Chapter Text
Severus was vehemently opposed to the Ministry’s plan to make magic “balance” by marrying dark and light wixen together, and marry grey to grey wixen. It was just another sign that the Ministry, despite no longer being under Voldemort’s control, was still authoritarian, playing at being a parliamentary democracy.
But Severus refused to leave his country. He’d fought and won. Now that the war had been over for six years, he was comfortable in his life away from Hogwarts.
And this marriage law… Severus wasn’t surprised that it only took effect after the golden boy married his Hogwarts sweetheart, Susan Bones. Now it was everyone else’s problem.
At least, as a “war hero” Severus had been able to have his preferences met—Chiefly, a partner who wasn’t a former student or Death Eater.
The letter naming his newest obligation sat on his desk. He tried not to give much thought to it. He was no longer some naive boy who dreamed of a little piece of paradise when he came home from work. A kiss at the door. Waking up with his love in his arms.
Well, it was better than Azkaban.
He set aside his tea and picked up the letter, breaking the seal. He skimmed over the faff the Ministry said, which was practically masturabatory, before finding the pertinent information. Harry Weaver. The name didn’t ring a bell, which was a good sign.
*
“What the actual fuck,” Harry said as he stepped out of the gym, spotting the same owl as before. He’d taken the tube earlier, so how the hell it found him again was a mystery.
The barn owl was on the back of a bench. It let out an indignant sound as it held up its leg. Harry didn’t want to get near that sharp beak, but the way the bird was carrying on, it might just attack if he didn’t take the letter attached to it.
With a sigh, Harry moved forward.
The owl was pleased when Harry took the letter—then it chittered in what Harry interpreted as an angry sound. He quickly took a few steps backwards. The owl clacked its beak before taking off.
Harry watched it go before sitting on the bench. The spring breeze felt refreshing after his work-out.
Someone was pulling his leg. Magic and arranged marriages.
Harry didn’t know which of his mates were pulling his leg. This was a bit too elaborate for them, and they weren’t even here for the punchline.
He rolled his green eyes and binned the letter.
*
Then there was a second letter. One from his “match”, Severus Snape.
It was taken out with the rest of the rubbish.
When the third letter came—and the owl stayed—Harry sighed and grabbed a biro.
You’ve got the wrong man. Please stop sending me weird letters.
It was short, but hopefully got across his point.
The owl took off with the letter—and was back three hours later.
Mr. Weaver,
If you feel the need to contest () the pairing, please contact the Ministry post-haste. We only have three days left before the Aurors step in.
I will come over for tea the day after tomorrow if the Ministry does not contact me about a new pairing.
Sincerely,
Severus Snape
*
Severus had patience in spades. He had to, considering his past. Yet that well honed patience was being tested. He knew his name didn’t elicit positive feelings, but this complete denial of the situation at hand was frustrating.
Yet, he gave pause when the tracking spell he’d put on one of the letters he sent Harry led him to an apartment building. A very muggle apartment building.
He didn’t bother with the buzzer when magic easily got him past the front door. As he took the lift he supposed that it was a good thing some pureblood wasn’t paired with Harry Weaver. They’d be completely lost.
Severus could sense no wards around the flat, but a spell revealed that there was one person inside.
Severus stowed his wand in his muggle attire, but kept a hand on it as he knocked on the door. The man who opened the door did not look like a wizard—even the best quidditch players were never so physically fit. He was wearing low slung joggers and no shirt. Defined pectorals and nipple piercings. Abs, sprawling tattoo peeking over his shoulder. Stubble and black hair in a bun with lazy wisps having fallen out.
Then Severus saw his green eyes. He felt a pang of hurt before he took in the whole picture of the man in front of him—the best of Lily and James’ features, but somehow refined.
Who was this—
“Are you done ogling, mate? I have better things to do than being treated like a piece of meat.” His voice was bone dry, snapping Severus out of his… out of whatever he was feeling.
“Potter,” Severus said, his voice a mixture of disdain and confusion.
“Wrong flat.” He started closing the door. Severus wouldn’t be able to stop him physically from closing the door, and a muggle had just gotten out of her flat.
“Who are your parents?” The words slipped out before he could think better of them. ()
Those green eyes narrowed as he froze.
“Were you adopted?” Because there was no doubt in Severus’ mind that this was Lily and James’ child.
Harry’s grip on the door tightened.
