• 1-Salvation
• 2-Chapter 2
• 3-Chapter 3
• 4-Chapter 4
• 5-Chapter 5
• 6-Chapter 6
• 7-Chapter 7
• 8-Chapter 8
• 9-Chapter 9
• 10-Chapter 10

Harry sat on the floor in the nursery and teased Miri with her stuffed dragon. The tiny girl squealed in delight and held out her little reaching hands to him, babbling away.

Harry’s head was so full, he was surprised it had not exploded. It was three days since the news of Lucius’ new ‘friends’ and the house was packed to breaking point. Remus had insisted on having Anne come and live in the house with them, and Sam, and Jack, which brought Tonks, and then Mad-Eye, residing in Grimmauld Place too. The only ones who were still in their own abode were Fred and George, and that was only because they were too busy to leave the shop. Mealtimes were always hectic now and it was hard to find an empty room.

Harry was not particularly afraid of the new developments. Solarin had put it in such a way that his fears were eased. Lucius had done this because he was running out of options. Whatever came next, whatever Lucius and his ‘friends’ did, Harry could handle it. He had his family to protect him, to help him weather the storm.

Harry had not spoken much since the news, not even to Severus. He had the feeling that everything he said would make it worse, though he wasn’t sure how that was possible. He was worried, sure, but more than that he was frustrated. He wanted to go out, but he was convinced that idea would be met with a flat out no. He was getting cabin fever, and no amount of walks around the garden would solve it.

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Miri sitting upright all by herself until she giggled at him. There were a few moments where Harry was stunned into silence before he laughed and clapped at her, picking her up.

“Clever girl, Miri,” he praised, carrying her down to the kitchen. He found Remus sitting with Sam and Tonks, Severus at the counter chopping vegetables with Molly and Anne, and Hermione and Ron pacing with an irritable twin each.

“Everything alright, love?” Severus asked, spotting him.

“Fine, everything’s fine. I just wanted you to see something.”

“Oh. What is it?”

Harry laid Miri on the table and held out his hands, the kitchens inhabitants watching in amazement as she pulled herself up, letting go of his fingers and putting her little hands flat on the table to support herself.

“Just a little thing really. I just thought you’d want to see it,” Harry said innocently. Miri lifted her hands to clap and fell backwards, Harry catching her and picking her up to cuddle her close before he slipped her into her highchair.

As Harry stepped back, Severus pulled him in for a deep kiss, his long arms wrapping around his petite lover. Harry grinned into the kiss.

“I want to go out,” Harry blurted out as Severus pulled away.

“Excuse me?” Severus asked.

“I want to go out,” Harry repeated. “I’m so sick of staring at the same four walls. I want to go out.”

“Understandable,” Remus said, cautiously, seeing Severus about to protest out of sheer habit. “It has been a while since you left the house, and you are not a prisoner. This is your home, not Azkaban. Is there anywhere in particular you want to go, pup?”

This question was simple, and Harry knew the exact answer to it. “There’s a park I can see from the playroom window. I was thinking that maybe, now she can sit up on her own, Miri might like the swings. And Dorian. I wasn’t talking about going by myself. I was thinking of maybe a whole group of us going.”

There was dead silence in the kitchen while every eye fixed on Severus.

“Harry, love, I understand where you’re coming from, I really do…but-”

“Forget it,” Harry said angrily, moving to the door. “I shouldn’t have even asked, it was dumb. Too dangerous, I know. I’ll just go and read a book or something. Something nice and safe.” He stormed out the room and everyone heard the slam of a door.

“Did I miss something?” Solarin asked as she entered the room. “What’s wrong with Harry?”

“He wanted to go to the park, take Miri on the swings,” Anne said.

“Okay. Still not following.”

“Severus said no,” Tonks said. “Harry didn’t take it well.”

Solarin nodded and then looked at her brother. He suddenly looked very nervous. “Sol, don’t start. Harry does not need you to fight his battles for him,” Severus said.

“I didn’t say a word,” she said lightly, retrieving a teething ring from the freezer and passing it to Miri. “I mean, why would I? Harry can get his point across quite clearly all by himself. He saved the whole world, for Merlin’s sake, he can fight his own battles.”

Tonks grinned briefly before smothering it and watching the show.

“I was just going to ask what you’re going to forbid him from doing next,” Solarin continued. “Walks in the garden? He might be stung by a bee. Or perhaps helping you in the lab? Something might explode. Or reading, maybe? I’m sure paper cuts can be lethal.”

“You’re taking this way out of proportion,” Severus said as Hermione giggled.

“No, I’m not. This is his home, Severus, not his prison. You’re his husband, not his jailer. Answer me this, when was the last time Harry asked to leave the house?”

“Diagon Alley, beginning of October,” Severus answered immediately.

“Ummm, not to get in the middle,” Remus said. “But it was actually Sirius who asked you to go out because we needed some time alone. It wasn’t Harry who asked.”

“Exactly. Severus, Harry has only ever asked to go out once, when he wanted to come to Enchantment. And I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to wrap him up in cotton wool. I know because I happen to have been on the receiving end of you being a protective bastard many a time.”

“I was never that bad. You make me sound like a tyrant,” Severus argued.

“Really? You were never that bad? What about the first time I took the Hogwarts Express? You wanted to ride the whole way with me. Or my first day of Hogsmites when you wanted to stay the whole day and hold my hand. Or maybe when I got picked on in Hogwarts and you failed them all in Potions. Then there was my first bra, where you asked the woman in the shop if they sold chastity belts. Do I have to go on or am I getting through?” she reeled off.

“I don’t see how that all made me a tyrant.”

“No, you were protective, I get that. I always have. I grew up with you like this, I’m used to it, I take it in my stride. But put yourself in Harry’s shoes for a moment. Imagine how this all looks from his perspective. He rarely asks for anything and you said no without even thinking.”

Severus suddenly saw just how unfair he had been. Lucius didn’t even know where Harry was, and Harry had wanted the whole family to go. Severus immediately saw why Harry was so angry at him. It had not been an unreasonable request, but his response had been slightly too rash.

“Anne, will you watch Miri for me please? I need to go and beg forgiveness,” Severus said. She nodded and he made his way from the room and up the stairs.

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Harry stared angrily at his and Severus’ marriage certificate, hanging proudly on the wall opposite the bed, next to Miri’s birth certificate.

He was so angry he couldn’t actually form a complete word at this point. He hadn’t been this angry at Severus since they were still professor and student. Severus had just dismissed the idea, he hadn’t even waited for a moment to think, or to let Harry argue his point.

Harry so desperately wanted to hit something, or hex something, or maybe blow something up. Well, perhaps more someone than something.

Just then, as Harry hexed a pillow across the room, a hand appeared around the door, waving a white handkerchief. Severus’ head appeared around the door. “White flag. You can’t hex someone with a white flag, it’s against the rules,” he said.

“Fuck the rules. And, while I’m at it, fuck you,” Harry spat. “In case you missed it, I’m mad at you.”

“No, love, I didn’t miss that one,” Severus said, entering the room and slowly approaching the bed. “I’m sorry, Harry. I overreacted. Forgive me?”

“No.”

Severus sighed and sat down on the bed, a clear distance between the two of them. “Sol made me see how unreasonable I was being. Apparently, I have been doing this to her for years.” He sighed. “Harry, I loved my mother very dearly, and she was taken from me. Your mother I cared for very much, and then one day she was gone. You and Miri and Sol, you’re all I have. I’m sorry if I behave like a scary possessive bastard, but you know I only do it because I love you so much, don’t you? You know that I wouldn’t be so scared of losing you if I didn’t love you so much, right?”

Harry looked up into the repentant black eyes. “Yeah, I know. But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you anymore,” he said.

“You have every right to be angry at me. I didn’t even listen, and I should have. So, here I am, listening.”

Harry took a deep breath. His anger had subsided somewhat, enough for him to talk rationally instead of just throwing curses around.

“I married you because I love you. But that wasn’t the only reason, you know that,” Harry said. “One of the other reasons was that I trust you. Severus, I married you because I want my life to be mine, to be defined by my choices. I don’t want to be ruled by him, by what he’s done, by what he might do. I want to make my own decisions and know that you’ll at least listen to me, even if you don’t let me have my own way. Right now, I want to take our daughter to the park. Every other parent can do that, why can’t I? Personally, I don’t think I’m asking for something unreasonable.”

Severus smiled. “You’re not. I was unreasonable. Is that really what you want, to go to the park?”

“Yes, that’s really what I want.”

Severus took a deep breath. “All right, but on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“I get to bring as many people as I like to protect you and Miri while we’re out.”

“Deal,” Harry said, leaning in to kiss his husband.

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Sirius looked up from pulling on his boots to find Solarin hovering in his bedroom doorway.

“Forget something?” he asked.

“No, no, I didn’t forget something…ummm…Sirius, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yes…” he said worriedly. “Did I do something?”

“No.”

“All right, I’m listening. You’re missing Dorian on the swings, so I’m guessing this is important.”

Solarin took a deep breath. “Okay. Here’s the thing. When I was doing all the research for Draco, a lot of the Black family history got mixed in, because of Lucius’ marriage to Narcissa. Sirius…I couldn’t find a date of death for your father.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your father, he’s still alive.”

Sirius couldn’t quite process what she was saying. It wasn’t possible. It was just not possible. His father couldn’t still be alive. For one thing, Sirius wouldn’t have gotten this house if he was.

“No, he can’t be,” Sirius argued. “He died a year after I went to Azkaban, my mother two years after that.”

“Sirius, I’m not disputing what you were told. I’m just telling you what I found. There is no date of death for Canis Black.”

“Then it’s an error in the records.”

“They don’t make errors in the Ministry Hall of Records. All information is collected magically.”

Sirius stood up suddenly and advanced on her. She backed into the hallway and he followed, lunging forwards and grabbing her by the shoulders. He shook her, as if that would make her change what she had said.

“You’re wrong!” he yelled. “How would I have this house if he was still alive? How would I have my inheritance if he was still alive? Tell me that! Answer me that!”

“Sirius, let go of me,” she said, trying to control her rising panic. “Please, let go.”

“No, not until you answer me!”

“What on earth…?”

Sirius looked round to see Molly standing on the stairs. “Molly, stay out of this,” he said.

Solarin couldn’t breathe. She did the only thing she knew, the only thing she could always rely on to get herself out of trouble. She let go of her control and threw Sirius across the hallway, the Animagus staring at her in shock.

Sirius couldn’t believe what he had done, how badly he had lost his cool. She wasn’t trying to hurt him, she was just trying to tell him, and he had completely lost it. He got to his feet and tried to move towards her, tried to apologise, undo some of the damage he had done, but all he managed to do was scare her. She scrambled away from him, walking backwards until her foot slipped over the top step and she went tumbling down to land in a crumpled heap at Molly’s feet.

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Severus couldn’t believe he had said no to this. He couldn’t get enough of listening to Miri giggle as she was pushed on the swings.

The sky was pretty clear, even if the day was cold, but coats and cloaks were enough to protect them from the elements. The tip of Harry’s nose had gone red.

Harry grinned at him. “Do I get to say it now?” he asked.

“Say what?” Phoenix asked as Remus pushed her on the swings.

“He wants to tell me that he told me so,” Severus said. “And yes, you get to say it now.”

“I told you so,” Harry sing-songed, grinning from ear to ear. “I told you this was a good idea.”

“Maybe not,” Arthur said, looking at the gate.

Molly was helping a limping Solarin towards them, followed by a very worried and apologetic Sirius, carrying Sam’s bag.

“I am so sorry, Sol,” Sirius said.

“Shut up, you bloody rabid dog, and don’t even think of touching me,” she snapped and he withered under the venom in her voice.

“What happened?” Severus asked, rushing over.

“Don’t ask,” Solarin said. “Just do not ask until my head stops throbbing.”

“We had a disagreement,” Sirius said. “It was an accident, I swear it, Severus.”

“What was an accident?” Sam asked as he snapped open his bag, taking a closer look at the gash on Solarin’s temple.

“She fell down the stairs,” Molly said. “And he is right, that bit was an accident. But the part where he scared the poor girl half to death so she backed away from him towards the stairs was entirely his fault.”

Dorian took a flying leap off the swing Bill was pushing him on and ran over. “Mummy, does it huwt?”

“Yes, it hurts, but Uncle Sam is going to make it all better,” she said as Bill caught sight of the blood and tried to strangle Sirius. “Oh, for the love of Merlin! I should have just kept it to myself! Bill, let go of him, right now!” Bill let go of the Animagus and Solarin dumped Dorian in his arms. “Behave yourself.”

She took a deep breath and gulped down the pain potion Sam gave her. “Right. I told Sirius something he didn’t want to hear, he lost his temper, I lost mine, I was stupid and fell down the stairs. Harry, Ron, Hermione, go back to playing with your children. Charlie, you push Nixie on the swings. Bill, go push Dorian on the swings. Severus, Remus, Sirius and Sam, you all stay here with me, I’ll explain. Everyone else, go have fun,” she ordered. They all took one look at the injured augur and went about their tasks.

Solarin explained, and, at one point, Severus and Remus both slapped Sirius around the head.

“Could it be true?” Remus asked as Sam finished patching the girl up.

“Yes. Question, why the hell do people have a hard time believing me when I tell them these things?” she said.

“Because it seems highly improbable,” Severus said.

“Not improbable,” Sirius said. “Impossible.”

“No such thing,” Remus countered. “There is no such thing as impossible. We live in a world of magic where men can get pregnant and the unimaginable just might happen. There is no impossible, only improbable.”

