A/N: None of the following characters are mine. They are all figments of J.K. Rowling's imagination. Nothing is being made off of this one-shot. (Even though I wish these characters were mine. jk.)
~~~~~
"Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention, Mr. Potter." Severus Snape bellowed. The Sixth Years in Potions sat silently. They knew better than to say anything to the Potions Master when he was pissed off.
Harry Potter sat brooding over why his cauldron had exploded. He knew he had brewed the potion right. They had done the same exact one not even a year ago and Harry had made a near flawless potion.
Must have been Malfoy, Harry thought. He's always trying to get me in trouble ever since First Year.
Harry was brought back to the present when he heard Snape say that class was dismissed. He gathered all of his things and slung his bag over his shoulder. As he was going toward the corridor, Harry heard Snape tell him that he was to report to detention at 7:00 pm
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Severus scowled as Potter left the classroom. He knew that Albus Dumbledore would get on his case for giving the "Boy Who Lived" detention but he didn't care. He was the only teacher who wouldn't let the boy to get away with things.
Someone has to keep him from getting arrogant, Severus thought. He is just a spoiled little brat.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
That night at 6:30, Harry tells his best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, that he will see them later.
"Better you than me, mate." Ron says. Hermione looks at him sharply. "Sorry, mate. Hope he isn't to much of a git tonight."
Harry climbs out of the portrait hole and makes his way down the moving staircases to the dungeon entrance. He has always hated the dungeons. They remind him of the cupboard under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house.
Harry casts a quick Tempus spell as he stops in front of the Potions classroom. It read 6:59 pm He had made it.
He raises his hand to knock on the door when he hears the Potions Master tell him to come in. He is just like Dumbledore, Harry though. He grasps the doorknob and turns it then steps inside the door. Snape is sitting at his desk correcting papers and beckons him to shut the door and sit down. Harry closes he door and takes his usual Potions seat, wondering what Snape was going to have him do tonight. He didn't have to wait long to find out the answer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Severus finished correcting the last of the Second Years' assignments and puts down the quill he had been using. As he looks up, he is struck by the intensity of those green eyes that are staring straight at him. Severus mentally shakes his head. He stands up and walks toward Potter.
"Tonight, you will be helping me brew a batch of potions for the Madame Pomfrey. We will be brewing in my personal lab." Severus told Potter. He turned around and walked through a door that had appeared behind his desk. He didn't turn around to make sure Potter followed him. When you are the Slytherin Head of House, you just assume that everyone follows you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Harry followed the professor through the door but came to a stop when he entered the sitting room. He had thought that as a Slytherin, Snape would have a lot of green and silver. He wasn't prepared for the mahogany wood panels or the burgundy couch and matching armchairs. There was accents of silver throughout the furniture, but that was the extent of the Slytherin colors.
He was jerked out of his reverie by Snape's voice.
"If you have finished gawking, perhaps you would follow me." Snape said with a sneer.
Harry followed Snape into a miniature version of the Potions classroom. It had two worktables that already had the cauldrons set up on them. There was a personal store cupboard that housed all of Snape's potions ingredients. Other than that, everything was the same.
"What potions are we making, sir?" Harry asked.
"Dreamless Sleep, Pepper-Up, and Calming Draughts." Snape replied.
They worked in silence for most of the time with only the occasional question and request for an ingredient. Harry was surprised at how easy it was to learn how to brew a potion when their wasn't someone breathing down your neck, waiting for you to make a mistake.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Severus caught himself watching Potter as he chopped and diced the ingredients. He started to wonder how it would feel to have those hands move along his skin. He quickly caught himself and mentally admonished himself. He couldn't start thinking of a student like that, especially Potter.
As the evening wore on, Severus stirred the potions as Potter put the ingredients in. He found that Potter wasn't as bad as he thought, he just had to apply himself.
"We are finished. You may go." Severus said as he bottled the last potion.
"May I stay, Sir? I really don't want to go back yet." Potter asked.
Why does he want to stay? He hates me! Severus thought.
"And why is that, Mr. Potter?" Severus forced himself to ask.
"I don't feel like I belong in the tower." Potter admitted.
This surprised Severus. This was Gryffindor's Golden Boy. Both of his parents had been in Gryffindor, even though his mother could have been in Ravenclaw. Why would he not belong in the tower?
"Why do you not belong there?" Severus inquired.
"Ever since my godfather died, everyone is looking at me like I was the who pushed him into the Veil. I hate the looks they give me; suspicion, pity, sympathy, and disgust." Potter explained.
So this is all about the Mutt, Sirius Black. Severus, of course, knew what had happened at the Ministry of Magic. Bellatrix Lestrange had thrown a spell at Black that made him fall through the Veil.
"Mr. Potter, I won't tell you that I know how you feel, for I don't. However, I can say that you need to work this out with your housemates. That is the only way to find out why this is happening. I know we haven't exactly had the most friendly past, but I am here for you to talk to." Severus told him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Harry was laying in his bed in the Sixth Years' dorm with his bed curtains drawn, thinking about what Snape had said. He was surprised that Snape had told him that he could talk to him if he needed. They had had a rocky past at best but still, Snape had said that he could talk to him. He fell asleep thinking of how he could sneak past Hermione and Ron to talk to Snape.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Over the next few weeks, Harry had been able to sneak down to Snape's office at least twice a week, telling his friends he just needed to talk to Dumbledore or one of the other professors. They talked about everything and nothing, Harry's life at the Dursley's, Sirius, Harry's parents, and all that had happened in the last five years. Snape had talked about his life at home, his years at Hogwarts as a student, and why he turned spy. They found that they actually had things in common, like their mutual dislike for lemon drops that the Headmaster insisted on offering every time they were in his office.
