A/N: If you guys can't tell yet, Halloween is my favorite holiday, so yeah. Let's get into it!

-Xenia

Chapter 28: All Hallows Eve

As soon as Harry had the information he needed from Slughorn, he was Informing his mate, and then reluctantly the Headmaster. Dumbledore had looked to be so proud, but that didn't matter to Harry. What made his heart flip was the fact that his mate also looked pleased to know what had gone on.

Severus was of course proud of his mate. The teen hardly needed help to get the information. But what made his day was the fact that Harry had put some sense into the old wizards head. Of course Horace would never fully change, but it would have been a harsh wake up call to have an influential person like Harry speak down on his past actions.

For Harry, he was just glad that this part was most of the way over. He still needed to find whatever was used to create the soul vessels, but now he had a bit more time on his hands.

He had a reason to believe that his connection to Voldemort was more than just coincidental, and thus he and Hermione spent more days in the library to figure it out.

Of all his friends, she and Neville were the only ones to know everything he knew, and it took a massive weight off of his shoulders to share his burden.

They split their areas of study into three main sections. The first was to confirm or deny the validity of there being seven horcruxes. Because the connection was an open one, Harry could not test each and every theory they came up with until one worked, as it risked him being found out by old Voldie. Was Harry a Horcrux vessel?

Secondly, was there any medicinal or magical way to lessen or break down the bit of soul within him? If they could do that, then perhaps Harry wouldn't have to use anything like the basilisk fang from second year to get rid of the one within him.

Thirdly, would Harry have to track each horcrux down in person, or could he use his connection to the Dark Lord to systematically deconstruct each horcrux before the mad man could get his hands on them all?

They knew time was partially against them, but Voldemort was weak and did not trust his goons as much as he led them to believe. Half of them likely had no idea about what horcruxes were, or where Voldemort's were kept, as a way to deter others from attempting to usurp him by way of immortality as well.

Harry and his two closest friends knew for a fact that the soul could only be split into seven sections without forcing the body to malfunction. Voldemort was past that point of no return, so perhaps he had cut himself dow to eight pieces of soul, and only seven were detached from his body. It would make enough sense. Anything more than nine and the teens felt the snake wouldn't have been able to come back with a physical body at all.

They hadn't come up with much in the beginning, besides figuring out the cap on the amount of horcruxes one could make and still function. They knew the magic was one of the darkest arts, and that it was formed by murdering innocents. They knew Harry had a connection that allowed him to see into the others mind and memories. And that the connection has almost gone as far as possession in their fifth year.

Harry had already been working on his papers on medical runes, and the trio knew they'd need as much help as they could magically get. Neville had brought up finding the basis of the dark mark and working from there. Since Harry and his mate had a forced bond with Voldemort then perhaps they were linked in some way that could help Harry.

At the end of that first day, they left the library wing with more questions than answers.

The next few days carried on in the same way, only they began to use the Room of Requirement to have more privacy and to test their theories.

Severus had only been up to help once, as the three Ravems inspected his dark mark. Ms. Granger had found a small runic switch that connected to his core just above the skull. She wrote down her observations while Mr. Longbottom attempted to see if the state of his skin was more of an infected type or simply a healed wound like what you might expect from a tattoo.

The boy said nothing as he too began to write manically, leaving Severus to raise a brow in their direction.

Harry smiled at his mate, and explained what they were doing in more detail before he lead his mate to a nicely cushioned wingback chair. Once Severus sat, Harry kneeled beside him at arm level, and looked at the tattoo.

Being this close he could hear a small buzzing hiss, one that he hadn't heard before in all his time near the man. It was a hiss that even Severus had not heard, despite living with it for 20 years. So taking a chance, he opened his mouth and hissed back.

The snake on his mates skin startled, as if it were unused to being called directly. By this time Hermione and Neville had finished taking their notes and were actively notating everything Harry did.

They noticed that the longer Harry spoke to the snake, the more his eyes clouded, and after several minutes, his scar began to bleed.

