159Epilogue
Harry walked through the Chamber of Secrets tugging his robes tighter around himself as the chill of the Chamber soaked into him, he was a little tired from finishing teaching his last class, and now had gone trekking looking for his husband. It was worth it though, the School was their pride and joy, and they had it back to what it had been intended to be between them, Filius as the Deputy Headteacher, and Sirius and Remus' hard work.
"Little Master," Cordelia, Salazar's basilisk hissed at him.
"Is he still working?" Harry asked bending as best he could to stroke his hand down her scales.
"Of course," if snakes could roll their eyes Cordelia would do it a lot.
"I will get him shifting,"
"You're the only one that can, I even threatened to bite him and he just mumbled at me," Cordelia huffed. Chuckling Harry gave her another pat before making his way into the study. Glancing at the empty portrait he had to smile as memories of that night, the night of the start of his life, came back to him.
"Salazar Slytherin!" Harry barked, and watched delightedly as his stern Headmaster of a husband, one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts, the now mighty and reinstated Lord Slytherin, jumped in his seat and looked up at him guiltily.
"Harry? What time is it?" His husband asked looking around.
"Time for supper, what on earth are you working on that has you so distracted?" Harry chuckled making his way over to the desk. Salazar lifted his head for the kiss that Harry automatically bent to give him, making Harry smile into their kiss, and kissed him a little longer and a little sweeter for the action.
His heart jumped in his chest when Salazar reached out and cupped Harry's heavily swollen stomach, pressing a kiss to that as well, as ever his sapphire blue eyes awed as they looked at the bump of his stomach. Harry hoped that the baby he was carrying had Salazar's blue eyes.
"I solved it," Salazar grinned.
"Solved what?" Harry asked distracted from his soft thoughts.
"Our bonding!"
"What?! But it has been six years!" Harry gasped, leaning down eagerly to look at the paperwork in front of Salazar.
"I managed to get a book when we went on our holiday to Egypt," Salazar said and then pulled a face.
"I told you, Sirius didn't mean to trigger that curse, and Bill and Remus told him off enough," Harry huffed before poking his husband in the cheek, "the bond?"
"Hmph," Salazar huffed before carrying on anyway, his excitement building. "I didn't really think that it would have anything that would help us in it, but well you know I have become interested in these things anyway now,"
"Mm hm,"
"I was flicking through it and found an entry that matched what happened to us. It has only happened on a few occasions from what I can work out, and not in as complicated a manner as with us, you know the whole portrait thing," Salazar waved his hand.
"Of course, no one else was as complicated," Harry snorted.
"It happens only with parseltongue's, that seems to be the link between the cases, the first recorded incident was Rames II and Nefertiti, Pharaoh and Great Queen of Egypt, they met and…"
"My love, as much as I would like to hear this at another time, the bond?" Harry laughed kissing Salazar.
"Right sorry. Yes, it seems to be to do with being a parseltongue and being soulmates, when their bond is made physically, as long as both are willing and they are fully committed to each other and have fully accepted the bond between them then this bond will react and tie them together permanently. It is a blessing from mother magic and a sign that we were meant for each other, that we are soul mates," Salazar beamed up at him.
Harry leant down and kissed him sweetly. While this wasn't the information that they hadn't already known, except for the parseltongue part, seeing Salazar so happy to have solved the puzzle finally, and the knowledge that it was proof of what he had already known about them being soul mates couldn't have stopped him from kissing his husband.
"You're indulging me slightly aren't you?" Salazar huffed seeing the expression on Harry's face when they parted.
"A little," Harry smiled brightly, laughing when his husband pulled him carefully into his lap and bit his neck, sucking a mark onto it that would have Sirius steaming from the ears despite Harry and Salazar having been together for six years and were expecting a baby within a week.
"And why are you indulging me?" Salazar asked.
"I truly am happy to know about this, and the parseltongue is definitely interesting, it gives me hope that our future descendants will be blessed with a similar relationship as well,"
"But?" Salazar tilted his head.
"But, I already knew that you were my soul mate and that we were meant to be together, I already knew that I would spend the rest of my life with you from pretty much the moment I opened my eyes in our bedroom and saw you sitting on the bed in front of me. You are the love of my life, my other half, my soul mate, bond marks, or no bond marks I have always known that in the depths of my soul and heart," Harry smiled cupping Salazar's face.
"Well, when you put it that way," Salazar said roughly, his face lit up, mirroring all the emotions that Harry felt for him. "My life, my love, my heart,"
"Always," Harry smiled resting his hand over Salazar's on his stomach.
