In their first Potions class following this, their most recent fight, Snape complimented Hermione's work on a difficult potion, and awarded her points for every question she knew the answer to. Harry found this odd, but realized later that these strange moments of kindness towards his friends was Snape's way of apologizing. Even Ginny's grades, and his new attitude towards the younger years, were probably his way of trying to make up for the last six years. The only thing Harry couldn't figure out was why the man was bothering. What, besides Harry's faery curse, had changed? And therein lie the answer. Nothing, nothing besides the faery curse had changed. Except, what Snape had learned as a result. If Harry had never been cursed, and had never fallen ill in the man's care, Snape would never have learned of Harry's dark secrets, secrets even his friends knew nothing about. Which raised a whole new question: was this Snape's way of showing Harry that he did see him? All of him?
-Break-
"How would you feel about being taken on as an apprentice?" Snape asked suddenly.
Harry looked up from his book and hot cocoa. He was back on Snape's couch, and had wound up spending half the day here, his toes buried cozily under the man's warm thigh. Christmas Break without his friends had led to an unprecedented amount of time spent in the Potions Master's office. He frowned as Snape's question penetrated the fog of fiction his book had aroused.
"An apprentice?" He repeated. "Does Hogwarts do that?"
Snape shifted slightly, closing his own book on his thumb. "It is an old practice, and not one often adopted, but yes. I was offered an apprenticeship under Slughorn, my final year at Hogwarts, but chose instead to pursue my Mastery the hard way, as well as… other, misguided, interests."
Harry cleared his throat as he realized what those interests might be. Snape very rarely talked about his past, but when he did, Harry felt a stirring of something odd, as if he would fix the man's history if he had that power. He shifted his bare feet further under the man's warm cloak and thigh as he considered what he was being asked.
"I suppose," he said carefully, "That my decision would depend entirely on who I'd be apprenticing under. Are you asking me to be your apprentice?" Harry grinned.
"I am," Snape said immediately.
Harry's smiled slipped as he leaned forward over his knees. "Oh, um, wow… I was just joking, but… wow."
"Is that a 'no'?"
Harry shook his head. "Not really. Can I have the rest of Break to think about it? It's kind of a big decision to make at moment's notice."
Snape raised his book back before his eyes as he relaxed back against the couch. "That is acceptable."
Harry breathed with relief as he leaned back against the arm rest again and returned to his own book. As expected, it was suddenly very hard to concentrate as his mind gnawed at the idea of an apprenticeship under Severus Snape, all-around not a bad guy anymore. As he sunk further into his book, he realized that he was already planning to say 'yes'. A chance to apprentice under the Half-Blood Prince was just too good to pass up.