Grateful_by_Lotrwariorgodss

Grateful
by Lotrwariorgodss

All the children know the story. In their cradles they hear it through the soft, hypnotic voices of their nurses, sung in evening lullabies. When they grow to be too big for cradles, it is from the naptime tales the Keeper's tell; eight wide-eyed toddlers stare from their beds, a circle of fascination around their Keeper. The first books they are given feature bold, bright pictures, and the words tell the now-familiar story that is their oldest memory. By the time they reach Academy and are entrusted with their first textbook rendition, they can tell it well enough that they'd be able to teach it to their own children. Not that they'll have to worry about that, of course.

The story is one of power and oppression, hatred and sorrow. And it is the only reason tyranny has a hold over the magical world, the only reason why Muggles are hunted and killed, the only reason why the people tolerate a society dominated by fear, the only reason why they merely shake their heads when their friends and neighbours are arrested and executed. It is the only reason why they let their differences divide them and make them enemies. It is the reason why Dark Lords have reigned for nearly three hundred years. It is the story of the magical genocide, how Muggles and blood-traitors and rebellious wizards turned on their own kind, killing hundreds of thousands of Wizarding families, men, women, and children alike.

It would, perhaps, be compelling enough to justify the tyranny in which all wizards now live. The story, however, is not true. A control strong enough to drive the masses to a fearful existence, that was all the past Lords needed, and it was exactly what they had accomplished in the end.

But tyrants always forget one fundamental rule: What rises must also fall.

***************************************************

BB,
I know you'll be cross with me for not writing last week, but it couldn't be helped; I managed to…convince one of the Masters to let me spend a week with the boys. I see them so little as it is, and with my next birthing year due to start next week, it'll be months before I see them again. I knew you'd understand.
But enough about me – I hope you are as well as you can be. I am grateful every time I check the list of scheduled executions and do not find your name, though I still worry for you.

-- LB

***************************************************

"Good morning, you old bat!"

Severus's quill paused on the letter he was writing and a good measure of tea sloshed out onto the table when the spoon stirring it came to a halt. He groaned; it was far, far too early to deal with the owner of that voice. He looked up just as the familiar platinum blond head peeked around the doorframe.

"Awake before noon, Draco? Your social life must be in a sad state if your vices are slept off so easily."

His grey eyes rolled as he unfastened his Floo cloak and dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor. "Are you going to offer me some tea or are you just going to snark at me?" Severus merely raised an eyebrow and conjured another cup. "Thank you."

Draco prepared his tea and stayed mercifully, uncharacteristically silent as Severus finished his letter. When it was rolled and sent, the older man turned back to his teenage intruder. "Well? You've not gifted me with any inane babble as usual, so I can only assume you must want something." The guilty look confirmed his suspicions. "Out with it."

"Actually, Severus, I need to ask you a favour." He paused, taking a steadying breath. "I need you to choose someone else for the apprenticeship."

Severus frowned. Draco had been all but begging to apprentice under him since he hit his teens, and Severus had all but agreed. It helped that Lucius Malfoy – Draco's father and an old…acquaintance of Severus's – had the boy's life planned before his birth, and a prestigious Apprenticeship close to home had been a main factor in the equation. "Why?" he asked, genuine curiosity outweighing his desire to flatly refuse.

"Because I asked you to."

Petulant aristocrat to the end. "You know you're the best applicant I have, Draco. It would be irresponsible of me to accept a sub-par candidate. Besides, your father –"

"What about him? What the fuck does he have to do with this?!" The blond's voice immediately plunged to a threatening level, dropping all the usual signs of flirtation and superiority it carried.

"A great deal, Draco. You are an excellent student in your own right, but Lucius has done a lot to ensure your placement with me. He would be severely disappointed –"

Draco slammed his fist on the table and the delicate china trembled. "Is he your Master too? Do you live your life by his leave, waiting for his nod of approval, begging for acceptance and praise like some pitiful slave?!"

Severus stared at him from across the table, calm and concerned, more for Draco than his china. The blond looked away, ashamed.
"First, I have told you time and time again that until you control that temper, no one will ever take you seriously. Second, you will tell me the reason for your request this instant or Lucius will be very pleased with tomorrow's apprenticeship announcements."

Draco sighed and stood, crossing the room to stare out the window. "I need to get out of here, Severus; I can't live like this anymore. I have to get away from him."

"Running from your problems will not make them disappear, Draco."

"I know that. But this is the best thing I can do right now. If I stay here, either I will go mad and actually stand up to him, which will end in my death or lifelong imprisonment or worse, or he will shape me into his little clone and I will be miserable until I die." He turned away from the window and looked at Severus. The boy had never looked so desperate. "You know what will happen if I stay, Severus. I know you're his friend, " – the older man scoffed – "but you're my godfather. You're supposed to protect me, aren't you?"

Severus sighed; Draco had known how to tug at his heartstrings since he was in nappies, and his skill had only improved with age. "You know I am no slave to Lucius, but he will not be pleased with this arrangement." The blond's face lit up with hope. "I suppose if you can handle the consequences, so can I."

Draco visibly relaxed, the sharp angles of his face softening with relief. "Thank you, Severus. You really don't know how much this means to me." He brightened again, his usual cheeky demeanour returning. "Besides, it's not like I'll be sitting around doing nothing; I've applied for an Apprenticeship at an academy in Hamburg – Potions, of course – and the Master there already assured me I'd be accepted."

Severus frowned. "Germany, is it?" Draco nodded. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain German Quidditch player, over whom you spent the summer swooning, would it?"

The blond blushed faintly, and smirked. "Maybe. But, I think it surpassed swooning once he had me on my bedroom floor."

Severus ground his teeth together to keep from gasping out loud. When he spoke, he did so calmly, but there was fury in his voice. "Draco. Are you completely unhinged?! What if your father…what if anyone had found you?! I have not spent the last seventeen years protecting you from your father's wrath just so your hormones could deliver you straight into the hands that will toss you into jail before eviscerating you and hanging what's left of your body on a public spike! How many countless times have I warned you –"

A soft knock on the door interrupted Severus's tirade. He glared at Draco before storming to the door and pulling it open violently.
"What is it?" he snapped.

The boy in his threshold – the disruption – startled and took a step back. "Hello. I um…I'm here to request an interview for the Potions Apprenticeship. But if this isn't a good time…"

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Bit of a procrastinator, are we?" Draco drawled from the sitting room, and the boy at the door gave another start, nervously shifting his eyes from Severus's face to the doorjamb.

"I know this is a bit late notice, but I only got into town this morning and it's taken me the day to get through the Academy paperwork. I have everything here though." He rummaged through his knapsack and pulled out a folder, surprisingly not ripped at the edges and falling apart like the boy seemed to be.

Severus felt a slight annoyance at having his rant interrupted, but with Draco out of the running for his Apprenticeship, he was left with some rather poor options, and at least this boy was a new face, possibly with an improved set of skills. True, he did seem a little…skewed, from his off-kilter glasses to the rat's nest on his head and his untied shoelaces, but Severus shuddered imagining how many priceless ingredients and pieces of equipment would suffer at the hands of the remainder of his applicant pool. He nodded curtly.

"You may have your interview as soon as I get rid of this brat." Draco gasped in mock offence, and Severus gestured down the hall to the door adjacent to his. "Wait in my office." The boy nodded and the door was shut on him. Severus turned back to Draco. "Now, I believe I was shouting at you."

The blond let out a bored sigh. "When are you not shouting at me, you old screech owl?" He left his place by the window and gathered his cloak from where he had tossed it carelessly on the floor. He opened the door in preparation to leave, and caught sight of the new boy struggling to get through Severus's office door, knapsack falling off his shoulder, pushing his luggage along with his foot.

Draco smiled fondly. "He's adorable, Severus; maybe I will stay after all."
Severus gave him a murderous glare and Draco laughed wickedly. "Don't worry, you jealous old bastard – he's all yours."

Severus brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes wearily. Teenagers. Teenagers will be the death of me. "He's applying for the Apprenticeship, Draco, not for the position of my personal catamite."

"That's an Academy sanctioned position, is it? Why didn't you tell me? Figures that as soon as I leave this place becomes infinitely more enjoyable."

"Draco, get out." He shoved the chuckling blond out the door. "If I see you again before you leave for Germany, you will regret it."

Draco just laughed and walked through the threshold, Severus following closely after him so the obnoxious boy wouldn't be tempted to stop by his office and harass the new arrival. The blond turned to wave at him once he reached the end of the hall, then walked out of sight. Severus sighed heavily; Draco had always caused more trouble than he was worth, but he might just be in over his head this time. He had never taken the law seriously, especially the one forbidding homosexuality, even though his father had never tried to shelter him from the disgusting display of hollowed-out bodies that were now a constant in front of the Ministry steps. Severus had tried to teach him discretion, but that never seemed to go well with youth, and he had a constant fear of someday seeing that platinum blond hair streaked with blood and that body he had raised from infancy desecrated. He rubbed at his temples roughly and composed himself as he opened the door to his office.

Severus took his seat behind the old wooden desk and addressed his new applicant. "Forgive me; my godson is…"

"Amusing?" the boy suggested, a slight grin twitching at his mouth's edge.

"Infuriating is the word, though I'm sure he amuses himself to no end." The boy chuckled and Severus took his application, pretending to read it. "You are aware, Mister…" his eyes flicked up to the name, "Potter, that Hogwarts Academy's Apprenticeship announcements will be made tomorrow."

"I am, sir."

"And your transcripts are only partial."

"They are, sir."

Severus looked up from the application and stared. He had had plenty of unqualified, under-prepared candidates in this wave of applications, but even they had given him complete information and had finished the application process weeks if not months in advance. Had it been one of his usual dunderheads, Severus would have thrown him out so fast not one word of ridiculous excuse for ineptitude could pass his lips.

But…now that he looked more closely, there was something about this boy, something much more profound than his "adorableness" as Draco had put it. He seemed too confidant to be simply lazy and apathetic about his future, too intense in his voice and looks regardless of his haphazard grooming. Severus stared at him until the boy grew uncomfortable and fidgeted in his seat.

"I am unaccustomed to doing this, Mister Potter, but since I am not familiar with your level of incompetence, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and let you explain why you have given me an incomplete application on the day I am to make my decision."

The boy smiled. "Thank you. Sir." His smile widened. "I'd heard you were something of a bastard – obviously my source was mistaken."

Severus prickled automatically, even though he knew his reputation was less than favourable at the Academy. But the boy's eyes showed no malice or mockery, and he realized he was being complimented, if not a bit teased. No other student had shown such moxy in his presence – they usually cowered in terror – and he was surprised at the lack of irritation he felt at the attitude. He almost smiled. Almost.

"Indeed," he said with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "The explanations?"

"A few years after I started at my last school, there was…a large fire. Most of the buildings were burnt, including those that stored the records. I do have my O.W.L.s recorded, though, and I can give you the name of that school if you need to verify –"

"Unnecessary," Severus said, effectively interrupting him. "Your test scores will be sufficient. Now, why apply so late? You mentioned you just arrived in town?"

The boy fidgeted slightly, but answered without hesitation. "Yes, I just left Surrey yesterday."

Severus raised an eyebrow after Potter paused, not intending to go on. "And?"

He now looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Well…I knew I wanted to take an apprenticeship, and I knew your reputation was one of the best, so…I came here."

Severus smoothed the application down on his desk, his mind easily reading the holes in the boy's story. "Living in Surrey would not have prevented you from applying in a timely fashion, if it was truly my reputation that led you here. And how many applicants would bring their luggage on an easily Apparated trip? The whole truth now, Mister Potter – what are you running from?"

"I'm not in any sort of trouble or anything like that, sir," he said with a frown. "I just wanted to leave, and I hoped if I got a chance to talk to you I could also get a chance at the apprentice spot. If I don't get it…" he shrugged, "I'll find work someplace and wait out the year until I can apply again."

The boy was a terrible liar. Restless teenager or not, people did not just gather their lives on their backs and trek to unknown cities to seek out their dreams; things like that didn't happen anymore. There were laws to be followed and appearances to keep up, and things like spontaneity and hope were frowned upon from all angles.

"Very well. I'd prefer you tell me, but I am not one to praise the virtue of honesty; I just hope you've run far enough that whatever it is would not interfere in your work here." The boy started in with a protest, but one raised hand silenced him effectively. "What is your interest in Potions, Mister Potter?"

Despite his protest, the boy looked relieved to be moving to a different topic. "Medicinal, mostly. My friend Hermione will be going through Healer training once she completes her birthing year, and she sparked my interest. I hadn't really been very good at Potions before, but once I really started working at it, I was the best in my class."

Severus nodded; his test scores were impressive. "Have you done any research outside your classes?"

The boy nodded. "A little. I just bought Berkstein's Theory of Experimental Potion Making, but I haven't gotten far yet."

'Well, at least he shows interest,' Severus thought. He replaced all the papers in the boy's folder and pushed it across the desk at him.

"I feel it only fair to warn you – should you be accepted, you will be expected to work very hard, perform very well, and you will receive little to no praise. The position of Apprentice is not a glamorous one; I expect you to be at my beck and call at all hours, and you will respond to commands with respect and haste, no matter the time or task, and I have the right to dismiss you any time I like. Your social life will be nonexistent, and you will eat, sleep, and breathe Potions. But," Severus paused, taking small pleasure in the fact that the boy's face had not fallen in displeasure or distaste, "if you are attentive, obedient, and keep your mind sharp, you will leave here with knowledge enough to do anything outside these walls. You will be among the most educated, well-respected Potions Makers in Europe, and the title of Master will be in your reach after only a few years experience."

As Severus finished his practiced sermon, he looked into the boy's eyes expecting to see the haunted, dull, 'What-have-I-done?' look that all the others – save Draco – had expressed. But no, his eyes were practically glowing from the promise of hard work and obedience that Severus had given him. He was glad then that Draco had decided to leave, because he would have found it more than difficult to turn this boy away.

"Yes, sir; I know how to work hard, and I would do my best to make you proud to be my teacher."

Severus regarded him for a moment, face belaying none of the satisfaction he felt with finally finding someone who might be deserving enough to share his expertise. "We shall see," he murmured softly. Then, in a louder voice, "I've nothing more to ask you, boy, so if there's nothing you wish to ask of me, this interview has reached its end."

