Harry potter had abandoned the wizarding world after he killed Voldemort. That was the short and simple of it. He killed the man and not two days later his bank vaults were empty, and he was nowhere to be found. Everybody in Britain searched, oh they searched for ages, but they only ever came up empty.

Harry didn't feel bad about his leaving, in fact, he was ecstatic to be away from the wizarding world. There were several rumors that were going around the country, that he had been kidnapped by remaining death eaters, or he had been killed to be used as a shrine for worship, or somebody had just gone to his house and killed him when they knocked on the door and he answered, but Harry's favorite was that he had drowned himself and his body was now resting at the bottom of the black lake outside of Hogwarts.

Of course, that wasn't the case.

Harry was currently sitting on the couch in his Livingroom with a cup of tea and a book in his lap, it was one of the few days that he didn't have to bring work home with him and work on his day off, so he was pretty happy about it. He looked out the window of his cottage to see the wooded area that surrounded him, the first snow of the year starting to fall. Harry checked the time, 10 am, if he didn't get out of the house and go shopping now, he might be locked in later from the snow. He grumbled and stood to go get dressed.

Harry left the wizarding world with nothing to his name except the money from his vaults that he had emptied, of course, that was a lot of money, but after buying a house and necessities, it started to dwindle. Of course, he hadn't seen the wizarding world, at least not the English wizarding world, for 6 or so years now. He had apparated to the ministry in the middle of the night and waited until it opened, he was the first one in line to use the international portkey station that morning, no one even noticed it was him. He punched in the place he wanted to go, and the portkey was created. He grabbed on and with a lurch behind his navel, he was gone. Harry landed in the middle of a bustling wizarding town, he grinned at the accents coming from the people around him. However, he didn't want to be around other wizards right now, so he had left the town and started exploring.

Harry had decided to portkey to Montana, USA. He didn't know why this place stuck out to him, but it did, so he decided to go start his new life there. He had bought a few acres of land near a not small, but not large city either. If he needed to, he could go into the American wizarding world whenever he wanted, but he preferred to stick to the muggle world.

Harry dressed in a pair of sweatpants (for the warmth AND the comfort), a long sleeve shirt, a thick jacket, and a beanie. Now most people in Montana had on at least 3-4 layers during this time of year, but Harry had magic on his side, with a quick heating charm the one layer of material was good enough. He pulled on a pair of snow boots and grabbed a few reusable shopping bags before heading out the door. It was a 2 mile walk to the nearby town and Harry found that he liked the silence and the crunch of the earth beneath his feet when he walked, so he never bothered to apparate there.

He thought about a lot of things on his walks. Like what his old friends were up to, what their world had ended up like after the war. Was it still in shambles? Was the grief still hanging around the entire country like a cloud? Or had everybody moved on, the world continuing to spin despite it feeling like it had stopped completely? Harry shook his head, he was bumming himself out, and he didn't need that right now. Instead, he started thinking about his work, his walks were always a good time to come up with good ideas.

When Harry had moved to the states, he didn't know what he was going to do in terms of a career. He signed up for a few random college courses, basically the intro courses to all of the majors. He hadn't found anything he liked, and was about to give up, when he saw graphic design classes available. He shrugged and thought why not, he supposed it couldn't have been worse than the biology class he took. And he was right, it couldn't be worse, Hell it couldn't be better. He stuck to graphic design like a fridge magnet and clung to it. It helped that he had some innate talent as well, he found himself growing and learning quickly, and after only a year and a half of classes, he had found a job as a professional graphic designer. He loved it.

Right now, Harry had a few clients he was working with, his main project right now was basically redoing the entire design of a company and its co-companies well. He let the harsh Montana air burn his face and make it hard to breathe, he got some of his best ideas that way, just letting the elements do their thing around him as he walked, not bothering to change or alter himself other than the heating charm.

He was almost surprised when he finally reached the center of the town in question. He chuckled at himself, getting so lost in thought he didn't even realize where he was? That was common. He walked through the powder snow on the ground and made his way to the mom and pop grocery store he used. He looked over at one of the registers that had a very bored lady sitting there, he smiled and went over to her.

"Good morning, Marissa," he said politely, the lady, Marissa, perked up at the sight of her favorite customer "Oh Harry dear!" she said happily, coming around the counter to give him a hug. He laughed and hugged her back, the sweet lady reminded him of Mrs. Weasley in a way, but she was also so different. Marissa had 4 children, all of them girls. That was actually how they met, she had come up to him and tried to set him up with her youngest daughter. Harry had smiled politely and declined the offer, and before he knew what he was doing he had spilt the beans that he was gay.

The older woman immediately softened, she smiled at him and told him how her older brother had been gay, and had died in the 70's. Harry apologized for her loss but she shook her head, "No use feeling bad for yourself about the people who have moved. They are in a better place now, we should remember them in jest, not misery."

Sense then, the woman basically treated him like a fifth daughter whenever he came in the store. She would tell him about potential suitors from the surrounding area that came in, he would laugh and tell her that he didn't need anybody right now, but she always waved her hand, "You sound just like Samantha! So independent and solitary, but you are lonely, I can see it in your eyes," she had said on one of their meetings. Harry had blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, she was right, he was lonely, but he wasn't about to do anything about it.

Today was no different, of course, "Harry dear, there is a man who came in with Michelle and Adam today," her voice was quieter than normal, and he had to lean in to hear her. "Tall, dark, mysterious. A little older but he looks like your type," she winked "They're still here somewhere, maybe you should go say hi?" she grinned, Harry pushed her shoulder gently like he did every time she tried to find him a boyfriend.

"I will go say hi to Michelle and Adam, but I doubt the mystery man will be of any interest to me," he teased. He grabbed a shopping basket and made his way down the aisles. As he walked, he thought he saw glimpses of the dark man Marissa had been speaking of, but he never bothered to turn his head fully to look. He jumped when he felt arms wrap around him from behind. He turned and grinned when he saw his neighbors. Michelle and Adam Richardson were the closest neighbors, and also the closest friends, he had. They lived about 3 acres down the road, coincidentally, they were also wizards.

Harry met Adam one afternoon while he was out cutting trees for his fireplace, the other man struck up a conversation and invited him inside for tea. It was the subtle things about their home that had led him to discover they were magical, such as the ever so slightly moving pictures. They were barely moving, most people wouldn't have seen it, but Harry could see a few where the people in them were blinking, or a wind would rustle through their hair. He had also noticed, plain and simple, their wands on the side table near the door where one would usually place their keys.

He had been upfront about it, and their looks of horror were enough to make Harry shake his head and pull his own wand out of the holster on their arm. They had relaxed and it wasn't long before they became quick friends. Harry found out that Adam was a potions master who supplied potions to the wizarding apothecaries all over Montana, and Michelle was an elementary school teacher.

The woman who was currently hugging him was unable to get particularly close, as the baby bump she sported got in the way, Harry just laughed and gently hugged her back, giving her belly a small pat in greeting. "Hello, guys, I haven't seen you in a while, have things been going good?" he smiled, Michelle was radiating, she still had the last 3 or so months to go, but she already looked like she could pop at any time.

Michelle waved her hands in excitement, "Oh everything has been going perfect! Guess what?"

"What?" Harry amused her.

"There's two of them!" She squealed, pointing down at her belly, no wonder she looked so big. Harry's mouth fell open and then it split into a large grin "Congratulations! Do you know their genders yet?" He asked, becoming excited as well. Michelle looked over at Adam and then stood on her tippy toes to tell Harry. She was having a boy and a girl.

Harry congratulated her again and Adam just shook his head at his wife. "she won't tell very many people, she especially won't tell me," He pointed to himself, pretending to be affronted.

"Oh, I want it to be a surprise, Adam!" She giggled; Harry just smiled more.

"Well, I feel honored to be blessed with the secret, I will take it maybe not to my grave, but at least the next few months," He grinned and Adam slung an arm around his shoulders as the three of them walked around the store.

"So, Harry!" He started, "What are you doing for the holidays? Anything?" Adam asked, Harry winced at the question. He didn't celebrate Christmas much anymore, not really having anybody to share the holiday with. He had a few coworkers he considered maybe friends and he got them small gifts for the office party, he would also go out for drinks with Michelle and Adam a week or so before the holiday, but other than that he usually just stayed at home and watched Christmas movies. He always felt like he was intruding on other people's holidays.

"No, I'm not doing anything this year. I'm going to buy ingredients to bake cookies and just eat those all day and watch movies," He answered, a smile on his face despite himself. He liked his tradition, even if it was lonely.

"You should come over to our place for Christmas Eve dinner, it'll be fun! I have a coworker and friend of mine visiting for the holidays, and I wanted the two of you to meet," Adams eyes sparkled, Harry groaned quietly, why was everybody trying to set him up? And two people trying to set him up with the same person, no less.

"He was here, although I'm not entirely sure where he's gone off to." Adam hummed, they finished their shopping as a group rather than individually, Harry helping Michelle grab some of the things on the taller shelves that she couldn't reach, Adam was around to help, but Harry had wanted to do it. They got up to the counter to pay for their things and Adams eyes were drawn towards the window outside, "Oh! He's back in the car, must have gotten annoyed at something," He snickered, Harry couldn't help but laugh.

