Chapter 14
Harry and Severus reappeared in their bedroom.
Severus looked around absently. "You do know that by doing something so blatantly powerful you have revealed yourself to the general public. Even Albus could not circumvent the Ministry wards with such ease." He drawled in amusement.
Harry just shrugged, "It was either leave as fast as possible or hex his bollocks off."
"I know which one I would prefer." Severus was grinning like a Cheshire cat now. The image was simply too delicious to ignore. Pity it would never come true. Well maybe if Fudge annoyed them enough or tried to lay a hand on Harry again.
Harry just made a face at his lover. "I guess I should start campaigning for Arthur to be Minister soon. Fudge will not be happy. Oh goody." A Slytherin smirk spread over the Gryffindor's face.
"No politics in the bedroom, Frost. And certainly not on our wedding night. Now come over here, brat." He ordered gesturing towards himself.
Harry gladly followed the order and kissed his new husband. "I just love your pet names, Sevvie."
A scowl was his only response and Harry laughed before kissing his lover to wipe the expression of his face.
"You look fantastic in those robes, Sev. You should wear colour more often." Harry highlighted his point by vanishing the robes to the wardrobe, leaving Severus' chest covered only by a light blush. "Yes, I was right. Colour suits you. Though I think the other Gryffindors would be rather alarmed if you were to walk around in their colours, I for one honestly don't mind." Harry teased his lover.
Severus decided that enough was enough; he flipped Harry over onto his back, easily reversing their previous positions. "Do not begin something you are not going to finish." He warned.
Harry spoke in a breathy whisper, "Who said I wasn't going to finish?" Arching up to reach his mate Harry captured Severus' lips in his own.
Their tongues duelled for dominance until Harry gave in to his lover. But he was by no stretch of the imagination a submissive partner. He knew what he wanted and made sure that his husband knew it too.
Cries of "More, Sev!" and "Harder" were the only things out of Harry's mouth for the next few hours.
Severus kissed, licked and nibbled his way all over his lover's body as he committed every inch of the lightly tanned skin to memory.
Harry finally couldn't stand the teasing any more. He needed to come and he needed to come now damn it.
The younger wizard used his lover's preoccupation with his navel to his advantage, flipping them over with relative ease.
To far gone to care about manual preparation Harry simply cast a wordless lubrication and stretching charm on himself and then lowered his body onto his husband's erect cock.
Both wizards moaned loudly. Harry set the pace fast and bruising. It didn't take long for them to reach completion. Without moving Harry just straightened his cramping legs and settled down on Severus' chest to sleep, his husband still inside him.
The following morning Harry and Severus woke up to the headline The Boy Who Lived And Defeated You Know Who Marries Death Eater Turned Spy and Ex-Professor
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about telling anyone we know." Harry commented dryly as he poured a cup of the coffee; he had become addicted to in his seventh year.
"And everyone we don't. Merlin, could they make a longer headline?" Severus had already had a cup of the life-giving brew and was on to his second.
"Are you going to be working on your Potions today, Sev? Hermione is coming in a few hours. No doubt it'll be the bloody Inquisition." Harry moaned as he put his empty cup down.
"Good luck with that." His lover drawled. "Yes, I'm going to begin the Wolfsbane today and might as well start replenishing the Hospital Wing's supplies though they are almost full. You know Madam Pomfrey hasn't been half as busy this year. I do believe she is getting rather bored." Severus joked.
"Hey! Trouble finds me I don't go looking for it." Harry defended himself.
A non-committal noise was his only reply. It was true. Trouble certainly found Harry Potter-Snape, as often as it possibly could.
They ate their breakfast in relative silence punctuated by the odd comment.
As Severus stood to leave Harry got up as well. He walked over to his new husband and kissed him. "I'll see you later, love."
Then he too left, going to the library to study for a few hours. He only had less than two months before he sat his Mastery exam.
The library had been a project of Severus' for almost twenty years; it had perhaps more books than even Hogwarts library, all properly coded and catalogued. Harry went over to the Dark Arts section and carried on past it to the Defence Against shelves. He understood his lover's need for information. He was after all the heir of Ravenclaw, even if he didn't seem like a likely choice for a bookworm. Harry loved to read, preferring novels to the more almanac type books his lover favoured.
