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Torn	By : starstruck86 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 3458 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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�Are you
awake?� Severus asked quietly. He was pretty convinced Ron wasn�t sleeping,
merely keeping his eyes closed.

They were
in bed listening to the rain outside their cottage. Severus had looked out the
window on his way to the toilet at quarter past four and hadn�t even been able
make out his car on the drive. It didn�t sound as though it had let up.

But good
weather would never have befitted the occasion which they were presented with
anyway. Severus had absolutely no idea how he was going to deal with the day
ahead, and even less idea how he was going to support Ron through it.

His husband
had been so withdrawn from his usual self over the three days since his
mother�s passing Severus was almost going mad. He couldn�t believe how addicted
he had been to the sunny, carefree attitude and gentle smile. As usual, Severus, you�ve only noticed what
you love when it�s gone. Everybody that watched Ron judged that he was
taking the death hard, possibly the hardest of all his brothers. Fred and
George had clearly had their moment of grief, privately, and rallied taking it
upon themselves to keep everybody else supplied with tea, loving hugs and
gentle humour. Ginny had set herself to task cleaning the house, as though
channelling her mother�s spirit. Bill and Charlie were mostly quiet; helping
their father with arrangements, contacting what seemed like droves of distant
family. Percy had been the shocker. He�d turned up and burst into tears and
nobody had quite known how to react.

Severus,
Harry and Fleur hovered around them all, helping where they could; supporting
their individual care charges the best they were able to. None of them could
quite shake the feeling that they were intruding and had formed a little band
among themselves. Over the last three days the relationship between Harry and
Severus had escalated to immense politeness with even a little camaraderie. He�ll be back to normal by tomorrow morning.

�I�m
awake,� Ron grunted, and reluctantly opened his eyes to the morning.

Facing it
was something he�d been putting off as long as possible. His throat was already
thick; there was no doubt by the end of the day he would have cried a river.
Ron�s past experience had taught him there was no way of denying the truth, and
what had happened, but it didn�t mean that he could accept it any easier. Not
when it was so close to the quick, so raw.

�Morning,�
Severus didn�t affix the word �good� to that, because it would have been
ridiculous. �How are you feeling?�

How do you think I
fucking feel!? �Meh,� Ron shrugged where he lay, not committing himself to
any more conversation.

Severus
sighed slightly and rested his arm over Ron�s stomach gently. �Okay.�

Severus had
never felt so utterly redundant. Everything he did and said seemed
overwhelmingly brainless after he�d done it, even the simplest of things. I swear he threw me a filthy look for
breathing loudly yesterday. Severus wasn�t sure if he was being paranoid in
his fear of upsetting his bereaved husband, but he couldn�t shake the feeling
of being inadequate.

�I need to
piss,� Ron threw back the cover, not taking care that he threw it off Severus
as well, drenching him in the freezing morning air of their bedroom. He stomped
out of the room.

�You never
say that,� Severus whispered, yanking the sheets correct.

Ron�s
language, never exactly virginal, had grown even coarser and blunter over the
past three days. Severus had been shocked at what had come out of him, words
which in his youth were so taboo many had quaked in fear of using them. Ron
clearly held no such standards in his grief. He was even swearing at George,
leaving the dog looking hurt in his wake. Severus had had to dole out as many
comforting hugs to George as to Ron, considering he was still recovering from
burnt paws as well as the confusion of Ron being so rude.

There was a
loud bang which signalled Ron�s return and Severus crept further down the bed,
as though having the sheets further up his head might protect him from the
vitriol which would understandably come from him during the day. Severus
desperately tried to think back to how he himself had acted after his mother�s
death but found he couldn�t really remember. He could call her from thin air
and ask, but he found himself somewhat afraid of the answer. Because I probably acted no differently to
Ron, except for the fact there was nobody around to hear how angry I was.

He must be angry. She was so young
in comparison to a magical lifespan. Oh God, poor Arthur.

