It had rained consistently from the moment Oliver had sent Harry his first sales check for The Wicked Count and the Trials of Fire. It had been projected to sell out within the first day of its publication, and it had done so in less than six hours. Harry couldn't bring himself to be pleased about the matter, however, and even in the weeks that followed when he sent Oliver his first draft for The Wicked Count and the Beloved Sin, he just couldn't get it out of his head that his own mother had been a monster as well, albeit a different kind of one from his father. The most bitter pill to swallow, however, had been the notion that his own mother could have rejected him for just being who he was.

And then there was the matter with Severus, and how he couldn't believe that the man had known his mother while they were young. All he had known about his mother was that she had died when he was born, and that they had the same eyes. The very eyes that had made his own father incapable of loving him. The very fact that Severus, the man he claimed to love, was keeping such tragic information from him gutted him, and he didn't know how to respond to it at the time, and so he had resorted to lashing out. Since the adoption was on the books, there had been no more solo meetings with Severus, but it hadn't stopped the man from attempting to reach out to Harry, and all attempts were rebuffed.

"Harry."

Harry turned around then at the sound of Remus's voice, and forced a smile onto his face; today was the day, and there was no turning back now, not that Harry had any intention of turning back from finding his family fully. "Are they ready for us in there?" he asked.

Luca Zabini stepped out of the courtroom with a bright smile on his face, and nodded to Harry, before turning to Sirius and Remus. "We're up," he informed them, before turning to regard Harry a second time. "You ready to get adopted and become a permanent member of the Black family, Harry?"

Harry nodded; the Easter holidays had been selected deliberately by Sirius and Remus, as they had deemed it perfect time for Harry's adoption to take place, and Harry was more ready for it than ever. "I'm ready," he said, and followed Luca into the courtroom. Harry moved to sit at the table provided with Sirius and Luca, while Remus slipped into the first row, alongside Hermione, Ron, Draco, Ginny, Blaise, Neville, Luna, Sienna, Aideen, Hestia, Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Lee, and Angelina, who were all waiting anxiously for the judge to appear.

The judge on deck that day set to oversee the adoption was said by Luca to be Judge Cornelius Fudge, who was quite a family man in his own right, and reportedly absolutely loved overseeing cases like this. After giving cursory glances around the courtroom, trying to find escape routes if things went south, Harry found himself straightening up automatically from between Sirius and Luca as the door behind the pulpit opened up, and the judge came out in a pair of sweeping black robes, and Harry, as well as the rest of the people in the gallery, got to their feet.

Judge Fudge got to the pulpit promptly, holding some paperwork in his meaty-looking hands, and moved to sit. "Be seated," he said, once he had done so. "Barrister Zabini, I believe you have the opening statement."

"I do. Thank you, Your Honor," Luca replied, getting to his feet. "Today, we bear witness to a lovely thing within the care environment, and what I believe it is truly about. Here, we have Harry James Potter, an orphan, who long believed that he himself would not be able to find a family that would suit his needs. And yet, one fateful day, Harry was introduced to Sirius Black, who through love and compassion, taught Harry about familial love, and guided him to a place of healing, to the point when Sirius asked Harry if he would like to be made a permanent part of his family, Harry accepted. Your Honor, I come here today, representing both Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, in the hopes that you will take Harry's past into consideration, as well as the wonderful strides he has made academically, personally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually since entering the care of Mr. Black. And now, all that remains is your verdict on the subject, one that I sincerely hope will be in my client's favor. Thank you."

"Thank you very much, Barrister Zabini," Judge Fudge replied with a nod as Luca returned to his seat, and the judge scanned the paperwork before him. "I have here statements from Albus Dumbledore, Director of Magical Kinship; Severus Snape, Mr. Potter's social worker; Headmaster Horace Slughorn, the Head of the City of London School; and then several from Mr. Potter's close friends, who I believe are here today." He looked up, and smiled thoughtfully as they all of them waved excitedly from the gallery. "Well, it seems as if you've got plenty of people who love you, Mr. Potter," the judge said, looking at Harry.

Harry smiled back at him. "It's nice to have love, sir," he replied.

