The moment the portrait started to swing open, he stepped inside. His eyes darted about Aurora's sitting room for a moment. He could see discarded books left open all around the room. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that one of the books nearest him was a book on Occlumency. Why on earth would she be reading that?

"I'll be down in a second," she called out from upstairs.

"Take your time," he replied back, noticing Salazar in his portrait about the fireplace glaring at him. He merely raised a brow towards the Slytherin Founder and shook his head when the man left his portrait soon after. Everyone was acting as if he had done something so horrible. He hadn't, though. At least he didn't think he had.

Tugging on his sleeve nervously, he glanced up towards the entryway to her bedroom. His mind replayed his earlier conversation with his father. Listen to her, his father had said. Listen. All he could hear, though, was his heart beating wildly in his chest. It sounded as if it'd burst out at any moment now.

"There's a bottle of wine in the kitchen if you want a glass," she offered from upstairs.

His eyes briefly glanced at the said bottle. Elf-wine, he noticed with a faint smile. "Perhaps later," he replied, rooting himself to the floor as he waited. It'd be only too easy to start to pace, he knew. Once he started, he had little hope that he'd be able to stop before she noticed.

Another few minutes passed. She still had yet to greet him. He could hear rustling from upstairs and frowned. Maybe she was as nervous as he was? Or maybe . . ..

"Aurora?" he called out.

"I know. I'm coming," she yelled back.

His eyes narrowed in response to her tone. It wasn't light as usual. In fact, she sounded rather stressed if he were honest. He took two hesitant steps towards the stairs that led upstairs before he threw all caution to the wind and bound up the spiral staircase. He had waited long enough.

"Aurora," he started to say before all words died on his lips. He blinked as he saw the various dresses littered about the room. There were some on the floor, some on the bed, some thrown onto her vanity. He then glanced at her and saw her look of shame. He hadn't meant for her to worry like this.

"I couldn't decide what to wear," she quietly admitted.

His eyes then swept over her, taking in the exquisite gown she was wearing. The majority of the floor-length gown was a light tan with white intricate designs woven in that reminded him of shooting stars. Her long white sleeves were airy, giving her a bit of a heavenly look. She looked stunning.

"The one you're wearing is perfect," he remarked, slowly striding across the room to her. He gently brushed back a few of her stray dark curls when he reached her. "I promise."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "You'd say that even if I was wearing a bag, Severus."

"Perhaps," he replied with a shrug. He then waited as she looked him over, watching as her face fell again. What was going through her mind, he wondered. He knew if he gave her enough time she'd reveal it, and sure enough he was right.

"I'm severely overdressed. Great." Clearly dejected now, she sighed and turned away from him.

He glanced down at himself and shook his head. He was in a pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt. It wasn't as if he was in a pair of sweatpants. There was no reason for her to be so upset. Well, there was, he guessed, since he had placed such emphasis on asking her to marry him repeatedly. No, no he needed to get back on track here.

"Will you cease in your ridiculousness, witch?" he lightly said. "You don't need to dress up for me. I know you're beautiful."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You said it was a date. I thought . . . never mind. It's stupid."

"You thought I was going to take you out, parade you for other man to slobber over?" His smile grew when he caught her quiet laugh of disbelief. "I had considered it, I admit, but then I'd have to hex them to oblivion for even so much as looking at you, and that just didn't seem appealing then. So, here I am, being selfish and wanting you all to myself tonight."

"Oh? Is that so?" She laughed again before rolling her eyes. "And what if I wanted to see you hex them, Severus?"

He raised a brow before he leaned in to her ear and whispered, "I knew you only wanted me for my wand."

She burst out laughing instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, love, it's not the size of the wand that matters, but rather what you do with it," she drawled before kissing his cheek.

"Duly noted," he replied as his arms snaked around her back to hold her. These were the moments they needed. The moments that had been stolen from them. Every now and then, they'd recapture them, but it'd only be fleeting moments before the moment would vanish again. "I've missed this," he quietly admitted, hoping it'd keep the conversation they needed to have going.

