.

It's been so long... I'm really sorry :/

I do hope you enjoy this ;)

#arisflame:

Omg, I loved this comment! But noted, I will endeavour to keep it a one time occurrence :P

#Kpuffs:

The chapter after this, if you know what I mean ;)

The next morning, Harry woke to movement on the bed only to realize that it was Severus who was standing and making his way over to the bathroom. He rolled over as he watched the man walk across the room and he smiled, he really did cherish the man and it had only taken him all term to realize this fact.

"Good morning." He heard the silky voice as the man returned and went straight to Harry's side of the bed, rolling on top of him and trapping him between his body and the bed.

"Morning to you too." Harry struggled as the weight was crushing his chest.

"You ready for the storm?" Severus asked rolling off him and lay on his side so he could look at Harry.

"The storm?" Harry asked as he turned over to look at him.

"Hmm, with your friends, well mainly the youngest Weasely girl." He mused and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Gee thanks for reminding me. I hope that after today she gets the hint and backs off." He sniffed and found arms wrapping around his shoulders as he was pulled to Severus's chest.

"You don't have to say a word to her, you know this yes?"

"Of course I do, but I don't want there to be a major drama made out of it, it's Hermione's wedding." Harry sulked and Severus squeezed him gently.

"You will be fine. Now, if the time is anything to go by we should probably set about showering and dressing." Severus said pulling away and Harry agreed.

An hour later the two of them were putting the final touches to their suits but Harry seemed to be having difficulty with his tie. Severus simply chuckled at this and did it for him making Harry feel very stupid but was given a kiss before he was left to fix his hair. Harry had opted for a black suit much like Severus's but with a green dress shirt and had matching trim on his jacket. Severus, as always was dressed completely in black and had tied his hair back at the nape making him look the definition of class which Harry was slightly jealous of.

Once Harry had finally finished mucking around he came into the living area where Severus was helping himself to a whiskey and he handed the glass to Harry to take a sip for the journey. Severus knew it was going to be an interesting turn of events within the next few hours and he wanted to make sure he was ready for it, that, and the fact that when he saw Harry dressed up he found his mouth going dry at the sight.

"You ready?" Severus asked once he cleared his throat and Harry nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied before he intertwined his fingers with Severus's and they apparated to the apparition zone just by the church.

Harry looked around when they arrived and smiled at the sight. The church itself was a sight to behold, not to mention his partner looking striking as ever, and they stepped forward towards the chapel and were met by an Auror who verified they were invited guests.

They were let across the threshold without incident and bumped into Minerva who was simply beaming when she noted her two favourite men were holding hands, they hadn't even realized their fingers were still intertwined until they saw where her gazed landed and the contact was lost immediately.

"Oh, such a joy to see the two of you here." She said with a smug smile and Harry smiled shyly back at her as Severus had a half sneer half polite smile plastered on his face.

"And you, Minerva." Harry replied respectfully and they conversed for a few minutes before heading inside.

As Harry was apart of the staff that were invited he decided to sit with the other Professors instead of his friends that he had been to school with. It didn't seem right to split from Severus and this way he didn't need to deal with Ginny at this stage who he had just seen enter the chapel and was making her way over to her friends with Ron in toe.

Interesting, Harry thought as he spied his old friend. He hadn't thought Ron would have been there seeing as they had once dated but were now obviously not together. He looked away when he saw Ginny turning around and looked into his lap, noting that Severus had his hands placed on his lap and he felt the urge to take one in his own hand just for the comfort. He resisted this urge as Poppy came to sit next to Severus and they started conversing about medicinal Potion's and new remedies to which Harry zoned out of and had his head down so he didn't make eye contact with anyone.

Ten minutes later and Harry looked up to see Victor walk confidently down the isle with Minerva in toe as she was overseeing the ceremony. Victor spied Harry in the crowd and nodded which Harry returned with a smile before the music started and everyone turned around to see the bride walking down the isle with her father.

Harry was trying his hardest not to cry like a baby and his breath was taken away by Hermione's beauty. She looked absolutely stunning in her crisp strapless white wedding gown that framed her body beautifully. As she walked past them, Harry saw the train on her gown that stretched back at least three or four meters and he felt a tear slip down his cheek. Her hair looked to be straightened and then loosely curled as some of it was bunched at the back and the rest simply flowed down her back. There were little white flowers and petals weaved into her hair and the gown itself had clear crystals dotted all over it, catching with the light and creating a harmonious air about it.