Severus
hadn�t had many chances to talk with Ron�s father over the past days, and for
that he was glad. What did one say?

Ron crashed
his way back into the bedroom and threw himself under the sheets, yanking half
of them off Severus as he did so.

�For fuck�s
sake,� he hissed, and shoved them back over Severus roughly.

�Did you
see what the time is?� Severus asked quietly.

�Just after six.�

�I�m going
to get up,� Severus made to sit up but found himself tugged back down and Ron
wrapped around him, fitting like a glove, as usual.

Ron nestled
against Severus� scarred shoulder, closing his eyes to inhale the cinnamon
scent from bare skin. He knew he was being grumpy. He knew he was being rude.
But the tiniest things were infuriating him, sounds which never bothered him
before sent him into a near on blind rage.

Everything will be easier after
today. Ron repeated
that thought in his mind. After she�s�
buried, I can move on from this. Or I can try.

Ron fully
intended on going back to work the next day. He would get up, put on his robes
and becoming a functioning member of society again. He couldn�t bear the
thought of another day sat listlessly, looking at whichever wall took his
fancy, or putting up with Severus trying to get food in him.

I can�t. Eating made me feel sick
the last time. I can�t do it. He�ll just have to accept that.

Ron watched
the gentle rise and fall of his husband�s chest as they lay together in the
darkened room. He couldn�t fault the way Severus had tirelessly cared for him
over the past three days, never leaving him without a loving touch or a kind
word, a kiss to sooth the creases out of his forehead, or a cup of tea. Ron was
indifferent to it all. He took it because it was there, but only because it
would have hurt Severus to have refused.

�Do you
still want to stay at The Burrow tonight?� Ron felt gentle, caressing fingers
in his hair and fought off the urge to shake his head irritably.

I�m not a fucking child that needs
soothing.

�Yes,� Ron
replied dully. �Remind me to pack my work uniform so I can apparate straight
there tomorrow morning.�

�You�re not
seriously thinking of going back to work, are you?� Severus asked, aghast.

�I intended
to,� Ron said firmly. �And I will. What good is sitting around here moping? The
sooner I go back to work the sooner you can, anyway.�

�I don�t care about work,� Severus let his hand still in the auburn hair. �I
care about you.�

�Then accept I need to have something to focus on,� Ron forced some bite into
his tone; it was the only Severus was going to leave him alone.

�Okay,�
Severus whispered, glad Ron couldn�t see the expression on his face.

Severus
didn�t know how far to push, how much to insist upon what he thought was right
for Ron. He didn�t know if Ron knew best for himself at such a time. He had
never felt more like the parental figure in their relationship, and Severus
hated it with a passion. Ron seemed to need direction to do everything. It had
only been when Severus pointed out that he hadn�t washed in three days that Ron
had taken a shower the day before.

The stony
silence that had emitted from that bathroom had broken Severus� heart to a
degree �Ron always sang in the shower, cheerfully. No melodical
husky tone had reverberated off the tiled walls the day before, though, and
Severus was filled with a loathing for the fact that life was so unbelievably
fragile.

They all knew that Molly should never have died from the bite, even though the
Ashwinder had been uncommonly big in size. Severus had drawn the poison out
quickly enough for her to regain consciousness. It should have been enough.
None of them had factored in an allergy to the venom. That had been the
official diagnosis of what caused her death �an allergic reaction to the venom
which caused her heart to weaken, enough to drop out after the stress of the poison
flowing through her veins. If Severus had known, he could probably have saved
her. But none of them, not even Arthur, had. It was hard to, when it was rare
for Ashwinders to bite. Setting fire to things was
much more their forte than killing.

He had to
hope, though, that Ron�s boss would take pity and send him home if he sensed
that Ron was floundering.

�Whatever
you need today, Ron, I�m here,� Severus whispered, and kissed his forehead
lightly.

