The Propsal

A small knock on the door of silent dungeon quarters had Harry glancing up. He smiled when Severus walked in, and set the letter he'd been reading aside as he accepted the gentle kiss he was granted. It wasn't often that they saw each other before breakfast in the Great Hall, despite spending their evenings together in one of their rooms like they had in the library at home.

"Good morning, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Severus smirked. "I came to ensure my assistant is appropriately prepared for the day ahead. The students tend to lose whatever small grasp of self-control they possess during holidays, particularly this one, and particularly when it has the misfortune of landing on a weekend."

"You say that as if I were ever the exception to the rule and don't know it intimately," Harry teased, poking his lover in the ribs.

Severus' answer to this was to draw him into his arms for another kiss which he deepened for a long moment. It was often his answer to a great many things, and it still made Harry's heart flutter in his chest, the same as that small smile. Since their near-disastrous confrontation and subsequent admission in the summer, Severus had only become more affectionate than he had ever been when they were merely friends.

"I am well aware of your prior antics on this date," Severus said, drawing back with a tender kiss to his scar. "However, when you were a student, the circumstances were largely outside of your control, and you didn't have to put up with your peers the way your professors did. Now you are an authority, and thus you'll have to be more restrictive as well as restrained."

"I think I've gotten used to that part. You may not have noticed, but outside of your classroom, I handle myself well with the students. It certainly solved the lovesick stalking irritation, after they realized that 'kind' does not mean 'lenient'. Minerva actually made a comment the other day that I apparently have no House pride anymore, working and living down here with you and the Slytherins. Apparently, she doesn't approve of my strictness with her rambunctious lions," Harry pointed out, wrapping his arms around the Potions Master's neck. "To think I was always under the impression you were the only Head of House to let their students get away with things. The stuff she's willing to let slide because 'it's all in good fun' is ridiculous sometimes, and her punishments are half the time a complete joke."

Severus chuckled softly. "To be fair, it is as much a competition for the House Cup for us Heads as it is our students. We all have a bad habit of showing preference, I'm just intentionally less subtle about it. My little rebellion against their pretense toward fairness when they're just as guilty as I am. Have you plans for the day?"

"Besides taking points and giving detentions?" Harry asked jokingly. "You said you wanted to work on your experiments today, so I hadn't decided what to do. I might invite Luna to go with me to the village. However, it seems my other occupation will be giving me ample excuse to avoid the feast tonight."

"Oh?" Severus asked with a frown.

Harry nodded, looking aside to reach for the letter he'd left on the table, but unwilling to leave the arms still wrapped tightly around his waist. "Yeah. Kingsley sent me a letter this morning. He wants to discuss some new proposal from the Aurors to present to the Wizengamot and wants to try and garner my support first." He handed the letter to the Potions Master, who took it, still frowning as he began to read. "He invited me to dinner tonight so we can talk. Dunno why he wants to discuss it now, he can't present a new proposal for another month, at least. I guess he just wants to try to get as much support as he can and opted to start with me since I'm more likely to listen with an open mind."

Severus hummed noncommittally as he continued to read through the letter and dinner invitation. Finally, dark obsidians looked up, and his frown had deepened almost to a scowl. "Harry, did you actually read this letter?"

"Of course I did," The Gryffindor scoffed. "Why?"

"Shacklebolt is asking you on a date, love. The proposal is merely an excuse, if not a pretense entirely," Severus pointed out slowly.

Harry drew back and looked over the letter again but could see nothing that suggested what Severus was saying. "That's ridiculous," He answered finally, setting the letter aside. "For one thing, everyone knows you and I are seeing one another, after that picture was released of you kissing me in Diagon Alley. For another, Kingsley is a friend to us both, why would he ask me out?"

"Likely because you're attractive, endearing, and powerful," Severus told him, the scowl fully forming. "You can't really be this naïve, Harry."

Harry scowled back, insulted. "I'm not. It isn't a date, it's business, and you're paranoid. Not everyone is out to get you, Severus."

"I never claimed they were. It isn't my fault if you can't see the reality in front of you," Severus snarled.

"The only reality I see is you being insecure, and treating me like I'm an idiot," Harry fired back. "Is it actually Kingsley you don't trust, or me?"

"You know that I trust you, Harry, but it doesn't change the fact that this is a date that you've agreed to, on today of all days!" The Potions Master answered angrily. "I can't believe you're allowing yourself to be fooled by something that is so obviously a ploy. A child could see that this letter is far too personal for a real proposal."

