Gaerwn came through the Floo, looking around curiously at Severus' parlour and smiling sheepishly. "I know you must think I'm just here for more sex," he said, kissing Severus softly by way of greeting, "but I'm afraid not this time."

"A shame," said Severus teasingly. In truth, he'd wondered why Gaerwn had responded to his owl with a request for a meeting, and had held a lead weight in his stomach ever since. Gaerwn was, after all, his top choice for husband, given Harry's reluctance and Draco's other prospects, and although Trimble was nice enough and a surprisingly generous lover, Severus knew it would never be a love match.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Severus, because a part of me truly does want the life you're offering me," said Gaerwn, gently pulling Severus into his arms.

"But you're dropping out," said Severus woodenly, going stiff in the embrace despite the comfort in it.

"I finally made First String on the team," explained Gaerwn gently, the note of excitement in his voice unmistakeable. "It's the only thing that could have kept me from you, and it's probably your fault anyway."

"The Luck Lily, you mean?" asked Severus, amused by the irony of it. "Possibly, though Draco tells me Potter fed you all some Prosperity Wine at the start of the Courtship as well."

"That might be it," said Gaerwn, taking a kiss that started tentative, and lingered when Severus allowed it to, arms coming up to twine around Gaerwn's solid shoulders. "I don't feel all that lucky, having to give you to someone else."

"But quite prosperous," said Severus, his voice heavy with irony and just a touch of loss. They'd have made beautiful children, the two of them, and it hurt to let that dream go when it had been so nearly in his grasp. "I'm going to miss you," he said stupidly.

"I'll miss you, too, Severus," said Gaerwn, following it with another kiss, this one going from apologetic to heated before Severus knew what hit him.

A small, sad smile made its way to Severus' face. "Once more for the road?" he said, giving a little wriggle so that there would be no doubt of his meaning.

"Oh, at least once," said Gaerwn, big hands already working at Severus' robes.

They even made it upstairs, eventually.

---

Severus was reading on the comfortable sofa, a smile lighting up his sharp features when Harry arrived through the Floo. His spare frame unfolded itself gracefully as he came over to help Harry do the soot-removal spell. "I must confess, I'm quite glad that you chose to join me here at home for our final date," he said with an impish smile that Harry could only return, even if his was a bit less bright than usual. "I have had a hard time figuring out what to put in your contract that will win you over."

Harry tried not to flinch at that; he'd slowly grown to like and even care for Severus over the weeks of his Courtship, and Draco as well, and just as inevitably he'd watched the two of them grow closer and more affectionate, until Harry had no doubts at all who would be standing beside Severus on his wedding day. It was strange to think he'd want that with Severus Snape, but his life had changed so much since the end of the war, this was just one more change. He swallowed a sigh and wished that growing up was just a little less painful, making sure his smile didn't falter. Much.

"You obviously had something planned," said Harry, leaning in to brush a soft kiss over Severus' lips, a greeting that Draco assured him was traditional in these last few weeks of Courtship. "I know better than to get between a Slytherin and his scheme," he teased, hoping to hide his nerves.

"You can be taught," said Severus dryly, tucking Harry's hand into the crook of his arm and taking them into the kitchen. There were candles everywhere, floating as they had at Hogwarts, spilling warm light into all the nooks and crannies of the room. The table was covered in little plates, each one with a different dish laid out on it, everything from olives to seafood, rice to hors d'ouvres.

"Is this all your salad plates?" asked Harry, having no idea how to respond to or deal with such an array of foods, many of which he'd never seen before in his life.

Severus laughed. "I believe so, though that isn't the point. You said you'd never had Spanish food, so I decided to make tapas for us." He led Harry to one of the two chairs, which were on the same side of the table this time, close enough that their thighs brushed when he took his own seat.

"You'll tell me what everything is, then?" asked Harry, letting them remain touching, and even leaning into Severus' warmth just a little.

Severus smiled, rubbing Harry's thigh gently, and said, "It has always been one of my goals to educate your palate."

Harry laughed and allowed Severus to feed him a perfect green olive, the flesh salty and just a little spicy, the pit Banished before it ever made it to the table. He stole a kiss to end it, and then fed Severus another one off the plate, though his hand shook just a little. "It's delicious," Harry murmured, kissing Severus again, his whole body pressed against Severus' now.

"Harry," said Severus softly, once the kiss came to an end, "what are you playing at?"

