Chapter 12

First of all, once again, thanks are very much in order to all of you who have taken the time to review and to read the story. In this chapter we begin to see the school's reaction to Harry and Severus' relationship...we are really moving beyond the introduction of the story and viewing now the main events. I would just like to give a short explanation about the story, if anyone is interested. I am a bisexual female who has been with quite a few girls. It is, to put it lightly, not easy to be with someone of the same sex in today's society. While rights for those in same-sex relationships have improved, we have nowhere near the same amount of liberties as those who are in a "straight" relationship. Things that most take for granted are a daily struggle for us. Something as simple as holding your lover's hand, or giving them a kiss at the movies, or going to a nice restaurant with your girlfriend or boyfriend, can turn into a disaster if not done with discretion. Often I've been asked, politely but sternly, to leave a restaurant or store if it becomes obvious that I am dating the girl that I am with. On that note, this story really reflects the struggles that I (and certainly many more people in same-sex relationships) face on a day-to-day basis. It truly is difficult to be with someone of the same sex and not feel as though you are oppressed. It has created an enormous schism between me and the rest of my family (most family gatherings I'm not even welcome at anymore), and some of my peers have gone so far as to outright tell me that they don't want me to speak to them at all. It is with these pains and obstacles in mind that I am writing this chapter, and I hope these emotions shine through my writing, particularly in the next few chapters. On a different line of thought, I'd like to say that yes, we will absolutely be seeing more of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. With this small explanation in mind, I hope that you all enjoy the chapter, and that you can take the time to review, if possible. Please take good care of yourselves, and again, thank you for reading.

When Harry awoke the next morning, the first thing that he was aware of was the empty spot beside him. Severus had clearly already woken and left. He sat up and made to put some order in his clothing: his pants were twisted around his ankles and his shirt was pushed up by his chin. He smirked at the realisation that he had been so tired after their escapades last night that he had simply passed out without fixing himself up. He got out of the bed and tried to flatten his hair as he searched for Severus. He must have left for breakfast. Momentarily stung at the fact that he hadn't woken him to at least let him know that he was leaving, he left the man's private chambers and set off towards the Great Hall. He had barely stepped beyond its arched doorway when a good four dozen faces turned to watch him. Face burning, he found Hermione reading the Daily Prophet, fortunately alone, and sat next to her.

"How many people did Ron tell?" he hissed.

Hermione looked up, startled, and peered over her shoulder. There were still a good number of people staring at him intently.

"Oh, Harry," she muttered, closing the newspaper. "I really don't know. I haven't seen him all morning. All I know is that he told the boy's dormitory, because Seamus came to see me today and asked if it was true."

"What did you say?" asked Harry, pressing his face to his hands. His appetite had left him, only to be replaced with the desire to throw up.

"I told him that it wasn't true at all," she replied. "Did you know that Ron had told them?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry said through gritted teeth. "As soon as I walked in last night they were asking me if it was true or not that I was with him. So I left, and I went to go see Severus."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "Do you really think that was wise? I mean, anyone could have seen you."

"Severus said that it was the right choice." At these words Hermione silenced herself immediately. "He wants to see Ron around lunch, and you too, if you can come. He wants to try and convince Ron to tell everyone that he was lying."

Hermione was eyeing him doubtfully. "I don't know how well that's going to work, Harry."

"If I told him to, he'd never do it," Harry agreed. "But with Severus doing it...I don't know, he might." Aware of the pairs of eyes still watching his every move, and the mouths whispering tales about him, he groaned. "I need to get out of here. I'm going back to the Common Room."

"I'll come too," Hermione said, gathering her things and following him out. People continued to stare until they were far out of sight, something that irritated Hermione greatly. "How many people did he tell? This is ridiculous. Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know he'd act like this."

Harry chose not to answer, and concentrated instead on ignoring the students gawking at him. It wasn't the first time that he had experienced something like this. He thought back to his second year, when the school had suspected him of being the Heir of Slytherin and of having set a monster loose. He couldn't decide which was worse, then or now. At least in his second year he was fairly sure that it wasn't him doing those horrible things. This time, he knew that what they were whispering was the truth.

He suddenly stopped walking, and remembered that he hadn't even checked to see if Severus had been in the Great Hall. The unexpected staring and muttering had driven any other thought out of his head.

"Hermione," he said. "Did you see if Severus was in the Great Hall?"

"Professor Snape? No." She frowned. "Why, was he supposed to be there?"

"No, I was just wondering," he said casually, continuing to walk up a flight of stairs. He wondered where the man could be. It really wasn't like him to just set off like that. They had barely reached the top of the stairs when they spotted Ron, sitting by himself in the empty hallway.

"Ron," Harry shouted before Hermione could stop him. Ignoring her cries of protest, he strode towards him, fuming. "What're you playing at? How many bloody people did you tell?"

Ron was silent for a while, weighing his words. "Only the boys in the dormitory," he said after a while. "They must've told everyone else."

"Why would you even tell them in the first place?" Harry was seething. He had merely to think of Severus, so innocent in all of this, and the urge to strike Ron was as fierce as it had ever been. He had no right to ruin everything like this. "Aren't I supposed to be your friend? If I trust you with something aren't you supposed to keep it to yourself?"

Ron stood up, and began to yell back, "They had a right to know! If you're a queer, and they're sleeping in the same room as you, they have the right to know it."

