Why, hello, everyone! It's almost been a month since I last uploaded, and I do apologize for the wait. In the last month, I've moved house, re-started my job, and came to the end of the already written chapters, but I'm now settled and can hopefully write more regularly, and post more than once a month!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!

S L x

Draco stared up at his father as Voldemort walked into the room. Lucius kept his eyes firmly on the Dark Lord, but sensing eyes on him from his son; he nudged him hard under the table. Today was the most critical day in Draco's life, and it would do well for Draco to behave appropriately.

The Dark Lord circled the table, laying his hand on the chairs' backs as he moved silently around the room. He stared at the Death Eaters. Nineteen of them were here today, soon to be twenty, and these twenty were his most loyal.

Bellatrix, The Malfoys, the Crabbes, the Goyles, and Peter Pettigrew. Nine more graced this table, including the Carrows, Dunn, and Dolohov. A table once Severus Snape sat at, a table, full of his most loyal. Oh, how foolish he had been. He should have seen the signs, should have known that Severus Snape was never his man, had always been Dumbledore's, and now he was most certainly Potter's.

He took his seat between Bellatrix and Lucius, his two favorites, and looked at the hungry eyes now all watching him as he sat. All eyes, except Draco's.

"Draco." He hissed, turning his attention to the youngest Malfoy. "I see you do not look at me. Am I too hideous for you?"

Draco felt a very hard nudge from under the table, and Lucius's eyes burned down at him. How dare his son embarrass him like that.

"No, my Lord, I was simply thinking about what is to come." He said, now looking at the scaly figure next to his father.

Lucius had given up his manor quite happily for the Dark Lord when he had asked him too, much to Narcissa's annoyment. Now his home was the base for him and the fellow Death Eaters, and much had changed. The number of charms and hexes that had gone up was uncountable, and Voldemort had used his own blood to put blood wards around the property to make sure no one could apparate in, even if they did break through the many hexes and charms which surrounded the property.

"Today is a new marking" Voldemort began. "With Vicent and Gregory already being marked, and Draco today, having you three in Hogwarts will be most pleasing. A perfect way to get information in and out, under the eyes of Dumbledore."

Crabbe and Goyle puffed their chests out with glee. The Dark Lord himself had acknowledged them. Both got the mark in their sixth year and proudly carried it on their arm ever since. They had been chosen, but now it was also Draco's turn. Lucius' son, the one who Voldemort looked for.

He trusted Lucius impeccably and knew Draco would follow in his father's footsteps. But he was no fool; he knew that Lucius had made Draco take his mark, he had not done it out of love or affection for the Dark Lord, oh no, he had done it out of fear. But fear for Voldemort was just as good as love. As long as Draco feared him, he would do whatever he or his father asked. Yes, a perfect little soldier on the grounds of Hogwarts. Just what Voldemort needed.

"You three will serve me well in this war. My perfect trio on the inside." He grinned at the three of them.

Draco tried to keep his head up, but eventually, temptation gave over, and he found himself staring at the table again.

"What is it, boy? Don't want to be marked? Don't want to feel the glory when the Potter boy finally dies?" Bellatrix cackled from the other side of Voldemort.

"Not at all, I'm actually far too eager to have it done already. I feel I had waited far too long and was most disappointed when I could not get marked when Crabbe and Goyle did." He spoke softly, looking back at his aunt.

He loathed her. She had gone insane; her whole life revolved around the man sitting next to her. She was utterly obsessed with him, watched his every move, and was there for him every second of every day. Bellatrix, much to Draco's disappointment, had also now taken to living in the manor. He could not escape her, or her shrill voice, that made his bones shiver every time he heard it.

"Of course you have. You have been waiting for this for years, I can tell. Lucius, you have been waiting for this since your son's birth, have you not?" Voldemort now said, turning his attention onto Draco's father.

"I have my Lord. I wish my whole family to serve you."

"You have served well." Voldemort hissed back. Lucius bowed his head slightly at the compliment.

