AN: Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed the story, I hope it was kept in character enough throughout. Was a bit of a challenge at the end. :) I just wanted to say for my first HP story, you guys are awesomely supportive, and thanks for all the reviews! There's another small note at the bottom, which I don't want to give away the ending for here. Hopefully I haven't left many loose strings, my apologies if I did.

Ch 18 - A Princely Day

Harry opened the door to the Room of Requirement, letting out a small gasp when he saw what it had been transformed to. A small church, it seemed, rows of wooden benches with simple yet comfortable looking cushions on them, surrounded by cool stone walls that looked suspiciously like the ones in his living room at Cairn Hollow. Harry glimpsed out the windows of the room and saw his back garden, causing him to blink in disbelief. Somehow the room had charmed itself to look like it belonged in Cairn Hollow.

Dudley took a strong grip of his arm then, and they walked to the centre of the room. His friends were all gathered and sitting to the sides, his dorm-mates, the Weasleys, even Arabella Figg was there dressed in her finest. It was an old fashioned dress with lace on the cuffs that looked fifty years out of date, but she was very neat looking and damned proud, by the glint Harry could see in her eyes.

The professors were all there as well, sitting across the aisle from Harry's friends, all dressed in their best robes. Sybil Trelawney sat beside Hooch, dressed in a faded blue gown that clashed horridly with the deep purple shawl she was wearing. The gown looked to be a bit worn, and Harry could tell that ten years before it had probably been blinding. She topped off the outfit with her traditional flowered scarf to hold he hair back, and gave Harry a tipsy smile as he walked by. Harry fought the incredible urge to laugh, as he realized that she reminded him of Jennifer Saunders from Absolutely Fabulous.

Harry flashed a surprised smile at the Prime Minister, who was sitting beside Kingsley, and he was brought to a stop in front of the room. Ron was standing to one side of him, and Hermione was on the other, standing with Snape and Aberforth Dumbledore.

Minerva McGonagall stood before them, and smiled softly at Harry. She gave him a moment to take in his surroundings, and Harry felt calmer with Snape being near. He had dressed in a simple black tuxedo, with a silver tie that glinted against his black eyes. The shirt, instead of being a white, was a blood red colour, very dark like aged wine. His hair was loose as always, but Harry thought it looked a bit more styled than normal, and definitely had lost the greasy appearance.

Harry turned to the room to give a little wave, and when his eyes rested on Dumbledore's portrait, he nodded once. Dumbledore looked proud and happy, sitting amongst the Weasley family. They had come to the wedding in their best robes, and Harry felt like his full family was there, supporting him. Ginny sat at the edge of the Weasley row, dressed in a beautiful simple gown, with he hair braided and a small lily flower resting in the hair over her ear. Even though they'd split a year and a half earlier, Harry still felt a slight pang of guilt for being happy and having moved on as if he'd never dated her before

At least, that's what he felt like. Staring at Snape, Harry realized that he felt like he'd never dated anyone before, until he'd started to live with the man. Funny feeling that was, and Harry was determined to think about it later.

McGonagall cleared her throat, getting Harry's attention again.

"Who brings Harry James Potter here today, to give wholly to his partner?"

Harry bit his tongue to not laugh at the language. Dudley straightened beside him and took a deep breath.

"I do. I mean..er.. Dudley Dursley." Dudley's cheeks were red, and Harry could tell that Dudley didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Thank you." Minerva smiled kindly and turned to Harry's side. "And who brings Severus Éamon Snape to give over to his life partner?"

Aberforth stepped forward and gave a little bow to McGonagall. "Aberforth Dumbledore."

Another nod, and another smile. "Do the families of Mr. Snape and Mr. Potter agree to this union?"

"We do." Dudley answered, stepping forward and shaking hands with Aberforth. They then returned to the sides, standing beside Hermione and Ron. Harry felt instantly relaxed, and he was glad that the ceremony wouldn't take much longer. It felt ridiculous to be making such a big deal out of his decision to be with Snape for the rest of his life, but Harry knew the ritual was important. Important to show Snape that he was serious.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, it is time for you to say your vows." McGonagall had a wet sparkle in her eyes, and when Snape turned to face Harry he saw that Molly Weasley was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. He barely managed not to smirk, though he could tell from Harry's impish grin that Harry had seen the same thing.

"I, Severus Snape, promise not to strangle, poison, incarcerate, nor use Harry Potter for potion ingredients. I promise to continue to ensure his stubborn survival for as long as I shall live."

A not so muffled snort was heard from the direction of Hagrid, who was silently shaking in his seat and trying not to laugh. He only managed to draw further attention to himself however, as his furry dress suit made him look like some sort of grotesque teddy bear. Molly's head had snapped up at the vow, and she ignored the laughter of Hagrid and the snickers of her sons. Charlie was laughing particularly loudly, so Molly finally glared at him.

