When The Bow Breaks

Disclaimer for Journal: Stories on this sight are based on characters and situations created andowned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc.
No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended. Thanks to my Beats Stella Hargove and misssolitude.


Harry Potter waited patiently for the sobbing to subside as wet tears leaked down his neck.

“You hate me.” There was a loud sniff, and then Severus noisily blew his nose again on an over used rag.

“You think I’m fat, and you think this is my fault, and you hate me.”

“I do not think that this is your fault Severus,” Harry said, his patience straining under the considerable girth of Severus’ stomach pressing into his.

Severus’ head whipped up so fast it almost thwacked Harry on the chin, wet, glittering eyes gleamed at him hopelessly. “So you t-t-think I’m fat?” Harry closed his eyes as anger flashed through his chest. How much more of this could he be expected to endure. Two more weeks… days?

Squelching the urge to push the estrogen riddled man off him and demand for him to get a grip. Harry opened his eyes and rubbed his thumb over Severus’s quivering bottom lip.

“I,” Harry said, pulling Severus closer. “Do not think you’re fat,” He lied, hooking his legs around the table’s leg to keep himself from toppling over as more of Severus’ weight settled against him.

“I most certainly do not hate you,” Harry said, lifting Severus chin gently.

“You don’t?”

“No, Severus.”

Harry leaned in, kissing Severus lightly, continuing to say all the things he hoped would stop the water show.

Harry rested his hand on Severus’s stomach and felt an appreciative thump against his palm.
An inexplicable happiness swelled in his chest and forced a smile to his face and another lie from his mouth.

“I don’t blame you for this; though, I’m not sorry it happened.” Okay, so the second part wasn’t a lie, but the first part about it not being Severus’s fault was complete bullshite. It was totally his fault.

The whole… fiasco had started approximately twelve months ago on St. Patrick’s Day. Harry was supposed to meet Hermione, Ron and the twins for a night of beer drinking fun. He hadn’t wanted to bring Severus with him. Severus had insisted he didn’t want to go out with Harry and his ‘nitwit Gryffindor friends’, but they had ended up fighting anyway.

“I don’t get it,” Harry said, blowing green foam off his beer. “He said, ‘fine go without me’,” Harry said, imitating Severus’ drawl perfectly. It was a combination of sounding deadly and bored all at once.

Hermione laughed so hard beer squirted through her nose, and tears were spilling down Ron cheeks. Even Harry chuckled with them.

“Then, he threw all my stuff in a suitcase,” Harry finished, his throat tightening because there wasn’t anything funny about that at all.

From there on, the conversation took a very girly turn, as Hermione started to explain Severus’ feelings to Harry. Harry and Ron stared at her blankly while she stated that, although Severus hadn’t wanted to come, he probably felt rejected since Harry hadn’t insisted that he did.

“Oi, Potter, Weasley!” Fred’s voice bellowed from the Wizards’ pool table “You’re up.” Harry and Ron scrambled from the table before Hermione could continue to pontificate the inner workings of Severus feelings, but Harry’s thoughts were swimming more than the balls on the table.

Later that night, too drunk to sleep and too drunk to apparate home, Harry stayed on Hermione and Ron’s couch.

“Well, why don’t you want to bring him around us, Harry?” Hermione asked rather bluntly. Ron was passed out, so Harry reckoned it was okay to indulge in some girly conversation.

“Don’t know… I just… he just-”

“Is it because you think we won’t get along with him?” Harry raised his eyebrow at that foolish question.

“I-” Harry started to say, but apparently Hermione was in lecture mode.

“Or, is it because when you go out alone buff blokes like that one from tonight stuff their numbers in your pocket?” Hermione asked in that bossy, know it all voice that made him want to strangle her sometimes.

“Er… when did you see that?” Hermione rolled her eyes and got up. Harry didn’t laugh at the way she stumbled, but he wanted to.

“Harry, everybody in the Leaky Caldron saw it,” Hermione called over her shoulder as she made her way to bed.