“Listen, I’m not telling you anything for sure, I’m just telling you what I found. Sirius is right, I could be wrong,” Solarin said.

“Why did you wait so long to tell me?” Sirius questioned.

She looked at him incredulously and then laughed. “I’m covered in bruises and you really have to ask that question? Why do you think I didn’t tell you?”

“Good point. Sol, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, or scare you. I shouldn’t have lost it like that. I am so sorry.”

“Save it, it’s my own stupid fault. I shouldn’t have panicked like that. And I certainly shouldn’t have told you without Remus there.” She sighed. “Sirius, I tell you this because he’s your father. What you choose to do with the information is up to you.”

“But I don’t know what to do,” the Animagus replied.

She smiled. “You will.”

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Harry walked into his bedroom, expecting to find Severus, only to find it empty.

“Severus?”

A blindfold was gently held out in front of him. “What do you say to a game, love?” came his husbands decadently rich voice in his ear.

“What are the rules? You’re not going to tie me up, are you?”

“No, nothing like that. The only rule is that you are not allowed to take off the blindfold, and you have to answer any question I ask. How does that sound? You can say no, if you want to.”

Harry considered it, reaching out to run his fingers along the black silk of the blindfold. He trusted Severus implicitly. “You promise you won’t restrain me at all?”

“I cross my heart, love. Just the blindfold.”

“All right, but if I say stop, if I can’t handle it once the blindfold is on…”

“I won’t hesitate to stop. Remember, all at your pace. I won’t rush you, or force you. If you don’t like it once the blindfold is on, we’ll stop.”

“Okay.”

Severus kissed his neck as he slowly covered Harry’s eyes, gently tying it behind his head. “All right?”

“Yes.”

“Very good,” the older wizard purred as he unbuttoned Harry’s shirt, kissing his throat and chest as he exposed the pale skin. “Merlin, do you know how beautiful you are?”

Harry giggled. “I should, you tell me enough.”

“Oh no, never enough. I could never tell you enough,” he argued as he dropped the shirt and took Harry’s hands, leading him to the bed. He laid the petite being down and kissed his stomach as he pulled off his trousers, leaving his boxers in place.

Harry laid perfectly still as Severus slipped away, as he heard the rustle of fabric. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“Relax, love. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. It’s all part of the game. It’s something I saw, years ago, in an erotic magazine. I’ve always wanted to try it but never trusted anyone enough to share it with them. We can stop, if you’d like, but I promise it won’t hurt.”

“Okay. Will I like this?”

“I think so. You certainly enjoyed the silk and feathers. It’s not so different from that.”

Harry chuckled. Oh yes, he certainly had enjoyed the night where Severus had trailed lengths of silk and soft feathers over his skin, setting his nerve endings alight and exciting him beyond words. Then there was the night with the ice cubes. Harry had found out just how much fun it was to melt them on Severus’ skin.

“Is it like the ice cubes? Are we doing that one again?”

“Close, but not quite,” Severus said. “Are you ready?”

“I think so. As ready as I can be without knowing what you’re about to do.”

A slow guilty chuckle and then the bed dipped with Severus’ weight, the older man reclining by Harry’s side, leaning in to kiss him, so sweet, so gentle. And then there was something warm and soft trailing across his chest, circling one nipple and then the other, leaving a sticky trail in its wake.

“What is that?” Harry asked.

“How does it feel?”

“Warm, and sticky.” Harry giggled. “You haven’t come across my chest have you?”

“No. Care to hazard another guess?”

“Ummm. I have no idea. Give me a clue.”

“It’s something you eat. Something you, in particular, like to eat.”

“Ice cream?”

“No, but getting close. You said it was warm.”

“Oh, right. Not ice cream. Ummm…tea?”

“No. It’s a food.”

Harry smiled and then moaned as Severus began to lick whatever it was off his skin, closing his lips around a nipple to suck it off. He tangled his fingers in his silky hair, pushing his chest up towards Severus’ travelling mouth as he moved slowly across to the other nipple.

“Sweet Merlin,” Harry gasped. “Is it…oh…is it…ummm…is it…chocolate? Melted chocolate?”

“Very good,” Severus said as he finished cleaning his chest, joining his lips to Harry’s, letting him taste the confection. Harry hummed in enjoyment. “Ready for the next one?”

“Yes,” he said and Severus chuckled at his enthusiasm. Severus reached over him and Harry jumped as something cold and smooth was spread over his heated skin. “Now, what does this one feel like?”

“Ummm…cold, and smooth. It’s not as sticky as the chocolate.”

“Very good. Now, what is it?”

Harry found it hard to think as his lover began to lap it up, trailing his tongue and lips along the stripe of it down the middle of his chest and abdomen.

“Ummm…do we keep it in the fridge or the freezer?”

“Nice question. The fridge.”

“So, not ice cream. Ummm…is it yogurt?”

“Nope.”

Harry gasped as another spoonful was spread across his stomach, making an ‘S’ on his skin. It was thick, almost like ice cream, but Severus had said that it was kept in the fridge…

“Whipped cream?”

“Very good,” Severus hummed, scooping some up with his fingers and letting Harry lick it off while he finished devouring the cream off his stomach. “Next?”

Harry nodded and shrieked as something wet and icy was trailed across his skin. “Ice cube?”

“No.”

“Ice cream?”

“Not this time.”

“Fridge or freezer?”

“Fridge.”

“Ummm…some kind of fruit?”

“You’re getting very good at this,” Severus said as he licked the sticky juice off Harry’s skin, feeding the strawberry to his lover. “I only have one more. I did think it would take you longer to guess.”

Harry laughed. “Do I get to do it to you when you’re done?”

“Of course. I bought up enough for you to have a turn.”

“Brilliant. Okay, I’m ready for the last one.”

Severus chuckled. He had thought Harry would refuse as soon as he saw the blindfold, and, once again, he was amazed at how much trust Harry showed him.

“How does this one feel?” Severus asked as he dribbled the last one across Harry’s whole torso, watching as it dripped down to the waistband of his boxers.

“Cold, this one is cold too. And wet, more liquid than the others. Was it always liquid?”

“No, it melted.”

Harry grinned. “Ice cream. Pistachio, that’s your favourite. Or it might be chocolate orange, that’s my favourite.”

“Pistachio. I’m impressed,” the older man said as Harry pulled off the blindfold. He smiled at him and bent his head, licking the desert off his husband, cleaning the area thoroughly, making Harry squirm and moan. When he was done, he surged forwards, covering the lithe body with his own, and kissed him, slipping his tongue into Harry’s mouth as the younger man wrapped his legs around his waist. He pulled back and stared down into the bright green eyes. “Are you all right, love? I can move if you want.”

“No, I’m okay. Don’t move.”

“What about your turn?”

“In a minute,” Harry said, pulling him in for another kiss. Just as their lips touched, the whole house shook as something below them exploded. “What was that?”

“I have no idea,” Severus said, easing himself off his lover and padding to the door.

“Severus?” came Sirius’ voice through the wood.

“Yes?” Severus answered after he took down the silencing charm.

“Something in your lab just exploded.”

Severus paled. “I’ll be right there!” he called as he began to shove his clothes back on. “Sorry, love. Your turn will have to wait.”

“It’s okay,” Harry said as he pulled on his own clothes. The two of them ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop at the door to the lab, which had been blown off its hinges. They cautiously walked inside and Harry heard Severus groan.

“Oh, shit,” Severus said.

Everything was in ruins. Every potion was contaminated, every raw ingredient ruined, every jar, bottle and phial was shattered, every cauldron was melted. All that remained was a bloody mess.

“Harry, don’t come in. You don’t have any shoes on and there’s glass on the floor,” Severus ground out as she stepped on a piece, only now remembering that he, too, was barefoot.

“Sweet Merlin, what happened in here?” Solarin asked as she joined the crowd around the door.

“Have you been messing with my ingredients again?” Severus said, leaning against a wall to pull the glass from his foot.

“No, I swear. I haven’t touched them. I promise, Severus, none of the Odd Trio have messed with anything.”

“Could you have accidentally added something you shouldn’t?” Sirius asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Severus said. “I couldn’t even tell you what it was that exploded.”

“Judging purely on the smell, I’d say it was polyjuice,” Solarin put in. “Did anything survive?”

“Oh, fuck!” Severus said. “The Wolfsbane. It’s ruined. Remus and Sam need to take their first dose tomorrow.”

“Can’t you buy it?” Harry asked.

“No, pup. It’s a specialist potion. No one stocks it. Severus is the only wizard in Britain who actually brews it. Very few werewolves actually take it. They say they do, but it’s just a smoke screen to hide how much they enjoy violence,” Remus said. “I could send off to a brewer abroad but it wouldn’t get here in time.”

“Couldn’t you go without it for this month?”

“It’s too dangerous, what with all the little ones in the house. What if the charms failed? What if me and Sam got loose? I couldn’t live with myself if something happened when I wasn’t myself, and I don’t think Sam could either,” Remus said. “We’ll have to call Albus. Maybe Sam and I can spend the time in the Shack. We don’t have any other option.”

“Maybe not. Or maybe you do,” Solarin said. “What time is it?”

“Just gone seven,” Sirius said.

She nodded and headed up the stairs. They followed her and watched as she convinced Dorian to stay with Bill before she donned her coat and headed out the door.

“Where is she going?” Harry asked.

“Knowing her, probably somewhere that would get most of us killed,” Bill replied.

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Albert Sofler was an apothecary in Knockturn Alley who specialised in potion ingredients that weren’t exactly legal, but he did stock many things that were hard to come by, which meant the Ministry not only turned a blind eye to his activities, they also used him as a snitch every now and again. He had both ears to the ground, and many friends in not so legal places.

Which made him one of Solarin’s best friends.

“Albert, long time no see.”

The blue haired, heavily pierced man spun around and clutched his chest, letting out a shaky laugh. “Are you trying to put me in an early grave?” he asked, pulling her into a hug.

“Now, now, if I wanted to do that, you’d already be six feet under,” she said. “Listen, Al, I kind of need some of your stock.”

“Come on in. I was just about to lock up and go home, but for you I’ll make an exception,” he said, pulling open the gate he was previously pulling closed. He unlocked the door and she trailed him in, taking in the smells and sights.

“So, how is business?” she asked, hopping up to sit on the counter.

“Not bad, can’t complain. So, what was it you were after? I have some pixie eyelashes. And some dragon ice pouches that just arrived this morning.”

“No, nothing like that, but I will pass that on to Severus, maybe he needs some of those. Actually, I was wondering if you still had a supply of Wolfsbane.”

He let out a low whistle through his teeth. “That’s a pretty rare order. I have to say, I don’t get much call for that one.”

“Severus had a little accident in his lab, the whole batch got ruined. I have a couple of friends who take the potion every month. We need some by tomorrow. You’re the only person I know who would stock it. Please don’t tell me you’re all out, because if you are, we’re screwed.”

“Flatterer.”

“I mean it. You’ve helped me out more than once. Come on, Al. Just tell me if you have it or not.”

“I have it. You’re one lucky little witch. Only got two bottles left. Yours for ten galleons each.”

She pulled out her purse. “Fourty. Twenty for the potion, twenty for your silence,” she said, handing over the money. He pulled the two bottles from the top shelf and she slipped them into her bag. “I owe you one.”

“Actually, you could help me with something. Two things, while I have you here. I had Lucius in here the other day. It was weird. He came in and walked around the shop and then he left.”

“That’s it? He didn’t say anything…buy anything…steal anything?” she questioned, examining one of the jars of… “What the hell is this?”

“Dried Puffskein tongues. Four for a galleon.”

“I’ll take eight. While I’m at it, a selection of your rarer ingredients. Hell, I might as well stock up while I’m here. I’m sure Sev can find a use for it all.”

He began to stock up a bit of everything, labelling each package as he wrapped it. “Nope, he didn’t say or buy anything, but he did steal a few things.”

“What did he steal?” she asked as she picked up a few unicorn horns to add to the pile.

“A jar of Augur Opiate, a jar of nutrient potion, and a jar of Amortentia. I would have called the Ministry, but, with my clientele, it wasn’t an idea I could entertain.”

“When was this? And why do you stock the Opiate?” she asked, keeping her voice casual even though her stomach lurched at the thought of that particular potion.

“A few clients of mine are trying to figure out an antidote to it. It could make them rich if they manage it and you know how my clients love money. So far no luck, but they keep using it up trying to figure it out, so I have to keep stocking it. Lucius came in two…maybe three nights ago. I’m not sure what to make of it but I thought you might want to know.”

“Thanks, I’ll pass it on to the right people,” she said, organising the potion ingredients into a manageable pile. “What was the other thing?”

“Well, one of my suppliers gave me something but I have no idea what it is or what to do with it.” He pulled out a mirror from beneath the counter and handed it to her.

“How did your supplier get this?” she said, stroking her fingertips over the smooth surface, caressing the carved gold frame.

“No idea. What is it?”

“It’s a scrying  glass. They’re specially made for augurs. No one but an augur could use one.”

“You want it?”

“Sure. How much?”

“For you, free. I got no other use for it. Please, take it off my hands. As for the ingredients, a hundred and ten galleons for the lot.”

She paid up and gathered up the packages before walking out of the store and making her way to the Leakey Cauldron. On her way, she popped into the potions supply store and purchased a few jars to store the new ingredients in.

The whole way home, she felt her mind churning. Albert had given her much more than just rare ingredients and an old mirror. He had given her one hell of a headache.

