Silver and Gold 24/? DH Spoilers
SPOILERS FOR DH


Title: Silver and Gold 24/?
Author: Eriador117
Rating: NC-17, Snape/Harry
Spoilers up to and including Deathly Hallows
Summary: Things are never quite what they seem. Epilogue, what epilogue? ;)
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse, I'm just playing in it.
Beta'd by Rakina, many thanks :)
Warnings: AU, Angst, Mpreg. There are some other things I am not warning for as it will give away the plot and I myself don't exactly know where the story is going yet. I think it might also be D/s later.



Earlier Parts

Part Twenty Four

When Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast after his training session the noise level dropped dramatically. Harry caught a glimpse of the front page of the Daily Prophet but it didn't have a photo of him or Severus; it was a photo of Arthur Weasley under the headline. Ministry Reforms. Well, it looked like no one had talked to the papers. Yet. The gossip was just too juicy; Harry knew it would only be a matter of time before someone talked to them.

Harry wandered over to the Gryffindor table and sat down between Hermione and Neville; feeling the eyes of hundreds of students boring into his back. It made him feel as if he had ants crawling all over his skin and he shuddered a little. Ron was nowhere in evidence this morning and Harry wondered if Ron was avoiding him so they wouldn't get into another slanging match.

"Toast, Harry?" asked Hermione as she lifted down one of toast racks that had just been floating past them.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Harry, even though he wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Mindful of Severus' eyes on him, Harry took his time buttering each slice of bread, making sure that all of the bread was covered from crust to crust before he took a bite. It was like chewing soggy cardboard and he had to wash down each mouthful with sips of pumpkin juice.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked once he'd finally finished his toast. It wasn't like his friend, former friend, to miss out on food.

"He had a firecall from his Mum in McGonagall's office this morning," explained Hermione. "He's still in the Head's office."

Harry hoped everything was all right at the Burrow and as he glanced up at the teachers' table he realised Professor McGonagall wasn't there yet. Severus saw him looking and gave Harry a smile and lifted his tea cup to him in acknowledgement.

Harry's heart burned in his chest. He knew how much Severus valued his privacy and the fact that he was willing to smile at Harry in public made him realise just how much Severus really did care for him. This wasn't some fling that he wanted to hide from the rest of the world. Harry knew they both would have preferred it if they could have told people in their own time but the pixies were out of the cage now and nothing was going to get them back in. It wasn't as if they could Obliviate the whole school, although at times Harry was tempted to do just that.

Severus gave him a heated stare over the rim of his cup and Harry felt his groin tighten in anticipation. He could hardly wait until tonight when they could be alone together again. But before that he had classes and a detention with Madam Pomfrey to get through. Harry didn't think she'd make him do anything too onerous; she seemed to have a soft spot where Harry was concerned. He was just grateful Severus hadn't made him do the detention with Filch.

When the owls swooped in with the post, as always at this time, Harry felt a pang of loss as he remembered Hedwig. He'd always meant to get a replacement owl but somehow he had never got around to it. He watched as the others received their letters and presents from home, all smiles and giggles, and felt even worse. Just as he was getting up, a large brown owl stopped at his place and dropped a parcel onto his empty plate. The owl flew off without even waiting for a treat.

The box was white and unadorned except for Harry's name in gold lettering on the lid. Harry looked at Severus again; who was smiling and nodding and indicating that Harry should open the box. A public gift? Severus really was taking this Courting thing seriously, wasn't he?

Harry lifted the lid and peeked inside. There was a rectangular box of blue velvet lying on a nest of tissue paper. Harry removed it and just held it in his hand; stroking his fingers over the softness of the velvet. Severus was watching him intently. Harry opened the lid and heard Hermione's gasp to the one side of him.

"Oh Harry! It's beautiful!" exclaimed Hermione.

Harry removed the delicate silver bracelet and caressed the miniature cauldron that dangled from it.

"It's a Wizarding Charm Bracelet," she continued. "Muggles have them too, but their charms aren't real. The Wizarding ones are charmed with protection and love spells in each token. You're meant to add a token at certain milestones in your life. Courting, betrothal, marriage, children and things like that. The tokens can take the shape of anything that is special to either of you."

"Where do you learn all this stuff, Hermione?" Harry fingered the charm again and this time if he concentrated he could feel the love and protection in that tiny cauldron enveloping him like a warm blanket.

"Am I the only one who pays attention in History of Magic?"

Harry and Neville looked at each other over Hermione's head. Both of them burst out laughing.

"Yes!"

***

It wasn't until later that afternoon in Charms when Ron approached him. Harry deliberately scratched his nose with his left hand, his new charm bracelet jangling on his wrist.

"Can I talk to you?" asked Ron, glancing around to make sure that Professor Flitwick was still busy helping Parvati with her Silencing Charm.

