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Severus's PoV:

Severus found himself spending more time with Harry as the days passed. He had enjoyed being around Harry's friends, but found more comfort when he and Harry were alone together.

The Potions Master noticed that Harry seemed happier now that he was free from his relationship. Severus hoped that Harry would find love someday, once he was out of hiding and Voldemort was gone.

"Hey Sev, I was wondering about your opinion on something," Harry said one day.

Severus looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow at the nickname, though he realized he liked it. "Yes?"

"Is it normal for someone my age to notice older guys?" Harry asked.

Severus stopped to think about it for a moment. Was it? He himself hadn't thought much about it at his age, but he supposed a few years apart wasn't a problem. "I don't think it's a big deal," he said, and then added, "How much older?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," said Harry vaguely, and glanced down at his book.

Severus wondered who Harry was crushing on, and a lump formed in his throat at the thought. "Perhaps if you tell me who it is, I would know his age."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Harry blushed.

Now Severus was really curious. "Oh please, it's not like I'm going to tell. Is it Oliver Wood?"

"Wood?"

"I wouldn't blame you," Severus said. "You could do worse than him."

Harry stared at him in astonishment, and then burst out laughing. "Oh Merlin, I'd pay to watch you say that to his face. But no, it's not him. Can we please drop it?"

"Alright," Severus said, and they returned to their books.

Harry's PoV:

Harry woke up late that night knocking on his bedroom door. "Harry, wake up, it's an emergency."

He was out of bed and across the room in a second, the door open in another second. Severus was leaning against the doorframe, his face white. "Severus!" Harry caught him as he was about to fall over and held him up. "What happened?!" Harry searched him for any signs of an obvious wound, but found none.

"Snake venom..." Severus's eyes fluttered closed, and Harry laid him on his bed. "Harry, I need you to go into my Potions lab and get me a potion." He gave the name and description to Harry.

"I don't want to leave you alone," Harry said, the room blurring in front of him.

"I'll be fine," Severus said, sitting up. "Quickly!"

Harry raced down the hall to the lab, grabbed the potion and returned to his bedroom to find Severus's leg resting on several pillows and covered in blood. "Severus, what the bloody hell happened?"

"Just give me the potion." Severus took it and drank, laying his head back against the pillows with a sigh. "If you could just wrap up my leg so it doesn't get infected."

"Of course," Harry said, and went to go get bandages and alcohol. Severus winced at the alcohol, but Harry managed to clean and bandage the wound properly without much trouble. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, just...sleep..." Severus yawned and when he didn't move for a few moments, Harry realized he was asleep.

Now that they had taken care of Severus's leg, Harry realized that the Potions Master had fallen asleep in his bed. Blushing, Harry slipped under the covers on the opposite side of the bed. It was probably a good idea to keep an eye on Severus, anyway. With that thought in mind, Harry drifted off into sleep.

Severus's PoV:

The next morning, Severus woke to a burning pain in his leg. Wincing, Severus sat up and it took him a moment to realize that he was not in his own bed.

He was in Harry's bed.

Glancing down, Severus noticed Harry curled up beside him, his head on the Potions Master's shoulder. Severus smiled, the pain in his leg forgotten for a moment as he looked down at Harry asleep beside him. His hair was messier than usual, and Severus chuckled at the thought.

It took him a moment to notice the pair of green eyes staring back at him. Severus jumped as Harry gasped and scrambled away from him. "Oh my gosh, I - I didn't mean - you were asleep and I didn't want to move you back to your bed until you felt better - I fell asleep on the other side of the bed, I swear-"

Severus held up his hands. "It's alright, Harry."

Harry flushed a deep crimson and said, "I should probably change your bandages."

He started to get out of bed, but Severus held out his arm to him. "Come here," Severus said, and Harry hesitated before nestling back against his friend. "The bandages can wait."

Harry made a happy-sounding noise in response, Severus's hair brushing his cheek. He realized it wasn't greasy at all, but soft and silky. "Do you want me to put something on TV?"

"Go ahead," Severus agreed, and Harry turned on a comedy show. Severus kept his arm around Harry until he began wincing and shifting uncomfortably. "Harry, my bandages."

Harry lifted the blanket and gasped when he saw blood seeping through the white cloth. His stomach dropped and it wasn't until he changed the bandages that he realized Severus was pale and sweating. "Severus!"

"Harry...Get Albus," Severus mumbled.

Harry Flooed the Headmaster, who quickly arrived back at the house with Harry. "Severus, what happened?" Dumbledore asked, placing a gentle hand on Severus's leg.

The Potions Master winced. "Nagini bit me. I thought it was fine, but I may have an infection spreading."