“So what if I was adopted?” The muggle woman slowed down to eavesdrop, but went scurrying away when Severus glared at her. “It was a closed adoption. If you’re here to tell me my bio-parents are looking for me, I want nothing to do with them.”
Severus snorted. “That’s probably for the best, but I’m not here because of them.” He pulled out the letter from the Ministry with the warning about imprisonment if he missed the marriage deadline. “I have no plans to go to jail. Make no mistake, this is a very real situation. You might not have gone to Hogwarts, but the Ministry knows you are a wizard and a British citizen.”
“This bollocks again?”
Severus was starting to lose his patience. There were no cameras in the hallway or muggles. He pulled out his wand and cast his most showy() magic, the patronus charm. The doe galloped around before feinting towards Harry. He jumped backwards and Severus took the opportunity to get into the flat and close the door behind him. He could smell the slightest scent of omega, but it was stifled in a way that didn’t have the dull edge of suppressants. It had a sour tinge, like he was sick.
Without asking permission he cast diagnostic charms on him. There was something off about Harry.
“What the bloody hell are you doing?!” Harry shouted as a kaleidoscope of lights surrounded him.
Severus narrowed his eyes, ignoring him. Finally he found an illegal, but subtle spell that held back a wixen’s secondary gender—but it should have broken when Harry reached 17. He froze as an even darker spell was laced into it, holding it in place. Severus followed its roots with his own dark, invasive spell and found something was leaching off Harry’s magical core.
Severus nearly stumbled backwards in horror. This was the darkest magic he’d ever seen before, on the same level as horcruxes.
He didn’t want to touch Harry, as if he was contagious, but whatever this was, he needed to go to St. Mungo’s curse breaking ward right away.
Severus grabbed his wrist and apparated them.
*
Linfred “Lin” Potter stumbled, abruptly feeling light-headed. Spots danced in his vision as the air was punched out of him.
His auror partner, Cedric Diggory, grabbed his arm before he could fall. “What’s wrong?”
Linfred opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak. They weren’t in the field. A delayed curse, maybe? Poison?
His fingers fumbled as he pulled out his standard issued bezoar. It rasped down his throat, but brought no relief.
Whatever Cedric was saying didn’t make sense to Lin. Air felt heavy in his lungs, and then darkness swallowed him up.
*
Upon my death I wish all my artifacts stored in Vault 313 to be donated to the Cairo Museum of Alchemy. All other items are to be sold through my solicitor, Justin Lawson. All my monetary fortune is to be converted to muggle money and bequeathed to one Harry James Weaver with the utmost discretion.
*
Harry’s skin was crawling. It was the first thing he noticed as he woke. Like static electricity with a million tiny legs all over him.
Next came the lights, colors of the rainbow and some he’d never seen before. It was breathtaking— It was overwhelming—
“Mr. Weaver, Harry?” a soft voice called out to him.
Harry squeezed his eyes tighter together before opening. The colors became more intense, and a woman in an odd lime green outfit was beside him. Tall—No, Harry was just laying down. It felt like some sort of hospital, but without the smell of antiseptic.
The woman was haloed in a vibrant purple, and the stick she was holding pulsed with it.
“There you are.” She smiled as she helped him sit up with cold hands. He noticed that her half-moon glasses were tinted ocean blue. “You’re in the curse breaking wing of St. Mungo’s. You were under quite powerful curses that were suppressing your secondary gender and siphoning magic off your core.”
Harry breathed in deeply through his nose. He couldn’t find words, but the lights thankfully dimmed, if only a fraction.
“I’m Healer Miller. Your fiancé informed us that you were unaware of your magic. It is understandable. The curses you were under were meant to hide that you are a wizard.” She pulled a piece of paper, a pamphlet, from the side table. “This is given to magical children when they turn 11 and are accepted to Hogwarts—our school for witchcraft and wizardry.”
This was… Fiancé? Magic? The odd lights? It was all too much.
And even the damn pamphlet was glowing on the dancing pictures. His grip tightened, wrinkling the odd paper.
“How are you feeling?” Miller asked while flicking her stick—wand. () Light danced from it. Harry flinched backwards, but the light wrapped around him harmlessly—and he noticed that he had his own glow. Gold and pulsing with his heart. “A bit dehydrated. Your magical core is refilling now that the curse is gone. It might make you feel light headed. Do you have any aches and pains?”
