Harry rolled over in the bed of the master bedroom at Grimmauld Place; within hours of Lily's birth, he'd decided that it was high time he moved from Sirius's bedroom and into the master suite, as befitted him as the head of the House of Black. He smiled at the sight of Severus, his raven locks spilling onto the pillow beside him, in a dead sleep, and felt warm and complete inside, knowing that their daughter slept in Regulus Black's bedroom, not far from them. He bit his lip then, not wanting to wake Severus, but always wanting to take advantage of the chance presented to him, and got on his knees for a moment before ducking beneath the duvet that covered them both.

Harry swallowed then at what lay between the legs of the man he loved, and slowly parted them so as he had better access. Crawling closer, he gently took ahold of the older man's phallus and began caressing it, and feeling Severus stiffening above him only sweetened the deal as he lowered his mouth onto it, tasting it, and finding that it was better than any treacle tart he'd ever eaten in his life. He did his best not to chuckle around it as Severus moaned above him, but a slight gasp did escape his throat as he felt Severus's hands carding through his hair and caressing his scalp in a moment of pure tenderness.

"Harry," Severus moaned, stiffening. "Harry..."

Harry said nothing, and continued to work, knowing full well that Lily could wake up screaming for them at any moment, and wanted this man to know just how much he meant to him before that happened. As he worked with his mouth, he moved faster and faster, when finally he was yanked off from his former professor and brought back upwards, to the point where he was staring at Severus in a moment of confusion. However, Severus pulled him towards him and kissed him, tasting him, and Harry let out a moan at the wanton behavior.

"You feel so good," Severus whispered between kisses, running his hands all over Harry's skin, as the younger man arched his back above him, a second moan escaping from that wicked mouth of his. Severus felt himself twitching below Harry; he'd not permitted him to finish the assault on his erect member, as the thought of coming into Harry's arse that morning was just too delicious to pass up. He grabbed ahold of Harry's hips then, and Harry let out a squeak of surprise as Severus gently pulled him downwards and onto his hardness, and Harry's squeak quickly turned into a moan as he arched his back and hips, settling atop his lover.

"Severus," Harry gasped, sitting fully upright then, dragging his hands through his hair as his lover dragged his own hands up and down the younger man's body. Harry moaned as Severus took ahold of his hips, moving them up and down in an erratic motion, to the point where Harry's own member sprang upwards, and Harry felt it spasming, wanting desperately for a release, as much as his lover did.

Severus saw his lover's beautiful cock spring to attention, and felt himself clench automatically at the notion that it had literally offered itself up to him. Creating a path with his hand down his lover's front, he reached out then and cupped Harry's balls for a moment before wrapping his hand around the beautiful member, and nearly came from the gasp and groan which escaped from Harry's lips in quick succession, once his long fingers wrapped around it. Severus licked his lips, wanting to put Harry into his mouth, but since his lover was riding him, faster and faster, there was no way to do so, so his hand would have to suffice.

Severus felt an inadvertent gasp escape his own lips as Harry's hips moved faster than ever, and his eyes rolled back in his head at the notion of what he'd been missing these last several months, and his heart clenched at the notion of finding it again. However, Severus knew that things couldn't stay as they were; for the past week and a half, he and Harry had been walking on eggshells, deliberately not discussing the future, almost as if it scared them to think about it. And the thought of losing Harry again was too much to bear, but Severus felt as if he didn't deserve him, and even though he'd been under the influence of the curse, he felt as if Harry had forgiven him too easily for the hell he'd put him through while he'd been at school.

"Severus!" Harry screamed then, coming undone above him, his entire body going stiff as a keening sound came forth from that beautiful mouth of his, which was just enough to send Severus over the edge himself, and he fell, collapsing above his lover and just holding him. "I love you so much," he whispered against his skin, letting out a contented sigh as Severus's arms came up and around him.

"Harry..."

"Hmmm?" Harry asked, the sound muffled.

"We have to talk."

Harry stiffened at the words, putting his hands on either side of Severus, so as he could prop himself up and look into his lover's eyes. "What? What are you on about?" he asked, the fear apparent in his tone.

Severus swallowed; he hadn't meant to upset him, or to ruin the beautiful moment that they'd successfully created, but he also knew if he didn't get what he had to say off his chest, he may never have the courage to do so again. "We can't go on like this."

The light in Harry's eyes only intensified then, as the worry never left his tone. "What do you mean, 'talk about this'? What's there to talk about? We're in love, and together, raising our daughter..."

"A daughter we didn't plan for."

Harry pushed himself off of Severus then, putting as much distance between them as he could before yanking up the duvet and covering himself with it. "Just say it," he said, his tone bitter, as he made it a point not to look at him. "If you don't want this—this life, with me, and our daughter—then you need to tell me. Stop looking for excuses and man up. I thought we turned a page once the curse was broken, but you're still keeping shit from me."