Harry sighed; he'd hoped to have a bit longer to just enjoy the moment before he admitted what he was up to, not that he really expected Severus to object. "I... I know you're going to marry Draco, and you should, he loves you and he's so happy and... I, I didn't want to miss my only chance, just because I was saving something that's not really worth anything to anyone, not even me really, and I l-like you and I know you'll be, you'll make it feel good, and..." Harry trailed off, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

"You wish to... experience one night with me, under the belief that this once is better than never knowing?" said Severus, his voice holding wonder and sympathy and even a tinge of desire. He kissed Harry again, as if answers could be found there that wouldn't come from talking, and Harry put all the need that had built up over the long weeks into the kiss, all the longing and heartache.

"Will you?" asked Harry; it was his one real fear about tonight, more than anything else, that Severus might try to save him from himself.

Severus chuckled. "I would always regret it, if I did not," he said softly, kissing Harry again. "Though I would not assume, were I you, that my choice of mates is so simple or straightforward."

Harry let out a hopeless little sound and kissed Severus again, not wanting to be reassured in this; it was hard enough to come to terms with letting go of whatever it was they had built between them, without adding in false hope. "Take me to bed, Severus, I'm too nervous to be hungry," he said, meaning to sound seductive and mostly coming off plaintive.

Severus didn't seem to mind, anyway, since he pulled Harry up and led him out of the kitchen, not even bothering to spare a charm for the food he'd so carefully prepared. "I'd rather feast on you any day," he teased, eyes warmer than Harry had ever seen them, holding not only the affection he'd glimpsed a time or two but a heat that he'd never let loose around Harry before.

"Tonight I'm all yours," said Harry, his own voice holding mostly desire with just a tinge of sadness. He wouldn't ever get to hold Draco this way, or be held by him, though Gaerwn might be willing to have a go once he was settled into his new position on the team -- he'd sent them all Season Passes as an apology and gesture of continuing friendship. This was Harry's one chance to have a little piece of that happiness that he saw when Severus and Draco were together, and he wouldn't spoil it being maudlin. "Take me to bed?" he asked again, more earnestly this time.

"Gladly," said Severus, tugging Harry up the stairs, lighting the candles with a wave of his wand and barely giving Harry a chance to catch his breath before pressing him down to the fresh-made bed. "I've wanted you here for ages."

"I've wanted to be here since I first saw it," admitted Harry, slipping off his new house shoes and then fumbling to toe off the socks as well; he hadn't worn anything at all under his light summer robe, and he could feel the heat of Severus' body easily through the thin fabric.

Severus groaned, hands moving over Harry's body even as his mouth kept Harry's busy, touching, stripping, making short work of Harry's clothing and his own as well, pulling back the bedclothes with something like determination. "I..." he said once, then cut himself off with a shake of his head and kissed Harry again instead.

Harry let himself be lain out on the crisp white sheets, let Severus draw him back into a fervent embrace, this time without the hampering of any clothing to keep his prick from finding the hollow of Severus' hip, to keep him from feeling the full length of Severus' cock against his own thigh. "Yes," said Harry instead, having no idea what Severus had stopped himself from saying, and wanting no questions left between them of permission or advisability. "I want it to be you, Severus, please."

There was nothing more to say after that, only the heat of Severus' body, every part hotter than the last from his mouth to his hands, his skin to his cock. Harry knew he'd come too soon but he couldn't be arsed to care, it wasn't like Severus was unaware of his inexperience. He knew he hadn't a hope of impressing the man who'd successfully wooed Draco, Gaerwn and even the stoic Trimble during the Courting. Instead he gave himself over to it, hands touching whatever skin was presented, mouth kissing when there was something to kiss and gasping for breath when there wasn't, legs spreading wantonly and finally his whole body shuddering with release, not from any one particular thing but just one sensation too many.

Severus' fingers skittered to a halt against his hip and Harry blinked his eyes open shyly to find a look of wonder on Severus' face. A hungry kiss forestalled whatever Severus might have said then, false promises or unimportant reassurances that Harry didn't need or want at this juncture. A softly murmured spell Banished the mess and then Severus' mouth began to travel over Harry's skin once again, not exploring this time but tracing a slow but direct line down to Harry's groin. Harry eagerly arched forward, his own mouth watering at the thought of finally tasting Severus' heavy cock, or running his tongue over the warm bollocks below, just as Severus was doing to him.