“Headache,” Harry grunted.
She opened a hip bag, revealing glass vials that had their own glow. She pulled out one that had blue liquid inside and glowed faintly orange.
“Best to just toss it back.” She uncorked the vial and handed it to him. It looked like nothing he’d drank before—more like watery, blue oatmeal. “It’s a common headache cure, Mr. Weaver. It’s perfectly safe.”
Harry was overwhelmed and couldn’t find it in himself to argue. It was disgusting, but almost instantly the headache was gone. His eyes drooped as water flowed from her wand into the glass. The water started off purple before looking normal when it settled in the glass.
He drank the entire cup before Miller helped him lay back down. He sank into a restful sleep.
*
Severus had submitted paperwork to have their mandatory marriage be postponed due to Harry being admitted into the hospital. He knew it would only keep them away for a while. If he stayed at St. Mungo’s, the Ministry might assign someone new for Severus to marry.
But Harry was a mystery Severus was eager to solve. With Severus’ permission he’d allowed St. Mungo’s to send the magical signature of the curse to the DMLE (). Harry’s name wasn’t given, but if he wanted to bring charges to the one who cursed him, he’d have to reveal his identity.
Severus… Well, he was salivating for it to be James’ signature. Even after all these years—especially since he had to deal with his spoiled brat for seven years at Hogwarts—he hated him. At least Black had been good for something and had been babysitting the Potter brat when the Dark Lord attacked, dying that night.
That night… () Severus had been back to Harry’s flat to investigate (and feed the cat he’d spotted earlier). His drivers license had the same date of birth as the Potter brat. Were they twins? Certainly not identical, but his looks were clearly inherited from Lily and James.
Once Harry woke again, he could ask for a hereditary test. In truth, Severus could ask for it as his fiancé, but he’d already abducted him and didn’t need any more bad blood between them. He’d already made it clear that he didn’t want to know his blood relations.
Severus hadn’t spent long in Harry’s flat. He didn’t recognize the people in the picture that looked like a family photo. A still photo.
No medications beyond a plethora of vitamins. A gym schedule on the refrigerator. A picture of him climbing the sheer face of a cliff. No car keys. A cellphone on a charger.
It didn’t give him many clues.
He’d grabbed two changes of clothing and well worn shoes before going back to St. Mungo’s. ()
On the third day, when Severus returned to St. Mungo’s, he was informed that Harry was awake.
Severus checked his own appearance for some reason that was beyond him before knocking on the open door.
Those green eyes were on him in an instant.
“Apologies,” Severus started with, before he could be shouted at. “The curses you were under would have led you to an early grave.” Which was technically true. Without his magic he would have aged at a normal muggle rate. But Severus implied that it was imminent.
He noticed Harry had a wrinkled muggle-born pamphlet on the side-table. ()In his lap was a book.
“You never told me your name,” Harry said, ignoring what Severus had said. Severus sat in the chair beside the hospital bed.
“I am Severus Snape, a Potion Master,” he didn’t add that he had an Order of Merlin, first class, since it would mean nothing to him. “Because of a new law from the Ministry of Magic, we’re supposed to marry.” He tried not to overwhelm him, considering Severus wouldn’t be surprised if the Ministry furthered the law by requiring them to have children. He didn’t even know if Healer Miller or if one of the caregivers had told him about his secondary gender.
“It’s bollocks. I don’t even know you.”
“The Ministry is corrupt and authoritarian, but far reaching. We’d only have to live together.” Wixen marriage doesn’t have the same meaning as non-magical marriage. We have to live together, but that's it."
“This is ridiculous,” Harry whispered, his knees coming up as he brushed both hands through his hair.
“I agree.” Severus scowled. Before Severus could continue, there was a knock on the doorframe. A caregiver, the equivalent of a muggle nurse, was escorting an Auror. Blake Russo, one of Severus’ former Slytherins.
“Professor Snape,” he gave him a respectful nod.
“Auror Russo.” He nodded back before turning to Harry. “This is an Auror, the wizarding equivalent of a police officer.” He looked to Russo again. “You have news about the sources of the curses Mr. Weaver was under.”
“Yes, sir.” His eyes were on Harry, and Severus could tell he was drawing connections between his looks and his fellow Auror’s, James Potter. He would be discreet, if only because Harry was affiliated with Severus. “We were able to identify the magical signature as Albus Dumbledore’s.” Severus had suspected that, but hadn’t wanted to breathe life into it by saying it outloud.
