A/N – It's been far too long between updates and for that I apologize. I have no excuse. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and feel free to leave lovely or horribly reviews!

Chapter 7 – Things are going to get much much worse

'You're overreacting.' Snape said impatiently.

'I'm not overreacting; I'm being practical and thinking ahead.' Harry retorted. He'd come home before nightfall as requested only to find that Snape was still in a foul mood. Or perhaps he had just reverted to form and snapped out of the good polite mood he'd been in earlier.

At any rate it was annoying, and Harry was trying to have a conversation with him about what they had discovered in regards to the note left on his door, and Harry and Ron's fears for Hermione. Severus didn't share his concerns for Hermione's safety or perhaps he simply didn't care, and Harry was having a hard time keeping his temper in check.

'You always overreact.' Snape pointed out. 'You have no evidence that the killer's motivation is a hate for magic, and even if it is there is no reason why Ms. Granger would be targeted. I hate to tell you this but she isn't as gifted as you all think she is!'

Harry closed his eyes and pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose. 'No one has said she is the next target, simply that by sending me the note the killer – '

'There is also no proof that the note was sent by the killer.' Snape interrupted.

'He's targeted me and therefore might see one of my only close friends as a potential victim.' Harry finished, his eyes still closed in irritation. 'Surely you can agree that out of all my friends, and even any acquaintances that I may have had that Hermione is by far the most gifted? You don't think she could be a target?'

Snape sneered at Harry. 'I think that the three of you have always had over inflated opinions of yourselves. While Ms. Granger certainly showed the most magical aptitude whilst at Hogwarts she has failed to achieve what you yourself did before you even finished school. I do not believe she is a target, in fact I think the far more likely target is you, you are far more powerful than she is, and after all if the note was left by the killer then he left it for you and you alone.'

Harry's irritation grew. It seemed as though Snape had simultaneously insulted and complimented him, and he couldn't work out which he wanted to react to. 'I'm not saying she is a target just that I fear for her safety like I fear for my own, and Ron's, and yours.'

Snape spoke in a withering tone. 'You should be very careful Potter. Your fear for your friends has always led to you behaving in a childish manner, where you are completely controlled by your emotions and if memory serves your behavior in those situations often leads to disastrous results.'

Harry felt like he'd been slapped. The irritation he felt in that moment gave way to cold fury, and when he spoke it was with quiet detached anger.

'You will not speak to me that way again.' He snapped. 'You will remember that this is MY house, and that at this moment you are an unwelcome guest in it. Don't presume to know anything about what I went through as a child or the emotions that led to decisions I made then. You have no right to throw them in my face. And you should remember certain decisions you made as a child that were borne of emotion and imagine how it would feel if I threw them back at you.'

Severus just looked at him; his arms still folded in front of him in what Harry supposed was an intimidating manner. It certainly wasn't intimidating to him. The sneer however had gone from Severus's face.

Harry broke the silence. 'I'm going to bed.' He said sharply, before turning his back on Snape and exiting the room, his robes billowing out behind him.

…

Unsurprisingly Harry found he could not sleep again that night, and once again he found himself up and in the kitchen. This time there was no sign of Severus, and frankly Harry was relieved.

He just didn't know how to deal with him. One second he was easy to converse with and relaxed, and someone Harry considered a friend, and the next he was caustic, rude and an all-out pain in the ass.

Harry stood at his kitchen window and gazed out into the forest. The view from this window was particularly beautiful bathed in moonlight, and this night was no different. He had lost count of how many nights he had spent this way, when nightmare's became too much or his brain just would not switch off. He felt a kind of calm wash over him, and he decided to just let these troubles with Severus go. The man was who he was, he wasn't going to change. Besides once this case was over he doubted he would see him again, after all he had managed to leave him alone for the past 5 years hadn't he?

This thought wasn't as comforting as Harry had thought it would be. What he actually wanted was for Snape to stop being an ass altogether and just stay the easy comfortable to be around Snape, and then maybe they could be friends. Was that too much to ask? He started slightly as he felt a warm soft body press around his bare ankles.

'I was wondering where you've been hiding.' He murmured softly, bending down and picking up Sorrell. 'I haven't seen much of you these last few days. You've been hiding from our house guest haven't you?' He pressed a purring Sorrell up to his face, reveling in the soft fur against his cheek. 'He's scary isn't he? A mean old man.'

Sorrell regarded Harry meaningfully as if communicating that Severus wasn't a mean old man, just misunderstood like he was.

'Well if he's just misunderstood then why have you been hiding from him hey?' Harry asked, holding Sorrell up and examining him. Sorrell fixed Harry with a knowing stare, and started to wriggle.

'Fine then.' Harry said letting him go and watching as he stalked haughtily out of the room. 'You know I think you two have too much in common! I bet you were a Slytherin cat weren't you?'

'Who on earth are you talking to?' Severus asked from behind him.

Harry jumped. 'Fuck Snape, you know how to sneak up on someone don't you?' He said, turning to face him.

'I didn't sneak. Nor did I intend to startle you. I simply couldn't sleep so came out here in search of refreshments.' Snape said, leaning against the doorway that led to the bedrooms.