They paid for their items and Harry walked out with his reusable bags full of groceries, once they were off to the side of the store and nobody was around to see them, he shrunk everything and just put them all into one bag, which he was able to put over his shoulder like a backpack or purse. He could see the silhouette in the car, but the windows were tinted, and Harry knew if he worked with Adam that he was a wizard, so he didn't care if he watched them.

"Do you need a ride, Harry?" Michelle asked him gently. "Yeah, we have more than enough room to fit you!" Adam offered, Harry smiled and shook his head,

"Thank you both, really, but I think I'll pass. I've got a very big project I'm working on and the walk always helps me come up with ideas," He responded, they both nodded their heads in understanding,

"Well Harry, be safe walking back, and we'll see you in a few days for dinner?" Adam grinned and Michelle looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

Harry chuckled and nodded "Yes, you will see me then, what kind of things does your friend like? If I'm going to be getting presents, I don't want anybody to be left out," He smiled,

"Oh, Harry how kind!" Michelle gushed, tears coming to her eyes. Harry looked at Adam in panic,

"Don't worry about Michelle, she's in the part of pregnancy where she cries at everything," Adam teased his wife lightly, but she just went back to the car crying, gushing about how nice Harry was.

Harry watched her leave and then turned back to Adam "tell me, what is the weirdest thing she's cried at so far," he smirked.

"Oh, she was in class and a student drew a picture of a baby duck and she lost it, just blubbering like a baby. Another time we only had a little bit of chocolate chip ice cream left and she wanted more, so she sat on the kitchen floor crying," He laughed,

"Hey! I would cry too if I ran out of chocolate chip ice cream!" Harry laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.

"Anyway," Adam chuckled and continued the conversation to answer Harry's question. "He likes a lot of things, but potions is the main one. He's far more dedicated than I am, the man has at least 20 years on us, but he's just always loved the craft. He's really into quidditch, routes for Puddlemore United but he hates to fly, He also likes to cook, it goes along with the potions making."

Harry froze for a minute, Puddlemore United was a British team, a small amount of panic rushed through him at the thought that if he met this guy, he was going to recognize him immediately. He hoped he as wrong. He shook his head, "Alright, I'll see what I can do. I'll see you in a few days," He smiled and waved, getting a slap on the back he started walking down the road, he had designs to come up with.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Harry had gone shopping for everybody at the Richardson household, even the mystery man they were housing for the holidays. He apparated to one of the main towns that was connected to a larger magical shopping town so he could get whatever it was he needed. He had no idea what to get the other man, he liked potions and cooking, but what was he supposed to do with that?

Harry sighed and went store to store, He found Michelle's present, and the 2 baby's presents, first. Michelle had had a baby shower, but that was before they knew there was two babies and not one. Harry bought an additional bassinet for Michelle, another car seat for one baby, and another baby swing for the other. He grinned as he shrunk them down to fit in his bag, then he walked from the muggle side to the wizarding side. He took a deep breath and took in the scents of it all, it had been probably almost a year sense the last time he was here, surrounded by all the magic of others. He felt claustrophobic as it surrounded him, but he pulled his coat over himself and walked into a potions supply store. In the end, Harry got Adam a cast iron cauldron in a size that he didn't already have, the cast iron ones were expensive, so Adam only had the one. Harry figured a second would be appreciated.

He bought Adams present and shrunk it and put it in his bag as soon as he got it, he didn't want to be carrying the whole thing around while he searched for something for the other potions master. Even after all these years Harry wasn't the best in potions, Adam had given him lessons so he could make basic necessity things for himself- such as the pepper up potion, the nausea potion, the hangover potion, and this potion that was actually just magic eyedrops for his tired eyes from looking at a computer screen all day every day.

Harry walked around the store for a while and didn't see anything, he was about to give up when something caught his eyes. Behind a glass case in the shop was a crystal stirring rod, they were used for really intricate and delicate potions and they were very important to serious brewers. It cost as much as the cauldron and the baby things, so it made him feel better that he wasn't just skimping out on the man's gift. Even if he already had one, crystal was so fragile that it would be handy to have as a backup. He bought it and put a few very strong unbreaking and cushion charms on the case it came in so it wouldn't get raddled inside. He apparated from the wizarding town into his backyard, he walked the acre or so it took to get to his house and went inside, he had gifts to wrap.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Harry woke up the morning of Christmas Eve with a small smile, he hated to admit it, but he was really looking forward to celebrating the holidays with other people. It would only be the four of them, but to Harry, that was enough. He worked on his projects while he waited for the day to pass, he was glad he set an alarm to go off 30 minutes before he should leave so that way, he could get showered and dressed. If he hadn't set the alarm, he would have just worked right on through the dinner.

Harry saved his work and got up from his desk, he put in some of the fancy eyedrops and headed upstairs to shower and dress.

Harry arrived at the Richardson house 5 'til 6, he had all the gifts shrunk into another one of his reusable bags in his pocket. He knocked firmly on the door and the door swung open to see Michelle decked out in holiday gear, Harry couldn't help but grin. "Oh Harry! You're here! You look so cute, come in!" She ushered him inside their home.

Harry was wearing a pair of warm jeans, a Christmas sweater so ugly it was cute, and his customary coat. "Thank you, Michelle," He chuckled, he took the bag out of his pocket and waved his hand, all of the presents unshrunk and made their way under the tree. He turned back to Michelle to see her eyes watering, "Oh, no no no! no tears!" He said in a teasingly bossy tone. This made Michelle laugh and the tears went away, so he figured he did a good job.

"Come, come, Adam and Severus are in the kitchen," She hummed, taking his hand. Harry stood there for a few seconds, he felt his heart start to race and panic start to fill him. Severus Snape, of course it was Severus bloody Snape, of all the people in the world, it was him. Michelle must have seen his apprehension because she patted his cheek, "He looks scary, but he's not so bad once you get past the whole dark and mean exterior," She soothed, Harry shook his head a little to clear it, he took a deep breath and brought up a smile. He would not let this ruin his Christmas.

"I'm sure he is nice, in his own sort of way," He offered, and Michelle grinned, she pulled harry into the kitchen and the two men looked over at him. Adam gave him a large grin, but Severus just stared at him looking him up and down.

"Harry! I'm so glad you came; I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to show!" Adam greeted, getting up to go hug Harry. Harry chuckled and patted his back,

"I haven't been to a Christmas anything except the parties at work in a really long time, I wouldn't miss it." He answered, Adam led him over to their kitchen island where the men had been sitting.

"Harry Evans, Severus Snape. Severus Snape, Harry Evans," Adam introduced them to each other. Harry finally looked the other man in the eyes, he saw something flicker there, his panic began to grow but he just gave him a kind smile and held out his hand for the man to shake. Severus stared at it for a long time before he took it and they shook hands,

"it's a pleasure to meet you, Severus," He said truthfully,

Severus was slower to speak, still looking for something in Harry, Harry couldn't even tell what it was he was looking for.

"The pleasure is all mine, Harry," He finally answered. Harry couldn't help the grin that spread on his face. When they let go of each other Harry took a step back, Michelle came back up to him and pulled him over to the oven.

"Harry, love, I need help getting the ham out of the oven," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Hey Evans! Don't be flirtin' with my wife!" Adam called teasingly, they had this kind of interaction all the time, Harry just laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Richardson!" He called back, he put oven mitts on and lifted the ham out of the oven and placed it on the counter for Michelle. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek,

"Thank you, Harry, dear, the good ones are always gay or married, aren't they?" She hummed, Harry snorted at her and poured himself a glass of wine from the open bar.

"At least you're married to one of the good ones. You could be married to one of the gay ones," He took a sip of his drink,

"Like you?" She teased and Harry had to stop himself from choking on his wine. He blushed and glanced over at Severus who was giving him a funny look, before he turned back to the heavily pregnant lady.

"yes, Michelle, exactly," He finally answered, shaking his head, she just giggled. He rolled his eyes and went to stand at the island with the other men. Adam had a beer in his hand, Severus had some sort of whiskey or bourbon or something, and Harry had his glass of wine, harry held it up for cheers and they clinked glasses.

"Aren't we supposed to do that at the end of the meal?" Adam joked,

"Adam, dear, who says we will not still be drinking by the time the meal is over?" Harry smirked, swirling his wine around in the glass.

"mmm, touché,"

Harry chuckled and took another sip. He closed his eyes as the conversation in the room picked back up around him, it was weird being around people these days, but it was even weirder to be around someone from his past.

"Harry," Someone called, Harry opened his eyes and finally processed that it was Severus who spoke to him.

"yes Severus?" He asked politely,

"Adam told me you are a graphic designer, what kind of things do you do?" Severus was curious about how Potter went from being the insufferable hero to the relaxed man in front of him, and he intended to find out if it was the last thing he did.

Harry's eyes lit up at the question, "I do all sorts of things, I have a few clients who hire me to do all of their flier or brochure designs. I frequently get freelance work for logos and designs for smaller businesses. I've created ads for companies to put in magazines, I've designed menus for restaurants, mascots for businesses, redesigns of things, just a whole bunch of stuff. Right now, I'm working with a large hotel brand who is not necessarily rebranding but giving their brand a facelift, I should say." He finished, Harry loved this kind of stuff, if you got him started, he didn't stop until you told him to shut up.