"Well, as it appears Mr. Black has no criminal record, and all his financials are in order, meaning that he has an ample salary to properly care for Mr. Potter, I'd say that things are well in working order here. Plus, the home inspection passed with flying colors, so there is that to consider as well when we come right down to it. While Mr. Potter did perfectly well in school before entering Mr. Black's care, he has succeeded all expectations and is now in the top-five of his class, and has already been accepted and has selected a university to attend upon the receiving of his A-Levels later this year, which he will begin for the fall term. You should be very proud, Mr. Potter," Judge Fudge said.

Harry nodded. "I am. Thank you, judge."

"I see no reason other than to immediately sign off on this endeavor, then," the judge said and looked down at Harry. "Harry James Potter, would you like to be adopted by Sirius Orion Black today?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"And Sirius Orion Black, would you like to adopt Harry James Potter today?"

Sirius smiled, putting an arm around Harry's shoulders. "I would, Your Honor."

"Well, then, I suppose we're all in agreement here," Judge Fudge said with a nod, and pulled what appeared to be a document towards him. "By the power vested in me, by Her Majesty the Queen, I now enact this adoption," he said, and signed his name with a flourish. "Barrister Zabini," he said, motioning for the bailiff to take the document and bring it towards him, "if you would please sign next."

"Yes, Your Honor," Luca said, signing his name where it was indicated, beneath Barrister for the Prospective Family. "Sirius, your turn now," he said, and handed over the pen, where Sirius put his name beneath Adoptive Parent.

"Harry," Sirius said, and handed over the pen.

Harry quickly signed his name, his new name, beneath Adopted Child.

"And now, for the very first time," said Judge Fudge, getting to his feet, "may I present to the court, Sirius Orion Black and his son, Harry James Black?"

"Thank you, judge!" Harry shouted out just as he launched to his feet then and promptly threw himself into Sirius's arms, feeling safe and secure for the first time ever. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered to him.

"Don't mention it, Harry," Sirius whispered back.

Harry turned around then and shook Luca's hand, before he darted through the gate towards the gallery and ran to Remus, with a whispered shout of, "Papa!" and embraced him. He went along his row of friends then, and even hugged Molly and Arthur as well. When he came to Blaise, however, he knew that the part still had to be played, so they kissed, unknowing, in that moment, what the consequences would turn out to be.

~*~

After photos were taken and smiles and hugs abound were shared, Harry was forced from the courtroom by Ron, Hermione, Draco, Ginny, and Blaise, who guided him out a back way, and Harry was shocked to find Draco's car waiting. His questions were rebuffed, and he merely shrugged his shoulders and permitted himself to be led into the vehicle. As they drove, he tried again to ask questions, but his answers were still refused, and he found he had more questions than ever when they pulled up at a beautiful Victorian stone building.

"Um... What's this?" he asked.

"The club!" Ron exclaimed proudly, and he, Draco, and Blaise promptly hauled Harry out of the car, Hermione and Ginny trailing behind.

They got Harry to the doors of the establishment quickly, which were thrown open, and Harry quickly raised his eyebrows at the sight of Fred, George, Lee, and Angelina, who all stood there happily. "Um... Something I should know about?" he asked, regarding all their faces, one after the other.

"You didn't tell him?" Angelina demanded, glaring daggers at Ron.

"That's our fault, love," George assured her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thought it would be better as a surprise, did you?" Lee asked.

Fred threw up his hands. "You've caught us."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Harry said, raising his voice, as his patience was ebbing away from him quickly.

"Right, right, sorry," Ron said as Harry was ushered into the building. "We still need to get it ready, but tonight, the club is ours."

Harry turned and looked at the twins. "Could someone please explain to me why the club would possibly he ours tonight?" he asked firmly.

"It's to celebrate your adoption," Angelina replied brightly, and Harry firmly decided that he liked the young woman very much.

"We still need to clean it up some from last night, but it shouldn't take too long," Lee put in with an engaging smile. "Mostly, we need to haul out the rubbish and clear the tables, to make room for dancing, as it'll be a younger crowd here tonight."