"So am I a fool or a child?" Harry asked coldly. Obsidians widened slightly in surprise and instant regret, but it did nothing to soothe the Gryffindor's anger. "It doesn't matter what you claim, Severus. This isn't a date; Kingsley wouldn't do that to either of us. He's my friend, and I'm going. He's the Head of the department, it's his job to present new proposals, and anything else you imagine is just that."

The Potions Master raised his hands in a sign of surrender, his eyes narrowing. "If you want to believe that, then fine. Clearly my opinion doesn't matter. Enjoy your date, Harry. Perhaps at least one of us will have a pleasant Halloween for once."

Harry gaped slightly as his lover and friend turned to walk stoically from his quarters. "It's not a date!" He shouted after him.

Severus didn't turn or respond as he left. Harry flinched when the door latched calmly rather than slamming shut. He couldn't believe how awfully that had gone, or how quickly they'd both lost their tempers. He'd known that Severus had a possessive streak, but to accuse their mutual friend of something so underhanded when it was clearly nothing more than business was ridiculous. The letter was more personal than the other proposals he'd received in his five months on the Wizengamot only because he had a personal history with the Head Auror. In any case, dinner away from the castle was a better alternative than being here constantly on edge about what would go wrong. Something always did.

Scoffing, Harry went about getting ready to go up to breakfast. Hopefully, Severus would see how ridiculous he was being by the time he got upstairs.

-Break-

That evening, Harry reached the restaurant just shy of the reservation Kingsley had sent in response to his agreement. It was an interesting choice, but he could hardly be bothered to notice. He hadn't seen Severus at all since their argument, and had seriously considered canceling, if it weren't for the fact that he held his role in politics in high regard. Usually Severus did, too. Luna had suggested he seek the Potions Master out, but Harry had honestly been worried about doing so. They didn't argue often, but when their disagreements did escalate like that, they'd discovered in their first summer at Grimmauld together that it was best to give each other space. That, and Harry doubted that Severus would be any more willing to listen to him than he had been before breakfast.

Following the hostess to the table, Harry forced himself to smile warmly at the Head Auror already waiting for him. "Sorry, I was running a bit behind. The students are terrors most days, but today was the worst yet."

"You opted for teaching instead of the Corps," Kingsley accused with a small laugh.

Harry sighed and nodded, sitting down. "Yes, but I'm honestly loving it, even on days where the students make me want to throw myself off the Astronomy Tower."

"You're a stronger man than I," The Auror conceded, raising a hand in defeat. "Thanks for coming to dinner, Harry."

"Of course," The Gryffindor scoffed. "Just because I declined joining the Aurors doesn't mean I don't still support the work you do. I'm happy to be of assistance."

"I'm glad you could make the time for me in your busy schedule, between the school, the Board, and the Wizengamot. I was surprised when you agreed. I know it was a bit last minute," Shacklebolt said curiously.

"Well, yeah, but you're a good friend, and it sounded like it was important to you," Harry argued.

"It is," The Auror agreed. "You did seem a little distracted when you first came in, though."

"Slight disagreement with Severus this morning," Harry told him with a shrug. "I told him about your letter and invitation, and he began insisting that this was a date."

"Isn't it?" Kingsley asked, smirking as he leaned forward over the table.

Harry frowned, pulling his hand away from the one reaching for him. "No," He scoffed. It's a nightmare. "It's not. I'm here because you said you had a proposal to discuss between the Auror Department and the Wizengamot."

The smirk didn't fade from dark lips. "I do, in fact, have a proposal. I'm proposing that the newest member of the Wizengamot exchange a former Death Eater for the Head of the Auror Corps."

Harry's frown dipped into a scowl. "Denied. Vehemently."

Shacklebolt leaned further over the table, lowering his voice to something between an attempt at 'sultry' and secretive. "Come on, Harry. Do you really think your happily-ever-after is with Severus Snape? I realize he did a lot to help win the war-"

"More than almost anyone else."

"But do you really think someone that dark, who spent 20 years flirting with the enemy, is the type to settle down and be happy with a normal life?" Kingsley continued as if Harry hadn't spoken. "He was an ass to practically everyone, but especially you, and whatever bubble of happy domesticity that you're currently living in will eventually pop. I was in the war, I was always on your side, and I've been your friend since we met. I think we could be something, achieve something, if you'll consider my proposal."

Harry closed his eyes against a wave of nausea. Severus had been right, again, he absolutely was a fool. Looking at the Auror again, the Gryffindor stood from the table. "If you have a legitimate proposal for the Wizengamot, then I suggest you seek out another member in the future."

"Harry, wait-"

"Goodbye, Kingsley."