Severus was genuinely surprised by the job description; He was assuming something less… professional. He had seen Potter in the grocery store the other day, and he couldn't believe at first what he was seeing, he felt anger bubble up inside of him. The little brat was hiding out here all along? His disdain for the boy he knew when Harry was at Hogwarts had come back, but as Severus watched Harry interact with Adam and Michelle, the image of the Potter brat was shoved into the ground and stomped on.

"You seem surprised Severus, I told you Harry is one of the best designers in the state-" Adam was cut off when Harry elbowed him in the ribs, he let out an 'oof' noise.

"I am not the best in the state, Adam, not by a longshot," Harry shook his head,

"Harry you are too humble," Michelle said from where she was making the last of their dinner, "You are an amazing artist and designer, you should be proud of your accomplishments," she already had a motherly tone to her, Harry knew she would be a great mom. He rubbed the back of his neck and refused to look anybody in the eye, so he looked up at the ceiling.

"What happened to your neck, Harry?" Severus suddenly asked, staring at a two-inch scar right at his jugular. His attention was brought to it as Harry extended his neck to look up. Harry winced and both Adam and Michelle gave him dirty looks. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," He apologized, but Harry shook his head and looked his old professor in the eyes, Severus was shocked to see the pain in them.

"No, it's alright. I tried to kill myself a few years back, I used a razorblade and cut above the artery. I was bleeding out and almost gone when Adam and Michelle stopped. They fixed me up," He mumbled, moving his hand to cover the scar. He felt Adam sling a shoulder around him and pull him into his side.

Severus' eyes widened, the boy, no, the man, in front of him had tried to commit suicide? No wonder the looks he received from the couple were so nasty, it was obviously a painful memory.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He said quietly, "and I am sorry for asking, it was rude of me."

Harry shook his head and picked up his wine glass again, he was about to say something when Michelle broke the tension by saying that the food was ready.

The four of them made their way to the dining room table, Harry ended up next to Severus and he tried not to shrink into himself.

They all raised their glasses to each other (Michelle's held ginger ale), before putting them down and grabbing their food. They ate and had pleasant conversation as they did so. The mood was lightened from its momentary heaviness by Adam telling some stories about his days at school, Michelle joined in on a few of the ones she was a part of. Harry smiled at them, they were so cute together, he didn't realize they were school sweethearts.

"What about you Harry, any interesting stories from your time at school?" Michelle asked, Harry heard Severus snort beside him, and he had to fight not to laugh.

"Yeah, a few, my first year at Hogwarts I made the quidditch team, which is very not allowed. First years aren't supposed to play quidditch, but we were learning how to fly, and madam Hooch had to leave for some reason. One of the Slytherin kids stole something from one of my old friends and when I told him to give it back, he chucked it in the air. I followed after on a broom and caught it a few feet before it hit the ground, then I pulled back up holding it triumphantly and I just so happened to be in front of my head of houses window," He couldn't help but smile at the memory. Michelle and Adam chuckled.

He told them a few more stories, like how in third year he had to use time travel to save a hippogriff from being executed, and in fourth year he had to go head to head with a dragon, and how in sixth his best friend was poisoned with an expired love potion. The two in front of him seemed amazed and when Harry turned to look at Severus, he found him also looking rather shocked.

"Damn Harry, it sounds like your time there was pretty eventful." Adam shook his head, "How did you manage to graduate with all that stuff happening?" Harry tried not to wince, but he knew Severus had seen it because he changed the subject to something else. Harry was grateful for that, he never finished his education, it was kind of hard to do when you had to go horcrux hunting and save the entire world, he could have gone back to finish, but he left before then.

It was then that they all stood, Michelle waved her wand to clean up the table and then they moved to the Livingroom for presents. Harry Watched Adam and Michelle land on one couch, so he went to sit on the other. He was expecting to Severus to sit on the armchair that was also in the room, but the man sat next to him. Harry didn't feel uncomfortable this time, he actually smiled just a bit at his presence, surprised at how quickly he was feeling comfortable around Severus.

Adam waved his wand; all the presents flew to their respected recipients. Michelle kind of gaped at the three large presents from Harry. "Harry James Evans, why do I have three large gifts from you?" She asked looking over at him, Harry gave her a lopsided smile,

"You don't have 3 gifts, you have one, and then each of the babies has one," He answered. He saw tears well up in her eyes and he was worried for a moment that he had done something wrong, but she just beamed in excitement. Harry relaxed and smiled.

They all opened their presents, Michelle was full on bawling at all the baby things she received, not just from Harry, Adam had gotten her tons of gender neutral clothes, knowing he wasn't going to get to know the genders until after they were born, he bought identical outfits for both of them. Severus gave her a magical baby monitor, not only did it alert the parents when the babies were crying, but it also monitored when they were awake and asleep, and it would tell them which child it was that was fussing. Michelle went to get off the couch to hug Harry and Severus, but she was having difficulties so Harry shook his head, "You can hug us later, okay?" she just nodded.

Adam opened his things next, from his wife he got a set of dragon skin gloves for his brewing and Severus had gotten him a new set of scales. When he opened Harry's present he gaped. "Harry, these are-!"

Harry cut him off and pulled his legs up, so he was sitting on one of them Indian style, "Yes, yes, I know. But I also know how valuable they can be and that you only had the one smaller sized one, so I got you another one. I had the money to spare, I swear," He reassured his friend, Adam nodded.

Harry opened his gifts next, his hands shaking just a bit, he hadn't received Christmas presents in over 6 years, the nervousness he felt seemed over dramatic, but he couldn't help it.

Michelle gave him a personalized sketchbook. The cover was hard back, but it was covered in a soft leather and had an H embroidered on the front. Adam gave him a new winter coat, as his was falling apart. The next present though was what blew him away. Inside the wrapping was a new drawing tablet for his work, he gaped at it and looked up at Severus, but the man refused to look at him, Harry just smiled a little watery smile and put them down next to him.

Severus was next, the man smiled, which was something Harry had never seen from the potions master, he thought it suited him well. Michelle gave Severus some cookbooks, which Severus seemed to greatly enjoy. Adam gave him a new winter coat that had magic stitched inside of it to keep him warm and protected while he wore it. The last gift, from Harry, Severus unwrapped and then looked at wearily, as if scared that something would jump out at him, he opened it slowly. His eyes widened when he saw the stirring rod, he turned to Harry slowly who gave him a smile,

"You got this, for me?" He asked slowly, Harry nodded.

"I didn't know when I bought it that you were going to be the mystery man, but when I found out it was you I was glad that's what caught my eye in the store," He answered, he squeaked when he was pulled into a hug, but he hugged Severus back easily. When he pulled away Harry thought he saw tears in the other's eyes, but they were gone before he could think on it.

"Wait, you two knew each other?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow,

"I think it is better to say that we knew of each other, we didn't actually know the other," Harry said and glanced over at Severus who nodded.

They sat and chatted for a while, it was getting late when Harry collected his things and stood to leave. All three of the other occupants walked with him to the door, he hugged Michelle and Adam, "Thank you for getting me to enjoy Christmas again," he said quietly. He pulled away and then turned to Severus,

"You live next door?" Severus asked and Harry nodded. "Would you mind if I walked you home?"

Harry saw the smirks Adam and Michelle were giving each other, but Harry tried to pay it no mind, "I wouldn't mind at all," He smiled and put on his coat and a heating charm. Severus followed suit but with a cloak instead of a coat. They walked the few acres through the woods back to Harry's property.

"I must warn you, Severus, that my house is not as well decorated as Michelle and Adams is, not in the living areas, anyway, the office is another story," Harry spoke as they walked, Severus looked over at him,

"I saw you in the grocery store the other day," Severus started "At first I could not believe what I was seeing, but there you were, in all your glory. You have been here the entire time?" He asked as they stepped up to the front porch. Harry pulled out his keys and turned the lock, he held the door open for Severus to go in, he did.

Harry hummed as he thought about how he wanted to answer, "Do you want the full story, or the short story?" Harry asked, waving his hands so the lights turned on. He went and sat on the couch and Severus joined him.

"The full story, if you are okay with telling it," Severus' voice was soft as he glanced at the scar on Harry's neck. Harry couldn't help himself and unconsciously pulled the collar of his shirt up to try to cover it.

"It was the day after the battle, so many people were around the castle." Harry started with a sigh "I tried to go around and see if anybody needed help, but no one did, not from me. I heard Mrs. Weasley crying from around the corner, so I stepped up a bit to listen. She was crying about Fred, I felt so bad, I wanted to go to comfort her but then I heard her say 'If we had never met Harry, Fred would still be here, I would have my boy,'" Harry felt his magic trembling around them, he didn't like to relive the memories very often. "Mr. Weasley said something to her, but I'm not entirely sure what, especially not after all these years, But she just retorted with 'If we hadn't helped him get on to the platform, Bill wouldn't have been attacked by Greyback, Percy wouldn't have left, Fred wouldn't be dead, Ron wouldn't have those nasty scars from the brains in the department of mysteries, Ginny wouldn't have been possessed, and you wouldn't have been attacked by that snake! It's his fault!'