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“Whewe’s mummy?”

“I don’t know, Dorian, but she’ll be back soon,” Bill said, hugging his son close.

“But I want hew hewe now.”

“I know you do.” Bill looked up at Severus. “This is ridiculous. She said she’d be home an hour ago. Where is she?”

“I don’t know. Can’t you get her through the connection?” Severus asked.

“No.” He stopped talking as the front door slammed. “Oh, thank Merlin.”

“Sorry! Sorry! I know I’m late,” Solarin said as she breezed through the kitchen door, handing her packages off to Sirius, who dumped them on the table.

“Mummy!” Dorian cried, running to her to be scooped up.

“Hey, little man. I know, I’m late, I’m sorry. I got caught up.”

“It’s okay, mummy. Will you put me to bed?”

“Is it okay if daddy does it tonight? I kind of need to have a grown up talk with Uncle Severus.”

“Okay. Night mummy.”

“Night baby,” she said, kissing him on the forehead and handing him off to Bill, who kissed her and then disappeared out the door. “So, Albert says hi.”

“Albert? Albert Sofler, who owns the apothecary in Knockturn Alley? Bill was right, anyone else would not have come back in one piece,” Severus said. “How is Albert?”

“Not bad. I nearly gave him a heart attack. He didn’t hear me coming. You know, he is a saint of a snitch.”

“Who’s Albert?” Harry asked.

“He’s this wizard I went to school with. Owns an apothecary in Knockturn Alley. He stocks some of the less…legal ingredients available, and some pretty specialised potions. Anyway, the Ministry turns a blind eye to his business because he’s a first class sneak. Albert, as I said, is a saint of a snitch. Look what he had in stock,” she said, pulling the two bottles of Wolfsbane from her bag and setting them on the table. “You owe me twenty galleons, ten each.”

“And the packages are?” Severus asked as Sam and Remus paid up, each hugging her and kissing her on the cheek, calling her a lifesaver.

“Some of Albert’s rarer ingredients and jars to store them in. You owe me a hundred and ten galleons, and that doesn’t include the jars. Those cost me seventy. Say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

Severus began to pour over the purchases, letting out little hums of approval every now and again at each particularly rare item. She sat at the table and sipped at a cup of tea, wondering how to approach the subject of the mirror in her bag, and what Lucius had stolen.

“Severus?” she began, keeping her tone casual.

“Yes?” he replied, holding a bottle of saffron sap up to the light to admire the clarity of the liquid.

“Do you remember that mirror mum had made for me, the one that arrived the Christmas after she died?”

“Yes. You tried to smash it when you were seven.”

“What did you do with it?”

“It’s in my trunk upstairs. Why? Are you thinking of using it again?”

“No, no. I was just wondering if you still had it.”

“Yes, I still have it. So, how about you stop skirting around the issue and tell me what is on your mind,” the elder Snape said, looking at her with a small smile.

“You know me so well. Which do you want, the bad news or the weird?”

They all looked nervously at her. “The bad news,” Harry said. “Best to get that over with.”

She smiled. “Good point. Albert got robbed. Lucius stole three bottles. One nutrient potion, one of Amortentia, and one of Augur Opiate.”

“Wait. Opiate? Why the hell does he even stock it?” Severus asked worriedly.

“A few of his clients want to make their fortunes by being the first to discover an antidote to it. He stocks it because they keep using it up.”

“Why would Lucius steal those three?” Sirius questioned.

“No idea, but it leads into the weird news. Is Mad-Eye at home?”

“I’ll go get him,” Molly said, disappearing out the door. Solarin sat in silence as they waited for her to return, letting her mind wander.

“I hate it!”

Severus caught the scrying glass as Solarin threw it across the room. “Solarin, please don’t throw things, it’s not nice,” he said. Mad-Eye sat on the sidelines, staying out of it.

“I don’t care! I hate it and I’m never using it again!” the girl screamed, Severus barely getting the glass out of her line of fire as she threw a bolt of lightening at it.

“Solarin, it is not the fault of the mirror that you saw that, and it is not your fault that we couldn’t stop what happened. You told us all you could, you couldn’t have done anymore than that.”

“I don’t care. I hate that glass and I am never looking in it again.” She looked at the glass and broke down into tears. “It’s not fair. Why can I see the future if I can’t change it?” she sobbed.

Severus placed the glass on the table and scooped her up, holding her close. “Sweetheart, calm down, please. No one’s going to make you look into the glass again. But I won’t let you smash it. I will put it somewhere safe.”

“Why? Why can’t I just get rid of it?”

“Because mum had it made for you, and I promise you that, one day, you will want it again. I know you can’t see it right now, but that mirror is special, just like you. I know that this gift of yours is difficult, that it doesn’t always seem like a gift. But it is.”

“I miss her,” she sniffled.

“I know. I miss Lily, too. But it’ll all work out, you’ll see.”

Solarin smiled softly. “You were right, you know,” she said, looking at her brother. “When I tried to smash my scrying glass and you told me it would all work out. You were right. It did work out.”

Severus smiled and rounded the table, hugging her briefly. “I told you it would.”

“I still miss her.”

“So do I, sweetheart, so do I. But at least we remember her.”

“Who?” Harry asked.

“Lily,” Severus said. “Her death was the last thing Sol ever saw in her own scrying glass.”

“After that, I refused to ever use it again, and I never have,” she said as Mad-Eye entered the room. “Mad-Eye, what happens to a scrying glass?”

“What do you mean?” the grizzled Auror asked.

“Well, I’ve never seen one in the shops. Where do you get them? What happens to them when the augur is finished with them?”

“The glass self combusts,” Mad-Eye said. “Each glass is made specifically for the augur, they can’t be transferred. They take four years to make and self combust the moment the augur dies. Why the sudden interest? You’ve always hated yours.”

“Albert gave me this. He didn’t know what else to do with it,” she said, pulling the glass from her bag. “It looks like a scrying glass to me.”

Mad-Eye took the glass and examined it. The frame had been melted so that all the original decoration was missing, and the glass was cracked in places. Severus disappeared and returned a few minutes later clutching an almost identical glass.

“It’s beautiful,” Harry said as Severus put the glass on the table. “What happened to the other one?”

Mad-Eye took the damaged glass from Solarin and looked it over as Solarin began to explain her own glass to the others around the table.

“The three women carved into the frame are the fates from Greek mythology. In the myth, the fates were three women who shared one eye and could see all, the past, the present and the future. When a mortal reached the end of their life, the fates would pull out the thread of life and cut it with scissors. When I was little, Mad-Eye told me the wizarding angle to the myth. The fates were three augurs who refused to give up their powers when they crossed over, and were cursed to control life and death and time for all eternity,” Solarin said. “The nine runes around the edge are supposed to focus the augurs power, as are the crystals.”

Harry picked it up and looked at it. “There’s no reflection.”

“No, it’s not that kind of mirror, love,” Severus said. “A scrying glass is literally a window into another time, another place. Do you remember when Solarin had the vision about Tobias?”

“Yes.”

“It’s sort of like that. When an augur uses a glass like this, they literally cease to see this moment. All they can see is what the mirror shows them.”

“Oh, I get it.” Harry turned the mirror over and ran his fingers over the back. “It has Sol’s name on it, her married name. Did it change?”

“Yes,” Mad-Eye said. “The mirror is attuned to the augur. It changed when she married Bill.”

“Will Miri get one?” Remus asked.

“Depends on Harry,” Mad-Eye said. “A scrying glass cannot be made without the mother’s permission, or, in this case, the carrier.”

“Why does it need the carrier’s permission?” Sirius asked.

“Because of how a glass is made.” Mad-Eye sighed and placed the glass on the table, looking over at Solarin’s glass and then at her. “You were too young to remember it, but you were involved in the making of that glass. To make a scrying glass, you have to start with the magical essence of the augur. Her blood. It takes six pints of blood from the augur to make one mirror.”

“Taking that much blood would render her unconscious, even dead,” Sam said. “More likely dead.”

“That’s why it’s not taken all at once. The first taking of blood is used to temper the glass. Sand is heated with some of the blood until it is clear. Then, it’s spread out thin. After that, it is heated and cooled, over and over and over again for a year. The glass is unbreakable, it has to be. When the augur uses it, it’s put under enormous pressure. Once the glass is ready, it’s coated with a varnish of the blood and then the silver, to aid the connection to another time. The silver also has blood added to it. That is stage one, and it takes up about two pints of blood all in all.”

“What’s stage two?” Jack asked, fascinated by the whole thing.

“Stage two is the preparation of the crystals. The crystals are boiled in a reduction of the augur’s blood, about two pints of it. There are nine different crystals: amethyst, beryl, carnelian, clear quarts, labradorite, malachite, obsidian, ruby and topaz. They’re chosen because they aid connection, give protection, ease emotional blocks and aid visions. They’re boiled in the reduction until they absorb the magical signature of the augur. End of stage two.”

“And stage three?” Molly questioned.

“Stage three is the preparation of the gold frame. The gold is melted down and mixed with another two pints of blood and then boiled until all the blood has been worked in. Then the gold is poured into a mould, the frame cooled and the crystals and glass set into the allotted spaces. The augur’s name is carved into the back of the frame and the remaining off-cuts are incinerated.”

“So, what happened to that one?” Phoenix asked, pointing at the damaged glass.

“I have no clue. I’ve never seen anything like this. I didn’t know something like this could happen,” Mad-Eye said. “Where did Albert get it?”

“He didn’t tell me the specifics. He just said that one of his suppliers didn’t know what to do with it and asked if I knew,” Solarin replied as Bill returned, sliding into a chair and pulling her onto his lap. “Is he asleep?”

“Out cold. How come you’ve never shown me your mirror?” Bill questioned, admiring the shine of her long dark waterfall of hair against the pale skin of his freckled arm.

“Because I don’t use it. I haven’t even thought of it in years.”

“Will you use it again?” Ron asked.

“I don’t know. That’s a decision that will take some time on my part. Where’s Hermione?”

“Asleep. The twins take it out of her. Speaking of which, I should probably go and get some sleep. Night all.”

Slowly, other members of the family drifted out of the room, headed for bed, until only Solarin remained.

She sat at the table staring at her own scrying glass, trying to figure out her next move. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t like where all the clues were leading. She had so many questions. Why did Lucius need Opiate? Who was the Amortentia intended for? What did the damaged mirror mean? Where was this help they were all waiting for?

“Can’t sleep?”

Solarin jumped and shattered the fruit bowl sitting in front of her as a voice spoke from the doorway. She looked up to find Remus smiling apologetically.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “If you’d like privacy or solitude, I can go somewhere else.”

“No, it’s all right. Where’s Sirius?” she questioned as she repaired the bowl with a wave of her hand.

“Asleep. I drugged him with Dreamless Sleep. I see no sense in both of us being awake and restless. Besides, there’s only so many times we can make love before he’s all loved out,” Remus said as he poured himself some tea.

She sniggered and then sighed as he took a seat opposite. “Remus, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Are you…I mean, do you…ummm….shit, this is coming out all wrong.”

“Take a deep breath and start over,” he recommended.

“Are you okay? I mean, about Dorian. We adopted him so soon after your miscarriage and I just wondered if you were okay with it.”

He smiled. “Can’t you sense that from me?”

“Well, yes, I can, but I don’t like to pry,” she said, blushing. “I try to stay out of things that aren’t really my business, things that might be private. Just because I can read a mind, doesn’t mean I should.”

“A wise course, with gifts like yours. And, to answer your question, yes, I am all right about Dorian. I assure you, I harbour no ill feeling about his adoption and neither does Sirius. It’s not like you and Bill moved out and holed yourselves up in some little flat and never let anyone see Dorian. I think I spend as much time with your son as you do, so it is perfectly all right,” Remus assured. “I do have a question of my own.”

“Ask it.”

“Did you know? The baby, the reasons why I wanted it so much. Did you know?”

She stared at the wood of the table, not meeting his eyes. “I didn’t mean to snoop, but you were thinking it so often, and so loudly, I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have poked my nose in. It wasn’t any of my business.”

“It’s all right, I understand. I told him, you know. Sirius. I told him in the end.” He chuckled. “Well, I didn’t have to. He figured it out for himself. I must admit that I did feel so much better when he finally knew the truth.”

They were silent for a while, before Solarin surprised Remus with her next question.

“Is it true that his father beat him when he started dating you?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Anne.”

“Ah. Well, it’s partially true. Canis beat him when he refused to go through with an arranged marriage for me.” Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I was always confused by Canis, to tell the truth. On the one hand, he acted like Sirius was his pride and joy. But then there was the other side of him, the side that practically disowned Sirius, that never made much sense. If your son is your pride and joy, you don’t treat him with such little respect.”

“Is Sirius still confused over what to do?”

“Oh, yes, very much so. He can’t quite decide what he wants to do.”

“Would it help him if he knew Canis went to your wedding?”

Remus stared at her in shock. Canis had gone to their wedding? Granted, the man had paid for it, though he hadn’t known that until afterwards, but Remus couldn’t remember the man being there. He remembered all the friends and family that had come, and quite a few people he hadn’t known at the time that had attended as a mark of respect, but he was certain Sirius’ father had not been there. None of Sirius’ family had been present except Andromeda, Ted and Nymphadora.

“Sol, Canis never came to our wedding,” Remus said steadily, watching as she smiled at him.

“You both wore muggle tuxedoes. There were white roses and lilies everywhere. The invitations were white with golden lettering and the envelopes had sterling rose petals in them. James’ father gave Sirius away. Tonks was your flower girl. Shall I go on? Or do you believe me now?”