"What?" She glanced up at him with a confused look. "You held me last night."

"Let me rephrase that then. I've missed all of this. These little fleeting moments of ours. It would seem every now and then I can manage to get this right and not act like a total buffoon with you."

"Buffoon?" she repeated with another laugh.

"Well, how else would you describe my behavior at times, Aurora?"

"Sweet," she said with a shrug, "with moments bordering on adorable?"

He raised a brow at her. "I am not adorable."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but you kind of are, Severus," she said before she giggled, the light returning to her dark eyes once more.

"Name one time I was," he grimaced as if he had swallowed a lemon "adorable."

"Our first dance. You were so terrified you were going to step on my feet."

"That's not adorable. That's considerate."

"Okay, well, then what about a little while after that when we were sneaking out of the bathroom to get away from those goons and you went to grab for my shoes when I was holding my hand out for you? Was that you being considerate as well?"

He frowned. "A simple misunderstanding."

"And our first kiss?"

"We had people wanting to kill us, Aurora. I could hardly be blamed for not understanding that you were passing over a knife to me during that kiss."

"Okay, fine. How about all the times you've gotten jealous?"

"I'm a jealous man," he simply replied with a shrug. "You knew that before we ever entered this relationship."

"What about all the times you've become speechless? That's definitely adorable."

His eyes narrowed on her. "What? You've never rendered me speechless, woman." He then stood corrected when a moment later she kissed down his jawline before finally reaching his lips. She tasted like elf-wine, intoxicatingly sweet. He inhaled deeply, her scent whirling around him.

"Or how about the times when you lose control of your magic because of me?" she stated mischievously.

He sharply inhaled when he felt her fingernails rake against his chest suddenly. He hadn't even noticed that she had slid her hand underneath his shirt. He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, and stared deep into hers. He didn't need to use Legilimency to know that she was trying to distract him. He could feel her fingers brush against his left wrist near where his wand was hidden.

"If you think handling my wand is going to cause me to lose control of magic, witch," he drawled, his lip curling upwards in curiosity.

"It's not, but this is," she said with a smirk before she pressed one hand against his chest and the other atop of his wrist and wand.

He inhaled once more as he felt the first wave of magic flood his body. He recognized it immediately as hers and not his. It was too light to be his. Warmth, such delicious warmth, he felt deep within himself. He had felt her magic before, but this . . . this was different from then. As soon as it had come, it had vanished once more, leaving behind a flicker of warmth.

"No, that wasn't supposed to happen," she mumbled quietly as she shook her head, pulling back from him. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

He turned his wrist slowly and grabbed her hand, though. "What was supposed to happen?" he asked quietly, holding her gaze.

"The book said—"

"What book?" he interrupted, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"The one on Legilimency . . . or maybe it was Occlumency, I don't remember. I didn't mean for you to feel my magic. I was trying to—it said you could pass along certain emotions. In this case, I was trying to pass along how much I love you."

He snorted. "I don't need you to pass it along to me to know that, Aurora. To feel your love. Because you've already done that."

"Snogging and making love doesn't—"

"I'm not referring to that," he cut in, shaking his head. "Two years ago, you made a decision to sacrifice yourself for my son. Now, we could lie to ourselves and say you did that because you didn't want a child to die, but we both know you did it for me. It's why it worked, Aurora. Because you selflessly offered your life for his with no expectation to ever be rewarded for it. To ever have this. That action speaks more to your love for me than anything else ever could."

"But it's not enough."

"Foolish, woman, it is. That action helped me open my eyes to see the woman I was meant to be with, you." He sighed quietly, hooking a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly. "For too many years, I chased after a witch who wasn't mine while foolishly missing the one that was always right in front of me. I was blind. There's no other way to put it."

"Severus . . ."