4:30 in the morning, and he was contemplating his feelings like the biggest girl in the world. Not in the way any girl would, but he didn’t know better. He was indulging in a game every man plays before making a serious commitment called “What Makes Me Harder.”

Severus or the blonde surfer from Hawaii…? Severus.

Severus or that night with the twins…? Severus.

Severus or …oh, never mind. The answer was always Severus. Maybe Harry should get himself tested for love potion poisoning like Hermione always insisted he should, but the answer was always Severus. It wasn’t just the sex either. There was sleep too. They both had had their fair share of attempts on their lives, and both jumped at every little sound in the middle of the night. Once Harry saw that Severus slept just as restlessly as he did, he felt safe. Now, Harry slept like the dead when he was at home. Home, the strange tightness choked in his throat again.

Harry knew what he had to do. Throwing the buff blokes number onto Hermione’s coffee table, Harry took Ron’s broom off the wall and headed home.

It was a cold morning with no hint that spring was just a few days away. Harry’s face prickled as it warmed. He figured it must be pretty cold outside if the air in Severus dungeon felt warm. 5:30, Severus would be down any moment now. He often spent Sunday mornings restocking supplies and preparing for Mondays lessons.

Harry’s fingers were numb from flying home so fast without gloves. He sat Ron’s broom down, and he would have caught it to, if the blood in his fingers wasn’t a frozen slush.

“Fuck,” he yelped, startled as the broom knocked into a vial, dispersing glittering blue powder into the air.

Just great, now, not only would he have get Severus to forgive him, but he would also have to explain that he broke one of his precious vials.

“Did I forget to pack something of yours, Mr. Potter?” a frigid voice said from behind him, and the thought of confessing froze on Harry’s lips. The glittery powder was melting into the air like snowflakes on warm skin. And, if Harry could just keep his back to him another moment, Severus would never know anything had spilled.

“Reparo,” Harry whispered the spell in his head, and the vial healed itself minus its contents.

“Or perhaps you’re here to steal some ingredients for your friends as you were so fond of doing when you attended school here.” Harry turned to Severus and wished he had more protective layers of clothing to shield himself from the arctic glare Severus was giving him.

“Severus.” Harry walked over to him and fastened his arms around his waist pressing his cold cheek to Severus’ warm one. Severus stiffened beneath his arms, but Harry held tight. “I’m sorry.”

“You are?” Harry could hear the slight surprise in Severus’ voice, though he covered up quite well. “As well you should be, Harry, but it’s too late…”

“No!” Harry didn’t panic, he really didn’t panic anymore, but his heart speed up, and his stomach did flip flops.

“No, Severus listen. I should have asked you to come out with me instead of just announcing it at the last minute. I want you to be around my friends Severus.”

Harry kept talking at a very rapid rate while Severus stared at him in shocked silence. This was not the way they resolved their domestic disputes. Usually, when they fought neither would admit any wrong doing. They would ignore each other for a couple of days until Severus or Harry (usually Harry) was too horny to be angry anymore. Then they would have sex and not talk about the fight. So this open admission of guilt was a little shocking to Severus.

“I have no desire to be around your friends Harry.” But Severus’s body belied his words as he melted considerably into Harry’s arms.

“I wonder where our relationship would be, Harry, if you didn’t have Mrs. Weasley to explain your feeling to you.”

“Wha’? I didn’t.”

Severus eyed Harry suspiciously.
Harry squirmed. It wasn’t as if Severus was above breaking into his mind just to prove himself correct. “Listen; even if she did explain my feelings to me, it just proves I’m a guy.”

“Mhmm, that is the answer I expect from some one who still doesn’t take responsibility for their own actions- Harry.”

“I take full…” Harry emphasized the word ‘full’ as he pulled down Severus’ pants. “…responsibility for my actions.”

Severus had what Harry liked to refer to as walnut balls. They weren’t particularly large, but they were hard with deep creases.

“Your fingers are freezing.” Harry was trailing teasing strokes up and down Severus’ long narrow length, thumbing the hard ridges of Severus balls.