"Harry..."

"No!" Harry shouted, his voice breaking slightly as he turned to look at Severus. "I had to access your memories when you were incapacitated, so you yourself never informed me directly what they were. You kept these things from me—me having to die, me being a Horcrux, you actually falling for me long before you told me or acted on your feelings—and for what? For self-preservation? For you keeping your word to Dumbledore?"

Severus swallowed. "Look, Harry, I don't want..."

"Don't want what?" Harry whispered, his voice shaking. "This?!" he spat, touching his chest, a motion that Severus himself had done in the early days of their romance, when everything had to be kept hidden for their own safety. "You lost your chance to make me forget from the moment you kissed me outside of that goddamned Christmas party, Severus. I was able to block your Memory Charm, and my Auror training taught me how to block a lot more than that. I could even block my feelings, if I wanted to, which would certainly make things easier, but now that I've got Lily, it'd be fucking depressing." He hesitated for a moment. "Notice that I said I'd gotten Lily; not us, but I. You haven't held her once since that first day, and you never want to help feed her, or change her. Are you keeping your distance because you don't want her to get attached, or you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I know that shit's different with you," Harry went on, his tone clipped. "Say it. If you never wanted this life—with me, our daughter—then fucking say it. I can take it; if it's the truth, I can take it. It'll hurt like hell if it's not what I want, but I'd rather be hurt by your truth than feel doubly betrayed by a filthy lie. Tell me, Severus. Do you want to be here, with me, with our daughter? If you don't..." Harry almost couldn't form the words, but he knew that he had to put them out there. "If you don't want to be here, then you need to fucking tell me. Fucking tell me the truth, Severus Snape, even if it'll break my heart all over again."

Severus sighed, pushing himself out of the bed without a word. He kept his back to Harry as he casted a wordless cleaning spell, and summoned his clothes back onto his body. Then, without a word, he walked towards the fireplace, grabbing a handful of powder and, with purpose, tossed it into the flames. The words, "Spinner's End" came out from those lips of his, and the flames turned green as he stepped into them without looking back.

Harry was about to shout for him, to demand that he man up and return and settle this once and for all, but he couldn't. He got out of bed then, summoning his own clothes and dashed towards the flames, already orange and back in the grate, and screamed for Severus to answer his attempt to fire-call him. However, Harry found the channel blocked, and something hitched from inside him then as he felt the tears enter his eyes as he struggled to contain his anger, but he suddenly felt at a loss. He let out a frustrated scream as he slammed his fists into the fireplace then, the only thing calling him back down to earth were Lily's screams, and he fled from his bedroom and into hers. As he gathered up his daughter to his chest, soothing her, he did his best to calm himself as well, but that familiar ache returned to his heart then as he stared down at Lily, and the notion that Severus Snape was staring up at him again, and he felt as if things would never manage to be fully resolved.

. . .

"He just left," Harry sobbed a half hour later, when Ron and Hermione came over to visit him and Lily before they left for work. "I didn't know what else to say, or to do. Everything was perfect," he blubbered, thanking Merlin that Kreacher was seeing to Lily upstairs; he didn't want to have his daughter seeing him like this. "We were...you know," he said, gesturing with his hands to indicate what had gone on, while Hermione nodded compassionately, and Ron looked away, turning red with a combination of awkwardness and embarrassment. "It was all lovely, like we hadn't even had to deal with the curse in the first place. But then..."

"What, Harry?" Hermione asked him gently. "What happened?"

Harry swallowed, squaring his shoulders. "I simply asked him what the future held for the two of us, you know?" he said. "I mean, it's not just me anymore. We've both got Lily to consider, and now that we're both fathers, we can't just go about this the wrong way."

"Good on you, mate," Ron said, and Harry looked up at him, surprised that Ron was at least making an effort to be supportive. "Using that Gryffindor courage like that. Snape needs to step up and admit what's going on in his head."

"Thanks for not calling him a 'git', Ron," Harry said quietly.

Ron sighed and shook his head. "No promises, especially after today," he muttered.

"Then what happened, Harry?" Hermione asked, after fixing her husband with an annoyed expression, before turning back to Harry.

"It escalated," Harry said softly. "I... I didn't mean to. I'm just..." He cut himself off then, going over and over their conversation in his mind. "I know we can't go on like this—even Severus said so. But I lashed out, like I always do, and I know I shouldn't," he said quickly, really not wanting to hear Hermione telling him that it was all his fault. "I know that Severus isn't really keen on opening up to people, but I'm tired of us tiptoeing around one another. I wanted a straight answer, and it looks like I'm not going to get that, seeing as he fled to his childhood home, filled with bad memories, and, given that he'd rather be there than here, with me and our daughter, I can't help but think..."

