Author Note: For this story, girls are allowed into the boys' dormitories, it's for nothing overly essential, but it just makes sense!

I really enjoyed writing this chapter; and I hope you enjoy reading it!

S L x

Severus had made it a habit to leave the bed as soon as he awoke. He usually immediately walked straight into the bathroom, bringing his clothes with him, would have a shower, and get ready for the day. He would usually exit the bathroom, head straight for the living room door, and there he would remain until Harry woke about an hour later, and then he would watch Harry depart to the great hall for breakfast.

But today felt different. Today was the first day of the new school year—Harry's last. Today not even Severus could conjure up what would happen and how people would react to him and his new husband.

Severus stayed in bed after he had woken up, and for the first time, he allowed himself a glance at the figure sleeping next to him. The light was shining in from the window behind the bed, gracing the features on his face so delicately, highlighting the darkness of his hair and the scar that poked through his fringe.

Part of Severus thought Harry wasn't going to come home last night. He stayed up as late as he could, like usual, to make sure Harry had privacy in the bedroom, but last night when the clock struck midnight, Harry still wasn't home. Severus had sighed. He had closed up his book and headed to bed. He didn't even hear Harry come in and didn't feel the bed drop on the side. He didn't feel green eyes watching him or hear the sigh of relief when Harry opened the door to the living room. A sigh only someone gives when they walk through the door to their home.

Maybe that was why he stayed in bed longer this morning. Making sure he really had come home. The thought of Harry not coming home one evening startled Severus a little, and the anger he felt last night that Harry may not return was now just left with wonder and worry about how he would feel when Harry never returned.

He let his eyes rest on Harry for just a second longer, taking in the young man, the utterly handsome young man, and then he slowly and silently got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. A normal routine for an abnormal day.

He let the water run down his back as he stood in the shower. Closing his eyes and breathing gently. He had no idea what had changed in the last day, but he was certain now that his feelings for Harry have changed significantly. The way he had acted yesterday was enough to alarm Severus that Harry did not feel the same, in fact, nothing close. Not that Severus thought that would have happened anyway. But he was now residing himself to the fact that these feelings were completely one-sided, and to be utterly childish about it; they were completely unfair. He had been forced into this, and not once did he think any sort of emotions would show. Yet now, here he was, just willing himself to go back to bed to be next to him.

'Ridiculous,' he told himself, flinging the shower curtain open with one hand.

He stepped out of the bath onto the white rug, drying himself lightly with a towel.

The steam had covered the mirror; using the back of his arm, he wiped away the condensation and stared at the reflection that looked at him. He would never like what he saw back. He pinched his nose roughly, it had always been crooked, and years of torture hadn't helped it. Never finding time to get it mended properly. Scars littered his chest and shoulders. He had been lucky that most of them had stayed off of his face, not that it did anything to improve his appearance, he thought bitterly to himself.

Quickly casting a drying spell on himself, then his hair, making it look a tiny bit fluffier than usual, he went to grab his gel from the cabinet above the sink. He didn't wear gel during the holidays, but now back to teaching, he used it to stop his hair from going into any cauldron or getting in the way of his work. He opened the lid before stopping, taking one look at himself in the mirror, and then closing the lid again, placing it back in the cabinet. At least he could make himself look half what decent if he stopped having his hair greasy. Instead, he brushed it and tucked it behind his ears.

The other main difference in his look today was that he now wore his teaching robes, instead of the usual cooling shirt and trousers, which he found more comfortable over summer. He was surprised at how heavy they felt again, and he had forgotten just how many buttons they had.

How could anyone believe that Harry had married him? No one would be that stupid. He turned himself away from the mirror, any sense of self-hatred now pushed down firmly to a place it belonged, and opened the door to the bedroom once more.