Harry felt a sudden pang of guilt. He hadn't grabbed the potion quickly enough. If only he had paid attention in Severus's lessons! He was a horrible friend.

He didn't interfere until Dumbledore said, "Severus, I no longer permit you to spy for me. In fact, I forbid it. You have done amazing service for me and you must rest."

"Wait," said Harry, "spying?" Then everything clicked, and he turned to Dumbledore in anger. "You forced Severus to spy for you?"

"Harry, it wasn't Albus's fault." Severus was looking a bit better after a healing spell Dumbledore had performed. "I had already joined Voldemort's side, when I was young and stupid. I was looking for a way out, and this was the best I could do by that point. When you join the Dark Lord, he doesn't allow you to leave. He'll kill you."

"So you'll have your Dark Mark forever?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Severus said. "But I wish to keep it even if I could have it removed, to remind myself of the mistakes I have made."

Harry stared at his friend in respect, thinking of how brave Severus must be to stay on with Voldemort for all these years, when Voldemort could have him killed so easily. He suddenly felt awful for all the time and energy he'd spent hating Severus in the past. "Can I see it?" Harry asked.

"I'd best be off," Dumbledore said. Harry turned to him - he'd forgotten the Headmaster was there. "Come find me if you or Severus need anything else."

"Alright," Harry said, and Dumbledore was gone. He watched as Severus rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. "Does it hurt?"

"Only when he calls me," Severus said. "I'm trying to create a potion that will numb the pain, but I haven't yet been successful."

"I wish I could help. I wish I could do something," Harry said, feeling helpless as he gently traced the tip of his finger over Severus's Dark Mark. He had never seen one this close and felt a bit like he was intruding in Severus's privacy.

Severus gasped quietly at Harry's touch, and Harry looked up to find Severus watching him. "I'm not a good person, Harry," Severus said. "I have made a lot of mistakes, and I treat people like dirt."

"I think you're great," Harry said, reluctantly letting go of Severus's wrist. "I know you're afraid of letting people in but I can help you, if you want me to."

"I would appreciate that," Severus agreed. "I suppose I have forgotten how to be honest with people."

"I can tell you something about me if it'll help," Harry said.

Severus's PoV:

Curious, Severus said, "Okay."

"Well..." Harry glanced down at the bed. "I used to live with my aunt and uncle, and they and their son Dudley were really abusive to me. I learned to cook from them because I had to cook every meal for them. I was completely alone and I never even knew about magic and Hogwarts until I turned eleven."

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry," Severus said. He felt guilty for thinking that Harry had been a spoiled brat. "I should have asked you about your personal life before making assumptions about you."

"It's fine," said Harry. "You were always the one who treated me like a normal person instead of the bloody savior of the Wizarding World. I appreciated that more than you know."

Severus didn't know what to say to that.

"You can tell me anything, Severus." The Potions Master stared into Harry's bright green eyes. "I just want you to know that.

Severus sighed, hoping that Harry wouldn't freak out too much. "Alright. Well...I was best friends with your mom."

Harry's PoV:

"What?" Harry stared at Severus in shock, unable to believe that these two important people in his life were somehow connected. "How did that happen?"

"We went to Hogwarts together," Severus said. "I didn't know her at first, but eventually she became my best friend. She was Head Girl while she was at school, and she stuck up for me against the students who bullied me - well, everyone except your father, in which case she didn't want to interfere. But she was kind, caring, and sweet."

Harry's head was spinning. He couldn't wrap his mind around this new information. "You and...and my mother?"

"Yes," Severus said. "I was in love with her, but she didn't love me back. Instead, she married Potter and had you."

Now everything made sense. Why Severus had hated Harry so much when he didn't even know him. "So, what changed? Why did you agree to be my friend?"

"I had begun to realize that you are much more like your mother than your father," Severus said. "Lily could've done much better than Potter, even if she didn't want me."

"My father was a great man!" Harry exclaimed, offended.

"Harry, you never knew him," Severus said. "He bullied me and several other students back when we went to Hogwarts. He was an arsehole."

"Remus and Sirius have told me about him, and they didn't say anything bad about him," Harry countered.

"Because they were his friends," Severus pointed out. "I have no reason to lie to you about this, Harry. I wish your father had been a better man than he was. I do know one thing for certain however, and it is that he loved your mother. And you."

Although Harry didn't like the things Severus had said about his father, he tried to keep an open mind and he wondered if they could really be true. "Well...if it's true, I'm sorry," said Harry.

"No, I'm sorry," Severus said. "I should never have just assumed that you were like your father. But, I'm afraid I have a bad habit of shutting people out."

"We'll work on it," Harry said, and Severus smiled.

AN: Hope you all liked the chapter! Thanks to all who have been following this story so far :) Please review for more updates soon