"I, Harry James Potter, promise not to maim, overly irritate, or cause suffering to Severus Snape by way of acting out idiotic Gryffindor tendencies like battling dragons. I promise to defend him and prevent him from getting himself arrested for as long as I am lucky to live."

This time Hagrid couldn't stop it. He released a loud burst of laughter, causing the other professors to start giggling. The Weasleys looked like they'd been dosed with laughing gas, with the exception of Molly.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" She marched up to the front of the room, ignoring the chuckles of her family and colleagues. Grabbing Harry's hand and Snape's hand, she thrust them together and glared at them. Harry was reminded of the very first time he'd arrived to the Burrow, when the twins had stolen the car and driven it half way across England.

"Severus, tell Harry that you promise to love him and stand by him for the rest of your life." She pinched his wrist strongly, and Snape flinched, trying to jerk his arm away.

"I just did woman; unhand me." He looked annoyed, but Harry could also see amusement in his eyes.

"Say it properly to my son." She hissed, and Snape rolled his eyes.

"Potter, I promise to do what she said." He raised his eyebrow in a pointed look at the angry mother. Ron was suddenly very grateful that he was not in Snape's shoes.

"Hare-Ree." Molly spoke slowly, accentuating both syllables in his name. Snape could see that she would not relent until he said it, and in the interest of finishing the ceremony and getting to the feast, he swallowed his pride.

"Harry. I promise to love you and stand by you for the rest of your life." Snape looked directly at Harry as he said it, ignoring how silent the rest of the room had become. Molly released Snape's hand, smiling tenderly at them.

"Even if you are an idiot Gryffindor most days." Snape finished, his arm whipping back out of Molly's reach.

"That's alright, Severus." Harry grinned, speaking up quickly before Molly could harm them further. "I promise to do the same for you."

"Well then." McGonagall said to the very flustered Molly. "I do believe I can now announce Mr. Harry and Severus Prince." She joined their hands and tapped her wand, watching with the rest of the room as the rings glowed white hot and changed back to the wedding band design they'd first had when Snape had given Harry his.

Wanting to shock his friends further, Harry grabbed Snape's suit jacket and pulled him forward for a kiss that would be classified as rather inappropriate in public. Catcalls and whistles echoed through the room, with Bill and George cheering Harry on.

…

The reception was held at the Hog's Head, close enough to Hogwarts that they could return quickly if there was a problem with the students. Or as Charlie pointed out, close enough to stagger back to at the end of the night.

The pub had been closed to the public, and Aberforth took his spot swiftly behind the bar, serving drinks with a speed that impressed Harry. Though Aberforth was a wizard, Harry knew the speed and grace was from years of practice.

After a breathtaking meal of lamb stew, of which Snape swore had been laced with some sort of potion to make it taste that good, Neville and Seamus moved over to the large CD player in the corner of the room. The dance floor, which had formally been the bar area, was cleared with a whisk of a wand and all eyes were suddenly on him. Rising to his feet, Snape kept his head high and held his hand out to Harry.

They made their way to the centre of the dance floor, ignoring the whispers from their guests.

They have no idea we've danced before. Harry's grin was small and only for Snape's eyes.

Try to remember how to fake it.

Snape twitched his lips a little and put one hand at the small of Harry's back, clasping the other in front of him. The sounds of a soft Spanish song filled the room, and they forgot that anyone else was there. Snape slowly spun Harry around the floor, never breaking eye contact as they moved. Harry didn't trip once, and Snape let his hand softly brush hair back from Harry's eyes on one dip.

Hermione sighed to herself, and pulling Ron up, they joined the dance floor. Soon Snape noticed that they were no longer dancing alone, but he didn't care much at that moment. Harry smelled delicious, a slightly earthen mix of his cologne and aftershave. He also noted a vague coconut smell that was explained when Harry rested his head in the crook of Snape's neck, his hair in close proximity to Snape's nose.

Your cousin is dancing with Miss Lovegood.

Is he? Good. I think he needs to learn to think outside the box.

I daresay she will accomplish that in short order.

Harry smiled and brought his hands down, resting them Snape's waist.

This is nice. They did a good job planning the wedding.

Your friends have gotten…older.

We all have, Snape. The price of war.

Indeed.

Molly and Arthur danced near them, rosy cheeks from the wine that had been at the table.

"Gentlemen, congratulations. I expect grandchildren!" Molly blurted with a slight giggle.

Arthur swept her away before they could sputter much back in return, and Harry's widened eyes met Snape's.

"Is that even possible? We're men!"

