Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

The next few days were the best in Harry's life. Every dream he had had of his parents was coming true. All he had ever wanted was to know the real James and Lily Potter. He spent most mornings getting ready for the next school term, but then after lunch and through the evenings he spent with his parents. Asking questions of their school days and him as a baby.

On the fourth day since the Potter's arrival, that routine was changed. Not long after the dawn, Harry entered his parent's chambers, waking them. A sleepy and rumpled Lily wandered out of the bedroom into the living room. "Harry? what are you doing up so early?"

Harry looked sheepishly back at his mother. "Sorry Mum, I want to take you and Dad somewhere for breakfast. Hermione fire called me late last evening and I didn't get a chance to talk to you last night."

"Well let me go wake up James. Dress code?"

"Casual" Harry replied.

A few minutes later a large crash and swearing could be heard from the room. Harry laughed. Another thing in common with his father. He was obviously not a morning person. Soon the Potters were ready.

"So Harry, where are we going?" James inquired, "you are being very mysterious".

Harry laughed as he led them towards the Headmaster's office. "I have some very special friends I would like you to meet. We will be flooing to their house. You actually know them but they have been very special to me so I wanted you to see them again."

"Floo?", came the distressed voice of James. "I hate flooing"

Laughter was heard from behind them. "So does Harry. He is not very graceful at it." Minerva then opened the Headmaster's office for them, following them up.

Albus was waiting for them. "So you all ready for your trip? Where is Severus?" Harry shrugged. "He was involved in one of his potions. Research for something. Don't ask me. He said he would meet us in a few minutes. Of course that was a good 30 minutes ago."

"Oooh allow me please Albus." Minerva swept from the room. Harry turned to Albus, "you had better take full responsibility for whatever happens when she gets down there. She had that look in her eyes!"

"Of course my boy." The Headmaster's eyes twinkled.

"Minerva delights in tormenting Severus. He mutters and grumbles about her 'busybody ways' but we all know he looks forward to their battles." Harry explained to his parents.

"Well my children, you should get going. Don't worry Harry I will send Severus on after you." The headmaster gestured towards the fireplace.

Harry stepped in first. "The Burrow" With a flash of green flame, Harry disappeared. James and Lily soon followed.

With an ungraceful thud, Harry landed in the Weasley's kitchen. Lily and James came tumbling out after him. Lily laughed at the sight that greeted her. Harry was sprawled out on the floor, covered from head to foot in soot. "Minerva was right. You really aren't very graceful at that" Harry blushed as he got up and tried to clean up as best he could.

"I thought that was you! I was sitting there thinking to myself that 'only my boy Harry makes such a racket when using floo' and here you are!" Molly Weasley walked into the room.

Harry smiled and wrapped the round red-haired woman in his arms. "Hi Molly! You are looking as gorgeous as ever." Molly blushed prettily.

"Oh you big charmer. " Molly pulled back from his embrace, looking her adoptive son over critically. "You are too skinny. I am going to have to have a word with Dobby over what he is giving you to eat!"

Harry laughed and said, "You know, you say that every time I see you, and then for the next few weeks I end up with Dobby watching me like a hawk at every meal. Then he shows up in my office with biscuits and tea every morning and afternoon!"

"Well, good! You need all the food you can get! For being such a good friend I am going to make Dobby some new socks and a tea cozy."

Now she turned to Lily and James, "Ron and 'Mione told me about you coming, thought they were pulling my leg, goodness knows my boys tell me the craziest stories." Engulfing Lily in a hug, molly stated. "You have an incredible son. He has his mother's heart and his father's good looks!"

"Thank you." Lily, taken by surprise at the obvious love and affection displayed between her son and Mrs. Weasley. Just then a man with the same red hair popped into the living room.

"Harry! I didn't know you were coming!" Arthur Weasley reached for Harry with another bear hug, which Harry returned.

"Mum, dad, I would like you to meet Arthur and Molly Weasley, my lifesavers and the people who introduced me to what Wizarding families should be."

James and Lily reached out and shook the Weasley's hands. "It's good to see you again. Thank you."

Smiling with tears in her eyes, Molly reached out and gave Lily a hug. Her mother's heart needing no explanation for the gratitude and heartache shining in Lily's eyes.

"Harry, if you ever set that woman loose in my lab again, you are sleeping on the couch for the unforeseeable future!" Severus Snape snarled as he stepped gracefully out of the fireplace.

Startled out of the emotion-charged moment, everyone turned toward the Potion Master. Harry laughed and teased his husband, "So what did you do to her?"

