the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 76 - The Undeserving

Hermione Granger's words had lit a fire under everyone. Suddenly faced with the chance to do something that might actually do some good, everyone in the castle had volunteered to help. Madam Bones and the Aurors had returned at once to the Ministry to contact St. Mungos and begin their own preparations. They promised to contact the other governments all over the world as well - passing on the idea in case they had not thought of it themselves.

The obstacles they faced were limited skills and resources and a time constraint - Remus had been right about how quickly the sleeping Muggles would begin dying. Within an hour of learning the news of the outside world, plans were already underway to get started.

As for the ultimate question of who to save - that was easy enough for all of them to agree on. They focused on the Muggles already connected to the Wizarding World - the families of halfbloods and Muggleborn.

In Hogwarts that night Albus set about organizing the students to aid one another - the school had numerous students connected to the Muggle World. Those students who knew how to apparate would be taking the younger students out to pick up their Muggle families. Portions of the castle were already being converted into hospital wards. Most students didn't want to wait until dawn to head out, desperately worried about the accidents that could potentially befall their family members, or perhaps already had.

Severus, weakened by the drain to his magic, stayed beside Harry while this chaos went on around him. Wanting to help, he made a list of the potions that would be required over the next few months to sustain the sleeping Muggles. He'd require the assistance of all his advanced students to make them - no doubt St. Mungos would need any extras they could produce as well.

Numerous members of his house, Draco primarily, came to update him on the plans. Surprisingly many of his Slytherin students wanted to be part of the effort. Muggle hating was all well and fine when it was just rhetoric, but none of them wanted to see an end to so many lives. He couldn't help but notice the almost manic energy that filled the students who came to speak with him throughout the night - all of them were still stunned by the news, and shock was beginning to set in. They were all terrified for the future - Severus couldn't help but wonder what more the world would have to endure before this was all over.

Severus took Harry for a walk in a rose garden. Never mind the fact that Hogwarts didn't actually have a rose garden, and that this one with its tall wild rose vines looked remarkably like the rose maze at Briarwood Hall in the County of High Hill. He held Harry's hand in his own, reveling in the bright easy smile on the young man's face, and the carefree expression in his brilliant green eyes. A soft breeze was blowing, lifting the untamed, dark locks of hair away from Harry's face. There was no scar on the pale skin of his forehead.

They rounded a corner and through a break in the rose vines they could see the dark shape of Snape Manor on the far hill. The young man laughed at the sight, and the sound stirred something bright and hot within Severus' heart.

"Shall we live there, Severus?" Harry asked and Severus smiled at the innocent joy in the young man's face. Rose petals blew past them as the breeze around them turned and danced in the other direction.

"We will live wherever you want, Harry," he told him, and he meant it - he would give his bond mate anything he asked.

He tugged Harry toward him, pulling him against his body. The scent of the young man was intoxicating - far sweeter than the enchanted roses. He kissed Harry, stealing his breath as he captured his lips, tasting him, stroking deeply with his tongue. Harry smiled against his mouth and slid his arms around Severus' shoulders; the heat of his body against him was almost more than Severus could bear. His hands slid down the lithe, muscled body; Harry moaned and moved against him and Severus imagined what it would be like to lay him down on this carpet of rose petals and take him over and over again.