
Freak
Harry didn't only flinch away from the cold tone in his bond mate's velvet hoarse voice but also from his own thoughts. It was just a conformation of what he had grown up to believe. He was a freak. He was strange, different and this marriage was a sham.
He had thought that when Snape had said that about him being a virgin that the older wizard would take some sardonic pleasure in deflowering him, taking away the most precious gift of all. He knew Snape had said he wouldn't force himself on Harry so if Harry offered; there would be no shame in it, right?
Apparently he had been wrong. Snape didn't want him. He didn't want that kind of power over Harry because he was a freak. Because he deserved no better for being one.
He choked back a sob. He had assumed the man had been grateful but why did he never think before he acted? Why did he think he was indeed special enough to ask people to try and stay alive for him because he needed them? They never did. Sirius had died, Remus had died and he had to ask Snape to stay alive when that was the least of the lot who had wanted him.
He had assumed that Snape would have taken the lead if Harry had offered and would have made sure he wouldn't be a virgin any longer. Their magic would be normal again and they would never have to sleep together ever again.
"What is the matter, Potter, didn't the dream wedding night go as planned?" Snape had crossed his arms over his chest and was sneering down at him.
Harry felt hate blossom in his chest as he cried out. "I hate you!"
Snape's face didn't lose any colour but the older wizard only said, snapping the sentence out. "Have you conveniently forgotten that it was you who linked out magic together?"
"Yeah, I wish I hadn't now!" Harry shouted back, fists balled at his side.
"Then perhaps for once you could have used that small pea sized thing in your head that you call a brain and thought about the consequences." Snape shouted right back at him, uncrossing his arms.
"Nobody told me that this could happen! Nobody bloody tells me anything." Harry was frustrated and he tried to go back to that numbness he had been experiencing each day for the last few days. He needed it to keep him sane because he wasn't sure how long he could withstand the tidal wave of emotions that was threatening to overpower him and spill over.
"Because we expected you to know them! You have been studying magic for seven years now, boy, you are supposed to know better!" Snape snarled at him, taking a breath before he continued in the same voice. "But no! You are Harry Potter and you are too special to study like all the other common people do! I had assumed that you would have learned your lesson about acting without consequences when you had to participate in the Triwizard Tournament…"
"That wasn't my fault! I got set up! Barty Crouch did that….you saw it yourself…he gave a testimony saying it was a plan from Voldemort….I…I didn't want to see Voldemort return….I didn't want to see Cedric die…."
"And yet you storm off after a dream to safe your mutt Black! Without checking with any Order member to see if he might still be at the house! You get him killed in the process! You run around the school at the Final Battle without any regards for your own safety or that of the students…getting 50 students killed in the process…."
It seemed that Snape wasn't listening and Harry's breathing exhilarated. He was drowning in the waves of emotions. The next moment it exploded with a bang as Harry felt his anger bursting forward.
Hp
Severus watched with growing unease and suppressed amazement how Potter became more and more riffled and emotional at his words. The green eyes were shocked and wide open as the words he had spoken registered in the boy's mind.
He had rejected Potter, had told him that the boy's play disgusted him. Truth be told he was amazed at Potter's bravery of doing this. It would certainly be too easy and without meaning if Severus had gone through with the plan.
He could have had Potter, could have easily consummated the wedding between them but one look at the dulled green eyes and he had decided against it. He needed to draw Potter out of his depression first.
The raw magic that radiated off the boy was frightening but Potter was unaware. Severus could feel it building up, unsure if he should say the next words.
He meant to draw Potter out, not get himself blasted to bits in the process. He tried to keep his eyes focused upon his bond mate's face. It did little to keep him focused while Potter was still naked.
But Severus hadn't been a spy for two decades to keep his desires under check at will. He could and besides the fact that Potter looked quite delicious and very tempting with his eyes blazing in anger.
Severus' eyes widened when Potter's magic exploded and he felt it push against his chest, throwing him backwards against the door as he struggled against the force of the blast. But his body was too weak and Potter's magic too powerful as Severus felt his own magic respond.