“And who was Mr. Weaver’s magic behind funneled to?”
Russo sneered, which told Severus everything he needed to know. “We are still investigating that matter, as well as who else might be culpable. We will keep you informed, but we ask that you stay out of the public eye while we get to the bottom of this.”
“I want to go home.”
“I believe he means the wizarding public. The muggle world, the non-magical world,” he clarified, “should be fine. The Healers have cleared you to be released.” Harry’s posture eased slightly. “I can take you back to your flat.”
“Right.” He started getting up and Severus watched him carefully.
“Thank you for your time, Auror Russo,” Severus dismissed him. “You have been very helpful.”
“Professor Snape, Mister… Weaver.” He nodded before ducking out.
Severus gave Harry privacy as he changed into his muggle clothes.
There was so much to do and many () in play.
*
Lily gripped Lin’s hand as he slept uneasily on the hospital bed. Jasmine, her daughter, was beside them, chewing on her thumb nail. Susan, Lin’s wife, was at home for a break. James had been called into the office despite DMLE knowing the situation.
Lily dabbed at Lin’s damp forehead. He was pale. The healers said Lin was suffering from magical exhaustion. His magic was dangerously low, almost enough to put him in a coma. They said his core had rebounded, like a rubber band being pulled then let go. But when it snapped back it knocked the magic out of him.
There was a knock on the door to their St. Mungo’s private room. Lily didn’t bother to take her eyes away from Lin, but it wasn’t a healer or caregiver that came in—an Auror.
“Have you found out what’s wrong with Linfred?” She didn’t like how serious Auror Greengrass looked, especially that she’d come with a second Auror. Lily didn’t know him on sight.
“Mrs. Potter, we need a few minutes of your time,” Greengrass said. Lily felt dread clawing at her throat. “Is it alright if my partner, Auror Russo, takes your daughter to the tea room for some biscuits?”
Her five-year-old daughter perked up at the mention of biscuits.
“Of course. Be good, Jaz.” Lily’s eyes were tearing up. She wiped them before the tears could fall. “What is it?”
Greengrass handed her a piece of parchment that had a DMLE seal on the corner. Lily had to read it twice to understand the order. Veritaserum and a memory charm? Why would they need those?
“Be assured, Mrs. Potter, that at the end of the investigation your memories will be restored.” Greengrass’ voice was soothing. Lily recognized it from the few times she’d observed James talking to witnesses—or criminals.
“Will it… help Linfred?” Not that she had a choice.
Greengrass smiled, her eyes warm. “We think so.”
“Alright.”
Lily took the potion and then watched the spell being placed on her in a daze.
Her mind cleared to see that 35 minutes had passed and Lin was still the same.
*
Back at his flat, the only strange lights were coming from Harry, Severus, and Severus’ wand. Harry ignored Severus and checked on his cat, Miso. The fat boy whined, but had food in his bowl. Severus had fed him, like Harry had requested.
Harry took a moment as he checked his phone. Calls from his friends and quite a few from his job. He was a personal trainer and jujitsu instructor—and had missed quite a few appointments.
He made a call to his boss first, explaining briefly that he had been hospitalized. Thankfully, she didn’t ask for proof.
He shot off a few text messages before grabbing a sparkling water and sitting heavily on his lay-z-boy.
“I have a theory,” Severus said with a leveled voice as he sat across from him. Harry didn’t have the energy to do much of anything beyond listen. “Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts and a key figure in the last two wizarding wars. I suspect that you are the twin brother of Linfred Potter, who is marked as the Boy-Who-Lived. He was famous for surviving an attack that somehow banished the Dark Lord for ten years. Dumbledore was the one to curse you with a spell that siphoned your magic to Linfred. There was a prophecy that Linfred would destroy the Dark Lord. Dumbledore used the curses to empower Linfred.” ()
A twin brother?
Harry breathed out through his news. He was starting to believe all this… magic business, but a whole damn conspiracy?
But Harry had never felt better physically in his life. It was like a constant runner’s high that thrummed from the place in his heart where the golden light was the strongest.
And… Harry had never felt like he quite belonged with his adopted family. Whether because he was from a different world or just because he was adopted, he didn’t know.
“Those,” Harry searched for the word, “aurors, are they going to question Dumbledore?”
