Second Place - Romance

The young Savior-of-the-Wizarding-World paced nervously as he mentally went over the plan that Dumbledore had laid out. It was crazy, it was outlandish, it was insane. And did he mention that it was crazy? Harry had found over the years that Albus usually knew what he was talking about. But this? This was just plain nuts. Not to mention, how were they going to pull this off? Harry took a deep, cleansing breath like Severus had taught him. Clearing his mind, the youth stopped pacing and turned to face the venerable headmaster.

"All finished, Harry?" Albus calmly inquired. He had known that his idea would meet with a great deal of resistance, but he was a patient man and could afford to wait out the indignation and disbelief. The older wizard glanced over to Remus to see that the man had finally managed to pull himself together enough to retrieve his teacup from the floor.

"Headmaster? I really do want to do all that I can to help Professor Snape; but are you sure that this is the answer? I mean, forget about everything else. What will Professor Snape say?" Harry's normally deep baritone voice had risen an octave by this point.

Albus chuckled as he reached for his ever-present candy dish. "Harry, I assure you that I have thoroughly considered all the angles and all the ramifications as well as the pertinent laws. This is perfectly legal and there is absolutely nothing that the Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry can do about it. And as for Severus, well, my dear boy, we will just deal with him when we get to that point."

Harry huffily sat back down, mollified not at all. He could not believe that he was sitting here with his headmaster and ersatz godfather discussing this mad scheme. Harry looked over to Remus for some emotional support, to find the man silently shaking his head. "Moony? What do you have to say about this?"

Remus sighed. He could certainly see the logic behind Albus' reasoning, but he could not see how this could possibly work. Both of the men involved were extremely headstrong and independent and neither would be likely to appreciate the sudden changes in their lives. Finally Remus shook his head at his young friend and looked to Albus for guidance.

Fortunately for him, Albus was willing to play along. "Harry, for Severus' sake, you must bond with him. Only as your legitimate bond mate can we free him from Azkaban. As the hero of the wizarding world, you have the community at your feet. Anything you ask will be given."

"Okay, if that is the case, then why can't I simply demand that Professor Snape be released?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Because it isn't that simple, Harry. Cornelius Fudge will do everything in his power to keep Professor Snape in custody and he is not above using your popularity for his own gain. Only a soul-mate bond can over rule the Minister's edicts. As your bond mate, Severus' innocence would be believed. No one would accept that the Savior-of-the-Wizarding-World would marry a Death Eater. Based on your relationship with Severus, Minister Fudge would be forced to release our potions master." Albus sat back and allowed Harry the time to digest the information. He knew it was a long shot, but the headmaster truly thought that this was the best plan available to them.

Remus spoke up at this point. "Albus, how would we perform the ceremony without Severus there? And what more would be required of Harry?"

Harry shot a grateful glance over to the werewolf and he waited for the answers to those questions.

"A simple spell can determine that Severus and Harry are soul mates. Indeed, I have often suspected that to be true. And that being the case, Harry can claim Severus as his mate and wed him in absentia. After the ceremony is conducted, our Harry will demand his mate to be released to him and Severus will be safe." The headmaster paused here, hoping that the answer given would be sufficient, but was wise enough to know that it probably wouldn't.

Remus sat forward in his chair. "And..." he prompted.

Albus sighed and continued. "And then Harry will have to take his mate in order to validate his claim."

This brought Harry's attention back as he interrupted the conversation. "What do you mean �take'?" he asked.

"Exactly what you might imagine, my boy. You must consummate the marriage by making love to Severus."

Harry jumped out of his chair for the second time that afternoon at hearing the headmaster's words. Furiously he stalked across the room and nervously ran his hand through his hair. "Snape me, and I... Oh, I can't believe that you just said that. I can't believe you expect me, you expect us to..." The young man trailed off as words failed him.

Dejectedly he sat back down and looked up at one of the most powerful wizards of their time. "Are you sure, sir?"

