A/N: This chapter has POV's from several characters and I tried to separate them for easy reading. I hope I don't confuse anyone. Sorry this chapter took so long, been crazy busy and also worked on a one-shot . I'll be finishing this story up. I'm trying to finish in 10 chapters, but it may go further. Love to hear what you think so far, and any ideas you might have. Thanks for reading and here's the next chapter!

Chapter 5

"Its been two days, surely you can tell me something!" Lizzy grits out between clenched teeth.

"He's healing. Magic has a way of healing itself, especially if it's been denied what it truly wants. What's happened to Harry is all the proof I need to know that that statement is true. When magic is ready it will wake him up. This was a nasty attack, I can only guess that Harry's magic is not happy with him and is trying to show him that, but with the appearance of the Panther on his chest, I'm afraid I'm at a loss to what it means just yet. I'll investigate it further and hopefully between the two of us we'll figure this out before it's too late. Right now, he needs all the rest he can get. You know what needs to be done if he wakes and his magic is sporadic. Use the spells I taught you. I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do right now, just be patient and be here for him when he does wake up. It could be any day now." Healer Morgan stated as she was packing her bag and leaving the usual potions on the night stand. "Say hello to little Jackson for me and floo me as soon as there are any changes in his condition."

Lizzy nodded, said her goodbyes before moving to the bed where Harry lay sleeping. Interlocking their fingers together and moving his hair away from his forehead, she leans down to whisper in his ear, "Wake up, Harry. We need you, sweetie. Jackson misses you. Please Harry. I hope you can hear me, please wake up."

Later that same day found Lizzy in the kitchen having tea at the center island and sifting through her notes on male pregnancies and strange magical ailments and conditions. Harry and herself accumulated quite a bit of information on these subjects over the years and what happened today with the appearance of the mark definitely fell into one of these categories. When she first met Harry, it was at a magical bookstore. He was sifting through tons of books on magical ailments and male pregnancies and her curiosity got the best of her. They hit it off right away, and they began to research together although she didn't understand the extent of Harry's need, but her patience won out and he eventually confided in her. To say she was shocked to learn he was with child would be an understatement. Everyone magical knows that male pregnancies are special and rare and only magic itself can create life in a male if it sees fit t. But no one knows what the actual requirements are because there haven't been any male pregnancies since the time of Merlin. What made Harry different? One thing they did learn, the hard way, is that a great deal of magic is needed to sustain a male pregnancy. To not only protect the carrier but also the fetus and Harry is a very powerful wizard, more powerful than he lets on, but even powerful wizards have their limits.

Dammit! What the bloody hell is going on here?! There must be something in all this mess to explain what's happening to Harry! Please, let there be something in here. She pleaded silently to any deity that would listen while continuing her frantic search through endless books and parchment.

She was scared, scared tremendously of the new mark on Harry's chest because she doesn't know what it means for her friend. Harry is her family and she can't fathom her life without him and Jackson. And now the mark is evolving, when it first appeared it was just an outline of a small panther, which seemed to move on its own, well just the tail so far, but that's not the only strange occurrence; now it's coloring itself in! You can definitely see that it's a small black panther with beautiful, bright emerald eyes. She's heard of magical tattoos. Tattoos infused with magic to allow them to move about the body, but this is creating itself. This means something important, so important that Magic is calling all the shots here. Please, let me find something…anything!

She was brought out of her musings when little Jackson asked, "Lizzy? Can we see daddy now?", looking up at her with his sad green eyes and holding his favorite dragon blanket. The same blanket Harry wrapped him in when he was born.

Standing up, Liz approached the small child, "Sure, honey. Come along, let's go see your dad" Grabbing him by the shoulders and waking him to the safe room.