Turning, Harry began moving back through the small, intimate restaurant. When he heard the Auror's chair push out as if he intended to follow him, he wandlessly cast a sticking charm, trapping the older man to the seat so he couldn't. He couldn't believe Severus had been right the entire time. How hadn't he seen it? Was he actually that blind? Or was he just so willing to trust a friend that he'd ignored any of the flags Severus had obviously seen?

Leaving the restaurant, Harry started back towards Hogwarts. It was either hubris or stupidity which had caused Kingsley to think Hogsmeade was the ideal location for being such a prat. If Harry had to guess, it had almost certainly been hubris. The Auror obviously thought highly of himself, and little of one of his closest allies. Two of them, Harry supposed, since he clearly thought the Boy Who Lived was inclined to disloyalty and infidelity.

Although, he supposed Severus was probably thinking the same thing. It would explain why he hadn't seen him all day. More and more, the closer he got to the castle, Harry wished that he'd gone with his instincts and cancelled the last-minute invitation. If it had been important, then it could easily have been rescheduled before the next open-floor meeting. That, at least, might have saved his relationship. Since Severus had proven right, as he always seemed to, then he felt even worse for ignoring his gut in favor of listening to his pride. God, apparently, he didn't need to be in Hogwarts for everything to go sideways on this stupid night.

The Great Hall was boisterous with the sound of the feast beyond the closed doors, but Harry swept past them. He wasn't exactly hungry. Besides, Severus would have gone, if only to keep an eye on his House, and they were typically sat beside each other. Harry wasn't willing to deal with the students and their colleagues while he was getting the cold shoulder for being stubborn and naïve. The last thing he needed tonight was to sit in uncomfortable silence with the man he loved, and had likely just lost, while everyone else enjoyed themselves.

Instead, Harry went to the dungeons, bypassing his own quarters near the entrance and continuing down the corridor. If he was very, very lucky, Severus would be willing to hear him out, and believe him, when he came down from the Great Hall. Assuming he hadn't barred Harry from his rooms entirely after their argument. Harry wouldn't blame him, honestly. He'd been an idiot to think Severus was only being paranoid or insecure, when he'd never exhibited that behavior before, and he knew what his decision to go must've looked like.

Drawing a deep breath slowly, Harry tested the knob on the Potions Master's office. The wards immediately responded to his magic, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He was still Severus' assistant. As he moved across the room to the door to his lover's quarters, he held his breath and buried a wince before reaching for the knob. He wasn't sure if he could trust that just because the door had appeared meant he was still allowed past it. He released the breath in a harsh sigh when the knob turned easily in his hand. At least that answered whether Severus had decided he was being unfaithful.

"Harry? You're back early."

Looking up, he found Severus lying on his couch, frowning at him from beneath the arm over his eyes, his other hand buried in the pocket of his vest. Harry smiled. At least he didn't seem angry. Stripping his boots and robes off by the door, Harry walked over to the couch and flopped onto his stomach atop the taller wizard. Severus grunted a little in pain, but otherwise didn't really protest as Harry crossed his arms on his chest and rested his temple against them with a sigh.

"I am not a couch, Mister Potter," Severus said, the smirk evident in his voice.

Harry chuckled as long fingers carded through his hair. "No, you're infinitely more comfortable than your couch."

The Potions Master hummed, continuing to run his fingers through unruly hair for a moment. "How was your not-a-date date?" He asked finally.

"A date," Harry scoffed, scowling. "Like you said. I should've listened to you. I feel like an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, you're just inclined toward trust, which I take to be very good news for me, or we wouldn't be here," Severus pointed out softly.

Harry lifted his head to smirk at his lover, who was hosting that handsome small smile. Leaning up, he drew the man into a short, passionate kiss. It still struck him as odd, that there was such a romantic depth to the former spy. A part of Severus that had been so long buried, and had chosen him to resurface for, by some miraculous grace. Withdrawing again, Harry laid his head back down on the solid chest with a contented sigh.

After several minutes, Severus spoke again hesitantly. "Harry… does it bother you that we haven't really been intimate?"

The Gryffindor frowned, looking up at the Potions Master in confusion. The question seemed out of place. They weren't intimate, Severus always stopped things before they went very far, but the issue wasn't something Harry had ever considered terribly important. "What? I mean, yeah, it can be frustrating, but…" He stopped as he understood where the question had come from. "Severus, I promise you, this wasn't about that. I really did believe that my colleague, our friend, wouldn't do something like this."

"I realize that," Severus agreed. "But it does bother you?"

