Harry's concerns about the classroom dynamic had turned out to be well-founded. There was obviously tension between them (the students had taken to whispering that "mum and dad" were fighting), though one would have to look closely to find real evidence of what exactly had changed. Where before they had walked the room together, separating only when one or more students needed assistance, they now walked on opposite sides of the room, meeting in the middle only to pass silently by one another; where there had once been playful banter, there was now serious discussion over the day's topic, or that month's special Saturday course; and, of course, where there had been lingering looks across the room, they now willfully avoided eye contact unless they were discussing work.

It was their behavior outside of Harry's classes that the students first noticed any real difference. Unless at meals or in class, they were almost never together now, not even to discuss said classes; the playfulness of the Potions Master was gone entirely, replaced by the Snarky Git from years past; and even Professor Potter had adopted a no-nonsense attitude that put pursed-lips McGonagall to shame. More than once, a student who had been caught at mischief by either professor would remark that they missed the days when the two had constantly been butting heads, when Harry was still a student.

"At least back then we didn't have to worry about having two professors with their heads up their asses."

It was this general opinion of the student body that eventually forced the Headmaster to confront the two only a few weeks into the new semester. He called them both to his office at Lunch and stared at them gravely over his desk. They each stared back, blank-faced.

"I don't know what has caused this rift between you," The Headmaster started.

Harry scowled. "Headmaster, I really don't-" He stopped when the aged wizard raised a hand for silence.

"I do not know, nor do I care." The man said seriously, the twinkle gone from his impossibly blue eyes. "You may not realize it, but your behavior has begun to affect your pupils! Severus, over the years I have come to expect a certain level of dislike from your students, but even your own House has become afraid to approach you for something." He paused and glared between the two of them. "I. Will. Not. Stand for this! Something has to be done, and because you are both too stubborn to take matters into your own hands, it has fallen to me. Because there has been no real infraction from either of you, I cannot place you on Probation, though I am sorely tempted."

Both men paled.

"Headmaster, you can't-"

"Albus, this is hardly a matter-"

Again, the man raised a hand for silence, interrupting them both. "As I said, I cannot place you on probation without any real infraction. However, I can force you to talk, whether you like it or not. You are both to remain here until such a time as you have worked out your differences, am I understood?"

Both men nodded as that disconcerting blue gaze moved to them each in turn. Suddenly, the old Headmaster grinned, the twinkle returning to his eyes.

"Good!" He rubbed his hands together jovially. "It's been quite some time since I joined Minerva for tea, and I think it's time to remedy that." And with that, the manipulative old man rose from his desk and left the two powerful wizards alone in his office.

Harry sighed and sat in one of the armchairs in front of the large desk. A part of him was pissed that the old man was intervening in his life, again, but a larger part was glad that now Severus would be forced to say why he'd been so distant with him. He looked at the Potions Master, who remained standing, and decided to break the silence first.

"How are your experiments going?" He asked idly.

Snape looked at him in surprise. "They are going well, thank you. Your Christmas gift has been quite useful."

"I'm glad," Harry said softly.

They remained in awkward silence for a long, drawn out moment before Severus growled angrily. "Harry, this is ridiculous."

The Defense Instructor gaped at the man. "Me? But you're the one who-" He stopped when the man raised a challenging eyebrow. He scowled. Technically, he had been the one to start cancelling engagements. "Alright, fine, maybe I have been distancing myself from you, but you can hardly blame me. I simply decided that no friendship was better than a false one."

"What in the hell are you talking about, Potter? I was the one making an effort, whereas you were always 'too busy'." The Potions Master countered.

"Making an effort to keep me quiet," Harry hissed. "You didn't want me dredging up your past, which I can understand, but don't insult me by claiming to have tried to keep our friendship going when you couldn't even be bothered to accept my apology."

"I did accept your apology, Potter, don't be an idiot!"

"If so you failed to tell me!" Harry shouted, getting truly angry now. "And if you really had, then why have you caused this distance between us, huh? It's not me who sits on the edge of my chair at meals to avoid getting too close! It's not me who flinches away if our shoulders brush, or pulls back as if you'd been burned when our elbows touch at meals. It isn't me who moves to the other side of the corridor when we pass! You've even gone so far as moving if I sit too close to you in the Lounge! If you've forgiven me, then why the hell can't you stand being near me?!"

"Because it's my fault you were in that corridor!" Severus roared angrily. Harry was stunned to silence. "I'm the one who found you that day, and I have never been so scared in my life, as when I saw you lying unconscious next to that Weasley bastard. And when you told me the extent of what that vile waste of human life tried to do-" He stopped and turned away from Harry. "I won't be the cause of anymore pain, not to you. I won't make you relive that idiot boy's touch, even if it means I never get to touch you again myself."

Harry sat, staring at the man, utterly gob-smacked. After a moment, he stood from his chair and walked over to the Potions Master. He put a hand on one hunched shoulder, ignoring the flinch it caused, and forced the man to turn and face him.

"Severus, look at me," He commanded. Black eyes lifted to meet his. "That is the single most ridiculous thing you have ever said." The man scowled. "I'm serious. Have I ever done or said anything to suggest that your touch was unwanted?"

The Slytherin only glared at him silently.

"I want an answer, Severus, and we both know that I damn well deserve one."

Finally, the man shook his head minutely. "No," He ground out through clenched teeth.

Harry nodded. "Right, so, nothing I've done could make you think that. So that leaves you, Severus. Are you planning to rape me? Are you hiding your own Mr. Hyde potion down in the dungeons, and are afraid that by touching me it will cause the animal to rise and force you upon me?"

