A/N: Lauren Dezario: Thank you so much for the constructive comments! Often I take for granted that I know what's going on, whereas others may be confused. I hope that some of the following chapters help clarify things a little for you (although, just like Rowling, I'm planning for my story to pack the punches at the end! Frustrating I know!)

Smacks head at moroon/moron. What a typo! At least it was in the middle of a comic relief section, not some dead serious angsty stuff!

Okay, I'm going to try and clarify a few things about this story. It started out as a one shot, but I go so mnay nice reviews and encouraging comments that I decided to carry it on. The premise is (without giving anything away) the story takes place over a week at Hogwarts (after OotP but as if HBP isn't happening...could be a section that could have been in HBP-apart from Snape isn't DADA teacher). Harry gets detention at the begining of the week, and therefore is due to have detention with Snape every night (that's five detentions in total). With me so far?

So the story is focused around the tension which grows between Harry and Snape at these detentions; certain things being revealed about each individual character. I can't really say too much as otherwise I'll give away what's comming up, but I hope this helps any of you that may have felt slightly confused.

Hope you enjoy the next two chapters, and they serve to clarify things that are ambivalent, and set in motion things that will happen in the later chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the original stories. I only own what I'm doing to the characters in this. No need to sue!

"Alright Potter? Off to detention Potter?" Harry once again jumped up into the air, attempting to retrieve his bag from where it was being dangled just a little way out of his reach. It had been awhile since Peeves the Poltergeist had tormented Harry but since he was already ten minutes late for detention, he couldn't have picked a more irritating time to make a nuisance of himself.

"Don't want to be late Potter." The bag was brought down a little lower, but before Harry's hand could close around the strap, the bag swung even further out of reach. "Especially not for old Severus…darling old Severus…"

"Just give me it back Peeves, I'm warning you!" Peeves laughed as the bag continued to swing above Harry's head. Harry looked down to the end of the corridor towards Snape's door which had, as of yet, remained tightly closed. This was not like Snape; he should have been out here by now to see where Harry was, or, at the very least, discover what Peeves was up to. As Harry stared at the door he watched as it slowly clicked open in the draft, sending a thin streak of flickering light across the corridor floor. Immediately Peeves dropped Harry's bag and, after a whisper of "See you around Potter", he quickly disappeared.

In the silence of the freshly departed corridor Harry could hear voices coming from the classroom. After slipping the bag up over his shoulder, Harry slowly began to tip toe a little closer and, with his back pressed against the wall, Harry pressed his eye against the chink the doorway in time enough to see Snape sweep across in front of it.

"And I suppose if Mr Potter didn't tell you himself, I have either Mr Weasley or Miss Granger to thank for their interference."

"As I have already told you Professor," Dumbledore replied, emerging from where he had been sitting somewhere in the classroom, and walking across the room to where Harry could clearly see him, "It is completely irrelevant how this information came to me. What is important however is that you assure me that it will never happen again."

Harry couldn't see Snape's reaction, yet how he was feeling was perfectly expressed in the way that he answered.

"I believe that it is up to the individual tutor to decide on the best form of punishment for the student in question."

"Indeed…indeed you are right. And it is very clear to me that Harry did, whether provoked or not, break the rules." Dumbledore's voice had been soft, pensive as he had spoken. However when he opened his mouth to speak again, it had acquired a firmness that it often had when he was warning Harry against pursuing a topic further. "But despite the fact that I have often respected your unorthodox teaching methods in the past, I will not tolerate the administering of Veritaserum as a punishment on any student. Do I make myself clear?"

Snape had once again moved into Harry's eye line; his dark eyes were flashing with a fury he could barely contain as he replied silkily, "I see now it was a mistake to do so Headmaster. You have my assurances that it will never happen again."

For a moment Dumbledore said nothing, cocking his head to the side as he looked at Snape intently. Harry craned his neck to see more of what was happening, and he saw Dumbledore smile serenely before continuing, "Maybe it would be for the best if I were to supervise Harry's detention this evening. You look tired Severus."

For the first time Harry noticed just how exhausted Snape looked; his eyes were rimmed with dark circles; his face was grey and shrouded with fatigue. Snape placed one of his hands on the top of the chair, gripping it firmly as he responded, "I feel more than capable of supervising Potter this evening."

"I dare say you do, I merely wish to express my concerns as your friend…" Dumbledore's eyes were soft and penetrative as he watched Snape tighten his grasp on the chair. "Maybe your contribution to the Order is affecting you more than either of us could have foreseen." Harry's heart leapt into his throat as Snape glared at Dumbledore, barely hiding his contempt.