"No. Let me finish please." He then breathed out before he continued. "After Quirrell attacked you down in the chamber, I started to feel differently about you. I brushed it aside, though, and tried to convince myself that you were a just fleeting distraction. The lies started to get harder to tell myself. Frankly, I wasn't believing them anymore. How could I when I knew there was a woman out there that could love me? Who could accept me without any need to change? Who could give as good as I could? But I still told myself those lies, that Lily was the only witch I'd ever love. I did it, I think, because I was scared, Aurora. Scared that one day you'd wake up, as she had, and see the darkness inside me. But you didn't, so I just assumed it was stubbornness on your part and dismissed it."

He could see the sadness in her eyes but pushed forward. He needed to get this off his chest.

"Harry and I brew that potion together, the Soul-Need. I was so convinced that I'd see Lily that it rattled me when I saw you instead. It had always been her. No matter what she did, if that'd be laugh at one of James's jokes as he was hexing me for everyone to see or if it'd be turning her back on me and saying I wasn't worth her time, I forgave her. She was my first friend, my first love. And she treated me like absolute garbage. It's taken decades to realize that. It wasn't until Harry started pushing the issue that I understood it finally."

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"After I saw what I did because of that potion, I couldn't bear to be near you because I felt as if it was betrayal to her. But that's stupid now when I look back on it. I didn't betray her at all." He drew in a slow, steady breath. "I grew up in an abusive home. The man I thought to be my father would beat me and Mother. Some night just for the hell of it."

"Severus," she murmured, grabbing his hand.

"I enjoyed it whenever I was alone, knowing that I was safe then. Lily made me feel safe." He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip before he licked it. "It wasn't her at all, Aurora. It was the feeling of being safe that I loved, of actually having someone be kind to me, not her. She told me once that as long as I enjoyed the Dark Arts, we could never be friends." He held her eyes. "Do you know she never once asked me why I enjoyed them? The only person who ever actually asked that was Harry." She squeezed his hand gently. "It's not causing pain that I enjoy. It's not even the darkness. It's that they're ever changing, complex, a mystery. It's the fact they haven't been explored as too many consider it too dangerous to risk. Understandable, but we need to know the dangers, learn ways to protect ourselves." He then sighed again. "When I cast something dark, I feel as if I gain a little bit more control inside, power over myself. And I gain a bit more knowledge about it. Knowledge I can use to save people."

"I know," she replied quietly.

"When Harry and I were taken by Rowan, she forced me to see that my brushing you aside was only going to make things worse for me. I fought against it, Aurora. If Kettleburn hadn't come when he had, I think I might have realized that sooner than I did."

"Would that have made a difference to know what you do now?" she asked.

"Honestly? I haven't a clue, but at least we'd have had more time together before last year. We'd have had the foundation down for our relationship. But, you're right. It might have made things so much worse as well. It felt like my heart had been ripped out after you were taken. I wanted desperately to find you. I clung to you, Aurora, just as I had to Lily. Worse even, though, because you love me. I thought I was going to lose all that, and I didn't know what to do. Pomfrey scolded me numerous times whenever I went to find you, to use our link with one another. She told me that I was killing myself each time I did it, but that didn't matter. It should've, but it didn't. All that mattered was finding you. To be whole again." He swallowed and closed his eyes.

"And then we did find you, and we brought you home. I didn't want to leave your side, remember? They told me to give you space, and I did. As much as I could bear to give at least. Then we thought you were getting sick again. Then we learned it was all because you had to make a choice. Harry was worried, and I as well if I'm honest, that you'd chose to embrace the vampire side. I knew I'd still love you. I love for life as you know. But I was worried about how this would affect us. Would you still feel or not? When you chose us, I couldn't be more thrilled. It was over. We could be together finally. So night after night, I thought about asking you to marry me. To make it official. But I was terrified you'd say no, so I remained quiet until this morning. I didn't ask you, though, because I wanted to make you feel better. It's a part of it, yes, but you are so much more to me than a girlfriend."

She smiled faintly towards him.

"I've focused so much on us, trying to recapture what was taken from us, that I've forgotten to listen to you. My father reminded me of that earlier this evening. If I thought I was terrified and needing you, I can't even imagine what you had to have been feeling all these months."

He didn't expect her to answer. In fact, he fully expected the silence to settle around them again. So, when she spoke a moment later, he didn't know what to think.

