The Dark Conspiracy

DISCLAIMER: I'm broke. I live off of the goodness of other people. If I did own this, I'd be living the life of luxury.

A/N: Longer chapter. Sorry for the delayed update. It's just that right now, I'm feeling my other stories more. Please let me know what you think. Thank you very much for all those who have read, reviewed, alerted and favorited this story as well as my other ongoing stories. Please see my profile page for the complete list. If you have time, check those out as well. As always, read, enjoy and review.

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Chapter 12: Sensations and Confrontations

Severus Snape woke up the following day with a terrible headache. When he had opened his eyes, he found himself lying down on the floor, next to an empty bottle of Ogden's Best Fire whiskey. Right away, he felt a wave of nausea coming in. He conjured a bucket and threw up. The wasn't much to force back up so he was done in under ten seconds. He vanished the contents and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Mimsy!" He called his house elf. A small creature dressed in a white toga appeared before him.

"Yes, Master Severus?"

"Can you get me a hang-over and a pain potion?"

"Right away, sir." The little elf said with a bow. She returned a few seconds later with a couple of vials. Severus thanked her with a curt nod and apparated away. He then downed both potions and sat down quietly for a minute until the effects sat in.

He stood up after exactly a minute with a clear head. He was now ready to start brewing. He went to his fire place located in the kitchen and threw a generous amount of floo powder.

"Snape's apothecary!"

He reappeared on the other side of the floo connection a few seconds later and gracefully stepped out, brushing the soot off of his robes. He stood and surveyed the damage. Yesterday, while he was bleeding to death, he had wondered if he was hallucinating that Weasley had come by and trashed his place. Now he knew that he wasn't imagining things. There was blood, glass and pickling solution everywhere; he began to think about reconsidering his decision not to turn the youngest red head brother into potions ingredients. He sighed. He flicked his wand 'Reparo!' 'Evanesco' and 'Scourgify' several times until the place was habitable again. He felt tired, but not so much. He had unintentionally wondered how Harry was feeling.

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Harry woke up to a blinding headache and a sense of nausea. Either he had banged his head hard on the wall while he was sleeping or he had drunk a whole bottle of fire whiskey last night and forgot about it. He groaned loudly and was about to ask Winky for a vial of pain potion when all of a sudden, his headache miraculously disappeared. He shook his head. 'I guess it wasn't me then.' He thought, remembering what Poppy told him about feeling each other's pains and what-nots. 'Severus must've had one heck of a night... Wait, when did I start calling him Severus?' he asked himself. 'Is that part of the bond too?'

Harry yawned as he stood to get up. He had a lot to do today and he needed to get started early. He took off his night clothes and stepped under the shower. He turned the water on the hottest setting his body can take and began to scrub.

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Severus began weighing dried nettle leaves when he suddenly felt like he was coming down with a fever. His body felt hot like he was burning. Then, he felt tingly all over. But before he could even comprehend what he was feeling, it ceased. He sighed and went back to weighing dried nettle leaves. If he had thought about it a bit longer, he would have come to the conclusion that what he felt was similar to having a really hot shower and a good body scrub.

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Harry felt refreshed after his hot shower. He slipped on afterwards into a pair of faded denim pants and a round-necked emerald green shirt with the sleeves cut off. It showed off his lean arms and brought out the color of his eyes beautifully. He then stepped into a pair of black Keds. Then, deciding to go Muggle for the day, he had forgone his customary lime green Quibbler robes and instead chose a denim jacket that matched his jeans. He rarely checked himself out in the mirror, but today he did. 'Damn, don't I look good,' he thought, laughing to himself. There he was garbed in Slytherin colors, checking himself out. 'Won't Draco be proud…'

He and the Slytherin Ice Prince called a truce and actually became friends after the war. The blond went on to play as seeker for the Applebee Arrows after their graduation. If Draco saw him now, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Harry then slipped his holly and phoenix feather wand in his back pocket. He was now ready.

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"Five clockwise stirs, seven counter clockwise…" Severus recited the directions for the rat tonic he was making straight from his memory. After the last stir, he turned off the fire under his cauldron and let the concoction cool down until it was ready to be bottled. He went to his bathroom to wash off. He sighed. It was so easy to forget everything when he was brewing something. But when he was idle, he was like a fish out of water. Severus rinsed his hands; they were calloused and scarred. He toweled them off, thinking if he should start another potion or just catch up on his reading. A soft tinkle beckoned him to step out of his lab. Reading and brewing would have to wait. He checked the muggle wall clock he had. '8:15 a.m. an early patron.' He thought. He stepped out of his backroom to meet the customer with a professional and polite voice.

"How may I –" He stopped when he saw who it was.

"You! Again!" he snapped.

"Yes, me, again." A muggle-attired young man stepped forward.

"I know I should have warded this place." Snape told himself quietly. He looked at the young man in front of him. 'Damn, he's cute… No, wait, Potter is not cute. Get a hold of yourself, Severus!' he shook his head mentally.

"What is it now, Potter?" He spat out. "I haven't got all day!"