�I know,�
Ron said, warmth flooding him with relief that he had someone to see him
through the mess. �I love you.�

***

�Well, at
least that�s over with,� Ron muttered darkly, as they walked back to the house.

His hand
was firmly wrapped within Severus� but he couldn�t help but feel aloof at that
moment. The ceremony had been quiet, with only the basic bones of wording, as
they�d decided. Each of them had had a single flower to throw down onto the
coffin and that had been enough for all of them. Now the earth was on top of it
and the headstone in place. The registrar had been surprised they wanted to
bury her within the confines of their boundary, but his mother had always loved
the orchard. Ron could remember being tiny and picking apples with her. All of
his siblings had the same memory. It only seemed fitting she should be laid to
rest amongst the setting of so many happy recollections.

He
swallowed the lump in his throat and concentrated on not tripping up. His face
was raw from crying but he didn�t see the point in hiding it. All of his family
were as red-faced as he was, even the twins. Ron had never seen Fred cry before;
it was so unnerving and saddening he never, ever wanted to see it again. George
had been even worse in terms of upset, but Ron had seen him cry before.

There were
several Weasley Aunts, Uncles and cousins attending, his father�s brothers and
their wives and children. His mother herself had lost her siblings in the fight
against Voldemort the first time round, and it was very stark that she was the
last of the Prewetts, and that with her, the name
died.

�You want
to hang back a bit?� Severus whispered to him, watching the family pour into
The Burrow, which seemed too small to hold the influx of redheads descending on
it.

Ron nodded
and turned to hug his husband, wrapping his arms under his thick cloak. Severus
hadn�t said anything about wearing his wizarding robes, though Ron knew he felt
uncomfortable in them. As he leant against his chest, Ron marvelled at how just
two years out of them had converted Severus to loving muggle
clothes more than his wizarding robes.

�Are you
alright, angel?� the whisper filtered down to him.

Ron
couldn�t help the way his lips tugged up at the endearment which so rarely
passed Severus� lips.

�I�m�
alive,� Ron murmured back, gripping slightly tighter.

�Stay that
way,� Severus� voice was feather-light but Ron heard him anyway.

�I won�t
put you through this,� Ron muttered bitterly. �You�re my rock, Severus. I love
you.�

Those few
words made up for three days of cursing and banging, of huffing and puffing.
Severus wrapped Ron into his arms properly and squeezed. �You know you can talk
to me about anything?�

�I know,�
Ron replied.

Not everything.

He
swallowed the bile in his throat.

***

The evening
passed in a fit of awkward silences which Severus was glad to escape. As
before, he, Harry and Fleur stood apart, talking amongst themselves to avoid
talking to the cousins who they had no idea who they were. They�d had Hermione
for better part of the afternoon but she�d eventually had to leave and with her
left the only knowledge they had.

�No, that
one�s the son of the bloke that looks like a tree stump,� Harry whispered to
him behind his glass of brandy.

�Or is �e ze one from ze lady that looks
like she �az stepped in something unpleasant?� Fleur
hissed.

Severus had
to fight down the laugh which was trying to get out of his mouth. �Surely they
all have to leave soon? It�s nearly nine. Are wakes meant to go on this long?�

�Ginny
warned me someone might break out the old piano,� Harry muttered. �I don�t
think we�re out of this yet, Severus.�

�There�s a
piano in here?� Severus asked interestedly, looking around the room, he had
certainly never seen one.

�Why, going to tinkle ze ivories for us, Severus?�
Fleur dripped French in her accent.

�It�d be
some kind of entertainment, at least,� Harry took a slurp of alcohol. �You could
play something mournful.�

�I haven�t touched a piano since I was eighteen,� Severus shot back. �It�d be
mournful, but only because of my distinct lack of skill.�

Although
Severus found himself talking with Harry, he was glad. Ron had been hideous company
for the past three days, although with good reason, and he found it a breath of
fresh air to talk to someone minus a blank stare.