"Confused," she admitted softly. "That's the major one."

She felt confused? He supposed he could understand that. Since her rescue, they had gone from one crisis to another with hardly any breathing room between the incidents. He could hardly process all of it some days.

"It's like everyone else has moved on," she continued quietly, "but I can't, Severus. And I know. That's why I was supposed to talk with McCoy, but he doesn't get it."

She had repeated that phrase off and on for months now, he realized. Each time she gave him a piece of the puzzle, but he had never quite put them together. What did they not get? What she went through? She hadn't told anyone that. At least he hadn't heard all of the details yet.

"For months, all I felt was pain and fear . . . and after a bit I started, um . . ." She drew in a shaky breath. "I didn't know if I was going to die there alone. He'd bring me to the brink . . . and then at last moment he'd bring me back. He did it over and over and over again. And when that lost its fun, he . . . he went inside me head. Even now, I can't be certain if it's my thoughts I'm hearing or his . . ." She glanced up at him with a haunted look before saying, "Or yours. There's just too many people in there. It's why I couldn't talk to McCoy. I already have three voices inside my head. I don't need a fourth."

Severus held her closer and felt her tremble against him. He wanted to make her feel safe again. Clearly, she hadn't felt safe even after returning.

"I wanted to die, Severus," she stated before gasping as her words fell around them. It was shocking to hear her say that. "I-I wanted it to end." Her voice shook slightly. "But . . . but it wouldn't. You keep saying now I didn't give up on you, but I did, Severus. I did after a while." She held him tightly as if she expected him to vanish at any moment. "I tried . . . I tried not to. But I couldn't. I just wanted it to end." Her breathing hitched as the words tumbled faster out of her mouth. "That's why, why I said no when you asked earlier. Why I can't marry you. I was, I was so angry . . . so furious that you didn't let me go. That you kept holding onto me. Begging me to fight when . . . when I couldn't do it anymore. I was so tired. I just wanted it to end. Didn't you understand? Didn't you, didn't you see how much in pain I was, Severus?"

He felt the sting of his own tears as he heard her voice break and felt her grief.

"I tried afterwards to act like nothing happened. I tried to just ignore it, brush it all aside and convince myself it had happened to someone else, someone other than me. But . . ." She shook her head, forcing the air into her lungs. "I had you and Harry. I should've been happy. I had both of you, and we were together. But I wasn't."

He kissed the top of her head but remained silent.

"I couldn't sleep. I'd check on him . . . on you . . . just to make certain you were both still here with me. I was so convinced that all this—all of it—was just another one of his mind games. His tricks." She grabbed his arms once more, clinging to him. "If I say 'Yes' and you go again, I . . . I can't. I can't say 'Yes,' Severus. I can't. I'm too tired. I'm so tired, Severus." Her eyes showed the despair and terrible grief that she had tried hiding for so long. The walls she had built were crashing down finally. "I don't want to wake up," she whispered, her whole body trembling against his. "I don't want to find myself back there again. To realize all this is his stupid, sick game. That it was all just in my head. That nothing, not you or Harry, are real. That's it all just illusions. Smoke and mirrors and the like." Her tear-filled eyes stared into his black depths.

His mind instantly considered possible ways to convince her that this was real, that he was really there. But nothing seemed foolproof. How did one convince someone after such trauma that what she saw was real and not an illusion?

"Even now, I, I can't decide. I try to act, act like I'm good, that I'm all right. Because I'm supposed to. Because that's how one acts after she survives. Mother taught me that. Taught me that you brush yourself off, and you don't let others see you weak. If they see you weak, you're over."

His eyes narrowed briefly as he considered her words. On one hand, she seemed terrified that all of it was an illusion, that he and Harry weren't really there, that she was still with Voldemort being tortured. The fear made her want to give up, she was admitting to him. On the other hand, she also was saying that she was still fighting, though, that she hadn't given up, just was putting on her brave mask and playing the role she thought she had to play in order to survive. Her mind was at odds with itself and had been for quite some time. Suddenly, the Occlumency book was making a whole lot more sense now.

