During lunch the following day, Harry finally tracked down Terry whom he had been avoiding ever since the day after he had snogged Severus in the corridor. He walked over to the Ravenclaw table and asked if they could go talk somewhere in private. Harry truly did feel terrible about cheating on him and now breaking up with him, but after last night, he had finally came to the realization of whom he wanted to be with. He figured that the Terry would officially get the hint if he kept avoiding him, but he figured he at least owed it to him to end things face to face. They walked out of the Great Hall together, standing off to the side of the marble staircase.

"So why haven't I seen or heard from you in the past few days?" Terry asked before he had a chance to speak

"I'm sorry," Harry said "To tell you the truth, I've been doing a lot of thinking...about us." He said, not meeting his eyes.

"What does that mean?"

Harry swallowed hard, deciding to get straight to the point. "I-I think maybe we should see other people."

Terry said nothing in response, only lowered his gaze down to stare at the stone floor. "So," He cleared his throat after a moment and Harry noticed that his voice slightly shook as he spoke "Are you seeing somebody else?"

"No." Harry lied, feeling like a complete piece of shit for doing so, but obviously he couldn't tell him that he was choosing their middle aged potion's professor over him. "This is just something I need to do for myself right now."

There was another long pause "Alright." Terry said

"Alright?"

"Yeah. To tell you the truth, I've seen this coming for a wile now. I don't know, I could just tell that things weren't going to last for the long run. I just want you to know that I had a lot of fun with you and I still think you're an amazing person. I'd like to try to stay friends if that's alright with you."

Harry felt a lump rising in his throat. He felt like the biggest asshole in the entire world right now. He just hoped he was making the right decision here and wasn't leaving the right person for the wrong one. "Thank you. That means a lot and I'd like to stay friendly as well," He said. " Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"Alright, see you." Terry said, turning not to go back to the Great Hall, but out on the grounds instead.

Harry let him go, having seen the flash of pain go through his eyes as he walked away, even though he was acting like the break up hadn't phased him in the slightest. Despite all of his guilty feelings about what he had just done, Harry felt the stress he had been carrying with him constantly for the past few days melting away as he joined Ron, Hermione, and Seamus at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later.

He hadn't been sitting there for all of five minutes when Seamus inquired as to where Terry was.

"We broke up." He said nonchalantly, beginning to tuck into a platter of fish and chips.

"What?!" Seamus exclaimed

Hermione, who's attitude toward him still wasn't exactly the warmest, merely looked up at him with a half raised eyebrow before turning a page of her newspaper. Even though she was pretending to read, he knew she was secretly listening.

"Yeah. It just wasn't working."

"But-"

"Sorry guys, but I really don't want to talk about it." He said, shoving a few more chips in his mouth and standing up to go.

"Aw come on, you don't have to leave, mate," Ron said quickly "If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to."

It wasn't until that moment that he really appreciated how much Ron had seemed to mature in the past few months. "I know," He said "I'll catch up with you guys later."

He glanced up at the teacher's table, hoping to catch Severus' eye, but he was engaged in a serious looking conversation with Dumbledore at the moment. By the grim looks on both of their faces, he wondered if he should be worried about what was going to happen next in this bloody war. Oh, how badly he wished that it would soon be over so everybody could stop living their lives in fear.

Harry had a Defense lesson until Thursday afternoon, but he didn't think he could wait that long to talk to Severus. After dinner that night, he made an excuse to his friends about a detention and walked the path down to the dungeons. He paused in front of the door that let into Severus' chambers, unsure of whether it was okay for him to just show up like this. Eventually he told himself to stop being such a pansy and raised his fist up to knock on the door.

It flew open almost immediately and he let out a small noise of surprise as Severus grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, quickly glancing both directions in the empty corridor as he did so. Satisfied that nobody had seen, the older man shut the door and locked it, leading him into the sitting room. He sat down on the couch and Harry was surprised as Severus sat next to him instead of his usual arm chair.

"So, I broke up with Terry." He said, getting straight to the point

"I'm glad," Severus said "I meant what I said, Harry. I want to give us a chance."

"I do too." He agreed, leaning in and kissing him once on the lips. When he pulled away, he knew that he had a stupid grin plastered to his face, but he didn't try to hide it. His heart melted as Severus flashed him a genuine smile and slid an arm around his waist, pulling him closer as they settled back into the couch.

They spent the next half hour or so discussing what had been going on in their lives for the past few months. He didn't do much talking, not wanting to disappoint Severus by telling him that all he had been doing was getting messed up lately. Severus rattled onto him about a new potion that he was working on. It's purpose was to trigger the minds sub-conscience or something like that. Harry thought it sounded like more of a drug than a potion in his opinion, but then again, he wasn't the potion's master here.

"What are your plans for this Saturday evening?" Severus abruptly asked

"I don't think I'm doing anything." He said

Severus shifted on the couch, clearing his throat "Well, would you like to get out of here and go do something or-?" He left the question hanging in the air

"Hmm, like a date?"