Severus made his way out of the bedroom, again looking at Harry as he walked. Something he had never allowed himself to do before this morning. He closed the door silently behind him and looked to the living room, which he had grown so accustomed to sharing. Harry's jacket was laid on the sofa's back, where he always threw it when he got home. Severus picked it up, held it gently to his nose before hanging it up behind the door with his.

He sat down on the sofa and picked up his book, which had been lying down open on the coffee table.

It wasn't long before he heard the door creak open and small footsteps heading towards the armchair. A sigh was escaping Harry's lips as he flung himself down in the chair.

"Back to your teaching robes then?" Harry questioned.

Severus glanced up from his book. Harry was still in his pajamas, which was unusual. He always showered and dressed before coming into the living room.

"First day of term, or have you forgotten?" He replied, arching his eyebrow.

"Oh yes, forgot the day I've been dreading for the past month," Harry said sarcastically, matching Severus' raised eyebrow.

Severus turned silent again and let his eyes wander back to his book. He heard Harry shuffle in the chair, obviously feeling uncomfortable about something.

"Things aren't going to change, are they?" Harry asked. "Change back to the way they were?"

"What do you mean?" Severus said, this time closing the book and holding it.

"I mean," Harry began, lowering his eyes, so his gaze did not hold Severus'. "Our relationship has changed, I actually now like you. I wouldn't want it to go back to the way things were. Before all this happened." Harry glanced back up at Severus to meet piercing black eyes and quickly looked elsewhere.

Severus sighed gently. "I am still your teacher. However strange this may be, that is what I will always be first and foremost." He replied, matter-of-factly.

"But you are my husband," Harry said quickly. "Fake husband." He corrected himself just as soon as the words had come out of his mouth. "I feel that is now what you are first and foremost." He said, this time looking Severus entirely in the eyes. His gaze just as piercing as the one he held.

"Things will change," Severus replied simply, watching Harry sigh and look down again. "They won't be as bad. I can now tolerate being in the same room as you, so as long as you don't bother me or blow anything up, we shall remain civil." He said. Harry noted how he was talking to him as if a student again.

"I think people will expect a lot more than civil," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Civil is all they are going to get." Severus snapped back, completely unaware of just why he was so angry. Harry's head shot up at hearing the anger in Severus' voice.

"You're already changing back," Harry started. "Please don't. Not here." He said, before rising and getting ready for the day, closing the bedroom door with more force than was needed.

The only thing Harry could think of last night was coming home. He loved his friends, but the idea of just sitting on the sofa, reading and chatting to Severus made him long to return to these rooms. By the time eleven o'clock had hit, he was trying every excuse to leave so that he could share that one last evening before school started with Severus.

He didn't understand why he craved his company quite so severely, but he knew that this was where he felt calm and safe. A real home. His only home.

When he entered the door and saw an empty living room, he had listened closely for signs of potion bottles or chairs being moved in the study and quickly realized Severus had gone to bed. He couldn't blame him. It was past one by the time he had finally managed to return, but still, a slight twinge of regret of not coming back earlier haunted him for just a second.

He was very aware that this was the first time he had entered the bedroom last, but still, nothing felt strange. It was as if this was completely normal. He had peered over at the very still sleeping figure, and for once, he looked entirely calm. For a man who had seen and done horrors, Harry had expected Severus to look haunted when he slept, but instead, he looked peaceful and tranquil. Almost handsome looking. Harry pushed that thought out as quickly as it had come in and proceeded to get ready for bed.

He let his eyes wander over Severus while he laid down next to him, closer than he had ever been, awake. His hand twitched slightly as if he was moving it up to touch him.

He was tired, he told himself.

Harry had then quickly turned over, so he was no longer facing him and shut his eyes. Within minutes he had fallen asleep, dreams of a tall man plagued him.

And now Harry stood behind a closed door, after just asking things to stay the same and had been told, in a manner of sense, no. He did not want to leave it like this, but he had also promised his friends he would meet them in the tower for the others' arrival.