“You need to warm me up then, woman.” Normally, Harry wouldn’t chance a joke like that, but Severus’ face was flushed, and he made some strange noise in the back of his throat when Harry bit the buttons of his collar open.

Severus slapped his hand on Harry’s arse and squeezed as hard as he could. “If anyone is the woman, Potter, it is definitely you.”

“How- ugh, Severus.” Heated blood was rushing to Harry’s cock. “How do you figure that?”

“You have a round-” Severus was rubbing his hand up and down Harry’s bottom taking an occasional squeeze. “-soft arse, yet it’s surprisingly firm, supple if you will.”

“Supple?” Harry repeated, tilting his head back now, for Severus’ crooked teeth.

“And shapely.” Severus’ hands were warm and easing Harry’s jeans down. It didn’t matter if Harry fucked him or he fucked Severus. He pushed closer so he could feel Severus’ hard flesh. “Very womanly, Mrs. Potter.”

More warm skin as their thighs and cocks pushed together, and Harry was on the verge of melting away to a place where time tunes itself out and all that’s left is sensation, when something on the edge of his mind reeled him back in, something that must be said.

“Severus.” Harry’s fingers slid easily into Severus greasy hair. He needed Severus to look at him, wanted to be eye to eye when he said, “I love you.”

It was not the reaction Harry was hoping for.
It took Severus about six minutes to speak, and when he did, the first words out of his mouth were, “Did you cheat on me Harry? If you did, just tell me now.”

“No I-.”

“Think before you speak.”

The thing that was not supposed to happen when you confess your love did, Harry was getting angry. It was the voice Severus used. That low, dangerous, silky voice that reminded Harry of when he was a student at Hogwarts, a time when Severus didn’t like him, much less trust him.

Harry’s jaw burned in anger. “I just told you that I love you,” Harry said, keeping his voice measured. A trick he’d learned from Severus

“You’re supposed to say it back or tell me to piss off.”

Severus stared at him with a gaze so piercing Harry believed he could cut glacier ice with it.

“I’m sorry,” Severus said. The burning in Harry’s jaw spread a tingling fire into his throat. Severus was about to tell him to piss off. “It’s just, if you did cheat and you tell me now I might be able to get past it, but if don’t tell me right now…”

“I didn’t.”

It’s was the strangest expression. Harry had never quite seen Severus make it before. There seemed to be a slight tremble to Severus’ body. Severus’ lips curled, but Harry could swear it was only to keep them from quivering and, Harry couldn’t be sure, but he thought Severus was on the verge of wibbiling.

“Severus?”

Severus opened his mouth to speak. Harry thought he was about to give him an answer, but the only thing that came out was the strange squeaking sound Severus made earlier.

Never one to shy away from taking the lead, Harry kissed Severus, and, much to Harry’s relief, Severus kissed him back. He put his hand on Severus’ waist and pushed him over the workbench, heedless of the tiny glass vials there.

“Be careful Harry, you don’t want to spill these ingredients.”

A wave of guilt passed over Harry. “Ugh, Severus, there is something I need to tell you.”
Harry separated Severus arse cheeks, staring wantonly at the tiny brown puckered flesh.

“I already know.” Severus seemed to find his voice.
“You do?” Harry seemed to be losing his voice as Severus pushed his arse back against Harry’s cock.

“Yes, I felt the bottle of lube in your back pocket Harry.” Severus stretched his arms out on the table and looked over his shoulder at Harry. “The question is, is it still full?”


“You’re assuming a lot aren’t you?” That wasn’t a bottle of lube in Harry’s back pocket it was the one he broke. Harry’s voice had taken on that rough, gravely quality it got when he was about to get laid. “Severus Snape?” Harry pushed his cock length wise between Severus’ buttocks and squeezed the cheeks together. “Master of the Dark Arts?” Severus swayed his hips against Harry’s erection causing Harry’s cock to jerk and ooze precome.

