Second Place - Romance

Harry solemnly followed Severus out of the dungeons, trudging through the winding and confusing labyrinth that encompassed that part of the castle of Hogwarts. Harry sincerely hoped that he would be able to remember how to get back down here. Or at least that he would not tick off Severus so that the man would not have reason to deliberately lose him in this maze.

After several long moments, Harry found that he began to recognize the terrain. Confident at last, he began to relax. One battle won, now he only had to face his friends. Harry had been completely serious when he had spoken with Severus. His friends had better accept changes in his life or he would consider that they weren't perhaps the best choices for friends. Harry never even realized that he had already placed his new husband before his long-time friends.

Outside the common doors to the Great Hall, Harry pulled on Severus' arm. Nervously he looked up into the dark eyes of his mate. "We okay? he quietly asked.

Quirking an amused eyebrow, Severus Snape, the most feared teacher in Hogwarts history, allowed a quick almost-smile to grace his lips. "Everything will be all right, Harry, you will see." Giving a quick squeeze to the young man's hand, Severus then dropped the hand so that he could again adopt his public persona.

Straightening the smile on his face, Harry boldly stepped into the Great Hall. Immediately the noise subsided as every face turned to the Boy-Who-Lived and his new bond mate. Unconsciously smirking in a style reminiscent of his husband, Harry steeled himself and strode through the hall until he reached his usual seat. Calmly sitting down between Ron and Hermione, Harry chose to ignore the nervous chatter around him. Hermione was the first to recover her composure and she began to fire off questions aimed at ascertaining her friend's whereabouts over the course of the past day.

Harry ignored her in favor of loading his plate with his lunch. He suddenly realized that he was rather hungry. Who knew that sex was such an appetite builder, he thought to himself, smirking. Ron, as usual, tried to meld the art of conversation with eating, the result being somewhat less than appetizing for those around him. Harry wasn't quite sure what �words', or maybe they were merely food fragments, were supposedly issuing from his mouth. Fortunately, Hermione took it upon herself to be the spokesperson of the group. "Harry, what do you know about this article in The Daily Prophet?"

Finally, someone had gotten to the crux of the matter, Harry thought to himself. "Well, if you are referring to the article that said that Severus and I are now married," he began.

Food spewed across the table as Ron predictably reacted badly. "Harry, you can't mean that there is any truth to that, because, well, it's just Snape..." Ron miserably ended.

"Yes, Ron, I know that it is Snape. So what? Are you saying that I couldn't possibly love him?" Harry asked pointedly. His stance was guarded and reserved. Anyone who had known the young man would have known to run by now. But of course, Ron was being as obtuse as usual and stayed seated.

"What is so difficult to understand?" the young hero of the wizarding world said heatedly. "The fact that I could actually have found someone, or that that someone would be Severus. Think carefully, Ron, before you say anything." Harry had stood by this time and was breathing heavily. "Do you honestly believe that anyone else could know me as well as Severus does? Well, do you?"

By the time Harry had finished, the room was again silent as the students as well as the teachers were staring at the young man. They had heard some of his words and many were wondering at the vehemence evident in Harry's voice as no one had had any indication that there was anything other than animosity between the stern potions master and the young hero. The news in this morning's Daily Prophet had come as a shock to nearly all those assembled. To say that the revelation that the two long-time antagonists were now married was a surprise would be like saying that Voldemort was a naughty boy.

Harry was too upset by this time to realize that he was truly defending his bonded. Hermione thoughtfully regarded her long-time friend. She knew that Harry was lonely and alone. She had also had her suspicions that there was more between the two men than mere animosity. She was a firm believer that opposites attracted and that those who protested too much had something to hide. Many thought that Hermione was simply a book-smart, life-dumb, muggle-born witch. What they didn't know was that the young woman was an exceptionally intuitive person who could read other's auras as easily as others read the daily horoscope. What she had been picking up from Harry for the past several months was that he was attracted to the potions master. Oh, she didn't doubt that he didn't have a clue about the nature of that attraction, but still...

