Chapter Text
Sev,
Any plans for New Years Eve?
Yours, Harold
Harold James Potter,
My plan includes being tucked in bed at a reasonable hour.
Severus Tobias Snape
Sweetheart,
Oh thank Merlin. I was hoping you didn’t have any grand expectations. I barely make it to ten most nights. Midnight seems far too ambitious.
Of course, I would have put on a brave face and chugged Pepper Up if you wanted to make a go of it.
How about a nice brunch date instead, on the 1 st ? With everyone sleeping off the festivities, the restaurants shouldn’t be too crowded.
Your little cherub, Harry
My scrawny cherub,
I have my doubts about the crowd level, but yes.
Severus
**********
Severus blew a careful breath across the surface of his tea. The wispy steam clouds parted, curled against the cup’s rim. An indulgent sip then Severus set his drink safely aside. He neatened the stack of orders before him, straightening his own posture to match the low back of the kitchen chair as he did.
Marlowe trotted into the room, disheveled from his afternoon nap and meowing like a lost soul.
“Hush, you,” Severus said. “I’m right here.”
The pitch of the kitten’s cry changed, brightened as he made his way towards the table. One great leap and the furry blighter was stood dead center on Severus’s first order sheet. With a click of his tongue, Severus scooped Marlowe up from the table, gave him a quick scritch between the ears, then deposited him back on the ground.
“No tabletops for you.”
Marlowe plunked his bottom down and mewled forlornly.
“Needy.”
Another sad, little noise then Marlowe turned tail and crossed over to his food dishes for a drink and a nibble.
Severus read through the first order, from a little shop in Tintagel wanting to fill shelf space. Severus dashed a note across the bottom declining the order’s requested timeline. He’d not have the space in his schedule until March at the earliest. He rolled up the parchment, sealed it, and set it aside for later owl-ing. The next order received a similar reply. He outright declined the one after that in the stack. Half-smiling, he signed his name to the response. Possessing the privilege to be selective in the orders he brewed felt very nice indeed.
Severus reached for another order, but was stopped by four paws landing on the parchment.
“Marlowe Snape.” Severus crossed his arms. “This is unacceptable behavior.”
Marlowe bumped his head against Severus’s hand, brushed his tiny body down the length of Severus’s forearm, and cried out long, loud, and demanding.
“Yes, yes, alright,” Severus said, picking him up for a quick cuddle. “You win, you utter pest.” Severus undercut his own insult by nestling Marlowe carefully into the cradle of his arms and petting the little creature until he was purring like a fiend. “There you go. Happy now?”
He did indeed look perfectly content, eyes closed and paws flexing rhythmically. Severus sighed, resigned to being nothing more than the humble servant to a cat’s whims for the next however long.
Sunlight filtered through the windows, yellow beams cutting through the dust and cat hair floating in the air. The light attempted to work its cheery magic on the decaying kitchen at Spinner’s End, but all it accomplished was highlighting the cracks in the plaster, the aging cabinetry, and the old-fashioned appliances. It also awakened memories of other afternoons spent here. Afternoons with his mother. His father.
Severus tickled under Marlowe’s chin, and the kitten tilted his head up, stretching his neck out to give Severus better access.
Years and years ago, Severus had been sat in this very spot, drinking tea in the same afternoon light, when Dumbledore spoke with him about Potter’s imminent arrival at Hogwarts.
The Dark Lord himself had stood in this kitchen, lip curling as his gaze swept over Severus’s sad little house, when he asked Severus to take on the job of Headmaster. And once Severus had wrangled his nerves into stillness, this was where Severus had accepted.
Of course, he’d accepted.
Severus smoothed Marlowe’s fur, over and over again, and said, “Lyra murdered me in this room.” Eyes slowly losing focus, he stared down at the tiles where his body had lain for hours, days. “Tried to murder me.”
Severus hugged Marlowe’s warm weight a little tighter against his chest.
**********
Potter,
Did I leave a book behind, Indigenous Fauna of Chomolungma, somewhere in Grimmauld?
Possibly on a shelf in the sitting room?
Severus
Sweetheart,
Yes. Found it on the top of the highest shelf. Stacked between a dull-looking book about cauldron history and a rather intriguing-looking paperback about sexy rival bakers.
I sent the owl over with the first two.
Cherub
Potter,
Thief.
Enjoy.
Severus
**********
Severus,
The kids loved the brunch leftovers you sent along to them. Especially the raspberry French Toast. I’ve never seen Albus eat anything so fast. Jamie wants to make them at home with you at some ambiguous time in the future. No pressure.