Surrounded by shelves of books simply brimming with magic and information Harry settled down to work on his thesis. He was researching the history of certain dark spells and how they could be defended against. It was fascinating really; many of the spells were bastardized versions of spells that used to be used to help people. Avada Kedarva, for example, used to be a form of euthanasia, a gentle and easy way for a person to die if they were suffering from a terminal disease. That was until 1658 when the, then current, Dark Lord began to use it for his executions.
Harry sighed at they way things had changed over the years. He allowed the calming atmosphere of the library to permeate his consciousness and made notes on some of the more despicable dark curses.
As the Burrow had been keyed to the wards earlier Hermione was able to floo straight in. Dobby met her in the entrance hall and happily informed her that Master Harry Potter-Snape was in the library.
The Gryffindor girl was astonished by the sight that met her. Harry was sprawled out on the floor with books and parchment surrounding him. His face even had ink smudges and his fingers were covered. He was so engrossed in whatever it was he was reading that he failed to notice her arrival. His appearance made Hermione consider just how much Harry had changed since she first met him, even over the past year alone. "Hello Harry. You didn't forget I was coming did you?" She almost hated to interrupt him, she knew how annoying it was but she simply couldn't wait any longer.
Green eyes met her warm brown once. A slow smile spread over his face. "Hermione, no I didn't forget. I didn't realise the time. Please sit down. Do you want a drink?" He asked as he tidied his equipment away. Glancing at his hands he cast a general cleaning spell over himself to remove any ink stains. Severus could write for hours and never have a spot of ink on him, Harry only had to look at a quill and he was covered.
"No thanks, Harry. How are you?" She made herself comfortable on one of the chairs noticing that the portraits were back in their usual places, even Sirius was there; he had been suitably cowered by threats. She waved to them briefly.
Harry's face lit up, "I'm great, 'Mione." He smirked at her faint blush. "How about you?"
"Fine. You caused quite a stir when you left. No one knows how you managed to get past the wards. It should have been impossible." Her tone was questioning.
Harry held back laughter, "Ah yes but I regularly do the impossible."
Her look was shrewd now, "So, just how powerful are you?"
This time he did laugh. She was just like is mother. However, he wasn't sure how to answer. "Erm…well. I am both Heir of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I have a soulmate who I am bonded to which means that Severus, who is also a Hogwarts Heir, and I are very powerful." Harry carefully stated his mate's ancestry. He knew it was rather a sore subject with the Slytherin Head even if he was privately proud of his lineage.
"More than Dumbledore?"
"Albus is…significantly weaker than us." He admitted cautiously.
"But he is the most powerful wizard in Great Britain, maybe the world." She argued.
"Was. Hasn't actually been for twenty years but that is rather a moot point." Harry hoped she would leave it there. Really, he and Severus weren't exactly sure just how powerful they were, just that they had yet to come across a spell they could not cast.
Hermione gave him a surprised look but carried on with the mental list of questions she had prepared. "How did you find out you and Severus were soulmates?"
The Gryffindor/Ravenclaw heir smiled in fond recollection. "While we were locked in the ROR Severus and I kissed. After that I thought something and Severus replied to it. Once we realised that we were actually reading each other's minds Severus told me that he had heard of something like this happening before, but that he had thought it was a myth. He told me about soulmates. I hoped that was what we were but we decided to wait and see before making any judgements. Our next trip to Hogsmeade confirmed our suspicions."
The young woman was thoughtful, "What happened in Hogsmeade?"
Harry's face froze, "Lucius Malfoy attacked me. Sev was able to find me and stun him."
"Attacked you? Oh Harry were you hurt?" Hermione was concerned for her friend. Malfoy was well known for his brutality.
"Not physically." Harry answered grimly.
From that she realised that his assault had been sexual. 'At least Snape was there to help him.' She comforted herself with the knowledge that her friend had been in good hands.
