Harry focused on the remainder of Teddy's recovery with gusto and, quite soon, the last of the purple blotches had faded, leaving Teddy's peaches and cream skin unmarred. Teddy, meanwhile, was bouncing off the walls ever since he had been permitted to leave his sickroom, and Harry had commissioned an elaborate swing set and playground in the backyard for him. As the days were getting warmer, and Harry knew he needed to make a firm decision on his own future, as well as his son's, he considered his options.

"Master Harry is ill," Kreacher reported in the second week of June, observing Harry from where he was standing at the edge of the kitchen, watching Teddy in the backyard.

Harry sighed; he was supposed to be helping Kreacher with the finger sandwiches, squash, lemonade, and the little cakes. It was a belated birthday celebration for Draco, as the healer hadn't the time of beforehand, which Harry had agreed to host. Looking out the window, he spotted Ron and Draco with Teddy in the pirate ship portion of the play structure, with makeshift eyepatches and kid-friendly swords, who were yelling with triumph, while Hermione held onto Rose in the patio area, Ginny sitting beside her, rubbing her swollen belly.

"Master Harry?" the house-elf said, slightly impatient.

Grimacing, Harry lowered his eyes at Kreacher. "Melancholy isn't considered an illness anymore, Kreacher," he said firmly.

Kreacher regarded his master impatiently. "Kreacher knows this," he said softly. "Kreacher also knows that Master Harry hasn't been eating properly, and tha Master Harry makes frequent trips to the loo to void himself."

Harry turned pink; he knew that the house-elf had been watching, or at the very least listening, but he hadn't been called upon it. In the weeks since Severus had left, Harry had figured out that he was pregnant with the man's child, but had been too afraid to tell anyone about it. He had finally gotten the nerve to tell Hermione the week previous, who had reprimanded him about not using Protective Enchantments, but who had also performed the Diagnostic Spell upon him, thus confirming his pregnancy.

"It's not an eating disorder, Kreacher," Harry assured the elf, although he had sympathies for those who went through such ordeals.

Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher knows what ails master," he informed him, and drifted back into the kitchen slowly.

Harry sighed, picking up the tray that the house-elf had left for him to carry out, and stepped outside. The try itself held the sandwiches—cucumber, cheese toasties, bacon, ham and cheese, bacon lettuce and tomato chutney, and egg and cress—while the bottles of squash and glasses of lemonade floated outside behind them. He made his way towards the green linen-covered picnic table, nearby where Hermione, Rose, and Ginny sat, and proceeded to lay it, the squash and lemonade glasses making their way to their proper places. He looked up as Teddy shouted with joy as he'd arrived, and dashed down the gangplank, rushing for him.

Harry smiled indulgently and bent down to catch his son, but was surprised when Teddy ran past him entirely. Turning around, he saw Kreacher coming into their midst, dragging a shocked-looking Severus behind him, with Blaise at their heels, clutching onto his wife, Daphne Greengrass's, hand, who held a large, wrapped present in her hands, all done up in green with a massive silk bow. Harry's mouth went dry at the sight of the potions master, and found that he didn't know what to say; thankfully, the problem was solved for him.

"Blaise and I were on our way," Daphne said quietly, looking around at the company. "I met him at the shop earlier, and then Kreacher came in," she went on. "He said that Master Snape had behaved cruelly towards you, Harry, and that it needed to be resolved at once."

"I've never seen a house-elf angry before," Blaise said, putting an arm around Daphne's willowy shoulders, his dark eyes filled with concern. "I mean, we had them growing up, and I've been to the manor plenty of times to know that Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa kept them over the years, but this... This was something else entirely."

Draco stepped forward awkwardly, squeezing Harry's shoulder as he went past, before clasping Blaise by the hand and kissed Daphne on the cheek. "Least you got the right day," he said softly, taking the gift from Daphne, and placing it on the small, round table beside the picnic table, which housed the gifts from everyone present.

Teddy, meanwhile, was bouncing on his toes and tugging at Severus's robes. "You haven't come to see me," he said, his tone just slightly petulant, as the potions master stared down his nose at him, utterly failing at intimidation. "You read much better than Daddy does..."

"Teddy, that's enough," Harry said sharply, speaking for the first time, crossing the backyard and taking his son into his arms. "We're not to bother Master Snape," he went on, although his heart was squeezing in his throat as he looked up at the man, "he's made that abundantly clear."

