AN: Dissertation done and bound, HALLELUJAH!...Sorry about that, I really would have rather been writing this story for you, my dearest followers. I had so much fun with this chapter, especially the second part, which is to be continued in the next chapter, I promise ;) So put on your seat belts and off we go to the lands of angsty Harry and cute Remus! Much love,

Raven

Harry took his time walking up the stairs, mentally preparing himself for the much needed talk with Severus. If they were to go on like this it would lead them nowhere. The man had to realise there were boundaries, and that Harry was not merely his prey to feed on as he pleased. Perhaps it was time to do a bit of research on his own , into how a Childe might resist to call of its Sire. He may not be a vampire himself but if he allowed Severus to turn him in a weak moment, it would change his life completely and he was nowhere near ready for such a thing.

He knocked softly and walked inside, not looking at the man yet as he shut the door slowly. He turned around and was met with an intense dark gaze, calling to his very being to join the man's side once more. He shuddered, not completely in displeasure, and forced himself to stay his ground, instead summoning a chair over to the door and sitting down as far away from the man as possible.

"You return...Harry. So close yet so far..." the voice in Harry's mind positively purred.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Stop it, Severus. This won't work. I'm not a mindless blood source and I deserve to be treated better than that." he said firmly.

Severus snorted at his words, his mood shifting a 180 degrees in under a second. "Respect has to be earned, Potter. It is not my fault we find ourselves in this position. You have agreed to this and now you will put us both into a difficult position because you cannot handle it. Saint Potter not being able to handle himself yet again."

Harry flinched at the sharp words that brought him back to the days of hatred at Hogwarts, but gathered himself and looked at the man before him coldly. "Back to last names are we, Snape?" he said dispassionately, and this time it was Severus who almost flinched, realising his misstep immediately. Harry did not pay mind however and continued. "This is exactly what I was talking about. We are bonded for all intents and purposes, at least for a few months before the bond loosens and we can get about our lives more or less normal if we meet occasionally. But in the mean time, you will treat me with the same respect I show you every day. I don't insult you, I don't get defensive when you hit a sour topic. If I can get over myself, saint Potter as you so kindly dubbed me, so can you." he said almost dispassionately, sitting very still and just observing Severus as he appeared to contemplate his words.

Severus looked at the boy, no, the young man before him and had to admit to himself that while he had thought he was could get over the old prejudices he no longer held, old habits died hard. But Potter- no, Harry- Harry was right. If they were to make this work to their advantage, they had to do better. They had been off to such a good start a week ago, but it seemed they still had a long way to go.

"What do you propose, Harry?" he asked, this time calmly and more collected, the allure gone from his voice as he controlled his vampire instincts tightly.

Harry's posture relaxed an inch and he stood up, picking up his chair and moving to sit by the man's bedside. "How difficult is it for you to...stop your natural allure?" he asked, knowing it was a part of vampire nature and while he did not wish to suppress the man's needs, there was a line that has been crossed earlier and it needed to be addressed.

"It is...difficult but not impossible." Severus answered honestly after a moment of struggle for the right way of explaining.

Harry nodded. "And will I be able to say no to you at some point or is the bond too strong for that right now?" he asked, wanting to know what their options were if such an accident was to reoccur.

Severus inclined his head slightly in thought. "I believe that depends on whether you trully wish to say no, Harry..." the voice in his mind was soft but the words spoke the loud truth Harry had feared.

He averted his gaze and thought about Severus' words. "I don't think I can-"

"Relax Harry, I will not force myself on you again. That I have promised you and that promise I shall keep." Severus replied evenly. "The bond is however inevitable and how we respond to the connection is an individual matter."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, readying himself to open up to the most unlikely person (most unlikely after Voldemort, if the monster was still alive...). "It took me a long time to be comfortable with a touch from a friend. You have seen memories of my childhood, you know why and I will not bring it up again. But to have you lure me into a...well into what has happened, I don't think I can do that again...at least not for a while. If the bond requires it, I will sit close to you, and give you more of my blood. But more than respect, trust has to be earned." he said evenly, swallowing back the magnitude of his admission. He was no blushing virgin, but one had little time to date while trying not to die. Straddling your vampire ex-potions professor while he drinks your blood was way out of his comfort zone...

Severus seemed to realise what the problem was and nodded. "I will attempt to...curb in my more basic nature." he promised evenly.

Harry nodded. "I trust you...I trust and have trusted you at least somewhat, even when I hated you. But I have always respected you. And even though you say that respect has to be earned, I don't see why you would not show me the courtesy of considering me your equal at least in this matter. We both fought in a war and finally have the time to...just be and get to know each other. If I am to really be comfortable with your closeness, I think it only natural you show me the same decency and respect that I show you."

Severus considered him for a moment before nodding. "I consider those to be acceptable terms."

Harry nodded and stood, picking up the knife to slice into his wrist and offered it to the man. "I have plenty to do in the evening and will only come back tomorrow morning so you better get your fix now." he said with a hint of a smile, letting the man's fangs pierce his tender flesh.

Severus did not much, the wonderful life source he had taken earlier from Harry's main aorta still pulsing in his veins. "Thank you."

Harry nodded and healed his wrist. "You are welcome. Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Harry." he replied and watched the young man disappear behind the door. When did he grow up? He wondered...