"Of course," Snape's voice was so quiet that Harry had to strain his ears in order to hear what was being said, "if you wish me to withdraw from the Order I will respect your judgement."

Dumbledore's eyes glinted in the flickering torch light as for a moment he said nothing, examining Snape carefully. Harry could hardly bare the hesitation as he watched Dumbledore run his fingers through his grey beard.

"No, no," Dumbledore said eventually, "I am sure that you would never have volunteered yourself if you did not believe that you were capable. I trust you Severus."

Snape released his grip from the chair and suddenly, Harry realised that he had turned his head and was now looking directly at where Harry was standing, eyes pressed against the door. In one swift movement of striding limbs and billowing black robes, Snape had crossed the distance between them. Yanking the door wide open, Snape's hand was firmly on Harry's shoulder, pinching it hard as he pulled him into the room.

"Eavesdropping again Potter?" Snape snapped, making it quite clear that no smart retort was expected. Harry glared at Snape, his green eyes hardly able to contain the silent thought that he was directing at Snape. I dare you when Dumbledore is here.

Snape's lips began to move but, as if he thought better of it, his jaw remained rigid, his teeth locked tightly together. He had read what Harry had been saying over and over in his mind; and now it was Harry's turn to smile as he watched Snape struggle to compose himself.

"I'm sure Harry was just waiting to be admitted." Snape nodded in Dumbledore's direction before releasing Harry, adding in an unseen shove for good measure.

"Now Harry if you would come with me…" Dumbledore moved over to the door, but Harry's eyes were fixed on Snape, who had sat down behind his desk. Why was he suddenly filled with disappointment as he thought of serving detention with Dumbledore instead of Snape? Harry's stomach swam with nausea as he realised that all day, even though his mind had been racing of thoughts of revenge, he had secretly been looking forward to his detention with Snape. He had been looking forward for the opportunity to prove that he wouldn't be such an easy target this time; that he would neither allow himself to be victimised, or to be provoked into physical retaliation. He realised that even though Snape had driven him to tears and to violence, he needed, more than anything to feel that hatred he alone could inspire. It was the only thing that drove him; it was the only thing that kept him going. That hatred was all he could feel.

Of course, he had cried. He cried every night in the darkness, forcing his mouth down onto his pillow so that he wouldn't wake the friends that slept around him. Everyone thought that he had been so strong. Ron and Hermione had been worried that he hadn't shown any signs of grieving when he'd returned to Hogwarts in the autumn; any talk of what had happened that night in the Department of Mysteries was kept well away from him. Harry had made an effort to appear to be getting on with things, just like the way he had acted after Cedric had died. He couldn't grieve like Cho, crying openly at the slightest mention of anything that could be related to Cedric. His grieving was done in the darkness as he whispered into the fire or the mirror, or talked into the canopy above his bed words of desperation, mumbled in between the hot, angry tears. Harry could cry and Harry could hate. These two feeling now seemed to constantly do battle within him for providence, and he preferred it when hatred ruled.

"Come Harry," Dumbledore spoke again, his words distant as Harry continued to gaze at Snape with a need he had never felt before, deep in the pit of his soul. He could hate Snape safely. Snape made it alright to be angry at him, at the world, and at all that had happened to Harry since the day he was born. Snape justified the fury that bubbled up in Harry's throat every time he breathed in this classroom. Snape some how made it acceptable for him to be angry at the world and all that was right in it; when everything inside him seemed to feel so wrong. It was then that Harry realised that he needed Snape; that it was no longer a question of whether he wanted to be in detention or not; Harry needed to hate him.

Snape raised his eyes from the parchment that was rolled out on the desk in front of him. Blinking slowly before leaning forward in his chair, Snape's hands were grasped tightly in front of him as he said smoothly, "You are dismissed Potter."

Without a word in response Harry turned his back on Snape, his eyes fixed firmly on the back of Dumbledore's head as he followed him out of the room. Once they were once again in the corridor outside Dumbledore turned to face Harry, his face tinged with the hints of a smile as he began, "I am sure that you will not find my detentions quite as…" Dumbledore paused to find the word that would follow, "eventful as Professor's Snape's, but I am sure that you will find it informative."

Harry raised an eyebrow, yet seeing from the way that Dumbledore raised one hand, realised he would have to wait for a further explanation.

"Let's go to my office shall we," he asked, moving as if to stride away yet turning around slowly, his eyes twinkling as he added as an afterthought, "I believe that Peeves is waiting to relieve you of your bag again somewhere on the second floor. I would keep a firm hold on it if I were you."