Harry stood in front of the Headmaster and sighed. "You win. I won't be returning." Turned and walked out the door, not seeing the confused look on the Headmaster's face.

"I warned you, Severus, I told you that you would push him too far." Minerva said from her seat. "After everything he has done for you, you just had to keep pushing him away from you and from Hogwarts."

"He is nothing but an ungrateful, selfish, spoiled brat." Snape informed her, but something nagged at him. Something he didn't want to acknowledge. The same something he had been refusing to acknowledge.

"You need to look up what those words mean. Harry is anything but and never has been." Minerva stood up. "You can explain to everyone why we need a new DADA professor after five years, sorry four and half years since it's just now the Yule break." She left the office, muttering in Gaelic about ungrateful Headmasters.

Snape looked down at the parchment Harry had dropped on his desk and reread it again. There were just three sentences. "You won. I resign. I give up." He sighed. He had been telling the boy for years he didn't love him.

"So you finally chased him away." Albus Dumbledore stared down at him from his portrait.

"Shut up you senile old man." Snape snapped.

"You know I did a lot of damage to that boy. Things I am greatly ashamed of doing. You might want to think about those things in regards to your statement." Albus closed his eyes.

The first day back from break, Snape walked into the staff room and went to fix his tea, he took a sip and gagged. "What is this stuff?" It wasn't tea that much he could guarantee.

"Tea." Filius informed him. "However, no one is drinking it. The coffee is worse." He warned him.

"Why? It was fine yesterday." Snape questioned.

"We ran out of whatever Harry brought yesterday." Poppy picked up a glass of juice.

"Where is my paper?" Snape was looking around the staff room. His paper was always by his chair in the staff room for his mid-morning break.

"No owl delivered one for you." Aurora said. "Filius, may I borrow that new book you were reading over break?"

"Yes, of course. I will give it to you in the Great Hall at lunch. I have a class in ten minutes, so I must be going." Filius left the room but not before glancing back and seeing a confused Snape. Minerva was about to enter the room. "Severus is in there."

"He knows about the tea, coffee, and paper?" She and the rest of the staff were determined that the man realized just how much Harry did for Severus.

"Yes, confused by it, even though he was told Harry was the one who did it all."

"He won't listen as of yet." She shook her head. "He is so stubborn."

"The new DADA professor?"

"He hasn't been able to hire one as of yet, he is going to be doing the classes."

After two weeks of hearing "Harry did that", "Harry handled it, so I am not sure where we purchased it from", and his personal favorite, "when are you going to hire a new DADA professor?" Snape wanted to scream. His robes weren't clean, his quarters weren't the way he wanted them, his food hasn't been prepared the way he liked and he was behind in everything. He was sitting at his desk looking at the stack of unopened letters when he heard a knock. "Enter."

Minerva entered his office. "We have a problem. It seems some students have been fighting, but not in the way you think. It's a house on house battle between Slytherin and Gryffindor. It's not against each other, it seems they are working to see which house can best prank you and keep pranking you until you hire Harry back."

"He is not coming back here. I will deal with the pranks."

"Severus, I am going to say this and you will listen. Harry has spent over six years trying to prove to you that he loves you. I know you love him, why don't you go and find him and bring him home?"

"I do not love Harry Potter. He is a Potter." Snape snidely informed her.

"So, you are going to kill both of you, and you call him selfish." She tossed him a thick journal on his desk. "Something you need to read." She walked out of his office.

Snape glanced at the journal and tossed it to the side of his desk and began to work on the letters on his desk.

A month later, they still couldn't find where Harry brought the coffee and tea from. While the tea they had now was an improvement it wasn't as good as Harry's. He was getting his paper again but he had to get it from the owl and pay for it. His food still wasn't prepared the way he liked it, his living quarters were in worse conditions than they had ever been.

He had been dyed pink, dressed in a chicken outfit, spent a few hours sounding like a duck, spent a day in robes only Albus Dumbledore would wear and had his office covered in green goo three times, two dung bombs explosions and he lost count of how many times he had water dumped on him. He tried taking points from the houses, but it seemed now all four houses were pranking him.

He was tired and barely keeping up with the classes never mind running Hogwarts. He found out the elves refused to do anything for him beyond making sure he ate. He was running out of clean clothes again, last time he had conned an elf into washing his clothes with the promise of at least listening to the students regarding Harry. He listened to them and promptly dismissed them, told the elf to do his laundry.

