Second Place - Romance

Unable to put it off any longer, Harry sighed as he allowed his husband to escort him out of the dungeons and up to the gallows, er, Great Hall. Harry glumly thought the gallows might be a much more enjoyable experience than tonight's ball.

Severus could feel the apprehension rolling off his young mate and again found himself wondering how he could ever have believed that Harry thrived on this sort of attention. As it was, the young man was doing well just to keep the contents of his stomach down. Lightly squeezing a hand, the potions master sent calming thoughts through the bond. He smirked as his husband glanced up at him and grinned in appreciation for the gesture.

Reaching the large double doors to the Great Hall, Harry took a deep breath and looking once more up at his husband, grimaced. Nodding, the young hero of the wizarding world bravely stepped into the melee, otherwise known as a Ministry Ball.

All chatter stopped as the Savior of the Wizarding World entered the Great Hall. Eyes followed the progress of the young man as he walked over to where Albus Dumbledore was speaking amicably with the Weasley patriarch. Many were astonished to see their young hero still clasping the hand of the stern potions master. Most present had not yet seen the pair in person and were amazed to see the obvious affection the two projected. Others were simply shocked that the Death Eater had the nerve to show up.

"Ah, my dear boys, and how are you this fine evening?" the headmaster airily asked. He was secretly pleased to see that Harry had acted on his advice to allow people to think that there truly was love between the two. The meddling old man chuckled as he thought that it could not be long before Harry realized that there was more than simple play-acting between them.

Severus answered for them as he sensed the discomfort his mate was feeling through the bond. He had the idea that if it were possible, Harry would have gladly dashed back out those doors and back down to the dungeons. ~Where is your famous Gryffindor courage, Harry?~ Severus sent to him.

~Sorry, Sev, guess I left that back downstairs. Maybe I should go back down and find it?~

~Oh, no, brat. You are here now. You will just have to face your adoring public like a good little hero. But I will be right here with you,~ the potions master thought back.

Harry smiled slightly and sent, ~Thanks, Sev. Don't know that I could do this without you.~

The entire exchange did not go unnoticed by the headmaster, who smiled at the pair. Turning to the old wizard, both groaned inwardly as they noted the keen eyes regarding them. Harry wondered if there was anything that ever escaped Albus Dumbledore's observation. ~Probably not,~ was the response he heard in his head. Harry sighed, yeah, probably not.

The flustered Minister of Magic made his way through the crowd and motioning to a group of Aurors, joined the little group. "Harry, my dear boy. How wonderful to see you again. And Albus, looking splendid as always. Arthur, how are things going in your department?" It did not escape the attention of those assembled that the Minister had pointedly ignored the presence of the potions master.

Harry pulled his shoulders back and stood proudly. Now this was a situation he could handle. "Minister, I do believe you have met my husband, Severus Snape-Potter?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

Unfortunately for the Minister of Magic, he did not catch the undertone of Harry's comment and muttered hurriedly, "Yes, yes, of course I have. Now, Harry, about the festivities we have planned for tonight..."

"No, Minister, I think that perhaps we should get something clear right now. Severus is my husband, and as such will be treated in a respectful manner. I could not have defeated Voldemort if it weren't for the guidance and assistance of my husband. I will not allow you or anyone else to malign his character. Is that understood?" The young man's face had darkened and his eyes narrowed at the hapless Minister of Magic. Strands of magic emanated from the young wizard, as he perceived a threat to both him and his husband. Pulses of magical energy began to swirl and Cornelius gulped as he began to see how this powerful wizard could have defeated You-Know-Who.

Severus placed a calming hand on his young husband's shoulder, silently asking him to relax and to pull his magic back in. Harry had been unaware that in his distress he had in fact been radiating magic. Taking a cleansing breath, Harry did as his husband had requested and his eyes once again cleared.

Cornelius, still unaware of the danger, decided to press the issue. He raised his voice so that those surrounding might hear, "Aha! See, it is just as I had predicted. Harry Potter is an unstable young man who would pounce on us at the slightest provocation. And his husband is nothing more than a Death Eater and a child molester."