�Look,
Charlie actually looks like he�s going to fall asleep over there.� Harry said
somewhat pityingly. �They all need a bloody good sleep. Don�t know about Bill
or Ron but she�s not slept properly for three days.� He gestured at Ginny,
talking to one of her Uncles.

�Ron can�t
keep still,� Severus muttered. �I don�t know if he thinks he�s going to pop off
or something if he does but it�s driving me insane.�

�Bill keeps
making sighing noises in �is throat, driving me mad,� Fleur groaned. �I know �e
is ze eldest child but �e is making life difficult
for �imself. �E thinks �e �az
to be by �iz father�s side every single second.�

�What are
we going to do with them?� Harry asked quietly.

�Merlin
knows,� Severus took a mouthful of brandy. �Ron�s determined he�s going to work
tomorrow morning.�

�Are you
serious?� Harry gasped, and both of them turned to look at Severus.

�I know,�
he grimaced. �But I can�t stop him. I might die if I try.�

��E seems
to be taking it �arder zan ze rest of zem,� Fleur observed.

�He�s been� unrecognisable,� Severus couldn�t believe the relief flowing
through him at finally being able to discuss his worry with someone else. �He�s
barely eaten. He won�t sleep properly. He won�t talk about it. He�s turning the
air black and blue wherever he goes. He even swears at George. Poor dog is so
distraught.�

�Does he
talk about it? Ginny won�t shut up,� Harry bit his lip. �All she wants to do is
relive memories.�

�Bill iz ze same,� Fleur
concurred. �I can only listen.�

�Ron won�t
say anything,� Severus shook his head. �If I didn�t know better I�d say he was
denial. But he isn�t. He just won�t talk.�

�We all
deal differently�� Harry mused. �I didn�t talk, either��

�I got
hideously drunk,� Severus took an ironic sip of brandy.

�I�ve never
lost anyone�� Fleur looked guilty at the admission. �I am lucky enough to have
my parents and grandparents��

�You�re
blessed,� Severus smiled at her. �Don�t feel guilty for never having felt loss,
Fleur.�

�No,� Harry
murmured thoughtfully. �Enjoy it whilst you can.�

They fell
into a melancholy silence and watched as yet another family rose and made their
excuses to leave. That only left Auntie Muriel still remaining, who was sitting
making her opinions known about how poor she thought it was that there had been
no large floral tributes at the funeral. �Just because she was poor in life
doesn�t mean she had to be poor in death!�

Severus gritted
his teeth and ignored her. His first introduction to Muriel hadn�t gone well
earlier that evening. Her words rang in his ears. �So is this the Death Eater homosexual then? Dear Godric I hoped Ronald
had some sense in his head. Ugly as sin! What possessed him?�

Ron had
apologised for her later but Severus didn�t particularly care. The old were the
old and thought it gave them excuse to air their thoughts to the world. He only
hoped that when he reached her age he would remember his manners more successfully.

***

Ron
thankfully shut the front door of the house behind Auntie Muriel and Charlie,
who had drawn the short straw to accompany her home. �They�re gone,� he
shouted, and reached up to rip apart the neck of his robes, and heard the
relieved sigh from the living room.

He walked
back to join them and saw all of the men had done exactly the same thing.
Severus looked delicious enough to eat right there on the floor of his family
home. An overwhelming pang of lust dug deep in Ron�s belly as his eyes swept
over his husband, standing tall and aloof against a wall. The neck of his robes
were open, like Ron had torn his own, revealing a triangle of pale skin turned
amber by the lights of the living room, peppered at the base by black wispy
hair. He appeared deep in thought, staring into the flames of the fire, a glass
of brandy nursed in his hand.

Tired yet
relieved that the day was over, Ron approached him. �Doing your best Mr. Darcy
imitation, I see?� He said it with a smile, so Severus would know he was only
teasing. It wasn�t the time for misinterpreted words.