"I didn't stick around to hear the rest, I went to Diagon alley, to Gringotts, I converted all of my money over to muggle money and took it all out of the vaults, I left the marauders map for George to keep, I left my school trunk in the dormitories, and then I just left. The only things I brought with me were money, the invisibility cloak, the photo album of my parents, and my wand. I was able to put it all in my bottomless rucksack and in the middle of the night I snuck out of the dorms and walked to the edge of the wards, before I apparated outside the ministry of magic. I sat right next to the door of the building for hours, and as soon as it opened, I went to the international portkey office. I didn't know where I was going, or how I was going to live once I got there, so I just picked a place, and off to Montana, I went." He took a breath and he was surprised to feel Severus wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him into a comforting side embrace, it encouraged him to continue.

"I was homeless, for about a week, it was spring though, so the weather wasn't harsh like it is now, it didn't bother me to crash on park benches or under a bridge somewhere. I scoped out the area and then went to buy a house, I bought this place," He couldn't help but smile slightly, waving his hand around to indicate his home. "The land is beautiful; you can't see it from the road, so most people don't even know it's here. I don't even get trick-or-treaters on Halloween," He laughed a little, "I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. The only thing I had ever known was being used to claim victory in a stupid war, so I started taking classes at a few different community classes. Graphic design was the last one I took, and I continued with classes until I felt I was proficient enough and had a good enough portfolio to apply at places." Here he paused, trying to find the words to use next.

"I wasn't doing well, at all. I had run away from everything I'd ever known, and it hurt. I didn't want to go back, I couldn't go back at that point, it hurt too much. It hurt to be there, it hurt to be away, it hurt to exist. It was about 2 years after I had gotten here, when I was at my worst, when I tried to kill myself." He felt the hand resting on his arm rub it slowly, Harry couldn't help but go on. "I had met Adam and Michelle my first fall here, I was chopping down tree limbs for firewood, Adam was also in the woods somewhere. I'm only alive now because they hadn't seen me out for a while, and they came to check on me.

"they convinced me to go to a therapist, so I did, for a while. I started to excel in my career, I became closer to Adam and Michelle, I was able to live without being in so much pain. I love it here, now. This is my home, and I couldn't see myself ever leaving. I am doing well now, and even though it gets lonely sometimes, I am happy." His voice faded away, he noticed that sometime during his speech he had rested his head on Severus' shoulder. He went to pull away and started to apologize but Severus kept his arm around him.

"It is okay, you do not need to apologize. I am sorry that things were so hard on you at first," The man said softly, his voice a deep rumble. Harry laid his head back down where it had been.

"My life had been hard on me sense my parents died, Severus," Harry chuckled weakly. "From the abusive relatives, to the wizarding world either hating me or doting on me at any given moment for being the savior. This… The past 3 or so years have been the best years of my life. I may have died in the forbidden forest, I may have spoken with Albus in the afterlife, but it didn't really feel like things were ending, that they were over. It did during my suicide attempt, and I think afterwards, I kind of realized that I had to live for myself, because nobody else was going to do it for me." He finished, quieting now.

The two of them sat on the couch like that, Severus' arm around Harry and Harry's head on his shoulder, they just sat and listened to the fire in the hearth.

"I want to say I'm sorry for how I treated you, back in school. It was completely uncalled for and you didn't deserve the ridicule and scorn I placed on you, I am sorry I only ever saw you as a James mini, and never as Harry," Severus finally spoke,

"It's okay, nobody ever saw me as Harry, maybe Ron and Hermione did at some point, but I wasn't even sure about that sometimes. To anybody who knew my parents I was James Jr., and to everybody else I as simply the boy who lived, I was never able to be just Harry until I came here," He responded, closing his eyes.

"Would you ever consider going back?" Harry snorted at the question,

"To visit? Maybe. To stay? Never." Severus hummed at his response, nodding his head a bit.

"I should get heading back over to Michelle and Adams, before they think I've frozen to death," Severus said quietly, Harry lifted his head from his shoulder and let him pull away, even though it made his chest hurt as he left.

"Hey Severus?" Harry called as the man was just about to leave, he turned to look at him,

"Thank you for the gift. You are welcome here any time," Harry offered sincerely, it made butterflies go off in his stomach when Severus nodded at him and said, "I'll keep that in mind," before heading out the door. Harry just laid down fully on the couch, curling up a bit. He groaned and pressed his face to a pillow.

Severus Snape was going to be the death of him.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

It was the 31st of December when a small owl flew through his window and handed him a note. all it read was "New Year's Eve party at 11. Dress code: unnecessarily fancy." In Adams handwriting, Harry grinned and tucked it into his pocket. He looked at the clock and saw it was 4 pm, just enough time to get some work done.

Harry stepped up to the Richardson's door and he could feel the music and the chatter from outside, he knocked, and Adam answered, his friend looked him up and down before whistling. Harry was wearing black slacks with silver stitching, his button up was sparkling and almost looked as if somebody had made diamonds into a shirt, his shoes were a clean black, and he wore a diamond earing in his pierced ear.

"Damn, dude!" Adam complimented, harry blushed and grinned, spinning a bit to show him the full ensemble, Adam himself was wearing a navy blue suit, black shoes, and his button up was a maroon red color.

"Looking good yourself, Adam," Harry said, slipping around the man into the house. Harry recognized some of the other teachers that Michelle worked with, mostly because they were off to one side with the mom to be doting on her hand and foot. He also recognized a few people from the wizarding world that Harry had interacted with before, such as the apothecary owner from the closest wizarding town. His eyes were searching for someone else though, and when he found his target he grinned.

Severus was standing off in a corner, a glass of alcohol in his hand and a bored expression on his face as he spoke to a woman in front of him. Harry felt a small twinge of jealousy, now was not the time! He had had a crush on the man when he was a teenager, and he was nice to Harry the other night, but that didn't warrant Harry turning into a right mess every time he saw the man. Severus was wearing black slacks and a black button up shirt that looked so silky smooth, Harry wondered if it was actually silk. His shoes were black, and to complete the look his hair was tied back with a soft looking black ribbon. He should have guessed the all black outfit. Harry stared for just a moment before he shook his head and walked away to go get some alcohol of his own.

He was humming as he poured himself a glass of wine in the kitchen when he heard someone greet him, Severus was standing behind him leaning against the counter when Harry turned around. Harry smiled, "Good evening Severus, you look stunning tonight."

Severus gave him an odd look, but a smile twitched at the end of his lips, "I must say the same for you, Harry," he looked him up and down and Harry had to fight not to blush.

"Thank you," Harry replied, he took his glass of wine and held it up towards the man, Severus clinked it with his glass of brandy. They walked into the living room to rejoin the rest of the party.

Harry found himself falling into smooth conversation with everybody there, even though he had nothing in common with any of them. He mostly just listened as Severus and Adam spoke about potions with their other potions' friends. When he got bored of that he went to go sit next to Michelle on the couch and either keep her company or get her whatever she needed/wanted.

He was on the couch with her now as he looked over at where Severus was, he must have stared for a moment too long when he felt his friend nudge his shoulder, he looked down at her and she grinned. "You like him," it wasn't a question.

Harry blushed and looked down at his glass in his hand, the only thing he said was yes.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked, moving so she could look at him better.

"Michelle, I don't even know if the man is gay! And even if he is that doesn't mean that he's automatically going to be attracted to me just because I am also a man," He kept his voice low so only they could hear, or that's what he thought anyway.

She looked at him for a moment, "How did Severus get into your heart so quickly, Harry?" Her voice was soft,

Harry just glanced at the man again, "There was always a space for him," is voice had almost a sad tone to it. Michelle leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, and in turn his head on hers. They were like that for a bit until one of the already drunk party goers shouted throughout the house,

"FIVE MINUTES TIL MIDNIGHT,"

The tv had been on sense before Harry had arrived, the live show of the ball dropping in New York was on. He couldn't believe it was already 5 minutes until the next year of his life. He stood and helped Michelle stand, it felt weird to sit while the ball dropped. The pregnant lady went over to her husband, intent on getting that midnight kiss, Harry smiled at them and just went to lean up against a wall as he watched the time pass. Severus walked up to him after a couple minutes, he stood in front of Harry and Harry smiled at him,

"Hello, Severus,"

"Hello, Harry," Severus responded, the countdown from 10 started.

10-

Severus took a tiny step towards him, Harry looked up at him in confusion.

9-

Harry searched Severus' face and saw something there, he didn't exactly know what it was, but he liked to see it.

8-

Severus took another step towards him; Harry felt his breath hitch as the man got closer.

7-

Harry looked in Severus' eyes and they just stared at each other for a moment.

6-

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest, and the butterflies in his stomach were more like frantic birds at this point.

5-

Severus' hand came to trace a finger along his jawline, Harry shivered.

4-

Harry found his own hands reaching up and resting on the firm chest in front of him.

3-

Severus' look intensified, his gaze glancing from Harry's eyes to his lips.

2-

Severus cupped Harry's cheek with one hand, wrapping his other arm around his waist.

1-

The man above Harry was leaning down, getting closer.

0-

Harry met him halfway, their lips met, Harry felt something explode in his chest just as the fireworks outside exploded in the sky. Severus pulled him closer to him, Harry wondered how it felt like they were made to fit perfectly against the other.

They broke apart, everybody around them was still cheering for the new year, Harry only had eyes for the one in front of him, a smile spread over his face and an identical one crossed Severus' as well, they rested their foreheads together and Harry couldn't help but laugh at how giddy he was. Severus leaned in and kissed him again, swallowing Harry's laugh.