“He’s dead,” Severus said bluntly. “As is the Dark Lord.”
“Can’t… This is a lot. I just found out about… And your Ministry wants us to get married?”
“The last two wars were fought to give dark wixen more power. After the first war ended, the Ministry was reactive and put in place extreme policies making all dark magic illegal. They learned their lesson on that front, but once more are making poor decisions. Now they think that pairing dark and light wixen in marriage will prevent another war.” Severus paused. “I am a very dark wizard, so you must have very light magic.”
“Yeah, you’re soaked in darkness.” The black glow around him was even darker than his strange outfit.
Severus raised a sharp eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“There’s black all around you. You didn’t have it before I was,” kidnapped, “taken to that hospital. Healer Miller had purple around her. I have gold.”
“Interesting.”
Harry sighed. “Is that not normal?”
“Magic-sight is a very rare ability. It runs in the Ollivander family. Bloodline abilities tend to reappear with a child born from a pureblood and either a muggle-born or muggle.” A sharp look appeared in Severus’ eyes. “Your father is a pureblood and your mother is a muggle-born.”
“They’re… still alive?” He’d been avoiding asking that question. Harry had thought he’d sorted out his baggage about his bio-parents, but apparently he wasn’t as successful as he’d thought. ()
“Alive and well.” Severus pulled a newspaper from an inside pocket of his long coat, something that should have at least make an outline, if not fit at all. () “As is your brother.”
He handed Harry the paper. On the very front page was: Linfred Potter Poisoned?
Harry read the article, but it didn’t say much beyond venerating Linfred, his recent marriage, and career as an Auror.
What intrigued him was the photo of Linfred. It really hadn’t hit him that he had a brother until he was looking at a distorted version of himself. Linfred had a rounder face, the same wild black hair, and felt familiar in a way he couldn’t verbalize/understand. ()
He tossed the paper onto the coffee table.
“The marriage,” Severus said carefully, “only requires vows taken in front of a Ministry witness and we live together. I suggest we move into my home. It is large enough for you to have space of your own as well as much less prone to magical damage. In exchange… I can teach you magic.”
“Magic?” The word felt wrong on his tongue, but his gold aura pulsed with excitement. He’d been reading about magic at St. Mungo’s. Even reading the generalized book for muggle-borns had felt like a puzzle piece falling into place.
“I was a professor at Hogwarts. I can get access to my former colleagues’ lesson-plans. We have to wait for the investigation to finish before purchasing you a wand.” It was compelling.
“What do you get out of this?”
Severus waved his hand slightly. “I have a bad reputation in a large part of the wizarding community. The Ministry begrudgingly respected my wishes to not be paired with a former student or anyone involved in the last war. Of all the people I could have been paired with, you are the best option. I doubt you’ll fawn over the Potters the way the majority of the wizarding public does and you have no preconceptions of me.”
“Bad reputation?” Great. Just great.
Severus was unreadable. “No one likes a double agent, even if they contribute to the winning side.” ()
Rewrite with him using accidental magic, how Severus’ place was much safer
(A marriage was a small price to pay for entrance into a world that he should have been in his entire life)
*
James was worried. He was being stonewalled at the DMLE. All the previous times Lin had been attacked, he hadn’t been left out of the investigation. He was the bloody Head Auror. An investigation this big should have him being updated every hour on the hour.
Lin was awake and home, but was on medical leave for a month. Lin had never suffered from magical exhaustion before, not even during his final fight with Voldemort. And the Aurors weren’t telling James something. Even when James pressured the weaker links in his office, they gave nothing away—But there was one thing.
He could see something in some of the aurors’ eyes—particularly the eyes of former Slytherins. He knew they should never have become part of the DMLE, but his wishes had been overridden. But the way they looked at him now was like… like they were blaming him. It made no sense, though. ()
He was frustrated and on “vacation”, although it had been forced on him. He didn’t let it show to Jaz, his five-year-old daughter. She was worried enough as is about her big brother.
The floo chimed, giving James a sinking feeling. He didn’t let it show, instead lifting Jaz from his lap and throwing her onto the couch as she giggled like mad.
When he opened the floo, Aurors Russo and Greengrass came through. James didn’t like Daphne Greengrass in particular since her younger sister was married to Malfoy, who had squirmed his way out of going to Azkaban just like his father had done years ago. At least Lucius had died this go around.