When they entered the room, Jackson ran to the bed and climbed up, crawling forward to put his tiny hand on Harry's face, "Daddy, I here now. I'm gonna take care of you, kay? You just get better, okay, and I'll be right here when you wake up. I love you so much daddy and don't worry about anything. You 'posed to sleep, so you sleep, and I'll be right here, kay?" Then he bent down and placed a wet kiss on his cheek before snuggling into the side of Harry's chest and with his tiny hand, he rubbed his dad's stomach before putting his thumb in his mouth, closing his eyes, and falling asleep.

Lizzy watched the encounter with tears in her eyes. Harry just had to be all right, for Jackson's sake. They've been through so much together and they deserve to have some normalcy in their lives. This move to Salem is supposed to be just that. A life away from Britain and Harry's past life. At first, she agreed with Harry when he mentioned moving to the States, to his summer house in Salem, to basically start a 'new life' without glamour's and lies. But now, with what happened to Harry since meeting Severus in Diagon Alley, she's beginning to rethink her decision. There is something going on here, more than her or Harry understand and it's frightening her. She cannot lose her best friend and Jackson cannot lose his dad. When her friend wakes up, they need to have a serious talk. Tucking Jackson under the blanket, she kissed his forehead before turning and quietly closing the door behind her.

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Minerva is on a mission. A mission of discovery and she knows it will not be easy. Albus Dumbledore, late Headmaster of Hogwarts, was a frustrating man when he was alive, and an even more frustrating man as a portrait in the Headmasters office. Sometimes, Minerva thinks he infused too much of himself into his portrait, for he knows too much, and he behaves too similar to the real man. Sighing, it must be done, but it's not like taking a walk in the park. Her no-nonsense attitude will be an asset for this conversation, she hopes, because she needs to know what's going on with Severus and if it will affect the school in any way.

Rounding the corner to the gargoyle, she doesn't even have to say the password and he moves out of the way. She enters her office to find all the portraits awake and watching her, but she only has eyes for her friend, Albus. "Albus." She states as she takes out her wand and waves it at the portrait. Then rounding her desk, she pulls out her chair and turns it to face the late Headmaster and sits down.

"Minerva, what's the meaning of this?" he asks her, realizing that she has blocked his exit from his frame. Sighing, "Is Severus alright?" Concern evident on his face.

"He will be according to Poppy. I need answers, Albus, and you know them. What is happening to Severus? I know you know so don't play coy. His magic is sporadic, and he now has a magical tattoo on his chest; of a bear. He is sleeping now, but Poppy doesn't expect him to wake for a couple of days. Is this related in any way to the conversation we had in this office earlier today? Did what happened between Severus and Harry and his encounter in the Alley today have anything to do with Severus' magical outburst?" Sitting back in her chair, she looked to her friend for his response. Noticing his faraway look, she settled in for some kind of story only Albus could tell.

"I knew there was something happening with Harry and Severus, but I didn't realize the extent of their feelings at first. I would see them walking together or training together and it looked as if they were finally getting past their animosity toward one another. Who was I to get in the way when the outcome would be for both Harry and Severus to live." Looking around the office and stopping at the perch where his phoenix would stand, he took a long deep breath, and continued. "At the beginning of the year, I told Severus to train Mister Potter in combat dueling. I basically gave him no option. It was either train Mister Potter or he would not be allowed to stay at Hogwarts any longer. It was an empty threat, mind you, but it did the job. Needless to say, Severus was highly upset at me and we didn't speak for weeks after. I had hoped that someday he would forgive me and talk to me again."

Looking sad at the memory, "As the year progressed, I saw that they were not at each other's throats any longer and the disrespect and hatred was lacking from both of them. I was extremely happy with myself, but I only thought they were at most friends…I never expected them to be lovers."

Now looking at Minerva with his sparkling blue eyes and sullen face, he decided to tell her the one thing he thought he would never repeat…to anyone, for he knew that it was his fault what happened between his professor and the man he considered a grandson.

"Spit it out, old man! What did you do?" she said with just a little annoyance to be construed with contempt.

