Author Notes: Chapter Eight of the Harry and Snape Romance, Red and Green. Un-beta'd but still looked over and such. Also about the green eyes and blue eyes thing. Have you ever looked on the cover of the fourth book? they're blue there.. Aiyee, Simplicity will keep them green though. Forgive her for her stupidity.

Livejournal: Have a livejournal? I do too! My name's everrivers on it. So if you're looking for some more Snape/Harry friends on livejournal, be happy to add me. But leave a comment on my friends entry so I know you added me and I can add you back. ^_^ Just don't add me for a friend layout -- I get enough of that already.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, just this story.

Enjoy!

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VIII. Devotion and Emotion

My usual sleep has been filled with emotions that I have lost in years passed. And they're all coming in one quick smack across the face. There's no stinging pain, just confusion. I find myself contemplating everything I do and say as of late. Ever since Christmas Day things have gone on a wild wand chase that I could never thought I would get on. But at the end of the ride; it always ends at him.

Harry Potter.

I'm not sure how much more I can put up with this charade. It seems like a usual day when something claims it's part in my life and rips me apart of every strong point I've gathered in my life. But when I do regain my strengths, whenever I try to use them against the boy -- everything feels guilt worthy.

"Professor Snape." A voice called me. It's not the boys. It's not Albus's. It's a simple voice. My eyes creep around from the fireplace to see a boy with blonde hair looking onward at me. It's Draco Malfoy. The boy who has not helped Potter throughout his school ages and made me a slave to his father. Damn the child.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" I ask, standing up and peering over him like a large tower. He does not tremble at my sight, only leering back at me. I have a strong feeling in my arms to just strangle the boy to death, but I push them aside after think of the harm his father could do.

"Why was Potter in here?" He snarls, eyes flickering at me. I can just smell the rumors flying through Hogwarts after this discussion. Maybe I should kill the blasted child. Put him and his sight seeing out of his misery.

"We had a discussion about what I assigned for him today. Not that it's any of your business, Mr. Malfoy." I growl. My eyes flickering a shade of red and orange; devouring his every sense of life that was left in those eyes. He seems to be standing on the ends of his heels to average with my height.

"Giving special lessons to Potter, are you now?" He asks, his eyes never leaving mine. He wants to break my shield; but there's only one person who can do that anymore. Not even Albus. Only Potter.

It would just take a second to knock the boy out of his misery. But then things would get very suspicious. I point to the door and push him towards it, not harshly, but lightly. "Go back to your dormitory, Mr. Malfoy. It's not your responsibility to interrogate me on what Mr. Potter has stupidly forgot. And more questions and I'll make sure Slytherin sees to a great loss of points at your cost."

He blinks and leaves without another word or sound. The door shuts and I place more charms on it, I want my door to never open again. I fall back against the wall for support and let out a long sigh. Nothing was going right anymore. None of this should have happened. My hands grazes across my lips and I can feel the tingle of Potter's own hand on mine.

I wish I never told Potter to leave.

++

"Severus." Damn the old man for continuing his torture on me. Piss off you damned old man and let me take over the school. Merlin. "I'm sorry about earlier today. Perhaps we can chat again?"

I growl. I'm not on good ends with the man. My body twists around in my seat and I look at the aging man. He looks so innocent, but if anyone were to be put up against him in a word contest, they would lose after five minutes. There's the twinkle in his eyes, and his nose wiggles to my growl. "Fine. Speak."

He smiles and moves to the chair in front of my desk, eager as every. The ungodly bastard. He pops one of those damned candy hearts into his mouth, chewing on it as I look in disgust. My fingers tap on the parchment I'm writing on in hope that he would speed up this talk. "I don't know what your feelings are for Harry. But I can sense you're going through confusion over this."

My brow furrows and I continue writing on my parchment. But I'm not really writing anything in particular, just random words. Merlin, I am confused. "Let me put it to you simply Headmaster. Potter plays chess with me. That game two people play when they're bored. Do you need me to repeat myself?"

He blinks once, but he never loses that grin. "No, I understand. I'll stay out of it, Severus. Just don't hurt out young Harry." And what about me?

I furrowed a brow and narrowed my eyes at the man. I finally let out a rather large groan from my throat and everything falls to pieces. I shouldn't had have placed my heart in such delicates hands as Potters; the foolish child does not and will never have the thoughts of me as I might have suspected with his little charade of mind games.