"She looks beautiful." Harry breathed out and this time he took Severus's hand and felt the man give it a quick squeeze before it was let go and placed back in his own lap.

Harry should have felt disappointed by this but he couldn't stop thinking about his two best friends and how happy they looked. The chapel seemed to be humming with their magic and Harry let himself be enveloped in the feeling and matched it with his own magic.

Once Hermione had reached the alter, she was handed over to Victor who bowed respectfully to Hermione's father before the ceremony began and Harry could feel that he had the biggest grin on his face the whole time. He listened as Minerva started off the ceremony, he listened to the vows and finally he had two tear tracks down his cheeks once they said I do. After they said this, as one the occupants in the church stood as Hermione and Victor turned to address their guests and started their journey together down the isle and out into the Paris town for a couple of photos.

Harry didn't care about anything or anyone at this stage as he watched his two best friends embracing each other as the photographer took a couple of photos of them outside the church and he looked on with longing when he saw how happy the two of them were.

He felt a hand on his shoulder once Hermione and Victor disappeared as others had started doing so back to Victor's parents estate for the reception and he turned to face Severus who was watching him carefully.

"You ready to go?" Severus asked and Harry nodded mutely as he took hold of Severus's arm and the sickly feeling of apparation hooked around his stomach.

Harry let go of Severus's arm quickly if not feeling hesitantly about it and together along with a couple of the staff from Hogwarts made their way over to the vast tent that was set up for the reception. As Harry was walking towards the marquee he looked around the grounds and was speechless, thinking that he could happily live in France if this was what the country had to offer. There were olive trees and in the distance he could see Vineyards that covered the surrounding land. The house itself, which could been seen in the distance was magnificent and was a typical French style with cream coloured stone for the walls and terracotta roof tiles surrounded by green gardens and a couple of water fountains from what he could see.

Severus was watching Harry carefully from the moment the wedding had begun to this current point in time and he was aware that his lover had gone quiet, almost worryingly so but he didn't say anything about it because he didn't want to draw it any attention. Well, that was for now anyway, if Harry wasn't going to snap out of his daze by the time they arrived back at the hotel he was going to say something.

"Harry?"

He recognized it right away. It was Ron. Harry turned around and found the red head walking towards them and he quickly turned to Severus who nodded and walked away. He wanted to tell the man to stay but found that his voice was gone at this point and his throat dry at the prospect of facing his old friends again.

"Hey." He said carefully and Ron stood in front of him awkwardly.

"Can't believe that git's here huh? Don't know why Hermione invited him." Ron said and Harry could tell straight away that his old friend was trying to communicate the way they had when they were at school.

He stayed quiet for a moment as he tried to control his emotions and run through how he was going to respond but he came to the conclusion that he was quite serious about Severus and in a moment of clarity he didn't care what the others thought. He was ready for them, Ginny more so as he wiped that smug look off her face and told her where to shove it regardless of the fact that they were at a wedding.

"He's with me actually." Harry said bluntly and he saw Ron's face go red.

"What?" There was confusion and disgust mixed together but none preceding the other.

"He's my partner, Ron so accept the fact he is here and grow up." He snapped and then turned on his heel and stalked away, much like Severus did and found the man heading inside the marquee.

"That was quick." He mused when Harry came up beside him and linked arms.

"He hasn't changed." Harry replied.

Finding their seats with the other staff members who were sitting the closest out of all the guests for the reception, Harry caught Hermione's eye and gave her an adoring smile which was returned and they nodded in confirmation that they would catch up after the meal. She then turned to her new husband, Victor and whispered to him and he also made eye contact with Harry and raised his glass to him.

The meal was all that Harry had expected and more, and by the time desert had been delivered he was well and truly stuffed. There was also the fact that he and Severus had downed a bottle of wine between them and he was starting feel a pleasant buzz. It also wasn't until this moment that he realized the man sitting next to him hadn't really said anything and this worried him and he wondered if he had scared the man a little with bringing him along to something such as this.

He decided to break the silence for now as he noted that people were starting to move about and mingle with each other so he turned in his seat and faced Severus who simply glanced to his left at Harry and cocked his head.