For his own part, Sirius, who was unashamedly listening to the conversation, remembered how Malfoy had always acted around Alexander Frost. He had even seen the blond Slytherin try to grope Frost on their way to Herbology once. The prat had been hexed for his trouble. Even though he had hated Frost, Sirius had been impressed at the way he handled himself. After all, he hated Malfoy more than Frost. Now, knowing that Alexander Frost was actually his godson, Harry Potter, he was proud of how powerful the young wizard was and livid at the thought that Malfoy had attempted to lay a hand on him. If he wasn't a portrait he'd have tracked the Slytherin down and castrated him.
Deciding that a different topic was needed Hermione ploughed on, "There is so little information on soulmates and what there is has to be separated from the myths. What are the characteristics of a soulmate couple bond?"
Harry rolled his eyes discreetly, "There is a mental connection which means that we can communicate telepathically. A physical connection, we always know where the other is and can feel if they are in pain. There is also a magical bond, we can tap into each other's power base – basically we share power. Some of the benefits are a longer lifespan and accelerated healing." He smirked at the stunned look on the girl's face, "Any questions?" He drawled sounding for all the world like a smug Slytherin.
Hermione ignored the tone and asked, "So you know where Professor Snape is right now?"
"Of course. He's in his lab. But I didn't need to be his soulmate to know that." The Gryffindor grinned at his friend. Where else would Severus Snape, Potions Master, be?
She looked thoughtful, "I guess. So I figure you found the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' after all."
"Albus always said that Tom didn't understand love. It was almost a shame really. He had so much potential as a child. I can't help but draw parallels between our childhoods. If it wasn't for my friends could I have gone dark? The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin originally and I did do well there." Harry hadn't told this to anyone since his talk with Dumbledore his second year.
"There is no way you could have gone dark, Harry. It simply isn't in you. Besides I doubt Snape would have let you, even before he knew you were Alexander Frost. He always was determined to save you from yourself." Hermione assured her younger friend.
Harry laughed, "That he was." He stood up and hugged the witch, "Thanks, 'Mione."
She wrapped her arms around him tightly, "No problem, Harry."
When he finally pulled back she smiled wickedly at him "So, how powerful are you?"
He burst out laughing. It took Harry a few minutes to stop his chuckles. Holding his hands up in defeat he answered, "Ok, ok…Severus and I are the most powerful wizards alive at the moment as there are only soulmate couples every thousand years or so. Although, on our own we are still more powerful than Albus together we are practically unbeatable." He admitted softly.
Hermione could feel her mouth drop open in shock but couldn't summon the ability to close her jaw. Harry did it for her. He had a nervous but slightly hopeful look on his face.
She finally regained the power of speech, "Can you do wordless magic?"
Harry nodded, "And wandless." He supplied helpfully.
"Lift that table." She commanded pointing to one of the large oak desks opposite the chairs.
Sighing Harry flicked his wrist in the general direction of the table. The desk rose gently into the air with a grace you would not have expected from its size, hovering a few feet above the ground. Harry just looked to the witch with a bored expression. "Can't you think of anything harder?"
She as watching him in amazement. While she could just about do wordless spells she needed her wand for everything. Harry's wand was lying on the floor beside him, where it had been ever since she had arrived. Finally she pulled an orb, the size of a football out of her bag. It was perfectly transparent. But when Hermione held it in both hands it began to glow with a soft golden light.
Harry looked at it, not understanding what it was; he could sense the powerful magics in it. "What is it?" He asked curiously.
She let go in order to answer him, "It's a power-measurer, an alimentera. The idea is to hold it and let your magic flow through. However bright it glows indicates how powerful you are."
Harry had to ask, "So…how powerful are you?"
"I'm quite powerful. More so than Ron but less than Professor McGonagall. I borrowed it off Professor Dumbledore. His light is very bright; it stings your eyes to stare into it." She confessed. Dumbledore was believed to be the most powerful wizard of the age and indeed he had been, until Severus had been born thirty-seven years ago. Not that anyone apart from Harry and Severus knew it of course, well now Hermione knew.
The young man smirked. He held his hand out for the orb and she passed it to him. Before he sent his own magic into the alimentera he called his mate, (Severus, could you please join us in the library for a few minutes?)
(I'll be up in five minutes, love.) Severus replied. Harry could sense that he was almost finished with what appeared to be a blood thickening potion.