We like chess. I like my half cups of tea and white pieces. He lets me have the white pieces. He makes me snort. Fine, the child makes me laugh. Merlin, why doesn't the boy just get a boyfriend so I won't have to deal with him giving off affection? I would become angry, then soon have my thoughts back to myself. And snatching Gryffindor points at all costs. Too bad love potions are banned from Hogwarts.

"Headmaster. I told you already. Merlin, I thought you were a wise man to think enough that there is nothing between Harry and myself." I glare coldly. He stops sucking on his candy heart and I feel that twinkle land on my soul.

"Then why did you just call him Harry?" I broke like glass.

I only wish that Potter had glue to fix me.

++

That night I sat in my room for the entire time. Ignoring knocks from the obvious, Albus, to come to dinner. I needed time to myself to sort out all of this mess. I messed up in front of Albus and I know he'll never let go of the thought that I may somehow, be slightly infatuated over Potter. Though I was not at all. The stupid brat is nothing more then a minx stuck in my hair.

And he's stuck because of all the damned grease.

I consider washing my hair to get that thought out of my mind. But, for some reason, I don't want the thought of Potter being 'not' stuck with me leave my mind. It calmed my mind for the time in lived in my mind; which was almost all the night. Minus the tapping from the door that I knew was Albus.

I ran my fingers over my knees and brought them to my chest. My body going numb, rocking back and forth in a frequent pace. The Slytherin colors were bundled over my body, trying to keep me warm while I lay on my bed. But I always compared a past experience to newer ones. Nothing would feel as warm as Potter's hug on me. Not even if the colors were of my own house. Potter was of my own heart.

Damn the boy for his perfection. For his charm. I blamed the companionship I lacked when Potter was gone, but other things told me to blame myself. For pushing Harry to his dormitory.

And I was left cold.

A knock at my only window startled me. It was a white owl tapping on my window. And all of a sudden, I was a character in a play awaiting the letter from his long lost love. Except this wasn't a play; this was life. I blinked at the owl once before bestowing upon answering the owls calls to be let in. It was still cold in January, I couldn't blame the poor beast.

I opened the window that I haven't opened in years. And I'm reminded to the fact I opened my heart for the first time in years. Deja vu is so weird. The bird flew in and perched on the neck of my bed's canopy. It's feathers flapped wildly as it dropped a letter onto my bed. But the owl never left. I supposed it wanted some reward for it's flight.

I offered it a stroke on the wing. It purred and began cleaning it's wings. I offered it a nibble off of my cookie from my place. And it nuzzled against my hand affectionately.

I offered the bloody beast a galleon and it was gone in no less then five seconds. Damn money hogs.

But my mind was sidetracked as I picked up the letter and began to unfold the tales that it would tell from it's envelope. It was addressed to me as 'Professor Snape'. In Potter's writing. My heart dropped. My fingers finally finished unfolding the letter, and I decided to start from the beginning to not ruin the letter.

'Professor Snape,

I was asked by Professor Dumbledore tonight after dinner about you.

He inquired the fact that I confused you or something of that nature.

I'm very sorry if I have done something to hurt you, or in his words,

confuse you. I never intended to do so. I just, sort of thought that you,

were my friend. And I still hope you are.

- Harry Potter

P.S. I tried knocking but no one answered, so I sent this to make sure

you were okay.'

I felt my mouth tremble as I set the letter down on those Slytherin blankets. Was the greasy git of a Potions Master really destined for the wizard world's savior? Merlin, before we get that far, is Potter even gay? Thoughts pondered in my head, always coming down to the line 'Why do I care' and starting over again. Like a Ferris wheel that never ended.

And there was a knock again. My heart leapt four spaces forward but two steps back with those lingering thoughts in my mind. My body moved to the door, and I felt myself speaking out one phrase over and over again. "Please let it be Potter."

I opened the door. And dressed in a Gryffindor robe, his school attire till on his form, Harry Potter stood at my door. I glared, and he saw right past my line of defense. If I let the boy through this door, everything of mine, may it be my emotions, or dare I say love, will be stolen by this teenage boy. He gave off a soft smile, and I opened the door.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Harry's smile was worth a lifetime.

"Good evening, sir." He walked in happily; most likely happy at the fact I let the boy come in some.. frequently is the word I'm looking for. He fell into his usual seat lazily and shot one of those unforgettable grins up at me. I groaned loudly, trying to create a new line of defense, but Merlin, nothing would work over the charm of the boy. He gave me companionship, but he might not know it. He made my heart tremble, but he dare not dream it.