"Hired the best DJ, too," Fred told Harry, and it was apparent to Harry that he was quite excited about this particular nugget of information.

"Calls himself 'the Bloody Baron', even though he preaches non-violence whenever he's got a significant event like this," George explained, as excited as his twin. "Plays all the classic rock and popular music. Hope that's all right."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's all right."

"We've also got our top chef cooking in the back for your big night, and our bartender should be along in good time," Angelina told Harry, leading Harry to believe that Angelina had some kind of role in the club as well, other than the girlfriend of one of the owners. "Now, all that remains is clearing this place up, and we've got a party."

"We've brought clothes for tonight as well," Draco told Harry with a grin. "They're in the boot, which we'll be collecting shortly."

"And never you mind about payment, Harry," Fred told him.

"Sirius and Remus approached us a few weeks back, just after you'd told them that you were going to be adopted, and asked us to let you have the club for the night. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity, as the deposit was above and beyond what we expected," Lee said brightly, and was promptly nudged by Fred.

"Anyhow," said George, as Angelina rolled her eyes, "they asked us to make sure that you all had a good time tonight, and we told him we were on it."

Angelina leaned closer to George's side. "The invitations went out three weeks ago, and anyone who's anyone is going to be here," she told the teenagers. "Positively everyone that we invited accepted, although there will be chaperones."

"Chaperones?" Harry asked.

"Yes, volunteers who will be watching the festivities, alongside us, of course," Fred informed the group in a steady tone. "We'll let you leave it up to your imaginations, because the party begins at eight, and we've less than five hours to get the place ready."

"Ginny and I will go and get our clothes for tonight out of the boot," Draco volunteered, and Ginny flushed becomingly at the comment, and nestled closer to him.

"I'll come with," Angelina said, kissing George on the cheek before stepping forward. "I can tell you where to pop everything until it's time to change."

"Great," Ginny said, taking Angelina by the hand and pulling her outside with Draco, and the girls immediately began chatting with one another.

"Now that all my childhood secrets are likely to get spilled," George said, while Fred and Lee began nudging each other and laughing, "let's decide who should take what job."

Ultimately, Harry, Ron, Blaise, and Draco were assigned to trash duty, while Hermione and Ginny would take wiping down the various tables, the bar, and making sure that all the chairs were in working order. Luna and Neville arrived shortly thereafter, with Neville helping the rest of the boys with trash duty, and Luna getting to work on some dusting about the place. While all this was going on, Angelina had brought up all their outfits to be kept in the wardrobe in one of the offices, while she answered phone calls and emails, Lee went over the budget for the evening ahead, and Fred and George called to check in with the DJ and the various chaperones that had volunteered to supervise alongside them.

Harry didn't mind the work; in fact, it meant that conversations were essentially off-limits for, according to Ron, Fred and George took the upkeep of the club very seriously, and would leave no stone left unturned. As Harry worked, he mulled over the past several weeks of his time at school, and the rather befuddled gazes that Cormac bestowed upon Blaise, and the subsequent glares he'd given Harry. Harry had found it perfectly amusing, while Blaise had begun to grow worried that their little charade was working too well.

"All right there, Blaise?" Harry asked, taking a moment to stretch his fingers.

Blaise shrugged, popping his spine before returning to work. "Do we know who RSVP'd to this thing tonight?" he asked.

Ron, on Harry's other side, chewed his lower lip as he swept out some cobwebs from a particularly dark corner. "I may have seen it..."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Ron," Harry said.

"All the guys from our class are coming, and a few from Ginny, Hermione, and Luna's school have declared that they'll be here as well," Ron confirmed.

Blaise sighed, looking around; Draco was tidying up the bannister of the staircase; Hermione and Ginny were polishing the bar; Luna was dusting around the front door; and Neville was sweeping on the other side of the room. "We have to tell him."

"Are you sure?"

"Tell me what?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed and, at Blaise's nod, turned to look at Ron. "Blaise and I aren't really together," he said softly to him.

Ron blinked. "What? Did you break it off or something?"

"You can't break it off if you were never with someone in the first place," Blaise told Ron in that patient tone of his.