He held tightly to his wand even as his back and head banged against the wall in the hallway. He was lucky Potter's magic wasn't at his strongest because Severus dominated most of their linked magic thanks to his wounds.
He scrambled upwards immediately, his neck aching and fingers groping for his wand. His head snapped up. Potter was doing his best to try and block the magic but the green eyes were haunting as they fixed upon Severus' face.
Hp
Harry was trying to gulp in large mouthfuls of air but his lungs wouldn't obey. His eyes fixed upon the rumpled wizard lying in a heap in the hallway and Harry flinched.
Snape raised his wand, mouth set in a firm line as he brought it up and much to Harry's surprise said. "Stupefy!"
And before Harry could even open his mouth, he crumbled to the floor as the red beam hit him.
Hp
The accusing green eyes focused upon Severus one last time before Potter lost consciousness and slumbered over onto the ground. The magic died in the room, even as Severus breathed hard because of the spell. It was too much for his battered body and he slowly climbed to his feet. This was not what he had anticipated when he had decided on this course of action to draw Potter out.
Immediately, he rushed forward to turn Potter over. The younger wizard's pale face was washed with tears and mucus. Severus grimaced but then he pulled out his handkerchief and used it to gently wipe Potter, no Harry's face.
When had the young wizard ever looked so young to Severus? He sighed and then pulled the younger unconscious wizard towards him. He undid his outer robe and put it around Potter, keeping him warm.
Slowly standing proved to be difficult but Severus managed it after a few moments while his legs didn't tremble too much to carry Potter to the bed. He finally managed, sliding into the bed first before he pulled Potter up to him, one hand loosely resting on the tense shoulder.
He took a deep breath, waking Potter up would mean hysterics but that had been what Severus was hoping for. A crying Potter who didn't make any sense was better and easier to deal with than the usually alert one.
He held up his wand and pointing it at the other wizard's face, preparing himself for the tug on his magic as he said. "Rennervate."
Potter blinked and for a moment he buried deeper into the warmth that Severus offered but then Potter seemed to remember where he was and what had happened, trying to push himself away. But Potter seemed to be too tired and Severus gently pulled him closer, allowed his weight to keep the brat effectively pinned to the bed.
Potter struggled but he finally succumbed to the overpowering force of Severus' arm and began to sob in shame and anger, choking out. "Are you satisfied now? You have me, you got me…broken…humiliated….isn't it enough? Can't you just leave me alone to grieve?"
Potter was sniffling and Severus closed his eyes. He had never been prone to give comfort but in the light of recent events it was left to him to pick up the broken pieces of Potter's heart as he said, "You have been alone long enough. Would you care to enlighten me as to why you think you deserve to be alone with your grief?"
Hp
The question took Harry off guard but he closed his eyes, sniffling. He tried to choke back a sob but it seemed since the dam had broken he couldn't stop crying. "Why would you care? You said you didn't want anything to do with me so why are you here now?"
Harry could feel Snape flinch from where the older wizard's chest was resting against his head. The older wizard was suddenly stiff and it seemed with great strength that the Potion Master spoke the next words. "I would care to know about your past."
Harry immediately pushed himself away, snarling as he did so. "Yeah you would care to know about my past, not me….."
Before Harry could even finish that response the dark eyes flashed and Snape's face was inches from his own as he said, "Your past is your own but it threatens the future. Our future, Potter, the moment you linked our magic meant that it became our future. During the trial my past will be picked apart, on a humorous display for you and your friends to see. Trust me, within time I will find out your past, Mister Potter Snape. I will leave you to grieve alone as you so obviously desire!"
With those words Snape left the bed, shaking his head as Harry tried to swallow away tears again. This was not how he had imagined the wedding night. "Potter?"
Harry glanced up at the blurred figure of the Potions Master standing in the doorway as Snape said, his voice pitched low. "Potter, if you change your mind or need anything, anything at all, except that…the rite…we discussed, come and find me. I am not a man prone to leave others to suffer, especially my bond mate when it is going to get me into trouble with the Headmistress. I made you a promise to take care of you and by the heavens, boy, I will."