"I do not see any of the rest of you freely giving up your houses for us," Voldemort said suddenly to the room, voice raised. He was met with anxious mutterings and shaking heads. "No, Lucius, you have served me very well."

For now, Snape had gone, a position had to be filled, and Voldemort had chosen to fill it with Draco.

"I feel it is time." Voldemort said, standing from the table. Lucius and Bellatrix immediately followed first, with the others standing up after them. Draco felt his legs stand up automatically. At that moment, it occurred to him how much he didn't want this to happen. His father had convinced himself otherwise, but Draco knew what the Death Eaters were to Voldemort, they were servants. Servants do all of his dirty work for him, and get no reward except maybe a backward compliment from the dark Lord himself. But Draco could not say no, he could not disappoint his father like this. Sometimes Draco thought the only reason Lucius still looked at him was that he was all part of this. He didn't care about Draco, he cared about impressing the Dark Lord, and if Draco getting marked would make his father proud of him, getting marked would be the only thing he had to do.

He stared at his mother, as Voldemort walked around to the ample open space, she looked lost. Much like Draco, his mother had gone along with whatever Lucius had suggested purely to gain his love. He softly smiled at her and grabbed her hand, quickly releasing it, he wandered over to where the others stood and waited.

Draco was aware of the eyes on his arm. He was aware of the burning sensation he felt as he was marked, and when it was all over, he was mindful of his father's eyes burning into his. Draco did not lift his head to meet his father's eyes; instead, he breathed deeply and raised them to meet his mother's concerned look.

Narcissa had never wanted this for her son, and watching her little boy be marked forever was almost too much to bear. But it was done, there was no undoing, and now her only son belonged to the Dark Lord, along with her husband. Lucius could say all he wanted about how this would make him an equal in the Dark Lord's eye, but Narcissa knew he used them all for power, and now her husband and son were servants. Nothing more.

"You will not disappoint me, as dear Severus did." Voldemort expressed to Draco, making Narcissa snap out of her thoughts.

"Of course, not my lord." Draco replied and moved away from the circle. His arm red and throbbing.

"Do we have any news on the traitor?" Voldemort asked Lucius.

"No, my lord, his houses are heavily charmed; if he so much as steps foot anywhere near them, we will be alerted." Lucius informed him.

"How cowardly of him, hiding out in Hogwarts under the protection of Dumbledore. I knew he was many things, but a coward." Voldemort smirked at his crowd, then let out a laugh.

The rest of the death eaters laughed maniacally with him.

"A coward and married to Potter." Voldemort shook his head.

His words again were met by a tremendous laugh. Voldemort held up his hand for silence as he moved back over to Draco, who was standing quietly just out of the circle.

"Draco, do not disappoint me." These were his final words as he strolled out of the room, not once glancing back at the Death Eaters.

Severus was still awake when the clock above the fireplace struck 11. He was also painfully aware of the fact that Harry was still not home for the evening. Although he told himself he didn't care and knew Harry was perfectly safe, Severus had come accustomed to the little chats they shared before Harry wandered off to bed, where Severus would follow an hour later, knowing the young man would be fast asleep.

Harry not being home now just meant Severus would have to be up even later, and already his eyes were starting to sting.

Maybe he could go to bed first and be asleep before Harry walked into the room. But that made Severus feel strange and unnerved. He had been cautious to avoid looking at Harry when he slept, heading in the bedroom, straight to the bathroom, taking his clothes with him to get changed in there, and heading to bed. Recently he spared himself a few glances at the sleeping figure he had been sharing his bed with for over three weeks now and had come to the very sorry realization that Harry had absolutely grown into his looks. Even the look of James had gone from him, and he was now entirely his own man, an attractive man Severus had come to realize annoyingly.

He absentmindedly rubbed his eye with his right hand and continued holding the book in his other hand. As time ticked forward, Severus became increasingly more irritated at the fact Harry still wasn't home. Maybe if he let his eyes close for a second.

A second turned into minutes, and the clock on the mantelpiece now held the time of 11:40 pm. Severus opened his eyes when he heard a voice outside his door, quickly glazing at the clock, and moving his neck to avoid any cramp.

