Chapters 211-220

Morituri Te Salutant

It was different this time.

The chamber was the same, of course. The black archway with the tattered cloak that whispered in a wind they could not feel.

But Harry smiled at him as if he were an old friend. And Minerva clucked over both of them as if they were helpless little chicks just out of the egg or kittens the first time out of the basket. Andromeda kept back, however, and stayed with Draco. The ghost couldn’t bring himself to enter the Death Chamber, and remained a shivery, silvery shadow at the back of the hallway.

‘They should be there now,’ Bill Weasley said.

Yes, this time a veritable guard of honour accompanied them right up to the archway.

Harry drew a deep breath and looked expectantly at him. Severus just nodded and invoked the spell that would join his wands to those of his wife for all eternity—even beyond the Veil.

‘Coniungo,’ he murmured. Instantly, an almost painful stab of desire hit the pit of his stomach. Reached deeper. Made his cock twitch and surge. He’d never been more glad of his robes. He licked suddenly dry lips and wondered how Hermione was faring on the dusty white stones at Uffington.

‘Coniungo.’ The feeling grew. Tighter. He closed his eyes. ‘Per vitam ad mortem. A morte ad vitam. Coniungo.’ Merlin. What if he was not able to hold back? If the spell was too powerful? His fingers cramped painfully around his wands.

‘Coniungo! In sempiternum.’ He felt her answer instantly. An echo of the casting of the spell. Desire. Longing. Heat. Desperately he tried to cling to a last remnant of rational thought, to keep his body from—

‘Merlin,’ he ground out. ‘I—Just a minute.’

He hurried out of the chamber and down the hallway to the nearest loos. Once inside he leaned back against the cool tiles and gasped for breath. He flicked his wand at his nether region in a voiceless Scourgify.

‘That’s one hell of a spell, pardon the pun.’

Severus cracked open his eyes and glowered at the ghost. But Draco remained unfazed.

‘Glad I could provide some entertainment,’ Severus spat.

‘I’ve always begrudged others their prizes,’ Draco whispered. ‘It’s how I was brought up. To always crave everything. To want what I could not have above everything else. You have no idea how it is to exist like this…’

Draco’s words worked better than a cold shower. His erection wilted within moments.

‘Draco—’ he whispered, although he didn’t know what to say.

But the ghost was gone.

‘Everything okay?’ Harry had opened the door just a crack and peered in hesitantly.

Mere weeks ago he’d have snarled at Harry. Now he couldn’t summon the necessary energy. Severus shrugged and concentrated on the wall. ‘The connection has been established and seems to be even stronger than the last time.’

Severus noted how that knowledge made Harry swallow hard. He didn’t even sigh. Just stopped moving for a second. Would it be better for Hermione if he didn’t return? What place could he ever claim among her friends?

Then he realised that Harry was shaking his head at him. ‘What?’ he bit out.

‘I’m just a little envious, is all,’ Harry said equably. ‘Not because of Hermione,’ he hurried to add. ‘I’ve never liked her like that. Not really. But see, the kind of connection you two have—I have no clue where it comes from. And you know? Me and Ginny—we rub along real well. And I love her and she loves me. And I fully expect us to be happy until we’re old and grey and wrinkled and worse. But…’ He shook his head. ‘It’s just not, I don’t know, I’m really not sure if what Ginny and I have is loads healthier or if we ought to be envious as all hell, because what the two of you have going is just that intense. That’s all. Really.

‘Umm. Right. Uh. I’m waffling. Sorry, sir. Let’s just, uh—go?’

He held out his hand to Severus. For a moment Severus stared blankly at the hand of the young man before him, colourful tattoo, slender wrist, fine-toned muscles.

‘The Incarcerous,’ Harry reminded him.

‘Of course.’

Once more the magical leather bonds wrapped themselves tightly around their hands and forearms.

‘You’ve got the sword?’ He didn’t know why he asked. Gryffindor’s sword attached to Harry’s belt was kind of hard to miss.

‘You’ve got the bells?’ Harry retorted. His wry grin told Severus that he felt exactly the same. The same mixture of fear and anticipation, of relief and courage. Severus grinned back before he could stop himself.

Severus had no idea when and how this had happened, but not even he could deny it anymore: Somewhere along the way they had become friends. James Potter’s brat. Lily’s beloved son. And he.

Together they entered the Death Chamber and walked right up to the Veil.

‘Shall we?’ Severus asked.

‘Not without a proper greeting,’ Harry retorted and cocked his eyebrows, green eyes flashing.

Severus hoped he was assessing the younger man’s intentions correctly, when they turned back to an audience of friends, allies and Ministry employees.

They raised their tied hands in a stern salute and chanted a final greeting: ‘Morituri te salutant!’

Then Severus dragged them around to the left until they faced the Veil. As if on cue, a breeze out of nowhere billowed the Veil so that its soft, ragged seams touched their cheeks.

Severus glanced at Harry out of the corner of his eye. ‘Do you actually know the phrase or have you merely been reading Asterix comics?’

Harry grinned. ‘I happen to like Asterix.’

oooOooo

The Veil swept across their faces in a cool caress. Then they were on the other side, and everything was silent and grey. But mostly silent. There was no dark figure, no hurdy-gurdy grinding away. No Death personified. Just the dim twilight of the Asphodel Meadows.

They were back.