Potter nodded and leaned in, his elbows firmly planted on the desktop. With a cheeky grin, he asked, "So, did I make it?"

Severus's mouth twitched a bit at the corners, the boy's enthusiasm bringing out his own young side. "You will find out tomorrow along with the rest of the Academy, Mister Potter." The boy sighed, but didn't look too disappointed. "But," Severus said impulsively, "if you have any larger luggage, it may be prudent to have it sent here." The boy's brilliant smile lit up his office and he added, "Just in case, you understand."

"I do, sir. Thank you." He smiled again as he gathered his belongings and made his way out the door. Severus stood to see him out. Turning at the outer threshold, the boy held his hand out. "I'll see you tomorrow, Master Snape?"

Severus shook his hand, surprised at its warmth. "Until tomorrow, Mister Potter."

***************************************************

"And that's the lab. You will ask if you have any questions about ingredients, equipment, or procedures; I will not sacrifice my resources to your pride. When term begins, I will give you a more detailed tour, but that should suffice for now."

Severus's new apprentice followed him, nodding eagerly. "Yes, Master Snape."

"For the love of Merlin, boy," Severus turned and snapped, "you sound like a house-elf. Now stop that." Potter opened his mouth, but shut it quickly, resorting to a simple nod at the narrowing of his Master's eyes. "The classroom is down that hallway to your left, but we'll wait until the start of term for that as well. I assume you remember that this is my office; there is a door adjoining it to the lab. And this is the entrance to our living quarters."

Severus pushed open the large wooden door that the boy had knocked on a mere twenty-four hours before. "This is the parlour, which we share, along with a small kitchenette and dining area. This area is to be your home as well as mine, so you are welcome to any books, food, or entertainment you find that pleases you. I will require you to read at least one journal article a week, which we will then discuss, so you may want to acquaint yourself with the various journals on the shelves as well."

He walked down a corridor and pushed open the first door they came to.
"Here are your rooms – just a bedroom and washroom. They're a bit spartan, but you will be spending most of your time in the lab or the parlour anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"No, Master Snape," the boy said. Severus raised an eyebrow at him and he flustered. "I mean, um, no it won't be a problem, Master Snape. I grew up in an orphan house before school, so I'm used to sharing rooms smaller than this."

Severus experienced a brief moment of shock, and a little pity, but he covered it well. "Good then. You may do whatever you wish with your room, but I will tell you that I look down on slovenliness. My room is down the hall at the end of the corridor should you need me outside of normal hours. Any questions, Mr Potter?"

"Just one – will you stop calling me Mr Potter?" That cheeky grin returned with a vengeance.

"Indeed," Severus said, suppressing a smile of his own, "and what would you like me to call you?"

"You didn't forget my first name already, did you?"

It was harder to suppress his smile at that mock pout, the same one that would have vexed him had it been on another face. "No, Harry. I will address you that way if you wish."

The boy smiled. "I do. Now, what's first on the agenda?"

"I'll leave you to unpack and get settled until dinner. Since it's the first night of term, we should join in the feast in the Great Hall, but most other nights we will dine here. Come to the parlour at six, or whenever you've finished in your rooms."

Harry nodded and dropped his luggage at the end of his new bed. Severus turned to leave, but Harry's voice stopped him. "Master Snape?" He turned. "I just wanted to thank you for choosing me. I know it was a risk, and you still don't really know a whole lot about me, but I promise I won't make you regret it."

Severus regarded him warmly, noting with pleasure just how well Harry seemed to fit into their chambers already. "You were my best candidate, Harry, despite everything; I couldn't not choose you."

Harry shrugged. "Still, thanks."

Severus nodded at him. "You're welcome, Harry." The boy smiled and turned back to his luggage as Severus turned toward the door. Out of all the apprentices that he had taken, he couldn't help feeling that this was the first time one had moved in to his chambers and it had felt more like an enhancement than an intrusion. Perhaps this year wouldn't be as insufferable as he'd thought.

***************************************************

LB,
You know I could never be cross with you, and of course I understand. How are the boys? All growing well, I hope. I'm sure you're working them much too hard in their studies – remember they're still just boys, even if Orion is…sixteen now? I've tried to keep track of the years in here – having R helps – but it's hard. Still, you shouldn't worry about me; I'm sure I've been forgotten, and it'd be more of a bother than not to execute me now.
I know by the time you've read this letter, your week of conception will have already passed. Words can't do justice to the amount of rage I still feel over that. I don't know how you can be so blasé about it, but I won't dwell on it – I know how you hate that.

-- BB

***************************************************

"Tell me what's wrong with these Fireball scales, Harry."

The apprentice looked up from his own cauldron and studied the dish of crushed scales. "Not fine enough?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

Harry smiled. "Statement. They need to be ground into powder."

"Good. Why?"

"Dragon scales won't dissolve properly unless they're in a complete powder form. If undissolved, they lose their magical properties and the resulting potion is useless."

Master Snape placed the dish back on his worktable and resumed grinding. "Good, Harry. How is that Strengthening Solution coming?"

Harry pushed his fringe off his sweaty forehead and stared into his cauldron. "Just waiting for the colour to change so I can add the essence of iron, then it's finished." Not twenty seconds later, he was tipping the last of the iron into his cauldron and sighing in relief. "There – done."

Master Snape acknowledged him with little more than a nod, but Harry knew he was pleased. Harry had been thoroughly enjoying his apprenticeship – his Master already trusted him enough to be brewing many of the infirmary-use potions and a dozen others besides. It was hard to believe he'd learned so much in only two months, but with eating, sleeping, and breathing Potions, as Snape had promised, he hadn't had the distraction of other subjects taking away from his learning. Granted, his main job had been gathering ingredients and observing for the first few weeks, and he still did a great deal of that, but he had learned more working under a Master than he ever would have from a textbook.

Harry had also discovered, thanks to the somewhat tedious amount of downtime in potion making, that Master Snape was much more than the man Harry had expected after hearing his reputation. He wasn't the bastard that most claimed him to be, he just despised laziness, indulgence, and ignorance. He never really told Harry anything about himself, but he had never seemed adverse to Harry telling stories about his own past (not that there was much to tell). He had a biting sense of humour when the mood struck, and he seemed very dedicated to everything he did with an intensity that Harry admired. Despite how much he always claimed being annoyed by his ridiculous godson, whom Harry had now met several times and got along well with, despite their vast differences, it was clear that Snape cared for Draco.

Harry respected him deeply, for reasons that he couldn't even explain to himself. He just knew he had a fierce longing to prove himself to Snape, to be good and worthy in his eyes, to be respected in return.

Harry thought he'd gone a long way in that when he'd brewed one of the most difficult potions in his study level – Wolfsbane – almost entirely on his own the day before. He hadn't thought there was any more need for it since Lord Voldemort had exiled most of the Dark Creatures, but apparently, there was an exception for those he had chosen to guard the prisons; being held by werewolves, vampires, and the like applied some extra element of dread it seemed. Harry had enjoyed the challenge of the potion and the praise that came with it, and he was looking forward to meeting the werewolf liaison that was due to pick it up within the hour.

As if summoned by his thought, a chime rang through the lab that alerted the presence of someone trying to come through their Floo. Snape put down his pestle and stood, motioning for Harry to follow him. By the time they arrived in the parlour, a man in shabby robes was dusting himself off.

"Severus!" he said enthusiastically, as if greeting an old friend.

Snape nodded. "Remus." His response was more subdued, but not lacking for a certain sort of affection. He turned and gestured towards Harry.

"Remus, this is my new apprentice, Harry."

The man's – Remus's – eyes grew wide when they caught sight of him. Harry wondered if he might have something on his face, or if he'd accidentally spilled salamander blood on his shirt, but he looked down and didn't notice anything wrong. He lifted his eyes back up into the man's gaze and shifted uncomfortably when he continued to stare.

"Are you quite alright, Lupin?" Snape asked, more like he was annoyed than merely curious.

At Snape's voice, the man seemed to snap out of his daze and smiled at him. "Yes, Harry, hello. So good to meet you." He shook Harry's hand with a fierce strength and looked on the verge of pulling him into a hug. Maybe it was a werewolf thing.

"Nice to meet you too, Remus." Harry smiled warmly, grateful he had finally stopped staring. "I've never met a werewolf before."

Remus chuckled. "I suppose I'm a bit less ferocious than you expected."

Well, he was right. In fact, he didn't look like he had enough strength in him to transform into anything once a month, much less a werewolf. But Harry just shrugged. "Wasn't expecting anything."

Remus smiled again and finally tore his eyes away from Harry. "Sorry I can't stay very long today, Severus. We're getting some new prisoners, so they need everyone they can get."

Snape shook his head. "No matter. Harry, go get the Wolfsbane, would you?"

Harry nodded and went back into the lab, grabbing the three large unbreakable decanters he had filled the day before and placing them gently into a cloth sack. He went back to the parlour in time to see the werewolf tuck something in his coat and give Snape a grateful look. Harry raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he thrust the sack towards Snape who then handed it to Remus.

"Please let us know if you feel any differences with the potion. Harry brewed it, under my direction of course, and though I do trust his skills, he is still only an apprentice." Snape turned a smirk back at Harry, who gave him a teasing glare.

Remus just laughed. "I will; I'm sure he did a fine job. It was nice meeting you, Harry – I'll drop by for dinner sometime before the next full moon and we can talk some more."

The man disappeared back into the Floo and Snape turned to Harry. "Well, what did you think of him?"

Harry grinned. "Why are you asking my lowly apprentice's opinion, Master Snape?"

The man smirked again. "Such a brat. He's a possible future customer for you, Harry; you should keep that in mind when meeting anyone through the Academy."

Another lesson, of course; Snape seemed to be full of them. "Right – I will, sir."

They headed back to the lab where Harry finished bottling the Strengthening Solution and Snape finished grinding the dragon scales. Snape turned to the cauldron he'd been working on all day and dumped the powder over the rim. Usually they would make a potion together, or Snape would dictate everything he was doing out loud so that Harry could learn, but he hadn't even told him what he was working on this time. Harry hadn't asked, thinking Snape would tell him eventually, but now he was done with all his projects for the day, and he knew the man would dismiss him until dinner. Without telling him about the new potion.

Harry bottled the last of the potion and set the vials in a crate to take to the infirmary later. When he turned back, Snape was at a shelf on the opposite side of the room reaching for a vial.

"I've finished bottling the potion, sir," Harry said.

"Very good. You're free of obligations until dinner then; I have to gather the last ingredient and finish this potion."

Harry frowned. "I can get it for you, Master Snape. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

Snape had been turning towards the door, but at Harry's words, he turned back, a very peculiar look on his face. "I believe this one would be best collected on my own."

Maybe Harry's efforts hadn't made as good an impression as he thought. "Can't I at least help? See how to do it?"

"I would not ask you to do something illegal, Harry." The look in Snape's eyes was a piercing one, verging on dangerous. It pleaded with him to understand the vague hints behind his words. But Harry would have none of that; if it was illegal, it was exciting, and there was no way he could pass up on that.

"Illegal? But, Master Snape –"

"The potion requires fresh seminal fluid, Harry," Snape interrupted, in as firm a voice as Harry had ever heard. He knew he'd heard those words before… "Male ejaculate? Please don't force me to use the more…crude terms."

"Oh," Harry squeaked as he felt his face redden. Snape was going to…and he had offered to…oh God. As the blush spread from his face to his neck, Harry stifled the urge to reach down and press the heel of his hand to his suddenly overexcited prick. The mortification and fear of discovery helped quell his arousal.
"I'll just, um, go…now…right." He practically ran past Snape and down the hallway to his room.

He slammed his door and rested against it, his heart racing with fright, excitement, and a hundred other things he couldn't deal with. He had thought that was over, that awful phase; he thought he had suppressed that part of himself that needed hardness and sweat and rough skin – the part of him that told him he would never be satisfied with a woman's touch. Groaning, he sank to the floor and tried to calm himself down.

It didn't work.

***************************************************

Severus closed his bathroom door gently and leaned his back against it, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It didn't help. Behind his eyelids all he could see was that beautiful blush coming over his young apprentice's face, that hint of innocence and purity that was unmatched by most of the students he'd taught over the years.

But what was worse, perhaps the most damning thing of all, was that Severus was certain Harry had not been merely humiliated by his unintended proposition. No, and his face hadn't shown a hint of disgust either, which was the reaction Severus had been expecting. Instead he had seemed…almost fearful. And aroused. Severus hadn't missed the boy's eyes dart down frantically, even though he didn't think Harry had been aware that he did it.

He unfastened his trousers, took himself in hand and began to stroke methodically, the way he always did when he'd been deprived of a lover for too long, which was happening more and more these days. So the young thing sharing his chambers was attracted to men? That was…well, it didn't mean much of anything, he supposed, except that Harry was lucky to have chosen a Master who wouldn't report his deviancy. Just because the boy preferred men didn't mean he'd want anything to do with Severus – he was too old, too jaded, too controlling – more than likely he spent his nights off with other pretty little things like Draco. Severus sighed and kept stroking himself, letting an image of Harry fill his mind. There was no harm in imagination.

Had he known Harry was using his own free time in a similar manner, Severus would have probably come within seconds of touching himself. As it was, he spent a few glorious minutes spinning fantasy after fantasy of a stunning green-eyed boy underneath him, begging him with those sweet lips, clinging to him like life itself. There was no place for faceless, nameless men in his pleasure this time. This time, it was only Harry.

Severus shuddered and let orgasm overtake his body, barely remembering to spill into the vial instead of on the floor or into his hand. He only relished in his pleasure for a few moments before banishing that sweet body from his mind and trying to focus on the potion waiting for him back in the lab. Disappointment briefly waded through his mind, but he snapped out of it. It's not like you had him and lost him, Severus; get a hold of yourself, he growled internally as he walked back to his work.

But try as he could, Harry wouldn't leave his mind. It was aggravating in the extreme. He had finally convinced his heart as well as his mind that he had no chance with the boy, but as he was stirring the last of the potion, he had a new thought. If Harry really was inclined to men, he'd need to learn what that meant in their current…situation. Harry was too valuable to him to lose to some ridiculous law, and more people were being caught every day. He himself was a master of discretion, but he doubted a conversation between the two of them about such a taboo subject as sexuality would end in anything but more shame and avoidance after today's incident. Someone else was needed, and the only other gay man he could trust not to betray Harry's confidence was…

Severus groaned and nearly ruined the potion when he stopped stirring for misery. He might as well apply for a new apprentice now – Harry was as good as dead.