A sigh left Harry as Severus' mouth descended further, and he allowed himself to be bent and spread and speared on the tongue that had pierced him so many times, and yet never before so pleasurably. Harry squirmed, hands finding their way into Severus' hair, loosening it from its clasp and feeling it fall like silk around him, straight and clean and thick, a teasing caress to his thighs and cock while Severus' hands were busy holding him wide open. Words half-formed left Harry's lips, but he didn't care anymore, not when he was so close to finally knowing something of Severus, of himself.

More spells and, Harry thought, a potion summoned as well, and fingers had replaced the tongue and Severus' mouth moved teasingly around, nipping at his thighs and licking at the hollow of a hipbone, running just once up the length of his cock to dip curiously into the slit. Harry thought he might explode again before they even got properly started, but Severus seemed to sense his desperation, or perhaps Harry managed something coherent in the jumble of moans and whimpers falling from his mouth. Severus slipped the fingers free and gathered Harry close, kissing him softly once, twice, and then deeply as his cock slid its way home, finding the very heart of Harry and wrenching free a cry of pure need.

Harry wrapped his legs around Severus, and arms as well when that seemed like it wouldn't be enough to keep him inside, but the slow glide outward turned into a thrust that shouldn't have surprised him but did anyway. Harry felt him do it again, and again, and soon he'd lost all sense of anything except the feeling of Severus filling him up over and over until he knew he'd overflow any second. He was shocked when it was Severus who broke first, crying out softly as he spilled into Harry's body, head thrown back in abandon and face half-hidden beneath the loose curtain of his hair.

Warm fingers came down to wrap around Harry's cock, shallow thrusts keeping Severus hard and inside Harry as he took the final faltering steps toward completion. He gasped and whimpered, coming over Severus' hand and clinging even tighter, hating that it was over even as the pleasure washed through him, wiping away his doubts for a brief moment of bliss.

"Wow," said Harry, blinking his eyes open and smiling with a mixture of goofy satisfaction and languid shyness. He loosened his grip on Severus' hips and shoulders, letting his legs fall away and his hands rest gently at the nape of Severus' neck. "I, um. Wow."

Severus threw his head back and laughed, long and joyful, dipping down for a series of kisses sprinkled with chuckles that passed from Severus to Harry and back again. "Wow indeed, Harry," he said softly, cradling Harry close, heedless of messy hands and bellies.

Harry kissed Severus again just because he could, now, and later he would lose the privilege. "I think we need a bath," he said slyly, having had his eye on Severus' decadent bathtub nearly as long as the bed.

"I think we need to make love in the bath," corrected Severus with a wicked smile that said he knew exactly what Harry was up to. "Our date need not end until morning, or perhaps after tea tomorrow, if that is what you wish."

Harry felt a rush of butterflies through his stomach, and they seemed to clog up his throat for a moment on their way out before he could relax into the warmth they left behind. "I suppose I could clear my calendar," he said, kissing the tip of Severus' nose, and then back to the damp, tempting lips below.

"I must admit," said Severus, sending the warm feeling bursting all through Harry's body with his next words, "I had already cleared mine, out of a distant and foolish hope."

---

"You really did it!" said Draco for the seventeenth time, curled up at one end of Harry's couch while Harry occupied the other, looking dreamy and mussed and thoroughly shagged out.

"We really did," said Harry dreamily, hugging the pillow he'd been mauling for the past half hour, since he got home from tea to find Draco waiting in his apartment for news. "I'm glad I decided to."

"I'm glad you did, too," said Draco, feeling a sudden sharp envy not for Harry who deserved every pleasure Severus could give him and more, but for Severus, having had the chance to be the one to give that pleasure. "I can't believe it's almost over," he added softly.

Harry flinched, and Draco immediately regretted his words. "Yeah, I guess... I couldn't let myself miss out on my one chance, y'know?"

Draco nodded. "I know, Harry. If it's any consolation, I think he's the best choice you could've made for your first, considering."

Harry smiled, wryly this time, with a touch of almost nostalgic affection in his voice as he said, "Yeah, I know. He took really good care of me, and even let me try... everything. Though I still don't know which I prefer."

"Oh, really?" said Draco, eyebrows going up. He'd been suspicious when he learned that Harry hadn't made it back last night, and now he knew just what they'd been up to. Erotic images of the two of them and himself as well began to play through his mind, and he shivered. "Perhaps you're just a bit of both?"

"Well, which are you?" asked Harry curiously.