Harry coloured and looked around the hallway to ensure that nobody was listening. "I'm not gay," he snarled. "I told you that. I don't know what this is all about, I'm still confused, but I know I'm not gay. So don't go and flatter yourself and think that I'm going to feel you up at night."

Ron snorted. "Right then."

"Severus wants to see you around lunch," Harry continued. "So I strongly suggest you go to the Potions classroom."

"What, so he can feel me up as well?" Ron asked sarcastically. "No thanks."

Harry completely lost control at this, and before he could stop himself, his wand was out and he was about to curse Ron when Hermione shouted, "Harry, no!"

He turned to face her and barked, "Why shouldn't I? He deserves it, doesn't he?"

"Well, yes, he does," Hermione agreed, "but you'll get yourself in more trouble than you already are. Ron, please, come to see Professor Snape. I'm sure he'll have no problem coming and finding you himself, so please save him the trouble and just come."

She took Harry by the arm and dragged him away. Chest heaving, heart pounding, Harry refused to speak as they made their way to the Common Room. Once there, he flung himself into a chair and swore angrily.

"Harry..." Hermione sighed. "I'm so sorry."

Harry shook his head. "Forget about it. Just forget it. It's his fault, not yours."

Relieved, Hermione sat beside him. "How many people do you think know?"

"Probably half the school by now," Harry replied, forcing himself to remain calm.

"What do you think is going to happen?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry said sharply, running his hand through his hair. "I haven't got a clue, Hermione. Severus could lose his job. All because of Ron, and because of me."

This sentence had barely been delivered before the Gryffindor in question stalked into the Common Room.

"Yeah, you know what, I'll go see Snape," Ron told Harry heatedly. "Because then I can tell him how disgusting I think it is. So don't worry, I'll be there."

"He could lose his job, Ron," Harry roared, jumping from his chair. "Don't you give a damn, or are you too caught up in your own little world? Look at that, you've told a few people something shocking, and now you're at the center of all of the attention." He laughed bitterly. "Even if it means that you stabbed your best mate in the back."

Ron's ears turned a deep shade of scarlet, but he refused to back down. "You think that's why I did it, for attention? I did it because it's sick. He's Snape, alright? Professor Snape, the greasy git that's managed to make most of our lives a living Hell since we first started at this school. And you've gone off and slept with him."

"Slept with him?" Harry snapped. "How would you even know? I didn't say anything about bedding him, did I?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron sneered. "You'd be with him for "remedial Potions" until early in the morning, and when you finally showed up you were worn out and it looked as if you'd already been sleeping for a good few hours. I'm not an idiot, you know. I've got some brains."

"Well, you're not doing a very good job of proving it to me." Harry shook his head and chuckled grimly. "Well, Ron, now the whole school knows. Job well done. You'll be in the spotlight, good old Ron, protecting his friends from the rapists known as Harry and Snape. As for us, I'll probably be expelled, and Severus will lose his job. But that doesn't really matter, does it?"

He stormed up the stairs to his dormitory, ignoring Hermione's calls. If she wanted to speak to him, she could come up and find him herself. He sat at the edge of his bed, ready to jinx the next person who walked in. Really, they deserved it. They all deserved it. Sitting there like a bunch of idiots, whispering about his personal life. Were their own lives so dull that they had to gossip about someone else's? He'd never done a thing to them; if anything, he'd been kind to them and helped them when necessary.

He looked up as someone came up the stairs, gripping his wand and ready to curse them if need be. He relaxed, however, when he saw Neville's round face peek through the doorway. "Er, Harry? Is it alright if I come in? Only Hermione told me you might want some space."

"It's fine," he said shortly.

Neville nodded and rushed to his trunk, where he began to organise his papers. When at last he had collected his homework, he straightened up and said, "Er, Harry? About what Ron old us...whether it's true or not, uh, well, I wanted to let you know that I don't mind either way. That is, I'm not about to pay any mind to your personal life. You've been a good friend to me, and whoever you fancy, well, they're lucky. And Luna wanted me to tell you that, too."

"Luna knows?" Harry asked.

"Most of the Ravenclaws do, I think," Neville said in a sympathetic voice. "But Luna said that most of them don't mind. They consider Snape to be a good teacher, and she said that a lot of them like you. She told me that most of the Ravenclaws don't even believe it, anyways."

"Thanks, Neville," he smiled. He felt a great deal of appreciation for Neville and Luna flow through him, and was relieved to see that not everyone in the castle had gone mad. "What about the Slytherins?"

"Well," Neville said worriedly, "I don't know about them. I don't think they know whether to believe it or not, but if they do, I heard Malfoy saying that he was angry about the fact that the Slytherin Head of House was with a Gryffindor. He also said that if Snape had to be with a Gryffindor, the last person he wanted it to be was you." Neville paused then added, "But he did say that it wasn't your genders that bothered him. If that, uh, helps."

"It could be worse then," Harry sighed, laying his head onto his pillow. "Thanks, Neville. Tell Luna that I appreciate it. You two are pretty much the only people with any sort of sense right now."

"Anytime." Neville grinned, and left him to his thoughts.

Harry was impatient for lunch to roll around. He wanted desperately to speak to Severus, to ask him what they should do next, to confide in him all of his worries. He feared now more than ever that he had made a terrible, irreversible mistake. If only he had chosen to tell Neville and Luna, rather than Ron and Hermione. This whole mess might have been avoided. But he had made his decision, and whatever the consequences would be, he had to face them. He was grateful, in any case, that he had Severus to face them with him, for better or for worse.