***************************************************

"So, Harry, I hear you have a thing for cocks."

Harry choked on the tea he'd been swallowing and stared wide-eyed at the blond across from him, suddenly grateful that Severus was out for the day. "WHAT?!"

Draco didn't look at all fazed by the words that had just come out of his mouth, despite the fact that he could probably be arrested just for saying them. "I said, I hear you're gay, fancy blokes instead of girls, all of that. Merlin, you look like I'd just murdered a baby and made you watch – it's not that wretched, you know."

Harry's emotions ran the gamut before he spoke, from shock to fear to rage and settling somewhere in between as he scowled. "I don't know where you heard that, but if this is your idea of a joke, I don't think it's –"

"Severus told me," Draco interrupted him, still nonchalant as ever. "Not that he holds it against you – he doesn't hold it against me either. He just thought you might need someone to…show you the ropes, so to speak."

Harry was frozen in his seat. Snape knew? And what Draco had said…did that mean he was the same way? And he was going to what?!

"Show me the ropes?!" Harry squawked. "What the hell, Draco!"

Draco laughed, finally setting down his tea and leaning towards Harry. "Not those ropes, you idiot; he wants to make sure you know how to be discrete, so he doesn't have to go out and find a new apprentice any time soon. Granted, I don't know why he's asking me when he could just do this himself, but he mentioned something about a potions incident…" Draco frowned slightly. "You aren't thinking he'll dismiss you or report you or anything like that are you?"

Harry couldn't speak. Draco took it as acquiescence. "Severus may be a lot of nasty things, Harry, but a hypocrite isn't one of them. I thought you'd think better of him than that by now."

Harry blinked. "But he's not…I mean…like that too, is he?"

Draco laughed. "Of course he is! In fact, I'm fairly certain he used to fuck my father before that bastard turned all respectable and married my mother."

Harry stared. "I…just hold…don't talk for a minute." Draco nodded, and Harry flopped back in his chair, hand over his eyes.

He didn't know what to think; his mind was reeling with the idea that people he knew – his closest relationships! – were…well…like he was. Anything he had ever heard about deviant sexual behaviour was horrible – the dregs of society, hedonistic and perverted, rebels and undesirables all. He had tried so hard not to be one of them, had worked hard to prove that he wasn't like that, that he was just a normal person. He thought he'd won, thought that once he'd proven he was successful, his desires would just evaporate, because nobody like that could ever be anything useful.

Now this…yesterday's "incident" combined with Draco's blasé confession about both himself and Snape, people he liked and respected…Harry didn't know how to handle it. Fortunately for him, Draco's patience had worn out.

"This is ridiculous," the blond said with a sigh. "You are attracted to men, aren't you, Harry?"

It was a motion that should have been almost a reflex, but Harry still felt like that little nod was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Draco glossed right over it, a wicked grin rising on his face. "Severus?" he asked. Harry's instant panic must have shown on his face – Draco laughed at him. "Alright, we'll skip that one for now. You do want to have sex, don't you?"

Harry felt a blush come over his cheeks as he nodded. Draco sighed. "Oh, good. For a minute there I thought you might be something other than a randy teenage boy."

"I'm just…in shock, I guess," Harry said a little shakily. "I've never...admitted it to anyone else before, barely even to myself. And…both you and Master Snape?"

Draco nodded. "And about twenty others in the Academy. That we know of, at least. Surprised?"

Harry nodded, dazed. "It's just…you make it sound so common; how can so many people be…gay and not be punished?"

Draco's eyes darkened. "Some of them are punished," he said, a new and dangerous flair to his voice. Harry thought he must have looked appropriately horrified, because the look soon faded from the blond's eyes and he smiled again. "Look, Harry, I know it seems like I could care less about the law, but I really have no desire to be carved out like a wand tree – I know how to get away with this. And if you're going to do it too, you have to do it right."

"What do you mean?"

"You need someone you trust, Harry. Someone who won't run to the Ministry the second he leaves your bed. You trust Master Snape, don't you?" Harry nodded. "And you fancy him?" Harry glanced around nervously, as though Lord Voldemort himself was going to jump out from behind an armchair, but he still nodded. Barely. "Then there's really no problem, is there?"

Harry was still hesitant, and Draco picked up on it instantly.

"He's probably one of the best choices you can make – he's been around, doing this, for a long time – he knows how to sneak around, knows how to answer nosy questions. Not that he's had a ride on everyone worth having, mind you," Draco added with a smirk. "He's just had to put up with this since he was our age, probably younger. Don't you trust him?"

Harry nodded. "I do, but it's not that." He stopped and gave the other boy a cautious glance.

Draco waved a hand and rolled his eyes. "Please, do go on before I die of suspense."

Harry rolled his eyes right back and sighed. "I guess I'm just remembering my old school…the reason I left. I had figured out I fancied boys over girls, and I was terrified. There was a boy there – Cedric was his name – who seemed interested in me, but I kept my distance. He was older than me, and bloody gorgeous, but I was too worried that we'd get caught; didn't stop him from trying though. Then, one day, he was gone, arrested and executed. One of the men he'd fooled around with before had been captured and gave him up, and that was it, he was dead."

Draco cringed. "Ah, rough, Harry. No wonder you're so touchy about this whole thing."

"That and the fact that the same thing could happen to me, and apparently anyone I care about now!" Harry exclaimed, just under the realm of shouting.

Draco just waved him off. "Severus will make you forget about all that, trust me."

Harry's eyes widened; they were getting rather tired of doing that. "Did you two ever…"

"Oh, we were never together or anything like that – he was extraordinarily drunk one night at the Manor and I practiced my newly acquired oral skills on him, definitely against his will." Draco chuckled as though it was a fond memory. "Wouldn't speak to me for a month after that, he was so furious, and I don't think he's gotten drunk since." He grinned again. "Why? Jealous, Harry?"

"No," Harry said, too quickly to be anything but a lie. Draco laughed again and Harry decided the other boy was too observant for his own good.

Draco got up to leave with a dramatic sigh. "Well, Harry, I'd say I envied you, but I'm surprisingly content with monogamy at the moment. Moving to Germany was the best thing I ever did." He grinned. "But only because I took a chance. You have to do the same thing, Harry, or you're never going to be happy. Severus is too concerned with pretentious things like honour and virtue and all that rot to ever make the first move – you have to let him know you're interested."

Harry shook his head, still not quite believing this whole surreal visit had taken place. He rose and held his hand out to Draco, but the blond grabbed him in an embrace instead.

"He wants you too, you know," Draco whispered in his ear, pulling back almost immediately after. "I thought that might help." He drew up his cloak from off the floor where he had tossed it as usual and walked to the fireplace. "One more thing, Harry," he said, reaching up for the jar of Floo powder. "Don't call him 'Master Snape' the first time he takes you. It's hot, I'll agree, but a little too kinky for a first time I should think."

Before Harry could recover enough to form a response, Draco was gone in a flash of powder and green light, his laughter still echoing on the stone walls.

***************************************************

A week after Draco's visit, Harry's relationship with Snape remained exasperatingly professional. It seemed like every time he got up the courage to say something, a student would come to Snape's office or the man would have to deliver a potion somewhere without him. He was not, however, avoiding Harry; he made a point of them sitting down to dinner together each night, and kept him up with discussion far later than usual. And still, Harry felt like a mouse asking a snake to devour him whole.

Harry knew he was braver than this, which was why it was more than frustrating to find himself hiding in the supply closet for the third time that week. He sighed deeply, jars rattling as he let his forehead fall against the shelf. I really am pathetic, he thought miserably. I have nothing to lose; why can't I do this?

Shaking his head, he climbed the sliding ladder to grab the jar of pickled Grindylow eyes he had excused himself to get. Focus on Potions, that's what he'd have to do. That's what he was here for, after all. He was not here to ogle over his Potions Master, even if the man had taken his robes off and rolled his shirtsleeves up (the very act that had sent Harry to cool off in the supply closet that day); he was here to work and to learn, and the only thing stopping him was a lack of self-control. Well, he thought, not anymore.

He found the jar at the back of the shelf about two steps up and reached for it with a new resolve to forget what Draco had said and just concentrate on his apprenticeship. All this was doing was making him jumpy and nervous and distracting him from important things. Like getting that stupid jar of pickled eyes that remained stubbornly out of his reach. Harry leaned up on his tiptoes, fingers finally closing around the edge of the –

"Careful."

Harry jumped and shrieked at that haunting voice in his ear. Shelves blurred before his eyes as he started to fall from the ladder, his hands grasping for the rungs unsuccessfully when two strong arms caught him from behind, making what would have been a flail of epic proportions a quick bump down a few rungs. Mortified, he groaned, his panicked heart still racing and showing no signs of slowing.

"I told you to be careful," that voice came again, and even though Harry knew it was meant to calm him, it only made his heart beat faster. He gasped in deep breaths, but that didn't work either, and Snape's hand moved from where it had caught him around the chest to directly over his heart. "Calm down, Harry," he said, his body coming forward to comfort Harry's skittish one.

Harry leaned back into Snape, forgetting his promise of a few minutes ago and sinking into the man's warmth and strength. His racing heartbeat started to calm, and there was something about being held that made his head swim and forget anything that wasn't happening right at that moment. Snape must have noticed Harry coming back to himself because he began to pull away, but Harry's recklessness decided since he hadn't had the courage to talk to Snape, this was the perfect time for action.

"Don't," he whispered, unwrapping his right hand from the ladder rung and reaching back around him to grab the older man's hip.

"Harry, what…" Snape's voice faded as Harry finally took that leap of faith he'd been dying to all week and pressed his body back so that it was moulded firmly against his Master's. Snape froze behind him.

"Please," Harry whispered, moving his hips even further back, using up all of his courage before it faltered.

The seconds passed and Snape remained still, barely breathing. Harry didn't move either, too afraid that if he did, they would both lose their nerve. He was about to pull away and go somewhere to die of embarrassment when Snape's right hand slid slowly from his chest to his arm, continuing down until Harry's wrist was firmly in hand, his other remaining steady over Harry's heart. One small thrust forward was all the confirmation he seemed to need, because when Harry whimpered and pressed back into the movement, Snape groaned and finally relaxed behind him, letting Harry fit into the shape of his body.

Without warning, Harry was shoved forcefully against the rungs of the ladder, Snape's firm body propelling him face-first into it. Any pain he felt from that, however, was swiftly erased as a hand gripped his hair and turned his face to the side, the other man's lips seeking his hungrily. Harry moaned into the kiss, the growing hardness behind him sending a thrill through his spine straight to his cock, which had been hard since before he'd even opened the door to the supply closet. Snape's grip around his wrist tightened as his hips collided with Harry's arse again, and this time neither one of them could stop themselves from voicing their pleasure.

Harry was so close. Every thrust against him sent his hips straight into the ladder, his prick rubbing firmly against both his trousers and the ladder rung. Now that Snape had moved his mouth from Harry's lips to his neck, Harry was free to moan and whimper all he wanted, and it was so hard not to when all he could feel was an overwhelmingly pure sensation from his head to his toes. He had just noticed that there was no hand wrapped around his wrist when he felt a palm cup him through his trousers, and he convulsed forward, sent clean over the edge, coming with more force than he'd thought possible.

Harry rested his head on one of the rungs, panting, still floating high in a place he'd never quite reached by himself before. He felt Snape back away and for a second was afraid that the man would run, until he felt that hand clench around his wrist again, and he turned.
Snape was flushed, looking younger and more out-of-breath than Harry knew he could.

"Shall we continue this in the bedroom?" He gestured toward the door with a nod of his head and Harry looked down eagerly at the tent in his trousers.

"Absolutely," he said, barely holding off his laughter as Snape growled and dragged him out of the supply closet.

***************************************************

Snuggling into a pillow of flesh the next morning, Harry sighed contentedly. Severus lay next to him, dead to the world but for the arm he had left draped over Harry's shoulder.

For a night that was supposed to live in his memory forever, Harry actually remembered very little. The important parts, yes, he would hold on to for years, but most of it was all a big, hazy, emotional blur. He remembered being tossed on the bed like a rag doll, clothes tossed on the floor, scorching kisses that left him breathless and begging.

He had been hot – so hot – his skin had burned like it was on fire, and every place Severus had touched him had practically blistered with heat. For his own part, he hadn't quite known what to do, but the older man had still praised him for everything he had done, the soft licks, hesitant touches, and every single moan he had uttered. And when Severus had finally confessed how much he wanted him, Harry hadn't been nervous or afraid at all. He had been dizzy with renewed lust, and the intrusion of Severus's slick fingers down where he never thought he'd be able to feel so much pleasure wasn't even uncomfortable.

And then he'd been taken, slowly at first, the slide of a hard prick in his arse better than he could have imagined, if not more painful than he would have guessed. But with every continued thrust and each of Severus's soothing whispers in his ear, Harry had relaxed more, even beginning to move into them until their coupling was nowhere near the steady pace it had started as.

Coming back to the present, the soft morning sun peeking through the window, Harry shifted against the sheets, savouring the burn he felt in his backside and the pleasant throb of love bites along his neck and shoulders. He had taken a chance, and it had paid him back as well as he had hoped. He would send Draco a box of his favourite biscuits tomorrow.

***************************************************

BB,
Yes, the boys are very well (and Orion is as your memory has it – sixteen). He especially is thriving here, and he managed to "neutralize" ten guards on his own in his last test. I worry about Lucas at times – he's never taken to his training very well, but his brothers have not shunned him for that, despite what we teach. I'm proud of them.
As for my "situation", don't let it upset you; I'm used to it by now, and I have five blessed children because of it. I'll admit I'm afraid…especially after last time, but it's useless to worry too far ahead of the gender date. I used to wonder a lot, especially after the first termination – when I was so ill – about what my girls would be like. When I think of them now, I always think of cousin Andie, with her black ringlets in those stuffy dresses she hated so much. Remember? I can only remember a little, of course, but…well, things like that stuck, I guess.
Oh, I'm being maudlin again; I'm sorry, the first few months are always like that.