For Harry, it was getting harder to concentrate. The more he listened to the snakes constant spell work, the more he felt himself drift away.

Severus was in a similar state, only pain was the main component on his side.

The two mates pushed through, as Harry began to translate the spells from parseltongue to latin, and Severus leached the pain from his mate, taking on more than he probably should have.

The two other teens in the room watched on in horror, scrambling to write down every word Harry spoke. They could see the two struggling to stay conscious, but both men were stubborn.

The hybrid teen had fallen quite literally onto a large open expanse, filled with an almost spider web like substance. As he translated the spells, he noticed that each had a corresponding string of web. He watched as the sequence finally ended, only to cycle back to the beginning again. He repeated the translation once more, but watched each string light up until he felt he had a good enough memory of the pattern.

Harry finished the translation abruptly, making sure to shut down the phantom link between himself and the dark mark before releasing his mates wrist and unexpectedly falling towards the floor in a dead faint.

Snape was right behind his mate, only having enough strength to pull his mate away from hitting his head on the floor, and with that momentum, into his lap before joining the hybrid.

Neville looked around the room, noting that throughout Harry's chanting of the spell, several objects had blackened and the magic surrounding them had withered away.

He added 'Possible magic leaching spell??' to his notes.

Hermione, made sure that the two dragons were still healthy, before re-enervating them both. Professor Snape would likely ache all over as if he had been hit with several crucio's and Harry would more than likely feel like his head had been split open and rooted around in. She was not wrong, but after a few potions the two were able to hide any other ailments and get through the rest of the day.

From that day forward, Severus had become more involved in their research, but so far nothing as practical as that day had happened again.

They still had the rune to inspect, and the spells to look up. And it was only a few days before Halloween. In order to not draw any unwanted attention, the group took a break from their constant research for the holiday.

HPSSHPSSHPSS

On Halloween day, Harry woke up at 5 like he was used to. He was happy that they'd taken a hiatus from the library and RoR, as he felt much better today.

With a new energy flowing through him, he checked his mental shields, and got undressed for a shower. He knew what he was going to wear today, since he and Severus were going out to finally have their engagement recognized. It was a big day, especially when the two were planning to visit his parents and godfathers graves afterwards.

Then once they got back the teen would hang out with his friends for a bit until it was time to change into their costumes for the ball.

All of this was running through his head as he lathered his hair with shampoo, trying desperately to detangle his chest length locks. He was almost tempted to get a hair cut, but as always, he pushed through and instead used a charm to detangle it.

Once his body and hair was all clean, he brushed his teeth, combed his hair and took a fortifying breath before he got dressed.

He was wearing a deep green long sleeved sweater today, the tight top showing the fact that his body was indeed half male half female. He wore it tucked slightly into a black pencil skirt, with thick white knee high socks, and a pair of black trainers. His underwear was all black as well, the lace of the bra showing where the sweater slipped off his shoulder.

He wasn't worried about being uncomfortable in his clothes. It was all fairly comfortable and covered him well anyway. No what made him apprehensive, was wanting to explore more makeup. He had stuck to neutral colors and translucent glosses so far, but today he wanted some color.

Picking up a red lipstick he took another breath before applying it. Over it he used a clear lip gloss that had small flecks of glitter in it. It didn't look bad, and while he was still a bit scared to mess up, he immediately went for the eyebrow pencil next, keeping it light since his natural brows were already fairly dark.

After that was done, he added a blush to his cheeks and some mascara. The second to final thing on his list was eyeshadow, and he picked up a small colorful palette and chose the darkest green. He used a bit to line around his eyes before taking a lighter green and placing it on his eye lids. Next was the black shadow, which he put in the outer corner of his eye. Finally he put on some eyeliner, trying for a subtle wing, and actually succeeding for once.

It was a mix of bright flashy color that could only really be seen when he blinked, and darker tones that brought out the color of his eyes. Placing a charm over his makeup to set and preserve the look, he smiled at himself in the mirror.