Love, Harry
P.S. They’ve sent along their thanks in the form of artwork!
Potter,
Thank you greatly for the post script.
I very nearly applauded you for your efforts in mastering a new hobby.
The human form in crayon.
Tell the children I said, “You are welcome.” Also, “Eat an extra vegetable serving with dinner to balance out the sugar.”
Severus
Severus,
You are a very, very funny man, Snape. My crayon drawings are glorious, by the way. You should be so lucky to receive one from me.
Message happily sent along to the children.
Love, Harry
Potter,
I am on tenterhooks.
Severus
**********
SEVERUS,
HELLO. I ATE GREEN BEANS LAST NIGHT.
AL SAYS HI TOO.
HOW IS MARLOWE?
JAMIE
Jamie,
Very well done on the green beans.
Tell Al I said hello and thank him for the drawings. Thank you as well for yours. I hung them all up on my refrigerator.
Marlowe is a delightful menace, much like your father. Marlowe sends his regards along to you, Al, and Lily.
Severus
SEVERUS,
ME AND AL ARE SENDING YOU MORE DRAWINGS NOW. HOW BIG IS YOUR REFRIGERATOR? CAN I COME SEE IT AND YOU?
TELL MARLOWE HE HAS MY REGARDS TOO.
JAMIE
P.S. I have told Jamie your house is not fun at all and you will likely say no to save them from boredom. No pressure. To lessen the blow to their tiny spirits, would you like to come here to Grimmauld to watch them while I meet with my therapist next week? But, again, no pressure. I can ask Molly or Ron. —Harry
Harry James Potter, you are maddening.
Yes, I will watch them.
Jamie,
My house is quite boring and I assure you it is no fun at all. However, I will come for a visit to Grimmauld. I am not as thrilling as a refrigerator, but I will make raspberry French Toast with you. Does that work?
Severus
SEVERUS,
THAT WORKS!
JAMIE
Severus, Sweetheart,
I am so sorry for being infinitely maddening. Please accept this crayon drawing I did of my favorite scene from your sexy bakers book as a consolation.
Yours with love, Cherub
Harry,
Well.
I cannot hang that on the refrigerator.
Severus
**********
Master Severus Snape,
I have now read through all of Essential Potioneering: Level One. It is just brilliant. We at Moonflower House are so excited to see this project to fruition and put your knowledge in the hands of the wider Wizarding world.
I have attached some notes on places where the text can be tightened for clarity. Your grammar is truly impeccable, but I did find a few bobbles here and there for you to review and correct.
Once we work through these edits, I will begin reading Intermediate Potioneering: Level Two. The editing process for this text will be much the same as Essential Potioneering. How is the drafting of the Level Three book coming along? I am here to assist in anyway I can.
If you have any questions or concerns, any at all, please feel free to send me an owl!
Orquidea Smith
Editor, Moonflower House Publishing
**********
Cameras flashed as Severus strode through the gaggle of press outside the courtroom. Inside, the rows and rows of seating were filled near to capacity. Severus didn’t spot a tuft of dark, messy hair, but he did find an abundance of brown curls with pin straight posture and two free spots beside them.
“Granger,” Severus said as he eased into the seat beside her.
“Professor. Where’s Harry?”
“Late it would seem.”
Severus had very nearly been late himself. There’d been a slight mishap with an invisibility potion. It took him ages to find Marlowe and undo the menace’s mistake. A certain Snape had lost lab privileges and it wasn’t Severus.
The solicitors took up their places at the designated tables in the center of the room. The woman Severus suspected to be Lyra’s mother was sat just behind the defense’s table, perched on the edge of her seat and wringing her hands.
Severus crossed his arms and turned his eyes to the doors. “If he does not hurry, Potter will be locked out.”
“He’ll wiggle his way in even if he is,” Granger said. “He is Harry Potter.”
Severus and Granger locked eyes, mouths both twitching upwards in shared humor. Severus buried it under a sigh then said, “That he indeed is.”
The side doors opened and the Wizengamot marched into the courtroom.
“Fuck,” Severus mumbled, glancing back at the main doors.
Chairs scraped against stone and papers shuffled against wood as the Wizengamot settled into place. An Auror led Lyra, cuffed and subdued, into the room. The jury of her peers filed in from another door.
Severus pursed his lips and stared hard at the entrance doors. “Come on, Potter.”