-- LB

***************************************************

Severus sat at the table in their parlour, running a finger absently around the rim of his teacup and glaring at the clock on the mantle. Despite his original concerns, Harry had never once been late to start the day, not even on the weekends. Not even – Severus smirked – all the mornings after they'd spent the night together leaving Harry exhausted and sore, but happy, and there had been many of those since that first night. So when five minutes of tardiness slipped into ten and then thirty, Severus vanished his cold tea, strode down the corridor to Harry's door, and pounded on it.

"Wake up, Potter – you've work to do!"

Silence.

Severus knocked again. "If you think I'll start pampering you now, you can think again, boy!"

Still, only silence, not even a groan of laziness. Severus frowned and decided that privacy's time was up. When he opened the door, his eyes went immediately to the young man's bed, expecting to see a dozy lump in the middle, but none was there. The sheets were thrown haphazardly aside and Harry's glasses lay on his dresser untouched. The only sign of life was the presence of light coming from the crack between bathroom door and frame, but there was no sound of running water or hurried brushing coming from the room. Severus strode over to the door and pulled it open.

His urge to gag was overridden by the sudden pang of fear. The room reeked of stale vomit, which was explained by a large quantity of it in the bowl of the toilet. Harry lay on the cold floor, eyes closed but breathing shallowly, limbs skewed carelessly as though he had not fallen asleep here but had passed out suddenly. Severus vanished the mess and scooped the boy up in his arms, grateful to see that he was breathing, but still worried. He laid Harry down in the boy's own unkempt bed and got out his wand to revive him.

Severus cast Ennervate on Harry's still form and the boy groaned. The older man breathed a sigh of relief and rested his hand on Harry's forehead. No fever. Harry opened his eyes sleepily and a woozy look crossed over his face as he gagged. Severus rushed to grab the glass of water at his bedside and handed it to the boy. Harry gulped it down with a grateful look, and the expression of disgust faded from his features as he lowered the glass.

"Thanks, Severus." Harry's eyes began to close again, but suddenly they shot open and he looked panicked. "Oh Merlin, what time is it? What happened?!" He started to struggle to get out of bed, but Severus pushed him back down.

"Calm down, Harry. It's late, but I'm prepared to forgive your truancy since I had to drag your unconscious self in here from your washroom." Harry looked a little sheepish at that, but Severus did not have time to indulge embarrassment. "Do you still feel ill?" Harry shook his head and Severus frowned. "Perhaps it's just influenza. The Academy usually has an outbreak around this time."

"No, it's not flu." Harry averted his eyes guiltily and Severus's frown deepened. "I mean, uh…it's sort of…normal…now…"

"Harry…how long has this been going on?"

"Few weeks…maybe six?" Severus's eyes narrowed and Harry panicked. "I'm sorry, Master Snape – I didn't want to bother you."

"Foolish boy! Even if this were only affecting your apprenticeship, it would be serious enough. But to know you've been ill for the better part of two months and not told me…"

He paused and got a look at Harry's face – the boy seemed suitably chastised. Severus sighed and held out his hand. "Up now; I'm taking you straight to the infirmary."

Harry took his hand and pulled himself out of the bed. As soon as he was upright again, he wrapped his arms around the older man's neck. "I'm sorry, Severus."

Severus rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Harry's back. "Just dress; we'll discuss your communication issues later."

The young man nodded and stepped out of the embrace. Severus watched him dress, shoving his arousal down with thoughts of Harry suffering in silence, and then they were off to see the medi-witch.

***************************************************

"Harry!" Poppy exclaimed as he peeked around the infirmary door. "Not another cauldron burn, is it? Just let me finish up here." Harry walked in fully and saw the medi-witch wrapping a bandage around the ankle of a grimacing young boy. "Now, Thomas, if you jump out of that tree one more time, I'll bind this at an angle and your jumping days will be over."

Harry stifled a laugh; he could hear the hint of humour behind her severity, but the young boy's eyes went wide and he nodded vigorously. "Off with you now, and stay on those crutches for two weeks. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

He hobbled out of the office as fast as he could, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder before Harry shut the door after him.
"Do you always terrorize the First Years, Poppy?"

She chuckled and sat behind her desk. "I can guarantee he won't jump out of that tree again!"

Harry laughed and sat across from her. "Point."

She grinned. "So, shall I get out the burn salve?"

"Not today, Poppy. Actually, Master Snape made me come; he's waiting outside." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh? Well, what's your trouble, Harry?"

"Well…" his eyes shifted away from her concerned gaze, "I've been having stomach problems, I guess. Usually right when I wake up, but sometimes in the afternoon too, I'll spend a little while throwing up, even when I haven't eaten anything."

"For how long?"

"Umm…maybe six weeks?" He cringed at her answering gasp.

"Harry! How on earth could you have thought that was normal! I must have seen you half a dozen times in the past six weeks and you never said a word." He shrugged apologetically, but she still fixed him with a stern look. "Any other symptoms? Besides a gross lack of common sense."

He sighed. 'I'll never be able to come in again without getting a full physical,' he thought morosely. "Just I've been more tired than usual, and a little weak. This morning…I was in the loo again, but I must have…passed out. Master Snape found me and brought me here."

She nodded and drew some of his blood with her wand. Seeing nothing out of place there, she did some routine body scans and checked his vitals.

"Well, Harry, I can't find anything that would cause the symptoms you're describing. Other than a slightly elevated temperature, I can't find anything wrong with you at all."

"No offence, Poppy, but I don't think Master Snape is going to accept that."

She smiled. "I think you're right. Well…it's too persistent to be a virus or infection…any family diseases you know of?" Harry shook his head.
Suddenly, the witch got a curious look in her eye and asked him, "What was your childhood like?"

He cocked his head, slightly taken aback. "Uh…normal? I've never had anything like this before, if that's what you're asking."

She shook her head. "No, no, I mean, did anything odd happen to you when you were a baby? Did you ever know your parents?"

He frowned. "I was told my parents were dead, but hardly anyone got to see their parents for longer than a few weeks even when I was in school. How would I remember if something strange happened to me?"

"Indeed," she whispered, tapping her quill on the desk absently. "Tell me, Harry, your father wouldn't happen to be James Potter born of Harold and Alexa Potter, would he?"

His frown deepened. "I…you…those names…they sound familiar…but I only know my father's name was James. My mother's was Lily, but what does that have to do with my being sick?"

"Maybe nothing," she said, brows furrowing as she rose from her chair. She turned to the shelf behind her and pulled a vial down. "Have a seat on the exam table, would you, Harry? And remove your outer robes and shirt, please."

Still confused, but eager to find out what was wrong, he obeyed.

"Have you noticed any changes in your eating or sleeping habits?" He shook his head. "Tenderness or swelling of your abdomen?" He shook his head again. She dipped her wand into the potion and approached him. "This may feel a bit cold." The medi-witch used her potion-covered wand to trace a simple pattern on his belly. When she finished, she touched her wand to it and recited a short incantation.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Harry was about to ask her what the hell was going on when suddenly, the lines her wand had traced turned warm and glowed a soft silver colour. He gasped. Poppy said nothing, but the sound of shattering glass from the dropped vial was enough to tell Harry that something was very wrong.

"Poppy?"

She turned away, palm over her eyes, not even bothering to vanish the glass and spilled potion on the floor. "You're one of them…one of the boys from the riot. Oh, God…" She sat slowly, as though suddenly dizzy.

Harry started to panic. "Poppy, tell me! What's the matter with me? What are you talking about?"

She shook her head back and forth and whispered, "Harry, you…you're pregnant."

Harry frowned. "What? Poppy, that doesn't make sense. That's not even possible."

She turned back to him, the look of sorrow in her eyes was plain even to him. "I assure you, Harry, with the right sexual…practices, it is very possible, and your condition is certain. Your symptoms fit, and that spell is infallible."

He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't speak without breathing, and breathing seemed like a bad idea with what felt like iron bars clenched around his ribs.

"I…I don't even know what to say, Harry. Under other circumstances, I would be offering my congratulations, but…"

Never mind not being able to breathe – he couldn't even think. What had he done? He had broken the law, that's what, for which the penalty was torture and death, and he had broken it over, and over, and over…
There was silence for nearly a full minute until Poppy handed him his shirt and robes and patted his arm. "You've defied one of Lord Voldemort's strictest laws, Harry." He groaned – God, she knew. She knew and she would have to tell, and everything would fall apart…"I won't pretend that this isn't very serious."

"But…" he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "But this means…well, I can have babies, so I can be with…another man, and it wouldn't be against the law, right?"

She shook her head. "I don't think anyone else will see it that way, Harry, though I wish for your sake that they would." She sighed heavily and stood. "This is…I must speak with Master Snape. He's waiting outside?"

Harry nodded, completely numb from the inside out. Pregnant? He didn't believe her; it was too surreal. He shifted his gaze down to his flat belly. There was baby in there? He attempted a laugh, but it came out as more of a choked gasp. Infallible she had said, but…none of this made sense. If men could have children, there wouldn't be a law against men having sex with each other. The community goal was to strengthen the numbers of their kind, wasn't it? Severus always said – Harry groaned. Severus. What was Severus going to say? His nausea returned full force as his mind flew through the possibilities.

A small cough stopped him from falling off the cliff of sanity. Poppy stood in the doorway with Severus, the older man looking concerned and confused. With a frightened look, he glanced at the medi-witch and silently asked if she'd told him.

She shook her head once. "Wait outside please, Harry."

He turned to Severus, eyes still wide. "But, I –"

Severus nodded. "Do as she asks, Harry. We'll be done soon."

A brief wave of defiance rose in his chest, but being difficult would only make things worse than they already were. He finished clasping his robes and climbed down from the exam table. He threw one look of desperation towards Severus, then hung his head and walked out the door.

Severus frowned at Harry's odd behaviour, but he was more concerned with his health. He turned to the medi-witch.
"Well, Poppy? Is it something serious?"

"Very," she said. "You may want to sit."

He declined. "Just tell me what's wrong with him," he commanded, preparing himself for the worst…a lethal infection, cancer, something incurable or genetic…

"He's carrying a child, Severus."

The whisper hit him as hard as if she'd screamed it. He frowned in confusion, none of his worries vanishing. "But…but that's impossible."

She scowled. "You know as well as I do that it's possible! He's the firstborn son of a pureblood family – he must be one of the Breeders who were smuggled out of the Ministry. They could never track them all down…we just hoped that the laws and punishments already in place would prevent them from getting pregnant on their own."

Severus felt his knees go weak, but he refused to collapse in front of the medi-witch. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth. "God help us."

She nodded. "This is grave, Severus. Not only will they be sure that he has broken the law against deviant sexual behaviour, but Lord Voldemort will be furious about his very existence! It may not be Harry's fault, but he will see it as direct defiance from a near-slave; he'll do worse than kill him, Severus. And Merlin knows what he'll do to you."

Severus's dark eyes cut over sharply. "Me? Why would he do anything to me?"

The medi-witch's eyes took on a harsh gleam. "Oh please, Severus, I know it's yours. Even you aren't a good enough teacher to make me believe the devotion in his eyes when he looks at you is purely academic."

He stiffened defensively, prepared to leap up, grab Harry, and flee the country if necessary. "Will you give us an hour to make preparations before you notify the officials?"

She shook her head and sighed, and Severus drew his wand. "Put your wand away, Severus; I'm not going to the officials." He didn't move. "I should tell them, I would lose my license and my life if they ever found out I had kept this from them, but…I can't do that to you two."

Though still a bit wary, he pocketed his wand. "I am unsure how to thank you."

She smiled sadly. "Don't thank me, Severus. Things are only going to get more difficult and then they'll be impossible. He's going to start showing soon – what will you do then? He can't hide under those robes forever. And can you take care of him?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "I can care for him. I'll think of something."

"I pray that you will." She took one of his hands in hers and squeezed. "Now, go; I'm sure Harry's in a state." He tried to pull away, but she squeezed tighter and gave him a stern look. "He needs you, Severus."

Severus pulled his hand away and gave her a nod. "I know."

***************************************************

When Severus walked out of the infirmary, Harry knew instantly that he'd been told. He looked stricken and pale and beyond worried.

"Follow me. Don't say a word."

Harry obeyed, too stunned to do anything else. For one frantic moment, he thought Severus was going to lead him straight to the Headmaster's office, but instead they took the long walk back to the Potions wing.

With every minute of silence, Harry grew more and more frightened. It wasn't enough that his life was about to change forever or that he would have to remove himself from society, the few friends he'd made, the Academy…but if Severus was going to cast him aside…he'd be lost.

They finally reached the entrance and Severus ushered him inside, sweeping past him as soon as the door was shut. Harry stayed by the door, eyes lowered, already worrying about where he could go after this…if he could go anywhere without Severus at his side. Not that he'd have a choice – he'd be lucky if he wasn't reported directly to the officials.

"Are you going to dismiss me, sir?" Harry asked dejectedly.

Severus turned, sighing. "Of course not, Harry. Come here."

Harry hurried to his Master and plastered himself to the older man's front, clutching his robes desperately. A comforting hand came to rest on top of his head and the fingers stroked through his hair.

"It is not safe to speak of this outside these walls; you should understand that."

Harry lifted his head, overwhelmingly grateful to see the look on his lover's face resembling nothing like rage or disgust. "I…I know that. I just thought you were upset with me."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I'd say this is as much my doing as it is your own, wouldn't you?" Harry smiled weakly. He didn't think he could appreciate any humour at the moment, even if it was Severus's. The older man inhaled deeply and released him. "Come, we need to talk."

Harry nodded and went straight for the sofa while Severus ducked into the next room. He stared absently into the fireplace and caught his fingers unconsciously inching towards his stomach more than once. Finally on the fifth time, he thought, 'What the hell?' and moved his hand up to where it seemed longing to go. Nothing felt different, he felt no bump, no kicking; if he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend the last hour hadn't happened at all.

But then Severus walked back in, and the look on his face said it all. They were in deep trouble. He set the things he'd been carrying down on the low table – a small bottle of whiskey, two glasses, and a vial of some dark blue potion that Harry hadn't seen before. He poured the glass of whiskey first and Harry reached for it without thinking.

"No," Severus said sternly, pulling the alcohol towards himself and pushing the blue vial towards Harry. "No alcohol, Harry."