"Is this where I get to be yours?" Harry whispered when they pulled away, a little nervous about the answer, Severus just moved to kiss his forehead,

"Yes," was the answer, Harry threw his arms around Severus' neck and hugged him tight.

They pulled away and looked over when they heard a "Yes! We did it!" come from next to them.

Adam was standing with Michelle, they were watching the two with small smiles, when they noticed the two English men looking over at them, they smirked and waved before giving each other a high five. Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to Severus who was laughing. The new year couldn't have started any more perfect.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

It had almost been a year sense they had gotten together. Harry stayed in Montana; He wasn't lying when he told Severus he wouldn't go back to England to stay. Severus visited at least once a week, Harry opened up his fireplace so that Severus could come through the Floo network, so it would be easier on him. This year though, Harry decided to go visit Severus for Christmas, as the man had come to him the year before. Harry had his bottomless rucksack filled and hanging on his back. He threw some powder into the fire and yelled "Severus Snape's Home" clearly. Harry stepped out of the fireplace to find the rooms empty, he wondered where Severus was off to. He shook his head and sat down on the couch with his laptop and his portable drawing tablet, he might as well get some work done while he was waiting.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Severus was walking form the apparition points in the wizarding town down the hill towards the tall and wonky looking house that stood in the distance. He had been with Harry for a year now, it was time somebody stood up for him against those who hurt him.

He got to the front door of the burrow and took a deep breath, he straightened his back and knocked firmly on the door. The person to answer wasn't one of the parents, which Severus was glad for, he didn't want to hex them on sight. Instead, it was Hermione Granger, or maybe it was Hermione Weasley, now. She gave him a weird look, her mouth hanging open a bit, Severus just raised an eyebrow at her, she seemed to come to her senses and let him inside.

"Uh, professor Snape, long time no see," she said by ways of greeting. What do you do when the professor you haven't seen in almost 7 years suddenly shows up at your husband's family's doorstep? Apparently, her answer seemed to be to go in the kitchen and get the rest of the family, because when she came back all the remaining redheads followed her.

"Severus?" Arthur said, walking up to him and holding his hand out for him, Severus took it but only for the sake of not being kicked out immediately. "To what do we owe for the visit?" Arthur asked, his fatherly energy coming off of him in waves. Molly was the next to come over to him, she went to give him a hug but this he gently declined, she seemed to huff,

"Still won't allow anybody to touch you, I see," He snorted at the comment, if only she knew. Molly sounded like a Mother with a capital M, how could she have done so horribly by Harry? Someone she had at one point called an adopted son?

"I have come to discuss something important; may we sit?" Severus asked, his voice cordial, but the fire in his eyes had all of his previous students swallowing nervously as they all sat down.

Severus somehow ended up at the lone armchair at the side of the room, all of the Weasleys sat around on the couches and turned to him, watching him closely and curiously. "Severus, you're scaring us a little bit," Arthur laughed softly, trying to ease the tension, it didn't seem to work. "What is this about?"

"It is about Harry," Severus said calmly, his face a mask of neutrality, but inside he was burning.

The Weasleys all blinked at him for a moment, there was silence for long enough that Severus thought he was going to have to repeat himself. But then everyone started talking at once,

"Harry's alive?" "You know where Harry is?" "Is he okay?" "Where has he been?" "Is he dead?" "What happened?" Severus couldn't process all the information at once, and the questions just kept coming. He held his hand out palm up, and the entirety of the room went silent.

"One person at a time, Weasleys," he responded, trying not to sound cold.

"Is he alive?" Severus looked over and found that the quiet question was asked by Ronald, who looked to have tears in his eyes. Severus nodded,

"He is." Was his answer, Ron looked over at Hermione and she looked back and they hugged each other tightly before turning back to Severus for more information.

"You know where Harry is? If he is alive then he has to be somewhere, right? Where is he?" Severus looked up to see molly looking worried, wringing her hands in her apron, Severus couldn't help but scowl at her, she really had no idea what she had done, had no idea how she hurt him. He wanted to hex her into oblivion.

"I do. But I will not be disclosing that information," the Weasley kids looked like they wanted to scream at him, but he gave them a look and they sat back down, taking a breath they waited, they would get their answers in time.

"Is he okay?" Came the next question, Severus turned to look at Ginny, she was sitting half in Neville Longbottom's, her husband's, lap. She was holding his hand so tightly Severus thought she might actually be damaging the circulation in his hand.

"He is, now." There was a collective sigh of relief around the room,

"What happened?" Charlie asked, Severus turned to him and found Draco Malfoy leaning into the dragon trainers' side, that was a new development.

"He left." Was the simple answer, they were going to have to work a little harder to get any more out of him then simple answers.

"B-But why?!" Mrs. Weasley was the one to stammer out, her voice shaking, "Why would he just up and leave?! We had just won, everything was supposed to turn around, and he just leaves to go gallivanting somewhere? We lost Fred and then we lost him too, all because he was being selfish and left?!" She was half screaming, tears streaming down her face, Severus wanted to rip her to pieces.

"You, Molly," He almost spat the name, everybody in the room gaped at his disrespect, "you are the reason he left. You are the one who made him leave. YOU are the one who caused this!"

Molly was getting angry now, she stood, and Severus stood with her, "How DARE you make such accusations about me! In my own home! You have no idea-"

"You said it was his fault, that Fred died," Severus said coldly, molly's eyes widened as she was shut up.

"WHAT?!" Came the collective shout from all of the Weasley children and spouses. Severus paid them no mind, his bone to pick was with Molly, the others didn't matter.

"You said if you had never met him, that you would still have your son. You said that if your family had never met him then Bill wouldn't have been attacked by the werewolf, Ginny wouldn't have been possessed in her first year. You said if you had never met him Ron wouldn't have those ugly scars from the brains, that Arthur would have never been attacked by Nagini, that Percy wouldn't have left, that Fred wouldn't have died." Severus was advancing on Molly, and she took a few steps back in return.

"You said everything bad that has ever happened to your family, was because of him. You said it was his fault. The only family he had ever know, the only mother figure he had ever known, had just stated that she wished she had never met him, blamed him for the death of not only one of his friends, but somebody he felt was his brother," Severus' voice was ice cold, and his eyes flared with rage.

"Would you not leave too, Molly? Would you not leave after somebody had said that you being there was a burden on their family?" he hissed. He was a few inches away from her now, and she was backed into the edge of the coffee table, he narrowed his eyes and just took a few steps back.

"You, Molly Weasley, are the reason that Harry left, the reason why he has never bothered to write no matter how much he wanted to, because you didn't want him." He finished his tirade and turned on his heel, heading towards the door. He was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist. He looked down to see Hermione holding on tightly to him, tears running down her face.

"Is he okay?" She choked out, "Was he okay? Has he been okay at all in the last 7 years?" Severus stared down at her and decided to answer truthfully.

"He tried to kill himself at one point a few years ago, but he is better now. He misses you two," he said to Ron and Hermione gently before he took his wrist away and walked out the door.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Severus walked back into his home and smiled softly when he heard the music Harry played when he worked, on in the background. He found his way into the Livingroom and saw Harry sitting on the floor, computer set up on the coffee table. Severus leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed and watched him with a loving smile, Harry must have finally noticed him out of the corner of his eye because his head snapped towards him and his younger lover grinned.

Harry jumped up from his place on the floor and practically threw himself at Severus. The potions master laughed and caught him in a hug easily, he leaned down to give Harry a tender kiss, Harry melted into him.

"Where were you?" Harry asked not really caring, but curious. He cuddled into his chest and Severus brought them to the couch and laid down, pulling Harry on top of him. Harry snuggled into his side.

"Nowhere interesting," He lied, smiling down at Harry and playing with his hair, Harry purred.

"Well I've been here, Michelle, Adam and the twins say hi," He raised his head so he could smile up at him. Severus just hummed, the anger from earlier no longer there, the Weasleys far from his mind. Harry was here now, and things would be okay.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

"But Severus!" Harry whined, it was 4 days before Christmas and they still hadn't finished shopping for the holidays. Harry was laying with his head on Severus' chest as they cuddled in bed, he wrapped his arms around his loves middle as if doing so would keep him from getting up. Severus was just looking down at him with love in his eyes.

"Harry, I know you are perfectly content with staying inside 24/7, as am I, but we need to get to the shops before they get too busy," he reasoned, running his fingers through his hair. Harry pouted his lips before groaning out "fine," and rolling himself out of bed to go take a shower, Severus smirked and decided to join, no reason it couldn't be a good morning.

Severus and Harry apparated to Diagon alley, Harry looked around and scrunched his nose up at the surroundings. Everything was so similar but so different. This was the first time he had been back in London sense before he even moved to Montana, he felt weird traces of nostalgia burning through him. He laced his fingers with Severus' as they walked, he felt warm in his winter coat despite the snow coming down. "It doesn't get as cold here as it does in Montana," Harry commented as they walked, ignoring all the stares he was getting for wearing muggle clothes and holding hands with Severus Snape. So far, nobody noticed him, though, not as any more than another wizard. Severus had fixed his eyesight for him with an extremely advanced potion, and years of putting scar salve on his forehead, the lightning bolt almost wasn't visible. Plus, 7 years sure did wonders for taking you from looking like an overgrown 12 year old to looking like an adult. There was no reason anybody would recognize him, and for that he was thankful.