�You know
it,� Severus twitched his own smile back. �I do like being compared to someone
so dashing.�

�He was also an arse for a lot of the time, before he got dashing.�

�Ah, only because he was devastatingly misunderstood,� Severus countered.
�Something else we have in common, I suppose.�

�He got his girl in the end,� Ron said softly, inching closer, feeling more at
ease now the extended family had melted away.

�And I got
my man,� Severus leant forward and pressed his lips to Ron�s forehead gently as
soon as he was close enough. �How are you holding up?�

The
question didn�t annoy Ron as much as he thought it might have. It served as a
welcome bolstering to his hope that after the funeral things would improve.
�I�m� tired,� he breathed, and let his head fall forward and his eyes close. �I
need a bloody good sleep.�

�I know you
do. Is it too early to disappear?� Severus asked quietly.

�We�re off for the night,� Ron announced loudly to the room, in reply.

�Night,�
George waved feebly from the sofa.

�Sleep
tight,� Ginny smiled warmly from where she leant against Harry. �You look like
shit.�

�Which one
of us are you talking to?� Ron grinned warily.

�You both
look like shit,� Harry rolled his eyes.

�Night,
Dad,� Ron broke away from Severus to give his father a hug.

�Are you
going to work in the morning?� Arthur asked, and the entire room seemed to
focus in on Ron.

�I was
planning on,� Ron�s shoulders broadened under the weight of their stares. �I
can�t risk my position. I like it so much. Mum wouldn�t have wanted�� his voice
trailed off.

�As long as
you feel up to it,� Arthur looked worriedly at his son, and patted him on the
shoulder, a clear dismissal.

Severus
felt fifty kinds of guilty that he couldn�t talk Ron into taking more time off.
His boss wasn�t an unreasonable man and had offered him a week off. But Ron had
refused it.

As they
climbed the stairs of The Burrow, eerily quiet, Ron felt himself become hornier
with every step. The three days without sex had been the longest he and Severus
had gone since they�d been separated during Severus� spell in Azkaban. He
immediately assessed his chances.

�Oh God,�
Severus breathed, stepping into the orange furnace at the top of the house
which was Ron�s childhood bedroom. �I thought your Aunt was never going to
leave.�

�Right old bitch, isn�t she?� Ron unbuttoned his robe the rest of the way,
sliding it off his shoulders. �I�m sorry for what she said about you.�

�I�ve been
called worse,� Severus snorted, tugging his own robe up over his head and
folding it over his arm. �She�s old and she thinks her opinion means the world.
Let her have it.�

�Promise me
you�ll AK me before I ever get that cantankerous,� Ron pleaded, chucking his
robe on the floor and kicking his shoes off simultaneously.

Severus
didn�t point out that if that was what Ron desired then he�d already be cold
after his performance over the last three days.

�I know
I�ve been a moody shit since,� Ron sighed. �I�m sorry� I just don�t know��

�Its fine,�
Severus insisted, re-arranging himself in his underwear, which he�d been dying
to do for an hour but never found a private moment.

�Bloody
rude is what it is,� Ron grumbled, before crossing his room and throwing his
arms around Severus. �Do you think George is alright?�

�Remus will
look after him in wolf form,� Severus relaxed into Ron�s arms. �He was really
distraught, Ron� that he couldn�t be here today��

�I know,�
Ron nodded. �He and mum got on well. It�s a shame he couldn�t be here to say
goodbye.�

�He liked
her very much.�

�Severus?�
Ron asked gently, smoothing his hand down the plane of Severus� back.

�Yes?�

�I know
that� I know that this isn�t very proper... but do you think we could?� He gave
a tiny thrust with his hips to accentuate his point.

�Is that
what you really want?�

�I want to
have something else to think about,� Ron replied defiantly, eyes blazing.

