When the relationship between Harry and Severus becomes public, no one in the Magical World seems to like the idea. And what bothers everyone the most appears to be something that Harry never cared about: the age.
Fic inspired by the song '40 y 20' by José José.
I do not own Harry Potter, and I gain nothing from writing this fic.
This is a translation for the Spanish version
Spectacular news! 40 and 20, a difference that raises suspicions for more than a few. The Savior of the magical world in a relationship with his former professor."
That's what the headline of Witch Weekly read on that Wednesday morning, and it was similar to what almost all the other media he had brought to his room were saying. Severus snorted with disgust and continued reading the article, then picked up that morning's edition of The Daily Prophet, and turned specifically to page 2, where Rita Skeeter had expressed all her feelings about that relationship and attached the photo that triggered the uproar.
All the efforts they had put into keeping their relationship hidden were in vain, and what's worse, Snape blamed himself for it. Harry told him that he didn't care, as he loved the world knowing that they belonged to each other. Still, the Potions Master couldn't help but berate himself for his slip-up. He had caused an impertinent reporter to capture a photo of them at the exact moment when Severus had leaned in to give Harry a quick kiss in Diagon Alley. It seemed like they had incredibly bad luck, as that act had only taken a few seconds, yet they had been caught. Severus felt stupid, foolish, and guilty. He had encouraged Potter to keep everything in the utmost secrecy, and he was the one who had revealed it.
Since it all began shortly after Voldemort's downfall, for almost five years, they had managed to keep what was happening between them hidden from the public eye. If it weren't for the fact that the day before, they had decided to go out for the first time as a regular couple—although the plan had been not to draw attention. If Harry hadn't looked so beautiful with snowflakes falling on his cheeks... Maybe Severus wouldn't have been so tempted to kiss him.
Now, nothing else was being discussed but the recently discovered relationship between the Boy Who Lived and the one who had once served Voldemort. Everyone was speculating about what kind of spell or curse he had used to deceive the young man because the majority of public opinion had leaned towards believing that it couldn't be real love. And although he had initially thought people would oppose it due to his role on the side of darkness, the collective rejection had focused on another point: the age difference. Everyone said that at 45 years old, Severus was too old for Harry, who was only 24.
They claimed that Harry had too much life ahead of him to be with someone so much older, that it was surely an abuse of power because he had been his teacher, or perhaps he was the father figure he never had.
"Lies, Severus. Those are all lies."
Harry crossed his arms in front of the other, looking disdainfully at the articles on the topic scattered around the room. Snape was still reading Rita's article, in which the witch had even dared to compile a list of young candidates who would look much better with the savior of the magical world.
Severus glanced at Harry for a moment before setting the wretched article aside on the couch. The weight of everything he had read was hitting him hard. He wasn't foolish, nor did he bury his head in the sand. Snape was well aware of the age difference that separated them. From the times when Harry visited him at St. Mungo's while he recovered from Nagini's bite, to the day the younger one kissed him on his last day of hospitalization, he knew of the distance that existed between them. But he had chosen to face it, or so he thought. Because as he read everything he had contemplated during that time, he found himself questioning once again if he was enough for someone like the lion.
"They are right," he said.
"Of course not, you must stop reading this nonsense. You've never paid attention to gossip magazines. Why start now?"
He frowned, displeased. He had also read everything those tabloid magazines wrote, but he didn't accept any of what they said. He couldn't understand why Severus was so affected when the man had never cared so much about what others would say.
"I'm too old for you," he said.
There was something in the look and in the voice of his lover that made him understand a bit why Severus was getting carried away by all that nonsense. Severus wasn't hurt by what they said about him; he was upset because he truly believed he wasn't enough for Harry. Harry softened his expression and closed the gap between them, sitting down beside the other on the couch.
"These are just things people say. You know very well that it's not the first time they've made up things about me or about you. I don't understand why they say this love is forbidden. That's stupid. What does it matter that I am 20 and you're 40?"
Severus sighed. Harry had never seen him so vulnerable, so...desolate. Not even when he was recovering from Nagini's bite in a hospital bed.
"There's no lie in those words."
Snape's eyes shifted to one of the magazines on the floor that claimed he was autumn in the spring of the younger man. Too poetic for his taste, but too true as well.
Harry took the magazine from Severus's hands and made it disappear with wandless magic, just like all the others in the room. The older man wasn't surprised, as he was one of the few who knew the true extent of the young man's power and his mastery of magic. Before he could say anything else, Harry had approached close enough to cup his face in his hands and kiss him. Severus quickly responded to the kiss; he had never been able to resist Harry, not even when he was truly angry with the younger man.
Potter broke the kiss gently but continued to hold Severus's face, wanting him to look into his eyes as he spoke.
"Do you know why everything they say is false? Because they don't know you like I do. They don't know how sweet and attentive you are with me, how you make me feel, how special you are to me. They say you're autumn because they don't know that you hold a summer... that when you look at me, you set me on fire."
He bit his lower lip in a smile, which widened even more when he felt the older man's hand finding his waist.
"Too cheesy, Potter," he said.
"40 and 20?" Age had never mattered to Harry, and it never would. Severus was his, and he was Severus's, and he would defend that love from anyone, even from his partner's own insecurities. The Potions Master had saved him many times in the past, and it was time for Harry to save him from his own doubts.