Perhaps fortunately for the youngest Weasley male, Remus Lupin chose that moment to saunter into the Great Hall. Stopping next to his still fuming almost-godson, the werewolf calmly greeted the Gryffindor trio. Remus smiled and placed an encouraging hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good day, Harry. I trust everything went well last evening?"

Harry found a blush rising on his cheeks to his great chagrin. Deciding it would be best to not try to answer, the young man simply nodded and sat back down, taking a quick sip of his pumpkin juice.

The former professor chuckled and sat down next to Harry and reached for his own juice. Innocently he watched as Ron's face took on a horror-filled expression as the meaning of Remus' comment sank in.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron. Close your mouth before a billywig flies in. They are married now. What do you expect they would be doing, playing wizard's chess?"

Ron reluctantly closed his mouth and decided to do what he always did when he was upset. He ate. He did not want to know. He did not want to know, he decided as he shoveled more food into his once again open mouth.

Neville Longbottom sat off to the side of the Gryffindor trio with his girlfriend Luna Lovegood. She was dreamily molding her mashed potatoes into the form of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She had earlier spent several minutes patiently explaining what the creatures were to a bemused Neville. Now Neville was watching his friend Harry defend his marriage to Professor Snape and the forgetful boy found himself wondering if insanity was contagious.

Draco Malfoy watched the little drama unfold at the Gryffindor table. He was as shocked as any at the news of his godfather's marriage to the Boy Wonder, but then again, he always knew that Severus had great taste. Heck, he knew he thought the boy was darned attractive and if he weren't currently interested in Ginny Weasley, he might have gone after the Gryffindor Golden Boy himself. Smirking, Draco looked up to his head of house and raised his goblet of juice in a silent salute.

Severus watched the Weasley boy react predictably to the news of their marriage. Really, he had expected little else from the boy, although he had hoped that Weasley could have been more supportive of Harry. The potions master snorted as he saw the werewolf come in and quietly defend his erstwhile godson. Well, he thought snidely to himself, at least Lupin has some use.

Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye, Severus turned his attention to the Slytherin table and saw his own godson toast him. Smirking, the head Slytherin nodded his acknowledgement and noted the happiness evident in the blonde's face. Having been assured that all of the known Death Eaters had been captured after the battle, Severus was certain that the young Malfoy heir was feeling relief from the absence of his father's influence. He also suspected that Narcissa was doing some celebrating of her own now.

Minerva McGonagall was still in a state of shock after learning of her 7th year student's bonding to the head of Slytherin house. While she knew that Severus had worked extensively with Harry to train him to battle You-Know-Who, she had no idea the two had begun to have feelings for one another. Well, she thought, Severus always was one to keep his true feelings and thoughts to himself. That reticence had stood him well in his years of spying, but Minerva was aware that her friend was lonely. He never said anything, but the old witch could sometimes see it in his eyes. Only because she knew her former student so well was she able to recognize the pain and wistfulness. The head of Gryffindor house knew that Harry was also one to keep his true feelings to himself. Since overcoming his terrible anger from the events of his 5th year and the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black, the young man had worked hard to control his emotions. This morning, Minerva had gone immediately to see the headmaster after hearing of the bonding. The old man had simply smiled at her and assured her that the marriage had his full blessing. Having known Albus for so many years, she knew that she would get no other information out of the barmy headmaster.

After several moments, Harry looked up to the head table where his husband sat. He was somewhat surprised to see a small smile cross the man's face. Glancing over to where the potions master was looking, Harry frowned when he saw an answering smile on Draco Malfoy's lips. Something that Harry couldn't quite identify churned in his stomach, and he suddenly found himself wishing that Malfoy were very far away from his husband.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, head of the Order of the Phoenix, and master planner and manipulator sat at the center of the head table in the Great Hall. He watched the scene unfold as Harry and Severus entered the room and he witnessed the young wizard's confident defense of his new mate. He also witnessed the look of jealousy that Harry shot over at his mate's godson. The old man chuckled as he recalled the moment the two bonded wizards had shared just outside of the room. Yes, the headmaster had his ways of knowing much of what transpired within the walls of the great castle, but he wasn't about to let anyone know just what he did know or how he came to know it.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 12

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