Eyebrow cocked, Severus started to reply when several red heads suddenly appeared in the room. Pandemonium reigned as all seven of the Weasley children, their spouses and children crowded into the room.

Percy, Penelope and their 3 children; Ginny and Neville Longbottom with their newborn son; Fred and George with Katie and Angelina. Much to Severus' relief, neither of the twins had procreated yet. Bill and Fleur arrived next along with Charlie and his wife who was also a dragon trainer. They each had 2 children. Needless to say chaos reigned.

Soon Molly, with an expertise learned over many years as the head of the Weasley clan, managed to get everyone seated for breakfast. Harry was seated across from his parents with Molly on one side and Ron on the other. To the consternation of both parties Severus ended up next to James. They did their best to ignore each other. Stories were being told causing each person in turn to be the source of laughter. James and Lily could only watch in awe and confusion as multiple conversations reigned at once. Severus leaned back in his chair. Breaking his resolve to ignore his childhood rival, he remarked aside to James, "Baffling and migraine inducing to watch this lot, is it not?"

James too bemused by the scene around him, forgot whom he was talking to. "That it is. Though when I heard that Harry had been raised by those disgusting relatives of Lily's I was afraid he had grown up with out knowing love and family. Does my heart good to see that he had this family to become a part of."

"Definitely has become a part of it. Molly took him under her wing in the summer before Harry's second year. She hasn't let him go since. She protects and treats him like one of her own." Severus remarked, humor glinting in his eyes. "When Harry and I first became involved he was scared spitless about telling Molly. Out of everyone, she is the one he fears letting down."

James curious now at how Harry and Severus finally became involved asked, "So how did he finally tell Molly?"

***FLASHBACK***

Severus arrived in Harry's chambers, to find his lover brooding into a glass of brandy, students' essays spread out on his desk.

"Sulking, Harry?"

Harry looked up, a scowl on his face. "I don't sulk. I'm brooding. There's a difference."

"Well pardon me, looked like sulking to me" Severus smirked. "So what are you brooding about today? Voldemort is gone, the Death Eaters all rounded up. What else could be distracting you?"

"It's nothing. Now if you could excuse me, I have essays to mark." Harry evaded the question, and turned back to his desk.

Severus came around the desk and leaned up against it, blocking Harry from his quill and ink. Irritated Harry looked up at his lover and glared. The Potions master ignored him and continued his prodding. " I guess it could be the idiots we teach especially those Gryffindors but for some unfathomable reason you actually like those imbeciles. So it can't be them." Harry not wanting to continue the discussion, got up and grabbed a book off the shelf. Stalking over to the couch, he sat and opened up his book, determined to ignore Snape.

Getting irritated with Harry's mood, Severus glared down at the desk trying to calm down before he said something he would regret later. Noticing a letter opened on the desk, he picked it up. It was a note from Molly Weasley, inviting Harry and "his new friend" to dinner the next weekend. Understanding dawned. Taking the note, Severus moved over to the couch sitting next to harry. Grabbing the book away, Sev forced Harry to look at him.

"Does this mood you're in have to do with Mrs. Weasely's invitation?"

Harry sighed and looked away. "I want to tell her everything. She has been my rock and center for so long, it hurts not being able to share this with her. To show her that I am finally happy." He got up and leaned against the fireplace, then turned to face his lover. "I know we agreed to keep this between us for now. I understand why. Nobody would understand and many will condemn us for it. But I don't care about everybody else. I just want Molly to understand."

"Harry, if you want to tell her, then tell her. You won't know her reaction until you do. Sitting here worrying about it won't make the situation different."

Harry, surprised, commented, "I thought you would be annoyed at me telling Molly."

Severus just looked balefully at his lover. "I quite like Molly Weasley, as you know. It is those imbecilic children of hers I can't stand."

Harry laughed. "Come on, they are not that bad."

Sev snorted. "I may respect what they have managed to do after Hogwarts, but I am not teaching any children of Fred and George!!"

Harry shuddered. "Merlin forbid!"

"So, please reply to Molly that you and your "new friend" would love to join them for dinner."

"If you are sure..."

"Actually I am quite looking forward to the screams of horror this will cause."

Harry just glared at his lover.

***END FLASHBACK***

Fascinated, James asked, "So were the screams everything you hoped for?"

"Oh and more!" Severus smirked. By this time, the rest of the table had tuned into their conversation and thought to put their two knuts in.

"Actually I think they heard the ruckus in the village!" Ron laughed at his mum. "She screamed loud enough!"

