Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not my property. If he were, I'd handcuff him a bed and sell him to fan girls.

Authors Notes.

The evil idea to turn this into a Snarry fic has dawned in my mind…evil laugh I won't, because I prefer Harry/Draco, but it doesn't stop me playing with the idea. He, he, D the possibilities… Enjoy! And please review!!! Hugs and puppies if you can guess Snape's secret! (I am so mean to that poor bastard.) Enjoy!

Obsidian-Snow-Eyes

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"Malfoy!" Harry gasped, blushing red and turning around snapping his eyes shut.

"Knock before entering, Potter." Draco said, fastening up a pair of tight black jeans. "We're not all Gryffinwhores here."

"This is my room, Malfoy! Why are you naked?" Harry scowled, risking a glance over his shoulder. "I can throw you out at any time. Are you done?"

Draco pulled an emerald green t-shirt over his head and nodded, then sighed loudly.

"Yes, Potter, I am. I was naked because I was changing clothes. People with good hygiene do it quite regularly, you know. And you won't throw me out. Where's the nearest bathroom?"

"And just why wouldn't I throw you out Malfoy?" Harry snapped, picking up the thrown book before turning around and crossing the room to his desk. Draco sat on the bed and watched him, a self-assured smile playing across his face.

"Potter, don't be naïve. You won't throw me out because you're a Gryffindor git. If you cared enough to scrape me off whatever street you found me on and drag me back here, you aren't going to throw me out until I'm healed and have somewhere to go."

Harry growled; tempted to threaten again but irritated the Slytherin was right. Bloody arrogant bastard.

"So why don't you have somewhere else to go?" He asked with a little too much venom, sitting on the chair and turning to look at his guest.

Draco scowled.

"If you tell me what last night was about, I'll tell you why I'm homeless."

Harry considered this for a moment and nodded. "Fair enough, but you go first Malfoy."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm a Gryffindor. You can trust me to keep my word."

"Alright, fine." Draco scowled and played with a strand of his platinum hair. "Although won't they get suspicious if they hear too much talking?"

"My uncle's at work, my Aunt will be cleaning or visiting her mother and Dudley will be in front the TV until lunch times. Oh, here – breakfast." Harry reached into his pocket and threw a cereal bar to Draco, who looked at it dumbly. Harry rolled his eyes, barely veiling amusement.

"It's cereal." He said. "You eat it."

The Slytherin prince glared at him, scowling. "Cereal comes in a bowl. Wet."

Harry smiled grimly. "Not in this house."

Draco sighed and opened his packet. "I've runaway." He began, looking out the window. "I'm supposed to marry Professor Snape. These-" He vaguely gestured to the marks on his face, "were my father's desperate attempt to persuade me after all else had failed. He wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Why would you marry Snape?"

"I was promised as a child. Someone powerful influenced the match, and I can hardly back out now."

Harry nodded, understanding what the blonde didn't say. "Will it matter though? I mean, can't Snape marry somebody else? Wait…is gay marriage legal for wizards? Gods, is Snape gay?" Harry gasped, his eyes growing as wide as Galleons. His voice lowered to a conspiring tone, barely a whisper. "Are you gay?"

Draco rolled his eyes. Maybe who you shagged was a bigger deal in Gryffindor, he didn't know. He just never expected Harry to be so naïve.

"I'll answer those in order, Potter. Firstly, of course, it matters. Do you honestly think that they will stop looking for me until I marry him or die? Secondly, Snape can't marry anybody else because…. because he only wants to marry me. I suppose that would make him gay, yes. And the wizarding way of marriage or childbearing has never had any relation to gender, so naturally it's perfectly legal." He stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. "And now I really need the loo. Directions?"

"Wear my cloak when my Aunt lets me out after lunch, and get to the third door on the right before me, then back to my room before she locks me in."

Draco looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, maybe I forgot to say. I was late in yesterday, so I'm grounded for a week."

"So when's lunch?"

"Whenever food comes through the hatch," He answered, pointing at the cat-flap in his door.

"They treat you like a criminal…" Draco murmured, suddenly struck with a pang pity. No matter how violent his father had got, it was rare and he could always see the reason. It was always logical. With these muggles and Harry, there didn't seem to be much reason at all.

"So what do you do all day?"

"I study. Hermione always gives me some large, heavy spell book for my birthday. That usually gives me plenty to read."

Draco wrinkled his nose.