"So before with me, you were playing along because you believe that's what you're supposed to do with me?" he asked quietly. "Our back-and-forth, I mean."

"I honestly, I don't know anymore. Every now and then, it seems real, like I'm really back with you and that everything's going to be fine. Like it happened to someone else, a story I just heard in passing and that it hadn't happened to me. Other times . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Other times it's harder to distinguish what's real and what's not?" he offered, forcing his voice to remain neutral. He didn't want to scare her.

"Yeah." She nodded with a sigh before raising her hands up and running them down her face. "And then there's times when I just want to hex something. To destroy it. To get rid of all the anger inside me now."

"Your mirror," he stated, recalling the other day when he had walked in on her controlling the jagged shards of glass.

"The mirror. A tree. Your sitting room window." She shrugged before looking up at him with a sad faint smile. "Sirius."

"You need to let some of that anger out, though, Aurora. While I'm certain everyone else would rather you released it by talking, sometimes a good hex goes a long way I know." He watched her roll her eyes at him. "Bottling your emotions up never works, though. It only increases the tension inside before you finally explode. In my case, I kept hexing James to the point where he was so bloodied and bruised that he was almost unrecognizable. It helped. For a bit, but after a while it wasn't enough."

"It's why you learned Occlumency then, right? So the pain dulled a bit?"

"No." He shook his head, realizing his father was becoming more right by the minute. She didn't know him as well as he had thought she had. Nor did he know her it seemed. She only had what her mind had created for those missing details. "I learned Occlumency so that when I would duel someone, I could hide my next actions from them in order to gain the upper hand and defeat them."

"Oh."

"You're right, though. Occlumency did help dull the pain I felt after her death. However, it came at a price. I closed myself off to others, pushing anyone away who got too close. I became cold inside, lifeless, Aurora." He needed her to understand that Occlumency would not be the answer she sought.

"But it stopped the pain you felt," she argued.

"Yes, but knowing what I do now, I would rather have taken the pain and heartbreak than to become the man I was again." He could see her confusion and continued to explain. "When I first received custody of Harry after his attack, I didn't know how to be close to him, how to love, Aurora. I had shut off that part of myself for so long that I simply forgot how to. Even now, I hesitate to hug him out of fear that I'm doing the wrong thing. Sometimes even with you, I wonder if I should just pull back from you and let you find someone else who isn't so," he paused as he thought of the right word "so awkward, I suppose. Someone who knows how to make you feel appreciated and loved, who knows the right words to say."

"I don't need the right words, though. I've had those types of men before. They couldn't be honest to save their life. At least with you I know you are."

"But I say things wrong sometimes. I hurt you," he stated firmly.

"Not intentionally. I may be messed up inside, but I'm not that bad, Severus." She then sighed. "And, well, I just think about how someday we'll be looking back on it and laughing. At least I hope we'll be laughing."

"About what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Telling our grandchildren about the time you burst into the room telling Lupin to get away from your witch?" She gave him a somber smile. "I don't know. There's moments when I can almost believe this is real, you know? And then something happens, and it just comes rushing back to me again."

He nodded as he considered her words for a moment. "So, what you're saying is that my asking you to marry me made you stop and think that this wasn't real?" He watched her head hang and sighed inwardly. He hadn't even considered that.

"It's too good to be true, you know? You asking me that, saying those particular words." She wiped at a few of the tears that had streaked her cheeks. "I want to marry you. I do, Severus. I just . . ."

"Can't marry me now. I understand. Honest I do. I can wait until you're ready." He then gave a quiet chuckle. "Not patiently, but I can wait. You've waited decades for me. I can do the same for you."

"But that's stupid, though, isn't it?" she stated a moment later. "Us waiting any longer? I mean, we can't stop living just because I'm stuck in my head right now."

"Why not?" he challenged gently. Perhaps it wasn't McCoy she needed to talk to, but him. She admitted herself that she didn't want anyone else inside her mind. Severus was already there, though, thanks to their link. It wasn't someone new to her. In fact, it was someone she trusted.

