Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Ashes of Armageddon	By : emilywaters Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 96542 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 66
- 67
- 68
Flesh and Blood

The following afternoon, a knock on the door alerted him to someone's presence, and Severus went to open the door. He had half-expected to see Hermione and Hugo at his doorstep, but instead, he saw Harry.

�Good morning,� Severus managed to say in an almost normal voice.

�It's a morning, all right,� Harry conceded. �May I come in?�

�I thought we talked about you dropping in uninvited,� Severus protested, but did not have the energy or resolve to make his protest believable.

�You said I could drop by once everything was over,� Harry pointed out, without backing off.

�So I did,� Severus muttered, stepping aside. �Come in, then.�

�Thanks,� Harry said and made his way into the sitting room.

�Well?� Severus asked once Harry settled on the couch.

�You surprised me, I guess,� Harry said softly. �You just.. packed up and left. I thought we were doing quite well. What brought this on?�

�I think you know,� Severus said tiredly. He had no desire to equivocate, but he had absolutely no desire to belabor the obvious either.

�If I knew, I wouldn't be asking,� Harry said reasonably.

�Al is afraid of me,� Severus said simply.

�He is,� Harry agreed. �And?�

�And, it is blindingly obvious that we cannot coexist together under the same roof,� Severus said grudgingly. �What do you want me to do, Harry? Wait for a lunch out somewhere in Muggle London, where you would explain all of this to me, and tell me how we need to separate for the time being, perhaps indefinitely?�

Harry swallowed hard, and stared at Severus as if seeing him for the first time.

�You thought that I would separate from you after you rescued my son!?� Harry sounded so genuinely horrified by the suggestion that Severus instantly doubted his own memory of the conversation that had taken place between Harry and Hermione.

�Separation does seem unavoidable, don't you think?� he asked nonetheless. �Al is your flesh and blood. You need to prioritize. Even Hermione knows that.�

�Oh, so you overheard us talking, jumped to conclusions, and took the opportunity to wallow in self-sacrificial misery,� Harry said snidely. �How unlike you.�

�Mockery and sarcasm won't get you anywhere,� Severus warned. �I did not jump to conclusions. The most logical and obvious course of action...�

�.. is to have Al stay with Hermione and Ron for the time being, perhaps for the next few months,� Harry interjected quickly. �I would visit him every day, and you'd come with me, to give him an opportunity to get used to you slowly. A few minutes at a time to start, then, for longer periods of time, until he learns to trust you, and becomes accustomed to you. Eventually, he will be able to stay with us,� Harry said softly and looked up at Severus hopefully. �We would parent him together. You will be all right with that, won't you?�

�Of course,� Severus said, his mind reeling at Harry's explanation. Harry had not intended to separate? Then what... �This was your plan?�

�This was my plan,� Harry said ruefully. �I won't deny, it'll be a lot of work, but... you want to get to know my son, don't you?�

�Of course,� Severus said quickly. �Still, this is very ill-advised. We are adults. We can manage a separation easily. Al just lost his mother, and you are sending him to live with someone else?�

�For a few weeks, maybe a few months,� Harry said calmly. �Severus, Al hasn't lived with me at all in the last four years. He doesn't know me yet. In fact, at this point, he knows Hermione and Ron better than he knows me, and he is more comfortable with them, and Hugo. He'll need time to get used to me, get used to both of us. And in time, he will. At least, that's the plan.�

Severus smiled slightly and nodded. �Then... if that was the plan, what was Hermione suggesting you ask me, that you protested so intensely?�

�Nothing!� Harry snapped. �Hermione is being weird. She doesn't know what she's talking about.�

�I heard her,� Severus protested, staring at Harry intently. �She thought it would be best if I moved to Spinner's End, and you felt you had no right to ask me. The last thing I want is for you to continue living with me out of some sort of misguided obligation, even when the most logical course of action...�

Harry glared at him briefly. �You know, for someone who used to spy for years and years, you are awfully closed-minded when it comes to interpreting covertly gathered information.�

�How else would I interpret what she said?� Severus asked reasonably.