“Shut up and fuck me Harry.” Severus’ voice had also changed. It came out barely above a whisper, distant and high pitched.

“Assuming and giving me orders, now that simply won’t do.” Severus’ body was radiating heat. There was nothing more Harry wanted ,than to sink his prick into Severus’ hot body, except maybe to toy with him a little more. “Get your tight arse up on that workbench Severus.”

“What, you can’t fuck me from that angle?”

Harry smirked. “Arse on table.” Harry was about to do something he didn’t do often enough, mostly because Severus didn’t shower often enough. Lucky for Severus, Harry knew he showered on Sunday mornings.

Severus turned on Harry faster than a rattle snake. Forceful fingers pried Harry’s head backwards; Severus’s lips burned Harry’s open, scorching the breath from Harry’s lungs. Teeth scraped the top of Harry’s tongue while Severus ran his tongue on the underside of Harry’s.

Yes, yes fine fine. Harry loved these dominating kisses. They were all part of the ‘Fine, Potter, I’ll follow your orders; first however, I must prove that I’m the more Alpha wizard by kissing you breathless.’ Fine. It didn’t change the fact he was going to have Severus over that workbench.

By the time their lips parted, Severus was wheezing for air. He held Harry’s bottom lip captive between his incisures, rough breath drying the moisture there. Severus’ hand cupped the side of Harry’s face. “I love you also Harry.”

“Yeah?” Harry’s heart gave an excited jolt.

“Unfortunately.” Severus smiled back at him or smirked at him scornfully; the distinction was kind of hard to make.


“Now,” Severus said withdrawing his wand and pointing it at his shoes. “What was it you wanted me to do?”
Harry stroked himself as he watched Severus peel heavy layers of black robes to reveal imperfect sallow skin. He almost came when Severus crawled up on the table and kneeled, arse up in the air, knees spread wide, shoulders flat down, fingers pulling his arse cheeks apart.

“Oh, Severus.” Harry cast an imperturbable at the door. His wand giving off sparks as he dropped it to the floor in favour of Severus’s bum. Fine damp hairs lined the opening of Severus entrance. “I love you.”

Harry bent and licked a long line over Severus opening.

“Oh Harry… Harry.” Severus squirmed, as Harry flicked his tongue over and inside his hole. Severus’ hands left his arse cheeks, causing them to snap around Harry’s nose. He had to readjust his head to breathe.

He noticed his wand hadn’t stopped giving off sparks, but he didn’t care. Severus was fucking himself on Harry’s tongue, and his moans were growing so enthusiastic they were echoing off the dungeon walls. Harry closed his eyes ignoring his subconscious alarming voice telling him to at least pick up the wand and move it. Something was so much more important here. Every shriek of pleasure Severus made, every jerk of Severus’s hips made Harry’s balls tighten and his prick ache. Harry had tried analingus a couple of times before, and Severus had enjoyed it immensely. Harry didn’t mind doing it for him, but he certainly didn’t remember it being so pleasurable for himself.

Harry felt Severus reach down and start stroke his own cock. “Stop,” Harry growled, grabbing Severus wrist and pinning it behind his back. Harry felt a primitive anger rush through his veins. He wanted them to come together. As a matter of fact, coming together was becoming an urgent need.

“But I need to.” Severus’ voice scared Harry a little, it almost sounded panicky. “I need to come, Harry.” Harry understood his desperation. His body thrummed with the desire to be inside Severus.

“Get over here.” Harry’s wand was giving off yellow sparks that were growing considerably larger, but Harry couldn’t be bothered.

He pushed Severus up further on the table as the need to be inside Severus resonated through his body. He crawled on top of Severus, and it was like pure heaven, their hot, sweaty bodies melding together. Harry slipped inside so easily. Harry wondered when the room had become so warm.



Severus screamed and thrust back against Harry with jarring force, but Harry held fast. Nothing Harry could remember ever felt so damn good. He leaned forward to kiss Severus, but the angle was awkward. Severus’ mouth was open, and Harry stuck his tongue in, and they just sort of bit at each others lips.