The door opened to see Harry standing with Iris in his arms, whispering away to the little cat. He looked as shocked to see Severus as Severus felt, but yet his face was emotionless. Eyes were slightly stinging from quickly waking up.

"Sorry, I thought you'd gone to bed. Look who I found wandering the corridors with Crookshanks." Harry chuckled, releasing Iris, and watching her run over to her usual position on the sofa.

"You're late," Severus said bluntly.

"Late for what?" Harry questioned. As far as he remembered, Severus had never set any time to return home to their quarters at night.

"Nothing, I just meant you're home a lot later than usual," Snape explained.

"Ah, yeah time just sort of got away from us," Harry replied, moving now to flop out on the armchair.

Severus knew that 'us' meant Remus, Hermione, and Ron, so didn't feel the need to ask who Harry had been seeing.

"I see," Severus said bluntly again.

Harry lifted his head off the back of the armchair and stared intently at Severus.

"Are you angry at me?" He questioned, more annoyance in his voice than needed at that time. He had no reason to be annoyed with him. It was the summer holidays, and although it pained Harry to admit it out loud, he was his husband, not his teacher. Until the 1st of September, Harry could do as he pleased.

"Why would I be angry at you?" Severus questioned back immediately.

"You sound angry at me, and trust me, I know what your anger sounds like, having had it directed at me for the last six years." Harry huffed, now sitting upright in the armchair.

"I am not angry at you. It is the summer holidays, spend it how you see fit." Severus said once more. "I'm just tired." He finished, closing his book and placing it in between him and Iris. He leaned back against the sofa.

"You didn't have to wait up for me," Harry said, calmness now back in his voice, he too mirrored Severus and leaned back against the armchair, more relaxed than he felt mere seconds ago.

"I didn't think you'd be this late."

"Severus, right now, you are not my teacher," Harry said, sitting upright again, looking directly at him. "Unfortunately to you, you are my husband, and I don't expect to be treated like a child." Harry huffed.

"I don't." Severus articulated.

"I know, so let's not begin now. I will not have a curfew before school starts, and I don't expect you to wait up for me, I appreciate it, I really do, and I'm unsure about you, but I do look forward to our conversations before I head off to bed." Harry paused as if he had given away a secret; he cleared this throat suddenly. "So I do apologize if I'm a little later than usual, I didn't realize the time, we were talking about how Hermione and Ron are going off to the burrow before school starts, but I won't be joining them as I'm not allowed to leave here." He finished.

He could not believe he had just spoken to Severus Snape like that. He wouldn't have dared told him what to do ever, but now this felt like the only way to get his point across. When school started again, he could have his curfew, and then Severus could be his teacher. But right now, he was enjoying the not teacher side of him, and it occurred to him that he didn't want to let him go just yet. They only had one week left until school, and for Harry, it couldn't come slow enough.

Severus stared at Harry. Although he didn't appreciate being spoken to like that, he couldn't deny the amount of power that radiated from Harry. Severus was silently impressed. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I see, can Lupin not go with you?" He asked.

"No, a full moon that evening," Harry replied.

"Of course," Severus replied, now feeling foolish, as he knew it was the full moon as he was the one who brewed the potion. "I feel as it's your last year, you should be allowed to go to the burrow and then I take it head over to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts express?" Severus inquired.

"That's what I was hoping for, but I think Professor Dumbledore made his opinions very clear that I am not to venture out of Hogwarts without you, Remus or himself present, so unless you want to spend a night at the burrow and then come on the train with me, looks like I'm here." Harry sighed and flung himself back onto the armchair again.

Severus was tempted to laugh. The boy had such a flair for being dramatic.

"No, I most certainly do not want to do that." He said bluntly. He could put up with Harry for now, but the whole Weasley clan, and then the Hogwarts express, was far too much to bear.

Harry chuckled slightly.

"Figured as much."

Severus paused and tilted his head to the side in thought.

"Although, I can definitely ward the burrow for you, along with Albus of course, and certain teachers will be on the train anyway this year, to make sure no harm comes to students, so let me talk to Albus about it and see what I can do."