"Surrogacy, or adoption, I expect she means." Snape's face was flushed and he shook his head to clear the thought of a miniature version of himself running around.

"God, I hope she doesn't expect grandkids anytime soon. I should warn Ron." Harry mumbled into Snape's shoulder, causing the older man to start chuckling.

They danced a little longer, and though the song changed, Snape did not relent his grasp on Harry. He also pretended not to notice the auto camera happily clicking away in the corner of the room.

There was a letter on the table this morning, from Mr. Malfoy.

Harry shifted slightly at the change of subject, but answered anyway.

Oh. Right well, I suppose you'd find out about that next week anyway.

Harry looked sheepish, but Snape just waited for the explanation. He preferred speaking through the rings in such a large room, left over habits from his spying days. He hated to be eavesdropped on.

Litli Prinsinn is your company?

Yeah. And my company is going to publish Malfoy's book about you. Well, an edited version.

Snape spun Harry and dipped him, bending down for a chaste peck on his lips. Neither noted the claps from the other couples around them.

You'll like the book. A step in the shadow of Jonathan Swift, if I may say.

You re-wrote his whole book?

Snape eyed Harry with suspicion and Harry laughed, leading Snape back to the head table for refreshments.

Didn't need to. A little editing here and there, and a well-written introduction by Harry Potter himself.

"My little Slytherin." Snape murmured, taking a sip of his wine.

….

After six hours, when the old clock tower in Hogsmeade rang for midnight, Harry and Snape finally begged off. They wished to return to Hogwarts relatively unscathed by the now drunk and very cheerful wedding guests. As they walked out the door, Harry's arm hooked in the crook of Snape's, Seamus threw on one last song for them. Who Loves You, by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons followed them out into the bitter cold night.

Harry barely stopped to pet Sadie when they entered the flat, leading Snape by a very soft grasp on his fingers to their bedroom. Harry, showing more patience than he ever had as a student working on his school tasks, methodically stripped the suit from Snape, taking extra care to nip and kiss at his husband's pale skin as he went.

His husband. Harry blushed at the thought, feeling happy and giddy.

Snape stood and after removing Harry's clothes, he pushed the younger man back onto their bed. Flicking his wand towards the record player, Harry heard the soft music fill the room. It was a soft guitar mixture with violin, and Harry knew that he was seeing a very tender side to Snape that he'd not seen before.

"Glass Vase Cello Case." Snape answered Harry's unasked question, capturing the younger man's lips with his own. Snape delicately crawled over Harry, and Harry felt warm and soft skin as Snape's body pushed down onto him, cradled softly into Harry's hips.

Harry had never felt so content in his life. He whispered two spells to prepare himself, not wanting to wait any longer for completion. He urged Snape forward with small and needy kisses along Snape's jawbone, drawing his hands and nails in light circles on Snape's back. Harry soon felt Snape's hard erection pushing at his entrance, and he mewed in satisfaction.

It was the slowest love-making they had ever made, and Snape didn't regret one second of it. He rocked into Harry, savoured the sweat that had appeared at the base of Harry's neck, nipped at the skin by his earlobe, moaned as his stomach rubbed against the hardness between them. Harry had hooked his legs around Snape's waist, locking his ankles tightly and not permitting them to slide apart. Nails scratched down Snape's back, and a strong yet desperate grasp on his rear propelled him forward, deeper. Snape found it incredibly erotic, and worked hard to hit Harry's prostate with each thrust.

"Oooooohh."

Harry keened, and Snape knew he would keep that memory in his mind forever. Pensieve or not, Snape wouldn't forget it. Harry gasped, and Snape knew he was close to coming. Nipping slightly on Harry's nose caused Harry to open his eyes at Snape, who was peering back at him with a look of tenderness and protectiveness.

"I do love you."

It was whispered, it wasn't forced, and Harry knew it wasn't just blurted in the heat of the moment.

Orgasm overtook him, and his body shuddered violently at the burst of ecstasy. It was too much for Snape to take evidently, as he came shortly after, and slumped on top of Harry.

Harry could feel how hot Snape's body was, how sweaty and loose the muscles now were from their work out. He shook a few loose strands of black hair from his face as Snape nuzzled into his neck for a moment, letting his arms and body rest.

"I know. And I love you too." Harry wrapped his arm around Snape, running his fingers through the oily black hair he'd come to adore.

….

Monday morning was bright and sunny, the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall showing barely a cloud in the sky. Students shuffled in and took their usual seats, glancing up at the head table, where Professor Severus Snape sat at his usual spot, dressed in his usual black teaching robes, drinking his morning tea and reading the paper. He completely ignored the students around him, only glancing up once to verify that Richard Marlow was there, one of the Slytherin prefects. He was seated close to the staff table, no doubt wanting to be the first to hear about the wedding, as he was in charge of the betting pool.