Harry was on the verge of blacking out. Pleasure was pulsing throughout his body like a radioactive wave, and he couldn’t hold back the surge too much longer, but, before he did, he was going to make Severus come. He rolled them onto their sides, knocking over more vials. His wand made a lightning strike across the room and shot Harry in his lower back. A shockwave ripped through Harry’s nerve endings. He reached down to make Severus come and that’s when he realized Severus’ penis was no longer there.

And that is why this whole pregnancy thing was Severus’ fault. If Severus hadn’t thrown all Harry’s belongings in a trunk, Harry would have never spilled crystallized love potion all over himself and confessed his love.

Not that Harry minded, he was actually excited about the baby, or was once Severus stopped throwing glass jars of odd looking insects at him. Harry had always wanted a family, even if this wasn’t the way he excepted it to happen, it was better. It was just Severus’ odd behaviour that Harry had a problem with

The first quadmester (male wizards had longer gestation) the only thing Severus did was sleep, so Harry stayed in bed and cuddled. Severus ate his way through the second, and so Harry cooked . His jaw softened a little, but his looks still remained masculine. He also developed very tiny breasts, which Harry was awfully fond of, but Severus told him there was no way in hell the baby would be breast feeding.
But, the third quadmester had brought on mood swing Severus, and not in the evil vindictive way Harry was used to. It was akin to living with a crying time bomb. Harry never knew what subjects were booby trapped. All he knew is that he would say something insignificant and harmless and the next thing he knew, Severus would be crying.

This morning, it was Atlantis. Harry had seen an article in the Prophet about how the best gillyweed was grown there and made the most grievous error of mentioning it over breakfast. When Severus didn’t answer him, he looked up from his paper to see Severus staring at him tears streaming down his face.

They were supposed to have gone on a holiday there before Severus got pregnant. Now, they couldn’t because the water pressure would harm the fetus.

“Come on, Severus, please stop crying,” Harry begged, noting the way Severus tears were starting to subside. Harry hoped if he could say more of the right things the tears would dry up completely.

“You didn’t sleep very well last night.” Harry didn’t sleep well last night either, and he had the dark circles under his eyes to prove it. Severus had tossed and turned all night and stabbed Harry with his gnarled toe nails. He took Severus’ hand between both of his. “I’ll rub your feet?” Ugh, the levels to which he was willing to sink.

Hermione had suggested rubbing Severus’ feet to help with prenatal aches and pains. Harry thought he might never forgive her for mentioning foot massages in front of Severus, but Severus had developed an overnight affection for her.

“Alright,” Severus sighed, still looking doubtfully at the floor, but he let Harry lead him back into the bedroom.

They had a nice flat that was really too large for the both of them. It was only one block from St. Mungo’s. Harry bought it after Severus took his sabbatical from Hogwarts.

Their bedroom was drawn from the colour palette of the rising sun (that’s what the interior designer had said.) They had an armoire with clean simple lines to give the room an eclectic feel and it contrasted nicely with the ornate four poster bed carved from rich dark oak.
Harry propped some pillows up behind Severus head and under his knees. “Comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Harry grabbed a few pillows for himself and settled against the foot board. He considered finishing the sports section, but he was too tired to read. Taking off his glasses Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Ahem, Harry,” Severus said, nudging him with a yellow toe nail. Harry took a foot and turned his head to the window. He pressed his thumbs into the bottom of Severus heel and alternated compressions between the arch and ball of Severus foot. Severus sighed in contentment. Morning was coming in through the cranberry coloured curtains; Harry’s eyelids were growing heavy.

Harry looked back at Severus whose eyes were completely tear free; Severus had “A History of Male Pregnancies”, a gift from Hermione, perched on his stomach and then Harry was dreaming.
They were in the baby’s room, where Harry and Severus had by far invested the most money into making a spectacular underwater themed seascape.

He was very anxious for the baby’s arrival. Harry and Severus had changed their minds so many times about what they wanted done with the room, they nearly sent the designer away screaming.

