A/N: This chapter contains detailed adult sexual content. If you've read this far, hopefully you're okay with that, haha. This is the last chapter of this main story line.

— CHAPTER EIGHT —

Voldemort had managed to successfully draw out the war for years beyond the Battle of Hogwarts. However, the Final Battle with Voldemort was similar to the Battle of Hogwarts in many ways. It came down to a single duel and it was over more quickly than Harry had expected. So quickly that, after so many years of fighting, it hardly even seemed real to Harry.

Harry and Severus wrote each other every day. Severus often included pictures of Nicolas. Harry eventually started to send Severus the memories he had collected. Memories of his childhood with the Dursleys, memories of the trials he had faced at Hogwarts and afterwards too.

When the Final Battle was drawing close, Harry sent the last of his memories to Severus along with the vials of his most precious memories - his memories involving Severus. Including the memory he had saved of their bonding day, from his point of view. If Harry died, then he wanted Severus to know how much Harry loved him.

After the Final Battle, Harry returned to Grimmauld Place late at night. The house was deserted for once - most of the Order members were spending the night with their families. Harry fully intended to do the same, just as soon as he cleaned himself up. He was covered in blood and grime. He was also exhausted but now that it was safe for him to be with his family he had no intention of sleeping anywhere except for where Severus and Nicolas were.

Harry made it to his bedroom without encountering a single other person and he was grateful for the reprieve. However, when he finally entered his bedroom, he froze in stunned surprise. Everything was in disarray.

Then he saw Severus. The man was on his hands and knees, prying at a loose floor board with with his fingers - so roughly his fingers had begun to bleed. Harry rushed to his side, "Severus, what are you doing here?"

Severus's head snapped up and Harry was stricken by the sight of the tears that streaked Severus's face. Severus's breaths came unevenly and he was trembling all over. Harry caught Severus's face in his hands, questioning urgently, "Severus, what has happened? What are you doing? Is Nicolas taken care of?"

Harry's dirty hands left smears of filth on Severus's pale, damp skin but Harry was too frightened to care right now.

"My ring," Severus whispered brokenly, "I cannot find it."

Harry blinked and it took him a few seconds to understand, "Your ring? Severus, what ring?"

"My ring, m-my wedding ring, I-I can't... find it. I..." Severus's voice broke on a sob, "I t-threw it away but I didn't know then - I didn't understand... Harry, I'm so, so sorry."

Harry embraced Severus immediately, holding him close, "Oh, Severus…"

He had to swallow hard against the lump in his throat. His chest ached for Severus. He whispered gently, "Hush, my love, there's no reason to be so upset. I have the ring right here. I always wear it when I'm away from you."

Harry pulled on the chain about his neck and drew it out, revealing the intricate gold and silver wedding band that he had crafted so long ago. He then unfastened the chain to remove the ring. Severus sagged with relief, taking the ring reverently in hand. He bowed his head over it and he wept in earnest.

"Is Nicolas taken care of?" Harry questioned softly, for the second time. He captured Severus's joined hands in his own and healed Severus's abused fingers.

Severus nodded and drew in a ragged breath. Harry smoothed the man's black hair back from his face and pressed his lips softly to Severus's forehead, "I apologize, I would not have shared those memories with you, if I had known they would upset you so much. I only wanted you to see that day from my point of view so you would know how much I loved you then and so you'd understand how much I love you now."

Severus shook his head quickly, raising his face and pressing a passionate kiss to Harry's lips, kissing him desperately. Severus broke the kiss, and met Harry's eyes, his own eyes shockingly vulnerable and open, "I will treasure those memories forever and I will wear this promise always."

Severus slipped the ring onto his finger, speaking a spell to keep it there.

Harry smiled at him. For the longest time he hadn't thought he would ever see that ring on Severus's finger again. This morning he hadn't even been sure if he would see Severus or Nicolas ever again. There had been a very real possibility that he could have died in the battle today.

As if Severus's thoughts echoed Harry's own, the man glared at him suddenly and he said, "How could you say goodbye with a letter? How could you possibly imagine I wouldn't have been irrevocably damaged if you'd died today?"

"Isn't the important thing to consider that I didn't die?" Harry questioned, with just the faintest touch of humor. He was attempting to lighten the mood a bit. "You might not have heard but the war is over now."