The Gryffindor/Ravenclaw heir concentrated on allowing his magic to flow through the orb. He watched in curiosity as it glowed a bright white light that could not be looked at dead on. Glancing away with tears in his eyes the Gryffindor caught sight of his old friend's awestruck expression. He laughed as he broke the connection.
"Dear Merlin, Harry! You weren't joking when you said you were stronger than Dumbledore were you?" It wasn't really a question. The knowledge-driven witch retrieved a quill and parchment from her bag and hastily jotted down some notes, punctuated by asking questions which Harry answered.
Hermione jumped as Severus spoke. She had not heard him enter the library. Harry, she saw, fought not to laugh at her reaction but Snape's face was inscrutable as always. "Hello, Professor Snape." She returned the greeting.
The Potions Master looked down at his husband, "You called me?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I did. 'Mione's brought an alimentera. I want us to try it together." He explained. (It almost blinded us when I tried it. Have you ever used it before?) He mentally questioned his lover.
Severus rose an elegant eyebrow but deigned to say anything aloud. (No, I have never used it before. It is Albus' if I am not mistaken?)
Harry sent the equivalent of a smirk, (It is. This should be fun.)
Severus held his hand out to his lying mate and gently pulled him to his feet. Without letting go of Harry's hand Severus summoned the orb and each wizard placed a hand on it.
As one they allowed their magic to pass into the enchanted orb. It glowed like a mini sun for a split second before smashing into a million tiny pieces.
Harry and Severus had automatically shielded the room so nothing was hurt.
Hermione was horrified. What would she tell the headmaster? The orb was priceless! An antique.
With a shared smirk at her reaction Harry and Severus worked as one again to draw back all the shards back together. The alimentera was restored to its original state. They re-cast the charms on it and banished it to Hermione's book bag.
(Albus will have a field day with this.) Harry said.
He could sense Severus' agreement. (Indeed.)
The next time Harry looked up he saw Hermione staring at him as though all her birthdays and Christmases had come at once. She wasn't the only one. Lily Potter's portrait also had a gleam in her eyes that mean only one thing for the soulmates. Experiments. The two men did the only smart thing possible. They apparated away.
Harry and Severus reappeared in their bedroom and immediately threw up the strongest wards they knew. No one could get in now.
The Potions Master snorted suddenly, "What happened to your Gryffindor courage?"
"It was overridden by my Slytherin sense of self-preservation. You know what that look meant, Sev. We're Hermione and Lily's new lab rats." Harry replied snidely.
Severus blanched, "Indeed." He conceded silkily. "Obliviate is always an option." He suggested dryly.
"We couldn't do that, Sev. They're family. We'll just have to avoid them for a while or give in and let them test our powers." Harry didn't look especially pleased at either of the options. In truth he hadn't wanted anyone to know how powerful they were. People tended to fear what they did not understand or tried to control it. Just look at the Dursleys. They had attempted to beat the magic out of him because they were afraid of it. Harry didn't want to be feared; he just wanted to be left alone.
"It would be a very long while. Lily can be avoided easily enough. Definitely if we confined her to her portrait. Granger, on the other hand, could prove to be a problem. Do you want the rest of your family to know?" Severus asked.
"Our family, Sev." Harry corrected his husband before continuing, "I'm not sure. I don't mind if they know but I don't want anyone else aware of our power. They'd have us pegged as the next Dark Lords faster than you can say slander."
"We will just have to be very careful in public then. It is not as though we are unthinking Gryffindors – we are already cautious, Harry. All will be well." Severus comforted his mate. He made a mental note to look into hiring someone to stop all the Daily Prophet articles on them, especially those on his mate. Harry always laughed at the sorry excuse for a newspaper but the Potions Master knew that sometimes their comments stung.
"As long as Hermione stays we're stuck in here. What do you suggest we do to pass the time?" Harry asked suggestively. He couldn't seem to get enough of his dark haired lover. The Gryffindor/Ravenclaw heir fell more in love each day. He was smitten, he knew it, but couldn't bring himself to care. If he was honest with himself he had been smitten since he had arrived in the Great Hall, twenty years in the past.