Right. No alcohol. Harry sighed; he should have remembered that. But he smiled in spite of his fear – Severus cared what happened to their child. "Right, sorry."

Severus nudged the vial towards him again. "Drink that, and I'll get the elves to bring some lunch."

Harry nodded, downing the potion in one swallow, not even thinking to question its contents. Severus filled the other small glass with water and handed it to him as he explained. "That was a nutritional pregnancy potion, one you should have already been on for a month." The elves brought their lunch, and they ate in silence, though it was a much more comfortable silence than the one that had dominated their walk from the infirmary. Harry knew an explanation was coming; Severus was just trying to put it in the best way he could.

As Harry predicted, as soon as they finished their lunch and had their dishes cleared, Severus took a deep swallow of his drink and began. "You must be very confused, Harry, and frightened I'm sure." Harry nodded – there was no use lying. "That fear will probably never go away, at least not as long as you are pregnant, even if I promise to care for you, which I do." That was good to hear, even though Harry wasn't sure that it would be true a few months from now. "What I can do, however, is remove your confusion. There is an explanation for this, and I'll tell you what I know."

Severus settled back into his chair, a classic brooding look on his face. "In the beginning, Harry, overlords were overthrown almost constantly; Lord Voldemort wanted to ensure that his reign would last for many years, so he decided that he needed some sort of guard, preferably a secret guard, which would be able to fend off any untimely attack. If anything, Lord Voldemort has a very one-sided view about male magic and its inherent power and superiority as opposed to female magic. He believed that if he could create a small race of wizards born only of men that these wizards would be far more powerful and be able to harness elemental magic to a degree no other wizard has been able to manage. Of course, he also felt that having pure-blooded ancestors would increase their abilities. So, he made a plan.

"When one of the forty pureblood lines had a male child, that child would be marked and the child's parents were encouraged to produce another as soon as possible. If their next child was male, they would leave the pureblood couple its firstborn and take the second child. If it was female, they would wish the couple good breeding for their daughter and seize the marked boy. The boys –"

"Wait," Harry interrupted him, the expression on his face a frightening mix of outrage and shock, "what do you mean they 'seized' them?"

"I'm getting to that," Severus said sharply, his voice finally betraying some of his intense emotion. "The boys would be taken to a highly confidential place inside the Ministry where their internal organs and magic were manipulated to provide for the conception and growth of children. They were then taken back to their homes where they would stay and let their magic develop until their fourth year, at which time they would be taken permanently."

Severus stopped, and Harry waited in awe for a few moments before he snapped back into barely controlled rage. "I don't understand. They didn't…they <i>couldn't</i> actually do something like that!"

He remained silent.

"Severus? Could they?" Silence again. "Answer me!" Harry hissed.

Severus stood, taking his glass of whiskey to the window and staring out at the hazy grey sky. "There is a building…a containment facility thirty kilometers south of here, secluded and heavily guarded. Over fifty male breeders and their progeny live there, in comfort and protection, but in slavery nonetheless. Once every two years, approximately, the breeders are ritually raped by the Lord's higher ranking officials until they conceive.

"Once they are with child, they are secluded from all save the others who are pregnant, and their every physical need is attended. When they are not in a birthing year, they act as teachers for all the children, instructing them in combat mostly, and indoctrinating them with what Lord Voldemort considers essential governmental knowledge."

He turned back to Harry. Horrified awe still shone from the boy's face, and in that moment, Severus was reminded of just how young his lover was. And how quickly he would now have to grow up.

"How?" Harry finally whispered as he stood to join Severus by the window. "How could anyone stand for this?"

Severus shook his head and let his hand rest at Harry's lower back. "The pureblood families have much to gain with a stable rule in place, and many of them only view their children as property anyway. Besides them, nobody else knows. It is considered the most confidential of the Lord's projects; I could be killed for telling you even half of what I just did." Harry shifted uneasily. "I only know about it because I am responsible for creating the potions necessary to sustain a male pregnancy. Even with the magical manipulations done in infancy, it still takes a significant amount of work to allow a man to carry a child successfully. That's probably why you…" he trailed off, realizing that the conversation was suddenly much too close to home, no longer an academic lecture.

"So I…are you saying that happened to me? I'm supposed to be a…a slave? To be raped and secluded from society? Good for nothing but…breeding?"

"Yes. The Potters were a pureblood family, and you were the firstborn of that generation it seems." He shifted his hand from Harry's back to his hip. "I'm sorry the truth is so harsh, but at least you can be grateful that whatever happened when you were small kept you from that fate."

Harry's following laugh was more than slightly manic. "Right. Grateful."

Severus turned, both his hands now firm on Harry's hips, fingers digging in almost painfully. "I am grateful."

Harry turned towards him and stepped closer, resting his head on Severus's chest. He didn't speak, didn't move, just breathed. And Severus held him, shifting his arms to envelope Harry, imagining he could transfer some of his strength to his lover and…and child.

He barely heard the whisper when it came.

"Are you really grateful? Even for the baby?"

Severus held him tighter. "I am; for that and everything else. Are you?"

Harry hesitated, stifling the urge to reach down and rub his stomach. "I…yes. I know it'll be a burden, but…" He quieted as steady hands ran up and down his back.

"Don't think about it right now. It's a Saturday – you deserve a break and so do I; you should lie down."

Harry nodded against him and looked up into his face. "Come with me?"

Severus began to shake his head, a protest of having too much work to do on his lips, but he remembered Poppy's words: He needs you. He nodded and steered Harry towards his bedroom. They passed Harry's door and went straight on to Severus's room, though Severus had never let them sleep there together before; they had more important things to worry about now than being caught in the same bed.

Severus dozed with Harry for an hour or so, then gently extracted himself from bed so the day wouldn't be a complete waste in terms of work. He went through the motions, brewing some minor things for the Academy's use, but his mind was only on Harry. Eventually, he went back to bed, pleased to find that his young lover was still taking his much needed rest.

As Severus settled in the bed, he tried his best not to wake Harry. He pressed the length of his body behind the boy's and Harry stirred, groaning slightly at being woken up. Severus soothed him with a hand running down his side until it rested on his hip and Harry wriggled a bit to press closer to him. Long, silent minutes passed by, and neither man slept. So caught up in his own thoughts, Severus barely heard Harry's voice through the darkness.

"Severus, what are we going to do?"

Severus had no idea. He knew that it was his duty to protect Harry, to think of a plan for the next few months that didn't end with Harry in a dank cell waiting for death. The thought made him shiver. No, he would think of something. Severus shifted his hand from Harry's hip to his belly and whispered, "Hush, just sleep."

***************************************************

Severus woke early the next morning to the sound of violent retching, and the haze of sleep was replaced quickly by the gravity of their situation. He rose from bed and worked quickly in their tiny kitchen, preparing a glass of water, some peppermint tea, and plain toast. By the time he made it back into his bedroom, Harry was stumbling out of the bathroom and back into bed.

"Good morning," Severus said, placing the small tray on the nightstand closest to where Harry had flopped down.

"Maybe for you," the boy mumbled sourly before rolling over and seeing the plain breakfast laid out before him. He looked appropriately guilty. "Oh. Sorry – can I blame the hormones?"

Severus scoffed and began dressing. "You always act like a brat; it isn't the child's fault you behave so wretchedly."

Harry probably would have snarked back a reply, but his mouth was too full of toast, so he settled for a teasing glare.

When Harry finished his breakfast, and Severus had had his own, they both dressed quickly, even though, since it was still a weekend, they didn't have much to do. They ended up sitting in the parlour, mostly reading, talking occasionally, carefully avoiding any subject dealing with what had happened the day before. Severus didn't want to bring it up until Harry was ready to deal with it. He had thought a few plans through, but none of the options he had come up with were very good, and he knew neither of them would sleep well or be able to focus on anything else until he had come up with a way to keep them safe through this.

Severus hadn't noticed that he had let his book fall into his lap and had begun to stare at Harry, who was staring right back at him. He sighed, and Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Fine, if you won't bring it up, I will." Severus continued staring at him. "I still don't understand how this happened. I mean… if I can get pregnant, they must have changed me, which means they would have had custody of me. If my parents were already dead, why aren't I a Breeder now?"

Severus frowned; he had been wondering along the same lines all morning. "You can't remember anything odd happening when you were small?"

Harry laughed harshly, too nervously, and said, "Severus, my parents died so early I don't even have any memories of them. The first memory I have is being locked in a closet in the old orphan house I was in before I went to school." He paused, got a curious look on his face, and continued. "Poppy mentioned something about a riot…do you know what she was talking about?"

Severus shook his head, trying to think back fifteen years, but nothing sprang to mind. Then again, he'd been involved in his own apprenticeship at that time – maybe he'd just been too preoccupied. "When the library opens tomorrow, you can look in the old news bulletins, but until then we can only guess."

Harry stayed quiet for another minute, the wheels in his head turning so loudly Severus could almost hear them. Watching him from the corner of his eye, Severus looked back up when Harry's face opened in revelation.

"Remus," the boy said. "Why didn't I think of him before!"

Severus frowned. "Remus Lupin? The werewolf? What about him?"

"Remus knows," Harry said excitedly. "I'll bet you anything he knew me when I was little. He recognized me the first time he saw me – do you remember how strange he acted?"

Severus did remember. It wasn't exactly a clue, but it was all they had for now; he could indulge Harry. "Very well; I'll give Remus a firecall and see if he has time for a visit."

Not an hour later, the three of them were sitting in the parlour together; Harry looked nervous, Severus curious, and Remus obliviously drank his tea.

"So," their visitor finally said, catching on to Harry's mood. "You're more fidgety than normal today, Harry; is everything alright?"

Harry nodded and opened his mouth to speak. "Remus, I wanted to ask you…did you know my parents before they died? Did you know me when I was a baby? What happened to me?" Harry looked a bit shocked that he had blurted everything all at once, but he didn't take any of it back.

The werewolf's eyes went wide, and he looked suddenly panicked, his gaze shifting from Harry to Severus. "I…I don't know what you mean…"

"There's no need to evade his questions, Remus," Severus interrupted, sounding infinitely calmer than both of them. "Harry and I both know his past was not a normal one, and now we have reason to believe he was one of the Breeders. We only thought to ask you because –"

"It's just, I remember how you acted when we first met," Harry cut in. "It was like you already knew who I was – you seemed happy to meet me, happier than normal I mean…and almost surprised too, or relieved."

Remus sighed. "I guess I'm not as good at hiding my emotions as Severus is, eh?" He looked back at Harry. "Yes, Harry, I believe I knew your parents. You look almost exactly like your father, you know."

Harry's eyes lit up, and Severus knew that to him this was almost like gaining a part of his childhood back, so he stayed quiet.

"Really?" Harry asked. "But what happened to them? What happened to me? I never knew anything about where I came from, and now I find out I could been a slave or –"

"Calm down, Harry," Remus interrupted. "There's a story you should hear, and it will answer all your questions." The boy nodded and quieted. "I assume Severus has already told you about the Breeders since he mentioned it, so I'll just skip over that."

Remus set down his tea and sighed, looking reluctant to say what now had to be said. "Not all the pureblood families were pleased with the arrangement they had with Lord Voldemort. They knew they couldn't protest outright or they would be instantly executed, so they started disappearing, fleeing the country with their children. Obviously, Lord Voldemort wouldn't stand for such disobedience, so he threatened the families with death and worse for them and their children, and general order was restored. But some still resisted.

"A man called Sirius Black was one of the main antagonists. His brother Regulus had been taken when they were small, and there was nothing he could do about that; but when the Potter's – his closest friends – were killed, caught trying to smuggle their son into Ireland, he went mad. He gathered the strongest protesters he knew and they raided the Ministry, attempting to kidnap the boys that had been seized. Their plan was rash and shoddily played; all of the men were arrested, most executed, and…most of the children were severely injured or killed in the scuffle. The public story was that a group of criminals broke out of prison and captured a group of orphans as hostages, killing many before their final surrender. No one questioned it; there was no one left who would dare."

Remus stopped, looking emotionally exhausted and teary-eyed as he glanced at Harry.

"If you are indeed the son of James and Lily Potter, which you must be, then you have been presumed dead for sixteen years." He paused, a slight smile on his lips for the first time that visit. "That's my doing. I went to the Ministry to try and stop them; I knew Sirius's plan wouldn't work, and I knew people were going to get hurt. By the time I got there, it was already too late. People were screaming and running everywhere, and I couldn't find Sirius no matter how hard I tried. I was ready to give up, Apparate out of there, see what I could do about damage control, when I tripped over something in the street."

Remus closed his eyes, appearing to blink back more tears. "It was Sirius. He had grabbed hold of my ankle, and I fell next to him. He was beaten but alive, and he shoved something in my arms and told me to run. I obeyed him without question. It wasn't until I was back in our flat, as many wards as I knew set up around me that I even thought to look at what he had given me." He opened his eyes again and sent a weak smile in Harry's direction. "I think you can guess what it was."

"Me?" Harry whispered, clearly in awe of the tale.

Remus nodded. "Yes, you. By some miracle, he had found you, but he knew arrest was inevitable for him. I knew they would be looking for you, and being friends with your parents would definitely put me under suspicion, so I couldn't keep you. Not to mention I could barely feed myself, much less a child. I wanted to do right by you, Harry, but the best I could do was take you to an out-of-the-way orphan house and disappear from your life."

Harry didn't know what to say; he never thought he'd ever be grateful for growing up in the orphan house, but now…

Severus interrupted his thoughts with a question. "Sirius Black, did you say?" Remus nodded. "Elder brother to Regulus Black? Our Regulus?"

Remus cleared his throat nervously. "Ah…yes, that's the one."

Severus folded his arms across his chest

"Love letters indeed. Had I known I was involved in correspondence between a slave and a criminal –"

"Which is exactly why I didn't tell you," Remus said with a grin. "It's not my fault you were conned."

"Hold on," Harry interrupted, now thoroughly confused. "Can someone explain?"

Severus turned to Harry and said, "His brother – Regulus Black – I deliver letters back and forth for him. I tended him after one of his pregnancy terminations left him extremely ill, nearly dead; we became…not friends, but he clearly trusts me enough to confide in me. Several years ago he approached me, claiming he had fallen in love with one of the guards that had been stationed there, wanting me to seek him out. He was a persistent little bastard. Imagine my surprise when the name he gave me was on my list of Wolfsbane couriers. I spoke with Remus who, now that I think about it, did seem a little surprised that he had a lover amongst the Breeders…until I mentioned his name."