"Harry, it's not your fault," Ron told him, and Harry sighed, not feeling comforted in the slightest, although he was grateful for Ron's support. "Look, I'm not going to pretend I understand the two of you together..."

Harry scoffed, trying to get the tears out of his eyes. "Thanks, Ron."

"But there's definitely something between the two of you... Even though, come to think of it, it's not like Hermione and I have ever seen the two of you..."

"Really, Ron?!" Hermione said, whipping around to face her husband.

"Right. Sorry," he said, clearing his throat. "Aside from this not making any sense—the git tortured you during school, mate—there's something there."

"Not like he was as bad as Umbridge," Harry muttered.

"Nobody's as bad as her," Ron said, practically spitting with rage before he somehow managed to calm himself again. "But, mate, you have to know, one way or the other, if he's actually going to step up; not just with Lily, but you, too."

Hermione sighed, pursing her lips. "Is it true what you accused him of?" she asked Harry in a soft voice, and he turned to look at her. "Does he really not hold her, or help feed her? I mean, does he even interact with her at all?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really. He'll smile at her, and talk about her, but never directly to her. I just wish I knew what was wrong. Maybe if he opened up to me..."

Ron sighed. "Wouldn't bet on it now, mate, at least not until he's cooled off. Give him some time, and let him come back to you."

"But..."

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry slowly raised his eyes to hers, suddenly aware that the tears had escaped from his eyes again, and he felt the fear swimming completely throughout his body now. "What... What if he doesn't come back to me?" he whispered then, sensing his voice trembling with every word he spoke, the despair finally taking over completely.

. . .

Harry wrapped Lily up in a new autumn blanket that Molly had sent along for her, before making his way downstairs to the main Floo Network in Grimmauld Place. It had been approximately fifteen days since his argument with Severus, and his lover had remained silent throughout that time, and Harry only bothered to send Dulcis to him three times before he'd given up. It was time, he decided, for Severus to make the next move, and he was quite through waiting around to do it himself, thank you very much.

Harry smiled down at his daughter, who gurgled in response, and kissed her forehead as he made his way into the living room with her. He approached the fireplace and gathered up a bit of Floo Powder into his hand, before tossing it into the orange flames, which quickly sparked green as he stepped forward. "The Burrow!" he called, and the flames swallowed up both him and Lily, before he was able to step through into the living room in Devon.

"Harry, dear!" Molly said, bustling forward and kissing him on the cheek, before promptly taking Lily from his arms. "Oh, what a delight you are, my darling!" she cried out, and Harry wasn't surprised when Lily immediately settled in Molly's arms. "Come on through, now, Harry," Molly called over her shoulder. "The table's been set, and everyone's arriving for the Halloween dinner."

Harry hesitated for a moment, lingering a bit by the fireplace, and felt relieved when Ron and Hermione promptly exited the kitchen and came towards him. Harry accepted Hermione's immediate embrace, and Ron's as well, and got a good look at his best friends. "Look at you, Hermione!" Harry said, gasping at how lovely she looked. "How much longer are the doctors telling you now?"

"Less than two months 'till Rose is here," she said, and let out a slight squeak as Ron pulled her into his arms and wrapped her in them. "Ronald, as you can see, is very pleased with himself in that regard."

"Ron, you'll never understand what it's like carrying a child," Harry reprimanded him with a laugh. "Be gentle with her."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I know that Lily is yours, mate, but I sometimes forget that you were the one who actually..."

Hermione cleared her throat, fixing Ron with a look, and he promptly stopped talking. "Well, I think she's looking exceptional, Harry," Hermione said, turning back to look at him. "Molly made that blanket, didn't she?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. She sent it over with the owl a couple weeks ago, along with the invitation to dinner tonight."

"When do you get to come back to work with us, mate?" Ron asked.

"The ministry gave me until the first of the year," Harry replied with a shrug. "I've already started looking at reports again. Gives me something to do when Lily's napping or I'm tired of cleaning out various rooms at Grimmauld."

"How are the renovations coming?" Hermione wanted to know.

Harry sighed. "Well, thanks," he replied. "I've started on Sirius's old bedroom, cleaning and clearing out a lot of things in there. It'll serve as a good guest room, I think, so if you and Ron ever want to stay over..."

"We will, mate," Ron assured him with a smile.

"Harry!" came a shout from the kitchen as Ginny bounded forward, pulling a laughing Dean behind her. She let Dean go after a moment and flung her arms around him, kissing him good-naturedly on the cheek. "Mum is absolutely besotted with Lily," she gushed, pulling back and leaning into Dean. "She's absolutely gorgeous."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Ginny." He turned and looked at Dean, who was beaming. "And how are you, Dean?" he asked, shaking his hand.