"You made me no such promise!" Harry frowned, trying to remember the vows or anything that Snape had said.
"No, not to you in person but I did promise it. When you returned from the Weasleys. This will be a struggle for the both of us, Potter; we are both unaccustomed to living with each other or with other people. You don't trust me and I can't blame you for that and I am a solitary creature by nature. Not prone to kindness or to give comfort, the things which you crave above all others."
"We both need to go out of our way a little." Harry wearily said as he rubbed at his eyes.
"Indeed, Potter. Get some sleep…."
"You….you won't share the bed…."
"Later, I will come up. I will bring up with me a vial of Dreamless Sleep. But you need to allow yourself to relax, put your mind at ease, not that it would be much effort in that which your said mind might be but I digress. Potter, remember, if you need anything…."
Harry nodded, trying to ignore his aching head. It was strange to have somebody look out for him. But then he guessed it was Snape's job now as his bond mate. He would have to do the same thing for Snape. Didn't mean that the older wizard had to care though but was it really so strange that Harry wanted him to care?
He sighed heavily and rubbed at his scar out of habit. This would need some getting use to but the guilt that had flared up when he heard Snape say that about the Final Battle was a bit harder to ignore. He should have known everybody would eventually blame him for it.
Harry pushed his face firmly into the bedcovers, not caring that his glasses were being pushed into his face. He took a deep shuddering breath and prayed for the darkness to come swiftly and eventually it did, but not swiftly enough for Harry's sake.
Hp
Harry woke later the same night to the sound of heavy snoring coming from behind him. Somebody had shifted him in the bed and had tucked him in; he fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand and pulled the blankets up a bit better.
He realized he was still wearing Snape's outer robe. He sighed as he sat up, looking down at the older wizard lying in the same bed still snoring loudly.
Snape was lying with his back to Harry but the bed was smaller then the bed at Hogwarts and Harry flushed uncomfortable for a moment with the close proximity. The heavy snoring remembered him of Neville Longbottom and Harry could never sleep through it. Usually one of the other boys who were awake gave Neville a shove to stop him from snoring but Harry was unsure if Snape would appreciate it.
He sighed; he would need to touch Snape in order to get him to stop snoring. He reached out with a hand and shook the older wizard, saying, "Professor, uhm…."
Harry yelped when the vice like grip came on his hand and he was drawn to Snape's side. The older wizard rolled over, pinning Harry nearly effortlessly to the bed as the black eyes opened. Harry felt the body heat seep into his skin, his shoulders being held down to the bed by the strong wizard. A firm leg had slipped in between his own and Harry realized with a flush what it was doing to him.
He struggled for words and eventually said, "I just wanted to stop you from snoring."
He was flushing and then Snape seemed to realize Harry was still partly naked. The black eyes widened and then the older wizard rolled off of Harry, lying on his back as he ran a hand over his face as he muttered, "Insolent brat, what are you doing to me?"
Harry flushed a bit as he turned to Snape to see the small specks of colour in the gaunt cheeks. Harry wondered if he had heard correctly, what he was doing to Snape.
The dark eyes shifted to his own and then Snape growledout, "Don't even think about it, Potter."
Harry allowed himself to grin a bit. It seemed Snape had been affected by whatever Harry had been doing. He then sobered, Snape was probably thinking about Lily. He could clearly remember the words the older wizard had spoken in disgust.
The dark eyes were gleaming, locking on Harry's face as the Potion Master said, "So I was snoring?" A trace of amusement touched the dark voice and Harry nodded, trying to force his voice to be calm.
"Yes, quite loudly too."
"And that was the only reason you sought to wake me?"
"Yeah…should there have been another?" Harry yawned, doing his best to cover it up with his hand. Judging by the look on Snape's face he wasn't entirely succeeding. The older wizard gathered the blankets up again and said, sneering a little,
"Go back to sleep then. Try not to tug too much on the blankets and I will try not to snore too loudly." Snape turned back on his side, tuning Harry out quite effectively. Harry did the same thing, hearing Snape mutter something under his breath.