“We need to speak to Linfred Potter. Our investigation has concluded and the Minister wants us to report our findings to your son,” at least Kingsley was on their side, “since there are long term consequences to his health.” That knocked the smile off his face.
James told Jaz to stay in the living room before he escorted the slimy snakes to where Lin was sitting in the sunroom. He tried to stand to greet them, but his face went chalk white and he sat back down heavily.
“Do you have news?” Lin asked. James stood beside him and put his hand on his shoulder in silent support.
Greengrass spoke, “It’s been determined that Albus Dumbledore used an illegal spell that siphoned magic from a different individual into you. The curse was broken and your over-inflated,” and there was a hint of a sneer, “magical core collapsed.”
But it would be alright. The healers said it would readjust.
How could Dumbledore do something like this? James didn’t want to believe it.
“Whose magic was I stealing?” Lin asked boldly, but James could feel him quivering. He squeezed his shoulder.
Greengrass gave him a bland look, and Russo wasn’t speaking.
“We have to protect the identity of the victim.” But Greengrass wasn’t looking at Lin. He was looking at James.
(The air in his lungs suddenly wasn’t enough. )
All he could think about was that last time he held Harry, when Dumbledore had declared that his magical core had been shattered—right before James gave him away.
*
Lin could tell his parents were keeping something from him. He just didn’t have the energy to figure out what it was. He was just so tired. Even breathing felt like a chore.
He had a constant headache from the magical exhaustion. The healer said it would fade away, but he was… What if—Lin was supposed to be the hero. So many people depended on him. He was supposed to be taking the Auror department by storm, but what if his magic didn’t recover? What if his magic was only average?
Lin had depended on his overpowered magic throughout the war. What if he didn’t realize his limits and his auror partner Cedric got hurt because of it?
Was he even fit to be an auror?
And how could Professor Dumbledore do something like this? He’d trusted him. He was like a grandfather to Lin. And after he was killed by Snape, Lin had been devastated.
Now he felt betrayed. He felt like he didn’t really know the man who meant so much to him.
Engorged core, readjusting to a smaller size.
*
The thing was, after the war—the second war—once Voldemort and all his Horcruxes were destroyed, after the worst Death Eaters were jailed, and Wizarding Britain functioned again… James and Lily went searching for their oldest son.
Now that the world was safe for squibs, that no one would try to use Harry against Linfred, that (...), James and Lily wanted to make contact with Harry.
They knew that Harry wasn't going to just fall into their arms and fit perfectly in their life. That he had his own life and parents, maybe even siblings. That he might reject him. They knew it wouldn't be easy.
What they hadn't expected was not being able to find him at all.
*
This whole accidental magic business was starting to piss off Harry. A pack of acetaminophen had smacked into his face when he started to get a headache. When he went to do a few arm curls with his at home weights to blow off steam, he'd nearly broken his nose from the (amount and measurement) being weightless.
It was a bit safer now that he was at Severus’ drab home. The stone floors, torches, and honest to god tapestries were all very medieval. But he didn’t cause anything to explode when he sneezed or had a stray thought. ()
“What in the wide wixen world are you doing?” Severus asked dryly.
Harry shifted to upward-facing dog position to see him. “You said to meditate to feel my magical core. This is me meditating.” Harry knew he’d never be able to just sit down and let his thoughts drift away. Yoga helped him focus on his movements while all else faded away. “You want to give it a try?”
Severus gaped. “I think not!” he said after gathering his wits. “It is time for your magical theory lesson.”
Harry was surprised that he’d been doing yoga for over an hour and a half. It was nothing like his regular workouts, but he’d filled in more than once to teach the group classes so he knew what he was doing.
“Right.” Harry stood before rolling his yoga mat. It didn’t need a wipe down since he hadn’t broken a sweat.
He spotted Severus looking at his bum. Harry was used to people ogling him, but on Severus he looked like he was a bit confused, but definitely enjoying the view. It made Harry wonder if he’d ever been with a man. Harry wanted to, for a lack of a better term, break him in.
Harry had been with all sorts of people. His hippy parents had been all about free love—though, unlike them, Harry was adamant about using condoms.
His parents… His biological parents. Well, he didn’t want to think about them. Or his twin brother.
He and Severus went to the oversized library. When they’d first entered, he’d asked how Severus got books down from the high shelves since there were no ladders. Severus had raised his left eyebrow before summoning a book with his magic.