Dean accepted the handshake and clapped Harry gently on the shoulder. "Good, thanks. I'm fighting the good fight with Hermione and Draco, and Gin and I say our vows in less than nine months. Suffice it to say, I'm a happy man."

Harry nodded. "Glad to hear it."

Dean hesitated for a moment before Ginny squeezed his hand, and he spoke again. "I've already asked Ron, and he's said yes. But, would you be one of my Groomsmen, Harry, when Ginny and I get married?"

Harry blinked, surprised. "Yeah, of course, Dean," he replied.

Ginny hesitated for a moment before she spoke as well. "Hermione's agreed to be my Matron of Honor," she said softly, "and she and Ron have agreed that Rose can be my Flower Girl—of course, Hermione will be holding her during the duration of the ceremony," Ginny went on. "I was wondering if you would mind if Lily was our other Flower Girl."

Harry grinned at that. "Yeah, of course, Gin," he told her. "I'm sure Lily would love it. Then again, she adores being held," he said with a laugh.

"She's less than a month old, mate," Ron replied. "What else does she know, really?"

Hermione swatted Ron on the arm then, rolling her eyes. "There's always a time and a place for your jokes, Ronald," she said, shaking her head.

"I like his jokes," Harry said quietly, and Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Dean all turned around to look at him. "Makes me think that things are normal. It's an illusion, really, I know," he put in, and forced a smile onto his face. "I mean, I know now that nothing's normal—next to nothing, anyway. The only thing I can count on is our circle of friends, this family that we're all in together, my beautiful daughter, and that Voldemort's death," he said, and allowed himself to say the name without fear.

"That's not all, Harry," Ginny said quietly.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, Gin. It is."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. "What's going on?"

"Lotta shit, Dean," Harry replied, hunching his shoulders. "I don't want to admit it, but I think Severus and I called it quits."

"Harry," Hermione said, her tone gentle, "Ron and I already mentioned to everyone that you didn't want to talk about..."

"It's fine, 'Mione," he said, cutting her off, his tone just as gentle as hers had been. "All I know is that everything's up in the air at this point."

"He knows you love him, doesn't he, mate?" Ron whispered.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I've told him I love him," he said, his voice soft. "I told him that as many times as I could. Hell, even when he was cursed to hate me, I told him. Either he doesn't believe that it's true, or..."

"Or...? What, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry turned and locked his eyes with hers. "Or he doesn't love me back," he said, the thought that had plagued him constantly since Severus had left Grimmauld Place, and had slowly but surely eaten away at him since then.

. . .

The rain wasn't necessarily an homage to Harry's thoughts as he sat up late in the living room at Grimmauld Place. Lily had been put to bed three and a half hours previously, and now it was going on eleven o'clock, and she had yet to stir, although Harry knew that Kreacher was more than willing to look in on her, now that he was working again. He was looking into notes about a potential spotting of Augustus Rookwood somewhere in Ireland, and about how he could've gone into hiding via the Imperius Curse.

Harry sighed, looking up at the mantle clock, and knew that he should be getting to bed soon anyway. However, Kingsley expected his thoughts on the report by the end of the week, and, given that Severus had been non-responsive towards communication with himself or with their daughter, Harry was burning the candle on both ends. Given that he had to write a response to the report, and parent Lily on his own, and continue the renovations on Grimmauld Place, he was quickly becoming exhausted, but he wouldn't change a thing.

Well, correction; Harry would change one thing about his circumstances. Although he loved his job, his daughter, and his home—as well as renovating it—he knew that the missing piece in his life, in his heart, belonged to none other than Severus Snape. The fact that the man had been so evasive and elusive of late pained him; not just for his sake, but for Lily's as well. The notion that Lily could grow up without her other father pained him, because Harry knew exactly what it was like to grow up without one. However, Harry also lacked a mother, and had been forced to live with the remnants of her family, and what a hellish existence that had proven to be, when he himself had been forbidden to fight back, or to resist.

The Floo flared then, and Harry made no move to set the reports inside, for he initially thought it would be Ron, who had trouble sleeping these days, given that the clock was ticking on him becoming a father. Harry smirked at the notion that he and his best mate would be fathers together, and, at that thought, he knew that, Severus in his life or not, that things would prove to be much easier. It was when he didn't hear Ron's familiar voice, asking if Kreacher had left him anything in the kitchen, that Harry looked up, and found himself flushing pink at the sight of Severus standing there.

Harry swallowed then, vanishing the reports the Black family safe upstairs, where he kept all the important paperwork, and got to his feet. "How may I help you, Severus?" he asked.