Severus was suddenly very glad for the longevity of a wizard's life, he was still considered quite young, no where near middle age yet, if he were a Muggle he would likely have difficulty keeping up with his younger lover. As it was the man suppressed a moan as Harry's talented hands stroked him through his pants expertly.
Instead he captured his lover's mouth and explored it thoroughly until they both broke away panting.
"Want you." Harry gasped.
"You have me." Severus teased his husband as he playfully nipped at the skin on Harry's neck.
"No, want you. In me. Now." Harry insisted impatiently.
Severus relented. "As you wish." Kissing Harry again he steered them towards the large bed.
They quickly came together in the familiar position, hot skin on skin. Touching, feeling their way across the other's already-memorized body. The feelings and responses elicited would never grow old.
One of them found the familiar jar of lubricant. Fingers found Harry's entrance and began to prepare him.
Severus finally pushed in, he was home. He began to thrust when Harry clenched around him, encouraging him to move.
They sought their way to completion together, both taking and receiving pleasure. The bond allowed their feelings to be shared and they lowered the shields they had erected months ago. They became one. Harry could feel Severus inside him and at the same time felt what Severus felt inside him. It was amazing. The pleasure couldn't last.
They came almost at the same time, each crying his lover's name.
After a few minutes Severus rolled off Harry, thinking that he might like to sample some of the air in the room. He lay at his mate's side, flushed and sweaty.
Harry wrapped his arms around his lover. "That certainly passed the time." Harry said satedly. He closed his eyes for a brief second. "She's still here though. I'll go talk to her."
The young powerful wizard returned to the library to find his friend taking notes on the parchment she had brought. He announced his entrance with a soft, "Hello, 'Mione."
She jumped, "Harry James Potter-Snape, where did you disappear to?" Ooops she was mad.
Harry cringed inwardly. "Hermione, I'm sorry about disappearing like that. I don't want anyone out side the family to know about what you saw today. Please swear you won't tell."
Hermione gave a wizard's oath she would keep their secret. She understood why – the public and Ministry would fear and seek to control them. 'The two most powerful wizards of our time and what do they do with their lives? Teach children! Figures.' She thought in amusement.
"Yeah, I guess but Sev does invent new potions as well you know. Wolfsbane and Veritaserum are his, along with quite a few others." Harry responded to her thoughts.
The witch narrowed her eyes. "Harry, kindly get out of my head." She said with false lightness.
"Sorry! I forgot to block. You were broadcasting though." He apologised with a grin.
"Can you teach me Occlumency?" The witch wanted to know how to guard her mind from other, plus it was more information to assimilate.
"Sure. If I taught Sev I can teach you. There aren't many good books on it." He agreed easily.
"Well that's a good paradox. He teaches you and you taught him originally twenty years in the past." Hermione commented dryly.
"Yeah. I found it funny too. But I have to say I was a better teacher than Sev. He didn't take half as long to pick it up as I did." Harry joked.
A voice from the doorway made Hermione jump but Harry had sensed his mate's proximity. "That would only suggest that I am smarter than you, Frost. Admit it; you didn't try when I first tried to teach you."
"Maybe not but you didn't explain it well either. 'Clear your mind'." Harry mimicked sarcastically. Then he very maturely stuck his tongue out.
(Put that away unless you want me to find a use for it.) Severus warned his husband, an undercurrent of suggestion in his tone.
Harry's tongue shot back into his mouth as quick as a flash as the innuendo reached him. He blushed lightly. (Maybe later.) He quipped.
Hermione coughed gently and then spoke, "Do you mind if I tell the headmaster what happened? I think Ron would be very interested as well."
"You can tell the family, 'Mione. Better yet, tell them that I will answer any of their questions if they want to talk but I will not be a lab rat." Harry informed his old friend.
"Of course. See you Harry. Goodbye Professor Snape."
The Potions Master rallied himself to say. "Please call me Severus, Miss Granger."
"Only if you will call me Hermione." She agreed.
The witch left the house for Hogwarts, leaving the soulmates alone apart from Dobby.
After a brief kiss Harry went back to his studies and Severus to his lab.
alimentera is butchered Italian for measure.