He made me Severus, the person behind Professor Snape.

"Why must you come visit at this ungodly hour, Potter?" I scowled. He giggled and fetched the chess set. I rolled my eyes, highly amused at how easily the boy made this place seem like he owned it. He set up the game, and gave me the white pieces. I got my tea, and we played. There were no words needed to show that we enjoyed playing chess with one another.

"I'm going to beat you." He laughed to himself. I pulled my head up from the chess set, watching him as he cuddled up into his chair playfully. I wondered how the boy could amazingly, in less then twenty four hours, act like he was welcomed here. Though he was, but that's my little secret.

"Potter." I groaned, his eyes caught mine, and I didn't think I could finish my sentence -- at least without stumbling here and there. "Potter.. you cannot continue coming here at this time of night."

"Would you rather me come up to you in Potions Class and just bluntly play chess with you?" He grinned and slid out of his chair to rest his chin on the edge of the table that held the chess set. Little minx, indeed. His legs were crossed and his bloody, yet beautiful hair fell to his face. Merlin, did I just think his hair was beautiful?

I've turned into mini-Dumbledore. Without the gray hair.

I snorted out a small laugh and shook my head. "Longbottom would have a heart attack. Plus I'm sure every Gryffindor friend of yours would tear you apart from me."

"Which is why I come at night. I like it." He smiled innocent, and yet we had not moved a single piece of chess set. Only set up and ready to go. But we enjoyed the companionship more. We? Bloody hell, I referred to me and him as we. Merlin, please.

"Why?" I inquired, showing no emotions at all. His green eyes flickered over mine. I could have fallen millions of times in the past and tried to get back up; but this time, I didn't want to get back up.

I admit it. I wanted Potter. No. I needed Harry.

"I just sort of.. feel better around here." He mumbled quietly, yet never taking his eyes off of me. I wondered if he was having as much trouble as I was keeping my eyes on him before I faltered. "If it makes you feel uncomfortable, me being a Gryffindor and all, I won't come back. I'll understand."

"It's not just about you being a Gryffindor, Potter, It's just.." I stumbled on. But. No. I could not say what I feel. It's been too long. I deserved by solitude, my books. My points. My glare. My words. I deserved them all. So consider this as, I don't deserve Potter. But every time I went searching for words, I saw those eyes.

"You don't have to explain, sir." He smiled gingerly and laid back onto the ground. His eyes closing instantly as he soaked into the warmth of my floor's carpeting. It was mighty nice indeed. He lifted his right eye lid open to look at me. "Because if you didn't want me to here, you would have already kicked me out."

I grunted lightly in a pitch of laughter and leaned back into my chair. My eyes closing while I hid all the excitement driven into my body as the boy now felt I wanted him here. Or at least, didn't mind him being here. I hear him giggling lightly and I open my eyes to the noise. I look down at his form. He's reading my book. The one he got me. I raised a brow and lifted my hand up to take the book, but everything stopped when he looked up at me and smiled.

Bloody hell. I can't even take a book from a boy. How am I expected to take Gryffindor points from the child?

"What are you laughing at Potter?" I ask, peering over his shoulder to see exactly what he's looking at. Unable to see, I let out a groan and simply refuse to stand up and look; so I wait.

"Some of the notes you wrote in here.." He mumbled softly, following by a choke giggle. "Like on page four hundred and fifty six.. 'Make potion as soon as possible to get kill all Hufflepuffs.' Quite interesting." I choked a bit and reached my hand down over his shoulder to snatch the book from his grasps.

"No, no, Potter. I wouldn't want you knowing all my secrets." I grin as he tries to get the book back. I feel like a child again, and all these lost emotions soaring back to me. He sits up and leans against the chair, resting his head on the edge of the green material. "Why must you insist on acting like you own the place?"

"I can't let you know all my secrets either." He laughed and brought his knees to his chest, resting his right cheek onto their knee caps. His eyes seemed to be engulfed by the blazing fire. I looked into the fire also, lost in a world of.. nothing. But every inch of my body shriveled in the thought that this was occurring. The schools savior and the school's potion master getting along.

"I guess I should go back." he muttered, and my heart sank to the ground. Don't leave me again. But instead of whispering to him my words of staying, I only nod my head. My body does have a mind of it's own.

To be continued..