"Really? You'd do that?" Harry asked in shock.

"Anything to get you away from me for a couple of days," Severus smirked on the sofa.

Harry looked at him thoughtfully, as if wondering what to say next. Severus just raised his eyebrows, before turning to the little cat, checking she was still soundly asleep.

"You know if you had said that a month ago, I would have believed that was the truth," Harry said, suddenly more confident as Severus was not looking directly at him.

"And now?" Severus asked him, his gaze directed at Harry once more.

"Well, now I'm not so sure," Harry replied quietly.

There was silence between the two of them. Harry waited for Severus to answer him; he was expecting him to say he was wrong, hated him as much as he always had, and living with him for the last three weeks had just solidified that even more. But instead, Severus exhaled slowly and sat forward slightly.

"I admit your presence these last few weeks have not been as horrendous as I thought they would be, but don't under any pretense think I like you; you're still an annoying little brat." For a sentence that would have previously hurt Harry, he did nothing but chuckle at Severus. Happy when Severus had his little smirk on his face.

Harry had come to realize that Severus didn't tend to smile, Harry had seen the occasional smirk grace his mouth, and that was another for him. He wondered if he had ever truly smiled, and what was the occasion, and if he would every smile in Harry's company.

"I suppose that would be asking for too much for you to like me?"

"Yes, it would be."

Harry laughed softly and returned his attention to the little cat. He was aware of Severus getting up and briefly wondered if he was heading off to bed.

"Would you like a drink?" Severus suddenly said, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"I'm seventeen." Harry protested, aware of the shock that must have been evident on his face, having just been offered a drink from his potions professor.

"I feel most British teenagers drink under the age of eighteen. Don't tell me you believe otherwise?" Severus had heard tales of the parties that went on in the Hogwarts common rooms; he knew that underage drinking happened, something he was sure the muggle-borns had brought in. There was no way Harry had never tried alcohol before.

"I thought you said you were tired?" Harry queried, looking up at him.

"I am, I usually have some whisky before bed, although I don't make a habit of it when I'm teaching, I rather enjoy it in the summer." He said, now moving to his study where he kept it.

"I'll pass, thank you, but I'll stay up with you." Harry smiled, watching his retreat.

"As you please," Severus said simply. He walked into the room and closed the door, leaving Harry in an empty room. Harry glanced at the clock, and it showed it was almost midnight. Harry could not believe he was willingly spending his time sitting with his teacher in his living room while he went off to get a drink. Harry could also not believe that he had been offered one as well, like a friend offering one to another friend. But the most significant thing Harry could not understand was how much he wanted to stay here, how much he wanted to talk and get to know him. That shocked Harry the most.

There was nothing wrong with getting to know him. Harry kept telling himself, but still, he felt odd about it. A sense of warmth flowed through him, and it took Harry a few seconds to realize that that was contentment.

He had finally found somewhere where he felt at home. He felt at home at Hogwarts, but he knew Hogwarts was a school, but these little rooms, he felt content and satisfied. This was the only place where he had ever had a side of the bed, where he had his sofa, and he didn't feel guilty throwing his cloak on top of it as he knew he would always be there in the morning. This is what home felt like.

Severus walked back into the room, a small tumbler with a little whisky now swished around the glass. He retook his position on the sofa and took a small sip. His white shirt sleeve had fallen down his arm, so using his free hand, he pushed it back up to his elbow.

"So, where's your home?" Harry asked the idea of home firmly on his mind. Severus narrowed his eyes slightly. "You said you stayed at your house for summer, usually?"

"I have two actually," Severus began, watching Harry's eyes go wide. "Believe it or not, being a potions master does come with its privileges, one being a rather nice paycheck," Severus said again, taking a small sip from his glass.

"So, where are they?" Harry asked him.

"One of them is in muggle Britain, near the city of Oxford. Have you ever been?" Severus queried.