Throwing on an outer cloak, he was ready to meet his mate.

Taking the Marauders map out of his trunk, the teen made his quiet way down to his mates quarters. He wasted no time in opening the mans door, as the wards allowed him in without protest. He called to the man, but hadn't even fully taken his cloak off for the moment before his attention was caught by his mate.

"Good morning darling." Was the first thing Harry heard after announcing his entrance. The teen came to a complete stop after hearing this, and the soft snick of the door closing was the only sound in the room for a moment.

The sound of shoes tapping on the stone floor was all the warning Harry received before his mate opened a door and leaned against the wall. Severus had appeared in the entryway of his bedroom door as he spoke. It was almost the last thing Harry heard or saw as well. His mates voice during the day was sinful but in the hushed tones he used this morning? Merlin, the teen almost wept at how sultry his mate sounded.

"Severus that voice of yours should be illegal." The teen whispered. He didn't bother to hide his blushing face, since the dragon could already hear his heart as it skipped.

Nor did he attempt to hide his wandering eyes. His mate looked so sophisticated and truly embodied a very classically attractive look. Severus was dressed in fairly casual clothing compared to his usual teaching robes, but it still made the teen flush all the way down to where his neck and shoulders were exposed.

He wore a light gray button down shirt, a green vest, and black slacks that made him look imposing and mysterious. With it he wore a nice leather belt, as well as dark brown dress shoes, and held a cloak over his left forearm. No cravat, or starched collars, not even a tie, but the man still exuded grace and control.

They were in two separate leagues. This man was so effortlessly mature, and Harry showed up looking like a rebellious teen. He liked his clothes, but next to Severus he wondered if people might try to compare them to a father and his child.

Severus was also openly watching his mate. The teen was so beautiful in green, and the way his lashes framed his eyes made him look so innocent and angelic. Harry's eyes were so expressive, openly showing what he hadn't voiced; insecurities. The only way the man knew how to reassure his mate, was through truthful statements and avoiding as many misunderstandings as possible, so he smiled at his gem.

"My mate," The man started, stalking further into the livingroom, and circling the teen. It was something dominant species do when they find their prey, and Severus just happened to be a dominant male with a wonderfully packaged mate in front of him. "You look delectable."

He took in the sweater that hugged his mates chest, and where the fabric showed the soft curve of breasts. The teen normally hid his more feminine features behind his uniform, but when the two were alone he was allowed to see his mate in less concealing clothes. Severus loved seeing his gem wear whatever she wanted, and today was no different.

Rie was planning to go out today wearing what she felt like wearing, and the shy confidence the siren managed to pull off made him fall ever deeper in love.

Pulling the teen up closer to him, Severus decided to give in to his instincts for a moment. He let out a small flame as he opened his mouth, scenting his mate with his tongue. The forked appendage tasted the air near Harry's neck, before stealing the hybrids breath with gentle touches. He could find all the subtle differences in his mates scent and emotion this way, instead of relying on his dulled human senses. They were chest to chest and while Harry started to moan from the movements of Severus' tongue against his sensitive skin, he pulled the dragon closer to him by the belt loops.

Harry wasn't going to just be a passive party. No, he wanted his mate to be so close against him that it was almost like their clothes would cease to exist. Once his mate was flat up against him, the hybrid lifted a hand to bring Severus into a kiss.

The dragon could hardly contain himself, he wanted to ravish the Siren standing before him. He wanted to keep the teen on the edge of climax only to push him over said edge several times. Their lips meshed together, soft yet impatient, and as teeth and tongue came into play, his treasure melted against him, pulling Severus closer with a hand behind the dragons head.

Harry had commanded the kiss for a moment, and Severus went with it, quite turned on by his mate taking some of what he wanted. The green eyed teen pushed his hips forward towards the taller man, and pulled away from the kiss to moan.

