Emerald Star: Emerald Star
by Firestar
Please note that this is a slash fic!~ This means that there is a male/male relationship happening in his fanfic. If this is not what you are looking for, please refrain from reading. If it is, please scroll down, and I hope you enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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A/N: *Sighs* Finally, I'm done. *Buries head into arms while yawning* I got entirely too caught up in this one. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy:
Emerald Star
By Firestar
One Harry Potter sat in Potions class, his bag and ingrediants spread out around him. He sat, carefully stirring his cauldron while dropping in specks of foxglove powder, determined not to mess up on his last potion of the year. Today was the last day of classes, and after seven adventurous (not to mention dangerous) years, he was finally graduating. With the support of his friends and teachers, he had managed to defeat Voldemort about half a year ago and since then, Professor Dumbledore had offered him the Defence Against the Dark Arts job which he happily accepted. So for how, his life was as peaceful as he could hope for.
As the bell rang for the end of the lesson, most of the Gryffindors immediately rushed towards the door, eager to finally leave the classroom which had brought so many detentions upon them. Just as most of the students left the room, however, Professor Snape spoke.
"Potter, a word if you please."
Harry nodded, waving away Ron and Hermione's worried looks and gesturing for them to go ahead. Neither of his friends saw the glint of excitement carefully hidden in those emerald eyes, nor did they see the slightest of smiles on the Potions Master's usually masked face.
Finally, as the last student stepped out of the classroom, the older wizard walked over, spelling the door shut and putting on silencing charms. Turning around, he suddenly found himself with an arm full of Harry.
"Harry?" he asked quietly, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He wasn't sure what to make of this unexpected display o feelings.
"I've missed you," the quiet voice answered softly. Severus felt the arms around his waist tighten. Smiling slightly, he returned the hug, tucking the mop of messy black hair under his chin.
"Foolish sentimental Gryffindors," he said, sighing, and although his words would be considered insulting, his tone was playful and affectionate.
Harry sighed, heart warming at the affection that Severus so rarely displayed.
After standing in each others' arms for about half an hour, Severus finally stepped back. "You should go, Harry," he reminded the younger wizard. "I have two more classes left to teach."
Harry nodded before reaching up and pressing a kiss against Severus' lips. THe older man immediately responded, opening his mouth to allow entrance while his arms went to Harry's hips. After tongues battled for a few minutes, the both stepped back.
"I'll see you later, Sev," Harry said quietly as he left the room, allowing the older man to prepare for his next lesson.
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Harry walked along the corridors, heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room, his thoughts still on Severus. He smiled, suddenly remembering their first kiss together.
It had been before the defeat of Voldemort. Dumbledore had asked Harry to be tudored in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions in order to prepare for the final battle. On that particular night, he and Severus had portkeyed to a small, but specialized Potions garden somewhere in France. Severus had been picking ingrediants while showing him what each was called. Suddenly, Harry had felt struck by how... magnificent the Potions Master looked in the moonlight. His hair had been tied back, his robes flowing around him gracefully as he swept about, gathering what he needed. His voice, smooth as silk, had reverberated through the air as he, content and in his element, had explained about the different uses of each ingrediant. As the moonlight flickered around the man, it had almost seemed as if the Potions Master was glowing.
He remembered how his questions had died on his lips as he gazed on, losing himself in those glittering obsidian eyes. How those thin lips curled into the smallest of smiles as they leaned towards each other, lips finally brushing, tongues exploring together.
The kiss was unlike any he had experienced before. It had made him feel hot and cold at the same time, so different from the few fumbling, tentative kisses he had shared before. There was something about what they had shared together in that split second when they had joined, something so deep and meaningful that Harry knew he would never forget it. It was, in its own unique way, something special, something of the moment that had bound them together. Since then, they had admitted to their feelings and had come to know each other, sharing their thoughts and emotions.
Harry understood that it was still hard for Severus, someone who was so used to hiding behind his mask, to open up to another, but they had come to manage and deal with such problems.
After the downfall of Lord Voldemort, the two of them had become closer than ever. However, during class time, they still kept up their "hated teacher/student" act. So far, no one had suspected what was really going on, so for now, all was well.
"Rising phoenix," Harry said to the Fat Lady as the door dutifully swung open. Stepping inside, he was immediately bombarded with questions from Ron and Hermione.
"What happened, Harry?" The bushy-haired girl asked. "Did you get into trouble again?"
"Yeah, mate," Ron added. "Snape seemed pretty angry."