Draco flushed just slightly, but he figured after everything it was the least he could do. "I'm mostly a bottom, though I wouldn't say no to the occasional chance to top," he said, as casually as he could manage. In truth he'd topped Severus exactly once and found it good, but not as good as being taken by Severus. Still, the idea of having Harry was an intriguing one, even more when combined with being taken by Severus, or perhaps being had by them both. Draco shook his head to clear it and smiled wryly, "I guess I'm just happier giving myself to Severus than the other way around."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I... I liked that a lot, but the other thing feels brilliant, too, having him all hot and tight..." Harry trailed off, swallowing and looking away, his cheeks decorated with fever-bright spots of red. "Well, anyway, I'm glad I got to try it both ways."

"He's going to give you a contract, Harry," said Draco gently. "Don't refuse it just because you think he'd rather have me."

Harry turned to stare, his face filled with shock and naked longing. "I won't, but... I know you, Draco. You won't give him up to me so easily, not now that you've found him again."

Draco shrugged; he'd hinted to Severus of a possible solution, but it was a risky one. "I've found you as well, though, haven't I?" was all he said.

---

They were back at the restaurant where the Courtship had begun so many weeks ago, sequestered in a private room without even a human waiter to overhear. "I find that now that my Courtship is nearly over, I have lost the taste for making speeches," said Severus, looking from face to face. He waved his hand and three heavy scrollcases appeared, one in front of each candidate. "I wish for you to have the meal to consider what I am Offering you," he explained, knowing that his nervousness was obvious to anyone who knew him as well as his final Candidates did.

He supposed it wouldn't be nearly as much of a surprise as the contents of the scrolls.

Augustus Trimble was the first to move, opening the carved and gilded wood case and drawing out the parchment inside. "I know that this is just a formality," he said, eyes glancing over the first few inches which, Severus knew, contained an outline of the pertinent points in the Offer, "but it is a very generous offer, and I and my family would be pleased to work out the details with you, if you are forced to settle for my poor third."

Severus took a sip of water to wet a throat gone dry; he'd tried not to be obvious, but he and Augustus were both practical men, and anyone with a brain could see that Severus' heart was lost to the other two at the table with them. "I would also welcome a match between us, Augustus," he said formally, the Suitor's way of saying that it wasn't over until it was over and the contracts were signed.

Severus glanced over at Harry and Draco, taking in the look of shocked delight on Draco's face, and confusion on Harry's. "Would you like to explain the nature of my Offer, Draco, or shall I enlighten Harry?" he asked, voice gratifyingly steady.

"I've got it, I think," said Harry, his own tone one of wonder and disbelief. He looked up at Severus with eyes that pled for it to be true as he said, "You've decided to ask us both to marry you, together, I mean."

"A union of three," said Draco with a smile that held equal parts smugness and affection. "I think that Harry's influence would manage to balance any ill repute still lingering around your name, wouldn't you say, Severus?"

Snape bowed his head in acknowledgement, though truthfully that consideration had constituted a mere fraction of his reasons for going this route. His decision had sprung from the feeling of Harry in his arms, the taste of Draco's kisses and the broad hints that Draco had dropped, as well as the longing looks Harry shot them both when he thought no one was looking. He swallowed again, taking a sip of wine this time to steady his nerves. "It was something of a risk to Offer for you both in this way," he said, glancing over at Augustus, who looked far too intrigued, "but I found my greed and affection for the two of you overrode any concerns, especially when weighed against the potential reward."

"Not to mention having a ready backup," said Augustus, his voice amused and admiring. "It's not so much traditionally ambitious, but only a Slytherin would think to try," he added, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Harry slipped the scroll back into its case and asked softly, "How long do I have to decide?"

"It is traditional," said Severus, knowing that this more than anything might be what lost him the joy of them both, all because he was unable to choose between them, "for the Candidates to accept or reject the offers at the end of the meal, though of course further negotiation on the finer points of the contract is to be expected."

Harry nodded. "Practically Gryffindor," he said, chuckling just a little to himself. "It takes guts to go for what you want against the odds, or so I've been told."

Draco put his scroll away as well and nodded. "You must know I've been hoping for this for some time now," he said, drawing a startled look from Harry.

"I am, in effect, only following the trail of breadcrumbs you've been leaving," said Severus, folding his hands in his lap to keep himself from fidgeting with the silver. "It is Harry I am unsure of, as he has participated from the start on the condition that he would not be expected to wed me, when all was said and done."

"Sometimes," said Harry very carefully, looking from Severus to Draco, "I'm a little slow."

They all laughed at that, and the tension broke. "Perhaps we should order, then?" said Severus, though his stomach was too knotted for much more than a few bites.