"Well, your lips are moving and noise is coming out, so I guess that means you're capable of talking," retorted Harry, not willing to make it easy.

"Do you have to make it so difficult?" Ron hissed.

"Difficult? I'm not the one who went running to McGonagall and told the whole world our business!"

"Is there a problem, boys?" squeaked Flitwick, glaring at both of them.

"No, Professor," they both chimed in unison.

"Please, Harry. I need to speak to you. Can you meet me in the Room of Requirement before your detention?"

Harry had never seen Ron looked so despondent before and he felt his heart lurch. "Okay," he found himself agreeing.

***

The Room that night had become a version of Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, but it was a larger version with a few differences. All the wallpaper and posters were in the same style, but they all looked newer, as if they'd all only just been put up. The bed was larger, but still covered with a Chudley Cannons bedspread, and there was a small relaxation area with a couple of orange bean bags that had never been in Ron's real bedroom.

Ron was standing by the side of the bed, nibbling his nails.

"Ron? What did you want to talk about?"

"You've probably heard about the firecall this morning."

"Is everything all right with your family?"

"What? Oh, yes. It's nothing like that. I don't know what you'd call the firecall equivalent of a Howler, but that was what I had this morning. She really laid into me about fighting with you and Neville and alienating George. Oh, and failing my classes and being disrespectful to teachers and all the rest of it. But she doesn't know. None of them know," said Ron.

Harry was surprised to find that Ron seemed close to tears."Ron? Know what? What's going on with you?" Harry had no idea that Ron was failing in his classes, but then he'd been so preoccupied with Severus and his own problems that it was hardly surprising.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I should never have said those things to you or Neville, or talked about Snape like that. It's not really anything to do with that. I thought I could handle things. I thought I was handling things, but then I saw George and Neville, and then you and Snape, and it brought it all back."

"Ron?"

"Last year, Harry. When the Snatchers had me. They – they made us do things. Awful things; and they tortured us with Cruciatus when we didn't obey."

Harry felt his face paling. "Oh, my God! You were raped?"

"Not me, I was a pureblood and they wanted to keep me pure. They made me do other… things. But the Muggleborns and the half-bloods weren't so lucky. Merlin, Harry! It was awful! They made the purebloods watch while they – while they..." Ron choked back a sob. "They had us all in chains and made us call the leader, 'Master'. When I saw Neville kneeling in front of George that day, I lost it. I can't stand feeling like this!"

"Ron, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell anyone about this before?"

"I was so ashamed, Harry. How do you talk about something like that?"

"You just did. Has it made you feel any better?"

"A bit."

"Maybe you should go to Madam Pomfrey for counselling," suggested Harry. "She really helped me."

"She did? She wouldn't tell anyone, would she?"

"No, but I think you ought to tell Hermione and apologise to Neville and George."

"I'll think about it."

"It was terrible what happened to you, Ron, but what you saw with George and Neville was different. Neville chose to submit to George willingly; he wasn't forced into it. And if I decide to give myself to Severus that way, it will be my choice too. Everything I do with him I do willingly. There are no spells or potions bending either of us to the other's will. Well, there's the contraceptive potion, but that's different."

"You need a contraceptive potion? You have Gaian Syndrome?"

"Yeah, you've heard of it?"

"Yes, one of our distant cousins had it. He's got three kids now."

"So it won't be a problem between us?"

"No. I really am sorry, Harry. About all the things I said."

"I can understand a bit why you said those things, but it would have been better if you'd talked to me first rather than go running to McGonagall to accuse Severus of abusing me! He has never abused me, Ron. Believe me, I know what abuse is and this isn't it."

"Your relatives?"

Harry nodded but didn't go into any details. Ron may have apologised for what he'd done but it would be a while before Harry felt like sharing anything so intimate with Ron again. He didn't think their friendship would ever be as close as it had been before.

"It's not nice to have your whole life scrutinised," said Harry.

"No, it's not. I am sorry, Harry."

"Can you accept me as I am, Ron? Can you accept the fact that I am with Severus and that one day we might get married and have kids together? Can you accept the fact that I might want to kneel before him and call him 'Master'?"

"I don't think I'll ever understand the need to call him 'Master', but I can accept that you want to. I've been a prat, Harry, and I really would like us to be friends again."

"I'd like that too, Ron. But you've got to let me live my own life. If I make a mistake or a bad decision, then at least I'll know it was my choice. Do you understand? My choices were taken away the day Voldemort marked me and now he's gone I've got choices back. I want to do what I want for a change, is that too much to ask?"

"No. Thanks, Harry. I'm not sure I would have been so accepting."

"Yeah, well, Severus always says I'm a bit too soft for my own good."

"Oh! I almost forgot! Mum wants me to invite you and Snape to the Burrow for Christmas."

"Severus too?"

"Well, you're a couple, aren't you? And as Mum always says: the more the merrier."

TBC