Smiling kindly at his student, the headmaster nodded. "Yes, Harry, I am certain. And would this really be all that bad? Both you and Severus have been alone in your lives and you both would benefit from having someone in your lives. You two have already proven that you are a formidable team. I have complete faith that you can find happiness together also."

Albus regarded the young wizard for a moment. "Harry, haven't you ever felt as though something, or perhaps someone was missing from your life? Haven't you had the feeling that you were not quite whole?" The headmaster watched as the realization crossed the younger man's face. "Yes, Harry. That is your soul's way of letting you know it needs its mate. And unless I am very much mistaken I believe that Severus has also felt this pull. Your souls have been trying to find one another, trying to connect. It is time to allow that to happen, my boy. Let your hearts and souls join."

Silence reigned in the room as the men considered the situation. After a few moments Remus broke the silence. "And what of the rest of their lives, Albus? Or am I mistaken in thinking that this is an unbreakable bond?"

Harry gulped. "You mean we would not be able to just go our separate ways afterward?"

"Of course not, Harry. Otherwise, Cornelius Fudge would be able to gainsay your bonding. You and Severus would have a true marriage with all that that entails."

The young wizard's eyes closed as he sat back weakly in his seat. This was so much more than he had imagined when he had come up here this afternoon. But something inside him stirred at the thought that he wouldn't have to ever be alone again. As much as he tried to deny it, the idea of being bonded to the snarky potions master felt right somehow. A feeling deep inside him was beginning to wake and Harry quite frankly didn't know what to make of it. He had known for some time now that he was as attracted to men as he was to women, so that wasn't a problem, in and of itself. In the end he decided to keep these thoughts to himself for the time being.

Remus quietly thought over the surprising conversation. Inwardly he chuckled as he realized that this chain of events certainly played into his plan of helping his young friend find his soul mate. Perhaps Remus would have chosen a different means in which to introduce Harry to the idea of courting Severus. His werewolf-enhanced senses had already informed him that Harry and Severus were a match and he suspected that Severus at least already understood this.

Several more moments passed before Harry finally stirred. Opening his eyes, he straightened in his seat and set his features into a determined scowl. "All right, sir. I will do it. Perform the charm and then I will claim my mate," the young man growled.

"Very well, my boy." Standing, Albus took out his wand and waved it over the Gryffindor while saying an incantation. Seeing the colorful aura settle over his student, the headmaster smiled. "Congratulations, my son. You and Severus are a perfect match."

Standing regally, Harry took a deep breath and carefully said, " I, Harry James Potter, claim Severus Snape as my soul-mate and I demand a marriage to my bond-mate forthwith."

The twinkle was by now positively blinding as the old wizard heard these words. "Then I will perform the ceremony in absentia of your mate. Remus J. Lupin, will you bear witness to this bonding?"

Remus stood and solemnly nodded. "I, Remus J. Lupin, do agree to witness the bonding between Harry James Potter and Severus Antonio Snape."

"Harry James Potter, do you agree to bond to Severus Antonio Snape, to love him, protect him and to hold him dear to your heart for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer, I will."

Harry nervously swallowed as he answered, "I will."

Albus smiled and continued. "In absentia, I proclaim that Severus Antonio Snape is your soul mate and as such will consent to bond to you, to love you, protect you and to hold you dear to his heart for as long as you both shall live."

"I bear witness to this bonding and agree to its completion," Remus said on cue.

"Thus shall it be." Albus beamed at the two men and said, "Congratulations, Harry. You are now married."

Harry felt a bit green and he weakly sat back down. Remus poured a cup of tea, and adding sugar, handed it to the young man. Harry gratefully took the cup and allowed the steaming liquid to calm his overworked nerves. Everything had happened so fast that he felt overwhelmed by everything. Suddenly he thought of his friends and wondered what in the world he was going to say to them. Yup, he could just imagine that conversation.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 8

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