�She thought it'd be best if we both lived in London for a while, close to them, so that we all could see each other more frequently. She thought I should ask you if you'd let me and Al stay with you in Spinner's End,� Harry said reluctantly. �She really thought you wouldn't mind, even though I told her, over and over again, it's not right, this is your space, you value your privacy, and you've made it clear that...�

�I suppose I could dispense with the home lab to make space for a child's room,� Severus mused.

Harry stopped talking at once and stared at him speechlessly.

�I haven't brewed anything at home in over two years,� Severus pointed out. �The lab is redundant anyway.�

Harry continued staring at him in disbelief clearly at a loss for words. . When Harry finally found his voice, it was thick with emotion. �Severus? Really? You won't mind?�

�Giving up a few jars of newt eyes in exchange for having my family live with me? I suppose I would be willing to make that one final sacrifice,� Severus said dryly.

�Newt eyes aside, it's still a risk,� Harry said reluctantly, with obvious difficulty.

�There is no risk,� Severus said with confidence. �Al isn't Tom Riddle.�

�How can you tell?� Harry asked, looking up at him.

�Experience,� Severus said simply. �Over the years, I've come to know Tom Riddle quite intimately. For the lack of better words, I sense none of him in Al. I believe Al his own person, with his own destiny, and his own choices to make.� He leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Harry's forehead. �I know I have had some serious lapses in judgment in the past, but you can trust me on this one.�

Harry smiled slightly and his entire body relaxed under Severus' touch.

�I don't know why it's so easy for me to believe you,� Harry said softly. �Somehow, no matter what happens, and what hits the fan, at the end of the day, you manage to fix everything, and make everything all right.�

�A trademark of a good servant, don't you think?� Severus asked, with just a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

�Not funny,� Harry protested, but his lips twitched slightly into a very faint smile.

�I am too tired to be funny,� Severus said simply.

�Didn't get much sleep, did you?� Harry asked.

�Hardly any last night,� Severus admitted sheepishly. �There was too much on my mind.�

�Why don't you go to sleep now?� Harry offered, nudging him to lie down. Severus complied easily, and rested his head in Harry's lap. �I like watching you sleep.�

�You do? Why?�

�You look so peaceful when you sleep,� Harry said softly, as his hand carded through Severus' hair, and reached for his hair-tie to undo it. �You never have nightmares.�

�Never nightmares,� Severus murmured, resting his face against Harry's thigh and shutting his eyes. Harry's hand continued to rise and fall, traveling the length of his hair, smoothing it out and caressing it. �Just dreams and memories.�

He woke up a few hours later from the smell of food spreading throughout the house. Severus pulled himself up, and stared at the clock. It was late in the afternoon.

�Lunch?� Harry called out from the kitchen.

�I am impressed,� Severus said wryly. �You managed to acquire food and cook it, without burning down the house.�

�Hey!� Harry protested. �Be nice.�

�That was a compliment,� Severus assured him soothingly.

�It would have been, had I cooked,� Harry muttered. �Hermione dropped by and brought food. I am just reheating it.�

�Oh.�

He made it into the kitchen, and saw a pile of sandwiches on a plate, and two bowls filled with thick soup.

�Thank you, Harry,� Severus sat, sitting down.

They ate in comfortable silence, cleaned up together, and made it back into the sitting room. Harry stared at the chess game set. �Feel like playing?� Harry asked.

�We could,� Severus agreed, �although you should probably go back to your son for now.�

Harry stiffened and stared at him intently. �I am not good at reading between the lines. Do you want me to leave and give you space, or are you just trying to be responsible?�

Severus shrugged, and sat down at the table, taking one of the chess pieces in his hand. �Harry, I don't want you to leave. But yes, I am trying to be responsible. Your son...�

�My son is safe with our family,� Harry said softly. �We will go to seen him tomorrow morning together. Right now though, I need to be with you. You are my flesh and blood now too, you know,� Harry said seriously.

Even though he had gotten used to Harry wearing his heart on his sleeve and expressing his feelings openly, he was still half-embarrassed by the open declarations of affection that seemed entirely too sentimental. His throat felt a little tight when he voiced softly, �Harry?�

�Yeah?�

�Shut up and play.�

Harry grinned at him, took a chess piece and made the first move.

To Be Continued.... one more chapter + epilogue left.

66

67

68

You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Ashes of Armageddon