Summer of Snarry: Fic: Spending Time Challenge: Summer of Snarry Title: Spending Time Author:alafaye Other pairings/threesome: None Rating: PG-13 Word count: 723 Content/Warning(s): (highlight for spoilers) *none* Summary: The summer brings lots of moments with his family for Severus. A/N: Thanks to vix_spes for looking over this for me!
Severus Apparated to the summer cottage and frowned. He couldn't hear their children and he couldn't sense Harry's magic anywhere. He set his things in their bedroom and changed into a simple button up and light trousers. As he left the room, the front door opened and closed. Only one set of feet and it was definitely Harry. He found his husband in the kitchen, unpacking groceries.
"Harry," he greeted. He wrapped his arms around his husband, pulling him back to rest against Severus' chest.
Harry hummed and he rested his hands on Severus'. "Hello."
Severus buried his nose in Harry's hair and breathed deeply. It had been too long--Harry had left Hogwarts two weeks earlier to get the cottage ready and had taken the children with him. Severus had spent the time apart giving exams and terrorizing children who seemed to somehow think that it was perfectly acceptable to act as though term were already over. Packing his bag and readying their Hogwart's rooms had helped ease some of his tension, but having Harry in his arms eased the rest of it.
"Where's Lily and Ted?" Severus asked.
"Molly's," Harry said. "Her and Arthur are going to visit Bill and I asked her to watch them."
"Oh?" Severus hoped that it meant what it did. "For how long?"
"They'll be visiting for a week," Harry said. "I asked her to keep an eye on the kids for a few days. We'll pick them up Wednesday."
"You and me, all alone," Severus said.
"In the cottage we spent our honeymoon in, yes," Harry said.
Severus chuckled and pulled Harry out of the kitchen. The rest of the groceries would keep.
~~~
Harry pulled Severus along, glowing and quietly humming. Severus watched him with soft eyes--it had been far too long since he and Harry had time to themselves. He enjoyed teaching as much as Harry did and he loved their children dearly, but moments alone were very precious to him. If Harry's enthusiasm meant anything, Harry appreciated it, too. He looked ahead and smiled. Their children were quietly playing with Bill's and Fleur's daughter and the family dog.
The children ran to him and Harry as soon as they were in view and Severus hugged them both close. Ted--hair purple today--was as glad to see him as Lily and Severus' heart filled, knowing that he and Harry had done something good with Ted.
"Thanks for watching them," Harry was saying to Molly.
She grinned. "Oh, it was no trouble, dear. I always love having them over and you and Severus seemed to have needed the time."
They both blushed and she chuckled. "Come inside, come inside. Sit down and eat and tell me everything that happened at Hogwart's, Severus."
~~~
Teddy skipped down the lane, getting ahead of his parents. "Zoo! Zoo! I want to see the penguins--"
"Penguins live in the arctic, silly," Lily said. She wisely kept to Severus' side--they'd lost her in the crowd last summer and no one was keen to repeat the incident.
"But the zoo keeps them in a special pen," Teddy said. "Right, Papa?"
Severus nodded. "The Muggles keep it cool and there's a swimming pool for them."
Lily wrinkled her nose. "But surely they can't be happy?"
Harry smiled. "They form their own families, Lily. I'm sure they're happy."
Lily considered that as they walked through to get their tickets. Finally, she nodded. "They must be happy. Family makes everyone happy. Right, Papa?"
Severus looked at Harry and Teddy--both looking at the map and deciding where they were going to start--and back at Lily whose eyes were shining. "Yes. Family does make everyone happy."
~~~
Severus set aside the poker and sat on the couch. "It's been a busy summer."
Harry curled into Severus' side and hummed. "But good."
After the zoo, they'd gone to Italy for the museums--Severus had instilled in their children art appreciation--and then hiked through a few areas. There had been a science center and a carnival and a trip to see some family friendly archeological digs. Always returning back to the cottage to tend to the garden and play games. It had been busy, but Severus was content down into his bones. He squeezed Harry's shoulder and kissed his forehead. "Very good."