To his amusement, the color of Severus' cheeks turned to a light pink "No, not a date," He said "Just a-"

"A not date?" Harry prompted with a smile

"Yes, we can call it that." Severus said

Noting that it was ten minutes to curfew and his friends were probably wondering where he had disappeared to, he realized he had better go.

Severus walked him to the door and he was somewhat disappointed when the man made no move to embrace him, but he quickly resolved to himself not to think too much of it. Harry turned his hand on the door knob, checking to make sure the corridor was clear before beginning the walk up to Gryffindor tower.

…...

On Saturday evening, instead of heading down to dinner with the rest of the school, Harry stood in the middle of his dormitory in only his boxers. Clothes were flung all over the floor and across the bed. He had spent the past thirty minutes trying to put together an outfit, eventually pulling on a pair of jeans, black combat boots, and a white v-neck shirt. He finished by spraying himself with cologne and and shrugging into his leather jacket.

Checking his watch, he pulled his cloak over himself and walked down to Severus' chambers. Harry knocked, but received no answer. He knocked again and paused, listening. Silence. Was Severus blowing him off or what? He had told him to meet him in his quarters at seven and it was currently ten past. Just as he was about to walk away, the door flung open.

"Sorry," Severus apologized, already hurrying back into the house "I'm running a bit late."

All of his prior annoyance melted away as he entered the sitting room and caught sight of his date. Severus was wearing a pair of light washed denim jeans and a gray cashmere sweater. His feet were bare and his hair tousled like he had just gotten out of the shower. Harry couldn't resist raking his eyes up and down the older man's body. He was definitely sexy all right.

He blushed and looked away as Severus turned back to face him, more than likely catching him in the act of checking him out. "I'll be out momentarily. Feel free to take a seat if you wish." Severus said, retreating back to his bedroom.

Harry crossed the room and sat down on the couch. After a few minutes of waiting, he began to grow bored. He stood and walked over to the book shelf in the corner, skimming through the titles. All boring looking books about potions. He moved on to the other book case next to the fireplace, surprised to discover a rather wide selection of Muggle novels. There were several plays by Shakespeare, classics like The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights, and even a few more modern books. Harry spotted The Bell Jar wedged in between two tattered looking books and snatched it off the shelf, carrying it back over to the couch. Sylvia Plath was his favorite poet and he'd wanted to read this book for months now.

He was hardly into the third page when the floo lit up. Fearing that it was Dumbledore or another authority figure, he jumped up and ran into Severus' room before whoever it was would have the chance to get a look at him.. The older man looked up from tying his shoelace. "Someone just came through the floo." He whispered. Severus calmly stood, motioning at him to stay where he was. A few excruciating moments of silence passed before he heard a man's squeaky voice coming from the sitting room.

"Harry you can come out." Severus called a moment later

When he entered the sitting room, a short little bald man was standing next to the fireplace. The man was wearing pink dress robes and a white hat. He had a monogrammed ring on his pinky finger and silver bracelets around his wrists. Harry eyed him rather suspiciously, not quite sure what to make of him.

"Harry, this is Art. Art, this is Harry."

"Nice to meet you." Harry said politely, reaching out to shake his hand

Art shook his hand up and down rather vigorously "Such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter!"

"Please, just call me Harry." He said

Severus looked down and checked his watch "We'd better go soon if we still want to make our reservation. Art, do you mind if we step through?"

"No, no, not at all! Do try not to ash on the carpet though!" Art said before disappearing

They stepped through the floo into a rather ridiculously decorated foyer. Harry had to purse his lips tightly together to avoid laughing in amusement at his surroundings. He honestly couldn't decide which was worse, the bright yellow walls or the hot pink flamingo fountain in the center of the room. Art bid the both of them goodbye and they set off walking. After covering the length of several long city blocks, they finally made it to their restaurant, a chic looking french place in the heart of SoHo. Severus kept his hand on the small of his back as the hostess led them to a table set for two. They sat down across from one another as the waitress came by to take their drink orders.

Dinner was a rather laid back, enjoyable affair. They ended up spending the greater part of their meal laughing quietly to themselves at the old man in a corner booth who kept dozing off only to be awoken by his angry wife swatting him over the head with her handkerchief.

When the check came, Severus grabbed the check book and shoved some Muggle bills into the leather booklet. "Thank you for dinner" Harry said as they maneuvered their way out of the crowded restaurant.

"It was my pleasure."

Harry lit a cigarette as they began walking down the sidewalk, sneaking a glance at Severus out of the corner of his eye. The night was going great so far, but he couldn't help but wonder if the man was as nervous as he was.

"So, where to now?" Harry asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"You'll see" Was all Severus said in response

They set off walking down a rather crowded street and he couldn't stop himself from slowing down to check out his surroundings. Vendors lined up and down the block, each selling delicious smelling food for only a few pounds. A group of young people stumbled out of a club, laughing and clutching half empty tankards while a shirtless man with dreadlocks chased after his dog. The faint sound of a ukulele could be heard amongst all the madness and it brought a smile to his face. While he had been to London many times, it was the one city that he never seemed to grow tired of.