Severus sighed. "I believe I owe you an explanation for my absence."

Harry gritted his teeth; that was the least Severus owed him, but he would take what he could get from this man. "Very well," he replied. "You may tell me."

"Are you familiar with the name David Corby?"

Harry felt his eyebrows raise for a moment; indeed, Pureblood and handsome David Corby was a very talented potioneer, and, given that Horace Slughorn had elected to retire at the end of the last school year, Professor McGonagall had been on the hunt for a new Potion's Professor. Harry had heard through the grapevine that David Corby—an Irish man in his mid-forties—had been selected. Corby had been traveling around Finland's forests for the past two decades, looking for the rarest potion ingredients, some even rumored to just be myth, and his personal journal on his experiences had been published the summer before. Perhaps, Harry mused, the reason for Severus's absence was that he and Corby had...

"Yes, I am familiar with Corby," Harry replied, realizing just how clipped his tone was, but decided to let it lie. "What does he have to do with your absence?"

"Black Cat Flu, I'm afraid," Severus replied, and Harry raised his eyebrows again. "Apparently, Corby ingested something in one of Finland's forests over the summer, that saw fit not to react to his body until a week before he began teaching. Corby was able to keep the symptoms at bay until the twentieth of October, when he suddenly collapsed mid-lesson."

Harry blinked. "I am sorry to hear that." He hesitated for a moment, rolling back onto the balls of his feet. "What does this have to do with you?"

"Minerva sent me an owl," Severus explained, "asking me to return to Hogwarts for the duration of Corby's illness, and I accepted."

Harry nodded. "I see. And I assume Madam Pomfrey or St. Mungo's are taking care of Corby in the interim?"

"St. Mungo's," Severus said, and Harry nodded again. "The doctors there, while they've managed to get a handle on Corby's illness—to the point where he'll live for a time, and will be unable to spread the disease itself—say that it would be unwise for him to return to teaching children, given his frailty."

Harry swallowed. "How long has he got?"

"They said it would be lucky if Corby made it another five years. Shame, really," Severus said, and Harry detected sadness in his expression and tone.

Harry gritted his teeth again. "So, that is why you were away?" he very nearly spat at the man he loved, and Severus's black eyes locked onto his. "I'm surprised you don't have the disease yourself, then, Severus."

Severus blinked. "Just what are you insinuating?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it! You made us write parchment rolls on Corby far longer than any other topic during your stint as Potion's Master while I was at Hogwarts!"

Severus looked astounded. "He is very talented and renowned in the field, Harry," he said, his tone perfectly level. "Of course you would have written about him. Hell, even Slughorn had a positive word—many positive words, in fact—to say about him. And Corby was a Ravenclaw for Salazar's sake!"

"That's not fair, and you know it," Harry shot back. "Slughorn may have been a Slytherin, but he didn't care what House you were in—not like you."

"At least I didn't hop around from place to place with my favorite students in a bag and show them off for my new favorites to see, or demand favors from them for giving them high marks whilst they were under my teaching!"

"No," Harry agreed, his tone bitter. "But that's all because the world had to know that you couldn't have any favorites, because of your fucking Death Eater status. Sure, you must've tolerated your Slytherins on some level—Draco for one, and perhaps his little cronies, but I don't see how the latter can ever reform themselves; Draco is the exception. But you," Harry went on, his heartbeat quickening as Severus took a step closer to him, "you never allowed yourself to have any friends. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, sure, but you never allowed yourself the luxury of allowing yourself love and comfort from those who really think you mean something to them."

"Harry..."

Harry ignored him. "Then, when you have the opportunity for a family placed on a fucking silver platter, you abandon it all for a quick fuck with someone who's actually competent in potions. I mean, he's older, he's got more experience, and he can probably translate the Latin names of plants or something that the potions come from. I'll bet that's some sort of turn-on for you, right?" he asked then, his voice quavering then, as Severus stared down at him. "To actually have someone that you deem to be worthy of you?"

"Is that what you think?" Severus whispered.

Harry blinked. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

Severus swallowed. "You think I left because I believe you to be unworthy of me?" he asked him then, shaking his head. "For Merlin's sake... If anything, Harry, it is I who am unworthy of you," he said, his voice firm.

Harry shook his head. "I've already told you, I don't care about your past," he said. "I mean, I know I was no good at potions until I had that book of yours, but that's only because you left me clues along the way... I've been in love with you since I was sixteen-years-old, Severus, and I think I had an attraction for you from the moment that Dumbledore made you give me my very first Occlumency lesson. I couldn't help it," Harry said. "You said that you were going to penetrate my mind, and that I had to attempt to resist. Me and my teenage mind... I simply rearranged the words in my mind, but I never thought of resisting. Not you. I couldn't resist you, and I still can't, no matter how many times you hurt me..."