"Excellent idea," said Augustus, taking up his menu. Though Severus would pay for this as he had all the Courtship events, they were given their choice from a selection of three-course meals offered by the restaurant. Severus tried to think of it as symbolic of the choices they were all making, rather than akin to the last meal of the condemned.

They all went through the process of ordering, though Severus paid very little attention; he had other things to worry about than what they ate, for once. He treated himself to the seafood meal which included lobster bisque, seafood salad and a delicate shrimp and lobster pasta, things he could pick at and still seem as though he were eating. Once all the menus had vanished, they had no more excuses not to talk, and Severus cleared his throat.

"Did you have any other questions about the details, any of you?" asked Snape; a part of him had never expected to get this far, and he found himself out of clever tricks and left with nothing but himself to offer up, now that they'd come to the end of it.

Augustus spread his napkin over his lap and then asked seriously, "This isn't directly related, I suppose, but if they do accept, will you be able to continue to supply us with potions, at a reasonable mark-up?"

Snape nearly spoiled it by laughing at the absurdity of the question, though he supposed it was a legitimate one -- he wouldn't really need to work if he had Draco and Harry to support him, but he'd quickly grow bored and unhappy as a househusband, even with children around to keep him busy. "Yes, of course," he said, glancing over at Draco and Harry as he spoke. "I'll be more selective with my clientele, once I can afford to be, but you will always be welcome among my friends and customers both."

Augustus looked very satisfied with that answer, and began looking over his own Offer a little more closely.

Draco took up the thread then, asking not Severus but Harry, "Are you willing to come live in Malfoy Manor with me, I mean, with us?"

Harry blushed. "Of course," he said, pulling out his own scroll and looking over the summary once more. "As long as I can keep Hedwig and Algernon, anyway."

"Your pets are welcome," said Draco, his voice holding a note of comfort that tightened Severus' chest.

"I would never try to separate you from those you love," said Severus quietly, wishing he had food to pick at. "Not even Hagrid."

Harry laughed at that, which Severus couldn't quite interpret; he was saved when the scrollcases shifted to the centre of the table suddenly and the first course appeared. "This looks good," said Harry, at a loss with his hands full of his Offer and the case just out of arm's reach.

Trimble demonstrated silently, tapping the seal at the top of his own scroll with his wand, which sent it coiling back into the box on its own. Harry flushed and followed suit, then asked Severus, "So, what happens after your Offer is accepted?"

Severus' heart leapt into his throat, but he tried to treat the question as rhetorical. "After my Offer has been accepted, the first item that will be finalized is the wedding date. Once that has been agreed upon, we will spend many hours with our solicitors working out the finer points of the contract. We will no longer be allowed to," he paused to clear his throat, which had inexplicably become tight, "be intimate with one another, as it is traditional to abstain from now on, in order to better appreciate the wedding night."

"Wait, you mean we, I mean you, have to stop shagging now?" asked Harry, sounding exasperated enough that they all laughed, even him, if a bit belated and sheepishly.

"Yes, Harry, I will be celibate from this point until I am wed," said Severus, glancing around the table and feeling his cheeks heat as memories assailed him, each with its own kind of sweetness. "Fortunately, it is also traditional to have the wedding within a month of the Acceptance, to avoid long dithering over contracts, or other delays that might damage whatever goal the Candidate had in mind when the Courtship began."

"He's got us set for three weeks from Saturday, in the Offer," said Draco, licking his lips in what Severus found to be a thoroughly distracting manner, especially when Harry echoed the gesture.

Harry flushed inexplicably, but didn't actually say anything, instead putting a bite of seafood in his mouth resolutely. That seemed to be a cue, and they fell to, the conversation moving to more harmless topics like the quality of food and the general scope of culinary experiences Severus had shown them. Soon enough the salads vanished and there was a pause before the soups appeared, empty silence just waiting to be filled with something more significant than pasties and cake.

"If it's three of us," asked Harry, toying with the edge of the tablecloth, eyes fixed on his hands, "then I have to, um, have one. Get pregnant, I mean. Right?"

Severus and Draco exchanged a wordless glance that held a world full of meaning. "Although that is usually how things are done," said Snape, his voice carefully neutral, "it is not in the contract, no."

Harry's head shot up. "But I saw, I mean, it said one kid for each of us, as heirs."

"Yes, but in the fine print it states that any one of us may bear the heir for any other of us, so long as the child passes a magical paternity test to guarantee its legitimacy," said Severus, feeling at a loss when Harry's stare grew blank.

