Work Text:
Title: Wishes Granted
Author: Catheryne
Rating: FRT-ish
Pairing: Snarry all the way, baby.
Summary: It's Harry's birthday, but his love isn't there so...he makes a wish.
Warnings: slash m/m, allusions to future MPreg (nothing graphic, I promise), fluff and slight angst. Maybe.
Prompt: #165 at hpfanfic10x10: Wish
A/N:This is my first story for my prompt table over at hpfanfic10x10. I got this idea while listening to that song by Lone Star. "Already There" I think it's called. Anyway, this is my first ever Snarry fic (or any fic out of the Buffy/Angelverse) and so any and all criticism is welcome of the non-flamey variety.
A messy haired young man stared at his birthday cake with a lost expression, like his mind was very, very far away. In truth it was and he was so very sad. If he raised his brilliant green eyes the flames dancing on his candles would reflect in the tears just waiting to get big enough to roll down his cheek. You see, this young man was Harry Potter and it was his birthday. He was surrounded by his friends and adopted family and there was laughter and jokes about his ripe age of 30 going around, but...he was not content.
This was the first birthday in ten years that he had had to spend without his mate because he got delayed at a conference in Ireland. He was supposed to have been back in time for Harry's party but couldn't make it, said the letter delivered by express owl that day. Ron's girl, Lena, climbed into Harry's lap and said, looking up at him with eyes that were an exact match to her father's, "Aren't you gonna blow out your candles, Unca Harry?"
Harry's smile given to his goddaughter was watery but sincere and he nodded and held her to him by an arm around her waist. "You're gonna have to help me," he said. "I dunno if I can do it by myself." The little girl nodded enthusiastically, her red Weasley hair bobbing in time to her head. She made to blow them out, but he stopped her saying, "I've gotta make a wish, Lena."
She looked horrified that she almost cheated him out of a wish and he just chuckled softly as her eyes got really big. He reassured her it was fine and turned back to his candles, thinking of what to wish for and his thoughts immediately turned to children. He'd always wanted children and he'd found a potion to make it happen so he wouldn't be all alone when his mate went off...But at that moment, the one thing he wanted most was his mate, his dark eyed paradox of a husband.
I wish Severus would come home tonight... Harry whispered in his mind and when he closed his eyes, Lena took the hint and blew out the candles with him, making sure to get each and every one all in one go. When the candles were out, the room was plunged into darkness even as it erupted in cheers and well wishes.
The green eyed young man wiped off his tears before the lights came back on and a smile was on his face. Only Lena saw something was up and handed him the knife to cut the cake. Her hand lingered on his for a second and Harry looked into her eyes, into those smart eyes that, just like her mother's, seemed to notice everything. He chuckled softly at that and looked over to where her parents sat, Hermione in Ron's arms as they watched their daughter.
Harry cut into the cake and put a small piece to the side for himself while cutting the other pieces for Ron, Hermione, Lena, Molly and Arthur, Bill, Charlie and the twins. Ginny hadn't been able to make it since Neville's birthday had been the night before and they'd done a little too much...celebrating...that night. Everyone sat down, talking and laughing over their pieces of cake and after a while, Harry looked over at the clock and started as he realized that it was gone ten thirty.
Standing up and being careful not to jostle the sleeping little Granger-Weasley wrapped around him like a pretzel, Harry said to them all, "Alright guys. Thank you so much for coming over to my party, but I think I'm going to follow little Lena's example and head off to sleep."
There was some good natured grumbling about Harry being a kill joy now that he was thirty which he accepted with a grin. Hermione came over to get her daughter and soon Lena had a pretzel hold on her mother instead of her godfather. Harry's bushy haired friend grabbed him in a hug and whispered in his ear, "It'll be fine, Harry, you'll see." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and wandered out after Ron, changing Lena's grip on her so she was balanced on Hermione's hip.
Harry watched his guests leave and heaved a sigh, leaning back against the door after they were all gone. He closed his eyes for the moment it took him to sigh but when he opened them he groaned. What a bloody mess...He could very well clean up the remains of his party but...then he wouldn't have them anymore. He was going to do the work the muggle way rather than just waving his wand and having it done right off.