"Oh, it was nothing," Harry said quickly, mind reeling for an excuse. "He er... well, he just took away points for um... talking in class earlier."
"Tough luck, eh?" Ron said sympathetically, immediately accepting his answer. Hermione, on the other hand, looked at him suspiciously, as if not quite convinced. To his relief, however, she didn't ask any more questions and the matter was soon forgotten.
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The afternoon passed quickly and at about 7:30 p.m., Harry quietly slipped upstairs to get ready for the Leaving Feast that evening. He wanted to look his best for Severus.
Smiling, he quickly got dressed, running a comb through his hair and managing to calm it, somewhat.
Last of all, he slipped a small, velvet box into his pocket. He was ready.
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At prompty eight o'clock, he and the other students went down to the Great Hall together. Although most of the Gryffindors were talking excitedly, Harry was too anxious to do so.
Students walked into the Great Hall, one by one. Finally, it was his turn. Taking a deep breath, Harry reached forward, pushing open the door as he stepped into the room.
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---SEVERUS' POV---
As the door of the Great Hall banged open, I looked up expectantly, usual sneer carefully plastered on my face. My expression was distastefully as one by one, the brats walked in, chattering noisily.
I kept my eyes on the door, waiting, slowly ticking off students in my head as they walked by. Parkinson, Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe... Patil, another Patil, Weasley, Granger.... Harry.
My breath suddenly caught in my throat as I spotted the boy. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice my quickened breathing. I stared at the young wizard standing there and I was once again amazed that I had such an incredible person in my life.
Harry stood there in all his glory, back straight, strides proud and confident. He was wearing a set of green dress robes that matched his eyes exactly, sweeping the floor each time he walked. I could clearly tell that the material was made of silk, judging by the way the cloth flashed different shades in the light. Thin, sliver threads lined the collar and hem, shimmering slightly as he moved. A rose pendant hung from a simple but elegant chain resting around his neck. The corner of my lips twitched at this, seeing the gift I had given him for Christmas.
Finally, as the Headmaster stood beside me, I managed to tear my gaze away from my emerald star. Whirling around, I turned to Dumbledore, watching expectantly as the old wizard stood up. Little did everyone know, my mind was on the green-eyed beauty that would be waiting for me in my chambers tonight.
---End of POV---
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Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, his eyes occasionally shifting to his lover sitting at the teacher's table. He had been extremely anxious when he had walked in, but had tried his best to seem confident and sure. He hoped that no one had noticed the way his hand had been trembling slightly.
He waited expectantly, smiling as he saw Professor Dumbledore stand up, the Headmaster's eyes twinkling merrily. He had come to see the old wizard as the grandfather that he had never had, as they had become quite close throughout his years. Although he had always known that even the Headmaster wasn't immortal, Dumbledore had been a calming presense during the Dark times, a sign of the Light, of someone who would always stand, undefeatable. No matter what happened, he had come to rely on the fact that the old wizard would always be there to offer a cup of tea or give out a few lemon drops. That thought, that single stability, had been a blessing during the war.
It took Harry a moment to realize that during his thoughts, the Headmaster had begun speaking. He quickly focused his attention on the man's words.
"... we are all thankful that the Dark times are over. Many people sacrificed their lives for the goodness of this war, but most of all, we owe this to one person. I am, of course, speaking of Mr. Harry Potter."
At these words, most of the students turned to glance at him. Harry, who was hating every minute of the attention, stubbornly ignored them. Thankfully, Dumbledore spoke again, bringing everyone's attention back on to him.
"Mr. Potter risked his own life to save the hostages Voldemort took at the Halloween Ball. He managed to succeed in not only to bring back the many students, but also kill Voldemort in the process. I would like you to please stand up, and raise your goblets to Harry Potter."
Harry bit down on his lips, trying not to scream at the Headmaster as all of the students (except for a few Slytherins) stood up, raising their goblets and as one, mumbled, "Harry Potter."
"For Mr. Potter's noble deeds," the Headmaster continued as the students sat down. "I, on behalf of the Ministry and the wizarding world in general, would like to award him Order of Merlin, First Class. Mr. Potter, please come up."
Harry, inwardly groaning now, stood up. He walked up to the teacher's table, and was suddenly reminded him uncannily of the Triwizard Tourment in his fourth year. He had felt the exact same anxiousness when his name had been pulled from the Goblet of Fire and had been instructed to walked up to the head table.