"What do you mean?"

"Why can't we pause and take a moment until we're both ready?"

"Because nothing's certain," she answered, staring at him as if he had grown another head. "An asteroid could come crashing down and wipe out the planet tomorrow for all we know."

"It could." He waited and watched her, seeing just a sliver of her past self showing again. She seemed to be gaining a bit of a foothold again. How long it lasted was anyone's guess at this point. His eyes narrowed when she placed a hand directly over where his heart was. "What are you doing?"

"Feeling for a heartbeat," she replied weakly.

"Oh? And is there one?" He watched disbelief morph into an 'Are you serious right now' look.

"I don't know. I'm still feeling for one," she quipped before she moved her hand and paused. "I can feel you, Severus. I can touch you." He nodded slowly, holding back the urge to tell her not to stop. "You react like you should."

"Good to know."

"So, I really shouldn't be doubting this. You're breathing. You're warm." She leaned up and captured his lips before pulling back and touching her own lips with her fingers, staring at him

"And?"

"Cast your Patronus for me," she asked. "I know it's random, but please?"

He gave a curt nod before he took a step back and drew his wand. She was testing to see how far the illusion went. It made sense. He flicked his wand lightly, the wispy ethereal animal leaping out of the tip before landing on its feet in front of them. It still was strange to see the panther standing where the doe should have been, but it was a sign that he had moved on so he'd not complain too loudly.

"The panther," she murmured, staring at his Patronus quietly. Her eyes closed briefly. "Not the doe. It's the panther."

"Yes." He waited for a few minutes as she clearly was in deep thought about this. She had known that his Patronus had changed. In fact, he could still recall their conversation about it, and how she had expressed regret and guilt over its alternation. Not that she should have ever felt either of those.

When she reopened her eyes, she found his. There was a sense of calm in them again. A sort of rocky calm, he knew, but still a calm. "Ask me again, Severus."

"Ask what?" he replied quietly, knowing full well what she was wanting.

"Ask me again," she repeated, her voice growing just a bit stronger. "Properly this time. Like you promised you would."

"Not if you're only agreeing to—"

"Severus Snape, do not make me resort to hexing your bony little arse for being a complete git and denying me this. Now, ask me." There was the fire in her that he was used to seeing.

His lip curled upwards. Hex his bony little arse? Just who did she think she was exactly?

"I'm willing to wait, Aurora," he replied politely. He needed to make certain before he did. He didn't want this to turn into another regret of theirs. She had to be ready for it.

"But I'm not. You said it yourself earlier. I've waited half of my life for this moment."

"What if it turns out this is all in your head?" He hated himself for asking it, but it remained. He had to test her just as she had tested him.

"Then I fight that much harder, Severus, so that one day I can wrap my hands around his neck and snap it." He raised a brow at her. He didn't doubt her for an instant. "Ask me."

He paused as he thought of the right words to say. However, his pausing seemed to only upset her further, he soon realized.

"What do you need to hear from me? That all is well? It's not," she admitted with a shrug. "I've been better, though, these past few months. Ever since I chose you and Harry and put all that other nonsense behind me." Her eyes searched his before she frowned. "I can either just keep moving on, letting time heal my wounds as I've recently chosen to do, or I can return to wallowing in self-pity and shame and slowly fade away. Now, could this all be in my head? Yes. It could. Could after I say 'Yes,' all of this disappear and I find myself back in that chamber again, screaming and trying to escape? Yes again. Saying 'No,' though, doesn't change anything really. It just leaves everything at a standstill. And I'm tired of being at a standstill. I'm tired of him taking even more from me. From us. I've let him control me for so long, Severus, and there's a chance he's not even here but locked up still."

"There is," he said with a nod.

"You told me once that your mother told you that relationships were messy. Ours is going to be the messiest one yet, I think."

"But?"

"But all things worth doing come with risk. Don't they?"

"They do," he agreed, watching her for any signs of doubt or fear. He could still see hints of it, but her stubbornness was winning out currently. If she could only hold onto that for longer . . .