�You might
regret it halfway through,� Severus shook his head ruefully. �I don�t want to
cause you any more pain than you�re already suffering��

�You
won�t,� Ron leant forward and sucked slightly at the hollow of Severus� throat.
�Please. Don�t make me beg. Not tonight.�

Severus
couldn�t resist him. Whether sex was the best healer or not,
he didn�t want to know. He gathered his strength and wits, and swept Ron
up into his arms, placing him gently on the single bed. Severus slid lithely on
top of him and kissed up his chest. �What do you want?�

�I want to
be fucked into oblivion,� Ron breathed, arching up to press their groins
together, biting his lip. �Make me forget.�

�I�m too
tired for oblivion,� Severus bent his neck and kissed him. �But I�ll put my
mouth to good use and bring you off?�

�No, I want
you inside me,� Ron hissed.

Severus
still wanted to avoid that, but he could see refusing would upset Ron all over
again. His erection would be problem; Severus couldn�t instantly find grief
sexy.

�I need, erm� some help,� he breathed, flushing an ugly red.

�Oh,� Ron
frowned. �That�s� unusual.�

�I don�t
find bereavement a turn on, generally,� Severus admitted honestly.

�I don�t
either but I need to be fucked,� Ron whispered hotly into his ear, as though he
knew what that would do to Severus.

It worked
�at least, it stoked the fire. Groaning, Severus stretched his body out on top
of Ron�s and pressed their groins together again. �Might not be as much of a
problem as first thought,� he pressed a kiss to Ron�s shoulder.

Soon enough
they were panting and writhing against one another, exchanging desperate
kisses. Severus winced as his teeth connected with Ron�s, though the latter
didn�t seem to notice. To their right, Severus saw the swipe of a wand and
judging by the gasps below him, Ron had set a stretching spell on himself.

�I could
have done that,� Severus peppered kisses down his wand arm.

�Too slow,�
Ron breathed. He pointed his wand between them and Severus gasped as he felt
cool liquid slick his erection.

�You really
are eager,� he muttered, before clamping his lips around Ron�s pierced nipple
and flexing the bar back and forth until Ron cried out in protest.

�Get the
fuck in me,� he begged, head tilted back.

It wasn�t the most sophisticated fuck Severus had ever partaken in, but the
gratitude rising from Ron like steam more than made up for the lack of sexual
finesse. Biting into the skin of Severus� shoulder as he was entered, Ron felt
whole for the first time in three days, since his chest was punched apart by
the grief.

He bucked
and mewled beneath his husband, knowing his stamina was shot to hell, but he
didn�t care. �I love you,� he whispered, feeling an ache deep within him as he
rose to meet Severus� thrust.

�Love you
too,� came the panting thrust.

�I need
this so much� oh gods� oh� fuck Severus��

Ron was
positively trembling beneath him and Severus fought to hold onto his composure,
though he knew it was a losing battle. �Oh god,� Severus breathed, burying his
face in Ron�s neck, wrapped up in the moment and the feeling of desire
pulsating through the chain bond.

Unusually,
he felt Ron clamp around him, arms and legs tightly positioned, and he felt the
hot rush of come between their bodies. Ron normally let his body relax when he
came. Severus let go and came with him, grunting somewhat animalistically
into Ron�s shoulder, trying to keep his voice down for the sake of the house�s
other occupants.

As soon as
the beautiful, deep rush was out of him, Ron couldn�t deny what was coming
next. The pleasure of orgasm was drenched in a wave of grief and tears welled
within his eyes.

�Oh God, Severus, I-I�m so sorry, it�s not you,� he choked, as the first wave
rolled down his cheeks. �I don�t��

�Well
that�s a first. Nobody�s ever cried after sex before. Except
me, of course. �Shh.� Severus fought
through the aftershocks to wrap his arms around Ron the best he could in a
comforting embrace.

�I�m sorry,�
Ron felt so ashamed of the way his voice cracked.

�Stop
apologising to me,� Severus� tone was firm yet loving. �You need a good bawl, I
know.�

�I�m so
sorry,� Ron babbled, face awash and beginning to
sting.