"That was a beautiful service, don't you think?" Harry asked hopefully trying to instill some response.

"It was. The bride, looked simply gorgeous." Severus replied and Harry smiled at his tone.

"She was." Harry responded and looked over his shoulder to see Hermione conversing with Minerva and Poppy.

"Oh there you are." Harry froze when he heard the voice and he could tell that Severus's aura tensed as Ginny came waltzing over.

"Hey, Harry. Ron told me you were here, come on everyone is dying to talk with us." She continued and tried taking Harry's arm but he yanked it free and stood suddenly.

"What part of 'not wanting to see you anymore' did you not understand?" He hissed and her face twisted in anger.

"So you are here with him." She spat and it took all of Harry's energy and will power not to curse her right then and there.

"And your issue is?" Harry countered.

"You're supposed to be here with me." She stressed this point and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Get it into your head, Ginny. I don't want you, you can't have me and I am very happy here with Severus." He took a step forward so he was right up in her face and she looked conflicted for a second before Hermione came up beside them and greeted Ginny warmly, pulling her away.

Harry watched as she was pulled away and then looked down at Severus who was leaning forwards with his forearms pressed on top of the table as if in deep concentration. He wanted to talk with the man, tell him everything was alright that he didn't mind having to put up with that but he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned around had an armful of Victor and he patted his friend on the back.

"So? Am I the luckiest guy on the planet or what?" He said excitedly and Harry grinned.

"You most certainly are. She looks beautiful, and you my friend are looking rather dapper."

"Aw shucks, Potter." He joked and they hugged again before he pulled Harry away.

"So I see you brought along your friend." He winked and Harry smiled sadly.

"I don't think he's taking it too well. He's been really quiet and of course Ginny just happened."

"Ah don't worry about it, Harry. If he truly cares about you then he will get over it. Anyway, you say I look dapper, have you seen yourself?" He quipped and then wiggled his eyebrows making Harry laugh loudly and this caused some people close by to look over confused.

"I knew there was a reason we were friends." Harry said and gave the Bulgarian a light punch in the arm.

Victor suddenly spotted an old friend of his and told Harry to enjoy the rest of the day as he didn't know when he would next get round to speaking with him but Harry waved him off and smiled as he watched his friend look like the happiest man on the earth, unlike his lover who was now nowhere to be seen and Harry frowned.

"Don't worry, he's speaking with one of Victor's old Professors." Hermione said as she sidled up to him and he turned to give her a crushing hug.

"Oh, Hermione you look amazing and beautiful and, words, they just can't describe you right now." Harry blurted out suddenly and she smiled warmly and stroked his cheek with a thumb.

"Thank you, Harry. I've never been so happy in my life." She admitted and Harry understood what she was saying, which was weird because before the wedding he didn't realize his feelings for Severus were so strong.

"I'm glad that our little trouble maker hasn't made a massive fuss yet. I was expecting her to be kicking and screaming right about now." Harry mused as he looked around the marquee and Hermione hummed her agreement.

"If anything, Harry there is no way she is ruining my day." She smirked and made a fist with her hand making Harry chuckle.

"At first, I had intended on inviting Severus to be my body guard but it's turned into a bit more than that." Harry admitted and this time Hermione nodded her understanding.

"The two of you look rather good together if I'm honest. You suit each other well and that's not just your presence because I know you both have been through so much."

Harry didn't say anything to this, he just looked around the room to see if he could spot said man they were talking about but he came up null and he let his gaze fall to the floor.

"How do you feel about him, Harry?" She probed and he immediately felt bad, this was supposed to be her happy day and not ruined by his own souring mood.

"You shouldn't be worrying about me, Hermione. This is your day and you should be drinking more champagne and dancing with your husband." He replied in a cheery mood but she gave him a pointed look and he sighed.

"I… I think I'm in love with him. I just don't know if I can tell him." He said dejectedly and when he looked up she was smiling knowingly at him.

"I'm sure he'll be able to work it out, he's not an idiot." She smirked and then kissed him on the cheek before going off and mingling with the others.

Harry frowned at her sudden change in mood and followed her with his gaze as she found Victor and they started their first dance together. One that Harry almost couldn't bare to watch because he was starting to have a crushing pain in his chest that was causing him to have trouble breathing and he bolted from the marquee, sprinting across the fields and stopping at a large rock as he panted.