"I don't want to hurt you, Harry."

Harry sighed. "Then why do you keep doing it?"

Severus shut his eyes then, making no moves to get closer to Harry. "That, I'm afraid, is a very complicated question, with an equally complicated answer."

Harry bit his lip. "Is there anything going on between you and Corby?"

Severus's eyes snapped open and he shook his head. "No!" he cried out. "I admire the man for his work only, Harry. That is where it ends."

Harry shook his head right back. "But... But why would you even mention him to me in the first place? You said yourself he was the reason for your absence, and I thought, since you made us do all those essays on him, that you might..."

"Oh. Oh, fuck," Severus said, stepping forward and yanking Harry into his arms, pressing his lips to his forehead. "I've been a fool, and for that, I apologize."

"That's a good start," Harry replied, nestling himself into his arms. "Now, tell me what Corby has to do with your absence."

Severus pulled back then, but did not make any moves to release Harry. "Minerva contacted me about Corby's illness," he explained. "Of course, I was apologetic, but the nature of the call soon turned into a job offer."

Harry blinked. "A job offer?"

Severus nodded. "Yes. Minerva asked me to return to Hogwarts to reassume my potion as the Potion's Professor and Head of Slytherin House."

Harry swallowed. "And you've accepted?"

"Yes," Severus told him. "That's why I haven't been over to see you and Lily. I would've written, to tell you where I was, but it seems that that owl of yours thought I was at Spinner's End this entire time."

"I assume you've returned to your rooms at Hogwarts, then?"

"I have."

"Then, why didn't you simply owl me from there?"

Severus sighed. "Corby, for all he's worth—he is a wonderful writer, and his discoveries have been quite beneficial to the Wizarding World—doesn't have talents that extend to teaching, I'm afraid."

Harry blinked. "Godric, he's not another Lockhart, is he?"

Severus laughed aloud then. "No. His discoveries were real, valid, and his own."

Harry nodded. "Oh, I see. So, his professor skills are...lacking?"

"That's putting it politely," Severus replied. "The first-years don't even know how to brew a simple Pepperup Potion."

Harry blinked. "They don't?"

"No. The steam came out the drinker's nose instead of the ears."

Now, it was Harry's turn to laugh. "Oh, dear. I hope everyone was all right."

"Yes, they're all fine, now that they're under my tutelage again."

Harry hesitated for a moment. "And...you're being nice?"

Severus pursed his lips. "I will not allow students to play games in my classroom, as Filius does, but I am not simply taking away House points for someone being a Gryffindor."

Harry hesitated one last time. "Severus?"

"Yes?"

Harry swallowed. "Do you want this? Us?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

Harry nodded. "Well, then, I think that you and I have a lot to work out between the two of us, and I hope we can do so in the near future."

Severus sighed. "I'm sorry. About everything. I..."

Harry stood on his tones and gently kissed Severus. "We don't have to discuss it tonight. But I do think you should return to Hogwarts. Don't you have papers to grade?"

Severus grinned. "I'm afraid so."

Harry nodded. "Go, then. We'll speak more later."

"Will we?"

Harry slowly permitted a smile to come onto his lips. "Yes, Severus. We will."

. . .

Harry had been touching his cheek on and off since Thanksgiving, when Charlie Weasley had unexpectedly kissed him and made his interests known. Harry's quick reply that he was in love with someone else was not lost on Ron's second-eldest brother, but Charlie's next words that he wouldn't give up on Harry threw him completely. Harry had been pacing non-stop since that night—other than the moments when he was reading reports for Kingsley, listening to Kreacher about renovations, or spending time with Lily—as he replayed the interaction in his head, and knew he had to tell Severus about it.

Severus had been at the Burrow for Thanksgiving; however, he had spent most of it holding onto Lily, showing the world his efforts to become a better father. Lily absolutely adored Severus, which was definitely a plus, and the entire Weasley family had been welcoming to him. For Harry's part, however, he just tried to get through the evening without spilling the beans before, during, or after the meal. Perhaps, he reasoned, if it had happened after the meal—when wine and Firewhiskey had been passed around—Harry could've excused the behavior somewhat, but Charlie was as sober as a judge, and the groping when nobody else was looking certainly hadn't improved matters.

Harry whirled around then when the Floo blared, and yet remained right where he stood as Severus stepped into the room, unable to speak.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost," Severus said.

Harry swallowed. "We need to talk."

Severus's brows knit together. "What is it?"

Harry sighed; despite the fact that it had been eight days since Charlie's interest had been expressed, he still hadn't spoken about it aloud, and had been alone with his thoughts. "I... I need to tell you something."