Deciding not to look at his friend's eyes while telling his tale, he looked over at the perch again and stoked his beard before starting. "I knew they were bonded, magically, but I insisted that Severus break ties with him until after the war. Don't Minerva…" he said, putting up a hand before she could interrupt him, and she would have he knew. "I realized quite quick that they didn't know they were bonded and figured it wouldn't hurt either one, so I convinced Severus that Harry was ready, that he knew enough to survive. Severus had a job to do, he needed to stay in Voldemort's good graces and gather information for us, and to Harrys benefit that worked. Severus severed ties with the boy and continued to bring me information, good enough intel that you were ready when Voldemort attacked. I wish I were there to witness the final battle, to see Tom defeated." He ended that statement with such sorrow that Minerva started to feel pity towards her mentor.

She remembered that day when Albus died, it was during a small attack on the school. The Death Eaters wanted to gauge the protection wards on the school, so they set up a small ambush on some students skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Albus was one of the first ones there and so engrossed in a duel with McNair and Goyle that he didn't see the large snake coming at him from behind. It didn't take much, just a bite to the leg and a few days later he was gone. It was a sad day for the Light, but a victorious day for the Dark. She can still remember the look in Harry's eyes during the funeral and his determination that this war end quickly. Thinking back on it now, she can remember how Severus had almost the same determination and drive to end Voldemort. It truly was a turning point in the effort from Harry and he wasn't to be deterred. He was already distancing himself from his friends, to which they tried very hard to stay by his side even if it was just moral support they offered. He would disappear for days on end and come back looking confident, looking stronger and committed to his destiny. He was brave, so brave in his drive and powerful, so powerful for a young wizard that she began to really feel sorry for anyone who got in his way. Voldemort didn't stand a chance and she only hoped she would be alive to see it come to fruition.

"What?" she barked out in her Scottish rogue. "Bonded?" What in blazes are you talking about? And don't play games with me, tell me now, Albus! I'm very worried what this will mean for Severus!" She demanded standing up from her chair and pacing the office.

"Sit down, Minerva. I will explain." Sitting back in his own chair, he picked up his tea cup and took a sip. "The map in the sitting room is how I found out about their love affair. One day I was sitting by the fire reading a book and the map flared a bright golden yellow and started to pulsate like a beating heart. I had never seen or heard of that ever happening before, so of course I was frantic with worry about its meaning, but the castle wasn't talking to me, so I knew no one was in danger. I approached the map and located the source, a small clearing in the Forbidden Forest and I placed my finger on the spot. The castle whispered "Severus and Harry Snape" into my mind and I knew then that they were bonded, just not how they were bonded. I asked Hogwarts what happened outside in the clearing and she told me 'Severus Snape and Harry Potter have soul and magically bonded for all eternity, a bond so rare that we must protect them at all costs'. I was stunned to say the least and sat where I stood in disbelief.

"A professor and a student engaging in a sexual affair is not allowed and Severus could have gone to Azkaban for it. Even though Harry was of age, he was still a student, so I needed to keep this quiet and figure out my next step. The following week I spent observing the two, and I have to say they pulled it off splendidly. I would have never known it if it wasn't for the map and Hogwarts, who by the way approved of the bonding. She kept whispering to me about protection and how special it was and how happy she was that it happened here on her grounds." He chuckled at the memory of her many invasions into his head. "She was not happy when I decided to talk to Severus about breaking it off until after the war. She berated me quite a bit, but I insisted it was for their protection, for their survival and eventually she stopped her whispering. Lady Hogwarts never whispered to me again after that. I suppose she felt that was my punishment for what I did to them. Not long after that, there was the attack on the school and I was bitten by that snake. I guess you could say that it was karma that I was bitten." He sniggered, again getting lost in thought.

"Albus, please, stay with me. What is it doing to Severus? And is it doing the same thing to Mister Potter?"

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It is still dark, but Harry is not paying much attention to his surroundings. The Golden Beam makes an appearance every now and then, but never long enough in Harry's opinion. He misses the warmth of the Beam, the feeling of contentment it provides and wishes he would either wake up now or be engulfed in the beam forever. Although the latter would take him away from his boy and he would miss Jackson too much to willingly leave him.

