Chapter 26
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Severus had asked Harry if he would spend the afternoon with Sebastian, as he had important errands that required his attention that day, then he was showered, dressed, and gone. Mid-afternoon found Harry curled up on one of the couches in the library, reading a story to his young charge. The current choice was from the Original Grimm's Fairy Tales. They were stopping periodically to discuss the differences between it and the Muggle version that the wizards, Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm had also written. They had read their way through that one while Harry had still been confined to bed, recovering from the kidnapping.
Narcissa came bustling into the room, robes swishing softy, as she approached Harry and Sebastian. The expression on her faces reflected a bit of confusion and exasperation, and in her hand was a small scroll.
"Harry, dear." She began, stopping next to the couch, "it seems your Godfathers are joining us for dinner this evening. Primrose has informed me the kitchen elves have already been given the menu. I am unable to obtain anymore information than that as to what is being served."
Her exasperation seemed to deepen as she sighed. If she didn't trust her house elves implicitly, she would be quite concerned. Harry and Sebastian looked up at her, their expressions utterly innocent.
"Siri and Remi visiting? Wonderful!" Harry exclaimed. "We haven't seen them in weeks !"
He looked down at Sebastian sitting in his lap and the boy nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"I like when they come visit!"
Harry's gaze returned to his adopted mother. "Did they say why? Do they have news?"
She shook her head. "No. Siri just owled to R.S.V.P. that they would be here at the arranged time. Have you spoken to Severus since this morning?"
"No. Not since breakfast. He left right after."
"Well, I'd best go find Lucius then. Maybe he has some idea of what this is all about." She turned and left.
"OK Cissa, if you find out, let me know?"
She waved the hand holding the scroll in the air, without looking back, right before she disappeared into the hall.
Harry lifted the book again, and let Sebastian turn the page, as he smiled secretly to himself, then he began to read again.
~*~*~*~*~
Sirius hugged Narcissa and kissed her cheek, then stepped back to allow Remus to do the same. "You are looking quite lovely this evening, Cousin."
"Why thank you, Sirius. I do try." Quipped Lucius with a mischievous glint in his grey eyes, as he reached up to smooth his hair, then ran a pinky over one of his eyebrows.
"Lucius! For shame!" Narcissa gasped in surprise, giving his arm a playful swat.
Lucius grinned, Remus smirked, and Sirius just rolled his eyes in amusement.
"It's good to see you too, Lucius. And yes, You are quite pretty this evening as well." Sirius deadpanned.
There was silence for only a moment before all four of them broke into laughter.
"Where is Harry? I expected to see him here to greet us." Remus asked as he looked around.
"Oh, I'm sure he will be down shortly. He and Sebastian had a very busy afternoon, and they ended up taking an impromptu kip. Then they helped get the twins fed and ready for bed. They are most likely getting ready themselves now."
"So, Severus will be joining us then?" Sirius asked.
"Actually," Lucius looked to his wife. "I'm not really certain. He has been gone all day, on personal business."
Just then, footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase. They looked up to see both Harry and Sebastian, freshly showered and dressed in robes, coming down the stairs. The two were smiling and chatting away, until they almost reached the bottom of the steps and realized they were being watched.
"Siri! Remi!" Harry jumped the last few steps and bounded into his Godfathers' arms.
He hugged each of them tightly, sharing kisses of greeting. He'd missed them so much, and they had missed him just as much. Stepping back, he allowed Sebastian to greet them. They squatted down of course, to allow the small boy to share hugs and kisses too. He'd grown quite attached to them, as they had to him.
They moved to the library for before dinner drinks. Glasses were passed around to the adults, except Harry who opted for a cup of herbal tea, and Sebastian was provided with spiced cider.
Settling comfortably in the furniture around the fireplace, everyone listened as Remus gave details of their recent business trip abroad. It seemed it had been quite a successful trip and several Were's would be receiving the assistance they needed to start businesses in Spain and France. There was another trip scheduled in a few months for Norway and Sweden. A few of the Were's had opted to relocate to the United Kingdom, so the Ministry here would be assisting them along with the foundation Remus and Sirius had started.
"How are your donations coming along?" Lucius asked. "Would you like Cissa to plan another fundraiser for the upcoming holidays again? I'm sure she'd be more than happy to do it." He smiled at his wife before leaning over to kiss her cheek.
Sirius smirked. "How could we deny her the chance to do something she enjoys so? Besides, more funds wouldn't hurt, considering how much it costs to just back one business."
Narcissa gave him a mock glare.
"Dinner will be ready soon, Mistress. Masters. Primrose is to be showing Mistress and Masters to the Observatory first."
Everyone looked at each other, a bit oddly, except maybe for Harry, who kept sipping his tea and kept his eyes down. He'd suspected--and yes, hoped--all day, what Severus may have been up to. Soon he would know, of course. He felt a tug on his robes and looked down into dark eyes.
