Chapter 26

Harry expected a large party somewhere beautiful, filled with rich pure bloods and government officials. Draco wouldn't deign to attend anything less.

And he was right, as Draco called out Malfoy Manor into the floo and the two men stepped from the fireplace. The great room of the manor was filled with well dressed wealthy and important people. Quiet servers circled the room holding sterling silver trays of hors d'oeuvres.

"Ah! There is the happy couple!" Lucius crooned as he circled in on them, his dark purple velvet dress robes swirling behind him. "What took so long? Everyone was asking where you two were. Consummating the marriage already?" Lucius's eyes sparkled with innuendo.

"No, Father. You know Harry refuses to close the shop early, so I was forced to wait for the end of business hours."

"That's not true, I just-" but Draco cut off Harry's explanation with a glare. Draco looked down at his pearlescent white robes and smoothed them out. "What is this party for?"

Draco and Lucius looked at Harry in surprise. "Our engagement party."

"Why wasn't I told about it?"

"I'm sure you were," Draco shrugged.

"Where's Hermione, and the Weasleys?"

Lucius scoffed. Draco chuckled.

"This isn't their type of party," Draco said matter-of-factly.

Lucius was called away by Minister Fudge and Harry rounded on Draco. "This is your engagement party. My engagement party would have my friends, my godfather, the professors from Hogwarts- I don't even know who most of these people are, Draco."

"This is the type of party that the media wants to post in the papers, my love."

Harry stepped closer to Draco, "I don't care what the media wants," he hissed. "There was once a time when you counted my friends as your friends as well. What changed?"

"I'm not a schoolboy anymore. Connections are very important as an adult if you wish to go anywhere in life."

"Any path where my friends aren't welcome isn't a path I wish to walk."

Draco rolled his icy blue eyes. "Fine. Write out a guest list of your own and we can have them for dinner one evening."

"You're not at all who I thought you were," Harry spat.

"Nor are you," Draco said bemusedly with an arched brow.

Harry growled and stalked away.

He avoided his fiancé for the next hour. But one hour was about all Harry could handle of the people around him. He quietly let himself into Lucius's private study and floo'd to Grimmauld.

Remus and Sirius looked up, startled.

"Wow, Harry, you look very handsome tonight."

"Thanks." Harry sat between the men and leaned his head against Remus's shoulder.

"Where were you?" Sirius asked.

"My engagement party, apparently. Wasn't told about it. Didn't want to be there. Here I am."

The two men looked at Harry for a long minute, neither seeming to know what to say.

"Help me write that acceptance letter," Harry requested.

Both men absolutely beamed and quickly pulled Harry into the kitchen.

In preparation for this very moment, albeit twenty four hours early, Sirius had laid out a stack of books on formal courting.

It was a legal process. It involved old traditions. Sirius was somewhat knowledgeable in it, as it was a common process among the elite pure bloods up until around Sirius's teen years. He said his own parents had used the same process.

Sirius pulled out Severus's proposal.

Remus grabbed it and read it over a few times. Harry watched him patiently. It was apparent Sirius hadn't initially shared it with him.

"Wow... oh, wow... Harry..." Remus muttered as he read. Remus looked up suddenly. "What are you going to tell Draco?"

"I don't know. I left the party without saying much to him. He must know my feelings are beginning to change."

"Not so content with being his submissive, eh?" Sirius teased.

Remus shook his head sadly, "How did you get yourself into this situation in the first place?"

Remus dug his thumbs into his eyes, it reminded him of Severus.

In the safehouse, when Severus was lost in thought or frustration, he'd do the same.

Draco didn't. He never seemed frustrated or lost in thought. He always knew exactly what needed to be done and how to accomplish it. That was how Harry had fallen into this.

Draco swore that he loved Harry. He'd proclaimed as much repeatedly for years. He knew exactly what Harry needed to do, directed him this way or that. He instructed Harry on how to conduct his post-war interviews, he assisted Harry in purchasing his storefront, helped Harry buy furniture for the flat.

Harry didn't want to think about anything after Severus, he didn't want to have to feel anything.

And so when Draco asked him to marry him, in the way one would ask a friend to go into business, Harry effortlessly said yes.

Draco took care of him, in his own way. It was what Harry wanted at the time.

But that was before Draco began to slowly separate Harry from his friends, before Draco became close to his father once more, before Draco began to micromanage every single small detail of Harry's life. It was before Harry knew Severus still loved him. Before he knew there was still hope.

"How do I start the letter?" Harry asked.

"Address it."

Harry glared at Sirius who chuckled.

"I've got that much. Thanks."

"Are there any terms in his letter that you don't agree with? Those would be first. You have to provide a counter offer."

Harry blinked slowly. "I don't even understand that letter to argue with any of it."

Remus cleared his throat. "Because your parents have passed, he says he has asked Sirius for permission to court you." Remus looked at Sirius pointedly.

Sirius poured water over his tea leaves and nodded his head without looking at Remus. "I've already sent him my approval to proceed."

Remus looked back to the letter. "He then says that since you already know one another well, you can forego the formal meeting but in its place he's asked for one hour alone with you at Hogwarts." Remus's lips thinned in thought. "Okay, yes. He says that this will not be the first date, just something he wishes to have before the official first date. Do you agree to that?"