"Studying without magic…how dull. The must be something exciting to do around here…" He trailed off and looked around the room. So this was how the famous Harry Potter was forced to live… He could imagine the gleeful grinning faces of his housemates' at the revelation that Harry got treated worse than a house-elf by his own blood relatives. He'd be a laughing stock for months. The blonde sighed and watched Harry start flicking through a heavy magical textbook with and unreadable look on his face. Somehow, the Slytherin didn't think he would be able to do it.

By the time Aunt Petunia pushed a bowl of soup and two slices of dry bread through the cat-flap, the two boys had both become very irritated, breaking into argument more than once. Draco was sprawled over Harry's bed, trying to sleep but complaining loudly about everything, especially his rapidly filling bladder. Harry sat at his desk making furious notes, doing his best to ignore the irritating Slytherin and sprung up when he heard the footsteps approach, glad for the opportunity to move.

Malfoy looked at the food, his nose wrinkled. "Is that all they feed you?" He asked.

Harry just shrugged and took a bite out of one of the pieces of bread. The blonde boy stood and walked over, picking up the other slice of bread and poking it into the soup.

"It tastes like metal. And it's cold."

Again, Harry just shrugged and picked up the bowl draining just under half of the soup.

"Hurry up and stay quiet. My aunt will be back soon." Draco sighed dramatically and finished eating before throwing the cloak over himself. "Remember to be back in here before I am."

Just over twenty minutes later Aunt Petunia returned and opened the door, glaring at Harry for being an inconvenience, yet again. Harry felt a small rush of wind as Draco brushed past him and he walked slowly to the bathroom, and shut the door. The blonde boy was already in there and glared for the Gryffindor to turn his back.

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When fairly considered, Severus Snape wasn't a bad man. He was dark, certainly, and he was lonely, but that didn't make him a thoroughly bad person when he looked at himself in the cracked, grimy mirror of Spinner's End. He sighed and shook his head.

He was pathetic. Ugly. The only way for him to find love was to force it. With one of his students, no less. One of his male students. He was a pervert, hankering after something he could ever have. He sighed again and rubbed his face tiredly. It wasn't what he wanted. When he was young, he'd wanted a wife, children, a life of joy and prosperity. Now he was older he laughed at that optimism. These days all he wanted was to be left alone with his secrets and die peacefully somewhere unnoticed. As soon as the war was won, by whichever side, he planned to go to some hot, far off country, maybe Italy, and live out his days alone in the warmth. Even if he had to marry the Malfoy boy to do it.

He returned to his kitchen, cursing silently to himself as the fire in his grate turned green and a rapidly revolving figure came into sight. Snape caught a flash of white blonde haired and scowled, aiming his wand at the kettle.

"Afternoon, Severus." The tall Malfoy said stepping out of the fireplace and brushing soot of his emerald green room. Only in his own home did he manage to lose that sneer of disappreciation that marred his handsome features. "I want to discuss the formalities of the wedding. Residency and so on."

The potions master nodded wearily and sat down, gesturing for his guest to follow suite, and then suddenly changed his mind. He faked a glance at his watch, a crude muggle device, and frowned. The blonde haired man caught his look.

"How long will this take, Lucius? I'm brewing a very important potion for his Lordship, and it will need my attention very shortly."

The cold grey eyes glared for a second, then softened slightly.

"Of course." The figure stood up cordially, and nodded. "Another time then. My wife has invited you to a dinner ball tomorrow. We had some family unexpectedly arrive."

Severus nodded. "Please tell Narcissa I am grateful for her invitation and would be delighted to attend." He lied smoothly. There was a moment's pause, before Snape realised that was supposed to speak again. "And Draco? Will he attend?"

"Regretfully, no. He has become ill with something unusual but the medi-wizards have seen to him."

Severus nodded. At least he'd be saved from awkward small talk. The younger Malfoy probably hated him now, and with good reason. "Give him my regards."

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Harry Potter stood in his room, furious rage coursing through his narrow veins. The bastard hadn't come back. He'd taken his father's Cloak and escaped. How could Harry have trusted him so easily! He was such a fool! He should have been ready, expecting this type of thing, from a Slytherin. And not just any old Slytherin, Draco Malfoyno less. Where was his common sense! All those things he'd said, that Draco had seen – he'd surely be made a fool as soon as they both stepped back on the train in September.

Harry threw himself down on the bed, cursing his own stupidity, slamming his eyes shut in a last attempt to escape the world.

Please review to guess Professor Snape's secret! I'd love to know what you think! If anyone gets it, I'll write him or her a prize!