Ron sighed; he had already stepped down from the play structure, and had moved to stand beside Hermione, but was now approaching Harry, and took Teddy from his arms. "You need to talk to him, mate," he said softly.

Harry looked daggers at Ron. "What are you insinuating?" he hissed.

"Harry, he is my husband," Hermione said, and visibly flinched when Harry turned his dark stare onto her. "I had to tell him..."

"And he's my brother," Ginny went on, speaking up from beside Hermione.

"And that's my wife," Draco affirmed, and Harry's neck was beginning to stiffen from all the sharp stares he was giving everyone. "Talk to Severus, mate. Please."

"Would someone kindly inform me as to what I'm doing here?" Severus asked, removing a parcel from his robes, also wrapped in green. "Of course, I knew about the festivities, and knew about my invitation, of course. However, I am unsure about what else needs to be discussed here, other than Draco's belated birthday."

Harry sighed, shoulders slumping as he wandlessly and wordlessly banished the wrapped gift Severus held onto the table. Walking closer to the man, he said softly, "Would you accompany me inside, please? I have to talk to you..."

Severus looked concerned, and immediately moved to follow Harry into the cottage without argument, although he was distinctly aware of everyone staring at them as they moved inside and into the living room. "What is it? Are you ill?" he asked.

Harry sighed, looking around the living room; he had been tempted to burn the couch that they'd made love on in the wake of Severus's hasty departure, but had decided against it. "Not so ill as Teddy was, I assure you," he replied, deliberately not looking at the man.

"Harry, you can talk to me," Severus told him.

"Can I?!" Harry demanded, finally turning to look upon the potions master that he'd loved for over five years. "How can I trust you when you leave the moment you think that your welcome had been expired?!"

Severus looked shocked at the heat behind Harry's words. "The agreement was that I would help you in nursing Teddy back to health," he said softly. "I did all that was necessary, Harry, and was unaware that I needed to accomplish anything else..."

"Anything else?" Harry cried out. "You took my virginity, Severus, after I told you I'd wanted you since my sixth-year! How could you think to leave after that?"

Severus looked uncomfortable. "Forgive me for not being more demonstrative..."

"I didn't want you to go," Harry went on, his voice broken. "It physically broke me when you left me, without so much as a kind word, let alone without saying goodbye to Teddy. He's right, you know. You do read better than I do."

Severus sighed. "I apologize for leaving in such a manner. I admit, it was thoughtless of me. I didn't expect you to want coddling, however..."

"Coddling?!" Harry spat, trembling with rage. "Hardly! I wanted you to say—Merlin, I still want you to stay. Why do you think I told you that I read all about potions before seeking you out again, Severus? It was to be more attractive to you," he went on, not wavering in his gaze upon the man. "I didn't want to appear like a complete dunderhead in conversation. I'm not some teenager anymore, Severus, nor am I your student. I'm a man, a man with a child and a home, and I wanted you to be a part of that, of my life, because I fucking love you!"

Severus stared at Harry, obviously not expecting him to go there.

"I love you," Harry repeated, and found that it was a massive relief to finally, finally say those words aloud to the object of his innermost desires. "I'm not saying something I don't mean, far from it. I mean every word, Severus Snape. I. Love. You."

"You cannot love me," Severus replied, shaking his head. "You shouldn't love me. I've been absolutely terrible to you, Harry, these last weeks notwithstanding. What about those years you were my student? I let my hatred for your father blind me to what a wonderful man you truly are, although your stubborn streak leaves a lot to be desired..."

Harry laughed aloud through his tears, which streamed down his face. "I'm sure people will think I've gone mad, but those who matter won't," he replied. "You have a right to know my feelings, Severus, all the more now since..."

"Since what?" Severus asked, crossing the room and tilting the younger man's chin up. "No matter what you have to say, Harry, it won't change my feelings. Although I think it could be a great big disaster, due to our differences, and our tempers, I shall always be a selfish Slytherin to the core."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "What are you saying, Severus?"

"I'm saying I love you, too, Harry James Potter," Severus replied, gently rubbing one of the younger man's tears off from his face. "I love you, too."

Harry let out a small cry of relief and stood on his toes, throwing his arms around the man and kissing him with as much passion as he could muster. "Why did you leave?" he whispered against his lover's lips. "I didn't want you to go..."