"Don't think about it anymore. Isn't love what matters? I don't need to know what people say, and neither should you."
Severus looked at Harry and, without saying another word, kissed him again.
A couple of weeks after their relationship had been discovered, the Christmas dance in celebration of the five years since the fall of the Dark Lord took place. The hall prepared for the party was magnificently decorated from floor to ceiling, and so many people had been invited that it was almost impossible to believe they were all gathered in one place. Among the guests, it was logical to find the members of the Order, the Weasleys, and most notably, Harry and Severus.
At first, Harry refused to go. He wasn't willing to appear at an event where most of the people, excluding the members of the Order and the Weasleys, would be offensive to his partner. However, Severus, after those days of reflection, resolved that one of the things he had always wanted since they started dating was the opportunity to stop hiding. He didn't want to keep Harry hidden, and he knew that the younger man deserved the right to have a relationship like anyone else. Harry loved him, and he had been too foolish to let himself be affected by all that propagandist nonsense, so he needed to make it up to him in some way, and that meant being the man Harry deserved: someone brave who fought for their love.
So there they were, hand in hand among all the guests, engaged in casual conversation with Hermione and Ron by their side.
Severus maintained a relaxed expression as he listened to the murmurs of the people. Ever since they had arrived at the party, they had been the center of attention. He didn't mind hearing the exclamations about the age difference between them, or when someone blatantly whispered nearby that one was forty and the other was twenty. Hermione and Ron were more agitated than he was, and on many occasions, they had wanted to shout or even curse the gossipmongers surrounding them. Still, Severus calmly restrained them, telling them that none of it bothered him.
And Harry? Harry was more than happy because he realized that this was the first time he was out as Severus Snape's official partner. Despite everything happening around them, he felt proud of this fact, as there was no one better, in his eyes, than his former Potions master.
They even danced a couple of songs under the watchful gaze of many, who couldn't understand how the Boy Who Lived could be with a Death Eater who was twice his age.
It didn't seem like it would escalate beyond what it already was until someone with a horrendous perfume and loud high heels stopped next to them after they finished dancing. Rita Skeeter smiled at both of them with the malice that always characterized her, and her presence drew even more attention from those present. Even Ron and Hermione returned to stand by them, ready to support them if needed.
"Look who I have the honor of running into, the couple of the moment," she said, raising her hands in an exaggerated manner, and Harry could see her famous Quick-Quotes Quill at the ready. "I hope you're not too bothered by what I said about your relationship."
Severus tightened his grip on Harry's hand and responded as calmly as he could, "We don't usually waste our time on trivialities like what's in your magazine, but if you tell us more or less what you published, I could tell you right now what I think."
Harry looked at him, controlling a smile and feeling proud of the confidence with which his partner was acting, while Rita was getting upset, feeling belittled.
"Well, it's not just me saying it. There are many of us who don't understand how someone as innocent as Mr. Potter can be with someone who has lived so much and has had experiences that are not entirely..."
Harry immediately felt anger because he hated it when people accused Severus of his past without truly knowing him. He wanted to say something that would offend her, but a better thought crossed his mind. Before anyone else could say anything, he smiled cheekily and spoke up:
"Don't you get it? That's why it works. The main thing is my youth, but the best part is his experience."
He finished by winking at the woman in such a way that she quickly understood what he meant. He felt proud when Rita just stood there blushing. He heard Hermione's giggles behind him, and feeling that he had done enough for the day, he pulled his partner outside because it was time to head back home.
The headlines that morning after the party were more diverse than when the press found out about their relationship, delving deeper into the couple's intimacy and the ex-Death Eater's bedroom skills. But this time, Severus didn't waste his time reading them, for that Sunday morning he had decided he didn't need to get up early, and he decided that staying in bed a little longer with Harry was possibly the best of his ideas.
"If you keep looking at me like that, you'll have to repeat everything you did to me last night," Harry spoke with a drowsy voice as he slowly opened his eyes. He pressed his body closer to his partner, seeking more of his warmth. "And when I say everything, I mean everything..."
Severus smiled and kissed Harry's exposed shoulder, right above the bite mark he had given him the previous night. How foolish he had been to let himself be swayed by meaningless words those days! He should never have doubted what existed between them, never should he have doubted the good he brought to the younger man.
At that very moment, feeling like the most fulfilled man in the world, Severus spoke the words he had never dared to utter for five years, words that only Harry had said to him:
"I love you."
Harry felt as though his entire dream had evaporated, and he sat up in bed to gaze attentively at his partner. Throughout all the time they had been together, he had never heard those words from Severus's lips. The professor had demonstrated his feelings on several occasions, but always through actions, never through words. And while Harry believed he didn't need to hear it to know Severus's true feelings, he couldn't deny how good it felt to hear them.
He leaned in until their lips met, expressing with a kiss all the happiness in his heart, for that "I love you" had left him speechless in terms of words to convey his feelings. Yet, words were unnecessary.
Because the time they had spent together was enough to know each other too well. And, despite any doubts that may arise, they knew that the love they had for each other was more than mutual.
In the end, after all they had been through, their ages were just a number of little importance. What truly mattered was that they belonged to each other, and that was never going to change, no matter if one was forty and the other twenty.