Draco laid a hand on Harry's arm and said, "It means, he wrote you in a way out. Any of us can carry your heir, as long as we can prove you're the dad."

"Oh! I... oh," said Harry, looking back down at his hands. "That's hardly fair, though, is it?"

"It's a choice you don't have to make tonight," said Severus, swallowing against his own fears. "When it comes time to have the Potter heir, then you can make the decision, once you've seen what it's like for me." That was one thing he'd specified, that his heir, the Prince heir, be their firstborn. He didn't want to have gone through all this, only to have it fall apart around them before he even had a chance to pass on his mother's heritage.

"A-all right," said Harry, nodding. He glanced up once, shyly, then sighed and sat back. "Is there anything in the contract I should really know about?"

Draco chuckled, and Severus couldn't blame him. Only someone like Harry would think to ask a man like Severus what secrets he'd hidden in the fine print. Fortunately for Harry, Severus had gone to painstaking lengths not to hide anything, not only because he knew Draco would find it anyway, but to keep hold of the trust he'd built with Harry over these weeks.

Severus shook his head, smiling. "No, Harry, nothing beyond the obvious. We three will be equal partners in marriage. We will both live with Draco, though we are allowed to retain or sell our individual properties as we wish. We will maintain separate accounts for our personal funds, but the family will also have an account which will be used to raise and educate our three children, one heir for each of us, no more and no less. My heir will be born first, and yours last. Our individual fortunes will go first to our individual heirs, when the time comes." The soup arrived, startling them all. Severus cleared his throat, took a sip of his wine, and concluded, "There are other things, but it's all in the same vein."

Harry nodded pensively, toying with his soup, and Severus felt his tension ratchet up another notch. He resisted the urge to add a bit of Calming Draught to his own bisque, and instead took a sip of the rich, savoury concoction. "This is delicious, don't you think, Harry?"

Harry blushed and nodded, taking his first proper taste of it. The conversation eddied back to inconsequentials, though there was an underlying feeling of seriousness this time, comments made hinting toward this future or that, rather than dwelling on the recent past.

This time, when the food vanished, they all kept chatting through the break and the entree, until suddenly it was over, with nothing but pudding and decisions left. A small cake appeared before each of them, emblazoned with the Prince crest rather than Snape's, a show of confidence on his part that he would soon be able to legitimately use it, at least for his children. Severus raised his glass and spoke the traditional words, his stomach full of moths and heart in his throat, anxiety thrumming through his veins like he'd taken a dose of Electrifying Elixir. "From thirteen to three, you have allowed me to Court you, and soon, I hope, to wed. May our futures be bright, our lives long, and our endeavours fruitful."

"Hear, hear," they all toasted, the sweet wine going down in a single shot and not one of them leaving any in the glass.

Severus sighed and lifted his fork, bringing it down hard enough to break through the hard sugar seal into the sweet below. "And now, Harry, we have run out of time," he said, his voice heavy with something that wasn't regret yet, but was only biding its time.

Harry levitated the scrollcase into his lap, stroking the ornate carvings as though it was a pet. "What," he said with a shaky little smile, "I don't even get to enjoy my sweet first?"

Severus shook his head sadly, his own small appetite lost to the taste of ashes as he asked formally, "Harry Potter, will you consent to wed myself and Draco Malfoy, and to raise our heirs together in harmony?"

Harry's hand stopped, and he looked up, from Draco's carefully shuttered eyes to Severus' expression of naked hope, to Trimble's face which held a mix of resignation and sharp interest. He looked back at Snape and nodded once, slowly. "Yes, I, I... Yes."

There was a heartbeat of silence as it settled in, and then Draco was whooping as though he'd just won at Quidditch and hugging Harry, and Severus felt the tension draining away and leaving a sort of numb happiness in its wake. He turned to Trimble and said formally, "I hope our two houses will always be allied, Augustus."

"It is with regret that I cede the field to my two worthy adversaries," replied Trimble, not quite the traditional response, but one that showed he had truly valued Severus' Offer for what it was, and only regretted that he couldn't compete with Harry and Draco both.

With that they all broke into their cakes, Harry last and with a little effort, as he obviously hadn't realized the top wasn't just simple icing. He took a bite and grinned, his earlier moodiness dispelled as though it had never existed, now that the decision was made irrevocably. "This is good," he said, mouth still full and making a mush of the words.

Severus wondered what it was his life had come to, that he found it endearing. He looked over at Draco, only to find the same look in his eyes. As they both fell into laughter, Severus had his first real hope that things might just work out after all.