Remus nodded. "Sirius had always cared for his brother – Regulus must have felt the same, and he must have known I was connected with Sirius from the news surrounding the riots. I was already back in contact with him then, working in the prison, and I knew he'd skin me if I missed a chance to connect with his brother. It's been…hm, nearly ten years since then," Remus said, sighing nostalgically.

Only a few seconds passed before he snapped out of the nostalgia and looked curious instead. "Anyway, why the urgency?" he asked. "I can understand you wanting to know about your past, but I'd have been over for the Wolfsbane in a few days."

Harry cast a glance at Severus who was eyeing the werewolf suspiciously. He couldn't let anyone become a threat, but this man had saved Harry in the past and clearly knew about Lord Voldemort's project. Eventually, he nodded, and Harry grinned at Remus.

"We just found out I'm pregnant."

To say Remus looked stunned would have been a gross understatement. His eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Severus and Harry's abdomen before finally settling on his colleague, his look a blank one.
"I assume the 'we' means it's yours, Severus?"

Severus glared at him while Harry nodded, oblivious to his lover's harsh gaze. Remus nodded slowly, a smile finally twitching his lips. "I'm sure you're sick of thinking about the trouble this will cause you, so I'll offer my congratulations instead of warnings."

Harry kept smiling and thanked him, and Severus gave his own thanks silently. It was nice to remember that he should be happy, that they had a child on the way, that there was a little person, not like those he had been informed of by the Ministry after their birth, but one he would be able to be a father to, one he could…love, if he wanted.

When Severus snapped back to attention, he heard Remus speaking again.

"…even though your parents didn't want you to be a slave, Harry, they would have been so happy to know that they are going to be grandparents." Remus smiled and dug in the inside pocket of his coat. "Here," he said, pulling out a worn leather wallet, "I want you to have this." He took a faded picture from the wallet and placed it in Harry's outstretched hand. A red-haired woman and a man who looked very much like Harry kissed briefly as he stared, then they turned back toward him and smiled.

"My mum and dad?" Harry whispered, tracing over their faces with a gentle fingertip.

Remus nodded. "You're in there too; though I don't think even they knew it yet." He embraced Harry briefly, careful not to crush the photograph, and rose to shake hands with Severus. "Well, they'll be missing me at Azkaban; I think I know someone who'd like to know how well you're doing for yourself, Harry." Remus smiled. "Good luck – you'll be needing it sooner than you know."

Severus walked with him into the small chamber that held their Floo fireplace. "Thank you for coming, Remus. I think Harry will be much more at ease now that he's spoken with someone else about this."

Remus looked at him strangely. "Are you going to take care of him, Severus? I risked my life for him when he was a baby, I think I deserve to know what's going to happen to him now."

Severus nodded, somewhat pleased that there were people besides himself who cared for Harry, but annoyed that those people also believed he would dump the boy like a worn out cauldron. "I will care for him."

Remus hesitated before leaning in slightly and lowering his voice. "Do you need…accommodations? There are people I know…they could put you up for a few months, and they won't ask questions."

Severus shook his head, though he may have taken Remus up on the offer a few short hours ago. "Thank you, but no – I think I have a reasonable plan."

Remus nodded and stepped into the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder. "Well, the offer stands, if your plan fails. Goodbye, Severus." He took a breath and shouted, "Azkaban Prison!" and disappeared.

As Severus stood watching the green flames sputter and die, he felt Harry come up behind him and he turned, catching the boy around the waist.

"I was eavesdropping," Harry said without a hint of remorse. "Did you mean what you said?"

"About what?"

"Having a plan. You think there's a way to go through with this?"

Severus nodded. It wasn't the best idea, and there would still be hoops to jump through and favours to cash in, but not only would it allow Harry to continue his pregnancy in safety, it would allow them to keep their baby.

"It is normal for Masters to travel and visit fellow Masters every few years to share new discoveries, potions, improvements and the like. I am due for such a trip, and because I am responsible for you as your Master, it would be only natural for you to accompany me. There will be times when glamours will be necessary, but it will be much easier to conceal from strangers than it would be to conceal here at the Academy. Most of our time would be spent travelling anyway, and many of the Masters have chosen to seclude themselves in places that require Muggle transportation to reach, thus requiring months of travel time will not be suspicious. When we return, you can say you checked up on a child you sired and found the mother unfit to care for it, which would be reasonable grounds for raising the child yourself since you have the means to care for one."

He looked at Harry who seemed both skeptical and hopeful together. "Will it work?" he asked.

Severus wrapped his other arm around Harry's waist and pulled him closer. "We can only hope."

***************************************************

BB,
Received your last. Will have others and children ready and waiting for your word. For all our years of planning to have led to this is…frightening, but I am ready. I hope you know what you're doing – good luck.

-- LB

***************************************************

Severus strode down the long corridor with a sigh of exhaustion. Thank Merlin Harry had learned to cast his own glamour charms – that spell-work combined with all the extra work he had promised to do before their leave of absence would have left him too exhausted to get out of bed (another place that contributed to his exhaustion, thanks to the now five months pregnant and insatiable man who shared it). Even now, he had had to shrink the six months worth of male pregnancy potion he was bringing to the Breeders' encampment so that he could carry it without panting, and he was still glad he had taken the shortcut to the Apparition point.

A feeling of gladness that was shattered as he turned the corner. There, coming straight for him with a consort of guards, was Lord Voldemort. Severus immediately dropped to his knees, wincing as the sharp movement caused the potion bottles to crash together threateningly.

"Ah, Severus, my loyal servant," came the hissing, high-pitched voice from above him. "Rise."

Severus did as he was told, doing his best to avoid the gaze of the other man, grateful that propriety saved him from having to look upon that face that had been twisted by Dark magic and years of hatred. "Good afternoon, my Lord." He could practically feel those eyes piercing him, digging out all his secrets.

"I have been meaning to speak with you," the awful voice spoke again. A quick dismissal to the guards and they were alone in the corridor. "Where are you headed with such haste, Severus?"

Now able to speak freely, and relieved that he hadn't been immediately seized by the guards, he answered. "I need to deliver the stock of pregnancy potion to the encampment, my Lord."

"Yes, of course. Walk with me, Severus."

They continued along the path to the Apparition point, and Lord Voldemort continued to speak. "I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for making this possible for us, Severus; you know how important procreation is to make a strong society like ours. And you have always indulged this little project of mine."

"My Lord's wish is my command, as always, Lord Voldemort."

He made a small noise of agreement and continued walking. Not a moment later, he continued. "How many times have you sired, Severus?"

Six. "Five, I believe, my Lord."

"Only five? I know some who have done as well before their legal majority."

Severus did not falter – he'd had to fend off that remark for years. "As you say, my Lord – to mate is a duty, and aside from that civic duty, there has never been satisfaction in it for me."

"And what would satisfy you, Severus?"

His mind immediately threw up visions of Harry – mouth open to take breathless little gasps, warm body twisting underneath his own, head resting on his chest as they slept. "I am content with what I have, my Lord."

Voldemort's eyebrow raised and Severus covered his tracks smoothly. "My books, my work and research, knowing that all I do benefits the greater good, watching Wizard-kind thrive. Pleasure of the flesh seems trivial compared to such things, does it not, my Lord?"
It was almost seamless enough to believe that was what he had meant in the beginning Voldemort lowered his brow.

"Careful, Severus. I have been hearing rumours that do not do you credit. You know I cannot tolerate lawlessness, especially among my most trusted."

Coolly, Severus answered, "If they involve lawlessness on my part, my Lord, I can assure you they are rumours only. I have a great love for our society and for you, my Lord."

"That is good to hear, Severus. Your loyalty is appreciated, as always. Did you know there is talk of rebellion?"

Genuinely surprised, Severus scoffed. "Talk that also has no substance, I'm sure. Any rebellion against you would be fruitless." A true statement, but depressing nonetheless.

Lord Voldemort chuckled, a grating noise that left Severus feeling more than uneasy. "Such faith, my servant."

Finally at their destination, Severus pushed open the door to the Apparition chamber and stepped inside. He bowed deeply and turned to Lord Voldemort, finally looking directly into those twisted eyes. "If you'll excuse me, my Lord, I am already far behind on my departure preparations."

The other man's eyes gleamed menacingly. "Of course, Severus. Do make sure you return in one piece – Hogwarts Academy would not be the same without you."

"Thank you, my Lord," Severus said, but Lord Voldemort was already walking away, his guards returning to flank him as he strode down the corridor.

Once he was out of sight, Severus breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the wall. That was much too close. He was thankful that they were due to leave the next day…and if they weren't, he would have probably shifted their plans forward after that little encounter. Recovered, he stepped away from the wall and concentrated on Apparating – he needed to get back and warn Harry to be extra cautious. Only one day more and they would be free from all this fear of discovery, fear of punishment. Just one more day.

***************************************************

Harry paced in front of the bookcase, nervous for one of Draco's visits like he'd never been before. He and Severus had agreed to tell him before they left, even though Severus had been wary of anyone else besides Poppy and Remus knowing Harry's condition. It just didn't seem fair not to tell Draco – they were practically his family. The only problem was that Harry was going to have to tell him by himself; Severus had been too busy making preparations so that they could leave, and now he was delivering the last of the potions – the pregnancy potion for the male Breeders. Harry had wanted to go with him, but Severus always said no, since he wasn't supposed to know about them in the first place.

So, reluctantly, Harry stayed home by himself to tell Draco that he and Severus were having a baby. He smoothed a hand over his now prominent bump, smiling as the glamour shimmered and made it look as though he were caressing the air. He looked up when the fireplace roared to life in the next room, and he smiled.

Draco walked in, brushing the soot off his cloak meticulously as he always did. "Hello, Harry!" He removed his cloak, folded it twice, and placed it over the back of Severus's armchair.

"Hey, Draco," Harry responded, frowning slightly at Draco's cloak, which would usually be in a heap on the floor by now. They embraced briefly, Harry careful to keep his distance to keep his belly from touching Draco's. "Come and sit down – I have the biscuits you like."

Draco nodded and sat, taking a chair at the table. Harry moved the tea service from the low coffee table to the kitchen table and poured his guest a cup. "So, how's Kellen?" he asked, needing a bit of small talk before he could drop the news.

Draco looked up and added a spoonful of sugar to his tea. "Fine. We, um…we played quidditch together yesterday. He's rather good at it."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, I know. Didn't wear you out did he?" Harry asked with a teasing grin.

Draco scoffed. "Of course not," he answered, the familiar cocky grin replacing the somewhat sombre face he had worn on his way in.

"Of course not." Harry chuckled. "That's what the bed's for, right?"

The clank of Draco's spoon against his cup was covered by their mutual laughter, though from the forced sound of it, Harry wondered if he shouldn't have mentioned Draco's love interest. "Draco? There's nothing wrong, is there? You two haven't broken up or anything like that…you seemed so happy together."

"Oh no," Draco assured him, reaching out for the biscuits and taking his usual handful. "I've just been feeling a little odd lately – I think I might be getting sick, reaction to an ingredient or something."

"Oh." Harry hoped that was it instead of Draco getting sick of his company. They talked a bit more about their apprenticeships, safe topics, but Harry started to get fidgety.

Draco set down his teacup and asked, "Not that you need a specific reason to ask me for a visit, Harry, but was there something you wanted to talk about?" obviously noting Harry's discomfort with sticking to small talk.

He nodded and smiled. "Well, you know Severus and I are leaving tomorrow, and I just wanted to tell you something before we left." He stood and came around the side of the table so that Draco could see him easily. Harry took out his wand and let the glamour on his belly fade as he rested a hand on its side. He looked up with an over-excited grin. "I'm pregnant."

By now, he was used to the response of widening eyes and disbelief, but on Draco it was almost comical. "You…what?"

"Pregnant, Draco. You know, having a baby, all of that," he teased, tossing Draco's words back at him from their last shocking conversation.

"But…but you…" Draco's eyes stayed wide and slightly horrified, even though Harry had predicted he'd be over it and making his way through teasing congratulations by now.

"I know – believe me, it's a long story, and I'd tell you if I could but –"

"Who's the father," Draco asked suddenly, this time leaving Harry the bewildered one.

"Who do you think?"

Draco looked confused for a moment, then burst into a happy grin. "Oh, Harry!" he cried, his arms swinging over the table. Harry sighed in relief - this is what he'd expected Draco to do. "I'm so –" Crash! The sound of shattering china overpowered Draco's voice as his teacup shattered to the ground – a casualty of his enthusiasm.

Harry smiled, grateful that someone else could now be happy for them. "Don't worry, I'll go get another one." He vanished the broken pieces and left Draco babbling obliviously about baby showers, and who knows what else.

He turned his back to the sitting room and made his way to the kitchenette.
Draco was acting very strangely. Though, Harry thought, it was pretty strange news to hear – he would probably act the same way if their roles were reversed. Shrugging internally, he picked up the replacement teacup and turned back toward the parlour. And immediately sank to the floor as all his muscles gave out.

Draco came across the room, wand in hand, to stand over him, a terrifying sneer on his face. He raised his wand and spoke another spell, and Harry's vision and senses faded to black.

***************************************************

Severus cursed as he raced down the corridor to the Potions wing. He had, of course, been held up at the encampment with some idiot Medi-wizard's ideas about improving the potion and had been gone at least twice as long as he had planned on. He was hoping he'd at least have time to say goodbye to Draco before he left, but there was little chance of that now.

Finally reaching his and Harry's chambers, he slammed and warded the door. "Harry!" he shouted, expecting the young man to come running from one of the back rooms. But there was no response. Quiet filled the silence left by his voice, and he frowned as he walked back to the bedrooms.

"Harry?" The boy's room was empty, spotlessly clean from not being lived in the past few months. Severus's given room – now their room – was also empty, as were both of the washrooms. The lab had been locked down as soon as all the potions were bottled the day before, and Harry would have no reason to be in the classroom. Severus made his way back into the parlour and stared at the door as though Harry would pop out any second and tease him for being so worried.