He took this chance to have some time for himself and he glanced up at the moon, a full moon at that as it lit up the clear night sky.

He jumped when he felt arms coming around his waist but he didn't worry because he knew it was Severus just by the nervous aura he was giving off and it both intrigued and worried Harry.

"Hey." Harry said softly, not moving as he felt Severus's chest pressing up against his back.

"What are you doing out here? The party is back in the marquee." Severus said quietly resting his chin on Harry's head.

"I've spoken to the only two people I came here for." Harry spoke absently and he felt the arms around him tighten slightly.

"What's on your mind, Harry? You've been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived at the church."

"I could say the same about you." Harry replied and then moved so he was facing Severus and the man's hands shifted down to his waist.

"Simply being pensive."

"Yeah. I guess I have been too." Harry said resting his head on the man's chest.

"Yes, and that, my dear Harry is what has me worried." There was a light tone to Severus's voice and he felt Harry snort in amusement.

Harry was silent after this, he didn't feel he could respond and tell Severus what was on his mind but he did think of a way he could show him and he pulled his head away so he could look at the man. There was a moment where they both made eye contact and held their breath before Harry closed the distance and their lips met for a kiss that that sparks shooting their way through Harry's body. There seemed to be so much passion and emotion behind the kiss that it took him by surprise and he wondered if Severus felt it too.

He did and he wrapped his arms tighter around Harry's waist to bring their bodies as close as possible as their lips molded together like they never had before. They weren't sure who it was that moaned, possibly it was both of them but neither cared as at that moment it just felt like it was the two of them and no one else.

Harry broke away first from the kiss even though he wanted to keep going but there was something else he wanted to do, something he was ready for and it was making his stomach flutter intensely as if butterflies had totally over taken him but he took a deep breath as he maintained eye contact with his lover.

He felt like this was the right moment, whether he was feeling the effects from the wedding of his best friends, seeing them eternally happy, or whether he was just at that stage where he could see himself being with Severus in the future but he had something he wanted to say. Something that he was nervous of because he didn't know how the man would take it and it was now or never so he took another deep breath.

"Oh there the two of you are, you're needed inside."

Harry closed his eyes as he tried to control himself and he took a deep breath, exhaling slowing and felt Severus turn away to deal with Poppy who was calling out to them. He didn't really register what was going on as Severus pulled him along, nor did he see that they were inside the marquee with Hermione and Victor standing up at the podium where the musicians were to say their thank you speeches.

He was finally roused though when the crowd was clapping in honor of the bride and groom making Harry shake his head and clap along with the others. He was so happy for them, truly he was but he now had something else on his mind.

Soon the music started up again and people, including Hermione and Victor made their way onto the dance floor, partners were embracing each other and friends were dancing together making Harry wish that was them. Actually, no he didn't wish it was them because he didn't want to be the center of attention and he doubted Severus would take them on to the floor and dance.

"Harry, may I have this dance with you?"

Harry's head whipped round to see Severus offering his hand and bowing ever so slightly and he held his breath for a few seconds before placing his hand in the offered one and numbly followed the man into the center of the floor.

Stopping, Severus positioned himself so he held Harry's hand and placed the other one on Harry's waist as he felt a hand on his own shoulder. Looking down at his younger lover, he saw a lust filled gaze and a lazy smile spreading across his face as he pulled them through the people and danced in line with the music.

Harry felt like he was in his element and was able to tune out everything that was going on around them to just focus on Severus, the man who was easily guiding them both across the floor. Harry was surprised in himself after his once and only time at learning to dance when he was back at school, which was such a disaster, but now here he was being effortlessly guided by the strong body pressing against him.

It felt so real and so safe.

Harry lost count of the number of songs but was convinced it was only a few before a slow beat song came on, mainly for couples to dance to and Harry noted that Severus hadn't moved them off the floor. It was the kind of song that one would play to bring the mood down a notch so people weren't so riled up and Harry found himself looking into a pair of open and unguarded chocolate pools that let him forget where he was and leaned up to kiss the lips associated with those eyes.

He didn't care where he was, he didn't care people would talk, he was ready for something new, he was ready to be with Severus.

Oooh, what's going to happen I wonder?