"Easy, Severus," Harry held up his hands, smirking. "I'm not here to wreak havoc, okay? I just needed to talk to you."

'There's that devilish smile again,' Severus thought. 'W-wait, he-he called me Severus?'

What did you just call me, Potter?" he forced out a growl when in fact he had just wanted to whimper.

"Severus," Harry said. "Sev-er-us." He mouthed slowly. Severus had forgotten to breathe for a moment there while watching the young man's lips move. Harry continued.

"What else should I call you? You told me not to call you 'Professor' since you no longer teach… 'Sir' is too generic, I mean I call the old minister that, and oh, that old muggle man that sells muggle newspapers in my area. And 'Snape' could actually mean your father or grandfather or your grandfather's brother or –"

"Enough!" Severus interrupted him, and then sighed. "Fine, you may address me by my given name. Are you quite happy now?" he crossed his arms, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Ecstatic." Harry smiled. Severus glared at him.

"What now, Potter?"

"Harry." The young man said.

"What?"

"Har-ry. Call me Harry." The green-eyed wizard said exasperatedly. "Geez, you really like being difficult, don't you?" he looked at Snape quizzically.

'That expression just made Harry look more adorable' the older wizard thought.

"I refuse to address you as such." He then said with forced stiffness.

"Wha-why?" Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "You'd rather call me the same way as you did my father? You're impossible, Severus."

'How in the world does he make my name sound so… sexy?"

"Fine!" Severus spat out after thinking. "I shall refer to you by you first name then!"

Harry's smile widened.

"Great, then!" he said. "Now, say it."

"Say what?"

"My name, say it." Harry moved closer, his face challenging the other man. Severus can hardly breather, as the younger man was now only a few inches away.

"Ha –" he began with almost a whisper. 'Damn, he's too close, I can almost hear his heartbeat… or is that mine?'

"Go on, say it. Again. You've already said it before, if I'm not mistaken. It can't be that hard to repeat it, right?" Harry's face was now level with his former professor's. The dark wizard gulped. He stared at the man in front of him and had found himself drowning in those emerald irises.

"Ha-Harry…" he had almost moaned, hypnotized by this wonderful young wizard in his presence. He drew closer; they were almost touching… that is until Harry's expression changed.

"There we go," Harry smiled and took a step backwards. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Severus was shaken out of his trance-like state. He snarled.

"Now what?" he asked angrily. 'That was close, too close…' Severus recovered his composure.

Harry nodded.

"Well, I just want to tell you that…" Harry paused and breathed heavily. "… I'm sorry."

"Severus' eyes widened. But the boy-who-lived wasn't finished yet.

"I mean, for all that's happened; My dad, Sirius, you, spying, watching out for me –"

"Stop –"

"No, wait," Harry pleaded. "Please, let me finish." His green eyes spoke to the ex-Death Eater's obsidian ones.

"I know you hate me for whatever I did or did not do…"

"I understand your plight but –"

"Just, just let me finish, okay?" Harry looked at him imploringly.

Severus had no choice but to do just that. Harry took another deep breath and continued.

"IwantyoutoknowthatIreallydon'thateyou –" he blurted out in one go.

"Come again?" The dark wizard inquired. Harry bit his lip.

"You know, I'm really not good at these things…"

"Just say it again. Your astounding proficiency in 'speed-speaking' is not amenable to mortal souls."

" I. Don't. Really. Hate. You." Harry said, carefully pausing after each and every word. He then looked at the other wizard. Severus's face was a mixture of utter disbelief and constipation.

'He doesn't really hate me?'

Harry continued.

"I'm lousy at apologies but since we now share –"

"Potentially. Potentially share –"

"Yes, potentially share an intimate bond. " Harry acknowledged. "I'm not gonna ask you to be buddy-buddies with me all of a sudden if you're not comfortable with that, but I was hoping we can call a truce? I really don't want you to continue hating me –"

"Potter, I don't –" Severus began firmly.

"Harry."

"Fine," Severus sighed. "I don't hate you Harry, okay?" he finished with a much softer tone. He was still reeling in from Harry's apology. 'The great Harry Potter, apologizing to me? Maybe the world is coming to an end…'

"Well –what? You don't really?" Harry blurted out, seemingly surprised and pleased at the same time.

"Yes. Really." Severus fought hard not to roll his eyes. "Yes, and I don't hate your father either. He was just a pompous, arrogant brat with too much air in his head. Black… well, he's another story. Now is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked Harry with a mock bow.

Harry held his hand out.

"Truce, then?" the young savior asked him with a smile. Severus stared at the hand for a moment. Never in his wildest dreams did he foresee this. He was lost in his thoughts until he heard somebody clear their throat.

"Ehem," Harry looked at him expectantly.

'Oh, well'

"Truce." He shook the pro-offered hand.

It was a start.

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A/N: There, Harry and Sev are already on first name basis (squeeeeeeee!) Now we can get to the good stuff. Please let me know what you think. Drop me a review. Please? It would make me happy a lot! :) Eastwoodgirl.