-An enchanted forest

-or a forbidden forest no thanks.

- Muggle cowboys and Indians

-no

- Why

- I don’t want to talk about it Harry just no cowboys!

Finally the designer brought a crib shaped like an open clam shell and told them they were going with an underwater theme. Harry had been hesitant, but Severus liked it so Harry acquiesced to the seascape design.


The walls were painted deep sea blue, with faux kelp, coral and rock formations. There were wallpaper cutouts of schools of fish adhered to the walls. There was an exquisite, sterling silver crib in the middle of the room shaped like a clam’s shell, and above it was a mobile that cast light formations of mermaids swimming about the room when the room went dark.

Harry was in the nursery and immediately sensed something was off. He found the underwater theme had a relaxing effect on him. He felt closer to the baby and farther away from Severus, odd behaviour in here. The mermaid mobile spun around the room like starlight; usually the mere people swam harmoniously among the coral reefs, sea kelp, beds and schools of fish painted on the wall, but not today. The mer-people were hunting the fish, which were franticly swimming away from them, but they weren’t fast enough to escape the accurate aim of the mer-people’s harpoons.

“Stop!” Harry screamed, incensed by the idea of killing the fish on the walls. He knew the mer-people had to eat, but he didn’t want them hunting in his child’s room.

“Harry?” Severus was suddenly standing behind him holding the baby. He was wrapped in blue blankets, but Harry couldn’t see his face.

“Severus, get out of here!”

Severus ran toward the door, but the clam shell bed hopped to prevent his exit. Harry whipped out his wand to destroy the bed, and all the mer-people raised their spears at Harry. He couldn’t save both himself and Severus. He aimed his wand at the bed and it shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Harrrry!” Severus screeched as four harpoons landed in Harry’s thigh. It stung less than Harry thought it would, blood was running down his leg.

“Harry, wake up!” Another, hard smack to his thigh, and Harry was fully conscious.

“Severus!” Harry’s heart was hammering inside his chest, and he was breathing hard.

“There is no need to shout, Harry, I’m right here.” Severus’ voice exuded calm. Harry moved his leg and realized it was really wet. “My water just broke.”

“Oh my God! Oh my God.\" Harry wasn’t exactly the picture of calm. “Just relax, relax!”

“I’m quite relaxed Harr-?” In his effort to make it to the floo and untangle himself from the bed cover Harry tripped out of bed.

Grabbing a handful of floo powder, Harry chucked it into the fire place. “Hermione!” A nine year old girl with bushy red curls answered him

She was his Godchild and was just starting to realize that Harry was the “boy who lived\", and had, since then, started addressing him by his full name with a mocking roll of her eyes. “Harold James Potter.”

“Abigail Hannah Weasley where is your mum or dad?”

“Why?”


“Abigail it is important.”


“Why?”


“Abigail I don’t have time to explain. Just get your mum.\"

“In the time it took you to say you didn’t have time to explain you could have explained.\" Really annoying, Harry wondered if Hermione hadn’t also had a indiscretion with the twins.


“Get her now!”

Abigail stuck out her tongue at him. “Muuum!”

“What’s all the shouting for? Oh Harry.”

“He yelled at me!”

That child was destined for Slytherin. Harry could tell.

“Hermione Severus water just broke.”

“Finally?” Hermione grinned at Harry and Harry grinned back at her.

“I heard that you know?” A deadly bored voice drawled from behind. “If your quiet finished with your little chat, I thought we might go to the hospital and deliver your child. No rush of course.”

“I’ll take the children to Molly’s then Ron and I will meet you at the hospital?”

“Okay.”

Harry flooed the Healer and told him they were on the way. His knees gave a loud crack as he got up. Severus was glowering at him arms crossed over his chest. “Must we do everything with them?” Severus sneered.

“Oh come on Severus, it’s tradition.” Harry said grinning ear to ear. He was about to be a father, and Severus was sneering, not crying, which Harry took as a good sign of things to come.


End.

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