He glanced again at the unread journal and finally picked it up. He started to read it and realized it was Harry's journal. It started with his years at the Dursleys. It took him four days to read the whole journal. He wanted to curse Albus Dumbledore and for the first time actually took pleasure in the fact he had killed the man. He glared at the man's portrait. "You are one pathetic old man."

"Maybe I am, but I wasn't so pathetic to throw away someone who loved me. I know I made many mistakes. I did them in hopes of ridding the world of Tom and for the greater good. What is your excuse for throwing away Harry?" Albus closed his eyes.

Snape threw a bottle of ink at the man's portrait. He grinned as an idea formed. The next time Albus Dumbledore woke, he found his portrait in a small empty closet.

Snape stood watching Harry as he chopped some wood. "You know you can use magic."

"I am aware. What do you want?" Harry asked without breaking his swing.

"I came to talk to you." Snape moved toward him.

"If I remember correctly your last words were "we have nothing to talk about." I told you that you won, and I won't be returning. I even made it official by turning in my notice." Harry swung the ax, splitting the log.

"There are a few things I want to speak to you about. May we go inside and talk? You were very hard to find."

"If I wanted to be found I would have left my address with Hermione and Ron, so how did you find me?"

"I went to all the properties I could remember your family or Black's owned, got the elves to give me more properties and I have slowly been looking at each one. Took me almost a month."

Harry looked at Snape. "You look like some dragon dragged your around Scotland, dumped you onto a bed of nails and said get some sleep and left loud music playing so you couldn't."

"I look better than I feel."

"Come, I will make you a cup of tea." Snape almost let out a moan of pleasure at the idea of Harry's tea. "I have some fresh biscuits too."

Neither say a word as Harry prepared the tea and got the biscuits out. Harry finally poured Snape a cup and handed it to him exactly how he liked it, a like a dash of cream and one lump of sugar. Snape tasted a sip and almost let out that denied moan of pleasure, he took a biscuit in hope of covering his pleasure until he bit into it. He did let that moan escape him. "They were your biscuits that I was eating."

"Yes, cooking and baking is something my relatives drilled into me, I enjoy it despite them."

Snape hung his head. "I read your journal."

"I wondered where it went to. I hope you aren't here to say reading it changed your mind and you are ready to see the real me?"

"It did change my mind in one aspect. I made me open my eyes. The past three months have been hell. I didn't even realize how much I enjoyed your company and what you did for me. It started with your tea. No, not really, it started when you left, I just didn't want to admit it. Harry, I am not good at emotions. I have had to bury them for so long I didn't know what I was seeing, what I was turning down."

Harry looked closely at Snape, inhaled and let it out slowly. "Severus, I have been trying for six years to get you to see me. I have had a crush on you since I learned you were the Half-Blood Prince. I had a crush on the Prince even before I knew it was you. Do not play games with me. It's been a long and difficult three months."

"I am not playing a game, Harry. I am serious. I want you to come home. I want to show you that I am serious. I want you to teach me how to show that I can love and I do love you. I have been miserable without you around. I just didn't want to admit it. I hate being wrong."

Harry scoffed. "I know you hate being wrong, but Severus if I do this you have to work with me." He paused, "we will fight, we will have epic fights, we will storm off at times, but if you are willing I am too."

Snape gave him a real smile. "I am very willing. My life has been miserable since you left and I don't just mean things like the laundry, tea, food, and you get the idea, but I actually missed talking to you, seeing you at meals and believe it or not our fights."

"I believe it. I have too." Harry got up and walked over to Snape and pulled him into a kiss, a long deep kiss that let Snape know he was wanted. "I have waited years for that. It was worth it."

Snape grinned and gave Harry a kiss of his own. He let Harry take control and just enjoyed the kiss he started.

Two Years Later:

"So how does it feel?" Draco asked Snape. Snape was walking out of the Great Hall trying to get a break from all the noise. It was another event to raise money for some war relief charity that was helping orphans and other organizations.

"How does what feel?" Snape looked down at him.

"Really, Uncle Severus? You are bonded to Potter and you are carrying twins."