"Hey, I don't hear work down there, I hear chit-chat!" bellowed Fred, leaning over the ledge upon the top floor.

"The faster you work, the more quickly the party'll come!" called George.

"Freddy, someone's on the phone for you!" yelled Lee from the office.

"Hey, leave them alone," Angelina reprimanded George as she stepped forward, putting a hand on his arm. "I've finished up my phone calls. Fancy some alone time?"

"Yes, please," George said, and eagerly followed her into his own office.

Harry sighed, not wanting to table their discussion in the middle of it, but also knowing that the three of them needed to work to get the place in order before the party. He was quite positive that many other people their age would've balked at the prospect of cleaning some place before partying there, but Harry certainly didn't mind. It kept his eye off a certain pair of onyx eyes which had haunted his thoughts to no end since that bitter cold day in January, when he had last been alone with Severus Snape.

Pushing his mind back into the assigned task at hand, Harry was unaware of time passing, due to his focus, so when it came time to change, he suddenly realized how he might look. Much to his surprise, Fred and George led them all to a locker room, where there was a wall in between, so as everyone could shower without being uncomfortable. Relieved, Harry chose a shower at random, while the twins informed everyone that Angelina would be leaving their outfits in the changing room beyond.

After making himself as presentable as he could, Harry fell in line with the rest of the boys and quickly found the outfit, as all the other boys seemed to know what it was they were wearing. It came as a shock to Harry when he eyeballed his own outfit, as it was a new one; it was a lovely dark purple suit, with matching tie, and patent leather dress shoes. Touched, he found a card attached to it and, when he opened it us, tears appeared in his eyes.

Welcome to the family. Have fun tonight. We love you. – S. & R.

Harry hastily brushed his tears away and dressed himself, marveling at the notion that the suit was in his exact size. Everyone in the locker room complimented Harry, and he blushed becomingly. Draco tossed him a spare comb, and Harry used it quickly, although he couldn't manage to tame his raven hair at all. It suited him, he realized that now, because it was as imperfect as he was, and had always been.

As he patted the pockets, he was surprised by the feeling that there was something in one of them and, when he pulled them out, noticed that they were golden cufflinks, with the initials H.J.B. upon them, and he felt his face lighting up automatically. Draco promptly stepped forward and took his comb back, and easily helped Harry with situating them in their proper place. Then he was led by the rest of them out of the locker room, and they all of them met up with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, before they all slipped down the staircase.

More time had gone by than Harry had imagined, because there were disco balls and lights beaming off of every surface of the club. The tables and chairs had been moved, and everyone who stood below was dancing. The Bloody Baron, the hired DJ, was playing some pop song that Harry didn't recognize, but it had a pleasing beat to it. However, he was made to stand at the top of the stairs while the rest of them went down, and everyone was called to look up at him, and there was an almighty cheer, before there were scattered shouts of, "Congratulations!" and everyone seemed quite pleased to be there.

Finally, albeit blushing like mad, Harry was given the signal to come down the stairs, and he hugged or shook hands with pretty much anyone who wanted to. Naturally, he gave out more handshakes, because, other than his own group of friends, he really didn't know anyone else, but they all seemed like very nice people. Finally, Hermione handed him a red plastic cup of champagne and went to dance with Ginny, the girls giggling to themselves about how much they supposedly loved the song playing. Luna and Neville were dancing already, while Draco was watching Ginny with a look of pure love on his face. It was then that Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around then, seeing that Ron had hauled Blaise over, and clearly wanted to continue their conversation.

"Wait," Ron said, looking back and forth between them and shaking his head. "Wait just a minute here. I don't get it. I mean, for the past several months that we've known about this, you've been holding hands, sharing secrets, snogging... You even laugh at each other's jokes, even the ones that aren't funny!"

"Told you that was a thing," Blaise whispered to Harry.

"That was the point, Ron," Harry explained, sipping at his drink. "Blaise and I wanted everyone to think that we were a couple, so that people wouldn't know who I was into..."

"And so I could make Cormac jealous," Blaise finished, shoulders deflating. "I don't think it was working out very well..."