As if summoned by Severus’s plea, the doors parted and Potter slipped inside just as the judge banged the gavel for the room to quiet. Granger lifted a hand to grab Potter’s attention. Severus lifted a single slim eyebrow to judge Potter’s tardiness. Potter grinned at both, maneuvering himself through the rows to take his seat beside Severus.
“Sorry,” Potter whispered. “Jamie did not want me leaving the house today.”
The judge was speaking, something about rights and responsibilities, justice and the jury. Severus didn’t give two shits. He hovered his lips against Potter’s ear and asked, “Is Jamie alright?”
Potter draped his arm across Severus’s shoulders, hugged him in close, and whispered back, “Absolutely fine. Just a rough morning.”
Potter pulled back, but Severus caught his chin between two fingers before he could get too far. Relaxing into the gentle grip, Potter openly met Severus’s assessing gaze. His lovely eyes were bright and clear. His mouth soft and smiling. He looked well-rested. As well-rested as a single parent ever looked at any rate.
It was quite difficult not to lean in, press their lips together, to reassure himself and comfort Potter. Severus released Potter’s chin and brushed a knuckle along the soft curve of his cheek. He turned his attention back to the proceedings, but Potter’s eyes lingered on him.
Lingered and lingered.
Huffing, Severus looked sideways at Potter.
Potter moved his eyes forward, pulled his arm from around Severus, and pressed away a grin.
Down below, the judge ceded the floor to the prosecution, a group Severus recognized quite well at this point, having been questioned by them several, several times over the last few weeks since Christmas. In his opinion, they were fine. Competent enough. Would they succeed in convincing the jury of Lyra’s guilt?
Honestly, Severus did not give it a great deal of thought.
The lead for the prosecution, a former student of his, a witch named Samantha Lee, concluded her speech with a summation of the case. “Honorable members of the jury, over the course of this trial, you will see that Lyra Bennet, through meticulous machinations and with malice aforethought, plotted to manipulate Harry Potter out of his inheritance and murder Severus Snape.”
Lyra, bored, her chin propped up in the palm of her hand, searched the rows of onlookers until she landed on Severus. Not removing her head from her hand, she wiggled her fingers at him in greeting. Brazen. The foolish woman.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. Potter took this as some sort of stress response and laid a comforting hand on Severus’s knee, squeezing twice before leaving it to rest there. Severus placed his own hand on top of Potter’s. He aligned his fingers with the gaps between Potter’s, then curled them down against Potter’s palm.
Potter’s fingers snapped into place around Severus’s, clasping their hands tightly together.
**********
Saturday morning, Potter knocked on the front door of Spinner’s End.
From the sunbeam he was sprawled out in, Marlowe lifted his head, yawning, to watch Severus cross the sitting room to answer it. Severus ran a quick hand down the line of buttons on his shirt, adjusted the cuffs, then pulled the door open.
Already smiling, Potter chirped, “Morning, sweetheart.”
Severus rolled his eyes, said, “Good morning, Potter,” and plucked his peacoat from its hook.
Potter wore a hooded sweatshirt under his own peacoat, the buttons undone, allowing Severus to read the faded logo for the 2001 Quidditch World Cup Finals in Paris printed across the front. The man’s well-worn jeans hugged him low around the hips. The whole, admittedly, comfortable ensemble was finished off by Potter’s ragged trainers—the old canvas ones that had absolutely seen much, much better days.
Severus said, “I assume we won’t be dining in any Michelin star restaurants today.”
“You assume correctly.” Potter shifted on his feet. “Actually, I’m a little nervous about where I’m taking you.”
“Are you now?”
“I bought a house.” Potter said in a rush, the words jamming together. “And I want you to see it.”
The flutter of excitement in his stomach surprised Severus. He wanted to see it. A great deal. He pressed a hand to his belly and said, “No need to be nervous.”
Potter clapped his hands together, just once, then mashed them against his smiling mouth. “You really want to see it?”
“I do.”
“Oh, Merlin. You have no idea how happy that makes me. I really worried you’d think I was maybe rushing things. But you’re really okay with this?”
Severus held out his arm for Potter to apparate them. Which Potter did. With alacrity.
They landed under a stone archway with dormant vines wrapped around the whole curving bend of it. On one side of the arch, a gravel road stretched left and right. On the other side sat the new Potter home. Severus stepped over the threshold.
“Bill and I plan to work on the wards over the next week,” Potter said, following Severus. The sky above them was blue and clear. The air was crisp and wintery. “I’ll weave in permission for you, of course. The Weasleys. A couple of others.”
A high stone wall ringed in the generously-sized property. A house sat towards the front, surrounded by fields of dry grass waiting for spring. Beyond and around it grew a quintessential English forest with chirping birds and scuttling wildlife.