Several gasps sounded at this latest pronouncement. Child molestation was a serious charge and did not go unpunished in the wizarding world. Whispers and murmurs spread throughout the entire hall as the ball was temporarily forgotten. Silent again, the partygoers waited for the next words.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Remus and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, along with Harry�s friends and Severus' coworkers, made their way through the crowd towards the now fuming men.

Severus spoke, breaking the shocked silence, "And what evidence do you have, regarding either of these allegations?"

Cornelius Fudge looked smug as he announced, "I have a complaint against you, Professor Snape, that during the course of the past several years you have repeatedly molested one of your students. This student was underage and what is even worse, he is your own godson."

Agitation spread throughout the room at this news, as that meant incest as well. A startled voice broke through the whispers, "What? Severus never touched me! What are you talking about? Who told you these things?" Even while speaking, Draco Malfoy pushed his way through the mass of people. There was no question that he had been the student mentioned.

The Minister of Magic smiled. "Why my dear boy. There is no need to try to protect your godfather. We have been told everything by your own father. He is most concerned about your safety now that he is unable to protect you himself."

Draco snorted in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. You are going by the word of a Death Eater, and a man who is currently in Azkaban prison. Do I really have to remind you that Lucius Malfoy was one of the Death Eaters captured after the Dark Lord was destroyed? And yet you are willing to believe what he says?"

"I must remind you that your godfather is also a Death Eater and it was only through a technicality that he escaped Azkaban," the Minister nervously rejoined.

"But Severus Snape was not incapacitated like the Death Eaters at the end of the battle, now was he?" they young Slytherin prince angrily spat out. "So that obviously means that he didn't have a connection to the Dark Lord."

"Well, now, see here," Fudge sputtered. Oh, dear, how had he lost control of this already? "But we still have the fact that Harry Potter is a dangerous person. We have already witnessed him losing control over a minor incident. Who is to say what he will do when faced with a major event? Can we truly afford to allow him free reign in our society? Along with his husband, it is clear that the two are quite dangerous and pose a very real threat to the public safety. Just because Mr. Malfoy here refuses to speak against his godfather is no reason to dismiss these serious allegations."

Severus kept his hands on the arms of his young mate. He could feel how badly Harry wanted to hex the fool spouting off such nonsense, but he also knew it would only make things worse if Harry did lose control.

Albus stood quietly, allowing the players to have their say before stepping in. Remus Lupin felt the wolf rising in him as his pack was being threatened. Fred and George were busy holding back their irate mother, as she wanted to rush in and protect one of her children. Narcissa began to move forward to help her son set the record straight. Rita Skeeter thought she must have died and gone to heaven as her quill furiously wrote an account of the proceedings.

Allowing the calming presence of his mate to flow through him, Harry said, "So this is what this evening was all about, isn't it? This wasn't meant to be a celebration honoring the hero of the wizarding world," Harry ground his teeth on that title, "But rather an excuse to harass us and to try to come away looking like the good guy. Well, let me tell you, Minister Fudge," Harry spat out. "Severus has done more to help the side of Light than you could ever dream of doing. While you were busy posturing and ignoring the facts, Severus was out there risking his life to bring us back news of Voldemort's plans." Ignoring the gasps that the mention of that name still managed to produce, Harry paused to gather his thoughts.

"Severus Snape-Potter is the true hero of this war. I could have done nothing without him. He taught me everything I know and gave me the strength to continue fighting. He pushed me to better myself and he taught me how to control my powers so that I would be able to concentrate them on Voldemort when given the chance. Unlike some present, I have no aspersions of greatness and no desire to live in the limelight. I simply want a chance to live my life as I see fit. I want the same as anyone else; a chance for happiness, a chance for love, a chance for peace. Now if you have a problem with that, then you can just leave." Harry closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "But I warn you now, Fudge, you leave me and my husband alone. If you bother anyone I care about again, I will do everything I can to make sure that you quickly become the ex-Minister of Magic. Do we understand each other?"

Cornelius brought out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. This was not going at all as he had planned. Turning, he looked to the Auror who had brought him the information from Lucius Malfoy.

Catching the movement of the Minister of Magic, Draco was stunned to see the man who had often visited with his father the past summer. Lucius had not known that his son had been watching him and had been unaware that Draco had witnessed many comings and goings.