Harry sighed. "Of course it does," He admitted reluctantly. "I'm 18, Severus, and the only experience I've had were those dreams we shared. Now we're in a real relationship in the real world, and suddenly you won't touch me beyond heavy snogging. Is it really any surprise that I've begun wondering what is so unappealing about the real life me that makes you not want me like you did when you thought it was in your head?"

"That isn't it, Harry, I swear," Severus murmured insistently. "I want you more today, and every day, than I did the day before. But you are young, Harry, and relatively untouched. Our relationship basically started in the reverse, and your shared dreams were almost entirely about physical passion. I don't want you to always associate the love I have for you with my desire for you physically, I want us to forge a stronger emotional bond."

"But you do still want me?" Harry asked, biting his lip uncertainly.

"Fervently," The Slytherin assured him with a smirk, running his fingers through his hair again.

"Is there any chance you've got an idea of when we'll get to that point?" Harry wondered hopefully.

The smirk turned vaguely mischievous. "Is our wedding night not soon enough?"

Harry scowled and resisted the urge to pull away. "You know, you keep mentioning that like it's an inevitability, but we've never actually discussed any such thing. What if our wedding is two or three years away? What if it never happens? What if you decide between now and whenever that you're tired of having me around? What if-?"

"Harry, where is this coming from?" Severus asked in concern, cupping his cheek and looking vaguely hurt.

Sighing, the Gryffindor slumped atop the chest he was resting on, laying his chin on his arms. "I'm sorry," He mumbled. "It- it's something King said, and I guess I let it get to me. I told him it wasn't a date, and he pointed out that you've never come off as the happily-ever-after type. I know we've only been together for five months, but I can't help wondering. You do mention our hypothetical nuptials often, but we haven't ever discussed it. Mentioning it like you do, stating it as fact, isn't exactly a proposal, but you seem so certain it's going to happen. Are you waiting for me to ask or something?"

"No, just the right time," Severus said softly. He brushed his thumb across Harry's cheek, and the younger wizard sighed again, leaning into the touch. "I had- When I went to your rooms this morning, I had hoped to invite you to dinner myself, since Halloween usually holds such bad memories for us both. I'd thought perhaps we might shine a better light on the holiday in both our esteem."

Harry groaned and buried his face in his arms. Regret clenched around his heart sharply as he realized what the Potions Master was implying. "And I ruined it by agreeing to a business dinner that turned out to be a good friend of us both trying to get me to leave you for him, instead. I'm sorry, Severus, really."

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Severus insisted. "You're young, as I said, and despite all you've seen and done, there's an innocence to you, still. It is one of the many reasons I love you and have every intention of marrying you."

Harry huffed in irritation. "Except now I have to wait for the 'right time' again because I'm a complete bonehead." He frowned as he looked up at the uncommonly handsome features again. "How long do you think before another good opportunity crops up?"

"As it is Halloween still, I thought perhaps however long it takes me to extract my hand from underneath you," Severus said with his endearing small laugh.

Before Harry could puzzle out this statement, he gave a jolt as the fingers of said hand prodded at his ribs. He rolled slightly away from them, and Severus withdrew his hand from his pocket to hold it up between their faces. Resting loosely beneath the first knuckle of his pointer finger was a solid gold band. Harry stared at it in shock. Months of casual mentions that might have been jokes; he really had begun to think it wasn't actually going to happen. He suddenly felt like he was dreaming again. If he was, he only prayed that this, too, was a shared dream, and that Severus would still be here asking when he woke up.

"You're serious?"

"I am. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, looking past the ring and pale fingers to the sparkling black eyes of the man he loved. "I can't- I didn't really think you'd-"

"I wanted to give you time to reconsider," Severus explained, still smiling. "An engagement is a promise, and I always see mine to fruition. I wanted you to be sure this was what you wanted."

Harry chuckled as the ring was slipped onto his finger before leaning up and drawing the older wizard into a deep kiss. "Then you could've asked me the first time we kissed in the waking world this summer. You'd have gotten the same answer. You're stuck with me, Severus."

"God, I hope so," Severus murmured, tracing his jaw. "Join me for dinner?"

Harry grinned. "Sounds good. Who cooks?" He asked. It wouldn't be the first time they'd left the castle for London during a weekend, though usually it was because the girls had done something obnoxious, and the owl they'd given them had shown up with the ill news.

"A chef in a restaurant, preferably," Severus answered unexpectedly. "That is what generally constitutes going out to dinner after all."