That miracle, of course, didn't happen, so Severus made his way to the table to sit and possibly calm himself with one of the cups of tea still sitting out. He didn't quite get to that. On the table waiting for him was a small piece of parchment, his name written elegantly at the top in a way that didn't even come close to Harry's familiar chicken scratch. He snatched the note off the table and read quickly –

Severus,
By now you will have noticed the absence of your young apprentice. You should have chosen better, my friend – the boy has been found, through investigation, to be a criminal, and I have taken him into custody. Your immediate presence is required for questioning. This note will act as a portkey ten seconds after you have touched it. Good day.
-- Lucius Malfoy

His heart stopped cleanly. His fists clenched until the sounds of ripping paper splintered through the silence. No, this couldn't be happening. They only had one more day! They had lasted weeks avoiding questions, being secretive, keeping to themselves, and now…
Severus shook his head. Well, there was no time for those thoughts now – he had to go find Harry. The parchment in his hands glowed a bright gold and Severus felt the tugging of a portkey in his stomach. He only prayed he wouldn't be too late.

***************************************************

Harry held his arm to his chest as pain radiated out from his wrist. His thoughts and memories were scattered, but as he slowly took inventory of the place he'd been taken, he began to remember. He had come to and recalled only blackness, panicking for a moment that he had lost everything worth remembering. But now as he thought back, he could see Draco sitting at the table, standing over him with his wand, Severus saying goodbye hardly an hour before, rubbing his belly and feeling the now comforting bump there.

Harry's hands, surprisingly unbound, moved now to his belly again, reassuring himself that whatever had happened to him, his baby was alright, even though he could see that it was. His wrist protested painfully, but Harry didn't want to move his hands away, his bare skin a comfort even though he shivered without a shirt or robes to fend off the cold.

The minutes passed, long and intense, full of doubt and near paralysing fear. Caging magic shimmered around the edges of the cell, making it impossible for him to even think about escaping. Suddenly, the sound of other people could be heard from down the corridor, and they seemed to be getting closer. Harry didn't know whether it would be better to sink back into the shadows and away from danger or call attention to himself in case it was someone who could help him. He settled for staying in the middle of the stone floor, gazing out through the bars until the noises he had heard got incredibly close and were accompanied by shadows that stopped right outside his door.

A group of men filed in his cell, some of the biggest, meanest, dirtiest men he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a lot back in his orphan house days. He tried to move back towards the wall, but it was too late – they were surrounding him on all sides, closing him in, sneering at him hatefully.

"Lookit, boys," one gravelly voice rang out, "another little cocksucker, right here in our very own ward. What should we do with him, do ya think?"

"Get away from me!" Harry snarled, curling around his belly protectively since he couldn't back against a wall.

"It may not be wise to bare your teeth at these dogs, Mister Potter," came a smooth voice from the doorway. The men standing above him parted enough to let another man in their group. He looked like Draco, almost so much that age was their only difference. This must be the father that Draco hated so much, the one he claimed had ruined his life. Harry's heart suffered a painful sting at the thought of Draco's name, but Harry pushed it aside as the man spoke again.

"Do you know the properties of Polyjuice potion, little apprentice? Or have you been too busy whoring yourself out to pay attention to your studies?"

Harry groaned as his heart simultaneously rose and sank in his chest. Draco hadn't betrayed him. But Polyjuice potion – what an idiot! He should have noticed the signs from a mile away. But no, now he was stuck here with no hope of getting out, for either him or his baby.

Malfoy smiled wickedly at Harry's distress. "Yes, Harry, as amusing as it would be to let you believe that my son betrayed you and conjured up that little scheme, I'm afraid I can't give credit to someone so undeserving as him." The man produced his wand from his sleeve and twirled it in his fingers like it was a toy. "Now, we have a few questions for you. If you give us the answers, you may be spared a painful death." He suddenly took up his wand like a weapon and shot forward as quick as a snake to press it to Harry's belly.

"Who fathered this child?

No; they could capture and torture him, but he couldn't be responsible for the same happening to Severus. He narrowed his eyes and spoke. "I did."

Malfoy smiled, cold and slimy as the dungeon they were in. "Such cheek, when I hold your life in my hands. Now, try again – who is the father?"

"I am."

Smack! It rang throughout the small cell before Harry even felt the sting of the slap spread across his face. "The other father, you disgusting child!"

Harry stayed silent, his cheek throbbing. He wouldn't give up Severus. He couldn't.

"Perhaps you'd rather tell someone close to you. Bring him in!"

Harry rubbed his cheek, almost praying that Severus would be the one they'd let in, so that he could take Harry and run. But those screams, now getting closer, did not belong to Severus, and Harry's heart sank when he realized what he had done. The door to his cell clanged open, and the men parted again, this time to let a sobbing heap fall to the floor in front of him. Above them, Malfoy scowled and nudged the heap with his boot.

"Stop it, Draco – you're being pathetic."

Draco finally lifted his head, his red-rimmed eyes staring directly into Harry's. He'd never seen Draco look like this before, and it was all his fault. Those little nonchalant comments about his lover…he might as well have knelt down before Lord Voldemort and confessed it all, dragging everyone he loved behind him on a chain.

Harry groaned and reached out for him. "Draco, Draco, I'm so…so sorry. I thought he…you were supposed to come, and I…"

Draco shook his head and reached out too, but a guard kicked his hand away, and he yelped in pain.

"Leave him alone!" Harry shouted, fighting against the grip someone now had on his shoulders preventing him from moving forward towards his friend.

The elder Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Oh, take him away; this is revolting. I'll deal with him later."

Draco's eyes widened and he struggled against the guards' grip, but that didn't stop them from pulling him away kicking and screaming again.

"The next form of questioning involves pain, Mister Potter. Are you sure you will not tell me who fathered that child?"

Harry shook his head miserably, his mind still consumed with visions of Draco's broken face, barely hearing Malfoy's words.

"Very well; begin."

And they did. The pain came from everywhere – sharp kicks to his legs, back, and arms, each one falling like a boulder on his already aching body. He screamed as joints cracked and skin broke, grateful only for the fact that they seemed careful to avoid his swollen belly. It didn't last for more than a minute, but it felt like hours before he heard that slick voice again.

"Stop!" Malfoy called, and the blows ceased mercifully. Harry's moans echoed throughout the room as he writhed on his back, wanting to curl up into a ball and sink into the oblivion that was hovering on the edge of his consciousness. "Do we need to give you another round, Harry? Or is a new torture in order?"

"What is the meaning of this?" A familiar voice called, it's calm but menacing tone like a balm on every one of Harry's fresh bruises. Finally Severus had come for him.

"You really do have excellent timing, Severus," Malfoy said as he gestured toward the door. "Why don't you come and see for yourself."

Harry lay panting on the floor, each of his lover's slow footsteps raising his spirits from their rock-bottom depth.

"What has he done to deserve such treatment?"

"Are you blind, Severus? That thing is a child, which makes him not only a sexual deviant but an escaped slave. We've checked the records."

Harry finally got the courage to look up and see Severus's reaction. It was not what he expected. His lover's face was cold and unmoved, like seeing Harry beaten and bloodied was something he saw every day. Harry's heart sank as Severus scanned his body and that look didn't even flicker into something that might be care.

"I see," he said apathetically, like he was examining a future potions ingredient.

Malfoy did not look happy with that response. "Well, Severus? Is it yours?"

Severus turned his eyes away from Harry as they grew dark and hateful. "How dare you ask me such a question!"

"It is the Dark Lord's question, not mine." Malfoy smirked.

Severus turned those eyes, still dark with hatred and disgust, back on Harry as he spoke. "It is not mine, and I'm disgusted to think you believed I had anything to do with this. Merlin only knows who spawned that creature; I doubt even the boy knows, whore that he must be."

Harry's eyes burned with tears, and Malfoy looked stunned as Severus tore his eyes away from Harry again and addressed him. "If you'll excuse me, I am disgusted by this entire situation, and I have things to attend to." Without another word, no goodbye, not even an indifferent one, he was gone.

Harry suppressed the urge to cry – it was what they wanted, and he couldn't give them that. He felt mostly numb anyway, like everything that was happening was a dream, and that he would soon wake up. Only no dream could be so cruel.

The suddenness of Malfoy's voice returning pulled Harry back out of the dark place inside himself and into reality. "You men, stay here and watch him. Do whatever you like, but don't kill him – I have a feeling our Lord will want to deal with him himself."

Malfoy swept out of the door like he was royalty, and the men set to guard Harry crowded around him again.

"What should we do to him?" Harry could hardly bring himself to care what they would come up with. Severus had abandoned him, and he was lost.

"I don't think we should do anything to him," one said, but Harry didn't get the feeling that he was speaking out of mercy. "What do you think, boys? Think it'll be easier for the boss to rip that brat out if it's dead first?"

Cackles surrounded him as Harry tried to scramble away, his heart racing with the threat to his child. Pain burst through his limbs, and he was now certain his wrist was broken, but he still tried to crawl to some place of safety. He cried out as he was seized by the shoulders and was forced onto his back, twisting almost violently to try and escape the grip of his captors. As a thick boot made a sudden connection with his jaw, Harry cried out and stopped wriggling. His eyes, which had been squeezed shut in pain, opened wide again when he felt the toe of another nudge his belly in preparation.

"Say goodbye to your little one," the guard sneered.

Then, everything slowed. Time fell back to an oozing pace, and Harry could see the threatening guard's leg arching backwards, gathering momentum for another bone-shattering kick. But this time, instead of a leg or an arm, the baby inside him was the target. A fierce, intense anger ran through him and shook his body with its force. He would not allow his child to be killed by these animals. The guard's leg started moving forward and Harry felt something deep inside him well up, its energy bright and burning, and he let it out with a shattering cry. "NO!"

A boom vibrated the stone around them, and little bits of mortar fell down from the ceiling above as Harry opened his eyes to find that he was no longer surrounded. Harry had no idea what he'd just done, but it had exhausted him. Each guard lay in his own separate heap near the cell wall groaning in pain, except for the one that had tried to kick him. Harry hadn't known that something as hard as a skull could explode quite so easily.

Footsteps came rushing towards his cell again and Malfoy appeared in the doorway carrying a vial of something. "What happened here?!" When all he got in response were pained groans, he scowled and hurried over to Harry, who was still stunned by what had just happened. Taking advantage of his captive being off guard, Malfoy forced Harry's mouth open and poured the contents of the vial down his throat. Dazed as he was, Harry could still instantly recognize it as a sedating potion, a powerful one, and his remaining seconds of consciousness were filled with thoughts of Severus, their child, and the love he thought he'd known.

***************************************************

Severus slumped against a wall not too far from Harry's cell, his head in his hands, unable to get Harry's broken look out of his mind. He started pacing, hating himself for making Harry feel that way, for making him believe Severus had abandoned him and their baby. As soon as he thought it, however, he sighed and forced himself to push it out of his mind.

There was nothing else he could have done. His choice was either to deny Harry, or save him, and that choice was an easy one. With Harry alive and himself free, there was still a chance something could be done. He paced the long stone corridor and ended up turning a corner and stopping there when he heard a familiar sound. He hadn't heard it since the boy had been young, but there was no mistaking that perfectly formed sob. He looked through the bars closest to him and gasped.

"Draco! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?!"

"Severus?" came a broken little whisper from inside. He saw a shadow through the bars, and only a second later, Draco flung himself against the unforgiving iron. "Severus! They have Harry!"

"Yes, I've seen him. How did you –"

Draco shook his head, and a phrase Severus never thought he'd hear came out of his mouth. "Don't worry about me; you have to go get Harry. Hurry!"

"But," Severus stuttered, ill at ease with rushing into things without a plan, "I don't have any idea where he is, and I can't get past all the guards on my own."

"You idiot," Draco whispered, lowering his voice so the other inmates couldn't hear. "They're making an example of him, Severus – they'll take him to the execution chamber. You have to go now, plan or not!" He pushed Severus away and the older man stumbled, walking numbly down the corridor.

Harry. They were going to kill Harry. And their child…

Severus steeled himself and stopped walking. Ideas tumbling over themselves in his mind, he ran as fast as he could, now knowing exactly where he would go.

***************************************************

"I have called you all here today to witness the execution of a most sickening individual."

The high, piercing voice ringing through the air somehow cut through the fog in Harry's mind as he woke, and he groaned as it slithered through his ears. He was weak…so weak…he tried stretching his arms and legs, but they wouldn't budge. The spontaneous magic and the sedative potions had taken a lot out of him, but he knew he wasn't that starved of energy. Harry opened his eyes and saw that he had been bound at his wrists and ankles with thick shackles and chains. He was trapped.

"This man, Harry James Potter, is guilty of the illegal practice of sexual deviancy in the form of homosexuality, as can be witnessed by the grotesque being which now grows in his body that he and his unknown lover have spawned."

A hand, cold and rough, rested itself on Harry's belly, and it was all he could do to let out a sob of protest, even though he would have rather screamed and clawed at the intrusion. That voice was like acid to his ears, but the touch was even worse – his skin crawled, his heart sped up, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

"I see no reason why a filthy criminal such as this shouldn't suffer the same punishment as usual. We will simply…" Lord Voldemort's mouth twisted into a wicked smile, "remove the abomination before we remove the rest."

Through his grogginess, Harry was able to make out the nauseating laughter around him, and his heart clenched in terror as he realized what the man meant. He moaned again and started whispering, "No, no, no, no…" but there was no one to hear him, no one who would help him. No one, no one, no one…

Suddenly, something flared inside him, cutting through the cold and despair that surrounded him. Harry thought back to his cell and the magic he had done without a thought. Maybe he didn't need someone else to save his baby…maybe he could do it himself.

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he saw the owner of the chilling voice leaning over him, his face as twisted and revolting as his voice sounded. The man raised a wicked looking blade and brought it down against Harry's belly with a smile. Harry strained against his bonds, moaning only because he didn't have the strength to scream. A searing hot pain ran down the length of his abdomen, and he felt hot, thick trails of blood running down his sides as he let out a sob. Harry felt the darkness creep in again, lulling him into the painless sleep he wanted so badly.

This time, instead of giving in, he shoved at it with all his strength. He had to save the baby. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated his energy, the pain in his belly feeding and focusing it. Vaguely, he heard shouting, a sudden outburst across the room, but he focused, keeping that strange energy pooled in his core as it bubbled and grew hot. Suddenly, it flowed outward towards his bonds, and as he stared, the shackles began to glow a bright gold colour. A shadow leaned over him again, and just as he thought he might be able to pull himself up and out of his bonds, a terrible pain spread through him, a ripping sensation radiating out from his belly, and now he had the strength to scream.