He mentally shook himself out of his memories as he reached Professor Dumbledore. The Headmaster leaned down and hung a small, golden metal around his neck.
By now, the Gryffindors had started cheering, and Harry groaned as he realized that many students (Ron included among them) had begun to call out, "Speech, speech, speech!"
"Any words you would like to say, Mr. Potter?" The Headmaster said, turning to him, usual twinkle clearly seen in those clear blue eyes. Harry nodded, and seeing no other choice, stepped up onto the platform.
"First of all," he began as the room quieted down. "I would like to say thank you. Without the support and encouragements of many of the students and professors, I never would have made it through all these years. Also, I want you to remember that although I said the spell that killed Voldemort, without the help of many others, we wouldn't be at where we are right now. And at times, the ones who have sacrificed the most are really the most unexpected people of all."
"Today, I would especially like to thank one person who has helped me through this war more than one can comprehend. Please raise your cups to Professor Severus Snape."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Everyone in the room (other than Dumbledore) just stared at him, shock clearly seen on their faces. Suddenly, the Slytherins began clapping with Draco Malfoy leading them. Gradually but surely, the other houses joined in until the applause was roaring through the room.
"Professor Snape was one of the professors who trained me for the final battle. He gave me the support I needed and helped me this entire time. He risked his own life to spy on Voldemort and bring back information that was invaluable to the Order. For this, I would like to give my most sincere thank you."
Suddenly, Harry stepped off of the speaking platform. To the surprise of the others, however, he didn't return to his seat. Instead, he turned and walked until he was directly in front of the Potions Master.
Everyone watched on bated breath, wondering what was going on. Whatever they expected, they surely wasn't expecting what actually happened.
Harry suddenly kneeled down, raising one knee and presenting the box he had slipped into his pocket earlier. "I love you, Severus Snape, and would like to spend all eternity with you. Will you bond with me, Severus?"
There was utterly silence in the Great Hall; you could have heard a pin drop. All the students and professors sat, shocked. Finally, the Potions Master moved. Standing, he pulled up the younger man standing in front of him. "I love you, Harry Potter, and I accept," he answered, and although his voice was quiet, it was clearly heard in the silent Hall.
Severus reached down and accepted the box. As he opened it, his breath caught in his throat. Inside was a beautiful silver chain. From the chain hung a beautiful emerald jewel in the shape of a star. His emerald star. "Thank you," he whispered as he pulled his beloved into a tight embrace.
Just then, an angry voice broke out. Ronald Weasley stormed up towards them, hand clenched into fists. "Harry Potter, how could you? How could you do this to me? I thought you liked Ginny, I thought you were going to propose to her... And you were just lying to her all along! How could you do this to her now? How could you?"
Harry looked at his red-haired friend, utterly confused. 'Ginny? What did Ginny have to do with this?' he wondered
He was quickly saved as Ginny Weasley herself raced up towards her brother. "Ronald Weasley, what are you rambling about now?" she asked, eyes flaming brightly. "What in nine hells are you talking about?"
"Ginny?" Ron asked, voice softening slightly.
"Have you never realized that there was never anything between me and Harry in the first place? True, I had a crush on him when I was younger, but I've been dating"dating/a"a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=dating"dating/a/a"a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=dating"dating/a"a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=dating"dating/a/a/a">dating">dating"dating/a"a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=dating"dating/a/a">dating"dating/a">dating">dating">dating Neville for over a year now. Don't tell me that you're so ignorant as to never noticed?"
"But Ginny!" Ron protested. "This-- This is unnatural! He--- He's Snape!"
"So?" His sister asked, raising her eyebrows in challenge. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I--I..." Ron's voice faltered as he realized just how wrong and unreasonable he'd been. Blushing bright red, he turned to his friend. "I'm sorry, Harry, I was just being selfish. Just... forget I said anything." With that, he returned to his seat.
Harry smiled, glad that Ron understood. Then, turning, he wrapped his arms around Severus' neck and brought the older man down in a kiss. Their lips brushed against each other as Severus whispered in his ear.
"Potter, I've been waiting to do this all year!"
Harry just shook his head, too happy to respond to the other's cheeky voice. "I love you, Sev," he whispered, burying his face in the other's chest.
"I love you too," the Potions Master replied in his ear. "Happy Graduation, Harry."
With that, the two of them left the Hall, hand in hand, heading for Severus' rooms. Behind them, both students and teachers cheered for the new couple.
Far away, up in the sky, a single star glowed emerald.
*~Finis~*
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