"No, it most certainly does not," Severus smiled down at him. "I can carry your coat for you if you are getting warm?" He offered, Harry shook his head and waved his hand, just taking the heating charm off of himself. He hummed and smiled as the cool wind hit his face.

"You are crazy, love," Severus chuckled at him before pulling him into the first store. They were there for only a few minutes before deciding it wasn't worth their time, when they came out of that store Severus noticed a cluster of red hair in the crowd, he steered them away from them so their paths wouldn't cross. Harry was talking, but he almost had no accent now that he had lived in the states for so long, Severus hoped it would keep the Weasleys from putting two and two together.

"Can we go to the bookstore?" Harry asked looking up at him, "I want to get some books for Arya and Carson for Christmas."

Severus smiled and kissed his forehead, "Of course love, although they are still not even a year old yet, are you sure they can read?" He joked as they walked, Harry turned and smacked his shoulder with his free hand, Severus just laughed as they walked inside.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all in Diagon alley to do last minute Christmas shopping, they had gotten a few things earlier, but they always ended up doing the bulk of it only a few days before the holiday.

Hermione stopped as she saw Severus' face through the crowd, he seemed so happy, so free. She stopped the group and nodded her head towards the man who seemed to be steering clear of them. When the crowd thinned, they saw why Severus was so happy. He was holding hands with a young man and they were chatting and joking with each other. They could see the love between the two, even if they couldn't see the other man completely. They listened closely to hear the man speak, seeing if they maybe knew him from school, he looked around their age, but they were all struck confused when they heard an accent less voice, he didn't seem to be from around here, but he didn't seem to be from around anyplace else, either. The four looked at each other and then back at the couple who were walking into the bookstore, they nodded and headed towards the bookstore as well. They were going there anyway, might as well see what was going on.

The Weasley children had all screamed at their mother for a while after Severus left, and they were still pretty upset. She was the reason Harry was gone, and if it weren't for Severus, they wouldn't even have an inkling of knowledge about the Gryffindor's wellbeing.

They walked into the bookstore and they sighed at the warmth of the store. Hermione's ears picked up as she heard the same voice with her old professor.

"Severus, love, is the offer to take my coat still standing? It is far too warm in here. Don't they know that going from cold to hot like this will make people sick?" The man huffed, Hermione went through the shelves, following the voice but not being obvious about it.

Severus laughed softly, "Love, nobody that is going to be here is coming from a place where they get feet of snow at a time, they don't quite know winter etiquette,"

"Do you think Arya and Carson would like similar things?" Hermione found that the voice came from the kids' section. She put a quick notice-me-not charm around herself so she could look at them without being, well, noticed.

"Harry are you sure they can read?" the voice was teasing, Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

"I mean, I know you want to start children off early, but don't you think-" there was a thwap noise and then an "ow! Okay, okay, I think they would like similar things, at least as of right now they aren't really old enough to differentiate between favorites of things, yet."

Hermione leaned her head over into the aisle that Severus and the mystery man were standing, she was in the perfect position as when she poked her head the man in question looked up and she could see his face. She felt her breathing stop as the more adult face of her best friend, her missing best friend, stood right in front of her and she could do nothing about it. She watched as Harry picked up the books he wanted to get and then he looked around, frowning as he did.

"What's wrong, love?" Severus asked, pulling him into a hug,

"It just reminds me of Hermione, is all… It hurts." She heard Harry whisper; tears came to her eyes.

"I know dear, I know, I'm sure she is doing well now. Come on, don't be like that…" Severus tried to soothe. Hermione felt like she was intruding on something now, so she went and found her husband and sister-in-law, she dragged them out of the store, now was not the time to have a run in with Harry.

Hermione didn't stop dragging the others until they were at least a block down the shopping street. "ouch! 'Mione! What are you-" Ron griped as his wife squeezed his arm painfully. He stopped however when he saw the tears running down her face. "Hermione, babe, what's the matter?" he asked, putting his hands on her arms and rubbing slowly.

"Did you see the guy with professor Snape?" she asked,

"The boyfriend? Yeah, why? Did he hurt you or something?" he questioned, his worry turning to anger. She shook her head violently.

"No! No not at all! It… it was Harry, Ron. I saw Harry." Hermione cried, the other two looked at each other and then hugged the woman. Surprisingly, she had been the one to be hit the hardest by his disappearance. Maybe it was the year they went horcrux hunting together, but she cared so much for him and went crazy for weeks trying to find him, but she never could. She laughed suddenly, and the group around her looked at her with even more worry.

"Go figure, Snape came to the burrow to yell at us, or rather your mum, about Harry and why he left. No wonder he knew all that stuff, they're bloody well in love!"

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Severus and Harry got back to the house that afternoon loaded down with Christmas gifts. Harry was exhausted, going out to Diagon alley was a lot on him emotionally, so he took his shrunken things out of his pocket before he went to lay on the couch, feeling unwell.

Severus put his things down as well, he went over to the couch and kneeled on the floor, stroking Harry's cheek gently. "Are you okay, my love?" He whispered as Harry leaned into his touch.

"Mmhmm," Harry hummed, keeping his eyes closed, "Just more tired than I thought I would be, I wasn't expecting the trip to be so… taxing," he murmured.

Severus leaned down and pecked his lips lightly, he should have known that Harry wouldn't react great to being there, he should have taken them somewhere different, but that wasn't an option now. He sat on the floor just petting his loves hair.

"Severus?" harry whispered,

"Yes?"

"I love you…" Severus' breath caught in his throat, they called each other love and my heart, but they had never actually said I love you to one another, his chest filled with warmth and he leaned down to kiss Harry sweetly, who responded despite the exhaustion.

"I love you too, Harry," Severus whispered against his lips, Harry smiled as he looked up at him before kissing him again.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

It was Christmas Eve, Harry sat at the writing table in Severus' office with a pen in one hand and paper in the other. He hadn't missed the redheads in Diagon the other day, and all he could think about were his old friends. He had been gone for so long, would they be mad if he wrote them? What if they didn't care at all and just threw it away when they saw his handwriting on the front of the envelope? Harry was chewing on the end of the pen when he felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders from behind.

"What is the matter, dear?" Severus whispered in his ear, he kissed his neck lightly and Harry shivered in reaction.

"I saw some redheads at Diagon the other day, plus a brown haired head, and I know the Weasleys always travel in packs," He gave a sad smile, tears coming to his eyes. "I miss them, Severus. Ron and Hermione, I miss them so much. I want to write, I want to speak to them, but what if they get angry? Or they don't care? Or they just toss it because I'm the one who sent it?"

Severus could hear the pain in his loves voice, he frowned and nuzzled the side of his neck. "But what if they miss you, as well?" he countered. He thought back to the way Ron and Hermione looked when he went to speak to Molly, he knew they missed him. Harry stuttered; he hadn't thought of that conclusion.

"Write to them, Harry. If they don't respond, or if they send you a howler, or anything else, you are in control of the situation here. YOU are the one who gets the final say. If they do not respect the fact that you are gracing them with your life after 7 long years, then they do not deserve to come back into it." Severus said firmly, Harry seemed to gain confidence as he nodded,

"Yeah… yeah you're right!" He responded, he put the pen to the paper and started writing, Severus let go so he wouldn't spy over his shoulder, he smiled at Harry's bravery.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

It was Christmas morning at the burrow, everyone was up at the crack of dawn and they raced downstairs to open their presents. They all went to their stalking's first, as they normally did on Christmas morning, but they paused as Ron, Hermione, Ginny, George, and Molly, noticed letters in envelopes with their names on the backs.

"that's Harry's handwriting…" Hermione whispered before ripping it open, everyone else seemed to follow suit.

"Dear Hermione,

I hope you are not mad at me, for leaving. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me for just running away. I hope I didn't hurt you, and I hope you are doing well. I don't really know what to say here, I just want you to know that I'm thinking about you and that I miss you, especially around this time of year. Do you remember during the horcrux hunt how we spent Christmas? Alone and in the snow and not knowing where else to turn? I hope your Christmases are brighter than that now, I hope all your days are brighter than those days.

I am doing well, so do not worry about me, just know that I am happy finally, and I hope that brings you some sort of comfort.

I miss you so much, I miss Ron so much, congratulations on your wedding, by the way, I'm sorry I couldn't make it.

I want to come visit you, but I am afraid I'm not welcome anymore.

Did you go back to Hogwarts? Did you go to university? Do you work in the ministry like you have dreamed of for so long? I know that a person can change a lot in 7 years, if your dreams have changed, know I am still routing for you, even if it's from half the world away.

I love you,

Harry."

Hermione was sobbing by the end of the letter, she read it once, twice, three times before she finally brought it down from her face.

"Dear Ron,

I hope you are doing well; I hope you are happy. I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, but if I had said goodbye you would have convinced me not to leave, but it would have hurt too much to stay.

Did you ever make it to the auror academy? How has life changed sense the final battle? I hope it has all changed for the better, you deserve it after all you went through with me during our school days. Congratulations on your marriage to Hermione, I know we always said we would be each other's best men, and I'm sorry I had to break that promise.

I have been well, I am now anyway, the first few years of picking up and leaving your entire life can be kind of rough on a person, but things are okay now. I am happy, finally. It only took me like, 20 years of my entire existence, but at last I made it here, right?

