Apprenticed to Love 36/?
Title: Apprenticed to Love 36/? Author: Eriador117 Pairing: Snape/Harry Rating: Adult Summary: Six months after the end of the war Harry turns up Snape's apothecary to beg for a job; they both get more than they bargained for. Warnings: Au, angst, hermaphroditism, mpreg, slash, abuse. Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse; I just play in from time to time. Beta'd by Rakina, thank you so much :)
Harry's legs still resembled jelly as they made their way to the front door of the Burrow and he was glad of his husband's arm through his to give him some extra support. As they got nearer to the front door, Harry's steps slowed until he stopped altogether. "Severus," he said. "Do you mind if we keep the news that I'm pregnant to ourselves for now? I just want it to be between us. There are still so many things that might go wrong."
"That's fine by me, Harry. I agree that it should be just our little secret for now. No one else needs to know, not unless you want to tell them."
"Thanks," said Harry just as the front door was flung open and Molly Weasley was giving both of them a broad smile.
"Harry! Severus! We were about to send out a search party for you two! Come in, come in. Lunch is just about ready. I'm so glad you both could come."
"The pleasure is all ours," said Severus graciously and Harry almost bit his tongue off trying not to laugh at that. Severus hated get-togethers and Harry knew he was only doing it to please him. The thought sent a tendril of warmth through his chest. "Thank you for inviting us."
"Ach, Severus. You're family now, you don't need an invite!" Molly moved aside to let them inside and they followed her down to the kitchen. The Burrow didn't have a formal dining space; all meals took place around the scrubbed kitchen table. Harry loved it, it was so homely and he'd always felt welcomed here from the very first visit back when he was twelve. Ron and Hermione both ran to hug him, before shaking Severus' hand. Harry had to grin when Severus took hold of Hermione's hand and gave a small kiss to the back of it. "How lovely to see you again, Miss Granger." Hermione giggled and blushed. Ron was glaring daggers behind Severus' back and Harry had to stifle a laugh. He knew there was nothing in it, Severus wasn't interested in Hermione like that, but Ron didn't seem to think that. Harry glanced at his husband in surprise. Severus was on his best behaviour today. Most of the Weasleys were there with the exception of Percy and Bill. Harry knew the fact that Bill wasn't here would please Severus and truth to tell Harry was a bit relieved himself. Things between him and Bill were always quite tense these days, for Harry had never forgotten that day in the orchard and what Bill had tried to do.
"Bill is in France with Fleur's family for the holidays; they'll be with us for the New Year. Percy had to go in to work for a bit today," said Molly.
"He had to work today?" Harry asked in surprise. He didn't think the Ministry was even open during the Yuletide holidays.
"Yes, there's been some to-do about something or other. He didn't give us any details, just ran out after he got the owl. But never mind that, sit down you two and I'll get lunch served. Oh, before I do. Arthur, can you bring in Severus and Harry's presents? They're still under the tree."
"Mrs. Weasley, you didn't need to get us anything," Harry protested. Harry had already sent his and Severus' presents by owl to the Burrow so they'd have them for Christmas, but he hadn't been expecting anything in return. He knew money was a bit tight for the Weasley family.
"I know I don't need to, dear, but I wanted to. Go on, Arthur, they're the only two presents still under there."
"Right you are," said Arthur as he pushed himself up from the chair.
Ginny was deep in conversation with the twins and Charlie, but she gave Harry a warm smile when she saw him. Ginny did realise he was married to Severus now? What would it take for the hope in her eyes whenever she saw Harry to die? If Harry being married and pregnant wouldn't do it, he didn't know what would.
Arthur returned a few moments later with two wrapped parcels which he handed to each of them. Severus' present was wrapped in dark green paper with silver stars on it. Harry's was the more traditional red with green holly boughs, but both parcels were the same size. "Go on then," Molly urged them.
Harry grinned and started unwrapping his gift. It was a hand-knitted scarf in the same grey shade as his apprentice robes with the same edged green piping as well. "Thank you, it's lovely. And it will go with my robes too."
"How's your apprenticeship going, Harry?" asked Arthur. "Severus keeping you busy?"
Harry couldn't quite quell the blush when he remembered what they'd recently been up to. "Yes, very busy." By this time, Severus too had unwrapped his present. Another scarf, but this one was black with some white tassels at either end. Harry felt inordinately pleased that Molly Weasley had taken into account Severus' colour choices, for he hardly ever wore anything besides black and white.
"Thank you, Molly," said Severus softly and Harry could tell from his tone of voice that he meant it. Harry wondered if anyonehad ever given Severus a present before now and the thought made him sad. Harry gave Severus' hand a squeeze before sitting down beside Ron. Severus sat at Harry's other side, twirling his new scarf in his fingers as if he couldn't quite believe someone besides Harry had given him a gift. It reminded Harry too much of how he'd felt when he'd been with the Dursleys and Harry vowed then and there that no child of theirs would ever grow up feeling unloved and unwanted. He and Severus may have had miserable childhoods but that just made Harry even more determined that their children wouldn't suffer the same.