The scowl deepened. "Harry, that is-"

"Stupid? Ridiculous? Absolutely and completely fucking bonkers?" Harry demanded. "You're damn right it is! What the bloody hell were you thinking?! Firstly, what Ron did to me, and tried to do, are purely the fault of that prick, no one else's. My reasons for being in that corridor don't matter, because he would have tried to do something eventually anyway. He's thick, nothing would have stopped him until he'd pushed as far as he could go, which he did. Secondly, you are not Ron, nor are you Remus! Hell, even Remus wasn't like that when he was sober! He had his tongue down my throat and it didn't trigger flashbacks, so you and me occasionally rubbing elbows sure as hell isn't going to! I'm not some fragile flower to be tended to with care; if I was, I'd hardly be a good Defense Instructor would I? You need to get over yourself, Severus, because nothing that happened to me that day was your fault."

Stubborn black eyes looked away and Harry groaned with frustration, turning his back on the man.

"Fine, if you want to be an idiot then be one. You can explain to Dumbledore why we can't go back to the way things were, because I'm done." He stood with his back to Severus, absolutely fuming. He couldn't believe that this whole time he'd thought he'd been the one to cause the rift between them, when all this time the Potions Master was just being a goddamned martyr.

Harry was forced to fight the urge to jump slightly when a hand touched his shoulder cautiously, then more firmly before sliding soothingly up and down his tense bicep. He uncrossed his arms and turned to face the foolish Slytherin. The man was still avoiding his gaze, but Harry could feel a difference in it now.

"I'm…sorry." Snape grimaced as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth, making Harry smile.

"You should be, you git," He murmured as black eyes rose to stare into his. A hand cupped his cheek and he reached up to hold it there against his warm skin. "I thought you hated me, and were just pretending to be nice so I wouldn't spill your secret across the school."

Severus smirked. "It isn't much of a secret, considering it was years ago," The smirk slowly disappeared. "I am sorry, Harry, for the last few weeks, and for my reaction that day. That was a very dark time in my life, and seeing that letter brought back some terrible memories for me. I never imagined that anyone would ever see it, after I realized Minerva hadn't, and when I discovered that you had…my reaction was not because I felt betrayed. You're a Gryffindor, I could hardly blame you for being curious about what should have been harmless notes." He rubbed his thumb gently over Harry's cheekbone. "I was angry because I didn't want you to see my weakness. I had thought that, if you knew about that part of my life, you would turn away from me. I only realized after I'd stormed off that you'd had the note for months and that it had been the thing that brought you to me to begin with. I had gone looking for you to apologize, and it led me to the corridor outside your rooms. When I saw you lying broken and bleeding on the floor, I couldn't help but think that it was my fault for overreacting. This was made worse when you used your typical Gryffindor bull-headedness and walked down to my rooms before you were fully recovered."

The Gryffindor smirked. "You're forgiven, Git. Next time, just talk to me. I'm not as easily broken as you seem to think."

Snape raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Excepting, of course, the multitude of broken bones you've suffered during your lifetime."

Harry gaped, feigning hurt. "There haven't been that many." The eyebrow rose a little further, making him chuckle appreciatively. "Alright, there have been. You win, Sev'rus."

The Potions Master scowled playfully. "I believe I said I didn't want any foolish nicknames, Potter."

"Technically," Harry said, grinning. "It isn't a nickname, just a shortened version of your name." He slid his hand down to wrap his fingers around the pulse point at the Slytherin's wrist. "If you don't like it, I could always call you Sev, instead, or 'Rus."

Severus wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I will allow it, then, if only to prevent you shortening my name further."

Fathomless black eyes stared adoringly down into vibrant green, and Harry's breath hitched. He could feel the distance between them getting smaller, and thought perhaps this would finally be the thing to break that final chord of underlying tension between them. Their breath mingled in the diminishing space between them, their mouths slightly open in anticipation. Harry felt his lids grow heavy with the desire flooding his system.

"Well, my boys, I certainly hope that this time together has been fruitful."

Harry jumped at the intrusion, and realized Snape had already moved away from him.

"It has, Albus." Severus told the aggravating wizard in the doorway.

Harry put on a grin as he faced his employer. "Yep, turns out we're both dunderheads," He added lightly, earning him a teasing scowl from his friend.

The chipper Headmaster grinned at them, his eyes twinkling maddeningly. "I'm glad. However, I'm afraid I do require my office now. Letters that won't write themselves, you see."

"Of course, Headmaster," Harry said. He moved to the door with Severus at his side. "We won't keep you from your work any longer. Thank you, for allowing us use of your office."

"Not at all, Harry," The old wizard said nonchalantly. "Perhaps one of these days you might actually call me 'Albus'."

Harry smiled playfully as Snape moved past him and out the door. "One day." With a final wave goodbye, he followed the Potions Master to the revolving stairs. The man looked up at him as they moved slowly down towards the gargoyle.

"I have a class, but perhaps tonight we could get together for some coffee? I could help with your grading, if you like. We still need to discuss this Saturday's Herbology/Defense course, and I had some points to bring up about your First and Second Year Saturday class next week," Severus suggested quietly.

Harry smiled. "Sure, Sev'rus. Your rooms or mine?"

"Yours," Severus said immediately. "I'm afraid my rooms are a mess, as your gift has left me time for little else besides brewing."

The smile blossomed into a grin. "I'd hate to think what they'll look like after we gather the rest of the snake this summer."

Severus smirked. "I shudder to think."

They parted ways in front of the gargoyle with a final, lingering look.