�Apologise
till you�re blue in the face but it�ll never matter,� Severus crooned into his
ear. �You need to let this out� angel.�

He tagged
the sweet nothing on the end because he knew it would make Ron cry more and
that he needed to. You�re a cruel fucking
bastard, he chided himself, swallowing his guilt.

***

Severus
stumbled down the stairs wrapped up in his dressing gown, not particularly
caring who met on his determined quest for coffee. Ron had sobbed in his arms
until two in the morning. Considering that they�d gone to bed at around eleven,
it was quite some feat of waterworks. Every time his tears looked to be tailing
off, he would remember something else and the cycle would start from the
beginning. Severus had spent the time ice cold, heartbroken at the upset in his
arms.

�As he neared the second to lowest level of the
house, he heard hushed whispering.

�No, you have to go, they can�t see you��

�Are you
ever going to tell them?� Severus froze at the Irish accent he thought he
recognised.

�Not now�
not after mum,� George�s voice cracked with emotion and they fell silent.

�I need a
drink,� the Irish voice spoke again. �At least take me to the kitchen and get
me that and then I�ll go, I promise.�

�All
right,� George breathed, and Severus heard hurried footsteps on the stairs.

I�m not giving up my coffee or the
chance to find out who the mystery man is. Severus made his way quietly down the stairs and
moved into the kitchen, keeping his eyes on the floor.

�Fuck it!�
George hissed, and Severus tried act as though he hadn�t expected what was waiting
for him.

He let his
dark eyes sweep up off the floor and took in the slightly dishevelled
appearance of Seamus Finnegan next to George.

�You
Gryffindors never look outside the box, do you?� Severus smirked.

�Ron did,�
George said bashfully.

�Unusually,�
Severus conceded. �So. This is who you�ve been
sneaking around with?�

�You can�t
tell,� George instructed him.

�Why on earth not?� Severus rolled his eyes. �It�s not
like you�re fucking a whore from the street.�

Seamus
snorted through his glass of water. �Was that a compliment?�

�I like you
already,� Severus winked, moving towards the kettle.

�I�m having
one if you�re offering,� Seamus replied, and possessively hooked an arm around
George�s waist. �See. He doesn�t care.�

Severus
tried to ignore the tingle the young Irishman�s accent sent through his body.

�He�s not�
blood family,� George flushed.

�So how did
you smuggle him in?� Severus tapped his wand against the kettle.

�Fred decided he needed a little� comforting and went to Angelina�s last night.
So I firecalled after everyone went to bed,� George
explained.

�Nicely
done,� Severus nodded. �But you do realise, if you stopped all this and came
out, you wouldn�t have to sneak around?�

�Finally,
some bloody sense!� Seamus proclaimed. �I never thought I�d grow to agree with
Severus Snape but lord, George, please��

�So come on
then,� Severus saved George the embarrassment of replying. �How on earth did
you get together?�

�By
accident,� George muttered.

�The usual
story,� Seamus sounded relieved at simply being able to talk. �Two lost souls,
one seedy bar, the usual.�

Severus
snorted. �Lovely.�

�Hey,
you�ve got nothing to brag about, Mr I-Seduced-My-Student,� Seamus winked.

�It was
rather the other way round,� Severus felt he had to point out. �But I do take
your point.�

�Love works
in strange ways,� Seamus quipped.

George gave
squeak and lurched away. �I�m going to go upstairs� and when I come down,
you�ll be gone, right?�

�Look,
George, we don�t have to do this.�

�Yes we
do,� Severus hated the way his heart tugged at the pain in George�s voice �a
testament to just how much Ron had softened it. �Have your coffee and go.
Please. If you love me, go.�

�And if you
fecking love me?� Seamus replied indignantly.

George�s
only answer was to leave the kitchen quickly. Severus found himself on the cusp
of agony aunt again as Seamus slumped against the kitchen worktop, looking
crushed.