"Hawwry, is Papa gonna be hewre soon?"
Leaning down, he caressed the soft curls. "Oh yes, I am sure we will see him soon."
After finishing their drinks, everyone followed Primrose to the Observatory, where she stopped at the doors and let them pass, then she popped back to the kitchens. Walking into the huge circular room, they looked around. Lucius and Narcissa were surprised to see the woodland setting for the previous evening's sleepover was still in evidence, though the fire pit was gone, and all the furniture had been tucked farther back amongst the trees and shrubs.
In the center of the room, the floor was now covered with a circular ceremonial tapestry rug. In the center of this sat a waist-height rectangular table, approximately four feet long and two feet deep. This was covered by a white ceremonial runner. Lighting in the room was dim along the perimeter, the majority of the brighter soft light focused on the table.
Curiosity drew them into the center of the room, and closer to the table, where they were better able to see the items arranged upon it. In the center of the table was a large wreath of ivy and baby's breath, that had been interwoven with the blossoms of Bellflower, Chrysanthemum, Crocus, White Heather, Honeysuckle, Japonica, Lavendar, Lemon Blossoms, Orange Blossoms, and Blue Violets.
In the center of the wreath sat the largest gold cauldron that any of them had ever seen. There were gasps and other small sounds of standard size of gold cauldron typically used by a potions brewer was small, only a quarter the size of this one, and those were very expensive. Walking around the table, Remus bent down to study the outside of the vessel. Pointing, he whispered to Sirius, who joined him, followed immediately by Lucius. Around the cauldron, Runes had been inscribed, by magic; Gebo for Partnership, Algiz for Protection, Fehu for Possessions, Wunjo for Joy, Raido for Journey, Berkana for Growth, Sowelu for Wholeness, Inguz for Fertility, and Ethwaz for Defense.
To either side of the wreath sat two identical white pillar candles, unlit, in simple carved wood bases. Narcissa stepped to the edge of the table and looked into the cauldron.
"Lucius, I believe you need to see this. You as well Sirius and Remus." Her voice was steady but held an undertone of excitement.
As they rounded the table to stand to either side of her, she began to slowly lift the items from inside the cauldron. The first was a heavy blown-glass decanter of meade. Handing that to Lucius, she next lifted a cloth-wrapped loaf of heavy bread. It was still warm! And it smelled heavenly. The large bundle of nutritional and medicinal herbs were also very fresh and fragrant, indicating they had to have been harvested within the last twenty-four hours.
Setting those aside, she lifted a folded bundle of deep blue fabric and a small pouch next. The pouch, she handed to Lucius, who opened it and emptied seven new gold Galleons into his palm, while she unfolded the fabric bundle. It immediately returned to it's true size, revealing that it was a very finely made heavy cloak. Holding it up, they could all see the same runes from the cauldron woven into the brocade with thread the same color as the cloak. Folding it carefully, she laid it on the table with the other items, before turning to see Sirius reach into the cauldron and pull out the final item; a scroll tied and sealed with wax bearing the seal of another Ancient Pureblood House.
They all gathered around him, Lucius closest, at Sirius' shoulder, as the scroll was opened and the formal words inside read. During all of this, Harry and Sebastian had hung back, watching from where they sat, on a nearby hassock. The others hadn't seemed to notice their absence.
"What's happenin' Hawwry? What is all that stuff on the table? It looks really 'portant." Sebastian asked, from where he was perched on Harry's lap.
"I'm not really sure. Let's just watch. We should know soon. They seem to understand it all."
" 'Kay." Trusting Harry, he turned back around and both continued to watch silently.
Lucius and Sirius spoke quietly as Narcissa and Remus looked on, nodding whenever they heard something they agreed with. Finally, they turned to face the front of the table again, Lucius and Sirius side-by-side, with the other two standing to either side of them.
"Who comes, seeking to court our son, Haralde James Lucien Abraxus Potter-Malfoy, by the customs of the Founders?" Lucius voice was firm, formal; addressing the room.
"I, as one of his Godfathers, and on behalf of my mate, ask the same." Sirius spoke, his tone much the same.
Narcissa and Remus, though silent, held a bearing that stated they demanded the same answers. They all remained where they were, waiting patiently. Harry sat, his arms wrapped tightly around Sebastian, not even realizing how tense his body was, until Sebastian squirmed a bit to get more comfortable. Slowly a figure emerged from the shadow of the trees, walking quietly, formally, his arms at his sides, toward the table, then stopped on the other side of the table, a few feet from it's edge, facing them over it.