"Always," Salazar pulled him in for another kiss before freezing halfway there and looking at Harry wide-eyed.
"Yup, that was my waters breaking, your daughter is coming," Harry pulled a face but then laughed.
"Rowena's timing was always impressive, it seems as though she is already taking after her namesake," Salazar snorted helping Harry to his feet and vanishing the liquid from the two of us.
"Salazar?" Harry turned to his husband and cupped his face.
"Harry, you're in labour," Salazar said slowly as though worried Harry hadn't really clicked onto that.
"I am aware," Harry shook his head but pulled his husband down to kiss him anyway. "I will forever be grateful that you made your way to me,"
"I am glad I did too," Salazar kissed him. "Can we go to the Hospital Wing now?" he said a little pleadingly.
"Come on, don't forget to collect Cordelia and Norman," Harry started walking to the entrance, Salazar hurrying after him.
"I have them, I have them!" Salazar collected Harry's male basilisk where he was snoozing in front of the fire, Norman hissing in displeasure at just being grabbed while he was napping, and chased after his husband.
"You're dealing with Sirius through this!" Harry called cheerfully.
"What! He's your godfather!" Salazar protested, skidding to a halt in the doorway when Harry turned to glare at him.
"I am pushing something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a lemon, do you want to argue?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"No!" Salazar squeaked.
"That's what I thought, now come on husband mine, let's bring the first of our children into the world," Harry grinned, leaning up to kiss Salazar before grimacing and clutching his stomach, turning to hurry out to the Hospital Wing.
"First of our children," Salazar grinned before scooping Cordelia up as she hurried to him and chased after his husband.
"They're naming their first child after me!" Rowena crowed nudging the other two with her elbows, getting grumbles from the two of them where they were squashed into the normally empty portrait frame with her.
"If it was a boy they would have been calling him Godric, honestly just because you read the prophecy," Godric huffed.
"They are so in love," Helga sighed happily.
"Yes, they are," Rowena stopped shoving at Godric and smiled after the two of them.
"He's happy as well," Godric smiled after his old friend.
"Come on, our time is running out and we have seen what we came to see, he made the right choice," Rowena sighed.
"He definitely did, they're making a family together," Helga laughed clapping her hands together.
"Here we go," Godric started the spell to take them back to their own time, the teachers were going to be furious with them for shorting out Hogwarts again, and it was probably going to be for a good couple of weeks this time, but at least they had waited for the school holidays.
"Thank you, my friends," Salazar said softly from the door, and the three of them looked up startled to meet familiar blue eyes.
"Yes, thank you for sending him to me," Harry peeked from around his husband, smiling at the friends that meant so much to him, "I promise I will make sure that he has a long and happy life here, you will never know what having him in my life means to me,"
"You're meant to be on your way to the Hospital Wing!" Salazar shouted.
"There are more important things," Harry waved him off.
"You're in labour," Salazar groaned.
"Still aware of that," Harry said cheekily.
"We are glad to see you so happy," Godric said, and Salazar wrapped his arm around Harry to support him while smiling at his friends.
"I truly am, thank you, my friends, for everything that you did for me," Salazar nodded to them.
"Have a happy life, both of you," Rowena smiled between them.
"Look after him for us," Helga waved.
"Name your next kid after me or I will haunt your arse Slytherin!" Godric shouted before the portrait flickered and went back to being empty again.
"Ok?" Harry asked Salazar.
"More than, they got to see that I made the right choice, and I got to thank them for getting me here. They met you, and saw how happy I am," Salazar smiled before turning to Harry with a stern expression, "now get your arse to the Hospital Wing, you're in labour!"
"Yes sir, yes sir!" Harry laughed turning to actually make his way to the Hospital Wing this time.
"Rowena Sidra Slytherin-Potter," Salazar said in awe as he held his and Harry's daughter close to his chest, staring down at her with utter awe.
"You gave her a star name," Sirius sniffed messily, scrubbing his face down his arm as he stared at the tiny baby, dwarfed in her Father's arms.
"It's a baby," Remus said awed, probably for the hundredth time in the last hour.
"She is perfect Harry," Salazar eased their daughter into Harry's arms, chuckling as Remus dragged a still sniffling Sirius away.
Harry rubbed his hand over her dark head and smiled down at their daughter. "She really is," He smiled happily though exhausted.
"Thank you," Salazar sighed kissing him gently.
"I love you," Harry said. "Both of you, so much," He added looking down at their daughter. Salazar kissed the top of their daughter's head and then kissed Harry again. He would make sure that he spent the rest of his life showing Harry, and their children, how loved they were, and how lucky he felt.