His gem was so heavily aroused, and from so close up the man could hear the small panting breaths for what they were. His mate was speaking in parseltongue and it made him smirk. He longed to have this treasure in his bed, he wanted nothing more than to hear breathless screams pass those cherry red lips. Letting his hand run up his mates thigh, Severus chuckled at his mate.

"Rie, my minx..." He cut himself off with a deep growl, gripping his mates thigh just under his ass and lifted the teens leg to gain better access. His hand had met nothing but underwear beneath the skirt, and he needed to take a deep breath to rein in his lust. "Oh how you tempt me."

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't realized he hadn't put on shorts or something of the sort before leaving his rooms. Looking into his mates eyes he saw the clear battle for control.

"We will leave for now, but rest assured Rie, that your temptations of today will not go unanswered." Severus promised with a sultry timbre squeezing his gem's supple thigh.

"My tempta--? Sev, you have been actively tempting me since long before this morning began!" Harry protested softly while attempting to catch his breath, his blush increasing heavily. He wasn't sure how the man standing before him could so easily overlook his own voice, wandering hands, or sensual gaze. Severus had Harry on the precipice of becoming irrevocably aroused so early in the day, and they hadn't even gotten out of the mans quarters or started their day.

Severus merely chuckled, rubbing up and down his mates smooth thigh, caressing the soft skin as he whispered, "And if I have?" He wanted his treasure to be flustered. To stay in this state of certainty, knowing that the mans words, actions, and emotions were true. Severus knew what he felt when he looked at the person standing before him, and Rie would be hearing it every morning if possible. "Even without seeing how enchanting you look this morning, I simply cannot help wanting to memorize the sight and feel of you. And one day soon my love, I will have the honor of memorizing your taste as well..."

Rie, shivered visibly, now unable to stay neutral. Her mate was so forward with his intentions, and it made it so much harder for the young woman to concentrate.

"If you have," She started breathlessly, "Then neither of our temptations will go unanswered."

Her mate was a horrible tease, always finding ways to test her limits. One of these days he would push and she knew she would be too far gone to even remember what propriety was. With a deep breath she pushed the man away, one hand on his broad chest and the other fixing her skirt.

"We really should be on our way, Sevvy, otherwise who knows what rules I'll run the risk of breaking..." The teen stated before changing the subject. "So let's go. We can eat out for breakfast, then go to Gringotts."

Severus let go of a slow smirk as his little mate turned her back to him.

"If it's you, I will eat out every chance I get."

Harry turned towards him in confusion while they made their way to the door. "That's not really healthy, you can't just eat at restaurants every day."

Severus performed the glamour on Harry, simply making the teen look a bit older and taller, his hair a bit shorter, and most importantly he changed those eyes he loved so much to a soft hazel rather than the many shades of the teens central heterochromia. Running a hand down his mates side, and stopping at the teens waist, he ushered them out of his quarters and into his connected office.

"Of course not love, I will be sure to keep it all balanced, as it is equally unhealthy for you to be on your back all day whilst I feast."

Walking ahead of his innocent little mate, he listened as his gem processed his words. Waving his hand, he lit the fireplace before grabbing some floo powder.

"Severus!!" The teen gasped behind him, embarrassed once he figured it out. He was surely not in control enough to read into his mates many innuendos. Putting his cloak back on once he got to the fireplace, he too grabbed some powder and one after the other they made their way to Gringotts.

HPSSHPSSHPSS

Once Severus stepped out of the floo, he moved to the side, and cleaned the soot from his shirt. After only a moment, Harry came out as well and stumbled, a bit off balance. The man caught his mate, keeping the younger man from falling flat on his face.

Cleaning the teen as well, Severus backed away before leading Harry towards the main lobby area.

"Hello, can we speak to Griphook please?" Harry asked softly to the goblin that came up to them.

"As well as yourself Jorgug, in a private room." Severus added.

The goblin himself was very surprised. Not many people bothered to remember their names. And even more surprising was the fact that glamour or not, this was Harry Potter and Severus Snape standing before him.

Most everyone knew that the two were not on good terms, but the way the stood so close together spoke of a different story.