“But…I don’t remember him being there.”

“Polyjuice. He appeared as a business associate of Mr Potter. He shook your hands.”

“Mr Wellington,” Remus breathed. He remembered now. He had been so confused by how emotional the man had been. “Why didn’t anyone ever tell us? And how did you know that?”

“Severus was marked a few weeks after you got married. I pissed Bella off…she wanted to play with my hair and I got annoyed and threw her across the room. Canis protected me from her…or was it her he was protecting from me?…Anyway, it was at Malfoy Manor. I sat on Canis’ lap and drew pictures. There was a house elf…what was his name? Dolly…Doory…something like that.”

“Dobby. The house elf was called Dobby,” Remus interjected.

“That’s it! Dobby. He sent Dobby for some ice cream for me. I didn’t have my little rules back then, I went into any mind I wanted. I went into his, I saw your wedding. I drew it. I met his other son, too. Can’t remember his name, but he looked a lot like Sirius.”

“Regulus, his name was Regulus. He died a few years later.” Remus let out a shaky laugh. “Incredible memory you have. That was years before you met any of us.”

She giggled. “Oh! I forgot I did that to you!”

“Did what?” he asked nervously.

“I met you before. Twice, in fact. Once when I was…oh, about two…maybe three…I must have been about three, Severus was going for his seventh year, so I must have been three. I wandered off from my mother, she was busy helping Severus with his trunk. You and Sirius found me wandering around the platform, helped me find my way. That was that first time we ever met, not the day I told you Harry had been found.”

“And the other time?”

“I was in Hogwarts, my second year. I went with Tonks and Bill to her house so she could get a jumper. You were there, having tea with her mother. You asked about Sam.”

“I remember that day, but I don’t remember you.”

“No, you wouldn’t. It’s a natural defence, something augurs do to protect themselves. I was, I am, very good at it. I make people forget that I was there. It’s a form of Obliviate but it’s very specific, very specialised. Miri will probably be able to do it as she gets older. Would you like me to undo it?”

“Go on then,” he said, not for a moment believing her. He had never heard of such a thing, but he was game enough to give anything a try once.

And then there she was, he could remember her, remember the way she had looked and talked and how it had felt to be around her. And he wasn’t surprised to find that it had felt exactly the way it did now: that, somehow, everything would work out, that the answers would come, that everything would fall into place exactly when it was supposed to.

“I remember you now.” He chuckled. “You were a tiny little thing.”

“You thought I was a werewolf at first.”

“Yes, I did.”

She smiled at him. “I should go to bed. Tell Sirius that the answer will come, when it’s ready to.”

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Ron walked into the Hogwarts library to find his wife completely hidden by her stacks of books. He smiled and crept up behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

“One of these days, your head will explode with all that knowledge,” he said, leaning in to kiss her neck.

“No it won’t,” she replied, tilting her head so he had better access. She allowed him to linger there for a moment before she craned her head for a kiss.

“So, what are you looking up now?” he questioned as he slid into a chair beside her.

“Augurs. Those mirrors are fascinating.”

“Ah. Found anything useful?”

“Not really. Well, lots of interesting things, but nothing relevant to the damaged mirror. Not to worry, I’m not done yet.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second. What time are you getting out of here tonight?”

“I don’t know…eightish, nineish…why?”

“No reason, just wondering. I have Quidditch, so I will come and collect you for dinner so you don’t forget.”

“Thanks. Oh, don’t forget the career planning with McGonagall this evening. You’re due to see her at six.”

“I won’t forget. See you in a bit.”

He kissed her cheek and walked away, his mind a turmoil. Before he had gotten married and become a father, Ron had been so sure of his path in life. He had wanted to be an Auror, like Mad-Eye. Like Harry had wanted. But now Ron didn’t know what he wanted, apart from knowing that he didn’t want to go tracking down dark wizards. Having spent some time around Mad-Eye, he just didn’t have the heart for such a profession. And he doubted Harry had the stomach, or the nerves, for it either. After his friends experiences, he doubted Harry wanted to do anything but hole himself up in Grimmauld Place for the next few years, at the very least.

Ron knew what his wife wanted. After meeting Sam Jones and his father, Hermione had decided that being a Healer was what she wanted. The only problem was neither of them felt comfortable dumping the twins on his parents, especially after all they had done so far for the babies.

Ron spent most of his Quidditch practice thinking about his future and the future of his family. Subsequently, it was Ginny who picked up the slack when he missed things.

At six, as promised, he pried Hermione out of the library and sent her on her way to the Great Hall, her arms full of books to read while she ate, and he went to his career planning with his Head of House.

“Ah, Mr Weasley, come in and take a seat,” Professor McGonagall said when he poked his head around her open door. “How are things going?”

“Not bad, all things considered. Me and Hermione are both keeping up with the work, so everything is ticking over nicely on that front.”

“Good to hear. Now, I have had a word with your wife about her possible career as a Healer. I was wondering what your plans are. Do you still hold ambitions to become an Auror?”

Ron felt his ears turning pink. “Actually…no, I don’t. After everything that’s happened, I don’t think it’s what I want anymore.”

“That’s no problem. You are allowed to change your mind, you know. That is part of N.E.W.T. study, to decide on your future, while you still have the chance to change course. Have you given thought to what you would like to do? Is there anything you particularly enjoy and would like to do more of in the future?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “There is one thing,” he admitted. Here it was, the vocalisation of something his brothers would probably niggle him about for the rest of his life. “I love being a father. I was wondering…well, it was just a thought…but, seeing as Hermione knows exactly what she wants…and I know how hard she’s going to have to work to get it. And I want her to have everything she wants, I don’t want her to have to miss out on her dream because we got ourselves in a sticky situation. I love my children, and so does she, but the timing could have been better. I was wondering if…if it was possible for me to stay home with the twins.”

“Just to be clear…you would like to be a stay at home parent while your wife was the main breadwinner rather than the more traditional roles of vice versa?” McGonagall questioned with a small, kind smile.

“Exactly. Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of the dad staying home instead of the mum before.”

“It is entirely possible. Unorthodox, but possible. If that is what you want to do, if you’re absolutely sure, then it’s not me you need to be talking to. It is your wife. Keep in mind that, even if you do go down this path now, you can choose a field of work later in life, perhaps when the twins are a little older, or when you find something that sparks your interest.”

Ron smiled. She hadn’t mocked him, or thought him a fool. She had listened, and told him he could change his mind. He thanked her and walked back to the room he shared with his wife, detouring to the kitchen on the way. He knew exactly what he wanted, and how to put a smile on Hermione’s face.

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Severus ducked as a pad of paper came soaring out of the library, followed by a frustrated growl.

“Something wrong?” he asked his annoyed father-in-law.

“No,” Sirius said. “Just my entire relationship with my father hanging on one letter that I can’t write is all. Just a little thing, not important.”

Severus smirked and took a seat, waiting for the Animagus to vent. It was surprising just how similar he and Harry were at times, like now. Both the Gryffindor’s liked to wade through the thick of their problems rather than talk it through, until they found themselves neck deep in them and had no other choice but to share.

“How the hell did you decide to deal with your father? I mean, he was right there, in front of you when you made that decision. Mine is Merlin knows where. All I have to do is put quill to parchment and I can’t even do that. How did you know what to say, how to act, what to do?”

Severus burst out laughing and it was several minutes before he could stop. “I didn’t decide to deal with him, my sister decided for me. I had no choice in the matter,” Severus said honestly. “But, in the end, I was rather glad she did make that decision. I was grateful for the choice she made. If nothing else, I had to see him through an adult’s eyes, for the sake of my marriage and my abilities as a father. It wasn’t just me I had to consider, nor was it just herself that Solarin had to consider. She had to take Bill into account, and I had to factor in Harry and Miri. Had I not dealt with him, I doubt I would be as calm as I am now.”

“So…what should I do?”

Severus smiled. Harry did that too; asking for someone to tell him exactly what to do so he didn’t have to make a difficult decision.

“I cannot tell you that,” Severus said calmly. “Only you can answer that question. When making that decision, I suggest looking to your own family. Remus, Harry, Phoenix, and all the rest of us. Decide what is important to you and if you really need the answers you’re looking for. If not, what is the reason for contacting him? If you do, the worst he can do with your letter is throw it in the bin. Either way, you will have an answer, whether it comes from you or him.”

And with that, Severus left him to his questions.

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“Okay…what did you do?” Hermione asked as she walked into the bedroom.

The room was awash with the glow of dozens of candles, casting flickering shapes on the rose petal covered bed, the champagne, the flowers, the chocolates.

“Damn it, I thought I had longer before you came back,” Ron said as he emerged from their bathroom.

“What is all this for?” she questioned, putting her books on the floor, the only safe place.

Ron walked to her and took her in his arms, leaning in to give her a sweet kiss. “I ran you a bath. I put in bubbles and those fizzy things you like.”

“Bath salts,” she said, a little dazed by it all.

Ron smiled. “That’s the one. Bath salts.” He paused, obviously selecting his words carefully. “I know I don’t show you as often as I should, and I definitely don’t tell you as much as you deserve, but do I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. And that’s why I did this…because tonight is a special night. I got you a gift.”

“All this is for a gift?”

“No, all this is to show you how much I care about you. The gift is the cherry on top.” He leaned in and kissed her once more, noting the ink spot by her right ear, the unruly mass of curls that was her hair after she had run her fingers through it a few thousand times, the crumpled mess formerly known as her skirt, and fell in love all over again. “I figured that, seeing as you gave me our two beautiful children, you deserved something extra special. So, that’s why I’m going to stay home.”

“Excuse me?”

“While you train to be a Healer…and all the stuff that comes after it. I’m going to stay home with the twins so you can follow this dream you have.”

Hermione couldn’t help it, she started crying. It was so unexpected, so out of the blue that he had taken her completely off guard.

“Hey…what did I do? Did I do something wrong?” he asked, wiping away her tears.

“No, nothing wrong. But…oh, Ron. How can you give up your dreams for mine?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You want to be an Auror.”

“No, I don’t. Not anymore. Not after all that’s happened. I had a good long think about what it is that I really want to do, what I really love doing. And what I love is being a father and a husband. So, that’s what I’m going to do. And what you want is to be a Healer, so…now you can.”

Hermione smiled and proceeded to strip him, dragging him into the bath with her.

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Harry was startled when Remus handed him a letter over breakfast. It was rare he got any mail, after the rest of the family screened it all that is.

“What is this?” he questioned, scanning it. “What’s Future Week?”

“Let me take a look, love,” Severus said, holding his hand out for the letter. “Ah, I see. Future Week is a week of career planning with Heads of House. Because you and Nixie are home schooled, Minerva and Horace will be coming here to discuss options with you both.”

“What options?”

“Well, what do you plan to do after graduation? Did you have a particular career in mind, or are you undecided?”

Harry went silent. Life beyond Hogwarts, beyond N.E.W.T.’s, beyond Gryffindor. “I did want to be an Auror…but…”

“If you have changed your mind, pup, it would be all right,” Remus reassured.

“You’re allowed to make a different choice now,” Sirius agreed. “When you first thought of being an Auror, you didn’t have Miri, you weren’t married. You didn’t have the responsibilities and concerns you have now. Things change, people change.”

“I don’t want to be an Auror anymore,” Harry said quietly. “I can’t even stand the thought of it anymore. Tracking down wizards like Lucius? No thank you. I’d rather boil my eyeballs while they’re still attached.” They all chuckled at him. “But I’ve never given any thought to anything else. I don’t know what I want to do.”

No one was quite sure what to say to that. It was moments like these that really brought it all crashing down on them once more, just how damaged Harry still was.

“Why can’t Uncle Hawy stay home?” Dorian asked.

“What do you mean, baby?” Solarin questioned.

“Uncle Chawlie stays home, and Uncle Sevwus. And Uncle Wemus and Uncle Siwius. Why can’t he stay home like they do?”

“What would I write about?” Harry scoffed. “How to get into trouble at school?”

“Who says you have to write about anything?” Bill said. “You could be a stay at home parent.”

“What?”

“What Bill means is you could just take care of Miri until you decided what it is you do want,” Severus said. “Take a few years to relax, to find yourself again. There is no hard and fast rule that says you must work. Theoretically, the Potter fortune is large enough for you to be a man of leisure for the rest of your life, if you so choose.”

It was an interesting thought. Harry could envision it, spending all day every day for the next few years at home with Miri. No press to worry about, no career to deal with. Nothing but his family. Harry couldn’t in all honesty say he wasn’t incredibly enticed by the idea.

“Could I? Could I just stay home?”

“If you wanted to, pup,” Sirius reassured. “It’s your future, your decision. And no one says you must decide the rest of your life now. You can change your mind down the line.”

Breakfast continued on quietly for the most part. Dorian was finally beginning to lose his fear of the family never coming back, and only put up a token protest when various members headed off to work. As Severus and Harry moved to the sink to do the washing up (Molly had conveniently remembered that it was their turn) Severus noticed his lover was unusually quiet.

“Something on your mind, love?” the older wizard questioned as he rolled up his sleeves and plunged his hands into the hot water.

“Hmmm?”

“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Severus pressed as he handed him the first plate.

“I was just thinking,” Harry said as he picked up the tea towel and began to dry.

“Care to share?”

“I was just wondering…well, it’s not important really…but…”

“You’re babbling, Harry.”

“Do you like living here?”