"No, I've never really been anywhere," Harry admitted. That was the truth. The Dursley's never took him anywhere with them in case he did anything freakish, he had barely ever left little whinging, apart from that one trip to London Zoo, which had ended in him getting no food for three days, and severe bruising and cuts all over his back as his uncle had hit him with a belt numerous times.

"Where is the other one?" He asked Severus, not wanting to go down his mind into his dark thoughts about his uncle.

"The other one is in the wizarding district of Renabe, which to muggles is near the Scottish border, near North Cumbria," Severus explained.

"Wizarding district?" Harry had never heard of wizarding districts before.

"Hidden counties if you will. Muggles walk straight past them."

"Oh, that explains the burrow then?" Harry had always wondered how a house that looked like it had six floors and looked like it was about to fall over escaped the view of muggles.

Severus sipped his whisky.

"Exactly," he said.

"How many wizarding districts are there?" Harry asked, and from his expression, Severus could tell he was keen to know more. Rare for Harry to take an interest in learning, he thought.

"12, all littered over England. There is one in central London, you just head to Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square, one of the lions is an entrance, it swallows you, and you enter into Reher." Severus told him.

"Amazing. I'd like to live there," Harry laughed.

"Only the elite live in Reher." Severus hesitated slightly before continuing. "So defeat the Dark Lord, and you may just earn yourself a spot there." He said, swirling the amber liquid around the glass.

"Where do the Weasley's live?" Harry asked.

Severus cleared his throat before continuing.

"The burrow is located in the district of Toand." he said, as he sipped his drink once more.

From the way Severus didn't say anything else, Harry knew instantly that Toand was not a respected district.

"Is that a bad one?" Harry guessed.

"No wizarding districts are bad; you still have to earn your place to live in one of them, but Toand, Toand could be seen as the easiest to get into." There was once a time when Severus truly cared about the different districts of the wizarding world. He, along with many other Slytherins. He would never be seen with someone who lived in Toand. However, now, he found he hardly cared at all. There were so many more important things to be concerned about now, instead of just where people lived.

"Is that why Malfoy and other Slytherins look down their nose at Ron?"

"Partially," Severus explained. Partially because they were snobs, but he felt he would leave that out for now.

"He never told me. No one has, I guess everyone assumes I would know how wizards live, I just assumed they went and bought houses like muggles." Harry shook his head. This is what they should teach muggle-borns, or wizards who grew up in a muggle environment at Hogwarts. How to live in the wizarding world. Three weeks ago, he didn't even know that he could marry a teacher, yet here he was.

"Many do, but to live among one's own kind, I suppose many get a sense of community out of it, but still, many wizards reside in normal houses all over Britain," Severus explained. Many, though, did it for the power, and the hierarchy of having a house in a wizarding district brought them. To be able to say you lived it one was quite an accomplishment.

"This is the sort of stuff that interests me. Stuff I will come to use in the future."

Severus hummed his agreement and sipped his drink.

"Which one is your favorite?" Harry asked suddenly.

"District?" Severus said, a confused look on his face.

"No, which house?" Harry chuckled.

This was easy for Severus.

"The one in Oxfordshire. I bought the one in Renabe purely because I felt I should. To have a sort of status in the wizarding community." Although hills of glorious countryside surrounded the one in Renabe, something about Oxford intrigued Severus, the history and the buzz of the city. He much preferred it there.

"Is Renabe a good district?"

Severus used to boast about Renabe, it was a well-respected district, and there was once a time where he would have taken any opportunity to brag about it, but not in front of Harry. He felt no need to.

"It's one of the better ones." He said simply.

"I feel I should go and see it some time." Harry smiled, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Not until this war is over, you're not. I dread to think what horrible things they've done to my house." he sighed.

"Well when this is all over," Harry said, moving his hands in front of him, "and all charms and hexes have been removed, shall we go?" He asked.

"We?" Severus questioned immediately.

"Well, I can't go to your house without you."

"What if the war ends after the 31st of July?" Severus asked. Harry knew exactly what he was asking. After all of this, would they remain in contact after their marriage was annulled, or would they simply go their separate ways and never see the other again. Three weeks ago, Harry would have said it would have been the latter, but only three weeks in and he was comfortable, so after a year, he felt it would be tough to forget about this man completely.

