Let Those Who are in Favor
by Catherine D. Kobasiuk
No one greeted him as he walked into the dimly lit chambers.
"I'm back!" Harry called out but was met with only silence.
It was as bad as he had feared then. Sighing the young mans shoulders
slumped as he wandered over to the small table next to the sofa where
he and his companion left the mail needing to be read. He quickly
shuffled thru the collection noting who the messages had come from and
quickly returned to the top of the pile which housed a piece of folded
parchment with his name on the cover in loopy script. Opening it he
read:
Harry,
Let those who are in favour with their stars
Of public honour and proud titles boast,
Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,
Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.
Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread
But as the marigold at the sun's eye,
And in themselves their pride lies buried,
For at a frown they in their glory die.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foil'd,
Is from the book of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:
Then happy I, that love and am beloved
Where I may not remove nor be removed. (XXV, WS)
I'm sorry about this morning,
Severus
Harry blinked twice to clear the tears from his vision when he heard a
noise from the doorway leading to the potions lab. Looking up he saw
Severus standing in the shadows with his hand clutching the doorframe.
"I was afraid you wouldn’t come home." The older man said quietly.
"I was afraid you wouldn't be home when I got here." Admitted Harry.
There was a moment of uncertain silence. Harry indicated the note in his hand. “Um, how did…..?”
“I didn’t know how to apologize. I remembered reading something from
Shakespeare in my youth so I went looking. “Severus hesitated. “ I
think he was more than accurate in his analysis.”
Harry smiled sadly as he walked up to his lover. “I’m sorry they keep
giving me all these awards and honors and shite. You know I don’t want
them, hell, I don’t even deserve…”
Severus put his fingers over Harry’s mouth to still his words. “No
Harry, you do deserve everything they give you. Actually they could
never give you enough considering how they burdened you since you were
a child. But I did some hard thinking and I don’t think I’m actually
jealous of the awards you get so much as I’m jealous of the time they
take away from you and me being together. I’m not really good at
sharing.”
Harry leaned forward and embraced the potions master. “I love you Sev.”
Severus returned the embrace. “And I love you Harry, and in the end
that is all that matters to me. Like the Bard said, the rest has no
meaning”