"Shh, I haven't told him as of yet, how did you find out?" Snape pulled Draco to the side of the hall and put up a Mufflio. "Now, tell me how you found out?"

"Uncle Severus, that was easy, you gave it away. Your hand was on your belly all night. Pansy did the same thing each time she was pregnant. I did a quick pregnancy spell and you are carrying twin s."

"You can't tell Harry. I am going to tell him tonight."

"You know he is going to be thrilled."

"I know that, but it doesn't mean I don't want it to be a surprise." Snape glared at Draco. "You better hope no one else heard you."

"Uncle Severus, who am I going to tell?"

"You told me." Harry's voice joined their conversation.

They turned to him. "I swear I didn't Uncle Severus." Draco could see the look of murder in Snape's eyes. Draco knew his godfather didn't do a lot of public displays of affection but he saw a lot of displays when they were around family and good friends.

"Technically, he didn't, but he really stinks at voiceless and wandless spells." Harry said. "Now, Draco I want to talk to my husband if you don't mind." They watched Draco leave.

"Harry, I wanted to tell you. I had it all planned out." Snape started to explain only to have a finger placed on his lips.

"I know, but I wanted to use it as a way to get us out of that crush of people so what better way than for Draco to tell everyone we need to talk. Let them think whatever they want about what we are talking about or doing." Harry grinned at him.

"I can't leave just yet. I am the Headmaster."

"I believe Minerva is taking over your duties tonight." Harry started guiding his husband toward their quarters.

"Headmaster Snape are you leaving?"

Snape groaned at the voice. "It's Potter, Miss Weasley, and yes, we are leaving."

"I didn't get my dance Harry."

"Never will." Harry muttered. "I am sure we can arrange another time. Severus and I need to talk to each other. Good night." Harry guided Snape into their quarters and wards the door.

Severus was storming his way through Hogwarts, and everyone was hiding. He was heading up to the Defense classroom and many wondered if their Defense Professor was ready to handle a clearly angry Headmaster.

Severus opened his husband's office door. He could see Harry sitting at his desk, clearly grading some essays. "Severus, what is wrong?"

Severus' long strides had him in front of his husband's desk. "Wrong, wrong, oh nothing is wrong." Severus slammed a letter down on his desk. "How could you?"

Harry picked the letter up and saw a picture of him with Ginny Weasley at the bottom of it. They were naked and enjoying each other. He read the letter.

He's always been mine. I know I enjoyed his favors last Thursday night.

Harry flipped the letter over. He was going to kill the girl. He really didn't want his pregnant husband upset. Their twin sons were almost five, and their three-year-old daughter were making Severus stressed a bit with this surprise pregnancy. "Severus, last Thursday night we were at Malfoy Manor. Remember I told you I couldn't go, but at the last minute, Neville canceled our plans. I went with you right from here, with the kids. Lucius and Narcissa even kept them for the night, so we go to-"

Severus' anger deflated as he processed Harry's words and remembered that night, he gave Harry a slight blush at remembering what they had done. "Isn't Longbottom married to Lovegood?" He held out his hand for the letter. He was getting sick of Ginerva Weasley's attempts to get his husband.

"Yes, and Luna would have told Ginny I was going to be there if she asked. They grew up together. No one but the Malfoys knew of the issue with Ginny, Hermione, and Ron." Harry closed his eyes, his anger at Ginny rising. "I wonder who this is?" Harry hadn't spoken to his former best friends after he realized they really only cared about his fame and kept encouraging Harry to leave Severus and get together with Ginny.

Severus looked at the Harry in the photo. "It's a glamour. See that small scar on your hip is missing, so is the small mole on the back of your shoulder, and your freckles."

"I wonder who she used." Harry knew Ginny went through most of the Hogwarts boys from when they attended. He couldn't keep track of who she was sleeping with.

"I have an idea."

Draco, Pansy, Lucius, and Narcissa laughed at Severus' idea. "We can do that. Doesn't she work at the Leaky Cauldron as a waitress?" Narcissa was going to enjoy this.

"Yes, and according to what I learned, she works every lunch shift." Severus handed her a piece of parchment. "That is her normal schedule for the different days."

