For now, it's been a daily update, but it may take a little bit longer in the future, so I apologise in advance.

I want to thank you all, viewers, reviewers, favoriters (does this word even exist?). It really means a lot. I've never had so much followers with my previous fanfics, it is quite a shock for me, and I have to admit it puts some pression on my shoulders, I don't want to disappoint you!

I still don't know where I want to go with this fic', but I'll do my best to keep it good until the end.

Hope you enjoy!

As the weeks passed, things settled. Harry was getting used to this new way of life. Most of the time, he was reading, catching up with the potions lessons he had neglected for so long. The private collection of books of Snape was incredible, and the man eventually allowed Harry to practice in his private laboratory, as long as he would replace the ingredients he used.

The young man also started to study further black magic. Not that he intended to use it, but it was fascinating. He was truly impressed by the creativeness of some of curses, far more dangerous and powerful than the ones he had studied within the boundaries of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He could perfectly understand why young Snape had been so appealed by this kind of magic. The more he learnt, the more powerful he felt. He could see how easy it was to cross the tenuous line between simple knowledge and practice. As Harry was learning more and more about his new friend, his former fears vanished, replaced by compassion. The two men could now talk for several hours and successfully avoid the awkward silences. When Snape passed the door of the room in the evening, he was no longer grumpy. He kept his mask of hate towards the mischievous trio, of course, but dropped it every night when he was back with older Harry.

And then came the Filibuster firework day. Harry was quietly reading in his corner of the room, when he heard the noise coming from the classroom. 'Polyjuice time !' he thought with a smile, that quickly vanished when he realised Severus would probably still be furious at the end of the day.

He was right. When the wizard came back around six o'clock, he was fuminating.

'POTTER !' he shouted when the door closed behind him. He ran towards the spot where Harry was sitting, and grabbed him by his shoulders.

'I KNOW YOU DID THAT !' he spat.

'Ok, huh, calm down, please...' Harry gasped.

Snape breathed heavily through his nose, grinding his teeth.

'Please, try to remember this had to happen, Severus'.

The man still looked furious, but loosened his grip a little.

'You three are a real pain in the ass.'

'I know. I'm sorry.'

Snape dropped his arms along his body. 'I'm tired, Harry.'

'Let's have a nice cuppa, okay ?' the younger man said, squeezing his arm to comfort him.

'I'll need something stronger than tea, I think' he replied with a weak smile.

'Works for me !' Harry smiled, heading towards the liquor cabinet. 'Try and relax, I'll take care of it'.

Snape obeyed and let himself fell on the sofa, kicking his heavy boots away. Harry was soon back with a bottle of firewhisky and two glasses. He filled both the glasses and handed one to his friend. 'A toast to...' Harry started. 'To, huh... You choose.'
'Right. A toast to...' he began, looking into the young man's eyes. 'To Lily.' he finally said, eyes filling with tears. Harry gulped. It was the first time since he was there that Snape mentioned his mother.
'To Lily' he repeated with a husky voice. They both drained their glasses without stopping and refilled them. Harry felt the burning in his throat, and a tear dropping on his cheek. He looked at the man next to him. His face was flooded with tears, but Harry was sure the alcohol had a minor part in it. Strenghten by the brew, he gently layed his arm on Snape's shoulder who, to his astonishement, buried his face in his shoulder and began to cry loudly, hugging him as hard as he could. Harry remained silent, and waited until he calmed down, softly caressing his arm. After a moment, the older man sat back in the sofa and slowly regained composure. 'Sorry. And thank you', he murmured.

'That's what friends are meant for, Severus. You don't have to apologise', Harry smiled.

After a second round of drinks, the atmosphere changed to a more joyful one. After a third, the bottle was empty and they were both lying half-dead across the sofa in a messy pile of arms and legs, laughing at each other's state.

'I'm happy you're here, Harry' Snape said with a broken voice.

'Yeah, me too.'

'I was not, when you popped into my office. But now I am.'

'I was scared, you know. You've always impressed me' Harry confessed.

'I hope so. I work hard on it'.

They giggled.

'I'm trying to imagine my younger self's reaction if he could see us right now. I think he would faint or something' Harry chuckled.

'Anyone would. Imagine Dumbledore's reaction ?'

They went silent for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.