The two of them eventually ended up walking through a dark, deserted looking park. He couldn't help but wonder why Severus had brought him here, but he continued to follow him in silence, past the wooden benches, past the play set, and up a rather steep hill. When they reached the top, Severus transfigured a blanket out of thin air and spread it out among the grass for them to sit on.

"I have something for you." Severus said, beginning to dig around in his coat pocket

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised

Severus nodded in response, pulling out a small sandwich baggie and handing it over. The smell of dank bud filled the air before he even opened the bag. Harry took a nug out and examined it in appreciation underneath Severus' wand light. It was light green with orange hares and crystals on it.

"Is this what you two were doing in the sitting room earlier?" He asked

Severus nodded "He said it's called Blue Dream. It's imported from Peru."

Harry thanked him, knowing how much it had probably cost him. Severus blew his thank off with a wave of his hand. He glanced around to make sure they were completely alone, feeling in his jeans pocket for the sneak-a-toke he usually carried on him just in case. He broke up the bud and filled it to the top. Taking a hit, he was pleased to discover that it was smooth and didn't burn his throat, unlike some of the stuff he had been smoking lately.

"So how do you know that Art guy?" He asked as he exhaled and passed it over to Severus

"I've known him for years. He was a good friend of John and I's back in the day."

He nodded, unsure of what to say. Severus had never really talked to him about his relationship with John before and Harry couldn't help but wonder if he had ever really allowed himself to grieve over his loss before. He could tell by the tone of voice he got the few times he had spoken of him that he had rarely, if ever, talked to anybody about it. He glanced at Severus as he held the bowl out to him. The older man was staring straight ahead like he was in another dimension. "I'm sorry," Harry apologized "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to." They finished the bowl and Harry shook two cigarettes out of his pack, offering one to Severus.

"It's alright," Severus said, reaching his hand out for the lighter "I was just...thinking."

Harry lay back on the blanket, looking up at the stars. There was such a clear view from here. He took a long drag of his cigarette, the menthol tasting much stronger than usual. Severus relaxed his body next to his, pulling his knees to his chest and leaning back on his elbows.

"Have you been keeping up with your classes?"

Harry inwardly groaned at his question, knowing that Severus already knew the answer as he had just failed a Defense test last week. And Defense was his favorite subject. In all honestly, he had been behind in all of his classes since the beginning of the year. He just didn't see the point in school anymore, therefore he had no motivation to even try. At this point, as long as he didn't fail, he could care less what his grades were. "I'm assuming you graded my last test." He said

"I did. And the one before that. And the one before that one as well. Is it no longer your ambition to become an Auror?"

"Not so much," He admitted for the first time to anybody but himself "I've actually been leaning more toward Psychology lately- you know, the study of the mind. I read a book over it this summer and it really interested me. I guess I just wanted to become an Auror because it was what was kind of expected of me from everybody else. I don't know," He said "It's probably too late to do anything with my life now that I've fucked up my entire sixth year."

Severus stared at him long and hard for several moments. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. "It's not too late. Not if you actually have the will to try."

"I don't know-I just- I just don't feel like I should have to decide what I'm going to do for the rest of my life right now. I'm only sixteen. There are so many more things I could be doing with my life. What I would really love to do is take a year off...go see the world." He absentmindedly fondled with the leg of Severus' trousers as he talked

Severus turned over onto his side, propping his head up on his arm "I really like that idea," He said "What most people, Wizards especially, don't tend to realize is that life is a rather precious gift that we all take for granted. I wholeheartedly encourage you to do whatever it is that makes you happy because in the end, that's what's really important."

"I agree with you so much. As a society, we focus too much on money and what the ideal picture of success is. You know, I think that I'm going to schedule a meeting with McGonagall next week to discuss switching around some of my classes."

"Let me know if there is anything I can do to help," Severus said, looking down at his watch "It's after eleven, we'd better get back to the school soon."

They gathered their belongings up and he looped his arm through Severus' as they disapparated. After several moments of feeling like he was being squeezed through a tiny test tube, they landed on their feet at the apparation point and began the walk back up to the school. Severus stopped him at the edge of the woods.

"I had a rather enjoyable time tonight."

"I did too" Said Harry

"May I see you again soon?"

"Of course" Said Harry, finding it adorable that the man thought that he had to ask. They walked side-by-side to the Entrance Hall, where he expected they would part ways, but Severus insisted on walking him up to the seventh floor. Not wanting him to get away without a proper goodbye, Harry reached for his hand in the darkness and pulled him into an empty alcove. Their lips sought out each other in the pitch black and he found himself backed against the wall. They snogged for several minutes, not wanting to let go. Severus eventually broke the embrace and led him over to the portrait hole.

"Good night Harry" Severus whispered, kissing him softly on the lips before turning and walking back down the corridor.

When Harry entered Gryffindor tower, he was absolutely floating. He spotted Ron sitting in an armchair by the fire and collapsed into the one next to him. The red head looked up from the chocolate frog card he had been reading.

"You and Terry get back together or somethin'?"

"No, why?" He asked

"You just look really happy or something."

Harry caught himself smiling at his words "Yeah, I am." He said, offering no other explanation as he rose from his chair and headed up to the dormitory. For once in his life, he was starting to think that everything might just work out in the end after all.