Flushing still a little with the unfamiliar feelings that had surfaced when Snape had leaned over him, Harry firmly closed his eyes and forced himself to stop thinking about them. It only proved he was even more of a freak for feeling these feelings.
Hp
By midmorning the next day found Harry sitting in the living room, his favourite Quidditch book on his lap. He had taken it out of his wardrobe after he had cleaned it up a bit. But Harry wasn't reading. He was studying the ring on his finger.
It glowed in the candlelight that shone in the dark room. Snape was somewhere upstairs. Harry still couldn't believe he was married now. Married to his least favourite teacher in the world. Married to a man who would soon be on trial.
Harry sighed, glancing up when the floo flared and the stern figure of Professor McGonagall came walking gracefully out of the fireplace. She appeared surprised at seeing Harry sitting there on the couch before she said, "Now this is a pleasant surprise, Harry, to see you sitting here. Is Severus upstairs?"
Harry gave a nod and he could hear the older wizard's footsteps on the stairs before the hidden door opened behind the bookcase. Snape entered, dressed in his customary black as he scowled sharply at the Headmistress.
"Isn't it a bit early to go about visiting people, Minerva?" He snapped at her and she raised an eyebrow, looking from him to Harry.
"Severus, have you….ah….consummated the bond between the both of you? I cannot tell the difference between yours and Harry's magic."
A warning was shot towards Harry before the black clad wizard crossed his arms over his chest and said. "Do you really care to know that, Minerva?"
His former head of house paled a bit and Harry found himself laughing softly. She then recovered and threw an angry glance at Snape. "That is enough out of you, young man."
"You asked," His bond mate said smoothly, body resting back against the hidden door. A brief grimace passed over the pale face and Harry felt the pain flash briefly over him as well. He took a good look at the deepening lines in the harsh face of the man he had signed his life away to be with.
Within a few weeks Snape would be on trial and despite himself Harry wondered what would happen then. He refocused his attention as Snape said. "Absolutely not! Why would I want a dripping, snarling pup here?"
"Severus Snape Potter! Teddy Lupin is not a pup! He is a human child and Harry is his godfather. Harry hasn't seen the little one since his father died and Harry deserves to see at least one friendly face in this mess…."
"This is the brat's fault!"
"That is besides the point. Arthur and Molly Weasley have requested to see Harry since they learned of the marriage because of their son and daughter. You can use all the support you can when the trial begins. But they are not very happy at the moment. They want to discuss some things about the marriage and Molly is bringing Teddy."
"That is just what I need, another sniffling brat." Snape said but then he gestured for her to allow them through.
Suddenly Harry's inside were jittering with nervousness as he felt a strange feeling coming over him. He glanced up as he saw Snape move his hand. "It is the wards that are being breached, Potter." Snape answered at his glance. "Because you are my husband, all my properties are being shared, the same goes for you."
The floo flared and the tall, balding figure spun into view. Arthur Weasley stepped out of the fireplace, nodding at Harry before an odd expression crossed his face when he spotted Snape. He glanced around the room and Harry held his breath.
Mister Weasley was the composed one of the two Weasleys but Harry wondered how he would respond to see the man who was responsible for cursing his son's ear off. The next moment the floo flared again and Mrs Weasley, a plump, red haired woman who had a screaming infant in her arms.
The blond short haired baby was trying to pull away the blanket over his head that protected him from the fumes. Harry was on his feet as Mrs. Weasley huffed when she saw Snape. She handed the baby to Harry, who was still crying out as the tiny fists fastened themselves in Harry's shirt, Harry holding him awkwardly.
"So it is true," Mrs Weasley said before she turned to Professor McGonagall. "How could you allow Harry to go through with this, Minerva? You know what that wizard is capable off? He has murdered Albus and you allow Harry to be alone with him."