Molly hit her youngest son upside the head. "Ronald Weasley! Really, I wasn't that bad!"

Harry interjected, "Actually Molly..." Ducking to avoid the dishcloth she chucked at his head, he could only laugh as he continued the story for his parents.

"Sev and I apparated in, as I wanted time to gather the courage in the walk to the front door...."

***FLASHBACK***

Harry, looking apprehensively at Severus, knocked on the Weasley's front door. Soon, the bustle of activity could be heard.

"Really Harry, love, you don't have to knock! Now who is this young chap we have been dying to meet?"

Looking past Harry, she was floored to see not a young, strong Auror like she was expecting, but the much-despised Potions Master of Hogwarts.

"Why, Severus, what on earth...." Before she could complete her sentence, Harry interrupted.

"Molly, there is no 'young chap'. I have been seeing Severus." He was terrified to look up and see her reaction. When no explosion came, he sneaked a look.

Molly was just standing there like a statue with her mouth gaping. She finally sputtered. "Well of course you have been seeing Severus. I imagine you see him everyday since you are both at Hogwarts." She was desperately trying to come up with another explanation.

"No Molly, you don't understand..." Harry pleaded with her.

Severus, completely annoyed by now, interrupted Harry. "Really Molly, it is not that difficult to understand, even for you Gryffindors. We are lovers, living together and all that entails."

Harry glared at him. "Now that was tactful!"

"Well it saves time yes?"

The argument was stopped by Molly Weasley hitting the floor. Suddenly all 7 Weasley children crowed into the door. "Harry! What happened to Mum?" Ron exclaimed, running to help his brother Charlie to pick Molly up.

Harry, followed them anxiously into the living room, where Molly was placed on the couch. "I just gave her a bit of shocking news. Obviously she didn't take it very well."

Ron seeing his former professor in the doorway, guessed what the shocking news was. "So you finally decided to tell Mum about you and Snape?"

Harry whirled around towards his best friend. "how did you..."

Ron interrupted, "Harry, I'm your best friend. I know I can be a bit dense and slow at times but I know you! The last few months have been the happiest I have ever seen you! Not to mention you are never in your rooms when I call. And all those 'conferences' were getting a little absurd. I mean how many can you have in a week?" Both Harry and Sev smirked at that, remembering what those conferences had entailed. Certainly no student concerns were ever discussed.

Ron continued, "Also I have heard rumors that Snape has been 'nicer' in his classes. I even heard at one class Gryffindor only lost 5 points! And I have always said that Snape just needed to get laid."

"And why would my personal life have any bearing on how I conduct my classes. Mr. Weasley?" Severus advanced, black eyes flashing dangerously. Ron gulped nervously.

"You aren't angry?" Harry asked. "I thought you would all be disgusted with me for falling in love with Snape."

Unfortunately for Harry, Molly chose that moment to wake up. "Why am I in the living room?" Before anyone could answer, Molly spotted Harry and Severus standing next to each other. Realization dawning in her eyes, she stood up and let loose her infamous temper.

"Harry James Potter!! How dare you!" Harry's heart broke, as this was exactly the reaction he feared.

But then Molly continued in a vein he had not been expecting. "How dare you think so little of me that I would be disgusted about who you choose! I don't give a flying hoot even if you had chosen Malfoy as long as it makes you happy! I am disgusted with you that you kept it a secret! How long has this been going on?"

Harry winced, "ummm 8 months."

"Eight months! And you just now decided to tell your family?!" Molly was so furious she could only stalk out of the room.

The Weasleys and Harry winced as the sound of banging pots could be heard. "Oh you've done it now, mate." the twins said. "She only bangs her precious pots when she is contemplating throwing them at your head!"

Harry gulped and followed the woman he considered his mother into the kitchen. "Molly? I'm sorry. I should have known better. I know the rest of the world will condemn us. I know that you are better than that. I just let my fear overcome that."

Heart softening at the heartfelt words, Molly turned to her surrogate son. "Yes you should have known better, but I understand." Giving Harry a hug, "Now go get the others so we can have dinner."

***END FLASHBACK***

"That doesn't sound as bad as you made it seem." Lily commented.

"Oh but see the lecturing once she woke up was done at top volume. and no one has better lungs than Molly Weasley." Harry teased. Then had to duck as this time a fork came flying his way.

AN: Ok so that didn't go exactly as planned, but I guess it works :-) I promise the next chapter will have more flashbacks and the story of Harry and Sev's relationship!!

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