"I… I know," Severus whispered, hesitantly. He was avoiding Harry's gaze now. His anger was gone as quickly as it had come.

Harry murmured, "Severus, what is it?"

The other man met his gaze finally, "Can we come home now? Nicolas and I?"

Severus considered Grimmauld Place home. Harry's expression softened and he nodded, "I was going to go to you both, after I'd cleaned up. I'd planned on spending the night with you and talking to you in the morning about whether or not you'd want to move back with me. If you'd rather stay at Hogwarts or find another house, I'm open to that too."

Severus smirked slightly, "I'm partial to this house, actually."

"I am too!" Harry agreed immediately and enthusiastically. "It's rather comforting after you get used to it."

Severus's eyes were bright now as he regarded Harry. He reached out and rubbed at Harry's cheek, "You're an absolute mess."

"Maybe you'd like to join me in the shower then," Harry replied suggestively, raising his eyebrows.

Severus rolled his eyes but he stood and walked into the bathroom, "I suppose I'd better. You're so filthy you'll never get clean if left alone."

Harry stripped off his clothes as he went, leaving them on the floor for Kreacher to either burn or clean as the hateful little elf saw fit. He replied, "You're right. I am in desperate need of your assistance."

When he entered the bathroom he found that Severus had made quick work of taking off his own clothes. The pale-skinned man stood in sharp contrast to all of the black marble that had been used in the master bath decor. Severus already had the shower on and he glanced over his shoulder when Harry came in, his dark eyes moving appreciatively over Harry's body.

Severus murmured lowly, "I've missed you. You're even more stunning than I remember - and I've relived that memory so many times."

Harry shut the bathroom door behind him and went to Severus immediately. He stepped into the shower and drew Severus in with him. He moved to kiss Severus but Severus pressed a finger to Harry's mouth quickly, "Be patient. Let's get you clean first. I want to be sure you're not hiding any injuries."

Harry sighed, "Ah, I thought you were bringing your wand into the shower for more entertaining applications."

Severus looked as if he wanted to laugh but he pressed his lips together firmly for a moment and turned to grab a sponge. It was a very nice shower. There were multiple water spouts and the spray encompassed everything. Sponges and soaps were set into a small alcoved self in the far wall. Severus set his wand on the self and applied some of the soap to the sponge. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon filled the air.

Harry stood still as Severus washed him. The man was very careful not to miss anything and he was completely focused on his task. Harry watched him fixedly, hardly believing that Severus was actually here with him after so long. Their last time together felt like a dream sometimes and he'd struggled to hold onto the memory through these long months apart. The letters had helped but actually having Severus here in person was a balm for Harry's weary soul.

He hadn't wanted to celebrate the end of the war, he'd just wanted to be with his family.

Severus found only minor injuries on Harry and healed them all methodically. It was rather remarkable really, how few injuries Harry had actually sustained. Harry had been wounded worse after simple raids than he was now after the Final Battle.

Severus worked his way down Harry's body until he was on his knees before Harry. He ignored one very obvious portion of Harry's body and worked his way down to Harry's feet instead. Then Severus looked up at Harry, lines of water running down his severe features and his black hair sticking to his skin. Severus set the sponge aside and took Harry's cock in hand as he questioned lowly, "How tired are you?"

"Not tired at all," Harry lied immediately.

Severus smirked. It was obvious the man didn't believe him, but Severus leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the head of Harry's cock anyways. Harry groaned and his legs trembled just slightly. Severus placed his hands on Harry's hips and slowly moved his mouth further down Harry until his lips were at the base of the shaft. Harry murmured breathlessly, "Fuck, Severus, that feels good."

Severus moved his head up and down until Harry felt close to coming. Harry twisted his fingers in Severus's wet locks and pulled his head back, "Don't."

"I want to taste you, Harry," Severus murmured, his low voice slightly hoarse.

"I want to fuck you," Harry replied, giving Severus's hair a light tug to encourage him to stand.

Severus rose to his feet smoothly. Harry released Severus's hair and kissed him deeply. Severus spoke against Harry's lips, "Here?"

"Yes," Harry replied eagerly. "Turn around and hold onto the shelf."