They sat at a table—Harry taking the chair next to Severus, much to the other man’s surprise. Harry was making it a sport of flustering him. He draped his arm on the back of Severus’ seat while opening his notebook and grabbing his biro. He wasn’t going to venture into using quills unless he learned about runes, in which they were necessary.
Severus cleared his throat before beginning his lecture. Harry took notes and was careful not to interrupt. He’d done it once and Severus’ scowl had an edge of long-suffering. Harry couldn’t imagine teaching 11 year olds. The lowest age he accepted for personal training was 16 year olds, and only the ones who were athletes that took their sport seriously.
When Harry started getting restless (which was pretty much his default mood when he couldn’t hit the gym) he brushed his thumb against Severus’ far shoulder. He stuttered, but kept going. Ten minutes later Harry did it again. Pink blotches appeared on Severus’ face.
By this point, Harry was barely listening. He was amazed by magic, and usually enthralled, but… Harry put his hand on the back of Severus’ neck and gently massaged it. Severus’ lecture came to a stuttering halt.
He gripped the downy, slightly greasy, hair at the nape of Severus’ neck, pulling his head back enough to expose his throat. Severus’ breathing quickened.
“I want to take care of you, Severus,” he said in a rumbling voice. “I want to bend you over this table and eat you out.” Severus moaned, glowing brightly. “All you have to do is say yes.”
“Yes.” The word was broken, but it was all Harry needed—
But then there was a loud chime.
“That’s—that’s the floo,” Severus stumbled over his words. “I need to answer—It might be the aurors.”
Harry released him and sighed. Severus scurried away, his awkward gate gave Harry a smile.
Harry tensed his muscles, trying to get rid of his erection since if it was the aurors, it was probably for him. True enough it was the aurors that had spoken to them before, and they were accompanying a wizard that Harry could tell was a paper-pusher even without knowing much about wizarding fashion.
Severus was still blushing and wouldn’t meet his eyes.
The paper-pusher read from a scroll that he’d been sent by the Ministry to officiate Severus and Harry’s wedding.
Harry huffed under his breath. The marriage business was bullshit, but it would only be on paper and Harry living with Severus. It was a small price to pay to learn magic and enter the world he was meant for. And he’d rather not be thrown into the frankly inhumane jail Severus described, or abandon Britain.
“Would you like to change into dress robes?” the paper-pusher asked. He was staring at Harry, but Harry had the feeling the question in his eyes was different than the one he said. Harry had seen a picture of his biological family in a book Severus had leant him. He knew he resembled his parents, yet almost not at all.
“There is no need for that,” Severus said with no inflection in his voice, vastly different from how he was just a few minutes ago under Harry’s ministrations.
They were told to join hands. Harry’s heart rate picked up, despite knowing this was perfunctory. ()
“In order to keep the peace I join you. May you find a haven in each other, Severus Snape and Harry Weaver.” A splash of wavering pink magic touched their entwined hands. Harry watched the pink flow through Severus’ black magic, lacing around his core before fading. It was probably the same with Harry’s.
The paper-pusher left after a brief congratulations.
Harry watched him with an almost bitter taste in his mouth. Unlike muggle weddings, there had not been any “I do’s”. Just another difference that he’d have to get used to.
Aurors Russo and Greengrass exchanged a look.
“Our investigation has concluded, Mister Weaver. Your magic was being funneled to Mister Linfred Potter. This started on the first of November, 1984. As we stated earlier the curses were done by Albus Dumbledore. We uncovered that after his death he left his wealth to you Mister Weaver—”
“As if that is any consolation,” Severus cut in. “Even if he was alive, I doubt they’d send him to Azkaban.”
“To say the least.” () Russo added under his breath.
Greengrass gave her partner a look before continuing, “No one else was involved, but you can bring charges against Linfred Potter for your pain and suffering.”
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was angry at his biological family, but it was focused more on his parents. It wasn’t Linfred’s fault that Harry was given away. “Thank you for your help. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Severus led the pair out. Harry sat heavily down on a couch, slumping and leaning his head against the top of the headrest. ()
“We can’t do that again,” Severus said when he returned.
Harry looked at him with a questioning look.
Severus’ face became splotchy with pink. “You are an omega and I’m an alpha. If you don’t use a contraception spell you might fall pregnant.”
“What the actual fuck.”