'Well don't let me stop you.' Harry said.

Snape moved into the kitchen and opened a cupboard pulling a mug out and placing it on the bench top.

Harry watched him for a few moments and then turned back to gaze out of the window again. His calm feeling had disappeared.

'Harry?' Snape asked cautiously.

'Yes?' Harry asked continuing to gaze out the window into the night.

'I'm sorry for what I said earlier.'

Harry turned in surprise and looked at Severus. He seemed perfectly sincere. 'Well I bet that was hard to say.'

'You have no idea.'

'I appreciate that.' Harry said. 'Though what you said wasn't wrong, just cruel. I have in the past let my emotions control my actions and it has ended disastrously.'

'You were a child. It's to be expected.'

'I disagree.' Harry said softly. 'Having been in the situations I was as a child I think it was more a lack of communication that led to disaster rather than my immaturity. Even Sirius's death could have been avoided if any of the adults had actually bothered to keep me in the loop.'

'I always said that was Dumbledore's greatest weakness.' Severus said. 'He cared more for your childhood than for the role you were forced to play in the war. He could have prepared you much better.'

'Between you hating me and not telling me anything and him loving me and not telling me anything I don't know how I managed to get anything done.' Harry said. 'I'm surprised that Ron and Hermione got through it all unscathed.'

'And yet here we are making the same mistakes all over again.'

'Harry looked at Severus in surprise. 'No we aren't. We're here aren't we? We're in the same room, carrying on a semi civilized conversation –'

'Semi civilized?' Severus interrupted.

'I'm still angry at you.' Harry confessed. 'Though I'm not really sure why.'

'Perhaps it's become a habit?' Severus suggested.

Harry smirked. 'No it's not a habit. I think I feel angry because I know you were right, and that irritates me.'

'That may be, but you were right. It was cruel.' Severus said. 'I've been cruel much of my life, I don't think I know how to stop.'

'I think simply acknowledging that fact is a step in the right direction. You can only change if you want to.' Harry pointed out.

'I'm too old to change now.'

'You're not old.' Harry said in surprise. Where had that come from he wondered.

Severus just looked at him.

After a few moments he spoke. 'Harry I don't think that Hermione or Ron for that matter are in danger, however I promise to watch out for them if that would make you feel better.'

Harry felt a warm glow in the pit of his stomach. 'It would yes.'

'As long as you don't intend to bring them here to stay with us. I don't think I could cope with living with three Gryffindor's.' Severus growled.

Harry laughed. 'No I don't think you could either! I just want to check on them every few days, and I'm going to connect the fire place in the study to the floo network tomorrow.'

'It's about time.' Severus grumbled.

'Hey your place isn't connected to the floo either!' Harry said indignantly.

'That's because I hate the ministry and it hates me.' Severus said shortly.

'Could you be more dramatic?' Harry asked, with a raised eyebrow. 'I mean really.'

Severus smirked. 'Possibly. Nonetheless you can go to the ministry alone tomorrow while I check on Weasley and Granger.'

'That's fine.' Harry agreed. 'I'm sure I'll be safe in broad daylight. However I'd love to see Ron and Hermione's faces when you show up alone on their doorstep tomorrow.'

…

The first thing Harry did the next morning was connect his fire to the floo network. While he was sure the unwanted calls and interruptions that this would bring would irritate him he thought it was worth it given the convenience. He knew he'd be travelling from his home almost every day now and really it just wasn't practical to remain disconnected form the world.

At any rate it hadn't been a simple process and by the time he finally made it to the Auror headquarters it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning. Harry rounded the corner to find Prewitt waiting impatiently for him.

'Potter where have you been?' He asked snappily.

'Connecting my fire to the floo network. What's the rush?' Harry replied just as snappily.

Jones stuck his head around the corner of the conference room Harry had been heading to. 'We received another note Harry.'

'Excuse me?' Harry asked.

'Another note Potter. We received another note from the killer this morning.' Prewitt said impatiently.

'It was sent here?' Harry asked in alarm.

Jones nodded. 'Come and see.'

Harry bolted into the conference room and leaned over the table where the new note was sitting.

'When I die I will be reborn in paradise and all that I have killed will become my slaves, I get awfully lonely when I am ignored, I've got a little list, of society offenders. And I will kill again.' He read aloud from the note.

'Pretty chilling.' Prewitt said.

Harry nodded. 'Check the wording of this against records of muggle serial killers. The last note was a direct copy from one, I feel sure that this will be too. If it's the same killer then it's possible that ours will also emulate the killings themselves which could give us something to go on.'

'I'm on it.' Jones said. 'What was the name of the muggle killer?'

'David Berkowitz. Otherwise known as the Son of Sam.' Harry said.

'How do you know that?' Prewitt asked with a frown.

Harry frowned back. 'I looked it up.' He said sharply. 'When is the Muggle FBI consultant arriving?'

Prewitt smarted. 'She should be here tomorrow.'

Harry sat down and leaned back in his chair. 'And not a moment too soon.' He said quietly to himself.

…

A/N – The next chapter is titled 'Do Not Go Gentle.'