"Why?" Ron asked, slightly coming to his senses about the whole thing.

"Because he doesn't seem to care one way or another who I'm with," Blaise said, slouching against the wall behind him.

"You're wrong, you know."

Harry and Ron's jaws subsequently dropped, and it took a moment for Blaise to finally catch on to their expressions, whereupon he turned around.

"Cormac," Blaise whispered.

"So, you two," Cormac said, pointing in between Harry and Blaise slowly. "You two were never a couple?"

Harry promptly shook his head. "No."

"Not at all," Blaise confirmed.

Cormac turned back to Blaise then, looking him over. "So this, all of this, with the two of you practically throwing yourselves at each other in public... It was all to get me?"

"Of course it was," Blaise said, obviously trying to stay calm. "I've fancied you since Year Nine, and I just couldn't take it anymore..."

Cormac smiled slowly then, as if he was a cat who had eaten the canary. "It was Year Ten for me, Blaise, only because I didn't know I was gay until then," he told him softly. "You came back from spending the summer in Italy..."

"Yeah," Blaise said, remembering. "Puberty hit me like a ton of bricks. Plus a lot of my cousins were showing me how to work out..."

"I remember," Cormac said, nodding in approval. "That's also when you joined the school's football team."

"Only to be closer to you," Blaise said quickly. "I could care less about football. Playing it, I mean. I prefer to watch."

"Shame," Cormac said with a laugh. "You're a great player."

"It's not for me," Blaise said softly. "I got into Birmingham and I'm going to be a pediatric physician, ultimately."

Cormac smiled even wider. "Pediatric oncologist," he said then, and Blaise gasped aloud at his career aspirations. "So, it was really all a joke?"

"All a joke," Harry confirmed putting up his hands.

Cormac turned to Harry and instead put out his hand. "Thank you," he said, and Harry, although shocked, reached out and shook his hand. "Thank you for making me realize how short life is, and, if you want something this badly, you'll just go for it." He smiled at Harry before releasing his hand, and turned back to Blaise. "Blaise Luca Zabini, would you do me the honor of dancing with me, with the mutual thinking that this'll be our first date?"

Blaise's face broke out in an unexpected grin then. "I'd love to," he replied, and reached towards Cormac's hand.

"Wait, just one thing more," Cormac said, much to Blaise's confusion. However, Cormac stepped forward then and drew Blaise into his arms, snogging him for all he was worth, and Harry grinned at the exchange, while Ron guffawed at the notion that he and Blaise had literally deceived them all. Cormac pulled back then and, grinning down at Blaise, pulled him into the dancing crowd, and all seemed well.

"Well, you got me," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. "Who else knew?"

"That it was a farce?" Harry asked, sipping his drink delicately.

Ron nodded. "Yeah."

"Hermione picked it up right away," Harry told him, and Ron sighed.

"I should've known," he said, shaking his head.

"Guess everyone will figure it out soon enough," Harry said quietly.

"There's some merit in what Cormac said, you know," Ron put in, and Harry turned and stared at him for a moment.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, he said that if you want something so badly, you should just go for it," Ron told him, and Harry shook his head.

"Not completely following..."

"You and Severus, of course," Ron said.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "That ship has sailed, Ron."

"Why? You still love him, don't you?"

"Of course I still love him, Ron," Harry said, shaking his head again and setting his drink down on the bar behind him. "Doesn't matter much now, though, does it?"

"Why not?"

Harry nipped at his bottom lip. "You know as well as I do that I screamed at him last time we were in the same room together," he whispered.

"So bloody what?" Ron said, throwing his hands up in the air. "I set this whole thing up so the two of you could be together!"

Harry's eyes snapped to Ron then, who immediately clamped his hands down on his mouth. "I'll give you five seconds to explain yourself, Ron," he said softly.

Ron sighed, lowering his hands and nodding towards the upper level, where the chaperones were supposedly cloaked in the shadows. "Look."

Harry followed Ron's gaze upwards, and could distinctly see Severus himself standing there, his eyes locking immediately onto Harry's. "Ron," he whispered, "what have you done?"