Looking around the darkness, Harry notices the dark is fading. His surroundings are morphing into a scene from his memory. A clearing in the forbidden Forest that he and his lover would frequent. It was Severus' secret place, a place he would go to think through problems or to just get away from the stress of the war. The first time he brought Harry here, he was recovering from many bouts of the Crutiatus Curse and needed the serenity and peace that the forest clearing provided. Bringing Harry here just solidified the need Severus felt for Harry and the trust he held in the boy. Harry was overwhelmed by the jester and reveled in the love and trust showered on him by Severus.

The clearing is a beautiful field that is surrounded by the many trees and bushes indigenous to any forest with a mix of flowers, moss, and anything prickly added in. The clearing itself is a beautiful glade of green grass, plush to look at and soft and pliable to touch. In the center is a bench that Severus conjured for gazing at the sky or the stars, it's stone, like a Greek bench, with runes along the top and little lilies growing around each leg. The smell of the clearing is always the same, no matter what's happening with the weather, fresh cut grass with a hint of cinnamon. Harry loved that smell, it smelled of home, of peace, of his Severus.

Looking around the place, Harry thought he saw someone on the far end of the field but got distracted when the beam pulsed next to him, drawing his attention back to it. It was then that he realized he could smell the beautiful scent of the clearing and he could feel the breeze touch his skin. The Golden Beam started dancing in the center of the glade, its tendrils swaying around its sides while it jumped and danced around the bench. It made him giggle to watch it dancing around not seeming to care what it looked like to anyone else. Then, suddenly it stopped, and shot toward Harry, hitting him in the chest hard and Harry fell back, landing on his bum and collapsing completely overstimulated by the Beam. The thought 'this is it, I'm going to die now' crossed his mind but before he could finish that thought he became immersed in a memory…

A memory that he soon realized wasn't a normal memory. Instead of it being solely from his point of view, he found that he could feel all his emotions and hear all his own thoughts tied to this memory, and he can feel Severus' emotions and he can hear what Severus was thinking too. Finally getting his bearings straight, Harry notices a beautiful brown-haired man dressed in a fine black suit with a grey vest and a pocket watch attached to a gold chain coming toward him. The closer the man drew to him the more Harry realized he had a faint golden glow about him. The man motioned for Harry to follow him. Looking around the clearing seeing if maybe he could escape somewhere, he spots something on the other side of the clearing again. This time he can make out that it's a person but not who or what gender. There's also a slight golden glow to the side of the figure and Harry squints to see better but not succeeding. Finally, the golden man captures Harrys attention again and motions him to follow and Harry does so, slowly, and cautiously until he was positioned where he can see the whole scene unobtrusively. However, the figure on the other side is nowhere to be seen. Looking nervously at the golden man, Harry begins to open his mouth to say something, but the golden man puts up his hand to stop him and points at the scene.

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Severus is confused. He is walking in a forest, one he doesn't recognize, and he has no idea where he's going, but something is nagging at the back of his mind to keep going forward, to keep to the path before him and he would see. So, for what feels like days, he is walking the beaten path until he finally spots a bush of lilies and then another bush and then another. Wait, he recognises this place, and his heart starts to beat, flutter, and he begins to trot. Seeing more lilies, he starts to run, anticipation and excitement running through is blood.

Suddenly, there's a man before him, and he slides to a stop, out of breath and sweaty. The man is dressed in a pristine white suit with a white vest and an emerald tie. He's sporting what looks like a straw white hat with a ribbon of emerald around the base and he has a golden glow about him. He smiles a huge smile with pearly white teeth at Severus and motions him forward. Severus is weary, however he also feels safety somehow, so he follows the man into a clearing that he immediately recognises.