"Oh…" Harry said with a small blush. "Suppose that's better. Just, er, not the café in Hogsmeade. I might've left Kingsley stuck to a chair there, and I'm not entirely sure he'll be able to undo the spell on it until it weakens some."

Severus chuckled. "Perhaps that makes it the most ideal location to show off your new ring, then?"

"You're such a git," Harry told him fondly.

"Yes," The Potions Master agreed. "And it is one of the things you love about me."

"Amongst an ever-growing list, yeah," Harry conceded, leaning up to instigate another passionate kiss.

Severus pulled him further into it, tangling their tongues together, and Harry lost himself in the feeling of the boundless passion the former spy kept so well hidden. He shifted to get closer and felt a clothed hard warmth press against his leg, drawing out a groan from his lover. Smirking, he shifted down to taste a pale throat. His dreams hadn't been wrong, and Severus still tasted of winter cold, and it was still intoxicating. When he shifted, rubbing his own tented slacks against a hard thigh, Severus groaned again and pressed lightly against his shoulder.

"H-Harry…"

The Gryffindor withdrew guiltily. "Sorry," He mumbled, slumping on the lightly heaving chest. "Guess I got a bit carried away. I understand your reasons, Severus, but… this is incredibly frustrating for me. We can't do anything?"

Severus sighed, kissing the top of his head before running his fingers through unruly hair again. "I'm sorry. I know it's difficult, I just don't want us to start something when the temptation to go too far is so strong. When there's nothing to stop us from giving in completely to desire, setting aside any prohibitions or hesitation. It's important to me that you understand the unfathomable depth of devotion I have for you, before you give me that part of yourself."

Harry looked up again with a playful smile as his heart swelled. "That is remarkably sappy, and every bit what I needed to hear. Wedding night?"

"If you think you can wait," Severus said gently.

"I can wait."

"Good, because that ring would be a little redundant if you couldn't," Severus said, smiling smugly. "A waste of five months of work."

Harry frowned. He wasn't sure he liked the implication of that. "What do you mean?"

Severus only continued to smile. "That ring will allow us to share our dreams again, should either of us cast the requisite spell before we're both asleep," He explained, his smug smile widening slightly when Harry gave the band a surprised glance. "They aren't the same types of dreams; I was unable to recreate the accidental result we achieved before. Instead of occupying the same dream, we will each be having the same dream, individually, and whatever one does in their dream happens in the other's. However, the ability of the dream is hindered by reality. We can only envision that which we've already seen, particularly of one another, though that includes our prior dreams, I think. Or, it did when I tested it."

Harry blushed. He didn't so much mind being a guinea pig, but he didn't really want to think which dream he'd shared with Severus unknowingly. They were still fairly amorous, and he had them much more frequently now, typically without the nightmare aspect. A fine switch, but a little embarrassing for Severus to know about.

"Still, I believe we achieved an excellent level of… satisfaction in those previous dreams," Severus continued, arching his eyebrow. "With this, we can continue to do so in a safe environment, one where there is much smaller risk of takings things too far. It is, as you said, not that different from a vivid fantasy."

Harry grinned, looking again at the ring. "You realize that may only frustrate me more?"

"Hopefully that will only encourage you to agree to a sooner wedding," Severus told him pointedly.

"When were you thinking?" Harry asked, still studying the ring.

"Is August too soon?"

The Gryffindor slumped, looking up at the hopeful gaze of his cherished lover. "No," He groused. "It seems an eternity. But when one considers that George, Molly, and probably Howard will want to help with the planning, we'll most likely need the whole summer to do it proper."

"Then August," Severus said decisively. "The first week-of. If nothing else, it may keep Molly from going overboard on your birthday celebration after having missed the last two due to her vacation and then ours."

Harry scoffed. "You don't know Molly Weasley if you don't think she can plan two huge parties at once."

Severus chuckled. "A very valid point, Mister Potter. Can we go to dinner now?"

Shifting upward again to kiss that small smile that drove him insane in the best way, Harry nodded. "If you promise to dream with me tonight."

Severus sighed softly through his nose, drawing him into a deeper, sweeter kiss. "I promise to dream with you every night that I'm able, and to dream of you on the nights that I can't. I love you, Harry."

"I love you, too, Severus. Dinner now?"

"In another moment," The Potions Master agreed before drawing him into another fervid kiss.

Harry went into it willingly, idly twisting the golden band on his finger. He could definitely wait. If Severus was willing to go to so much trouble as to invent the spell for them to be together in a less risky environment, then Harry could absolutely give him the patience he asked for. Dealing with a little frustration wasn't the least of what Harry would be willing to do for him. Besides, all good things to those who wait, right?