Lord of time (chapter 41-107)

98

"Get up! We're going to be late!" Tom said loudly, sliding out of bed, shocked that they had ended up falling asleep. It was so late, after Burke had brought the portraits, they'd decided to have a bath and one thing led to another, and now...now they were going to be late to the party. Considering that Harry was receiving an Order of Merlin, it was utterly beyond the pale for them to be late, not to forget rude.

Hadrian jerked awake, peering blearily at the time before groaning dramatically, "Bloody hell," tiredness clinging to every pore, everything about them screamed what they had been up to before falling asleep. Stumbling out of bed, a jaw cracking yawn leaving his lips, "I can't believe you actually fell asleep!"

Tom gave him a droll look.

"I can't believe I actually fell asleep!" Hadrian muttered as he grasped a hold of his clothes, that were luckily, waiting for them, pristine having been cleaned. They hadn't bothered buying new robes, or rather Hadrian hadn't, he wasn't one for wasting money. Plus, he had only worn them once, and luckily not to the other ceremony, so the newspapers couldn't go on about that. He had changed since he was a teenager after all, he was a fully grown wizard.

"It will happen more frequently," Tom stated, his voice muffled as he dressed as quickly as he could. Not happy that they would need to wait hours before being served dinner. He was hungry, and he would be drinking, he knew better than to drink on an empty stomach. "Too bad we don't have time to eat."

"They'll have nibbles there at the tables, it should be enough," Hadrian said, and they replenished themselves so they'd never run out. "Or ask Dobby to bring you some sandwiches, who's going to care?"

"Tempting," Tom replied, smoothing down his robes, satisfied that he looked very well groomed. Brushing his hair into his preferred style, dabbing a spot of cologne that he'd had specifically made for himself while in France at a perfumery. It was an exquisitely simple and elegant scent they had wanted to name it after him and sell it as a brand. He had made it clear they would never be using the Peverell-Slytherin name to create more sales. The only ones that would ever profit from their names would be him and his husband. Hadrian had unsurprisingly entirely agreed with that vehement declaration.

"We might just make it," Tom declared, with another glance at the time as they hastily put their dress shoes on. This was the quickest they'd ever gotten dressed since their days in the orphanage. Which felt a lifetime ago, to the bonded husbands'. "Tickets?"

"They're in the office," Harry said, still putting his left foot shoe on.

"Meet me there," Tom said, quickly leaving the room, his robes billowing around him.

Harry grinned watching him go, it was ironic really, seeing those billowing robes today of all days. "Welcome to the world, Severus Snape, may you have a peaceful life," he murmured straightening his own hair before making his way to their office. Anything of importance was usually put in there, and most of their correspondence. It was one place in the manor that nobody could get into, well, except their House-elves but Hadrian and Tom treated them too well for them to ever conceive betraying them.

If it wasn't? Well, he would just have to do something about it.

If Tom didn't first.

He knew his husband well.

"Ready to go?" Tom asked as he looked up when Harry entered the office, sliding the invites out of the drawer they'd been ensconced in since the potion came out and the Ministry decided to give him an Order of Merlin first class.

"I am," Hadrian nodded, with that Tom wrapped his arms around him, and they were off, Apparating to the Atrium within the Ministry of magic.

Quicker than normal, they made their way to the wand weighing wizard, who was acting as security, with five Aurors stationed behind him ensuring nobody got in that wasn't meant to. Or to make sure there was no trouble, or gate-crashing.