Teddy was still screaming his head off and Harry pulled the small baby towards him, an orphan just like himself. He sighed, wondering how Teddy's life was going to turn out. The blond hair faded to black and Teddy sniffed a few times, dark eyes looking up at Harry's green ones.
They weren't black like Snape's but they were dark just like Lupin's. They weren't the same golden colour of the former werewolf but a shade darker. Harry decided to sit down. He did so and pulled Teddy in his lap.
His godson looked at him with veiled curiosity and the pudgy fingers quickly grabbed Harry's own, fingering the ring on his hand. Harry felt a bit awkward. He had never seen Teddy before, only pictures of him and he wondered what he was supposed to do.
Around him the other adults ignored him and Harry felt a tug on his magic as a flash of pain past through him. He glanced up to see Snape had backed away from Mrs Weasley, who was holding a wand and one slender hand of the Potion Master was pressed against his neck, his face a tight grimace.
"If I see you touching Harry with one little finger, you traitor, you will die!"
"Molly that is enough! There is more to this story than you think," Professor McGonagall stepped in between the stiff Potion Master and the angry woman who had defeated Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Do inform me then, Minerva. You were so keen to murder him last year when he was headmaster." She turned to Harry and plucked the still crying child out of his lap, making gentle shushing noises to Teddy.
"Harry, in a desperate attempt to save Severus, linked their magic together." A heavy silence fell over the assembled crowd as Harry glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Arthur was looking at him with veiled curiosity but Mrs. Weasley was shocked.
She was holding Teddy Lupin out of habit and Harry waited silently for the verdict to fall. He wondered if they would condemn him as well. Snape was silent, hand still pressed against his neck to ward off any pain.
"Harry, you are responsible for this?" Mrs. Weasley turned to him, her voice soft and Harry could only give a nod. "But what about Ginny? She always said that you promised her after the war that you…."
"Potter is extremely good at keeping promises, such as practicing occlumency lessons." Snape sneered and it felt like a kick in the stomach. Teddy gave a loud scream, still frustrated and angry at having been forced to go through the floo.
Harry had hoped that Snape would have showed him some support but Harry could only turn his gaze away to swallow thickly. He balled his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms and that pain was the main focus.
"Severus, that will be enough. I know that this comes as quite a shock, Molly, but we all know the ministry's regulations about linked magic. Harry is bound to Severus for better or for worse but we need your support. Within a few weeks Severus will be on trial and if he is sent to Azkaban, it will be bad for Harry as well…."
"What do you need us to do?" Arthur asked, placing a hand on his wife's tense shoulder. Her angry eyes had settled upon Harry but the saviour of the Wizarding World refused to meet her eyes. He couldn't take the hate and the disgust he would surely see. Or the pity.
"We need to build a good defense. You saw the memories that Albus' death was planned between them. …"
"That didn't stop him from cursing off George's ear!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily as she bounced Teddy to keep him silent. Harry's head snapped up to hers from where he was sitting on the couch. It seemed Mrs. Weasley was blaming the both of them.
She was staring at Snape before she glared to Professor McGonagall. She was angry as well and her lips had thinned into a thin line as she said sternly. "Accusing one another is not going to work, Molly. We only have a few weeks. If you want to save Harry and keep him safe then we need to…"
"If you just had stopped the marriage then Harry would have been safe…"
"He would not be, you daft woman! Potter linked his magic to mine, thus creating a bond between us. If I end up in Azkaban, Potter will die, even without the Dementors." Snape's voice was a harsh whisper and Harry wondered how long the Weasleys would stay before they would leave just like all the others.
"But why did you do it then, Harry? You could have left him to die."
Harry swallowed as the question was directed at him and he gave the same answer he had given all the others, "I didn't know you were capable of linking magic together. Nobody ever told me…"
This earned him a snort.
"But now that the marriage has been consummated their magic will improve again." Harry had to bite his lip to prevent himself from saying that the wedding had not been consumed.
"Actually, on that note, the marriage has not been consumed." Snape's voice was soft but it filled the room with silence.