He can't believe what he's seeing. It's his place in the Forbidden Forest. Am I dreaming still? He surveys the clearing and notes that it looks exactly like he remembers, even down to the smells. The golden man draws him further into the clearing and around a large tree, so he is positioned on the edge of the field but in view of the bench in the center. That's when he sees that there's someone else in the clearing with him, on the other side, far enough away that he can't make out who it is, but he can see that there is a golden glow about the area and he starts to move forward when the glowing man next to him stops him with a jolt.

"What the hell? What's going on here and why are we here in this place?" Severus demands and that's when, from the other side of the clearing, the golden glow explodes into a bright flash of golden light. Then all goes dark.

Severus turns from the man to the explosion and back to the glowing man again, readying himself to yell 'what the fuck', only to see him smiling at him without his pearly whites. He poked him in the chest with his finger. From the spot of contact, Severus could feel a tingling sensation that started to move down his body and out his extremities, and he couldn't stay standing any longer. He fell to his knees and looked at the man with a question on his lips, 'now you kill me?' but he never delivered it because he fell back and into a long-lost memory.

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It was a sunny day and the sounds of the forest were soothing to the two men sitting on a picnic blanket eating lunch. This was Severus' idea, the picnic, he needed to escape the Headmaster for a while and the need to be alone with Harry was burning inside him. He packed the lunch and at the first opportunity ushered Harry out of his secret back door to their spot, as he called it now.

The real Severus is shocked to see the memory he's viewing, but it doesn't feel like anything he's experienced before. Here he can hear and feel what both parties in the memory are, and its quite unnerving. Looking to his left, he spots the glowing man in white who directs him back to the scene in front of him.

At the same time, the real Harry stood stunned at the scene unfolding before him. He can remember this day! They made love all afternoon that day, but why is he reliving this particular memory?

"How has your day been so far, Harry?" he asked while sipping his iced tea.

"Good, Hermione's on my arse about studying, but I just don't have the same drive she does. I mean, I know I must study but I have other priorities. I wish she would understand that sometimes." Harry said with a frown.

"She's just looking out for your future, Harry. For when this war is over, and you need to live your life as a normal man and not as the-boy-Who-Lived." He said while he put his tea down and plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth. Severus took the opportunity to take in all Harry's features, his bright green eyes surrounded by long and full lashes, his porcelain angelic face partly covered with the beginnings of stubble. And then his luscious lips, lips he so dearly wanted to taste. "Thanks for coming out with me today, Harry." He said instead because he wanted to ravish his Harry immensely.

"You're welcome, Severus. I would go anywhere with you, you know that. And I've missed you so much these past few days we haven't been together." Harry reached over and cupped the older man's face. "I think I need this lunch as much as you do." Leaning over and kissing Severus softly with just a hint of tongue to tease him a bit.

"Mm…" the lunch all but forgotten when Severus took Harry's face in his large fingers and kissed him soundly. Both ending it when the need for air was too much. "Merlin Harry, I could just eat you for lunch." He whispered over Harrys lips while he tried desperately to calm his body. The urge to take him was strong, he loved making love to Harry.

"Please…. I'm only hungry for one thing right now, Sev, and it's not the food." Harry panted. His whole body was tingling, and all his blood was rushing south. He leaned in again and licked the older man's lips seductively before covering them with his own.

Harry relished in the feelings he had for this man. He knew that there would be no one else for him for as long as he breathed. Sometimes when he thought hard on how he felt. The emotions would become too much and spill out in uncontrollable tears, uncontrollable tremors, and his face would turn all shades of pink, flush with the emotions he couldn't control. Even his magic would flare up when he thought about how much he loved Severus, how much he needed this man, how much he depended on him, how much this man has changed his life. Oh, he is going to survive this war, and not for himself but for Severus. He intends to kill that bastard and free his lover from his enslavement and he is going to show him love every day because this man deserves that and more. 'I love you so much…so much it consumes me…so much it rules me…so much I would lay down my life for you, my soul for you, Severus…My Sev….' Harry thought as his lover took him explosively and lovingly. 'Sev…God Sev...love you so much…'