Harry stopped thinking of Snape as Snape, instead, thought of him as Severus. He had finally convinced the older man to call him Harry. Many times that Harry was in Severus's quarters, they would brew potions for Madam Pomfrey or for Severus' personal stores
One night as Harry was arriving at the Potions Master's rooms, he found the man laying on the floor in front of the door, badly beaten and bleeding. He cast Levious Corpus and levitated him in the rooms and onto the couch. He ran to Severus' stores and grabbed a pain reliever, blood replenishing potion, and a Dreamless sleep. He ran back into the sitting room and sat down in front of the couch. Harry uncorked each potion and poured it into Severus' mouth, massaging his throat as Madam Pomfrey had done to him. As soon as Harry was sure that nothing else would happen and that Severus was asleep, he went to the fireplace. He remembered Severus saying something about it being hooked up to the Headmaster's office. So he grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the fire, saying "Headmaster's office," and then stuck his head into the flames.
He looked around the Headmaster's office then yells for him. He sees the Headmaster come into the room.
"Headmaster! You need to come down to the dungeon. Professor Snape needs help. Bring Madam Pomfrey." Harry said hurriedly.
"Harry, my boy. What has happened?" Albus Dumbledore asked worriedly.
"I don't know, sir. I was coming down here to see the professor and found him laying in the corridor. I levitated him onto the couch and gave him a pain reliever, blood replenisher, and Dreamless sleep." Harry replied.
"Ok. That's good. I will be coming through after I floo Madam Pomfrey." Dumbledore said.
Harry took his head out of the flames and sat back by the couch. He moved out of the way as Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the fireplace.
"Harry, I suggest you go up to the tower and not say anything about this." Dumbledore told him.
"I'm sorry, sir. I can't. I have to know that Professor Snape is going to be ok." Harry said.
"Alright. I will let you stay, but you must stay out here. Madam Pomfrey must have room to work." the Headmaster acquiesced. "While she works, you and I are going to have a talk."
Harry watched as Madam Pomfrey levitated Severus into his bedroom, wishing he could be in there with him. He had begun to care for the Professor over the last month. He was afraid that Severus wasn't going to make it.
"I've begun to care for him, Headmaster. We've been talking a few times a week for the last month. He is the only one that I have been able to talk about everything that has happened without being judged." Harry said in a rush.
"I know about these visits, there isn't much that goes on in the castle that I don't. I'm glad that you have found someone that you can talk to. The only thing is, if the Board of Governors find out, you could get expelled. As long as nothing else is going on, they won't have a reason to." the Headmaster explained.
"There isn't. We just talk." Harry sighed.
The Headmaster was just about to say something when Severus' bedroom door opened revealing a grave Madam Pomfrey.
"He is stable but someone will have to stay with him. I have to get back to my patients in the Hospital Wing. He has to have a few potions every four hours. He will have to stay in bed for at least three days. He won't like it but he must." Madam Pomfrey said.
"I'll stay." Harry volunteered.
"Do you think that is wise, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
"I am the only one who could possibly convince him to stay on his back." Harry replied.
"Ok. I will ask Ms. Granger to get your homework. You will be excused from classes. I will tell your professors that you are training with an Auror." the Headmaster said.
"Thank you, sir." Harry told him before going into Severus' room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was a little over eight hours later that Severus woke up. He felt someone holding his hand. Not being used to having someone looking after him, he jerked his hand away and looked down to see messy raven black hair. He only knew one person it could be. As he was wondering why Harry was here, the boy had woken up. Suddenly, he was looking into those green eyes again.
"Severus, your awake." Harry exclaimed.
"Why are you here, Harry?" Severus wondered.
"Madam Pomfrey said that someone had to look after you. Seeing as you really didn't have any to do it, I offered. I have strict instructions to keep you in bed and give you potions every four hours. If I don't, I don't want to know what she will do." Harry explained.
Severus laid his head back down on his pillow and stared at the stone ceiling. This student had opted to stay with someone who, a month ago, hated with a passion, just so he would recover. He was overwhelmed by the emotions he was feeling at this. He watched as Harry grabbed potions off of his night stand and hold them out to him one at a time. Without looking, he downed them, trusting Harry as he had never trusted anyone in his life.
At this revelation, he realized that his feelings toward Harry weren't like that of a student and a teacher, rather that of a lover. He had been trying to deny it for days, but finally he had to face it.
"Harry." he said softly.
Harry looked at him and was instantly drawn into those almost black eyes that were always guarded but now weren't. He felt as if he could see Severus' very soul. Without thinking, he leaned down and gently kissed Severus' lips.
Severus was surprised. He had just found out that he had feelings for Harry and here he was getting kissed by him. Severus pulls back and stares into those green eyes that he loves.
"Harry, lay down with me?" Severus asked.
Harry lays down next to Severus, careful of his wounds.
"Harry, you know we can't do this. If the Board of Governors find out, you would get expelled and I would be fired." Severus said.
"I know. The Headmaster already told me. As long as nobody finds out, we shouldn't have a problem." Harry told him.
Severus thought for a minute, then leaned down and kissed Harry.
"Ok. No one can know." Severus agreed.
They laid there holding each other and just enjoyed being with someone who cared about them.