"Well, I'd still like to see it," he replied softly, gazing at Severus.

Severus nodded briefly in agreement and finished the very last drop of his whisky from his glass.

"I might head off to bed," Harry said, standing up slowly and stretching.

"Good idea." Severus agreed.

Harry walked over to the sofa he was sitting on, and for one second, Severus thought he was coming over to him, but instead, he leaned down and stroked Iris' ears before standing upright again.

"Are you coming?" Harry asked.

Severus was very momentarily shocked at literally being invited into bed with Harry, even though they had been sleeping next to each other for the last three weeks, this was something entirely else.

"No, I'm just going to stay up for a bit longer." Severus replied, watching Harry intently.

"You're very decent, you know, giving me so much privacy. I really appreciate it." Harry said to the man. He had shocked himself, asking that question, it just slipped out. Harry has not been awake in the bed with Severus, apart from the night of his nightmare, and that was only for a matter of minutes. He wondered if it would feel strange to be awake in bed together. Would they talk or just lay in silence?

"I would expect the same from you," Severus clarified.

"Well thank you for telling me about things I feel I should know."

"You're welcome."

"And sorry for keeping you up even longer." Severus could think of many otherways Harry could keep him up even longer, and none of them involved being in the living room, but he quickly shooed them from his mind as soon as they had appeared.

"Don't, I too rather enjoy our chats." Severus replied. He thought that would be more appropriate to say instead of the rather intrusive thoughts that were plaguing his mind.

"Enjoy? Didn't know you enjoyed anything?" Harry smirked.

"Find tolerable? How's that?" Severus said back, tilting his empty glass towards Harry.

"Much more Snape-like." Harry laughed and turned his back towards him, heading towards the bedroom. "Goodnight, Severus." He called over his shoulder, and Severus watched him open the door and retreat into the bedroom.

"Goodnight." He replied, knowing full well, Harry would not be able to hear as the door had already shut.

Severus stood up, staring at the closed door Harry had walked through. Harry had lived here less than a month, and yet Severus knew the gap would be huge when he left in 11 months. If, after less than a month, Severus was actually starting to enjoy their chats and enjoy his company in the evening, another 11 months of this would surely drive him actually to like the boy. He wanted his company on the sofa, in his rooms, wanted someone around.

He retreated to his study and fought the urge to pour another glass. He didn't make a habit of drinking when school started, as nights are usually for paper marking and talking to the other teachers, but now in summer, the urge to pour another was there. Instead, he put his glass down and sat down in the chair behind the desk.

He flicked through the papers on his desk, not really looking at them, and instead glanced at the door.

He was not starting to develop feelings for his student. He would not allow that. However, this student was his husband, and there was nothing wrong with having feelings for your husband. But not Harry. He wouldn't put his feelings onto Harry. Harry deserved so much better than himself, and he knew that.

Bitterly, he ran a hand through his hair and resigned himself to the fact that what he was feeling was most definitely a very one-sided feeling and would undoubtedly stay like that until this marriage was over. Severus wasn't sure what was worse, this, or hating each other for 11 months. He just hoped this did not develop into anything more.

He looked at his watch and wondered if Harry was asleep. Sighing gently and ignoring the apparent lust he was feeling at the thought of Harry in his bed waiting for him, he leaned his head back and decided to wait for a little longer before walking into the bedroom.

This was going to be a long 11 months.

Author Note: I have a lot of readers who are not from England, so I just want to very quickly explain something, the legal drinking age in England is 18, but many brits drink before the age of 18, and it is not seen as a big deal, at least in the part of England I am from and my family and friends. In every social event, I went to with adults after the age of 16; I was offered a drink out of politeness, so please don't think this is in any way, some way of Severus trying to get Harry drunk, this was purely him being polite.

Also, wizarding districts will become a part of this story, I like the idea of wizard communities all over Britain, and I hope you do too.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Yay finally, a conversation that didn't include potions! We're getting there!

Until next time,

S L x