He figured if he was exhausted when he finally crawled into bed that night, he wouldn't think about how he was falling asleep by himself. Again. So, Harry set to work gathering up the paper plates and throwing them in the rubbish bin. Next he collected all the glasses and cups and used just a little magic to levitate them over to the sink filled with soapy water.
Harry got about halfway through the dishes before he finally couldn't ignore that he was alone. He lived out in the middle of the damn country for Merlin's sake! He had no neighbors around him for miles and he usually liked it that way, liked the solitude after so many years in the spotlight, but tonight it was oppressive. He gave up on his muggle methods and waved his wand over the dishes, cleaning them quickly and putting them away just as fast.
Once everything was done, the green eyed man made his way to his bedroom and curled up on Severus's side, pulling a journal out from under his own pillow and sat against the headboard, reading the entry from a couple weeks ago showing the ingredients and recipe for the potion needed to produce a child. He ran his hand over the page, a little wistful look on his face before he shook his head and placed the journal on his pillow. He knew he shouldn't let Severus's absence affect him this badly. The black eyed man had been gone longer than this, but it was Harry's birthday and he really wanted him here.
Harry heard the clock start to chime out in the front room and counted the sounds of the bells. "One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten...eleven...twelve." He sighed softly and lay down on the bed completely, head resting on Severus's pillow and settling down for sleep. "No more wishes, Harry..." he whispered, a tear leaking out of his eye and rolling down his cheek. He turned onto his side, curling up around his mate's pillow, burying his face in it to stifle his sobs even though he knew no one could hear them. If anything that made him sob harder. Soon, he fell into an exhausted sleep, still curled up around Severus's pillow, sniffles and whimpers escaping his lips even in sleep.
~*~*~*~
Severus knew that Harry would be upset with him for not being able to make it to his birthday party so when he got in the door at about 12:30, he was expecting that righteous Gryffindor temper to be aimed at him. Instead, he was greeted by the silence of a darkened house. He blinked slightly and looked in the kitchen, seeing no dishes in the sink and everything put away, everything spotless. He put down his suitcase by the kitchen table and made his way to the bedroom, shedding his heavy robes on his way there.
He paused halfway through the room and the sight of his Harry curled up around his pillow, looking so miserable and having obviously cried himself to sleep, cracked his heart a little. "Oh, Harry..." Severus breathed and climbed onto the bed, taking the pliant body into his arms and rocking him gently. He buried his face in the unruly mop of hair atop Harry's head that irked him so often and just held him like that. When he looked up again, his eyes lighted on a journal.
Severus knew that Harry wouldn't like it if he read it, but some...instinct was telling him to do it anyway. He turned the book over and saw the entry containing a potion. He read the ingredients and his brow furrowed. This couldn't possibly be... he thought in shock. But it was. It was the very potion he had gone to that convention about. To see if it had worked for anyone and if he could give his Harry a chance at the family he so craved.
It only worked for the couples who were found to be soul mates and only if they were truly and undoubtedly in love. Severus was glad for the very first time that Harry had stumbled across an old family tree showing each member of Severus's family and their soul mates. Now it seemed that his Harry had found out his secret after all.
Severus held the sleeping form tighter to him and was surprised slightly when he came around a bit. "Sevy...?" Harry's sleep roughened voice slurred.
Severus didn't even have the heart to correct the use of that particular nickname as he nodded slightly and kissed Harry's forehead. "I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. I was held back," Severus explained, regret coloring his voice.
"Thought you wouldn't..." Harry mumbled. Severus shook his head, cursing softly at all the questions that had stopped him from coming home on his Harry's thirtieth birthday, knowing how much this one had meant to him. He was about to voice another apology when Harry murmured, "Wished for you tonight. Thought it wouldn't come true."
Severus smiled softly and lay down with his green eyed mate in his arms. He lay the smaller man's head against his chest while winding a leg around his waist in a very possessive gesture that under normal circumstances, Harry would've objected to. Now, though, he curled into Severus's arms and heard his deep voice rumble, "Harry, you don't have to wish for me to come to you because I'm always here. Always in the moonlight coming from your window and always, never forget this Harry, I'm always in your heart."
Harry made a little noise, whether in agreement or not, Severus couldn't guess and snuggled closer. Severus let him, holding him tighter and pressing his face once more into the unruly hair on Harry's head before joining his love in the arms of Morpheus.