He shoved on some jeans and a t-shirt. He would change before the sorting ceremony. Maybe then he would see Severus again, and things would be better. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and then emerged from the bedroom, looking slightly better.

"I'm going up to the Gryffindor tower." He said bluntly.

"Alright." Came the only reply.

"I guess I'll see you in the great hall then?" Harry questioned. He silently begged for Severus not to leave it like this.

"I have a teachers meeting before then, so yes, the Great Hall." Severus nodded his head.

"Alright." Harry almost ended it then. "Don't pretend to be too in love with me." He joked, a small laugh escaping his mouth.

"I expect the same from you," Severus smirked back.

Harry laughed out loud and left, leaving Severus smiling at the door behind him.

If Harry thought the whispering and chattering would be bad, he was wrong. It was horrific. The amount of stared and hushed whispers he had received just from the Gyfindors alone had been enough for him to almost storm away.

But instead, he, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Dean all crowded into Harry's old bedroom, and there Harry began to explain the real story. With a few teasings and swear words, mainly from Seamus, his friends now wholly understood, and not one of them believed he had married his potions professor for love.

"So you haven't been dating for a year?" Neville asked, his ears going pink.

"Of course they haven't, you numpty!" Ron immediately said back.

"But you are now legally married and are living together?" Neville asked again, the redness now spreading over to his face and highlighting his cheeks.

"Merlin Neville, did you not listen to anything! They sleep in the same bed!" Seamus roared before taking one look at Dean, and both of them erupted into fits of laughter again.

"Oh, I am glad you think my life is so funny!" Harry said, shoving Seamus, so he tilted over from laughing so much.

"It's not Harry. We're sorry," Dean began.

"Sorry for you!" Seamus shouted, setting them off again. This time Harry chuckled with them, and even Hermione, who had tried to be as considerate as possible about this whole thing, let herself laugh; and just for a second, they were all just teenagers enjoying their time together. No worries about marriage, death, or torture plagued Harry, and for just a second, he could imagine what it would have been like if this had been his life.

"I didn't even know you were gay, Harry?" Dean spoke quietly again, once the laughter had died down.

Harry stammered for just a second. "I'm not." His strange dream from last night involving a tall man suddenly came back to him, and he quickly pushed it out of his head.

"Well, even if you're not, the whole wizarding world now assumes you are," Dean spoke calmly again.

"I don't think that's important," Hermione said, standing up from her crossed leg position on the floor. "I think the only thing people are going to care about is that Harry married Professor Snape, and as far as they're concerned, it's a marriage of love."

"But surely you'll like him eventually?" Neville said quietly again. They all turned to look at him with a look of shock on their faces—all except Harry and Hermione. "I mean, you can't spend a year married to someone and not grow to like some qualities… Surely?" Neville asked around the group.

"This is Snape we're talking about!" Ron laughed, as the others all followed Hermione and got to their feet. The sorting ceremony would start soon, and Harry still had to change into his uniform.

"True," Neville said again.

"No, you're right Neville, we have a sort of mutual respect for one another. It's okay." Harry smiled. "Anyway, I'll go get changed, meet you guys in the Great Hall!" He shouted behind him as he rushed out of the door.

The walk down to the Great Hall was full of rushed chatter and whisper, Hermione guessed mostly all about Harry. She spared a passing thought for her potions professor and how much of the share he had taken of this.

As the six walked into the Great Hall, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron all stopped to say hello to Luna and gave her a quick hug, with promises of catching up very soon. Even she asked timidly about Harry, letting her eyes wearily glance at the head table where Professor Snape looked the angriest he had ever been. Hermione, promising her to tell her everything, squeezed her hand lightly, said her goodbyes, and the 3 of them headed to sit down next to the others.

Hermione surveyed the long table at the front. As usual, a new defense teacher, a rather attractive young one, who she could already tell Lavender would be trying to flirt with. She could see Remus sitting near the end, and she gave him a massive smile, which he happily returned. He looked a little concerned but not so that it was noticeable. McGonagall and Dumbledore sat in their usual places, and Snape sat right beside Dumbledore, next to this new defense teacher. He looked livid. Hermione guessed the whispers must have got to him too.