�He�s just
trying to figure out how the hell to tell them,� Severus advised him quietly,
handing him a cup of coffee. �Is that alright?�

�T�is grand,� Seamus nodded his head and accepted it. �I
don�t know how much I can deal with the secrecy. He�s met me mam. She adored him. Me dad took a while longer but he�s
getting there.�

�It won�t
be long,� Severus mused, tapping the mug against his lip, savouring the burning
warmth. �He�ll crack soon.�

�He needs
to,� Seamus muttered bitterly.

�How long
exactly have you been together?�

�A year in
January,� Seamus blushed.

�Wow, you
made it a whole six months before anyone suspected anything,� Severus said
sarcastically. �I thought he was different in June, Ron agreed.�

�How is Ron?� Seamus asked. �I so wanted to be here for George at the funeral�
but he refused.�

�Trust me�
you might have felt just as redundant had you actually been here,� Severus�
eyes trained on the floor. �They�re a stubborn bunch of sods.�

�Good thing
they�ve got an equally stubborn bunch of sods loving them then, isn�t it?�

�Yes, you
could say that,� Severus smiled wryly.

�I do love him,� the Irish accent twanged
as emotion broke through the words.

�I�m glad
to hear it. Trust me, again �a few months into this each and every one of them
becomes family, even if you don�t want it� and you care for them. I want to see
him happy.�

�George
talks about you a lot,� Seamus said quietly. �I know you�ve been� well. You
were the first person he told.�

�Only
because he was so confused, I think.�

�No,
because he trusted you,� Seamus said insistently.

�Don�t tell
me you want me to watch over him?� Severus realised where the conversation was going.
�For God�s sake, any more of this and I might as well pin a bloody halo over my
head and switch to white robes.�

�You�d make
a grand guardian angel,� Seamus laughed, and drained his cup in four mouthfuls.
�I�d best be off. I don�t want to
cause him trouble.�

�You can
join the spouses club when he eventually works up the gumption,� Severus
smiled. �Last night we spent against a wall muttering behind brandy. Not
exactly fun, but its good company.�

�Never thought I�d hear you say that about Harry,� Seamus placed his mug in the
sink, and Severus gathered it wasn�t his first time covertly drinking coffee of
a morning in the Weasley kitchen.

�Neither
did I,� Severus gave a pointed, overdramatic shudder and Seamus chuckled.

�So, I
suppose, I�ll hopefully see you soon?� Seamus held out his hand.

�Yes,�
Severus shook it warmly.

With a nod,
Seamus departed through the kitchen fire. Severus sipped his coffee, beaming
internally that he�d unravelled George�s big secret. He wasn�t surprised when
the man himself ducked back into the kitchen, looking wearily about.

�Promise me you won�t tell anyone,� he breathed.

�I won�t,�
Severus said. �But you should. He
seems nice.�

�He is,� a
gentle flush crept across George�s face. �Really� lovely, to
be honest. He never seemed like that at school.�

�Leaving Hogwarts seems to do wonders for people,� Severus told him. �How are
you holding up, George?�

�I�m� well.
I�m better than Ron,� he rolled his eyes. �You�ve got your hands full there,
huh?�

�Tell me
about it,� Severus muttered, draining his cup and setting it alongside Seamus�
in the sink.

�If you
need me, you know where I am?� George offered.

Severus
stepped forward and grasped his shoulder. �You have your own battles to fight.�

�Still.
If you need help�� George looked determinedly out of the window.

�I know,�
Severus followed his gaze out to the orchard.

�I don�t
know how to deal with the fact she�s there, under the ground�� George said in a
whisper.

�I don�t
know any better than you,� Severus admitted. �You�ll find your own way.�

�Mmm.�

�And if Seamus
is your way, then you should embrace that.�

�Go and
comfort your own Weasley charge,� George deflated.
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