Severus wasn’t quite sure where the question had come from; from his point of view, it had no obvious trigger. “I hadn’t really given it much thought, to be honest, but I suppose I do…sort of.” He paused, trying to select words that wouldn’t upset Harry. “Just out of curiosity…why do you ask?”

Harry chewed on his lower lip. “When he’s caught…I thought you might want to move, get our own place.”

Severus’ jaw dropped. He spluttered a few times. “Are you saying you don’t want to live here anymore?”

“No. Not saying that.”

Severus dried off his hands and pulled his husband to look him in the eye. “Harry, you have to explain, I’m confused. I don’t understand.”

Harry took his hand and they sat at the vacant table. “I just thought that’s what people did. Get married, have children, get their own place. I was wondering if that’s something you wanted.”

“Is it what you want?”

“You didn’t answer me.”

Severus sniggered. “All right, I see where this is leading now. You think I will bend my own will to suit you.” Harry blushed and Severus took it as agreement. “Harry, this is a marriage, not a dictatorship. If you want to move out, or if you want to stay here, you can say so. If we stay or go that will be a decision we both come to, together. Now, I will admit that this house has gotten rather crowded as of late, but strangely I don’t mind it as much as you might think I do. I’ve found that it’s rather nice to be surrounded by so many people. I’m not against moving, if you really want to, but I’m not adverse to staying either.”

“I don’t want to leave. Even after they catch him, I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”

“Then we stay.”

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Sirius sat down with a sigh. He had been pacing around the library for the last hour after screwing up countless pieces of parchment in his frustration.

He pulled a fresh piece of parchment and loaded his quill.

I wasn’t sure how to begin this letter. Father felt too friendly after all the time that has passed since we have spoken, and Canis felt off. Mr Black felt too formal, you are my father after all. So in the end I decided to dispense with a greeting and just begin writing, and hope that I manage to write the right thing.

            I’ve never been very good with words, always finding it easier to show someone how I feel or what I want or need than to tell them. But you can’t really do that in a letter. I suppose it explains why it has taken me so long to put quill to paper. It is, at least, part of the reason.

            The majority of my reasoning for waiting so long to contact you was that I wasn’t sure you would want to hear from me. It has been a long time and we didn’t part on the best of terms.

            I extend the olive branch. I would like to hear from you, but if that is not something you feel you can do, or it is something you do not want to do, please do not feel that you must. I just wondered if maybe you were waiting to hear from me.

            If you do wish to have contact, please contact Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts. He will know how to get in touch with me.

Yours faithfully

Sirius Orion Lupin-Black.

Sirius sealed his letter and sent it off with Hedwig before he could change his mind.

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Harry awoke in the middle of the night to feel urgent hands sweeping over his skin. They pulled at his thighs and gripped at his wrists, urgent lips pressing against his shoulders and skimming down his chest, teeth scraping across his shoulder. He briefly noticed he was nude and his heart started to race. This was new and he didn’t like it. It was exactly the same as…

“Please…stop…please…please don’t…Lucius…no…please,” he begged and the hands stilled.

“Harry? Love, why are you naked?” Severus asked sleepily.

Harry rolled over and flicked on the bedside lamp. Severus blinked sleepily at him.

“Harry, what’s going on?” Severus questioned.

“I woke up and I was naked and you were touching me. I mean…you were touching me…but not in the good kind of way you do…in the bad way he used to.” Harry couldn’t get his heart to stop racing and he couldn’t take a full breath.

“I was doing what?” Severus asked incredulously, holding Harry’s hand. “Harry, I was sleeping and then you were pleading and I woke up.” He stared at his young husband in confusion. “I…I am so sorry, love. I don’t remember doing that, I wasn’t even dreaming of you. I’m so sorry. Come on, love, lets get you dressed and then we’ll get Moody.”

“Why him?”

“Because I would never hurt you, I would never do anything to upset you. And I have never even thought of touching you in that way.”

“Oh.”

Harry pulled on his pyjamas in silence, averting his gaze from his husband. He couldn’t look at him, he just couldn’t. They had never needed to talk about their personal business with anyone. Harry couldn’t work out what was wrong. So Severus had touched him in his sleep, it wasn’t like he had hurt him. It wasn’t like Severus had done anything that bad. Not really.

“Severus?”

“Yes, love?”

“Are you mad at me?”

Severus froze in his reaching for the door. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know…I just figured you might be…he used to get mad at me.”

“When did he get mad at you?”

“When I asked him not to,” Harry whispered and suddenly he found himself in Severus’ arms.

“Oh, love. I’m not mad at you. Why on earth did you think I would be mad at you for telling me to stop? Have I ever gotten angry at you for telling me how you feel?”

“No…but you seemed mad, so I…I…”

“Harry, I was angry at myself for upsetting you.”

“Oh. So…you’re not mad at me?”

“No, not at all.” Severus tilted his head back and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. “I could never be angry at you for telling me how you feel. Believe me, love, I’m not angry at you, not even a little bit.”

They made their way down the stairs, pausing to knock on Mad-Eye’s bedroom door, and then the three made their way down to the kitchen. Moody then proceeded to run several diagnostic spells on both Harry and Severus.

“Odd,” Moody murmured to himself.

“What’s odd?” Harry asked timidly.

“With your permission, I would like Solarin to join us,” the grizzled Auror.

“I have no problems with that,” Severus said, though his face was bright red. “Harry?”

Harry nodded mutely and perched himself on the kitchen counter, avoiding Severus’ guilty gaze. The silence between them was almost unbearable.

“What the hell is going on?” Solarin questioned sleepily as she breezed into the kitchen, Moody trailing behind her. “Oh, I get it. You figured I could do with a little less sleep, because Dorian and his bad dreams let me lie in every morning.”

Harry couldn’t help it: he laughed. She grinned at him. Harry realised he had never seen her in her pyjamas before. Strangely, he was surprised by them. They were pink, with teddy bear print, and pink bunny slippers.

“Much better. Now, what’s going on?” she asked as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I attacked Harry in my sleep,” Severus whispered and she choked on the large gulp she had just taken.

“You didn’t attack me. It was nothing,” Harry mumbled.

“Okay…that’s a new one,” Solarin said. “Why was I woken?”

“Because I’m not quite sure what happened,” Moody said.

Solarin leaned against the counter, nodding and looking thoughtful. She kept muttering to herself, Harry catching words every now and again that didn’t make any sense. She peered at her brother for a few minutes, still muttering, and then at Harry, before her gaze landed on the floor.

“Right. Harry, can I have a little look inside your head, see what happened from your point of view?”

He nodded and she went very still for a few moments. “That’s…different,” she said. “Severus, hold still.”

“What, no asking my permission?” he joked.

“Nope. Hold still, stop squirming.” She went still and then went very pale, which scared Harry. He had never seen that before. “Mad-Eye, wake everyone. Now. Excuse me, I need to throw up.”

She ran from the room and Harry looked at Severus worriedly. “What did we do?”

“I don’t know, love.” Severus peered at his quiet spouse. “Come here, Harry, come and cuddle,” he said, holding his arms open. He smirked. “I promise not to maul you this time.”

Harry giggled and climbed into Severus’ lap, feeling those long strong arms come around him, the way they always did. He suddenly didn’t know what he had made such a fuss about. Severus would never hurt him, it just wasn’t in him. He snuggled into Severus’ chest, feeling gentle kisses being pressed to his hair.

“Are you all right?” Severus whispered.

Harry nodded and curled his fingers in Severus’ dressing gown. “I’m okay, I promise. Just confused.”

“Me too,” Severus agreed. “But Mad-Eye and Sol will figure it all out, I’m sure of it.”

“Do you want to go and check on her?”

Severus chewed his lip. He had wanted to, but Harry had seemed to need him more. But now…Harry was offering, after all. Just a few minutes? It couldn’t hurt, could it?

“Stop dithering.” Both Severus and Harry jumped as Solarin spoke from the doorway. “I’m fine.” Severus gave her a disbelieving look. “Honestly. I just wasn’t ready for what hit me.”

“Oh Merlin,” Charlie said, shuffling into the kitchen, closely followed by the rest of the family. “I just know that this can’t be something good. I mean, it’s the middle of the bloody night.”

“What time is it?” Sam asked.

“Just gone two,” Anne supplied. “So, what’s the big problem?”

Harry felt his face burn with embarrassment. “Do we really need to share this with everyone?” he whispered.

“Apparently it’s important to share it, pup,” Sirius said, a little pink himself. “So, what is so important?”

Solarin looked at him. “What do you know about the Fidelius Charm?”

“It hides us,” he said simply.

“It does more than that,” Remus said. “It stops magic getting through. Without it, Lucius could just perform a summoning charm and zoom Harry to him. Magic doesn’t get through the charm.”

“Close,” Mad-Eye said. “Most magic doesn’t get through, but not all. Solarin’s magic gets through.”

“Is that what this is about, the Fidelius?” Anne asked.

“No, not quite,” Solarin said, and then she sighed. “Severus, maybe Harry should go back to bed.”

“No!” Harry exclaimed. “I was the one who was…Severus, how did you put it?”

“Mauled.”

“That’s it, ‘mauled’ in my sleep, in my own bed, by my own husband. It wasn’t Severus, was it? That’s what you’re getting at.”

“Yes, Harry, that’s what I’m getting at. It wasn’t strictly Severus who was doing those things.”

“Was it Lucius?” Jack asked.

“Not strictly…”

“Would you please stop being vague and get to the bloody point!” Severus snapped.

“It was someone that Lucius is controlling. Someone I can locate, but Lucius is gone.”

“I’m confused,” Phoenix said sleepily from her perch on Charlie’s lap. “You’re saying Severus was…bewitched by someone being controlled by Lord Malfoy and you can find them, but he’s already gone so you can’t find him?”

“Exactly,” Solarin said.

“Right,” Harry said. “So…how do we stop this happening again?”

“It won’t.”

“But how can you be sure?”

“Harry, trust me, it won’t happen again.”

“But how do you know?”

“Harry, for fucks sake!” she yelled, losing her temper. “I know because…because the one who did this is an augur!” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Harry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve that.”

Bill pulled her into a hug but she pushed him away and sank to the floor, curling up. “It’s an augur,” she whispered.

There was silence in the kitchen while they all processed it all.

“I don’t understand,” Anne said. “I thought there was no other augur. I thought the only two in the world both live in this house. How can there be another?”

“I don’t know,” Mad-Eye said. “It shouldn’t be possible.”

Severus picked Harry up and rounded the table, sliding him into the safety of Sirius’ arms. “You all right, love?” he whispered.

“I’m okay. Is she?” Harry questioned just as quietly.

“I don’t know.”

Severus made his way across the kitchen, nodding at a worried looking Bill, laying a hand on his shoulder to offer comfort to the confused younger man. Severus knelt down in front of his sister, stroking her hair away from her face.

“Solarin, sweetheart, please talk to me,” he said. She shook her head and shoved his hand away. He smirked and pulled her into his arms. “You have two choices, young lady. Either you let me do my big brother bit and try to help or I will make your life hell for the next month. You may choose,” he said. She went absolutely still for a moment before she broke down, curling into his arms and letting him hold her while she cried. “Now, now, come on, it’s all right.”

“No, it’s not,” she argued. “I don’t understand, Sevus. My abilities have never been wrong before, never. But this doesn’t make any sense. I don’t understand.”

“None of us do. But Mad-Eye will find this supposed augur, and we will be able to get some answers.”

“But I yelled at Harry.”

Severus couldn’t help it, no matter how hard he tried. He laughed. “Solarin, I mauled him in my sleep tonight. Do you really think he cares about you snapping at him?”

“But I shouldn’t have yelled at him.”

“And you apologised for that. Look at Harry. Does he look upset with you?”

She peered around and her eyes landed on Harry, who was fighting to stay awake in Sirius’ arms. He smiled sleepily at her and waved.

“Sweetheart, what happened when you looked inside my head? And don’t tell me nothing, because I know you’re lying.”

Solarin squirmed and looked around the room. “It’s private,” she whispered.

“Private from your husband?” Bill questioned and she nodded. “Since when have we kept secrets?”

“Since this has nothing at all to do with you,” she said. “It’s between me and Severus.” She saw the hurt look on his face and sighed. [It’s about my mother.]

[Oh. Sorry, baby.]

[It’s okay. Just help me get rid of them all so I can talk to Severus alone.]

Bill cleared his throat. “Guys, maybe we should all be getting back to bed. It’s late and a lot has gone on tonight, we all need some rest,” he said diplomatically.

Most nodded and slowly trickled out of the kitchen, but Harry, Sirius and Remus stayed.

“Harry, will you be all right staying with Remus and Sirius for a bit so I can have a talk with Solarin?” Severus questioned.

“Of course,” Harry said. “I’m fine.”

Severus stood and crossed the room, pulling Harry into his arms to give him a swift, sweet kiss. “I’ll be up soon, love.”

“Okay. I’ll be in Sirius and Remus’ room.”

Harry cast one more look on his husband before he let Sirius and Remus lead him from the room.

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In the end, Harry had slept between his parents as Severus had not emerged with Solarin until lunchtime. It had been a tense few days since the ‘Midnight Mauling’, as Harry called it. Solarin was edgy and irritable, Severus was confused, and Bill was feeling left out. Harry had gone back to his theory: if he needed to know, Severus would have told him.

Ron and Hermione arrived late on Friday night and Harry wasted no time in commandeering his two best friends. The three teens took their children and secluded themselves in Miri’s nursery, where Harry immediately recounted what he knew.