The six were already aware Harry had walked into the hall as the excited chatter quickly turned into a deafening silence. The six didn't even need to look up to know who had walked in.

Harry sighed before glancing to the Gryffindor table and then up to the head table.

He gasped so loudly he was sure the whole hall would hear it.

Edward was sitting at that table. The assistant to the man who had tried to get him into an orphanage. Was he here to spy on them?

He frantically looked over at Severus, who looked beyond furious, and he slightly shook his head at Harry, a sign to say 'Later.'

Harry swallowed and made his way over to the table, where they were all anxiously waiting to hear what had just happened.

Harry wasn't even aware of the silence or the fact that Remus was staring at him, trying to get his attention. He couldn't believe it. The ministry had sent someone to spy on them. There was no way they could pull this off. Spy charms to see if they slept in the same bed were one thing, but to send an actual person who watched his every move. That was something entirely different.

"Harry, what's the matter?" Hermione asked, placing her hand gently on Harry's to get his attention.

"The man who is sitting at the table. He was the assistant to the man who tried to put me in the Orphanage. That man was the whole reason this all happened." Harry explained. Far more calmly than he felt.

"The man who died? Oliver, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, quite aware of prying ears and eyes, not only from their table, but everyone seemed to be staring at Harry.

"He's here to spy on you?" Ron gasped.

"I can't think of any other reason why he would be here!" Harry replied, trying to keep his voice under control. He felt like shouting.

"No, Harry, Dumbledore wouldn't hire someone if they were only here to spy on you. It's probably all a big misunderstanding!" Hermione hissed.

"So he's here to prove if your marriage is legitimate?" Dean asked, eye wide, ignoring Hermione.

"No!" Hermione said louder. "Let's not jump to conclusions, he's the new defense teacher, and that's probably all he is. Now let's watch the first years get sorted, and Harry make sure to speak to Professor Snape after this." Hermione told him sternly.

"Well, I live with him, Hermione, so it shouldn't be too hard," he hissed back.

Hermione huffed and turned to watch the first years come in. Harry turned as well, but his mind was firmly on Edward and how he was now supposed to react to his husband. He also now understood why Severus had looked the angriest he had ever seen.

The sorting went calmly. Dumbledore made his usual speech about staying together and friendship. He had reintroduced Remus. The students who remembered him, minus some of the Slytherins, all gave a massive cheer when he stood up, and Hermione beamed at him. Dumbledore then introduced the new defense teacher, who was Professor Reece—otherwise known as Edward. Harry was sure the girls and some of the boys all collectively swooned when he stood up. Even Ginny nudged Hermione, and her cheeks turned a little pink.

It was like any standard sorting ceremony. Except Harry was practically shaking by the end of it. Of anger or anxiousness, he wasn't sure.

About half of the hall had gone back to the common rooms when Harry felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Remus." He got up, hugging his friend. "They loved you. I told you."

"Thanks, kiddo," Remus said. He glanced at the new teacher, sharing Harry's worry. "I didn't know about Edward, and I can assure you Severus didn't either. Harry, you should have seen his face when he walked into the teacher's meeting. I thought he was going to start throwing hexes." Remus said, glancing back at the table, where Severus was watching the two intently.

"Is he here to be a teacher, Remus? He's not here to spy on us, is he?" Harry asked.

"I don't know; I admit it is a little strange that he happens to be here, but Dumbledore did say to him if he needed a job, he would offer him one. You remember?"

"Yes, but I thought that was a joke. I didn't expect to see him here on my first day back." Harry replied.

"Look, he was kind; I don't think he's here to spy on you, but just be wary around him. No telling him it's all fake." Remus chuckled. "Don't let all this be for nothing."