Harry bit his lip and hugged Sebastian to stall the boy's excited squirming. Sebastian knew better than to speak, but an excited gasp still escaped his lips, and Harry dropped his head so the smile tugging at his lips wouldn't be seen. When he'd contained it, he looked up again and waited in anticipation.
Though this had been suspected, actually seeing Severus standing there, still took them all back a bit. As was befitting the customs of the Ancient Families, and in a show of respect, the Potions Master was not dressed in his favored black, but in the deep blue jewel-toned robes of the House of Prince, ancient scripts woven into the patterns of the heavy robes. Floor-length, and long of sleeve, with a fitted high collar, they accentuated Severus' slender build and made him appear even taller, and elegant. A white silk under robe peaked out from the front folds of the over robe. Around his neck he wore a silver chain, bearing the pendant enscribed with the Prince Family Crest. His hair was brushed smooth, and worn loose down his back. Plain leather boots would be adorning his feet, and he would be 'traditional' under his robes, as custom dictated. There were no other visible adornments upon his body.
"I, Lord Severus Sebastian Tobias Snape-Prince, come to formally seek the blessings of the family of my desired intended, as is dictated by the customs of the Ancient Pureblood Families and of the Founders."
Severus slowly pulled back the deep sleeves of the over robe, then unbuttoned the fitted sleeves of the under robe, turning his arms up and toward the others, showing he was unarmed, the Dark Mark visible only as a faded silvery scar on his forearm. Then, dropping to one knee, he bowed his head slightly and continued.
"I come in peace, unarmed, into your home. I request an audience that I may show my worthiness, and the benefits to my desired intended and to both our families, as a result of courting and eventually, bonding, with your son--and Godson, Haralde James Lucien Abraxus Potter-Malfoy. This request I make to you, Lord and Lady Malfoy, of the Most Ancient and Honorable House of Malfoy, and to you, the Lords Lupin-Black, of the Most Ancient and Honorable House of Black, and as Representatives in Absentia for the Lord and Lady Potter, of the Most Ancient and Honorable House of Potter."
Harry's chest tightened and a lump formed in his throat, at the mention of his birth parents. He hadn't known that Sirius and Remus had been designated their Representatives-in-Absentia. He thought of his parents and seeing them at the adoption ceremony. Would they be pleased with Severus, and his intentions? He looked at the dark bowed head, and remembered the night before, when those long silken strands had all but been wound around him, as Severus had made sweet love to him. Oh, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man. He was sure of it.
"Stand, Lord Snape-Prince."
Severus stood, in one fluid motion, covering his arms again, buttoning his undersleeves then covering his arms with the deep sleeves of the over robe again. He waited, hands clasped behind his back, watching the others from below lowered lids. They stood in a small group, speaking quietly amongst themselves. His gaze slid quickly to where Harry and his son sat together. They looked so good--so natural, like that; like family.
Memories of all the times he'd watched them together flicked through his mind, and then he thought of holding Harry in his arms. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could still feel him there, skin against skin. His heart swelled with love even as his pulsesuddenl raced with nervousness. This moment was so important. His gaze came back to the others just as Lucius cleared his throat.
"Are you prepared to answer our questions, Lord Snape-Prince?" He asked.
"I am."
TBC...
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Two identical white pillar candles to sit next to each other in front of the cauldron.
Runes carved into golden cauldron: (these would have been etched into the cauldron, with a spell, by Sev himself)
Gebo - partnership
Algiz - protection
Fehu - possessions
Wunjo - joy
Raido - journey
Berkana - growth
Sowelu - wholeness
Inguz - fertility
Ethwaz - defense
Other items contained withing the cauldron:
* bottle of meade
* loaf of bread
* bundle of herbs - both medicinal and nutritional
* small pouch containing seven Galleons
* finely crafted warm outer cloak, Shrunken and folded to fit into the cauldron.
(the runes would be woven into the cloak)
* scroll of proposal of courtship and bonding
A separate wreath, which the cauldron will sit in the center of:
*BABY'S BREATH - Innocence, Pure of Heart
BLUEBELL/BELL FLOWER - Humility, Constancy, Gratitude
CHRYSANTHEMUM (WHITE) - Truth
CROCUS - Cheerfulness, Abuse not, Gladness
HEATHER (WHITE) - Protection, Wishes Will Come True
*HONEYSUCKLE - The Bond of Love
*IVY - Wedded Love, Fidelity, Friendship, Affection
*JAPONICA - Sincerity, Symbol of Love
LAVENDER - Love, Devotion
LEMON BLOSSOM - Fidelity in Love; I Promise to be True
*ORANGE BLOSSOM - Innocence, Eternal Love, Marriage and Fruitfulness
VIOLET (BLUE) - Watchfulness, Faithfulness, I'll Always Be True
The wreath is of ivy and baby's breath, with one or two of each of the other flowers/plants worked in at intervals.