Harry smiled as the carriage approached the gates of Hogwarts. He was exhausted from his latest Auror mission – taking down some old followers of Voldemort's who just couldn't seem to accept that the war had been over for three years - and it was good to be home. He breathed in deeply, the air filled with magic and the safety of familiarity. He couldn't wait to be inside the walls of his former school again. His legs bounced with absentminded excitement as the carriage came to a stop in front of the large front doors to the school.

"Thanks," he said to the thestrals as he got out of the carriage, giving one of them a pat on the nose before making his way inside. It snorted in reply.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, Harry headed straight in the direction of the headmaster's office. He knew Snape wouldn't be done with potions class yet, so he had some time to kill. Besides, he needed to see McGonagall. She always worried about him as if he was a son, so he made a point to check in with her after dangerous missions and tell her he was fine. As he walked down the halls, the paintings all shouted their greetings.

"Welcome back, Harry!"

"It's good to see you alive and well, Harry!"

"Why hello, Harry! Glad to be home?"

Finally standing in front of the giant statue that hid the staircase to the headmaster's office, Harry confidently said the password, "Lemon Drop". McGonagall was a bit sentimental and refused to change the password, declaring that Dumbledore's portrait had forbade her from doing so. Harry climbed the spiral steps and walked through the office door. McGonagall was seated behind the large desk reading a piece of parchment. Unlike when Dumbledore had been headmaster, the desk was spotless and the dark wood was shining, the room decluttered and organized with only a few of Dumbledore's trinkets left on display. The rest had been moved to the Room of Requirement not long after the war.

McGonagall looked up over her half-rimmed spectacles as Harry sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "Hello, Harry. Everything went well, I trust?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It was a bit tricky, they wouldn't give up. They kept saying that they'll find a way to bring him back. The thought gives me shivers every time… we finally managed to get through their wards. They're in the custody of the Ministry now."

"Well, I'm glad you're safe. I'm sure Severus will be as well."

Harry smiled. "Yeah. How's he been doing? I feel like I hardly ever see him."

McGonagall looked at Harry softly. "He misses you when you're away, although you'll never hear him admit it. He gets restless and starts terrorizing the students during your longer absences. He's taken 160 points from Gryffindor in the past week alone!"

Harry laughed loudly. "I'll endeavor to tell him to try and behave himself."

"Oh, there's no need," McGonagall said, the edges of her lips curling into a sly smile "I've already told him that if he continues to act so in such a manner, then he will be treated like the child he's mimicking and will eat and sleep with the students."

Harry's mouth dropped open slightly. "I'm guessing he didn't take to kindly to that."

"No. But the threat was effective to a certain extent."

"I'm sure he's trying, Professor. I'll give him a proper talking to after we get reacquainted with each other."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you will. Now, he should be just about done for the day, why don't you go and let him know you've arrived back safely?"

"Will do," Harry said, scooting out of the chair and turning towards the door.

"Oh, and Potter..."

"Yes, Professor?"

"Make sure to use a silencing charm this time. The dungeon walls aren't as thick as you'd like to think."

Harry snuck into the potions class unnoticed, standing behind one of the back tables. He smiled at the 5th year next to him, who glanced nervously at the front of the classroom where Snape was reprimanding a girl with long, frazzled black hair for her technique.

"Flattening your nettle does not mean pounding it to dust! 5 points from Hufflepuff for being incompetent at discerning clear directions."

The girl looked as though she was about to burst into tears as Snape swirled his robes and continued down the rows of students angrily. The boy beside Harry trembled as he neared and Harry turned to him and gave him a wink.

"Professor?" he asked, raising his hand and the pitch in his voice. He made it tremble slightly to try and sound more like a 15-year-old adolescent, terror-stricken by the grouchy potions master. "I think I stirred 13 times counter clock wise instead of 12…. The potion is turning a funny dark green color…"

Snape's eyes flashed in his direction before he realized who was speaking. Immediately, his posture relaxed and his face calmed. The changes were so discreet that only Harry recognized them. "Mr. Potter, to what do I owe this pleasure? Interrupting my class to make a fool of yourself, some things really don't change. Maybe if you had actually managed to brew this potion correctly in your time at Hogwarts, you might be able to fix your own mistakes instead of relying on everyone else to clean up after your idiocy. Now, are you going to get out of my class or do I need to take points from your former house to motivate you?"

Harry covered his laugh with a cough. Snape really was happy to see him. "Yes, sir. I'll be on my way at once." And with that, he slipped out from behind the table and made his way to the front of the class to the door that led to Snape's chambers. As he passed Snape, he brushed his arm against his gently and whispered, "behave." Snape snorted.

When the class had finished and the students began filing out, Snape opened the door to his chambers and was met with a gentle kiss. Harry's arms wrapped around his neck as Snape's hands came to rest on his waist. He hummed in appreciation before pulling back to look Harry in the eyes.

"It's good to have you back," he said gruffly. Harry smiled.