Harry felt hesitant, but nodded. An hour alone at Hogwarts. But not a date. He wasn't sure what to make of that. What did Severus intend?

"He then says that although traditional wizarding courtships lasts a year, he would like to shorten the courtship to one month, seeing as you're already planning a wedding. He wants to give you time to cancel the wedding or continue it's planning."

"A month? I don't.. that's... but I haven't really seen him in years. It seems too quick."

Remus shrugged. "He's right, though. You're supposed to be marrying Draco soon. How much time do you think you really have here?"

"Fuck. Okay. One month." Harry took a deep breath in a futile attempt at calming his rapid heart beat. He rubbed his sweaty palms over his thighs nervously.

"He then says he'd like five dates within that time."

Harry nodded.

"And-" Remus searched Harry's eyes, his brows furrowed and lips part. Remus looked to Sirius.

"Tell him," Sirius said.

"He doesn't want you to be living with Draco during that time. He says he wants you to stay here."

"I don't remember that part," Harry squeaked.

"Well, you had all of thirty seconds to read it before you panicked about Draco seeing it and made me shove it back in my pocket."

"Draco is going to be livid."

"Let him."

"Those are all of his terms? None of them seem like too big of an issue, except that last one." Harry looked down at his own blank page. "So, what do I say? Just 'Dear, Severus. I accept?'"

Remus cleared his throat. "He says should you accept these terms, let the bracelet know what you need."

The two men across from him looked at him with identical expressions of curiosity.

Harry grinned. His eyes stung where tears of sentimentality threatened to well up. Harry placed his opposite hand over the cool metal.

"Adeum."

The bracelet warmed and cooled, and another letter seemed to materialize from the bracelet itself.

Harry chuckled. "Sneaky Slytherin."

"Read it!" Sirius urged.

"Harry, if you're reading this, you have agreed to my initial terms. Knowing you, I am positive you have questions. I promise to answer them when I next see you.

It is not an easy task for me to express my feelings. Admittedly, I don't believe I have ever had feelings strong enough worth expressing. That is, until I came to know know you. To truly know you.

I apologize for the consequences of my actions. I promise you I was acting in good intentions. I see now how very flawed they were. Although I cannot change the past, I will do what I can to reverse the damage I have caused to our relationship, and to you.

Through this time apart, my heart has not changed. From our brief meeting I'd like to think yours hasn't either.

Attached is the first draft of the marriage contract, should our courtship end in my favour.

Yours.

Severus."

Harry's heart palpitated. Gripping the parchment with more strength than necessary, he looked up at Remus and Sirius. A wild grin spread across his face. He couldn't quite identify the emotion devouring his insides at the moment, but it felt eerily close to elation- to happiness he hadn't felt in all too long. Harry looked between the men across from him.

"Go on, Harry. Let us see the marriage contract. The sooner we work out the details the sooner we can send off this post," Sirius urged.

Harry allowed Remus to take the marriage contract and read it over. Harry's eyes had returned to the page still in his hands. His sight locked onto the simplest words written there: "Yours. Severus." Harry admired the curves of the Ss, the determined comma, the spiked V. Yours.

Mine.

Mine.

Severus.

Remus and Sirius conversed but their voices seemed far away.

"Harry."

"Hm?"

Remus grinned and rolled his eyes teasingly. "Would you like to read the contract?"

Harry shrugged. "The legal stuff bores me. Give me the high points."

Remus cleared his throat and took a sip of Sirius's tea.

"It's... more than I think any of us would expect of Severus Snape." Remus glanced at Sirius then back to the page.

"You will have full access to his two vaults in Gringotts. One in the sum of 3,100 galleons, one in the sum of... 400,000."

Harry spluttered. "What? But... but he-"

"He must be quite good at hiding these details about himself. How on Earth is Severus Snape worth so much?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged and turned back to Harry. "He says all of this is yours, should the two of you marry, minus the amount required to buy whichever home you so choose. I guess he doesn't expect you to want to live in Hogwarts dungeons."

Harry furrowed his brow. "But I wouldn't mind that at all."

"He says he will also do what you see fit to grow your bookshop, and that he will change careers or retire, depending on what you wish."

Harry raised his hand, begging Remus to stop. "The entire contract is saying he will give me everything he has and do whatever I want."

Remus sighed and nodded. "Essentially."

Harry grabbed the contract from Remus and picked up his quill. He drew a dark X through it, so hard it nearly punctured the parchment in several places.

Harry folded the contract and handed it to Sirius.

"Send it, please." Sirius took it and nodded. "So what happens now?"

"There'll be an announcement in the special events section of The Prophet."

"Like with the weddings?"

"Exactly. It pretty much tells everyone you're being courted, and by whom. It opens you up to receiving proposals from others as well, but you don't have to accept any of them. Hell, you won't even have to open them."

Harry sighed. "That's one helluva way for Draco to find out... Is this going to be a scandal?"

"Maybe," Sirius answered honestly.

"Still want to go through with this?" Remus asked.

Harry grinned.