“So…Severus just started pawing you in the middle of the night?” Hermione asked, incredulous.

“I told you, it wasn’t really Severus. It was this woman controlling him,” Harry corrected, helping Miri to stand, which she was highly amused at.

“I know…but still. Harry, he practically…”

“Forget that bit,” Ron cut her off, bouncing Joseph on his knee. “What do we know about this woman?”

“Nothing,” Harry said. “Mad-Eye did find her, but she’s in a coma, which doesn’t help.”

“And you have no idea what Solarin was so worked up over?”

“None. I figure, if I was supposed to know, Severus would have told me.”

“I think we’re ignoring the real issue here. Can you sleep in the same bed as a man that attacked you?” Hermione pressed and Harry sighed.

Harry felt he really should have seen this coming and asked only Ron to join him. Ron saw both sides, Hermione just saw the moral high ground.

“Hermione, he didn’t attack me.”

“Yes, he did! Harry, he practically assaulted you in your own bed! How can you just dismiss it?”

Harry sat back and let it all wash over him, ignoring her while she ranted. Best to let her get it out of her system and then expect a rational, logical response from her. He watched as Miri giggled at the irate young woman, watched Ron blush in embarrassment of his wife going off on one, and let it all fly past him. He honestly didn’t care. He and Severus had spent three hours talking it through, followed by a particularly long claiming which Harry had thoroughly enjoyed.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Harry looked up guiltily as Hermione questioned him. “Huh? Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

Ron sniggered as Hermione looked scandalised. “What?”

“I said, I wasn’t listening. Hermione, you’re my friend, and I understand that you care, I really do. But me and Severus have already talked about this. In fact, the whole family have talked about this. Haven’t you seen the charms around my bed? The one around Severus’ neck? The one around my neck? I’m protected, it won’t happen again, and it wasn’t technically Severus doing it to me. I told you, it was this woman, who Lucius was controlling, that took control of Severus’ body to try and get to me. Now, can we please focus?”

The teen deflated slightly. “Oh. I…ummm…I’m sorry, Harry.”

“It’s okay. You’re showing you care, I get it. Just…can we please try and figure out how I tell McGonagall that I changed my mind?”

“About what?” Ron asked.

“Being an Auror. I don’t want to do it anymore, and she’s coming here tomorrow to talk to me about my future. What do I say?”

“The truth,” the redhead said simply. “That’s what I did. I’m waiting for her to tell my mum, and then watch my brothers crucify me for it.”

“I’m confused,” Harry said. “What are you talking about?”

Ron sighed. He really hated words sometimes. “Well…Hermione wants to be a Healer, and I don’t really know what I want to do anymore. I don’t want to be an Auror, I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore. So…I’m…well…I’m going to stay home with the twins.” He finished in a rush, his ears turning red.

Harry couldn’t have stopped his smile, even if he wanted to. “Really? That’s what I’m going to do.”

“What?” Ron questioned, his head shooting up from his examination of the carpet.

“I don’t want to do anything, so I’m going to stay home. This is brilliant! We can stay home together! Oh. I mean…sorry, I assumed you were going to stay here after…well, after they catch him.”

“We don’t really have any plans to move out anytime soon,” Hermione said, retrieving Miri’s stuffed snitch for her. “That is, if you don’t mind putting up with us.”

“Of course not. I’d love you to stay.”

“So, me and Harry will stay home and play with the babies all day while Hermione spends the next Merlin knows how many years with her head stuck in even more books. Sounds good to me,” Ron said.

“Indeed,” said Remus from the doorway. “I’ve been sent to tell you that dinner is ready and that the three of you need your ears checked. Mum’s been calling you all for the last fifteen minutes.”

“Oops,” Harry said. “Sorry, Remus.”

Remus chuckled. “Just get your backsides downstairs before she bursts a blood vessel.”

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Saturday morning brought the Hogwarts teachers through the floo and Harry sniggered as Ron bolted from the room.

“Did I miss something?” Severus whispered in his ear, nipping at the lobe.

“You’ll see. Just…can you keep Bill from crucifying him?”

“Should I understand that reference?”

Harry leaned in and kissed him. “You will.”

The teachers sat down to enjoy a cup of tea and talk to the parents around the table of the future plans they had heard of. Everyone was highly impressed at Hermione’s plans to become a Healer and barely surprised at Harry and Phoenix deciding to stay at home. And Severus nodded in understanding as Professor McGonagall revealed Ron’s plans.

“He…what?” Molly asked after a shocked silence.

“Mr Weasley has decided to be a stay at home parent rather than pursue a traditional career path,” Minerva repeated.

The room lapsed into silence once more.

“Well,” Arthur said. “Well.”

“That’s…” Molly said.

“I don’t see the problem,” Fred said.

“What?” Percy argued. “He’s giving up his future!”

“Oh, shut your hole, Percy,” George retaliated. “Ron is making his own decisions. He doesn’t know what he wants to do yet, so he’s going to take the pressure off mum and dad and Hermione and everyone else until he does decide. You didn’t seem to have a problem with Harry making the same decision. Why is Ron any different?”

“Because he can do more than just change nappies!” Percy ranted. “Harry has real reason to want to stay home, so does Phoenix. Ron doesn’t. He’s bright, he could have any career he wanted.”

“And, when he wants one, he will,” Fred said. “He’s not giving up his future, he’s just putting it on hold for a while. Personally, I think Ron is very brave, doing what he wants instead of what some think he should do.”

“I agree,” said Charlie. “We all got to make our own choices on how to live our lives, why shouldn’t he?”

“Exactly. Ron deserves to choose his own life. Just because he’s the youngest Weasley boy doesn’t mean he doesn’t know his own mind. He is perfectly capable of making his own decisions,” Bill agreed.

“How about you all shut up and let the man himself  speak?” Tonks said, motioning to where Ron was hovering in the doorway.

Ron came forwards as he was spotted, his face bright red.

“How can you do this?” Percy asked pompously.

“Oh, shut up, Percy!” Hermione screeched. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Shut up, all of you!” Ron roared. “Just shut up! I’m staying home with the twins while Hermione trains and sets up her own career. That’s my decision, that’s what’s best for MY wife and MY children and ME. That’s all there is to it and I don’t want another word about it from any of you. I’m seventeen years old, I can make my own choices about my life. So…just…just shut it.”

With that, he stormed from the room and his brothers lapsed into silence.

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“Feel up for a talk with your old man?”

Ron looked up from his contemplation of his pillow to see his father standing in the doorway. “You come to pass judgement, too?” he asked miserably and Arthur smiled.

“Nope. Just thought my son could do with some time alone with his father. I know we don’t get much of it in this family.” Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. “I’m sorry. We should have kept our mouths shut.”

“No, it’s not that,” Ron said. “Somehow, I thought that the worst I had to look forwards to was my brothers using me as the butt of their jokes for a few weeks. That I could have handled. I’m used to being the joke, we’re brothers, we do it all the time, fair game and all that. But having Percy talk about me like that…as if I’m some little kid who needs his blessing. It was so much worse than being the joke. It was mortifying. In front of my wife as well. She’s the one I’m always trying to impress, even though she’s my wife and she has my name and all that. I still want to be the guy she’s proud to be with, the best one for her.”

Arthur sighed. He thought back to try and figure out why Percy had turned out so pompous. He had always been a little tense, a little too sure that he was right, but Arthur had always assumed it would turn into confidence as his son grew. It turned into confidence all right, oh boy did it. He was proud of all his children, and he loved them dearly, but sometimes Percy really tested him as a parent.

“Do you think I’m screwing things up?” Ron whispered.

Arthur almost missed the question. He hadn’t been expecting it. “No, I don’t. I think you’re doing what you feel you need to, what is right for you. Charlie was right. All your brothers got to make their own choices, you should be no different. Just tell me…this is what you truly want, isn’t it? This is what is going to make you happy?”

“Yes.” Ron sighed. “I can’t explain it.” He sniggered. “Maybe I don’t have to. You’re a dad, you must know how I feel. When I see my children smile, I just stop and watch and think ‘I did that. I made this whole little person.’ And it kind of makes my head spin, and makes me feel kind of weak with all the responsibility. But I love it, having these little people depend on me. And waking up next to Hermione every single morning is the best thing in the world. Seeing her so absorbed in her books makes me fall in love with her all over again. I love being a husband and a father. Why is it so important that I do something else when I already know what makes my life complete?”

Arthur smiled. “It’s not important, not really.” He stroked his sons hair away from his eyes. “You know, sometimes I look at the seven of you and I’m amazed that you’re not little anymore. It went by so quickly. I look at Ginny and get the shock of my life to realise that she’s all woman-shaped. And Bill…he’s a father. My wild card curse breaker son is a father. Charlie…well, I didn’t know he could be so sweet. Fred and George, who I thought would amount to some low paid job or end up in jail for a prank gone wrong, have their own business. Percy is the only one who followed in my footsteps and I doubt he’s happy doing it, but it is what he chose. And then I look at you. My little boy is all grown up. I remember the way you used to trail after me, begging me to lift you up so you could see what I could. And then I turned around one day and realised you were the one showing me. I don’t think I really realised just how adult you are until this morning.”

Ron sat up and pulled his father into a hug.

“No matter how old I get, I’ll still need my dad.”

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Severus awoke in the pitch black of his bedroom to the feel of urgent hands sweeping over his warm flesh, leaving a trail of excited nerve endings in their wake. He moaned as a hot wet mouth sealed around a nipple and suckled.

“Harry,” the Potions master moaned, reaching for his young lover. But Harry grabbed his wrists and pinned his hands to the pillow beside his head.

“No,” Harry said, his voice much too loud and harsh in the silence of the room.

Severus tried to fight him, protesting the harsh treatment, not understanding what was happening. He tried to free his hands, writhing on the bed as Harry pinned him to the mattress with his whole body, his clear erection pushing into Severus’ stomach. But Harry just pressed harder, Severus’ hands beginning to go numb from the pressure on his wrists.

“Harry, what the hell are you doing?” Severus hissed.

The younger man growled a sound of pure frustration, apparently at the fact that Severus was fighting him. He leaned down and kissed Severus, hard and full, snaking his tongue into the older wizard’s mouth and robbing him of any ability to fight. Severus went limp and pliant beneath him as he poured everything into the kiss, telling his husband everything he wanted to know without actually saying a word.

And, all at once, Severus understood: Harry had had another nightmare, and he needed this. Harry needed control over his body, over Severus.

“All right, love, I understand. You need to be in control, I get it. Just tell me what you need,” Severus murmured when Harry pulled back for air.

Harry went unnaturally still for a moment before he surged forwards and kissed Severus hard again, nipping at his lower lip, drawing blood. Severus hissed in surprise. This was not what he had come to know or expect from his lover. This Harry was hard and demanding.

This Harry had sharp edges.

Severus laid perfectly still while Harry divested him of his pyjama bottoms.

“Don’t talk,” Harry murmured. “And don’t touch me. I want this, I want you, and I want it my way. Now, any problems with that?”

Severus opened his mouth to answer and then remembered Harry’s first rule. No talking. So he closed his mouth and shook his head, making Harry kiss him again, more gently this time. Severus reached up and curled his fingers around the bars on the metal headboard, trying to remember to breathe as Harry renewed his oral exploration of his body. That hot moist mouth travelled first to his neck, raising love bites Severus didn’t even want to hide come morning. Then, down to his nipples, teasing them to stiff pebbles, sharp teeth nipping at the hardened nubs. Those soft lips trailed down his abdomen, a hot wet tongue dipping into his navel and teeth scraping along the skin of his taught stomach muscles.

Harry licked the smooth skin, dipping down to bite at the protruding hip bones. His hands reached up to tug at his husbands nipples, pulling hard enough to make Severus gasp and arch his back up, his chest following the delicate hands as they moved off, slipping downwards.

To Severus, it seemed as if Harry’s hands were everywhere at once. They slid over his stomach, slipped down to stroke his thigh, reached under him to squeeze his buttocks. He bit his lip to keep from moaning, but he knew that if Harry kept on like this, kept teasing him so unmercifully, controlling him so commandingly, he would have no choice but to make noise, and lots of it.

Harry paused with his hand wrapped around Severus’ member. “You know, when I said no talking?” Severus nodded, not trusting himself to open his eyes or unclench his jaw or thighs. “Well, I didn’t mean you couldn’t make any noise at all. I know you’re trying to stay silent. And you don’t have to. You can moan if you want to.”

“Oh, thank God,” Severus moaned, but it sounded a lot more like a sigh of relief.

Harry leant down and kissed Severus’ lower stomach, just above his pubic mound. For a moment, Severus felt for sure Harry was going to suck him, but that didn’t fit in with the game they were playing. This was about Harry’s control, Harry’s pleasure, and receiving a blowjob wasn’t in the script. Sure enough, Harry slid up his body, invading his mouth with his tongue, straddling his hips.

Severus threw back his head and gasped as Harry wrapped his hand around his shaft once more, this time his hand slick with lubricant. He panted as Harry stroked him, coating him from root to tip. And then the hand was gone and Severus managed to bring his body under enough control to open his eyes.

And there it was, the most beautiful debauched sight in all the world, magical or otherwise: Harry was lust incarnate, his lips swollen and bloodstained; his emerald eyes glazed over with desire and need; one hand tugging at his nipples while the other was dipped between his legs, his own slick fingers pumping into that tight heat. His hips moved in time to the movement of his fingers, his breath coming in short sharp gasps, as the hand on his nipples shot out to land on Severus’ chest. It slid up to curl around the back of his neck, pulling him up to ravish his mouth with a kiss filled with heat and need and tongue.