“I would like to get some swings and a slide. Something else for the kids to climb around on,” Potter said. “There’s just so much space, and with there not being any playgrounds nearby, I think it’d be nice for them.”
“There doesn’t seem to be much of anything or anybody nearby.”
“No, no, there is a village. It’s about an hour walk east, but…well. We could apparate, or maybe bike? The kids would likely love a weekend bike ride into town.”
“That is very Muggle of you.”
“Well, actually, it’s, uh, it is a Muggle village. So.”
Severus furrowed his brow then swept a look up at the house. He pressed out with his magic, but felt nothing save the golden warmth of Potter’s. “It’s a Muggle house?”
“Yeah, full electric and everything. Modern plumbing and appliances.”
“Fascinating.”
“No more tepid showers.” Potter bumped shoulders with Severus. “The last owners gutted and renovated the interior before putting it on the market. Fresh paint on the walls. New carpet in the bedrooms. Oven’s still plastic-wrapped.”
Hm. The outside had at least retained its past charms. Two floors of ancient cobblestone with a thatched roof in good repair. Double doors marked the main entrance on the home’s central portion. A wing angled forward from it, creating a sort of courtyard in front of the house. As it had been paved like a grocery store parking lot, the Muggles likely used this space as a driveway.
He and Potter could easily change that out.
“Come,” Potter said, taking Severus’s by the elbow and tugging him towards those double doors. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”
The doors opened to an entrance that equalled the sitting room at Spinner’s End for space. Perhaps even the sitting room and the kitchen at Spinner’s End. Passed that was a living room with high windows and walls. Sunlight spilled through like melting butter. The flooring all appeared to be the original wood, refinished but still soft. Matching wood beams criss-crossed the ceiling. Tucked to one side, a wide staircase climbed to the first floor. The other side of the room flowed into a gleaming kitchen with a charming dining room attached.
“The space looks much bigger than it is, I think,” Potter said. “Because it’s empty, you know? Once all mine and the kids’ things are moved in, I reckon it’ll fill up fast. We’ll still have to do a bit of furniture shopping though, for pieces to suit the space.”
Nodding, Severus wandered further inside, turning in a slow circle to take it all in properly.
It was gorgeous. Utterly gorgeous. Clean and fresh, but somehow still cozy.
Outside, just beyond a set of glass doors, there was a long patio stretching across the back of the house. Empty save for a couple of potted flowers and an elevated fire pit. Severus imagined Harry and the children sitting around the fire with hot chocolate. Jamie telling his silly jokes while the lot of them giggled over sticky fingers and whipped cream mustaches.
Severus turned back around to face Potter and said, “You’ll have years to acquire useless objects to fill the house.”
“Hopefully not too useless.” Potter huffed a laugh, airy and nervous. At his sides, his hands clenched and unclenched. He tilted his head towards the kitchen. “There’s also a basement room. Just for you. For a lab. If you like.”
Severus dashed a glance towards the kitchen. “A lab?”
“Yeah, for your business. The access door is in the pantry.”
“I…already have a lab. In my own house.”
“Yeah. I know. But.” Potter stepped forward and took Severus’s hands in his. “I want you to know that I am still all in, Severus. With you. With us. I am leaving space for you. So. Hopefully, one day, you could have this lab instead.” He squeezed twice. “No pressure though, of course.”
“No pressure.” Severus smirked. “Of course.”
“Of course,” Potter returned, a grin tugging at his lips. “Do you want to see the basement?”
“Not today. Not just yet, Potter, but, very likely yes. One day.”
Potter nodded. “I can live with one day.”
They meandered around the ground floor, taking in the shiny kitchen with its dining room and its abundant pantry. There was a shelf-lined office. A full bathroom. Then, Potter led him outside to the patio to show off a square garden space that abutted the house.
“You could use this as well,” Potter said. “For your gardening. You like gardening. Or you could cultivate your own potions ingredients, yeah?”
“I could indeed.”
“Want to see the upstairs next?”
“Hm, you mean the bedrooms?”
“Yes. They’re empty so it’s not too exciting, but yeah.”
“I would love to see your bedroom, Harry.”
Potter chuckled. “Would you now?”
Still hand-in-hand, he and Potter navigated their way inside and climbed the stairs. The first floor had a wide landing, wide enough Potter could use it as a new playroom for the children. Easily use it if he so desired, which he likely did. He’d only need to add a few charms across the top of the staircase for Lily’s safety.