"You. You were at Malfoy Manor a few times this summer. What were you doing with my father?" the Malfoy heir demanded.

Brighton Smythe paled as Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped up to his side. "Yes, Brighton, what were you doing visiting a Death Eater?" the Auror asked. The tall dark man turned to a couple of his colleagues and ordered them to arrest Auror Smythe and to take him to a holding cell at the Ministry building for questioning. The Aurors dutifully detained their new prisoner and quickly left the hall.

Cornelius Fudge looked almost as green as his outfit as he realized he had been duped by the Auror. Well, the man definitely won't be getting a bonus after all, he thought.

Albus spoke up finally. "Cornelius, it would appear that your evidence has vanished and Veritaserum will easily verify young Mr. Malfoy's assertions. And as for Harry being a danger to wizarding society. Well, you saw how easily his husband was able to ground him. For you see, Cornelius; that is exactly what is happening. As soul mates, Severus is able to help Harry control his powers. Without Severus, I do believe that our Harry would indeed have some difficulty in that respect. It would be extremely unwise to threaten his soul mate for that reason alone."

"Now see here, Dumbledore, are you threatening me? This sounds suspiciously like blackmail to me," the Minister grumbled.

"Oh, no. I would never think of such a thing," Albus smoothly answered. "However, I would advise against throwing groundless accusations around."

Amelia Bones came up to the group and intervened. "Gentlemen, good evening." Turning to Fudge, she said, "Cornelius, I do believe that it would be in your best interest if you were to leave now. Do be expecting a summons from the full Wizengamot, as we will be looking into your future in the Ministry. Good bye." Madame Bones called over two Aurors to escort the shamed Minister from the premises. Watching them leave, she then addressed Albus, "You will be there of course. It would seem that the last time the Wizengamot met your invitation was lost."

Albus nodded as he understood her implication. He had of course heard about Cornelius' earlier attempt at swaying opinion. The headmaster decided the party had been delayed long enough and clapping his hands together, announced that the celebration was to commence with dancing.

Severus pulled Harry into a quiet corner and erected a silencing charm. "Harry, it is all right," he reassured his mate. "You did a wonderful job of standing up to that idiot. I am proud of you." Severus smiled at his husband.

Still rattled by the events of the evening, Harry looked up into his husband's dark eyes. "I am sorry, Sev. I didn't mean to get out of control and I am afraid that just made things worse."

Placing a long finger under the younger man's chin, Severus held his gaze as he realized just how much Harry tended to blame himself for the events surrounding him. "Harry, it wasn't your fault. Fudge provoked you and you were trying to defend me. And you easily pulled your magic back in when I touched you. You have nothing for which to be ashamed. You handled yourself well and you were sufficiently eloquent when needed." Smirking at his mate, Severus said, "There may be hope yet for you."

Harry grinned even as he found a way to stick his tongue out at the older man. He realized that he was going to have to do a great deal of thinking later, as the confrontation had brought out some feelings he hadn't known were there before. He truly had been angry when Severus was falsely being accused, but it wasn't just anger. There had been another emotion, a deeper, more powerful emotion present that had caused him to begin to lose control. It was no longer just a matter of protecting his professor and mentor, but of protecting his mate. The young Gryffindor was confused at the strength of the emotions coursing through him at this revelation. He had the feeling more was to come.

Draco waited patiently for his godfather and his mate to finish their chat. He felt his mother come up behind him and place a supportive hand on his shoulder. Without turning he said, "We are going to have to work hard to make sure Lucius can't cause any more damage, aren't we?"

Narcissa sighed. She knew better than most just how dangerous her ex-husband was. Even being in Azkaban wouldn't do much to stop him when he was determined. And it seemed as if he had decided to avenge himself against Severus.

The members of the DA watched as Harry spoke quietly with his husband. Hermione was proud of the way Harry had handled himself and she was pleased to see Professor Snape supporting her friend. The fact that he had been able to calm Harry spoke volumes about the true nature of their relationship. The clever witch wondered how long it would take Harry to realize that as well.

Molly smiled as she watched the soul mates chat. She had wondered at the news of their bonding, but seeing them interact was enough to convince her that they were meant to be. But that Fudge had better stay away from her boys or else, she thought angrily.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 20

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