Severus tangled his fingers in the sheets, trying desperately not to reach up and touch his young lover while still trying to remember to breathe through his nose.

He was so caught up in the incredible feelings Harry was forcing from his body that he didn’t notice Harry moving until he sank down onto him. Severus actually screamed at the sudden tight heat around his aching member. He fell back onto the mattress, his hands reaching up to grip the headboard once more as Harry fell still on him, resting in the cradle of Severus’ hips.

All too soon for the Potion Master’s sanity, Harry began to move, hard determined thrusts down onto him, his hands reaching out to tangle in Severus’ hair. The Slytherin couldn’t feel anything but the incredible pleasure Harry was forcing from him. Faster and harder Harry moved, sweeping Severus up in the hurricane of his need. Higher and hotter, wilder and more frantic, until Severus couldn’t have told anyone his own name. Harry kept kissing him, kept gripping at his hair, and his knuckles were white from the pressure of his grip on the ornate metal bars of the headboard.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of delicious torture at the hands of his little Gryffindor, Severus felt the heat in his body condense down into the pit of his belly, his balls drawing up, and he noticed the frantic movements of Harry on him. He managed to open his eyes just a little, just enough for him to see the tears running down Harry’s face. His slim slender fingers were buried in his own hair, his swollen lips parted to emit breathless gasps of pleasure, his lust clouded eyes staring down at Severus with an intensity that robbed him of breath.

Severus managed to release one of his hands and tentatively stroked a finger down Harry’s weeping erection, trying to both obey the rules Harry had laid out and help him finish. The sprite’s hand shot down and wrapped Severus’ hand around himself, reaching up to tug at his other hand and shoving it between his thighs. Severus did as he was silently ordered, stroking the hard shaft, massaging the little nub, until Harry pulled him up, crashing their mouths together.

Their world exploded in a fiery blast of heat and need and relief. They screamed into the kiss, each thrust of Harry’s hips down onto his husband forcing ejaculate to spill from Severus into his young lover’s body.

Severus collapsed onto his back, his lover falling onto his chest, the two of them sweat soaked and gasping. When he could manage it, Severus tentatively cleared his throat.

“Are you all right, love?” he whispered.

“Yes,” Harry gasped. “Severus?”

“Hmmm?”

“Hold me?”

Severus kissed the dark, messy hair and wrapped his arms around the slim body, reaching up to tenderly sweep Harry’s fringe away from his eyes.

Hours later, when the sweat had dried and the sky was beginning to lighten, Harry finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Severus, who had been dozing while waiting for Harry to be ready to talk to him, startled awake and kissed his lover’s hair. “What on earth for?”

“Jumping you…making you do it all my way…using your body to make myself feel better,” Harry said and Severus was shocked to feel hot tears branding the skin of his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

Severus rolled them so they were on their sides, reaching up to cup Harry’s neck and pull him in for a kiss, slipping his tongue inside and pulling the sprite into a hug.

“Hush, love,” Severus soothed when he pulled back, kissing the tears dripping down Harry’s face. “Don’t cry, come on, don’t cry.”

“But…I-I shouldn’t have used you like that. It wasn’t fair. I was so harsh and it isn’t supposed to be like that when we claim each other.”

Severus sat up and conjured a glass of water, taking a sip to soothe his dry throat before handing it to Harry, who obediently sat up and began to sip it.

“Harry…do you feel that you, in some way, abused me? That you behaved badly towards me?”

“Yes,” the young wizard whispered.

Severus couldn’t help his smile. “Harry, love, please calm down. You didn’t, I swear it. You didn’t hurt me, you didn’t force me.” He smiled at his husband. “Do you think I didn’t enjoy it? Because I did. I enjoyed it immensely. Do you think I felt used by your rough love? I didn’t. Harry, I love you. And I enjoyed the, I admit, unorthodox wake up call.” Severus squirmed, debating his options, before making up his mind. “Harry, I’m not running out on you but I desperately need to relieve my bladder. I will be right back.”

Severus kissed Harry’s unresponsive lips before he sped from the room, hurrying naked along the hallway to the bathroom. He relieved himself and washed his hands, catching sight on himself in the mirror.

His throat and chest were littered by love bites, blood stained his lips where Harry had bitten through the skin. His chest and stomach were covered in scratch marks. Not to mention the bruises covering almost every inch of him. “When the hell did that happen?” Severus questioned out loud upon spotting the bleeding bite around his right nipple.

“I did it,” Harry said from the doorway.

Severus chuckled. “I didn’t even notice.”

“Really? How?”

Severus dissolved into full blown belly laughs, clutching the sink to keep himself upright. “Harry, do you not remember the morning in the shower, where you bit my shoulder and I told you I liked it rough?”

Harry turned bright red. “I do now.”

Severus reached out a long arm and caught hold of the sprite, wrapping him in a hug and drawing him into a kiss.

“Feel better now, now you’ve remembered that I like it rough?”

“A bit,” Harry admitted.

“Do you want to tell me what your bad dream was about or should I just guess based on our nocturnal activities?”

“It was a memory…of him.”

“I guessed as much,” Severus said softly, leaning down for another kiss. “Now, I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?”

Harry nodded, sliding his hands down Severus’ bare back to squeeze his firm buttocks, making the older man smile and lean in to kiss his neck.

“We are up very early. So, how do you feel about a nice hot bath together and then breakfast? I’ll even let you pick a bubble bath.”

Harry smiled and ducked down to kiss the bite around his husband’s nipple. “I like that idea.”

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“It’s been a week.”

Remus nodded at his pacing spouse. The willowy Pureblood had been ranting and pacing for over four hours now, about many various things, but it all came back to one sore point: the lack of response to his letter. Sirius didn’t really expect him to answer, Remus knew that much from all the years they had been together. Sirius just wanted to rant and have someone agree with him wholeheartedly for a while.

“A whole week. What am I meant to do…just sit around twiddling my thumbs?” Sirius questioned, flopping down on the bed. He looked at Remus. “I am actually looking for an answer at this point.”

Remus sniggered and crawled over to kiss him. “Sirius, sweetheart, it has been a long time since you last had contact. How long did it take you to actually write the letter?”

“A while.”

“A while…as in?”

“Fine, it took me weeks to write.”

“Despite what you may think, I have my suspicions that Canis can be just as stubborn as you, which makes for a very difficult pairing if you ask me. Give him some time. He’s probably just as scared as you are.”

“Scared? What reason do I have to be scared? I’m not scared,” Sirius argued defensively.

Remus raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh? I thought you were just a little bit scared of contacting him. Silly me. I must have read it wrong.” He climbed back to the head of the bed and picked up his book. “Seeing as I have it so wrong, perhaps you should talk to someone else. Maybe Sol could help you out on this one.”

Sirius watched him open the book and begin reading. He wasn’t going to admit it, he just wasn’t. Oh…but Remus looked so innocent, sitting there, his head in a book. Nope. No. No way. He was not going to say it. Damn it…why did Remus have to nibble his lip while he read? He knew it drove Sirius crazy. But when Remus got into his books, there was nothing else in his head, it had always been the same.

Sirius gave in with a sigh and crawled up the bed, pulling the book away and sliding into Remus’ lap, straddling him. “Fine, you’re right. You’re always right. How do you do that?”

“You wouldn’t like me so much if I wasn’t always right,” Remus said, stroking his fingertips along Sirius’ spine.

“True. I just wish it wasn’t so damn annoying.” He sighed and laid his forehead against his lovers. “What if he doesn’t want to get in touch?” he whispered.

“Then he’s a fool. Like I said last time we dealt with your father…well, any member of your family really. They are all fools if they can’t see how wonderful you are.”

“You know, you might be a little biased when it comes to an opinion about me. Just a thought.”

“I might be biased, but I love you. Doesn’t that even it out?”

“Definitely.” Sirius sighed again. “I’m being really neurotic, aren’t I?”

“No,” Remus said, pulling him in for a kiss. “You’re being the same man I fell in love with all those many years ago, the same man who gave up everything he had for me. So you’re a little anxious, so what? You’re allowed to be. It shows you have a heart, it shows that you’re only human. And I love you, just the way you are.”

Sirius smiled. “I love you too.”

Sirius leaned in and captured his husbands lips in a scorching kiss, taking his good sweet time, tangling his fingers in greying wavy brown hair. Remus moaned and gave into the dominance of his lover, wrapping his arms around his slim waist.

It wasn’t often that Remus let Sirius take control this close to the full moon. The impending orb was only two days away, and he usually became very demanding around this time of the month. But he couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed the dominance, the fierce need in Sirius’ every move.

“This is different,” Remus breathed as they came up for air. Well, Remus came up for air. Sirius, on the other hand, moved his lips to Remus’ throat. Remus gasped and tilted his head, letting Sirius at his throat. Nimble fingers swiftly unbuttoned his shirt, lips following down to seal around a nipple and suck. He arched his back, begging for more without actually being able to say a single thing.

Sirius stripped them both and Remus laid back, spreading his legs so Sirius could settle between them but his lover shook his head.

“That’s not what I want,” Sirius whispered.

Remus froze. “I don’t understand. It felt like that was what you wanted. Don’t you want to make love with me?” he asked, not even trying to mask his sudden insecurities.

Sirius smiled, leaning in to kiss him breathless. “Silly boy,” he chuckled. “It’s too close to the moon for me to top. Did you forget?”

“No, but it felt like you wanted to top.”

Sirius smiled. “I don’t want to top you. I want to be consumed by you, to feel you take control of me. Wasn’t I clear in trying to tell you that?”

Remus felt himself blush.

“Sorry, honey. I should have been clearer.”

Remus smiled and the two of them knew that nothing needed to be said, there just wasn’t any use for words when actions conveyed exactly what they needed and wanted. Remus was just amazed that after all the time they’d been together, Sirius could still surprise him.

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Severus awoke to feel warm arms wrapped around him, slim fingers clinging to his pyjama top, toying with his hair.

“And just how long have you been awake?” Severus questioned gently.

“A little bit,” Harry said, snuggling further into him.

“Nightmare?”

“No. I just woke up early and I didn’t feel like getting up. It was too comfortable. And, besides, this house is cold. I stuck my foot out of the duvet and pulled it straight back in.”

Severus chuckled and let his fingertips skim over the soft skin of his husband, tilted his chin back to press a sweet kiss to his lips.

“Severus?”

“Yes, love?”

“Can I ask you something without making you vomit?”

Severus sniggered. “Depends on the question. Considering I haven’t eaten anything yet, it should be safe.”

He felt Harry squirm in his arms and opened his eyes to marvel at the bright blush staining his cheeks.

“I was just wondering…well…” A frustrated sigh. “I was wondering how Sirius and Remus do it.”

“Do…what?”

Harry looked up at him. “You know…How do they…how does their…when they claim each other.”

“Oh!”

“I know, it’s not something I should really be thinking of in terms of my parents, but I wasn’t actually thinking of them to begin with,” Harry said.

“Who were you thinking of?”

“Me and you. I was wondering how we would do it if I wasn’t half girl, if I didn’t have any girly bits. And then my mind began to wander. Well, Remus and Sirius don’t have any girl bits and they obviously do it. Remus was pregnant not too long ago, and we had to leave the house so they could make things up.”

Harry was babbling and Severus found it sort of sweet. Severus smiled and rolled him to his back, leaning over him to kiss him and shut him up. “I understand you, love. I see what you’re getting at. You want to know how we would do it if you weren’t a hermaphrodite.”

“Yes.” Harry paused. “Severus, how did you do it with…the ones before me?”

Severus fell silent, caught off guard by the question.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Harry said, embarrassed.

“No, no, it’s perfectly all right for you to ask, I have no secrets from you about my past. You just caught me by surprise is all.” He paused for a moment. “Right. Do you know what anal sex is?”

“Not exactly. I know that’s what Seamus and Dean do, but I’m not too sure on what it actually is.”

“Well, anal sex is what most couples where both partners are male do in bed together. Anal sex is…instead of entering you where I usually do, I would enter your back passage. Does that make sense?”

Harry screwed up his face. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

Severus chuckled. “It’s like everything else related to sex. It’s not supposed to hurt, it’s supposed to feel good.” Severus thought back to the last time he had let anyone top him. “It can be a little uncomfortable to begin with, I suppose. We can try it, if you want.”

“I don’t know,” Harry answered after a few moments. “Maybe…sometime.”

“We don’t have to, but a demonstration would be the easiest way to show you.”

Harry smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “You think of everything,” he murmured, making Severus smile and kiss him back. “So, have you finished your shopping?”

Severus stared down at him in confusion. “Shopping for what?”

“Christmas.”

Severus chuckled, running his fingers through the messy raven tresses. Harry needed another trim and Severus made a mental note to ask Molly about it. “Christmas is over a month away.”

Harry giggled. “No, it’s in ten days.”

“What?”

“Today is the fifteenth of December. Christmas is ten days away.”

Severus froze in shock. “Oh, sweet Merlin. I haven’t done any shopping yet. And I’m late with three of my orders.”

“Relax,” Harry said, stroking his lovers hair out of his eyes. “What potions are you late with?”

“Dreamless sleep, boil reducing solution, and a feverfew salve for burns.”

“Okay. Hermione knows how to make all of those. She can work on the potions while you shop. On that note, I do actually need to go too.”

Severus opened his mouth to reply that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Severus called after taking down the silencing charm.