Harry knew then that it was over. They had taken it, taken his baby from him, and anything that was keeping him anchored to the world dissolved as he curled in on himself and wept.

***************************************************

Severus watched with horror from across the room as Voldemort made a deep, clean cut down Harry's stomach and blood poured from it. He forgot to breathe for a moment, and just stared at everything he cared about as it was dragged further and further away from him. His fists clenched at his sides. Not anymore - it was time to reclaim what belonged to him.

"Now!" he shouted, and dozens of bodies thudded to the ground as their throats were silently cut. Lord Voldemort looked up, astonished to see his followers all lying stone dead on the floor instead of listening raptly to his ever word. In their place were dozens of other men, all breathing steadily, the fact that they had just taken a life not bothering them in the slightest. Trained killers all. Immediately, Voldemort realized what a terrible mistake he had made.

"Slaves!" he shrieked. "How dare you defy me!"

The male-born children didn't move, not even when the twisted man brandished his wand; they all watched Severus with eagle eyes, waiting for his signal.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Severus roared, and a flash of bright silver shot out of his wand. The Dark Lord had time only to look surprised before the spell split his body in two, halves falling to the ground in an oozing, bloody mess. Severus rushed to the altar where Harry lay, internally pleading that those glowing shackles were a good sign and that that cut hadn't hurt their baby. He heard guards approaching, but he knew the men he'd brought with him were more than capable of handling them – right now he needed Harry.

The boy lay whimpering where Lord Voldemort had left him, and Severus stared in astonishment as the glowing shackles around his wrists and ankles melted away as if they were made out of liquid gold. The cut on his belly was bleeding terribly, but it didn't look deep enough to have cut through all the way to where their child lay, encased deep in Harry's body. Harry screamed as Severus drew his wand over the wound to seal it temporarily until he could get him to Poppy, and he began to sob, drawing his arms and legs in towards himself in a protective reflex.

Severus's heart ached at seeing all the bruises and pain Harry had been through, and though he hated to cause him more, they had to get out of there. He lifted Harry as gently as he could, cradled him to his chest, and ran straight through the fight that had broken out and into the labyrinth of the dungeon. These corridors were more familiar to Severus than any, except perhaps Hogwarts, and he seemed to fly through them even with the extra weight in his arms. All he needed was to get out of the dungeons, then he could Apparate straight to the infirmary at Hogwarts. Harry seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness, alternately grimacing and moaning in pain, only nonsensical babble, until his eyes fluttered open and he looked as awake and coherent as ever.

"S-s-severus," he moaned.

"Harry, I'm here. What is it?"

Harry gasped deeply, wincing as he spoke. "Severus…will you…bury…bury the baby with me…please…?"

"He is still in you, Harry." Severus took one of the boy's frail hands in his own and covered Harry's firm, rounded belly, still whole beneath all the blood. "Feel?" Harry nodded and relaxed in Severus's arms, tears of relief spilling down his face. "And I will not be burying either of you. You will live, you will keep our child safe and healthy and I will never let anyone harm you again. But you will live, Harry."

You must live.

***************************************************

Harry was aware of pain before anything else. A dull but fierce ache in his abdomen gripped him and he groaned in protest. Reflexively, his hands twitched at his sides, trying to reach and cover his belly in protection and assurance, but he was too weak to move them. His eyelids fluttered open, and he gave a little start as he looked to the side of his bed.

Small grey eyes were fixed on his own, slightly obscured by a few sweeps of fine blond hair.

Harry blinked and the half-face was still there. "Draco?" he croaked.

The little eyes widened, a whole face appeared above the edge of his bed, and Harry wondered why Draco looked so terribly young. He tried to push himself up against his pillows, but a mind-wrenching shriek came from the small face beside him.

"Daddy! Daddy, the baby-man is 'wake!"

Harry cringed and groaned again at the obscene assault on his poor ears, his mind still scrambling to make sense of this world where Draco couldn't be more than six, and he called his deceitful, murdering father 'daddy'. And what had he called Harry?

"Bastian, leave him alone! Come here this instant." The little boy scrambled away, his footsteps going around to Harry's opposite side. Harry fumbled for his glasses, eventually grabbing them from the side table, and tried unsuccessfully to locate his wand. Finally able to see but not defend himself, Harry found the strength to push himself up and turn towards the door.

"Where…where am I?" he managed. "What's…who are you?"

The man in the doorway, with the miniature Draco clinging to his knees simply smiled.

"Time to see a familiar face, eh Harry?" The man grinned and turned his head over his shoulder. "Severus?" he shouted. "Get up here with Harry's potion; they'll starve to death if they have to wait for you!"

Harry's heart leapt at the mention of Severus, and only seconds later, he heard familiar sounds of stomping carrying a voice with them.

"…must have rubbed off – you're more nagging than any woman I ever…"

Severus faltered as he peered in the room. The dishes on the tray hovering in front of him rattled dangerously as the spell broke and his hands shot out to catch it, ending up clenched tight around it. He looked more unsure than Harry had ever seen him, and the emotion sat very strangely on his face. Still, it was better, Harry thought, than the hateful sneer that had been there the last time he remembered…he shuddered slightly at the thought. But seeing his lover's face again erased the horrors of the past few days, and he found the strength to smile. As soon as he did, Severus's face relaxed, and he looked both exhausted and relieved. He recast the hovering spell and left the tray by the door, striding quickly to Harry's bedside.

"Harry," he whispered, placing one hand over his forehead. "How do you feel?"

When Harry opened his mouth to answer, a potion was being poured down his throat – Strengthening solution, by the taste – and another followed it – his pregnancy potion. Finally able to move his arms and legs with the added strength, he stretched a little to feel how sore he was. The answer was: excruciatingly sore. Not to mention his belly still throbbed with every heartbeat.

"Hurts," he whispered, grimacing as his vocal chords joined in the chorus of pain.

"Don't," Severus said, covering Harry's mouth as he reached behind him and pulled out another vial. "This will soothe your throat, but it's still very raw; you shouldn't speak."

Harry nodded, honestly relieved. It had been agonizing just to speak those few words to the man in his doorway, and he knew he couldn't get out more than a few others. Instead, he sought Severus's eyes and communicated with his hands. They immediately slid up his sides and covered his sore belly as he sent a questioning look at his lover.

Severus's eyes brightened and he nodded. "Yes, the baby is fine. Doing very well, actually. Poppy came and checked on him just yesterday." Harry's eyes widened and he smiled broadly. Severus couldn't interpret his look until Harry rolled his eyes and pointed at his own crotch. "Ah, yes, it's a boy. I'm sorry – did you not wish to know?" Harry shrugged and grinned some more. "We can think of names and such once you're recovered." Harry grabbed Severus's hand lying next to him on the bed and dragged it up to his belly, capturing it beneath his own.

Severus looked stunned momentarily, but he made no move to pull his hand away.
Harry pointed to the door and made his fingers walk across his other arm like the legs of a miniature person. "When can you get up?" Harry shook his head and pointed to the door again leaving Severus still confused until he remembered what had been occupying that space before he had come up. "Who was at the door?" Harry nodded.

"That would be the infamous Regulus Black, who has now become quite the vexing little mother-hen. There's been something of a revolution – now that the Dark Lord is dead, with no one to take his place, many of the lies of the government have been exposed, and the Breeders all escaped. We are in the Black family house now, guests of him and his brother, along with Remus, and Regulus's five children. The other at the door was Regulus's youngest offspring, Bastian; most likely Draco's brother…after a fashion."

Harry nodded solemnly. He mouthed "Draco", not knowing a way to show that he wanted to ask about his friend, but needing to find out what had happened. Severus sighed. "Draco is doing alright. Physically, he is fine, but emotionally…well." He paused, shaking his head. "He's staying with his mother at the moment. He had no desire to return to Germany after what they did to his lover."

Harry shook his head slowly, unable to believe the damage he had done, even if it was unknowingly. Severus tried to comfort him by rubbing small circles on his belly where their hands still lay. "He did want me to tell you that he doesn't blame you." Harry looked up at him, surprised to see that he wasn't the only one who looked in pain. Harry tried to reach up and touch him, but he didn't make it far. Severus took his hand anyway and spoke.

"Harry…" He looked like he was struggling with an emotion too great to put into words. "Harry, I'm so sorry," he finally said, the words sounding pained and unlike him. "The things I said, when Lord Voldemort had you…I knew I couldn't let myself be captured or I'd never be able to get you back. I hadn't thought…that is, I hoped you would understand, you would forgive me with time, but I doubted –" He cut off with a start as something fluttered underneath his palm.

Harry felt it too, but from the inside, and he gazed down in amazement as their child moved. That little sign of life, more than anything else, was proof that they had survived, proof that they were going to be okay, and Harry looked up at Severus with a look that promised forgiveness and much more than that.

"Kiss me," Harry whispered, not caring a bit about the pain it caused his throat.

Severus didn't hesitate for a second. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry's, gently at first, then more forcefully as Harry lifted their joined hands to his cheek. God, it had been so long since he'd felt that kiss and it was like perfection now, after all that they'd been through. Harry shifted over in his bed with his gradually returning strength and coaxed Severus down next to him with gentle touches. They were lying side by side before they broke their kiss, and even as Harry pulled back, Severus followed him, touching his lips to Harry's cheeks again and again.

Harry lay back on his pillows, sighing with relief and joy and the ultimate pleasure of having everything in his life fall back into place. "I love you," he whispered, tangling his fingers in Severus's hair and running the others over his belly, feeling another soft flutter from their son as Severus's lips came back to his own and kissed him again.

***********************EPILOGUE*********************

Severus wiped his sweaty palms on his robes and glared at the clock. He was late. That boy was always late. The body he was standing over twitched, and Severus raised his wand again as the man came to. Groaning, Lucius Malfoy rolled over in his bonds, seeking comfort and finding none. Severus sent another whipping hex across his back and reveled without guilt in the scream of agony and thin line of blood that it wrought.

A crack of Apparition sounded outside the door, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. The door opened, and immediately, his captive started begging.

"Oh, Draco, thank the gods you're here! Severus…Severus has gone mad! Release me, Draco – I'm your father! I…I demand it!"

Draco tossed his cloak on the floor as he always did, silencing his father's pleas with a flick of his wand. "Sorry, Severus. You know I'm never on time."

The blond had changed in the months that had gone by since the revolt. Severus wouldn't go so far as to say he'd grown up entirely, but there was something playful in his voice that had vanished, something that Severus didn't think would return. And, for example, a younger Draco would never consider doing what he was about to do. Severus was grateful for that, however, because it meant he could stop and return to what mattered to him.

Grouchily, he replied. "Yes, well, forgive me for thinking this would be more important than whatever or whoever you happened to be doing." He turned to the man lying on the floor, beautiful bruises already blossoming on his face. "One last thing, Lucius; I hardly think it dangerous to tell you now, since you are about to die – the fellatio skills you were once so proud of are far inferior to your son's, and he was only…how old, Draco?"

"Fifteen and a half," the blonde stated with a distinct pride.

"There, not yet sixteen."

Lucius's eyes widened comically before narrowing in a glare that could not decide whether to focus its loathing on Draco or Severus.

The boy turned away from his father and grinned at him, close enough to the old Draco to make Severus smile. "You're sweet, Severus. I may just give Harry lessons for that ego stroke."

Severus smirked. "Thank you, but he does not need them. See to Lucius now, Draco; I must see to my family."

He pouted. "You're not staying?"

"I've exacted my revenge – I trust you to dispose of him once you've exacted your own."

Draco rolled his wand between his palms as a horrifying smile spread across his face. "With pleasure."

***************************************************

Severus stumbled through the Floo, Lucius's screams already fading from his mind. He crept silently through the house – waking Harry would only lead to questions he'd rather not answer. His son's room was dark and quiet, but Severus's protective instinct was too hard to quell. When he pushed the door open wide to check on the fragile boy, he saw the rocking chair by the window moving gently back and forth. He sighed.

"You're home," a quiet voice said from the sturdy rocker. Severus made his way over, apology on his lips, but he kept his mouth shut when Harry looked up at him and smiled. "Severus, you really should know better than to try and sneak out on a man who has to get up every two hours with a baby."

The voice was all teasing, no anxiety or hurt to be heard. "I'm s–" Harry shushed him, his eyes darting down to the bundle in his lap. "I'm sorry," Severus finished in a whisper.

Harry shook his head and tilted his cheek up for a kiss; Severus obliged him.

"You're not angry?"

Harry raised his eyebrow in a move that was entirely Severus. "Should I be?"

Severus reached down and brushed the fine, dark curls on their child's head with the back of his fingers. "No," he said. Before Harry, he would have left it at that – he had never felt compelled to explain himself to anyone. But now… "I was…eliminating a threat," he added.

Harry chuckled. "I hope you at least let Draco in on his father's 'elimination'. He'll never forgive you if you didn't."

Any other man would have gaped, but Severus just stopped the movement of his fingers and stared at Harry. "You knew? And you aren't upset?"

The little boy in Harry's arms squirmed as he moved his fist up to his mouth to gnaw on it in his sleep. Both men smiled, even if one was more subdued than the other. Harry stood and lowered the baby into his cot gently, covering him with the soft knit blanket they had received from the Black family. When their son was tucked in, Harry turned back to Severus and put an arm around his waist.

"I'm not upset. That man tried to kill our baby, tried to kill us; he was a terrible person. You were being a good father, trying to protect me, and I could never be angry with you for that."

"Hm," Severus mumbled, moving his hands up to Harry's shoulders. "I was worried you'd become a nag like Regulus after you had the baby, but I guess that's just his nature."

Harry laughed quietly and punched him on the shoulder, smiling as Severus chuckled and pulled him closer. They stared out the window above their son's cot, the stars twinkling just outside, the room silent apart from the baby's gentle snuffles.

"Still grateful?" Harry whispered, almost as if he didn't want to be heard.

Severus turned him so that they were facing each other and leaned down for a kiss. When they broke it and Harry's green eyes still stared back, the question burning in them, he brushed the back of his hand across the beloved cheek and whispered, "Always."

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