Severus obeyed, bending forward and placing his hands on the shelf. His wedding band glittered brightly in the soft, dim light. Harry smoothed his hands down Severus's back then gripped his hips. He pressed into Severus slowly and then sighed softly. It had been much too long. He took his time, moving slowly and reveling in the sensations. He let his magic unfurl from beneath his skin and expand without setting any limits for himself.

Severus's knees seemed to go a bit weak and his shivered in pleasure. Harry gripped Severus's hips tighter and he questioned, "How do you want it this time?"

Severus swallowed and whispered, "Hard and fast and… do you think this time you can keep talking to me, please?"

"What do you want me to say?" Harry questioned, still moving slowly.

"It doesn't really matter just… I want to hear your voice. Tell me what you're doing, how you're feeling. Anything. Please."

Harry thought about that for a moment and he felt a little awkward about it but then another idea occurred to him questioned in parseltongue, "Would it be okay if I spoke to you in parseltongue?"

The language had a sudden and very profound effect on Severus. The man's head jerked backwards and he looked over his shoulder at Harry with wide eyes. His reddened, slightly-swollen lips were parted and it was an expression of such earnest desire that Harry knew Severus was more than okay with parseltongue. Maybe he'd inadvertently discovered another of the man's kinks.

Harry quickened his pace, as Severus had asked for. Severus head dropped forward, his hands tightening on the shelf. Harry said, "You feel so good like this, Severus. You feel so hot and tight. You drive me crazy, do you know that? I hope it's not just me. I hope that I drive you crazy too."

The sibilant sounds of his voice echoed in the room, much more pronounced than the constant low shushing sounds produced by the shower spray. Severus was trembling with pleasure now and occasionally Harry could hear the man's gasps and quiet moans over the sound of the water and his own rambling parseltongue words.

"I'm so close now, love, are you close too? I want to come with you."

Harry moved his hands slowly up Severus's body and rolled the man's nipples between his fingers before pinching firmly, exploiting Severus's masochistic tendencies to his advantage. Severus cried out and he came suddenly and violently, his muscles clamping down hard on Harry as he struggled to remain upright. Harry came as well. He had just enough presence of mind to quickly wrapping his arms around Severus to keep the other man from falling.

They stood together under the spray for several long minutes until Severus finally said, "Before you ask, I loved that."

"Good, so did I," Harry replied in parseltongue before having to repeat himself in English.

Severus shivered again and turned to look at him, "Parseltongue is incredibly seductive when you speak it. What were you saying?"

Harry shrugged and smiled a little, raising a hand to brush Severus's hair away from his face, "I was just talking about how much I was enjoying fucking you."

Severus smiled at him, turning his face into Harry's hand a bit. There was so much love in those dark eyes and Harry felt so incredibly lucky.

"I wish we could spend the rest of the night together, just you and I."

"Is there any reason why we can't?" Harry questioned.

Severus pressed a kiss to Harry's wrist and then admitted reluctantly, "I left Nicolas with Dobby."

Harry's afterglow faded immediately, replaced by genuine horror, "You what? Oh god, Severus! We have to go get him right now!"

"I didn't have much choice," Severus replied, looking very guilty. "Dobby's been a great help with taking care of Nicolas - I've actually been surprised how helpful he's truly been. Nicolas is perfectly safe with him but I don't want to leave Dobby alone with him all night."

"Of course we're not leaving him with Dobby all night!" Harry blurted. "I can't believe you left him with Nicolas at all! You of all people! You don't even like Dobby!"

"You like Dobby and he loves you!" Severus replied earnestly, quickly attempting to convince Harry to see his side of things. "You're all he ever talks about! Dobby adores Nicolas and it's not that I don't like him - not anymore. He's irritating sometimes, certainly, but he means well."

Harry dried himself off as he pulled his magic back underneath his skin. He summoned fresh clothes for himself and he said, "Severus, just because I like Dobby doesn't mean I trust him with our only child! Nicolas is practically as big as Dobby, for Merlin's sake! I can not believe we're having this argument right now."

Severus reached out and touched Harry's arm, "Harry, listen to me."

Harry stopped and looked at Severus, trying to quell his panic. Severus smiled at him, "I used to be this way too, you know, whenever I had to leave Nicolas to teach a class. Even teaching part-time with Slughorn, it was still more often than I wanted and nearly more than I could bear… I always wondered how you could stand it."