"Go up there and find out," he replied, shoving Harry towards the staircase and Harry, although reluctant, followed his best mate's orders.

Harry approached Severus quickly, so much so that he was almost immediately surrounded by the shadows, and hesitated, before finally forcing himself to speak. "Hi."

"Hello," Severus replied.

Harry sighed. "Supervising again?" he asked.

Severus shook his head at him. "No. I came here for you."

Harry blinked, and shook his head. "I was horrible last time we saw each other, Severus. I'm surprised that you'd even..."

"You had every right to react the way you did, Harry," Severus said quickly.

"No, I didn't," Harry said, stepping closer still. "My mother was horrible to you, and I am so sorry that she couldn't see it."

"It was the way she was brought up..."

"Don't. Don't go and make excuses for her, Severus," Harry told him, tears threatening to escape from his eyes again. "She was wrong, and you need to accept that. She hurt someone I care very deeply for, and I won't stand for it. If she were here, I'd probably be in care anyway, because she would've rejected me for falling for you in the first place."

"So, it's true then?" Severus asked, stepping closer and tentatively reaching for Harry's hand in the darkness. "You're in love with me?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I..." He sighed. "You've got a pretty good view from up here. I take it you saw the show?" he asked.

Severus nodded. "Yes, and I managed to glean some of what was being said." He hesitated for a moment and smiled. "You did all that to help out a friend of yours?"

"And to hide the fact that we'd spent the night together," Harry told him quietly. "The last thing I'd want is for your entire career to be ruined on my account."

"I've followed my head from the moment I decided to be a social worker upon receiving my A-Levels, Harry," Severus said quietly. "I haven't followed my heart for the last two decades. Now, however, I find myself wanting something far more than merely continuing my rather mundane existence until I retire at a suitable age."

"Which is?" Harry whispered; although he had a decent enough idea of what Severus's meaning was, he needed to hear it for himself.

"I want you, Harry," Severus whispered, finally closing the distance between them. "I find myself wanting you as anyone would want another person that they're deeply in love with, it distracts them from living the life they had before."

"You... You love me?" Harry whispered, his voice shaking.

"Tremendously," Severus replied, reaching up to cup Harry's cheeks, and subsequently dissipate the trail of tears flowing there by swiping at them with his thumbs. "I've never been in love in my entire life, Harry; I've had attractions, but they were fleeting compared what I feel for you. I often imagined Linfred Hardwin in his private life, separated from Viktor Krum's image, and found that I was not completely satisfied with it. I found myself dreaming that he was quite like Hadrian Peverell, and that, one day, I would find my own count..."

Harry chuckled. "Did you?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "Did you base Hadrian on yourself?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"Fascinating," Severus whispered.

"You're him, you know," Harry whispered. "You're Sebastian Prince. When I had to conjure up what an ideal man for Hadrian would be, I immediately thought of you, due to your selflessness, that night I met you when I was ten-years-old. Even in my trauma, through it all, something told me that I would not be harmed by you..."

"What made you think that, Harry?"

"Other than the fact that I know you now, because you never reached out and attempted to touch me to comfort me. You used your words. Your words, spoken in that rich, velvet voice, that I would often think of whenever I was alone, as I grew older, and grow hard whenever I heard it, thus confirming that I, too, was gay. And so making Hadrian gay was no brainer, and giving him a love in Sebastian Prince..." He shrugged. "It was fate."

"And now?" Severus asked.

"And now, you're not my social worker anymore," Harry said, and stepped forward completely, and pressed his mouth to Severus's, begging him to open up.

"Harry, we can't," Severus said brokenly, and pulled away from him, yanking his arms backwards as if Harry had burned him.

"What? No," Harry whispered, suddenly becoming blinded by tears. "The age of consent here is sixteen, Severus. Sixteen. I'm seventeen, if you recall correctly, and you're no longer my social worker..."

"I am still quite a bit older than you, Harry," Severus said gently.

"I don't care about the age difference," Harry whispered, struggling to keep his voice down. "I want this. I want you."