"Very well," Severus said, gesturing with his hand. "Tell me."

"Someone has expressed an interest in me."

Severus blinked. "I see."

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think you do see," he said quickly. "It happened on Thanksgiving, when we were all at the Burrow."

"Who was it, then?"

"Charlie Weasley," Harry said softly.

"Ah. Handsome man, that Charlie," Severus said, not letting anything on; in fact, the man sounded as if he was listing off a set of rather unenthralling potion ingredients. "He lives in Romania, however. I do hope you won't miss England too much... I wonder if Hermione could represent the both of us in a join-custody trial..."

Harry shook his head, hardly believing what he was hearing. "Excuse me?

"Well, you'll want to see more of him, I assume, and I'm not about to take Lily completely away from you, Harry," Severus replied.

"No, Severus, you don't understand..."

"What isn't there to understand? Charlie is twenty-six-years-old—much more appropriate an age difference, if I may say so. He's used to lots of children around, and he seems to like Lily, and our daughter seems to like the Weasley family as a whole..."

"I always told you I didn't give a fuck about our age difference," Harry said quickly, close to losing his temper. "What is this really about?"

"Your apparent interest in Charlie Weasley," Severus continued, his tone perfectly level. "Was this your way of letting me down easy, whilst you managed to sniff out a more-suitable-to-the-public partner?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "I've told you more than once how much I've despised my own fame. I never asked for it, Severus," he went on, his voice shaking. "What is it you're trying to accomplish here? If your attempt is to alienate me, then it won't fucking work," he said, the words coming out forcefully as he advanced upon him then. "You know how much I love you, and want you. I told you as much in that memory..."

"Don't," Severus said, pulling out of Harry's grasp. "You merely felt sorry for me in the face of my own death..."

"You didn't fucking die, you jackass!" Harry screamed. "What do you want me to do? I could contact The Profit, or The Quibbler, or go directly to Kingsley himself. Everyone out there is clamoring to know who Lily's other father is; sure, the famous Harry Potter is seen as an anomaly for having the ability to carry a child, on top of everything else... But I need to know what you want here, Severus. Do you want me to proclaim my feelings for you publicly? Say the word, and I'll do it, if that's what you want. Just say it."

"Stop it," Severus ordered. "I just want this to stop."

"This being?" Harry whispered, finally lifting his hand so as he could move it between them. "Is this what you want to end, Severus?"

Severus looked away. "Don't ask me that."

"I can't not ask anymore, Severus," Harry replied, his tone firm. "I can't not ask anymore, because I have to know."

"Have to know what?" Severus nearly snapped.

"How you fucking feel about me," Harry said, trying his very best not to break down and cry in front of this man. "Do you love me? Do you love Lily? Do you want this life together? Because I need to know, one way or the other."

"So you can take off with Charlie Weasley if I tell you I don't want this?"

Harry shook his head. "I have never in my life wanted Charlie Weasley, Severus. I've never wanted anyone like I want you, and that's not going to change." He hesitated for a moment before permitting himself to speak again. "Can you say the same?"

Severus permitted himself to look at Harry for a moment, before he turned around, calling out for his private rooms at Hogwarts, and departed Grimmauld Place.

Harry sighed then, once Severus had disappeared in a mess of green flames, and felt the tears finally coming down his face. "Well, then," he said, shaking his head. "I guess I've finally got my answer to that question."

. . .

Severus returned to his private rooms at Hogwarts on the final day of classes before Christmas break was due to begin. He saw the students flitting off after lunch to gather their trunks and head to the train, while he himself anticipated a quiet holiday at the castle. This, of course, was not something he was willing to change, so when Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley came via Floo Network into his private quarters, he did his best not to sneer at their invasion of his privacy.

"And how may I help you today?" he asked the pair of them, refraining from calling out the new Mrs. Weasley on her 'insufferable know-it-all' status.

"I've had it with you, Snape!" the Weasley boy shouted then, while Granger, who was visibly pregnant, stood back, likely only there because she was a solicitor and didn't want her husband doing anything stupid. "I don't know what Harry sees in you, but he's bloody torn up because of your treatment towards him!"

Severus raised an eyebrow at the passion from Weasley; like his parents, brothers, and that sister of his, he had Gryffindor written all over his actions. "I can hardly see why that would be the case, Mr. Weasley, given that he is interested in the elicitations of that brother of yours who loves dragons a little too much."

Granger's brown eyes narrowed then, and she nearly elbowed Weasley out of the way as she advanced upon Severus then. "How dare you accuse Harry of such a thing?!" she demanded of him, and Severus wouldn't have been surprised if she waggled a finger in his face. "Harry has spoken to you of his...interactions with that uncle of his?"

Severus's lips thinned at the very thought of it. "I am aware."