Harry shifted on his feet, still feeling antsy, "I… It was different when I knew he had you there with him."

Severus pressed a soft kiss to Harry's lips, "Because you trust me. Trust me now when I say Nicolas is safe. You know me, Harry, do you really think I would take risks with our son? That I would ever leave Nicolas alone with Dobby for even one minute if I were not absolutely certain he was capable of taking care of Nicolas?"

Harry finally relaxed and Severus smiled at him again. Harry sighed and said, "Okay, fine, but we're still going to get him. Get dressed. You're too distracting like that."

That won him a very rare grin from Severus - the man looked as if he wanted Harry to explain exactly in what way Harry found him distracting, but mercifully he went about getting dressed instead.

It took them approximately an hour to get to Severus's rooms at Hogwarts, due to the anti-apparition wards around Hogwarts. Neither of them wanted to use flow powder since the only fireplace within Hogwarts that was connected to the network was in the headmaster's office. If they got caught up in an conversation with the man then they'd be delayed far longer than an hour.

Harry burst into Severus's rooms and stopped in the doorway. Nicolas was swaddled and floating in the air before Dobby. The house elf was waving his hands slowly back and forth to rock Nicolas gently in the air. Dobby was singing the strangest sort of lullaby that Harry had ever heard - something about resting soundly because there was plenty of cleaning to do in the morning. Dobby stopped and let out a little squeak when he saw Harry. He whispered enthusiastically, "Harry Potter! Dobby is so happy to see you!"

Severus moved past Harry and walked across the room, plucking Nicolas gently out of the air and then offering him to Harry. Harry smiled and stepped forward, carefully taking Nicolas from Severus. Dobby danced around their feet, "Dobby was so happy to hear Harry Potter ended the war! Mister Potter-Snape was so worried! So was Dobby!"

Harry looked at Severus, who was watching the house elf with a surprisingly fond and tolerant expression. Severus glanced at Harry then away, as if embarrassed.

Severus said, "Thank you for watching Nicolas, Dobby. I am sorry I was gone so long."

Harry questioned impulsively, "Dobby, would you be interested in coming with us? We're going to be living at Grimmauld Place now that the war is over. I'll pay you twice as much as whatever salary Albus is giving you now. Severus trusts you as a babysitter so I know you have to be amazing with Nicolas. We could really use your help."

"Dobby would be so happy to!" Dobby squealed enthusiastically.

Severus said to Harry, "Stay with Nicolas, I'll pack an overnight bag quickly and come back for the rest of my belongings later."

Dobby popped out of the room, leaving Harry alone with his sleeping son. Nicolas had grown so much in just the few months he'd been gone. He was so grateful that he'd be able to watch Nicolas grow up now. The war was finally over and Harry, against all odds, had managed to find happiness in this world. The man he loved loved him back and they had a beautiful baby boy. Nicolas would never remember that Harry was ever absent from his life.

Severus came back with a large bag following him. Severus paused when he saw Harry's face and stepped over to him quickly. He whispered, "Harry, you're crying."

Harry hadn't even realized. He blinked quickly and said, "A large part of me thought this day would never come. I'm just relieved, Severus, and I'm so… so happy."

Severus touched his face, smoothing away the tears gently, "It is real and it will last. You've taken care of me and everyone else in our world. Let me take care of you now."

He leaned forward over Nicolas and kissed Harry softly.

— END OF CHAPTER EIGHT —

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay! Honestly, this is where I had this story ending. It was originally intended to be short and that's why the pacing is the way it is. I thought for a long time about writing more for this main storyline, but I ultimately decided keep it like it is (mostly because of the pacing in the other chapters). I hope no one is too disappointed… In the future, I plan to post a few bonus/epilogue chapters for this story, like their first Christmas together as a family, milestones with Nicolas, or maybe even Baby Potter-Snape #2.

I have a lot of other stories I'm working on right now, so if you liked this one, you might like the others too. Another Severus/Harry story I have is "A World Without Harry Potter." It's significantly longer than this story. More than twice as long actually and more in-depth.

Thank you for all the support on my first story! You guys are so awesome.