I miss you, so much. Even 7 years later it's weird not being able to call you up or write to you when life gets weird. I hope you know I'm thinking of you, and you're still my best mate.

I love you,

Harry."

Ron smiled through tears, leave it to Harry to crack jokes in the first letter you get from him in 7 years.

"Dear George,

I hope this reaches you well, and I hope that you do not hate me. I left you the marauders map, I hope you got it, I figured you deserved to keep it more than I did, I mean- you were the one who stole it from filch, after all.

I was in Diagon the other day, and I visited the shop, I am so proud of everything you've accomplished, and everything you've done and will ever do. You have worked so hard, and you deserve to be recognized for that.

I don't know what else to say here, except that I'm sorry, I miss you, and I hope you are in a better place than you were the last time I saw you.

Love,

Harry."

"Dear Ginny,

Congratulations on making it to the Holly Head Harpies! I am so proud of you! You've worked so hard to get to where you are, I've been to a few games, your kick-ass abilities in the air haven't changed a bit.

I hope this finds you well, and I hope you do not hate me, and I hope that when you read his you won't just immediately throw it in the garbage and light it on fire- even if that's what I deserve. I miss you, and your insane pranks and your bat bogey hexes and playing against you on the field. I haven't flown in 7 years, y'know. Does that catch you by surprise?

Anyway, I know that when I left, I should have said goodbye, but you would have made me stay, and I wasn't wanted there anymore, I hope you can understand.

Love you,

Harry."

Molly opened her letter and found it was the shortest one of all, she read it and immediately started sobbing, she placed it on the table and ran upstairs.

"I am sorry for causing your family so much pain.

-Harry."

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Harry woke up Christmas morning with Severus wrapped around him tightly, Harry smiled and snuggled into his chest. He listened to the others heartbeat for a while until he felt Severus stir.

"Is Christmas?" Severus slurred in sleep, rubbing his eyes to try to wake up. Harry laughed softly,

"Yes, it is Christmas dear," he smiled, he squeaked when Severus rolled out of bed and picked him up, carrying him to the Livingroom. Harry wrapped his arms around his neck and laughed, enjoying his loves antics.

Severus sat on the couch and placed Harry in his lap. Harry waved his wand and the presents were separated into two piles. Harry snuggled closer to his boyfriend.

"Open mine first," Harry hummed, handing Severus the wrapped box. Severus smiled and ripped off the paper before slowly opening the lid of the box. Inside was a simple white gold chain with a small ruby pendant, Severus' eyes widened.

Harry watched him open it nervously, wondering if it was too much or- his thinking was cut off by a deep kiss, Harry smiled against the lips on his.

"It's beautiful, I love it, thank you," Severus whispered, he took it out of the box and went to put it on, Harry loved seeing it there more than he thought it would.

"Okay, okay," Harry grinned, handing Severus the present from Michelle and Adam. Severus opened it and grinned when he saw the case of new crystal vials, he put it down and handed Harry his gift from the couple, he wanted Harry to open the one from him last.

Harry grinned and ripped at the paper, he oohed as he opened it to find a big book about the history of graphic design, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He put it down to the side and Severus handed him the one he got for him, before he could he pecked Harry's lips softly.

Harry grinned excitedly, he picked up the box and when he unwrapped it he saw it was a necklace case similar to the one Severus' gift was in, harry chuckled at their similar thinking, but when he opened it his smile only widened and tears came to his eyes. Inside was a silver chain of a necklace, there was a not large, but not small, opal pendant that was cut in the shape of a heart. Harry lunged at Severus and kissed him deeply.

"Thank you so much," He whispered against his lips, earning him another kiss. Severus took it out of the box and put it on his partner, he kissed the back of his neck when he was finished. Harry giggled and turned back to cuddle into his chest.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Harry was sitting on the floor in Severus' Livingroom again, humming as he worked at his makeshift desk. It was boxing day and Severus was out doing something or other. When Severus walked through the front door Harry smiled, getting up to go kiss him.

Severus grinned and kissed him back, wrapping his arms around his waist "How is the work coming?" he asked,

Harry chuckled "It's going well, although my computer is giving me issues, I'm going to have to get a new one soon," Harry shook his head "I got it when I first moved to Montana, so I guess 7 years is a pretty good run, yeah?" he gave Severus a lopsided smile and went back over to sit on the floor. Severus sat on the couch behind him and started playing with his hair, the two of them just enjoying the others company.

Harry was lost in his work when he felt Severus nudge him a bit, he looked up "Yeah?" he asked, Severus looked a little confused, staring at something, he pointed to what he was staring at and Harry saw a giant box wrapped in paper sitting on the coffee table, now it was Harrys turn to look confused. He grabbed the box and sat back down where he was, Severus continued to play with his hair as he looked it over.

On the top was a tag that said "for one Harry Potter" Harry only became more confused, nobody from his current life knew his real name was Potter except for Severus. He opened the box slowly, when he looked inside there were a bunch of different things nestled in the box together. Harry looked up at his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow,

"Hey! Don't look at me, I didn't do this!" Severus said, holding his hands up with a small laugh.

Harry went back to the box, he started pulling things out of it. The first thing he found was a box of homemade cookies, the stasis charm on them meant they were still warm, Harrys heart both soared and sunk, he didn't know where this was going.

Next, he pulled out an envelope that had something inside, if Harry could tell anything from the outside of the envelope, it looked like it had been in there for a while. He opened it and found a wedding invitation from 3 years ago, for Ron and Hermione's wedding. They had tried to send it to him, they had wanted him there, this alone made Harry start crying.

Severus frowned when he noticed his loves tears, he moved the couch back a bit and sat on the floor behind Harry, wrapping his arms around his waist and laying his chin on Harry's shoulder, "Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

"They- they sent… they tried to send me an invitation… to their wedding," Harry choked out, showing Severus the homemade card and the 'We miss you; we hope you can make it' at the bottom of it.

"Oh love," Severus mumbled, pulling Harry into his chest and rubbing his sides gently.

Harry went back to the box, the next thing he pulled out was a homemade scarf, it thrummed with traces of hemiones magic, she must have knitted it, he laughed at the missing stitches and small holes in the yarn, but he loved it.

He kept pulling out small trinkets and little gifts that the others had wanted to send him over the years, but that never made it to him. The last thing in the box was a letter, Harry could tell it was new when he picked it up.

"Dear Harry,

I think you deserve an apology. The last time you saw me I spoke awful things about you, I blamed you for all the wrong that happened to my family, I should have never done that.

In that moment the only thing I could think of was how I had lost my son, I kept trying to pin the blame on anybody I could think of, the death eaters, Dumbledore, Voldemort, you… when I said I wished we never met you, Arthur pulled back and shook me- he called me crazy, how could I think such things about a boy we had loved like our own? He was right of course; I was so caught up in my grief that I didn't stop to think properly.

And then you were gone, like you were never even here, and it was like I lost another child. We didn't know if you were dead or alive, I'm glad to know that you are doing okay. I'm sorry for saying those things about you, I'm sorry for even thinking them. You didn't deserve that kind of blame, especially when the rest of the world was blaming you for everything else that had gone wrong.

I know I'm the reason you left, and I can't blame you. If you decide that you never want to see me ever again, I can't blame you for that either.

Please know that we love you harry, we have sense you were 11 and we always will. We hope, all of us here at the burrow, that you will visit us some time, we've terribly missed your company.

Love always,

Molly."

Harry read over the letter more than once, eventually he put it down on top of the rest of the things he had received and turned in Severus' arms, he sobbed into his chest.

Severus pulled Harry into his lap and held him tight, swaying them back and forth a bit as he tried to shush him gently, eventually Harry calmed enough to speak again.

"I miss them Severus, I really do. But what happens if I go to see them and suddenly, they decide that they change their mind, that they really don't want me?" He sounded so heartbroken,

"Harry, Love," Severus responded calmly, "if they didn't want you around, they wouldn't have bothered to send the gift in the first place, right?"

Harry slowly nodded, he was quiet for a while, "Will you go with me?" he asked, looking up at Severus.

Severus furrowed his eyebrows a bit "Go with you, where?"

"To the burrow, to see them?" Harry sounded a little nervous, Severus' face softened,

"My Heart, of course I'll go with you, but are you sure you want them to know about… well… me?" He asked quietly.

Harry looked up at him and smacked his shoulder, giving him a glare "Severus Snape, of course I want them to know about you! You are my boyfriend, I love you, and you are a part of my life. If they can't accept me with you, then they aren't worth the time," Harry said firmly, the potions master just pulled him into a deep kiss.

When they pulled away Harry nuzzled into Severus, the man just chuckled, "Come love, let us go to the burrow."

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Severus walked up to the front door of the Weasley residence, he could hear the chatter inside, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. He turned and saw Harry hiding behind him, Severus kissed his temple before turning back towards the door and knocking. A silence came over the group inside, there were footsteps and then Hermione opened the door, like she had last time. She looked up at Severus in confusion and worry,

"Professor Snape, is… is everything okay?" She asked, Severus just found a small smile playing on his lips as he stepped over and revealed Harry standing behind him.

When Hermione finally processed who was standing in front of her, she gasped and jumped on him, hugging him tightly. "Oh my god!" She all but screamed.