"I know, but I didn't think," Severus replied. "Didn't think you truly wanted me to stay. I thought you wanted to satisfy your years-long curiosity of having me fuck you. It was the best moment of my life, Harry, finally having you beneath me, begging me to bring you off. And your arse..." The man shuddered. "It was so delicious to taste, and having it tight around my cock as I pounded into you was an out-of-body experience..."

"But?" Harry pressed.

"But I was afraid," Severus continued, "especially when Kingsley showed up unexpectedly at my shop, a day after I'd left."

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Kingsley? Is he all right? I haven't heard anything out of the ordinary from him..."

"He's well, that's not why he came," Severus told him. "He mentioned that he popped by the Ministry of Records Office, and found something peculiar."

"Which was?"

"A bonding, registered under my name," Severus replied, "a soul-bonding, as a matter of fact, binding me irrevocably to one Harry James Potter until death."

Harry gasped at the man's words. "Why didn't you come right back?" he cried out, trembling in the man's arms.

"Because I didn't think it was something you'd ever want," the man admitted. "I've spent the last several weeks scouring rare book stores, the Hogwarts Library, and even Malfoy Manor's vast collection, in an effort to break the bond."

Harry slumped in the man's arms. "You didn't want me?"

"Far from it, Harry. Selfish Slytherin, remember?" he said, pressing a kiss to his temple. "No, I wanted you, Harry, desperately. However, I didn't think you'd want me. so, I gave Blaise full-run of the shop while I did my research. I wanted to tell you today, to let you know where we stood, because there's no way to break it, I'm afraid."

Harry sighed. "I've spent the vast majority of my life filled with people making decisions on my behalf, all for my good," he said quietly. "I never expected you to fall into that category, Severus, especially considering how you defended me to Dumbledore in the pensieve memories you gave me during the final battle..."

"You're absolutely right, Harry," Severus responded, "and I am sorry." He sighed, reaching into his pocket and taking out a small box, before flipping it open and showing the contents to the man in his arms. "The Prince bonding rings," he explained, "can only be given in cases of true soulmates. Kingsley explained that, because you were a virgin when we made love, and because we were in love with one another, we are now married according to wizarding law. I understand if you choose to live separately, given my deception on the matter, but I do love you, Harry, and want us very much to be proper husbands, so if you—"

Harry stood on his toes again and kissed the man, plundering his mouth with his tongue like a branding iron, claiming Severus as best be could. "I want this," he whispered, opening his eyes and staring into Severus's. "I want you, but..."

"But what, Harry?"

"Teddy and I are a package deal," he explained quickly. "I've adopted him, so he's mine. If you're in this, you would be his father, too..."

"I would like nothing more than to be a father to Teddy and raise him together," Severus told him firmly. "I took quite a liking to that child, I'll have you know."

Harry smirked. "You wouldn't have saved him otherwise," he said, and fanned out his fingers, offering up his ring finger to Severus. "My answer is 'yes'."

Severus breathed harshly. "Yes?"

"Yes. I'll be your husband, and proper bond mate, Severus Snape."

Severus's eyes filled with tears as he selected one of the rings and slipped it onto Harry's offered finger; the ring immediately fitted to Harry's hand. "Of course, I insist on a public bonding ceremony, Harry, if you've no objections."

"None at all," Harry told him, slipping the ring onto Severus's finger, "as long as you've no objections to having a daughter in around eight months."

Severus's answer was to fall to the floor in a dead faint.

~*~

Six Years Later

Teddy had gotten his Hogwarts on schedule that summer, just a few weeks before he was due to turn eleven, and Headmistress McGonagall informed him of how excited she was to see him on the first of September. On Teddy's birthday proper, Harry looked outside the window, the very same window he'd looked out during Draco's belated birthday celebration a handful of years before, and smiled at what he saw. Teddy and Victoire sat, heads together, looking at one of Teddy's new textbooks for the first-term at Hogwarts; Rose swung on the swing beside a beautiful girl with raven hair and green eyes, Lily Luna Potter-Snape, and were chatting excitedly to one another; Luna and Neville Apparated into the back garden with their children, six-year-old Chester and four-year-old Elisabete, who hurried to join six-year-old Scorpius Malfoy and five-year-old Hugo Granger-Weasley and four-year-old Arabella Malfoy respectively.