Remus was confused. It was an emotion he was used to, from the days of his youth, from trying to understand the monster inside him...but right now, he was very confused. What Harry had insinuated was that he looked at Hermione like..what exactly? How was he looking at her?

He knew she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, with inner strength, seemingly never-ending kindness and perhaps a bit of a temper, but her fire was what made her so unique when combined with her patience and love for those she considered her own. She was a true Gryffindor princess, a true lioness in every sense. And for that, Remus admired her. But did that make him look at her differently than he should? Was he perhaps seeing her in a way he should not?

It had been a whole week since Harry bestowed that small warning when he was leaving the kitchen and much had changed in their household. The repair works have slowed down as Harry took more time to spend with Severus and get to know the man while pleasing the bond that had a strong hold over them both and required the closeness. It was not an easy task and sometimes Remus could hear Harry's raised voice, presuming there was an argument, but it seemed to be working well for them.

Hermione on the other hand was not faring too well. Her body finally gave up on her after the difficult regime she had imposed on herself and a fever broke out. She spent the first three days mostly sleeping, waking only to feel Teddy and have something small to eat. But her body demanded rest and she was finally giving it what it wanted. Remus made her a cup of tea just as she liked it and headed up the stairs into her room. He knocked gently and waited for an answer. If she was asleep, he would check on her later.

He could hear a small shuffle however and a soft "Come in." could be heard through the door. He entered and noticed the curtains were open and the window was letting in some fresh air. Hermione was curled up on her side, reading one of the heavy tomes on her bedside and smiled at him welcomingly when he entered.

"Good morning." he said kindly and closed the door before perching himself at the edge of her bed.

"Good morning, and thank you. You have been taking such good care of me, Remus." she sat up, the duvet slipping slightly and revealing the top of her pyjamas, a simple cotton t-shirt that did not hide the swell of her breasts of the perky nipples that seemed to press into the fabric insistently.

Remus turned his gaze away and rather looked into her eyes. "You have been taking care of myself and my son. I am happy to repay the kindness." he said with a smile when he heard her content sigh after taking her first sip of the liquid life saver.

Hermione leaned back into the stack of pillows and closed her book as she held the warm cup in her hands. "Are you taking Teddy to the zoo today?" she asked.

Remus shook his head. "Tomorrow. The clouds look heavy today, it may yet rain. But I am heading out for a few groceries. I know you usually do the shopping during the week when it's not so busy but work has been demanding this week and I did not have the time." Remus admitted. Saturdays were usually the times he would spend with Teddy or take him out to the park, but as Hermione needed her rest, he was prepared to do his utmost to let her rest and help her with the household.

"Is there anything I can bring you?" he asked.

Hermione looked into her cup thoughtfully for a moment before getting an idea. "Why don't I come with you? I need to get out of the house and walk, I am not used to so much rest. Maybe we could take Teddy with us for the shopping and if the weather clears up head for a walk to the park for a little while?" she suggested.

Remus looked surprised, but it did sound like a good idea. "Where will we put out groceries though?" he asked, unclear only on that part of the plan.

Hermione chuckled. "We will take my car of course."

"You use it regularly? I thought you only bought as much as you can but in the buggie." he said, recalling seeing her with a few bags in the bottom space of his son's buggie after a walk.

"Sometimes, if I have too many places to go. But I like to use my car for a larger shopping, as I've put enlargement charms on the boot. I can put the stroller in there easily as well. What we can do however is use the sling while shopping, he loves the human warmth that way, and then take out the buggie after we have visited all the necessary places, and take him for a walk. He falls asleep so easily, trust me." she explained, finishing the last of her cup.

"A sling?" Remus wondered in confusion.

Hermione chuckled. "It's a muggle invention, and a rather brilliant one. I will show you a bit later." she said. "That is if you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"Of course, I haven't been in a car in a long time." Remus chuckled and took the empty cup from her. "Shall I make a list of what we need?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Just a quick one. I'll have another look through the kitchen when I come downstairs and organise it." she smiled.

Remus nodded and left her to do her morning absolutions while he prepared the list in the morning. He could not believe his eyes when the few items he had written grew into a whole A4 page filled with grocery items and other little bits, once Hermione took over 20 minutes later.

"And how long will this take us?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled as she strapped the sleeping Teddy into the car seat. "About four hours." she calculated while putting on her long thick knit sweater that covered her chest if she breastfed on the go. The weather was not quite warm that morning so she would not be too warm.

"Four hours? To do the shopping?" Remus looked ready to say he was staying at home.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, four hours. Since I did no shopping in the week, we need to do it all now. If you don't want to go, I can do it myself." she challenged with a smile.

Remus knew a man should admit when he was bested and shook his head. "No, of course I will go and help. Will you show me this sling thing now?" he asked, still not sure what it was supposed to be.

Hermione chuckled. "When we get to the market. Teddy won't need feeding until a little later so you can have him until then." she said and took the list and her car key, leading the way out with Remus following after her with the car seat and his peacefully sleeping son.

The silver Mazda 3 was something Hermione invested into after the war with a bit of money from her family inheritance. It was a used car, but in a great shape and she got it for a good price. But what was most important to her was that it was reliable, easy to park with its size, and she knew Teddy was safe when he was with her. They loaded up the buggie and settled Teddy's car seat in the back before Hermione got behind the wheel, with an uncertain-looking Remus next to her.

"Seat belt, Remus." she reminded as she started the car and chuckled when Remus yelped slightly in surprise. Oh this would be fun...