Severus stiffened and shut his eyes. "You've no idea what it means to hear you say that, my Harry. But, the fact remains that we must keep our hands to ourselves until you reach your eighteenth birthday. Then, and only then, if we both wish it, will it be perfectly legal and sound for us to do whatever we wish." He slowly opened his eyes, and stiffened once again. "Please, please don't look at me that way, Harry."

"Like what?" he whispered. "Like my heart is breaking, Severus? Because it is. You've broken my heart..."

"Harry, I did not say that I didn't want you," Severus said, obviously trying to stay strong, despite himself. "I will never not want you, for as long as I live and breathe..."

"Then have me. Have me, Severus," Harry whispered, approaching him again and putting his arms around him. "I'm yours. I've been yours from the moment I looked at you in Dumbledore's office last September."

Severus sighed, pressing a light kiss onto Harry's forehead. "You've got to understand all the consequences here, love," he whispered against his hair. "Were we to succumb, I would surely lose my job and end up where Pettigrew is now."

"You are nothing like him!" Harry said, pulling back and gazing at Severus. "Nothing. Do you hear me?!"

Severus shook his head. "Unfortunately, in the eyes of the law, it would be seen as one in the same, I fear. Not to mention the word I gave to Sirius..."

"Sirius?!" Harry demanded. "What's he got to do with anything?!"

"I made a promise to Sirius that I wouldn't do anything with you until you reached your next birthday, after he told me how you felt for me..."

"He told you?!" Harry squeaked, drawing back. "Sirius knows?!"

Severus nodded at him. "Yes. I would have thought you suspected, given that he invited me over for dinner that night."

Harry broke away from Severus then. "So, this is it? That's your decision?"

Severus sighed. "I am afraid so. I will not claim you fully until your birthday." He hesitated for just a moment. "You've got to understand that I want very much to proclaim you as mine, Harry, but what you've got to realize is... Harry, where are you going? Harry?"

Harry turned around then, not wanting to hear anymore, as he darted down the hallway. He thought he remembered seeing an exit somewhere, and felt a rush of relief when he found it. He opened the door and darted through, seeing that it led to a series of metal staircases, which he took two at a time, until he ended up in a rain-soaked alley. As he ran, he could hear the metal squeaking behind him, and, as his heart pounded in his chest, he could hear something else, something far more meaningful.

"Harry!" came the shout.

But Harry kept running until the edge of the alley, so much so that he nearly was run over by a car and would have been, were it not for a pair of strong arms around him, dragging him backwards, and slamming him up against the side of the building. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!" he demanded, trying and failing to get the muddy water off his pants.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Severus growled, glaring down at him. Rain had slicked his hair rather quickly, and droplets were forming upon the ends. "Do you realize how dangerous that was, Harry? You could've been killed!"

"Like you care," Harry muttered.

"Harry, I love you," Severus whispered. "You know very well how much I care."

Harry locked eyes with Severus then. "Please," he whispered. "Please show me how much you care," he begged. At the hesitation from the man he loved, he kept going, "No one has to know, it's just that I need you, and I love you, too..."

Severus looked like he was weighing his options then, before he muttered, "Fuck," and dragged Harry's jaw upwards, so that their lips met in the rain. He didn't hesitate, not for a moment, as he proceeded pulling at Harry's suit pants, and Harry, once Severus had what he needed, reached out and yanked at his fly, pulling it down and wrapping his legs around Severus's waist, letting out a keening sound as Severus sucked on his own fingers for a moment, before slowly allowing them to enter Harry.

"Fuck," Harry whispered, clunking his head slightly on the building behind him, as he felt himself stretching for Severus. "Oh, fuck... Please."

"Like this?" Severus whispered, reaching in further with his fingertips, and pressing his lips back to Harry's in the wake of the teen letting out a high-pitched groan. "Tell me what you want, love," he went on, grinding his own erection into Harry's leg.

"Get inside me," Harry whispered around the kisses. "Please. I need you inside me, Severus," he kept on begging as a second finger joined the first. "Fucking god..."

"Yes, like that," Severus encouraged. "Gentle or hard?"