Harry smiled. "Alright, Remus, I'll talk to Severus later." Harry glanced up at the table, catching Severus' eye. "He looked so angry." Harry tried to stop himself from laughing.

"You didn't see the worst of it," Remus smiled again. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to your friends." He let himself glance at Hermione, giving her a small smile, then wandered back to the teachers' table.

Once most of the hall had dispersed back to the common rooms, the seven of them wandered back to the Gryffindor tower, Ginny leaving them when she got there to see her classmates.

They spoke for about an hour about the summer holidays and what the others had been doing. They talked about Severus and Remus; all were happy he was back. All in all, it was a very ordinary evening.

Harry said his goodbyes earlier than usual, muttering something about how he had to talk to Severus and left, assuring them he would meet them in the great hall for breakfast tomorrow before classes started.

The hallways were empty, not a single person in sight. Everyone was happy to be back tucked away in their common rooms catching up. Harry had spent the whole summer in this castle, just with a handful of people, yet this felt strangely quiet. The walk down to his home was more familiar to him than anything. He was sure he could do it blindfolded by now, and as such, he was lost in his thoughts.

He passed the entrance to the Great Hall, aware of the door opening behind him as he carried on walking, and he wouldn't have stopped walking if he hadn't heard a voice.

"Harry!" Someone called, and Harry swung around quickly to face his new defense against the dark arts teacher. His eyes widened slightly, watching Edward walk closer towards him.

"Professor," Harry replied when Edward was close enough to him.

Edward looked a little taken back. "It's alright; you can call me Edward if you wish. This whole professor thing seems very formal."

"I'd rather not." was all Harry said in return.

Edward sighed. "I can understand why you are wary of me, but I would like you to know that what happened in that room a month ago had absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn't get a choice on what Mr. Davies did. Ever. I handed in my resignation that evening."

"And you just happened to get a job here? You have to admit it does seem a little suspicious." Harry questioned.

"I am aware. Just Albus offered it to me. I didn't even apply, I was at home, and I got an owl, and it was from him offering me a job."

"Right," Harry replied.

Edward did seem trustworthy, he must have only been about four years older than Harry himself, and he was probably thrilled to receive such an honorable position. Harry was inclined to believe everything he had said, but Severus wouldn't believe him quite so quickly.

"Harry, I quite frankly don't care about your marriage. It's between you and Severus. Nothing to do with me." Edward smiled. "I'm just here to be your defense teacher."

Harry believed him, but still, it wouldn't hurt to be a little weary around him. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class then?" Harry slightly smiled. "I'm going to go home." He said awkwardly, trying to finish the conversation.

"I'll walk with you," Edward said and began walking with Harry alongside him. "I've heard you're rather good at defense."

"Oh, yeah, thanks" Harry smiled ahead of him, wishing he could just walk down to his home alone.

"I was thinking; if you had the time, you could come and be my helping hand for some of the younger years; I'm sure they'd love you to help out!" Edward beamed.

Harry was somewhat taken back at such a forward offer. "Um, I'm swamped at the moment, with quidditch, extra potion lessons from Severus, and newts coming up. But I could try."

"Was just an idea!"

"But thank you for thinking I'd be good enough to teach," Harry said, fondly remembering his DA days. He was quite good at teaching. He had never really thought about it before.

"Don't let good talent go to waste!" Edward laughed. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow Harry! Sorry for getting off on the wrong foot, I don't think Severus is going to warm to me very easily."

"Well, your boss did insulate that I wasn't safe with him," Harry said bluntly.

"I'm not Oliver." Edward replied firmly before heading down the corridor to his room.

Harry didn't once look back, with thoughts firmly about sitting down in his chair and chatting to Severus; his legs took him back home.

Author note: Just a quick one, I have an American spell check so, therefore, Defence is spelled the American way as defense, and that's all!

Anyway hope you all liked it, in fact, I hope you loved it, and see you again in the next chapter!

S L x