As the real Harry and the real Severus watch from opposite ends of the clearing, they relive the memory of them making love and listened to the thoughts emanating from the memory Harry. They watch as a fine gold thread made its way from Harry's heart and, still attached to Harry, held itself above the couple and hovered…

"Harry…" Severus whispered in his ear, tracing it with his tongue. His hands moving down Harry's chest and around to his back where he rubbed and moaned "Harry… love you…"

Their love making continued all afternoon and it was sweet and tender at times and rough and hard at other times. Their moans, pleas, skin hitting skin, and roaring climaxes were all the forest creatures heard from the two men, as they forgot about the war and everything outside the two of them at that moment. Severus' need for Harry was dangerous, empowering, encompassing, so fulfilling, and so full of love. So much love coming from a man that never knew the love of another besides his mother, so much love from a man who has so many barriers up all the time to keep the Dark Lord and the Headmaster out of his mind, and so much love for Harry, from a man who wrote himself off as a casualty of war, who didn't think past the war because he knew he would perish before it ended.

"I love you so much…so much it consumes me…so much it rules me…so much I would lay down my life for you, my soul for you, Harry…My Har…." Severus whispered this mantra over and over to Harry. Wanting him to understand his intent, his desire that above all things. Severus loved Harry more than life itself. Looking Harry in the eyes with his soft black orbs, Severus gently kisses those lips before they both came so hard they saw stars and a flash of bright white before passing out.

The real Harry and Severus watch as Severus' mantra echoes through the space of the memory and the two men climax so hard they pass out in each other's arms. A golden thread emerges from Severus' chest and floats upward toward the waiting strand from Harry. The two dark-haired men watch in fascination as the two threads intertwine with each other and become one beautiful golden thread before turning downward and sprouting vines of golden light. The vines pulse with energy and spread out over the two sleeping men, unaware that their magic has joined, covering them both completely with warmth and security. The pulsating magic starts out low and slow, but soon the two men are one continuous golden ball of energy and the men inside are unaware as both are having the same dream of peace, love, and of being home. Then the ball of golden magic disappears into the unknowing men and the two witnessing men are looking on them in disbelief.

"What the fuck? Is this why? Why my magic acts crazy and the pregnancy….?" Harry asks the gentleman in the black suit. Demanding an answer, Harry furiously runs toward the man… the thing… intent on extracting his answer, but before Harry could touch him, the man smiled and pointed his finger at Harry and winked, then vanished into several tiny golden specks before taking the shape of a panther. Eyeing Harry with its emerald green eyes it barged forward and slammed into Harry encasing his whole body with warmth and love and security.

"It's time Harry…. we've waited long enough…" floated through the air and with one last pulse of magic, it vanished.

Severus couldn't believe his eyes. He just stood there and gaped at the scene. He is bonded to Harry! Him and Harry are magically married?! They've been bonded since this day?! "What! Why didn't we know, why didn't I know?!" Turning in circles, running a hand through his long hair, trying to keep his breathing under control he stops when the glow from the man in the white suit catches his eye. "This is what you needed to show me?" Then whipping his head in the direction of the opposite side of the clearing, "That was Harry on the other side, he didn't know either! Am I right!? I am right, I can feel it, are you going to answer me, dammit!" but the man just stared, "Bloody hell!" he screamed. This cannot be happening. I've got to find Harry, fast.

The man watched as Severus made up his mind and smiled a knowing smile. His jog is finished here, and he began to dissolved into a swarm of orbs and encircled Severus in a wide circle, almost dancing in delight. Eventually, it began to evolve, to shape itself into something, something that Severus understood immediately. A bear, and Severus knew it was a female bear for that is Harry's Animagus form. Letting out a pained cry and not caring about the tears rolling down his cheeks, he bowed his head to the bear before transforming into his own Animagus, a black panther with bright green eyes.

-Lovetoreadseverusdotcom