Two hallways split off from there, one on the left and one on the right. To the right were the children’s rooms, a bathroom, and a guest space. Everything white and shiny and ready to be made into a home.
Standing in one of the children’s future rooms, Potter said, “I’m going to let the kids pick their own paint colors for the walls.”
“I pray we can somehow steer Lily away from the pink.”
“I think she can be persuaded with some gentle nudging.”
Yes. They’d simply not show her a single pink color swatch. Infants were quite easy to manipulate. Mostly. Although…guilt prickled at Severus’s stomach. “Perhaps a touch of pink could remain.”
“Yeah.” Harry gnawed at his bottom lip, brow wrinkled. “Actually, I think I might miss it. Ginny…Gin, she was so excited about the pink nursery. First girl. Only girl. All that. So, maybe for memory’s sake, we let a bit creep in.”
“For Ginevra.”
“For Ginny.” Potter pressed a hand to the wall. “Think I’d like that.”
“I as well.”
They crossed back through the landing to explore down the other hallway. A shorter hallway that ended with a large (very large) main bedroom and en suite. Empty, like every room thus far. Walls blindingly white. Carpet crunchy with glue and Muggle cleaning chemicals. Sunshine flooded through a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Pulling away from Potter, Severus crossed his arms, moved to the windows, and squinted down at the garden below. “I recommend starting your furniture shopping with curtains, or you will never be able to sleep a moment past sunrise.”
“I like it,” Potter said coming to stand beside Severus. “I wanted everything to be bright and open. I wanted to physically feel as though the space hid nothing. Had nowhere for anything to lurk and fester, you know?”
Severus turned to face Potter, but Potter didn’t do the same, kept his eyes forward, avoiding.
Severus took the opportunity to get another good look at the man, here in the luminous light of day. Solid and whole, but still unsure, still careful with himself. “Potter, you know that is not how it works, yes? Unhappiness can thrive just as well in sunshine as it does in shadows.”
“Obviously, yes. I spent enough miserable summers at Privet Drive. But…” He hesitated, shifted on his feet. His Adam’s apple jumped in his throat as he turned to meet Severus’s eyes. The next words came out small, almost pleading. “It can’t hurt though, right?”
Severus had lived in darkness for most of his life. The murky streets of Spinner’s End. The damp dungeons of Hogwarts. The haunted halls of Grimmauld. He’d never tried simply basking in the sunlight instead. “I suppose,” Severus said. “You are right. I cannot fathom how it could hurt.”
Potter released a relieved breath then smiled at Severus, gratitude in every dimple and wrinkle.
And how could Severus not reach out to him, touch him. Touch was one of the few things they did so very well. Severus cupped Potter’s face in his hands. “Harry, it is a beautiful home.”
His eyes shone, painfully green. Voice rough, he said, “Thank you.”
“You chose very well.” Severus brushed at his cheeks with both thumbs. “And you will be happy here if you allow yourself to be.”
Harry sniffled through his smile. “I really do love you, you know?”
Severus’s stomach fluttered like a lovesick teenager. His heart beat faster, making him light-headed, dizzy. He leaned down as he pulled Harry in, pressed his forehead to Harry’s, shared the same air, same breath. Steadied himself with Harry’s familiar warmth, the citrus scent of his soaps. Severus wove his fingers back into silk-soft hair.
They’d been slow, and so careful, and it had been going well. So well.
And Severus wanted. He just wanted, and it at last felt safe to take.
So he did. Severus kissed Harry. Chaste and simple, but his belly heated, burned from it all the same.
With a low groan, Harry grasped Severus by the hips and tucked them more neatly together.
Severus curled his fingers, nails gently scraping against the base of Harry’s skull, clutching Harry to him as he deepened the kiss, as he swept his tongue into that sweet mouth, as he tasted him for the first time in weeks and weeks.
Harry tasted him right back, tongue slick and agile as his body shook. Trembling with want and need against Severus’s. Severus longed to feel, to watch Harry shudder his way to bliss. To see his back arch and his pulse throb in his throat. But there’d be time. They had time. They had all the time in the world.
Severus pulled away, lungs fighting for air. He choked out, “I love you, Harry.”
“Severus.” Equally breathless, Harry kissed him once more then said, “I love you too. So fucking much, you’ve no idea.”
Severus did have some idea. A bright, brilliant idea about it. All they had before was still there, but so much cleaner, fresher, unencumbered. Like this house. Severus felt like he could paint the walls any color he liked. Any color he and Harry liked. The future merely waiting for them to move on, move in, and make it their own.