Snape bit back a smile and waited for Harry to arrive. Today would be fun.

Ten minutes later, Harry strolled through the staff door, dressed in his favourite green teaching robes and looking like he was glowing. His hair was as wild as ever, but Harry had a grin for the whole room as he plunked down on the chair next to Snape, and stole a sip of the man's tea. All eyes were on him, and Harry was very aware of it.

"Prince, are you too daft to make your own tea that you must steal mine?" Snape lowered one corner of the newspaper and gave Harry an annoyed look.

"You make it just how I like it." Harry grinned cheekily back, putting his arm around Snape's shoulder and patting it once. Both fought the hard urge to laugh when the students gasped, and then whispers spread like wildfire through the room.

"Mr. Marlow." Snape said over his newspaper, pretending that nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "I do expect my share of the winnings by this evening."

Marlow swallowed hard and answered clearly. "Yea…yes sir."

Marlow sat back in his chair and pulled out the list of gamblers, distractedly counting out the low number of people who'd guessed that it was Potter Snape would marry. His mind kept revolving around two questions. How on earth had he known about the bet? And under what name had he placed his own bet?

…

Epilogue – 15 years later.

Snape sat up at the head table, feet tapping along with the tune in his head. He watched the students file in, most looking tanned, hungry, and a bit tired. To his left was his husband, currently arguing with the new flying instructor over the purchase of new brooms for the school. To his right sat the headmistress, and her attention was on the side door of the room. It opened and Hagrid made his way through, a slight limp to him as he led a group of nervous first years. Most were nervous, Snape corrected, looking fondly at the one boy who wasn't.

"And though time goes by I will always be, in a club with you in 1973…"

Fingers tapped in rhythm along the table next to him, and Snape realized he must have been playing the song in his mind across the ring link. He put on his best scowl and turned to look at Harry, who was smiling at him. Fifteen years of teaching at Hogwarts, and Harry still looked forward to every welcoming feast as if it were Christmas. Snape shook his head.

"That song has been stuck in your head for a month now. Want to go clubbing with me?" Harry smirked, taking a sip of his wine and watching the first years line up. His eyes grazed Snape's once, before turning to search for the black haired head amongst the group of children.

McRua, the new deputy headmaster, was standing and calling out names, smiling with encouragement to each child as they sat upon the stool and were sorted into their new houses. Snape didn't reply to Harry, but didn't stop the music either. Finally, the boy both had been watching turned quickly to look at the head table, a slight look of apprehension on his face as he steeled himself.

"Prince, Robert!" McRua proclaimed, and all eyes were focused at the front of the room. Regardless of the name Prince, it was very clear to the students that this boy was a pure mixture of Potter and Snape. His unruly black hair was shoulder length and black as night, and though his sharp cheekbones and jaw came directly from Snape, his bright piercing green eyes were all Harry's. The broad stature and timid smile was Harry's as well, but Harry knew that their son had thankfully inherited Snape's intelligence.

Robert sat on the stool and closed his eyes while the hat was placed on him. Both Snape and Harry appeared to be relaxed as they waited for their son to be sorted, even though the rest of the room seemed to be rather tense. Finally, after a few minutes thought, the hat moved and pronounced it's verdict.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Robert turned to look at his fathers before jumping down, receiving a small smile and a nod from Snape, and a cheery wink from Harry. He walked to his spot at his new house table, and grinned while he was welcomed with claps on his back.

McGonagall had only seen Severus Snape look that proud once before, and it was when he'd perfected the potion that would allow both he and Harry to create a child, only needing the surrogacy of a woman to carry the baby to full term. Indeed, Snape had become rather rich due to the patent of that potion, and Minerva had often wondered why they'd only had one child.

At the staff table, students noted with shocked amusement as Harry held his hand out to Professor Sprout, who handed something over to him that looked suspiciously like galleons. Jaws were dropped as they noted Snape doing the same to the headmistress, a broad smirk across his face. She reluctantly handed over the galleons, and announced that dinner was to commence.

At the Gryffindor table, Robert Prince shyly chatted to his new housemates, eager to make friends and overcome the stigma of being the son of two of the most famous wizards of their time.

The House of Bravery indeed.

The End.

…xxxxxxxxxx…..

The song played was Glass Vase Cello Case by Tattle Tale, which I very highly recommend. It's really pretty and I couldn't stop picturing it for this scene. As for Robert and the potion, the potion allows for two same sex wizards or witches to combine their chromosomes to make a baby, just like a heterosexual couple would. They just need a woman to carry the baby, though the child only has the two original parents. Does that make sense? It does in my mind, which is really where it counts. *G*