"Hard. Fuck me hard," Harry said softly. "I want you to fuck me right up against this building, and whisper all your sordid thoughts into my ear..."

"Absolutely," Severus replied, who had, by this time, moved onto a third finger, and was about to turn Harry around, before Harry stopped him.

"Pettigrew would always..." He sighed, trying to get his head straight. "Please, I need to see you, Severus. I want to see you..."

Severus leaned down then and brushed Harry's lips with his own. "Of course, love," he said, before he took ahold of one of Harry's hands, licking the palm significantly, and then dragging it slowly along his hard member. "Prepare me, love," he whispered.

"Fuck, that's hot," Harry hissed through his teeth. "I love how big you are..."

"Good," Severus whispered back, before he slowly removed Harry's hand from his shaft and gently eased the head towards Harry's opening. "Are you ready?"

"Fuck, yes, please," Harry said, trying not to squeal as the head of the massive organ gently teased at his hole. "Please, now, now, now..."

Severus sighed, nodding, and slowly eased himself inside, and, as he expected, Harry stiffened around him, and he gently rubbed his sides, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're doing so well, love," he whispered reassuringly. "Just push against me. Yes, that's right," he said as Harry obeyed him, grunting slightly as he took all of him. "All right?"

"Just... Just give me a minute, will you?"

"Anything you need," Severus told him.

Harry worked on his breathing then, attempting to become used to Severus inside him. It was everything he ever wanted and more, having the man of his dreams love him back. However, he knew that it would be several weeks before they could reveal their relationship, but, he was prepared to wait, if it meant forever with Severus, which is exactly what he wanted.

"Now," he whispered after a moment or two. "I'm ready now."

"All right, love," Severus said, moving his hips back and forth in a steady rhythm, and smiling to himself as Harry arched up against him, mewling in response to his movements. "Do you like that, my love?" he whispered.

"Please, please," Harry begged, placing his palms upon Severus's shoulders, and moving himself up and down on Severus's erection. "Faster, faster!"

"Anything," Severus told him, and moved faster, letting Harry's wails match the thunder and lightning as it boomed around them.

"I wanted this for so long," Harry sobbed.

"As did I," Severus confirmed.

"Tell me," Harry whispered to him.

"When I saw you that day in Albus's office," Severus said, somehow managing to form a coherent thought, despite being buried deep inside Harry, "all I could think about was how beautiful you were, and how much I wished that you were a new recruit for the company, because then I could've asked you out..."

"Severus..."

"...made you mine."

"Yours," Harry whispered, leaning down and sucking deftly at Severus's neck, causing the older man to moan in his ear. "I'm yours. Always yours, Severus. Do you hear me? Always and forever, because that's what I want with you..."

"Oh, Harry," Severus groaned. "My Harry..."

"Yes, my Severus, I'm yours," Harry confirmed, as Severus slammed into Harry's prostate over and over again, causing the road to his orgasm to begin. "Oh, god..."

"Yes, my love, feel it," Severus whispered. "Feel my love for you..."

"Tell me..."

"I want this forever," Severus whispered, and Harry gasped in a combination of pleasure and happiness at Severus's words. "I'll never have enough of you to do this just once..."

"I'm yours," Harry promised. "Yours, yours, yours..."

"Mine," Severus whispered, nipping at his collar bone. "My Harry..."

"I love you," Harry whispered. "Severus..."

"Yes?"

"Need to... Need to come..."

"Come for me, Harry," Severus said, pushing in harder still. "I'm close."

"Fucking hell, marry me!" Harry shouted, sobbing with ecstasy as he came between them, letting out a harsh shout at the impact of it all.

Severus let out his own wail then as he spilled inside of Harry, and Harry let out a soft sigh, his legs giving around from around the older man's middle as they clung to each other. "Harry," he whispered, pulling back just enough to find Harry's lips in the darkness that surrounded the two of them. "My Harry..."

"Oh, Severus," Harry whispered back, his voice a slight croak. They were wet, and there was a cool wind which passed through the alleyway as the rain kept falling around them. However, in that moment, Harry was safe and warm in Severus's arms.

Safe. Warm. And loved.