"Well, I can't believe you would accuse Harry of encouraging Charlie's behavior," Granger went on, her eyes flashing with rage. "Charlie, according to Harry's word, was groping him throughout the party!"

"My brother Charlie is a great many things, Snape, and perhaps groper can be added to that list now," Weasley said, his tone bitter. "But Harry is a different kind of person entirely. He would not lie about something like this. And I'm sure that you know him well enough to know how difficult it is for him to discuss such things."

"I know about his past, Weasley," Severus said, sneering at him. "I was able to visit one of Harry's dreams, which was a memory of one of the attacks."

"You visited one of his dreams?" Granger whispered, her mouth falling open.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes. What of it?"

"What is it, 'Mione?" Weasley asked his wife.

"Only someone who feels great love and compassion for another can do such a thing," she whispered, looking shocked.

Severus rolled his eyes. "An interesting theory, Granger, but I'm afraid it is much too late, given that Potter has made his decision on the matter—"

"You know bloody well whatever you're thinking isn't true!" Weasley shouted at him. "Harry has only ever been in love with one person—and I would know! I'm his best friend, and he dated my sister for Merlin's sake!"

"Exactly. He dated your sister," Severus said. "You see? Potter is clearly an elusive young man who clearly doesn't fully know or understand what he wants."

"What he wants is you!" Granger cried out, quickly growing annoyed with him. "Why I don't know, given your past bullying nature towards him, and your inability to admit that you want him now, forever, now that you have the opportunity... Why can't you, I wonder?" she asked him then, her brown brows going together at that. "Why can't you admit that it's Harry that you want, now and forever? Is it because you can no longer hide the relationship?"

"Are you ashamed of Harry?!" Weasley demanded.

"No, I'm not ashamed of Harry!" Severus yelled. "Not about the relationship, or my feelings for him, anyway..."

"Then, what is it?" Granger asked, her voice more gentle this time. "What could you possibly have to be ashamed about?"

"My past treatment of him," Severus replied, the words falling out of his lips. "No matter how many times I apologize, I cannot make up for something like that. Not to mention the fact that I'm fucking scared..."

"Scared?" Weasley asked. "Of what?"

"Scared of losing him again," Severus said softly. "When the curse happened, Harry could've just given up, but he didn't. He still doesn't want to give up on me..."

"Do you want to give up on him?" Granger asked.

Severus shook his head. "No. I never did."

"Does Harry know you're scared?" she asked.

Severus sighed. "I haven't told him of it, no."

"You need to tell him," Granger told him.

Weasley rolled his eyes. "Let's just hope he listens to a git..."

Granger elbowed him in the ribs. "Ronald!" she cried out, before turning back to Severus. "You need to go there and tell him."

Severus nodded, smiling at them both. "Thank you," he said, and hesitated for a moment. "I... I want to tell you congratulations."

"Little late," Weasley muttered, and was rewarded with another elbow in the ribs.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," Granger said.

"It's Severus," Severus told her.

"Call me Hermione," she said, and affixed her husband with a look.

"I'm Ron, then," he told his former professor.

Severus nodded. "Thank you, Hermione and Ron, for everything," he said, before he vanished from his personal rooms at Hogwarts, and Apparated into the cobblestone area just outside Grimmauld Place.

It was raining, but, for once, Severus didn't mind it as he walked through the black gates. The time was now, to tell Harry that he was sorry, and that he loved and wanted him forever. Just as he was about to knock at the door of number twelve—visible to him because he was a wizard—he heard the unmistakable sound of laughter on the other side. Walking a little to the right and looking through the massive living room window, he saw Harry, sitting on the couch, and, just beside him, was Charlie Weasley, facing the window, with Harry's back to Severus. The Weasley was laughing about something, and he could detect Harry nodding along to whatever he was prattling on about.

A lump rose in Severus's throat then; had he been a Gryffindor, he would have marched through the front door, and planted a kiss on Harry's lips, letting the dragon boy just who Harry Potter belonged to. However, Severus had been sorted into Slytherin, and while Slytherins were known to be cunning, they were not known to be brave. Severus, suddenly aware that he didn't know where the rain stopped and his tears began, turned away from the window, and vanished into the rainy streets of London.

From inside the living room at Grimmauld Place, Harry painstakingly listened to Charlie's story about Norberta, Hagrid's old dragon, whom had been rescued from the giant's hut and taken to Romania during his first year at Hogwarts. Perhaps, at one time, Harry would have been interested in such a story, but not now, not when the love of his life had disappeared again, and he didn't know how he would cope. In that moment, he sensed something behind him; however, when he turned around to briefly look out the window during Charlie's story, he saw nothing but the rainy street beyond, and the seeds of worry began to sprout.