"If you're okay marrying a witch who has some serious mental issues she has to work through, and you know, pushing aside her dislike of healers, Severus, then yes. My answer is yes."

"But I didn't ask you anything," he retorted, chuckling silently when she punched him in the upper arm. Rubber bands, his father had called them earlier. They were much more like yo-yos actually. Happy, sad, angry, hurt, grief, fear, they had felt it all lately. Some form of balance was needed. "Do you still feel as if you don't know me?"

"Yeah, a bit," she admitted, "but I think that's what's going to keep our marriage interesting. Learning new things about one another still. Though, we are going about this backwards."

"Something my father said to me as well," he said with a smile. "But to me it comes down to not wanting to wait any longer for something that I know in my heart is right. I know I want to marry you. I can't for the life of me explain why I feel as if I want to marry you now—it could be fear or something else entirely, but I know it, Aurora."

"Yeah, my reasoning is so not as elegant as that," she laughed.

"Oh?"

"I want to marry you because I want to wake up every day next to you for the rest of our lives. I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want. Leave lipstick on your cheek that leaves you grumbling as you try to remove it. I want to be a part of yours and Harry's lives. A part where we're a family. Where Harry has the two parents who love him and will always be there for him. But above all else, I want to be your wife, the witch who tamed the bastard of the dungeons."

He snorted at her use of her colorful moniker she had given him long ago.

"I'm tired of fighting my battles alone, Severus," she said quietly, reaching for his hand.

"As am I," he replied just as quiet as she had.

"Then ask me."

He nodded slowly, hearing activity near them. He knew if he looked around, he'd see at least four people watching them. Two downstairs, and two in portraits behind them.

"Dear Merlin, man!" the nasally voice of Phineas Nigellus called out. "Ask her already."

"Indeed. We're dying over here. Quite literally in fact," Salazar drawled behind them as well.

Severus watched her laugh, feeling his nervousness slowly dissipate with hers. He slowly reached into his pocket, his fingers wrapping around the small ring he had chosen. He had listened to her. He had done half of what his father had asked. Lowering himself to one knee and ignoring the shooting pain that caused him (he really was too old for this sort of thing), he kept his eyes trained on her, watching her every move.

"Aurora, will you do me the honor and marry me?" He held out the simple silver ring to her and waited. Her arms wrapped around his neck within seconds.

"Yes," she declared, her momentum causing them to fall back onto the floor soon after. "Yes, I'll marry you, Severus." She stared down at him before kissing him deeply.

"YES!" Harry shouted with glee from downstairs.

"Hush, Mister Potter!" McGonagall scolded seconds later followed by something shattering onto the stone floor.

"Oops," the young man said then.

Severus raised an eyebrow and stared at Aurora, who was smiling.

"Don't worry. I'll fix the vase, Mum!" Harry yelled up a moment later.

"He better," Aurora muttered lightheartedly before she rested her head against Severus's chest. She watched as Severus slowly slid the finger up her ring finger. "It's beautiful."

"It is," Severus replied quietly, his arms wrapping around her. "And other than a broken vase, nothing bad has happened." That comment earned him a quick glare followed the sounds of some other vase or fragile item shattering.

"I'll fix that one too!" Harry yelled once more.

"Oh goodness gracious, Potter, are you part bull? Honestly," McGonagall said before raising her voice even louder. "Congratulations to you both," she called out. "Now, come along, Mister Potter. It's time for bed."

"But . . ." He then said with a groan of disappointment, "Oh, all right. I'm coming, Professor."

They heard the sound of the portrait closing a moment later.

"Now, where were we?" Aurora stated with a wicked grin.

"I believe, my dear, he was about to kiss you," declared Phineas from the portrait he and Salazar were no doubt currently sharing.

"Yes, you're quite right, Nigellus. That's exactly where they were," Salazar drawled.

Severus and Aurora both flicked their wrists towards the sounds of the portraits' voices, resulting in a series of yelps from Salazar and Phineas before both men vanished from the portrait.