alisanne

Title: Crisis Management
Author:

alisanne
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley.
Word Count: 100 x 8
Rating: PG
Challenge: Written for

snarry100/

snarry100's prompt# 621: Crisis.
Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Part Fifty-Two of the Wisdom Series (LJ/IJ/DW).
Beta(s):

sevfan and emynn.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

~

Crisis Management

~

Severus entered the living room. “Salazar save me—”

Harry smiled. “Narcissa again?”

“Yes. Another crisis.” Severus rolled his eyes.

“What now?”

“She’s requesting our guest list.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “For?”

“Our engagement party.” Severus sighed. “She’s already planning to invite the Weasleys, their significant others, the entirety of Hogwarts’ staff, your Auror corps year-mates, your current MACUSA colleagues…”

Harry blinked. “Godric, how many people is she planning for?”

“Several hundred, obviously.”

“Just for our engagement?” Harry groaned. “Are we having all those people at our wedding?”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Bloody hell.” Harry sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

“Indeed.”

~

“Sorry, Harry.” Penelope smiled sympathetically. “Severus already agreed she can throw the party, right?”

“Yes.”

“And if you back out now, it’ll cause a crisis in his friendship with those people?”

“Yes.” Harry groaned. “Probably.”

“Then I see no way around it.”

“I was hoping you had a magical fix.”

Penelope grinned. “You could fake your own death.”

“Your death won’t be fake if you two don’t shut up!” hissed Ginny over their earpieces. “We’re supposed to be on stakeout!”

Harry winked at Penelope. “But I need advice, Gin.”

“Maybe you can ask the smugglers,” snapped Ginny. “Because they’re here!”

~

Hermione had no better ideas. “The invitation arrived. It’s going to be quite the affair.”

Harry groaned. “She already sent them out? Damn.”

“It arrived this morning.” Hermione eyed him through the Floo. “What’s wrong? This is hardly a crisis, Harry.”

“It’s just…” Harry dropped his voice. “This whole thing feels out of control! I want our plans to reflect us, not the Malfoys.”

“Your wedding will, though, right? You’re having that at Hogwarts, and you’re planning the entire thing.”

“Right, but who throws an engagement party with more people than will be at the wedding?”

Hermione sighed. “The Malfoys?”

~

“We can’t,” said Severus when Harry approached him about calling off the engagement party. “Narcissa’s good at hiding her emotions, but she’d be inconsolable.”

Harry sat beside him on the sofa. “I don’t want to upset her, and I still owe her a life debt. But I don’t want to do this engagement party!”

Severus nodded. “Truth be told, neither do I. But I don’t think we have a choice now.”

Just then, Azizi wandered in, hopping up onto Severus’ lap. Absently, he stroked her.

Sighing, Harry laid his head on Severus’ shoulder. “I just want a crisis free life.”

~

The day of the engagement party was approaching, and Harry, resigned to his fate, went formal robe shopping with Ginny.

Something he’d thought would be simple, turned into an all-day procedure. Finally, Ginny narrowed her recommendations down to three robes. “You could just get all of them.”

Harry gave her a flat look. “That would cause a crisis in my Gringotts account.”

Ginny snorted. “Oh, please. Everyone knows you’re loaded.”

“Not if I keep spending hundreds of Galleons on robes I’m only going to wear once!”

Ginny huffed. “Fine, which one do you prefer?”

Harry grinned. “I’ll make Severus decide.”

~

Pulling his face from the Pensieve, Severus eyed Harry. “They all looked fetching,” he said.

Harry laughed. “You’re no help! I need to pick one for this bloody engagement party.”

“True.” Severus drew him close. “Or you could wear your wedding robes.”

“To our engagement? Wear the same thing twice?” Harry smiled. “People would talk. It would spark a social crisis.”

Severus smirked. “Not if no one saw you wear it the first time.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “How’ll that work? Everyone will be at our engagement.”

“Yes, but if we marry first—”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Elope with me.”

~

Harry stared at Severus. “Did you just…propose?”

“Surely you knew it was coming.”

“Yes, but—”

“Harry, you haven’t answered my question.” Severus swallowed, an unsure look creeping into his eyes. “Is there a reason you’re giving me a crisis of conscience?”

“No.” Harry blinked as a horrified look crossed Severus’ face. “I mean yes!”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to try that again?”

“Yes.” Looping his arms around Severus’ neck, Harry exhaled. “Yes, I would love to marry you, no, I didn’t mean to cause you anxiety.”

Kissing him, Severus dragged him towards their bed. “Good answer.”

~

“You honestly think we can elope?” Harry whispered, his chin on Severus’ naked chest.

Severus, caressing Harry’s bare back, sighed. “We’ve been forced into it.”

“What will Narcissa say?”

“She’ll understand.”

“Or she’ll be angry.”

“Not if we still let her have her party.”

Harry snorted. “Except we’ll already be married. So will that work?”

“We surprise everyone at the party by telling them we got married. It’ll become a wedding party.” Severus hummed. “Narcissa will love it.”

“What about the Headmistress? Won’t that cause a crisis with her?”

“Not if she performs the ceremony.”

Beaming, Harry kissed Severus. “Brilliant!”

~

Continued in Bonding Time (LJ/IJ/DW).