Hermione had once given Harry some books on the psychology of child abuse. Harry had read the first three chapters before throwing the book down in disgust. Most of the contributors seemed to think that people who were abused as children were more likely to turn into abusers themselves. Total bollocks, in Harry's opinion. Vernon or Petunia hadn't been abused, neither had Dudley, yet all three of them had abused Harry in one way or another. If anything, Harry was even less likely to abuse a child, because he didn't want any child to have to go through what he had. How could people sit there and write such rubbish?
"Are you all right?" Severus asked him in a whisper.
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Just thinking too much."
"Help yourselves, everyone," said Molly as she sat down in the empty seat next to Arthur. The table was laden with bowls and plates filled to the brim with food. Mashed potatoes, ham, cold slices of turkey, picked eggs, pickled onions, mayonnaise, Picallili and other types of pickles that Harry didn't even recognise. There were different types of salad leaf as well as tomatoes, radishes and raw carrot sticks.
Harry helped himself to some potatoes and turkey along with a dollop of mayonnaise, but Severus took the plate out of his hand. "You can't have that."
Harry stared at him. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
"Choose something else. I insist," Severus said in a tone that brooked no argument. By this time everyone else had stopped talking and were staring at both of them.
"You can't talk to him like that!" Ginny protested. "He can eat what he likes!"
"It is no concern of yours what my husband eats, Miss Weasley," Severus said sternly.
Harry wished that Ginny hadn't tried to get involved in whatever the hell this was. It was between him and Severus, no one else.
"It's only turkey," Harry said, wondering why Severus was making such a fuss about what he was eating.
"And mayonnaise."
"I likemayonnaise," Harry pointed out. It wasn't as if mayonnaise would harm...Oh. Some mayonnaise was made with raw eggs and raw eggs could carry diseases that might harm the baby. Severus wasn't just being a pain in the arse after all. He was looking after both of them. "Sorry," Harry said as he pushed his plate to one side and took some more food, without mayonnaise this time.
Ginny gaped at both of them. "How can you let him treat you like that? Just because he's your apprentice doesn't mean you can treat him like a slave!"
"Leave it, Ginny," Fred said, his arm on his sister's, as if stopping her from flying across the table at Severus. Harry knew who he would bet on in a fight between the two of them and it wouldn't be Ginny. He wished she would just mind her own business.
"Leave it? Did you see how he's treating Harry? Like he has to obey him in every little thing? That's not an apprentice! That's not even a husband! That's a slave! Is that you want to be, Harry? Nothing but his slave?"
"Ginny, that's enough!" said Arthur in a firm tone. "Severus and Harry's relationship is no one else's business. Leave them alone."
"But, Dad!"
"Enough! We don't need to hear any more from you."
Harry was just getting more and more confused as the conversation happened over his head. What did they mean about his and Severus' relationship? Did they know that Harry was pregnant? Was that it?
Conversation started up again and everyone settled down to eat their lunch, leaving Harry more confused than ever. He would have to discuss it with Severus later; maybe he could shed some light on the subject. Everyone settled down to eat their lunch, but the conversation was more subdued now and Harry could almost feel the tension in the room as a physical entity. Harry moved his food around his plate with his fork, no longer feeling hungry. "Harry, you need to eat," Severus said, jabbing his empty fork towards Harry's plate. Harry knew that, if not for his own sake, then for the baby's, but the thought of any food was making him nauseous.
Ginny glared at Severus, no doubt feeling she was vindicated when Severus had ordered him to eat. "How about dessert?" Molly asked brightly when it was clear no one else was going to eat the savoury lunch either. It wasn't only Harry who had lost his appetite. "We've got some Christmas pudding left over or there's strawberry trifle and ice-cream if you fancy something lighter."
"Trifle, please," said Harry, knowing he couldn't face anything as heavy as Christmas pudding today. Severus smiled at him, obviously pleased that he was going to eat something even if it was only dessert.
"Fred, George, can you clear the table for me please?" Molly stood up and headed over to the cold-cupboard while Fred and George used magic to clear all the plates and food from the table. They made a contest out of it to see who could clear the plates and get them into the sink the fastest.
Someone knocked on the door just as Molly was dishing up the ice-cream on top of the dishes of trifle, but before anyone could answer it, Percy walked in accompanied by Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Percy! You made it after all. You're just in time for dessert," she said.
"I'm sorry, Mum. We're here on official business."
"It couldn't wait until after Boxing Day?" asked Arthur, looking askance at his son. "What official business?"
"It's a summons for Harry," said Percy, holding out a pale blue envelope. Harry got up from his chair and went to stand by Percy.
"Why am I being summoned?" Harry asked, his stomach roiling.
"Lucius Malfoy's trial has been set for the fifth of January. You're being summoned as a witness for the defence."
"What?" Harry gaped at him. By this time, Severus too had left his seat and was now standing beside Harry. He squeezed Harry's shoulder in support.
"My husband is not going in front of the Wizengamot to defend the man who abused him for months!" Severus protested vehemently.
"But that's just it, Severus," said Shacklebolt. "Malfoy is claiming that it wasn't abuse. That what happened between him and Harry was consensual."