Chapter 9

Snape couldn't believe how much of his life had changed in the last 2 weeks. One moment he's on his literal death bed, comatose, naked and fighting off the venom from Nagini and the next he was back at Hogwarts in his usual robes and preparing for the upcoming school term in just over a months' time. Strange enough, he had also gotten used to the company of none other than Harry Potter who now spends his evenings after supper helping him tidy his office and classroom giving Snape more free time to research.

He looked at the clock and noticed it was five minutes past seven. Any moment now he's newest assistant will be joining him. Snape took this time to reflect his current relationship with the boy. He's accepted after speaking with Poppy and Minerva it was theorised that unsurprisingly to them that Harry had latched onto him and likely started looking up to him as the closest thing to a father figure he had. This information made Severus uneasy as he felt his feelings for the boy changing every day and still couldn't figure out what the hell was going on in his own mind.

Thankfully, his thoughts were interrupted by the boy's knocking.

"Enter." Snape said, not taking his eyes off his papers.

Harry entered the classroom in his well fitted jeans and dark green, long sleeved shirt. Snape had seen the boy wear this shirt as well as various other greens in the past couple of weeks.

"Fitting you'd wear green in Slytherin territory." Snape said as an offhand comment.

Harry shrugged. "I like green, it's my favourite colour. Been told it suits me anyways."

Without thinking Snape replied. "It does, suits you well. Shame you weren't sorted into my house."

Though he had said it casually, he did realize that Harry could easily misinterpret that comment but what Harry said instead stopped him in his thoughts.

"Funny that, if I had never met Malfoy prior to the sorting, I would have been. Sorted that is. Into Slytherin."

Snape took his eyes off his papers and looked at Harry who was currently at the sink with his sleeves rolled up and filling a bucket.

"What do you mean Harry?"

Snape begun thinking back on Harry's sorting and remembered the hat stall Harry had. He also remembered how when Draco was sorted into Slytherin, the hat didn't even touch his head before calling out "Slytherin". He was expecting a similar experience with Harry being sorted into Gryffindor and wondered about why it took the hat so long for the obvious.

"Well, I met Malfoy, he was an arse even at 11 and when I saw he was sorted into Slytherin and Ron was sorted into Gryffindor, I begged the hat to put me in Gryffindor. Can you imagine? Me? In Slytherin?" Harry laughed and brushed it off, dumping the bucket of water in a corner and begun scrubbing the floor with a bristled brush.

Snape never sat and thought about Harry being in Slytherin except for second year when the boy and red headed friend were caught riding a flying car by muggles and how he wanted to expel them.

Snape was curious about the boy's thoughts on Slytherin.

"What if you were sorted into my house though?"

Harry stopped scrubbing and thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Not sure. I don't think I would have fitted in. I would have been out casted, I guess. I probably would have had better luck in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Let's be real, you still wouldn't have liked me though sir."

"No but I would have had more control over you." Snape replied without, again without thought.

Harry laughed and replied jokingly "You'd think that wouldn't you sir?".

All Snape could do was smile. Damn the boy. If he were in Slytherin, he would have still received that blasted cloak of invisibility by the late headmaster and the boy would have still gotten out.

A few minutes had passed when Harry spoke up almost shyly.

"Do you really think I look good in this shirt sir?"

Snape chuckled.

"You sound like a woman asking her husband for approval Harry but if you must know, yes, it looks good."

Snape took notice when he said "Woman" Harry blushed. He guessed like any other growing young man; he didn't want to be compared to the fairer sex.

"Sir? What do you think I would have looked like if I were born a girl?"

Silence followed the question. Snape looked at the boy and imagined a brunette Lily. It hurt. The pained expression on Snape's face was noticeable to Harry.

"Sorry, dumb question. Sorry sir, I'll just focus on these floors. You'd be surprised how much had built up between the cracks of the stone." Harry nervously laughed and continued.

The rest of the night together was rather quiet with the occasional small talk.