Harry hugged her back, he buried his face in her neck, "Hey, 'Mione," he whispered, they were both crying now. Someone else came to the door, Hermione looked up to see her husband,

"Hermione, love, is everything okay?" He asked, she pulled away from Harry slightly and Harry looked up at him. Ron's eyes widened and he just joined in the hug, the trio holding each other for a long while. Severus watched from the side with a smile, he walked into the house and closed the door behind him to give them a few minutes to each other, he went and sat on one of the couches.

"Professor," bill greeted, looking him up and down,

"I have not been a professor in 5 years, you may call me Severus," the man interjected, the rest of the Weasley clan gave him incredulous looks, he had to fight not to laugh. He scanned the room and his eyes landed on the blonde on the other couch, his godson, Draco smirked a bit,

"Hello Severus, long time no see," he teased, Severus just shook his head,

"Yes Draco, indeed. We will have to catch up here soon," Severus responded, his eyes flicking to Charlie, Draco laughed,

"I have only seen you 3 times in the last year Severus, this being the third, but do not think I haven't noticed your changed behavior," Draco waggled his finger at him, the rest of the Weasleys watched their interactions with a fascinated look, Severus couldn't help but smile, it made the rest of the family stare at him in shock.

"Still have that keen eye, I see," He commented, a look of mischief passed his face, "How long did it take you to put two and two together?" he asked, leaning back on the couch and crossing his legs. Draco snorted,

"I knew before you even left the other day," their conversation was interrupted by Charlie,

"I hate to be that guy but uh, what's going on here?" Severus just gave him the same mischievous look.

"Oh, do not worry, you will find out soon enough," Charlie just gave him an exasperated look as Draco laughed. The doorknob started to turn, Severus looked over towards it when the door opened and the three walked in, nobody else could see Harry as he was being shielded by the others. Severus gave his love a small smile, Harry smiled back, bouncing a bit behind the other two.

"Ron, Hermione, what are you so giddy about?" it was Ginny who asked, coming out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee.

"Oh, you know," Ron grinned, "just got the best gift we've received in a while, thank you severs," the redhead nodded over to the man and Severus just smiled, the others looked between them confused. Harry stood on his tiptoes and his eyes popped up over his taller friends' shoulders, his eyes crinkled at the corners at seeing all the looks of confusion. The first person who spotted him was Ginny,

"Harry!" She shouted, she barely had time to put her coffee down before she was leaping over the couch Charlie and Draco were sitting on and running over to him. Hermione and Ron parted; Ginny tackled the brunette in a hug.

"oof! Hey, Ginny," Harry said breathlessly as the witch squeezed all the air out of his lungs "what do they feed quidditch players these dates, rocks?" he tried to joke.

"Harry James Potter I swear to God!" she shouted, although she didn't know exactly what she was swearing as she pulled back enough to look at him, she gave a low whistle, "lookin' good Mr. Potter," Harry just laughed softly before he was tugged into another set of arms, this time George's. next was Percy, then Charlie, then bill. He just kind of went up the ranks of the Weasley family. Harry was turned around and faced Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom, he waved, a little dizzy from all the Weasleys pulling him around,

"hey guys, in-laws? Cool," he said, not even giving them time to respond before he was pulled into another hug, this time by Arthur, then by Molly.

Harry hugged her back as she cried and apologized over and over again, "Molly, Mrs. Weasley, it's alright, I forgive you," he said softly. Molly pushed him away so he was at arm's length so she could look him over.

"You look so good, Harry," she smiled, no longer a scrawny teenager but a powerful looking young man, Harry chuckled,

"thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he paused when she reached out and took his necklace from Severus in her hand, she gushed,

"Oh, Harry it's so beautiful!" She glanced down at his hand to see if there was a ring before continuing. "Did your girlfriend get it for you?"

Harry was trying not to laugh, surprisingly it was Fleur, Bill's wife, who started laughing first. "Molly, I don't know how to tell you zis but a girlfriend iz ze last zing Harry has," Molly gave her a motherly glare and it was just enough time of not paying attention to Harry that he could sneak out of her grasp and go sit over on the couch with Severus. The rest of the Weasleys found their way to a seated position as well.

Severus smiled and squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly, Harry gave him a smile back before turning back to the rest of the Weasleys for questioning.

"Where have you been, is my first question," Hermione said, perching herself on the coffee table in front of him,

"Montana," Harry answered easily, they all gave him a funny look,

"Where is that?" it was Neville who asked,

"The United States," Severus answered for Harry.

"That's why you don't have an accent anymore," Charlie noted, "makes sense."

Harry hummed, he unconsciously took Severus' hand in his own like he would if they were at home or at the Richardson's house. "I live kind of out in the middle of nowhere, on about 5 acres or so of land. It's really pretty in autumn when all the leaves are falling from the trees," he smiled, thinking of home.

Ginny noticed Harry take the potions masters hand and she giggled a little, remembering what Hermione had said in Diagon a few days ago.

"You've lived there this whole time?" Bill asked, Harry nodded.

"Yeah, was homeless for about a week after I moved but I've lived in my cabin ever sense,"

"Do you think you'll ever come back here?" Molly asked, Harry gave her a funny look,

"What are you talking about, I'm here right now?" he felt Severus give his hand a squeeze and he looked up at him,

"I think she means to stay, Harry," he said softly, Harry's face fell, and he shook his head,

"No, sorry. Montana is my home, now." He answered, leaning towards Severus a little bit, Harry noticed as Draco looked over at Ginny and Ginny smirked in response,

"Five galleons the others can't figure it out by the end of this," Draco bets, Ginny snorts, "10 galleons George is the only other one who gets it," they nodded, and the bet was on.

Harry just grinned, he remembered Ginny's betting habit from when they were back in school, apparently the blonde was who she did most of her betting business with these days. He knew what they were talking about of course, he felt Severus trying not to laugh from next to him and he had to hide a grin himself.

"Sorry, back on topic," Draco drawled turning towards Harry, "What do you do for a living, Potter?" he asked, harry scrunched his face up a bit,

"Nobody calls me Potter anymore, its either Harry or Evans," he mumbled, before answering his question. "I'm a graphic designer," Draco looked at him surprised but impressed,

"What kind of clients do you deal with?"

"I work for a firm that does both muggle and magical businesses, fun fact: I designed the new Chudley Cannons logo and their rebranding,"

"No way!" Ron gaped; Harry just laughed.

They all spoke for quite a while longer, it was getting late and he yawned, Severus chuckled at him, "Maybe we should head out," he hums.

Harry nods, "You go on ahead, I'll meet you at the apparition point," Harry yawned again. Severus gave his hand a squeeze and then got up, he bid farewell to the Weasleys and left.

"Can somebody explain to me why Snape was here in the first place?" Bill finally chimed in, Draco laughed and looked over at Ginny with a grin,

"Draco, pay up," George chimed in, an evil grin on his face.

"Aw, man!" Draco whined, he pulled the money out of his bag and handed it over to Ginny.

"Long explanation or short explanation?" Harry chuckled looking back at Bill to answer his question.

"Um… short explanation?" Bill sounded unsure but he stuck with that choice. Harry's about to answer but Ginny calls out,

"Wait! Draco, double or nothing they're going to scream," Draco laughed,

"You're on Longbottom, they're going to be so shocked they're not going to be able to speak,"

Harry laughed, "He's my boyfriend," was his answer.

Draco won this round, as the half of the room that had no idea what was going on were dead silent.

"I-I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Neville gaped at him,

"Severus Snape is my boyfriend, our 1 year anniversary is on the first." Harry couldn't help but laugh at the expressions.

"How did that happen?" it was Ron who asked with a grin, Harry smiled softly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Weird story, actually. So I live in a muggle area in Montana, my neighbors and friends Adam and Michelle live a few acres away, they also turned out to be wizards, they invited me over for Christmas so I could meet one of Adams friends and colleagues, and it just so happened that it was Severus," Harrys smile was a bit dreamy "He kissed me as the ball dropped on new year's." There was a soft 'aww' from all the girls in the room, he smiled and got up.

"I'll write you guys, okay?" he smiled, "I don't want to leave him waiting too long," everyone came up to hug him and say their goodbyes, Hermione and Ron made sure that he promised to not disappear again, Harry promised with a laugh and made his way to the apparition point where Severus was waiting for him. Harry stood on his tip toes and gave him a kiss before they apparated to Severus' home.

-HHLL HHLL HHLL-

Harry and Severus spent the rest of the holiday lost in each other. When New Year's Eve came around, they stayed in bed all day, just enjoying each other's company. they made love as they moved into the new year and celebrated their first year anniversary.

As they lay in bed basking in the afterglow of their love Harry traced his fingers up and down Severus' chest, humming softly.

"Harry," Severus called softly, Harry looked up at him and gave him a tired loving smile,

"yes Severus?"

"I just want you to know how much I love you," Severus' voice was quiet as he ran his fingers through Harry's hair, "want you to know how grateful I am to have you in my life." He leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You are the best thing that has happened to me."

Harry smiled and reached up to kiss his love slowly, when he pulled back, he laid his head back on Severus' chest.

"I love you too, Severus. I never thought I would be able to have something like this with anybody, I never thought I wouldn't have to be alone," he wrapped his arm around Severus' stomach and cuddled closer to him.

"Happy 1 year anniversary, Severus," Harry whispered,

"Happy 1 year anniversary, Harry," Severus replied, it was only a few minutes later before they were both asleep.