“Did the healers or caregivers not tell you about your secondary gender?”
“Secondary?” Harry had explored his body thoroughly, and he definitely didn’t have a hole for a baby to come out of.
Severus looked mildly annoyed.
“There are three secondary genders, alpha, beta, and omega.”
“Alphas’ magic can enter an omegas’ magical core. Betas can’t receive or enter anyone else’s magical core.” Severus looked away from him. “When an alpha orgasms, a tendril of their magic comes out, caressing the core of an omega. If the two magics are compatible, the seed of another core can be formed and potentially develop into a child.”
“What the actual fuck.” Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “Does that mean I could—” he made the hand motion of having a pregnant belly.
“No,” Severus was still not looking at him, “I’ll give you a book with the details.” His wand flicked out and a book came from the shelves and down to Harry, harmlessly floating in front of him. “Until your magical core is stable and you are able to cast the contraception spell, having sexual activity isn’t without risk.”
Harry took the book and tapped it with his fingers in thought. ()
“Sex in which you come, you mean?” Harry asked carefully. “Have you ever heard of edging?”
Severus blanched and Harry felt his lips turn into a wicked grin.
*
James was sitting in Ollivanders’ under his family’s invisibility cloak. He was fairly certain that Ollivander knew he was there, but he hadn’t said anything, even when an 11 year old came in to buy their first wand.
It was a longshot, but if Harry hadn’t gotten his wand yet…
If he even wanted to be part of a world that had abandoned him—
James pushed those thoughts away.
He and Lily had hired another private investigator to try to find Harry. Hopefully there would be better results than the first few times they’d done it after the war concluded.
They still hadn’t broken the news to Lin yet, not until they were sure it was Harry. () Lin was already feeling guilty enough at what had happened. If he found out it was his twin brother…
Lily was distraught and was turning inward. Lily and her puzzles. She crafted gizmos and puzzles with obscure magic that were one of a kind. () She came out for meals, but he could tell this was eating at her. He felt the same, but couldn’t afford to shut down.
At least Susan was keeping Lin distracted. They were supposed to be on their honeymoon—so at least this wasn’t cutting into Lin’s career.
James was snapped out of his thoughts when a dark figure stepped through the doorway. Snape. James didn’t care that Snape was now regarded as a hero. He knew the truth of it. Snape had been playing both sides and was planning to land on his feet no matter who won.
Before James could even sneer to himself, another man stepped through—He was of a height with Snape, but—Godric, that had to be Harry.
His skin a shade lighter than James’, hair black with a red tinge like blood pooled in the night—a mixture of James’ and Lily’s colors—and Lily’s bottle-green eyes.
But there were also the differences. Shoulders broader than James, no cleft chin like Lily’s, a nose that didn’t match either of theirs…
His muggle clothing was jarring, a reminder that his oldest son had grown up without him. And only now he was getting his wand—a piece of wood that had been waiting for years just for him. Magic that had been stolen from him.
Ollivander greeted Snape, but James couldn’t hear him, not while greedily taking the sight of his son in, of stopping himself from stepping forward. He was brash, but Lily and the Auror Corp had tempered that. He had to handle this carefully. If Lily was here, she’d know what to do.
Harry found his wand on the fourth try.
“Redwood and phoenix feather,” Ollivander announced. “A wand that is attracted to those that are protective of their own and stand tall against adversity. 15” and rigid. A firm hand will be necessary, one I believe you have, Mr. Potter.”
Harry’s smile at having his wand was briefly replaced with a scowl. He looked like Lily when she was about to scold someone, but Harry’s tone was more annoyed than anything else, “I go by Harry Weaver, actually.”
Severus dryly cut in. “Technically it’s Weaver-Snape.”
James froze, a mixture of fire and ice erupting in his chest.
“I am not changing my name,” Harry mumbled, but his eyes were on his wand. It was still sparking gold droplets that dissipated as they hit the wooden floor.
James’ mind raced as Snape paid for the wand and a hollister. Even after they left, James could not act.
“Those that eavesdrop never hear something they wish to,” Ollivander called out, a tinge of (power) in his voice. It broke him out of his racing thoughts. He gave no response, but left still in his invisibility cloak.
*
The breathtaking sensation he’d had when he first woke up in the hospital was tenfold as he held his wand.
The new wand had a dick vein, or at least that’s what it looked like to Harry