Harry looked down at the floor as Teddy gave a loud giggle and Professor McGonagall said. "You did what?"
"It is more what we didn't do in fact. I refuse to take the boy's virginity when it is not necessary."
"How do you know if it is not necessary?"
"Because if you can build a strong enough case and we present my marriage to Potter, then they will not send me to Azkaban because they will be endangering little precious Potter. I am sure the council will be swayed because of that argument." Snape crossed his arms over his chest.
Harry tilted his head as the pain passed over him. It seemed that Snape was agitated. The pain was intensifying. Teddy gave a loud cry and then he was dumped unceremoniously in Harry's lap as Molly Weasley stalked forward and said as she poked a finger in the thin chest, catching Snape off guard. "Now you listen and you listen well, I may never forgive you for what you have done to George but you are Harry's bond mate and therefore you will treat him with the respect he deserves. He saved your life and if any word reaches me about you abusing Harry, I will show you the reason all my children fear me!"
She stalked away, leaving a gaping Potions Master behind. "Now, Minerva, when can I speak to Albus' portrait? There are some things regarding Harry I wish to discuss with him."
"What things?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes.
All heads turned to him and he said, "I am not angry at Dumbledore. He has asked for my forgiveness…"
"You haven't come to terms with it yet, Potter! He sacrificed you, just as he sacrificed all others. The end doesn't justify the means. You are still numb with grief. Others have died and you have survived and you ask why? It is a question I ask myself daily. In time there will be an answer to it. I could not have survived unless you called me back but I had to grasp at the straw to keep you alive as well. We chose to return and now we pick up the pieces and move on. Soon the real, bigger world will barge in and your grief will grow beyond Teddy Lupin for what he has lost. Other people have lost things as well and we are lucky to still being able to speak to the man we blame. Trust me, the world will view my sacrifice as fitting for my actions but your sacrifice, especially when they learn you have died in fact, they will not be so pleased to learn that Dumbledore was responsible. Think about that."
Harry fell silent at the cold hatred in the voice. He wanted to flinch but found he could not. He looked back down at Teddy, the small orphan in his lap. He had never questioned anything Dumbledore had ever asked him, should he have?
It was easy to hate Snape because the older wizard had always been mean to him. Should it be as easy to hate Dumbledore simply because his means had always been wrapped up in lies? His head was aching and Harry rubbed at it.
"Like I said before, Albus didn't see Potter through so it is up to somebody else. If you wish to do it, Mrs Weasley, go right ahead. But don't criticize me on how I do my part. Besides I won't abuse him any more then his relatives have."
Another silence fell and Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. It reminded Harry of the day the wedding had been announced.
"You need to go and visit them in order to get their signature to make the wedding valid in the muggle world. Harry isn't of age yet in the muggle world." Harry felt his heart doing a weird flip. Suddenly fear was choking his throat but Teddy was gurgling in his lap, holding Harry's hand.
"Absolutely not! Can't you go and do something worth our while for a change?" The Potion Master sneered with a careful look at Harry.
Harry was too lost in his own thoughts to hear her reply. Hands gently pried Teddy away from him and the floo flared a few times. Harry realized the sitting room was empty except for Snape. He couldn't do this alone. He was damned.
Uncle Vernon would kill him on the spot. It would just show how big of a freak he was that he was now married to a professor and a male one at that. He couldn't face them. He couldn't face them alone.
He closed his eyes tightly. Fear was still choking him but then footsteps passed him from behind and for a moment a heavy, warm hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing as the dark voice said, "I will hex them when they try to touch you. They have no power over you any more, Harry, nobody does and it is time you began to realize that."
And while the hand left his shoulders, Harry was aware of the warmth that warmed his chilling heart even while he was still shivering with fear.
I hope you liked it. So please tell me if it was too much out of character or not? Review of course.
The next chapter: Harry and Snape go visit old family friends. How will Petunia react to a visitor from her long buried past? Will the neighbors need hearing aids to hear the shouts that will come from the Dursley household? That and more in the next chapter: Privet Drive.