Turning, Harry saw Blaise and Daphne arriving by Floo with their brood—five-year-old triplets Aya, Gianna, and Noah—and Harry moved to greet them, while motioning the children to head outside and see all their friends. In the kitchen where the adults had gathered, Severus had finally emerged from upstairs, after working many hours in his basement potions lab, and was pristine for his eldest child's birthday celebration. Harry flushed, trying not to remember the way he'd been woken up by his husband that morning, which had been to the man eating his arse, which had seemed to be one of their favorite pastimes, even after all these years.

Ron and Hermione smiled at Severus's anecdote about potions; Severus had formally handed over the shop to Blaise five years ago, in order to focus on his research and independent potion making full-time. Ginny and Daphne began to talk about pregnancy cravings, as they were expecting their third and fourth child respectively, while Blaise and Draco gave each other worried looks, and murmured to one another about mood swings. This earned both husbands prompt elbows to the ribs, and the pair of them decided to limp outside and check on the children in lieu of upsetting their wives further.

Kreacher bustled into the kitchen, shooing Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Daphne outside, and then rounded on Harry and Severus. Rolling their eyes, they made their way down the hallway, the long way to get to the back garden. Harry's lungs filled unexpectedly with air as he was promptly slammed onto the wall, and his mouth was subsequently devoured by his husband and the love of his life.

"You all right?" Harry asked, peering up at the man when the loving assault had ended. "You aren't one for being particularly demonstrative when we have company..."

Severus smirked. "We're quite alone at the moment, Harry."

Harry grinned. "Yes, I suppose we are." He hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "I think you should sit down."

"Why? It's not that warm out, and I'm hardly old, Harry."

"No, it's not that," Harry said quickly. "It's just, based on experience, you don't react well to surprises or unexpected information..."

"Harry," Severus said softly, looking down at his husband, "are you pregnant again?"

Harry grinned up at him; after they'd had Lily, they'd planned on more children, but had unfortunately lost a pregnancy between then and now. However, Harry had waited to tell his husband this time and, with a wave of his hand, removed the Disillusionment Charm he'd strategically placed there. He was over seven months now, and the child, according to Draco, was strong and very magically inclined.

"Merlin, Harry, you're huge!" Severus sputtered.

"I had to be sure I could hold on this time," Harry said softly, placing Severus's hands onto his stomach, and it moved beneath his husband's fingers. "How do you feel about twins?"

Severus's gaze snapped up to Harry's. "Twins?"

"Yes. A boy and a girl," Harry told him. "I was thinking Eileen Molly Potter-Snape, and Albus Severus Potter-Snape..."

Severus continued staring at Harry, his eyes slowly filling with tears. "Those are beautiful names, Harry," he whispered.

"So, I take it you approve?" Harry asked.

"I more than approve, Harry," Severus said, pulling Harry fully into his arms and pressing a hungry kiss onto his lips. "Seeing you pregnant with my children..." He shuddered. "It's almost as delicious-looking as eating your arse is delicious-tasting..."

Harry grinned, and forced his cock to remain calm. "Why is it that you always bring up eating my arse?" he asked.

"Because I've never tasted anything so delicious," Severus responded.

Harry giggled. "Don't let Kreacher hear you say that..."

"Too late, masters!" Kreacher said, standing beside them, brandishing a rolling pin in his gray, withered hand. "If masters don't go out into the garden and spend time with their guests, Kreacher will happily tell them all about master's habits in the bedroom! He will also ignore their wishes and punish himself accordingly..."

"Kreacher, get back to work," Severus barked, and Kreacher, never one not to back down to Severus Snape, dashed back into the kitchen.

"Maybe we should go out there," Harry said softly.

Severus nodded, kissing Harry one last time for good measure. "Yes, I think that's a good idea," he replied with a nod, leading them outside, as Arthur, Molly, Bill and Fleur, their younger children Dominique and Louis, Charlie, Percy and Audrey, their daughters Molly and Lucy, George and his wife Angelina, and their children Fred II and Roxanne, all arrived at the celebrations within moments of each other. "Ready to do this?" Severus asked, watching as their friends wished Teddy a happy birthday.

Harry took Severus's hand in his, dragging the pad of his thumb along his knuckles. "I'm ready for anything when it comes to you, Master Snape," he replied.

Severus turned and looked down at Harry, his coal black eyes filled with love. "As am I, my neophyte, as am I," he responded, and they stepped out into the center of the party, ready to make their announcement of the next chapter of their lives.

The End