“Not looking, not looking,” Ron said as he entered, holding one hand over his eyes while holding Catherine in his free arm.

“It’s okay, Ron, we’re decent,” Harry said and the redhead peeked through his fingers.

“Sorry,” he said, perching on the edge of the bed. “I went to wake Sam the other morning and he and Tonks were…you know.”

Severus and Harry chuckled.

“So, Sirius says he and Remus are going shopping and wanted to know if anyone wanted to go with them. Me and Sol already said yes, and it looks like Tonks will come too.”

Harry waited for Severus to make his own assessment of the proposed situation, tickling Catherine’s toes and listening to her squeal in amusement while keeping a covert eye on his husband.

“I suppose that would be agreeable,” Severus said eventually.

“So glad you approve.”

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“Papa?”

Remus shoved the half wrapped makeup set under his pillow and turned to face his daughter. “Snooping for you gifts?” he asked.

“No. Why? Is that one mine?” she asked excitedly.

“It might be,” he replied with a smile. “So, if you’re not trying to find what we got you, what are you after?”

She chewed on her bottom lip and picked at her nails. “I kind of wanted to talk but I can’t talk to dad because he’d get the wrong idea.”

“All right. Come on, sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”

She climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged, trying to peek under the pillow. Remus smiled and put Sirius’ pillow on top of his own to stop her. She smiled sheepishly.

“Ten days, that’s all, and then you can have it,” he said. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“I was wondering about sex,” she said bluntly and Remus choked on the sip of tea he had just taken.

“Sex?”

“Not the mechanics of it, I know that one. I don’t need you to tell me where babies come from or anything like that, I know that already.”

“So, what is it you want to know?”

“How do you know when you’re meant to do it? I mean, how did you know it was right with dad? And how did you know you were ready? Did you wait until you go married, or did you do it before that?”

Remus sniggered. “So, you’re wondering about the timing and connection to the person you chose.” She nodded. “You could have gone to Sirius with this.”

“No, I really couldn’t,” she said firmly. “If I went to him with this, he’d automatically think me and Charlie were doing it.”

Remus felt himself pale. He felt for sure he wasn’t ready to have this conversation with his daughter, but he knew Sirius would never be ready.

“Are you and Charlie…”

“No!” she interrupted. “We’re not, I promise.”

“All right,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t usually do the protective dad bit, but I just had to check. Right, back to the conversation. How did I know Sirius was the right one? Well, that’s easy. When I was with Sirius, I was just me. I wasn’t a werewolf, I wasn’t worrying about school or home or the bullies or anything. When I was with Sirius, I was just me, and that felt wonderful.”

“That’s how I feel when I’m with Charlie.”

“Then, I think, Charlie may be the right one for you. But there are other things that you need to remember when deciding to be that intimate with someone.”

“Like what?”

“Trust. You need to be able to trust the person. If you don’t trust them, how could you ever show them that side of you? There is a difference between having sex and making love.”

“What difference?” she asked.

“Well, when you have sex, it’s just about the physical. As Sirius once put it, having sex is about getting your rocks off. But making love? Now, that is something completely different. Making love is about showing the person you love and trust how you feel, about wanting to show the person you care about more than anything the side of yourself you never show anyone. You can’t make love unless you love and trust the person you’re with.”

Remus waited patiently for her to come to her own conclusions, to make up her own mind about what she wanted to ask next.

“If it’s all about love and trust, how come Sol and Bill are always so bruised?”

Remus burst out laughing.

“Well, you have to consider the kinds of people they are. Solarin is a very powerful being and Bill is a curse breaker. To do what they do, to be who they are, requires a certain degree of control in their everyday lives. Could you imagine if Sol let go all the time?”

“There would be a whole lot more broken things around here, and a lot more bruises,” Phoenix said.

“Exactly. When they’re intimate, they trust each other enough to show that side of themselves, to let go and lose control. It’s hard to find someone that you can show that side of yourself to.”

“Is that what it’s like with you and Dad?”

Remus smiled fondly. “Yes, it’s just like that with me and Sirius. He trusts me enough to show me his vulnerable side, to let me see when he’s hurting and scared…and me…well, I trust Sirius enough to show him my fears, something I was so scared to do for so very long.”

“You’re scared of things?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I am. Everyone is scared of things. It just takes a special someone for you to be able to admit those fears aloud. Sirius is that someone for me.”

Phoenix sat there in silence for a while and Remus let her. He had to admit, when he had had the same talk with his own father, it had taken him a while to get it all straight in his head, even though he had Sirius in his life.

“Okay, I’m clear on the connection bit. But how do you know when you’re ready to do it? Should you wait until you get married, or is it okay to do it before then?” she questioned.

“It’s a personal choice. Some wait until they marry, like Ron and Hermione. Others find a different moment to be theirs. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Like Sol and Bill. They waited a very long time to marry, but they didn’t wait that long to be intimate.”

“Did you and dad wait until you got married?”

“No. Me and Sirius first made love when we were sixteen in our dorm room whilst our friends were in Hogsmeade. That was our right moment. Everyone finds theirs in their own time. You and Charlie will know when it’s your moment.”

“But how?”

He considered her question, thinking back to being young and virginal. How had he known it was the right moment with Sirius? How had he known he was ready?

“Do you remember when you found Harry and you knew you had to help him, even if it cost you everything you had?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know you had to help him? How did you know he was worth the sacrifice you had to make?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “I just did, I suppose.”

He smiled. “It’s not so dissimilar. When the moment is right for you, you’ll just know. You’ll get this feeling, and there won’t be any worry in your head about doing it.”

There was another long moment of silent contemplation.

“I have more questions.”

“That is what a parent is for,” Remus said, smiling. “You can ask me anything.”

“I heard…that the first time…well…I heard it hurts,” she said, blushing.

Remus opened his mouth to disagree with her, but stopped himself. He couldn’t disagree. He didn’t know. He only knew what it was like for him, he didn’t know what it felt like for a woman.

“I think, perhaps, this is the part where you need a woman,” he said. “I can’t tell you if it hurts from a woman’s point of view.”

“Oh. Maybe I’ll just ask one of the girls in the house then.”

“Probably a wise idea. Now, is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“No, but I was wondering about Christmas.”

Remus laughed and stroked her hair. “No, you cannot have what is under the pillows until Christmas day,” Remus said.

The makeup kit had been Solarin’s idea. Sirius had definitely not wanted to get his daughter makeup, until Solarin had threatened to kill him if he didn’t. The werewolf and his lover were fast learning how territorial over her things the augur was. She was certainly sick of Phoenix stealing her makeup.

“I wasn’t going to ask that, but, now that you mention it, can I at least have a clue?” she asked.

“Hmmm…you’ll like it and Sirius pitched a fit when I picked it up in the shop.”

“That doesn’t help me!”

“You didn’t say the clue had to help you figure it out.”

“You’re sneaky.”

“I’m a father, of course I am. So, what was it you actually wanted to know?”

She crawled over the bed and settled herself in his lap, snuggling into the hug he gave her. “Christmas was never really fun when I was Draco. It was always some big production. We had a huge party every year, all his friends. And, sure, it was kinda fun. But it wasn’t all that. I just wondered what Christmas was going to be like this year.”

“Chaotic, I should imagine. There will be lots of people, I can promise you that. But I doubt it will be very ordered. Lots of food, alcohol, if Sirius gets his way, and presents, if the shopping everyone is doing is anything to go by.” He kissed the top of her head. “Does that sound better than what you’re used to?”

“Loads.”

“Good.”

Remus smiled and gently pulled her hand away from the pillow she had not-so-subtly been sneaking towards.

She grinned sheepishly and snuggled further into him. At that moment, Remus knew that, no matter what anyone got him for Christmas this year, nothing could be better than his children.

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Harry arched his neck to let Severus get better access to his throat and moaned. He knew from the gentle caress of his husbands lips that it was Severus, not someone controlling him. But that didn’t answer the question of why Severus was kissing his neck in the middle of the night.

“Something wrong?” Harry whispered.

“No, nothing wrong, love. There is something I want to show you, but you need to get dressed and wrap up warm for me to do that,” Severus murmured in his ear.

Harry blinked sleepily at the clock. “It’s three in the morning. Are you sure you have to show me right now?”

Severus seemed to contemplate that for a moment. “Yes, it has to be now. You’ll like it, I promise. Think of it as an early Christmas present.”

Harry grinned and kissed him as he eased himself out of the warm bedding. Severus wouldn’t have woken him without a good reason, not in the middle of the night. And Severus obviously wanted it to be a surprise, so Harry dressed in silence and kept his questions to himself. Once he was dressed, Severus bundled him up in a thick coat, a hat, gloves and a scarf and then pulled Harry into his arms.

“To get there, we need to Apparate. I know you don’t like doing it, but it is only this once. I didn’t have time to lay on a Portkey,” the elder man said quietly. “Is that all right, love?”

“Just this once?”

“Just this one time, I promise.”

“Okay,” Harry said, burying his face in Severus’ chest. He held on tight and shut his eyes against the pressure of being transported by his husband. And then he raised his head and looked around.

“Where are we?” Harry asked.

“Spinners Meadow,” Severus said. “Me and Sol used to come here when we were younger. It’s nice in the summer, but it’s about now that it really shines.”

“Why?” Harry questioned. It was a nice spot. A wide open area of grass surrounded by a wilderness of trees, shielding them from the outside world. But there wasn’t really anything special about it.

“Just wait, you’ll see. Give it a few minutes and it will all become clear,” he said with a small smile.

Harry slipped from Severus’ hold and walked a little way from him. “Aren’t you worried about Lucius and his flunkies turning up?”

Severus laughed. “At three in the morning in the freezing cold? Not likely. Lucius might be insane but he does like his creature comforts. Cold was never his thing. Ah, here it comes.”

Harry didn’t get a chance to ask what Severus was taking about as the heavens opened and a flood of snowflakes tumbled to the ground. Within minutes the entire space was covered in white and it seemed to glow in the dim light of the faint moon shining through the clouds. The trees were sprinkled with glittering flakes of snow, ice freezing over the surface and making them shine even more.

Severus stood and watched Harry turn in slow circles, a look of utter wonder etched on his delicate features. Snow clung to his thick eyelashes and settled in his hair, catching in his scarf. Severus couldn’t tear his eyes away. Harry was absolutely breathtaking in this sudden winter wonderland.

“Like it?” the older man murmured.

“I love it,” Harry replied, just as quietly. “It’s beautiful. But how did you know it was about to snow?”

Severus smiled and pulled out a blanket and spread it on the ground, casting a charm to keep it dry and warm. “It’s a slight change in the air, very small. A drop of just a few degrees, and there’s this smell, kind of cool and clean,” he said as he sat down.

“I didn’t know you could smell snow,” the petite being said as he settled in the comfort of Severus’ embrace. “Can anyone do it, or just you?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never asked. By sunrise, the garden at home will be covered in snow. We could take Miri out in it, build a snowman for her. And I’m sure Dorian will like it, and Nixie. What do you think, love?” he whispered in his ear, nipping the lobe, his lips slipping down to kiss his neck.

“Sounds good,” Harry murmured, snuggling into his lovers embrace. “I’ve always wanted to build a snowman.”

“Have you never built one?” Severus asked, slightly shocked.

“No. I never saw snow until I got to Hogwarts, and then I felt too old to build one. I was meant to be this saviour, so I felt too grown up to build a snowman.”

“Ah. Well, in that case, I feel you must build one. It is an experience that is needed in every young mans life.”

Harry giggled and turned his head for a kiss. “Severus, can I ask you something?”

“Anything. Has something been playing on your mind?”

“Well, I was wondering how you became a spy for the Order. I mean, I know you became a Death Eater to keep Sol safe, and I understand that completely. But I don’t really understand how you became a spy too.”

Severus considered the best way to explain it. “Well, as you can imagine, I didn’t tell Albus about joining the Death Eaters. I didn’t want to risk it, that he might talk me out of it. That night, when I got home with Solarin, the Dark Mark fresh on both of us, Albus turned up unexpectedly.”

Severus wearily made his way to the door, leaving Solarin curled up on the sofa cradling her sore arm. Potions had done nothing to ease her pain and now she just sat there, staring out at the room in silence. He suspected she was just ignoring him on purpose now.

“Albus! What…I mean, why…it’s unexpected to see you so late,” Severus spluttered.

“I felt the need for a visit. You left dinner so suddenly. I worried that perhaps something had happened with young Solarin,” Albus said. “May I come in?”

Severus grimaced. “Now really is not the best time.”

“I really must insist.”

Severus knew that he would never beat Albus in a battle. There was no point in trying to keep him out if he really wanted to come in. So he sighed, hanging his head as he stepped back. He held his breath as Albus caught sight of Solarin’s arm, of the bandage on his own.

“Sweet Merlin,” Albus gasped. “Severus…what have you done?”

“It didn’t take a miracle for Albus to work out what I’d done…and why,” Severus said sadly.

“So…what happened? He must have been angry,” Harry questioned.

“I think saddened is closer to the truth. But, yes, he wasn’t very impressed.” He smiled sadly. “Of course, Albus managed to turn it around. I always have been grateful to him for that. Don’t misunderstand me, love, spying wasn’t always easy. But it was better than any other option I had.”

“I get that. You did what you had to do.”

“Yes, I did. And I still do. You do what you have to, to protect the ones you love.”

Harry sat in silence for a long while, thinking about his life with Severus, about what they had both gone through to get to this point.

“Severus?”

“Mmm?”

“I love you. I really, really love you.”

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