"The local gossip has her linked with three different wizards." Pansy added. "She sees the blond on Monday and Wednesday, the burnet is Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the bald guy is her weekend guy. She has been living on the third-floor, her brother and Granger are in the other room on that floor. Granger is still trying to get a job in the Ministry but is barely holding onto her job at Flourish & Blotts, Weasley was just fired from his job at Fortescue's."

Weasley failed out of Auror training because he expected to be automatically passed due to his heroic deeds in the war, while Granger kept trying to get high ranking positions at the Ministry. Harry and a few Order members had warned them that life didn't work that way.

"I will meet you at Hogwarts." Harry gave Severus a quick kiss.

Severus sat down between Draco and Narcissa, facing Lucius, while Pansy was on Draco's other side. They could see Ginny was moving closer to their table. "Come, Severus, you must eat something." Narcissa squeezed his hand.

"I'm fine, Narcissa." Severus' voice sounded dull and lifeless.

"I can't believe Potter. I knew he was scum." Draco hit the table with his fist. "I will make sure he pays."

"I trusted him. What am I going to do? The kids?"

"You will move in with us. The kids will be taken care of. I will make sure to get everything out of Potter." Lucius' grin was feral.

"I signed a contract, keeping everything of ours separated. I thought I had a better position with my potion patterns and I am the Headmaster."

"I will review the contract, I'm sure I can find a few loopholes." Lucius could see Ginny Weasley was listening closely.

"You can try, but I had the goblins create and make the contract."

"Let's worry about that later. We will work on getting you settled into the Manor, until after the holidays. That gives us three weeks to see about getting him out of Hogwarts." Draco and Lucius exchanged a look, one they made sure Ginny saw.

"Perhaps some soup, Severus, you need to keep up your strength, your kids are counting on you." Pansy, using her wand touched the menu, ordering their food.

"I want custody of them, Lucius. He isn't to ever see them if we can arrange that."

"I will do my best, you know that Severus. He is a Gryffindor and will do the honorable thing if I have to kill him to make it so."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without all of you."

They kept it to small talk after that and ignored Ginny when she delivered their food, including ignoring her attempt to spill Severus' soup in Severus' lap. Narcissa's quick hands stopped that action.

Harry was sitting in their quarters, an opened bottle of scotch resting on the table next to him. He had Lucius cast a spell to make his speech slurred. He heard the quiet knock, he ignored it. He wasn't surprised when Ginny entered anyway.

"Oh, Harry, I came as soon as I heard that Severus left you." Ginny looked around the room. The place was a mess.

"H' left. Thought I another." Harry waved his hand in the general direction of the bottle. "Jon me."

Ginny, not one to pass up an opportunity, picked up the bottle and drank some of it. She didn't see the slight smirk on Harry's. "This is the good stuff."

"Yes, it is. Now, Ginny, who was it that played me in that photo?" At Harry's question, Minerva, Severus, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Pansy, and Madam Bones stepped out of the kitchen.

"It was Dean Thomas." Ginny's hands covered her mouth.

"Does he know you sent it to me?"

"No, he had no idea I even did it. We were playing with glamours. I told him it was a game. We went through a variety of people; I had a camera set up." Ginny couldn't believe the truth came out of her mouth. "You gave me truth serum."

"Yes, we staged the earlier scene in the Leaky Cauldron." Severus took Harry's hand. "Now, I believe we can do this two ways. A permanent restraining order or have you charged with fraud."

"What? Harry is mine, not yours. You can't keep me away from him. I was promised him. He was to be my husband. I was to be Lady Potter."

"She needs a mind healer." Minerva couldn't believe the girl.

"A restraining order with a mandatory mind healer?" Harry looked at Madam Bones.

"Yes, I agree. Severus, the antidote."

"I have it." Minerva gave the potion to Ginny. "We didn't want to tempt Severus."

"Indeed." Severus was glaring at Ginny. He wanted to hit her with a few curses, one to remind her that Harry was his husband, another one to remind her that Harry was the father of his children, and one just as a gift from him, a gift that would show her how happy Severus was with Harry as his husband.

Harry found Severus lying down in their bed. He had finished putting their kids to bed. "That plan of yours worked out well."

"She really needs a mind healer, and we were able to show cause to have the restraining order issued." Severus put down his magazine.

"It had nothing to do with you being jealous?"

Severus' arched his brow. "She is lucky I didn't kill her."

"Now, there is the Severus I know and love."