Hey all! Sorry this is SOO late! And I told people it might be out as early as last Thursday!! Sorry!! Been busy! Not to mention exhausted!

Ok, well, anyway... No, this story is not going to be slash. Can tell you that now. Hopefully, this chapter will lay all such doubts to rest.

Ariana Deralte: Snape did take the Death Eater's wand. He bound him with it in the middle of the chapter I believe.

Also, people asked me to review their fics and someone asked me if they could put this story and its predecessor on their site. Did I answer you guys? I can barely remember things from when I was sick. If I didn't, let me know, please??? Will reply as soon as possible. Thanks!

Enjoy!

Snape's mind froze. It was a very rare event to find Snape speechless, but he was, nevertheless, now.

He couldn't tell the boy exactly how he felt about him, but he found that he no longer wanted to lie to him. Or, rather, Snape did not want to lie about this particular thing to Harry. But if he admitted that he wanted to play the role of father to him, that he felt as though he WERE Harry's father, he would simply place him in more danger.

Snape took a step back from Harry's bright, questioning eyes. Harry no longer looked like anyone at that moment, simply like a lost little boy. Snape wondered how he'd look if he told him the truth. Would he be horrified? Or would he react with the usual Potter charm and simply accept it? Snape discovered he would like to know, suddenly.

Harry glanced back towards where they had come, a nervous look on his face.

'...was he you FAVORITE student,' suddenly rang through Snape's mind, bringing new doubts with it.

Was that what Harry was wondering about? That his teacher was a pervert who liked little boys?

Snape's lips curled in an expression of disgust and annoyance, "You believe that idiot's foolishness, then, Potter?"

Harry seemed to flinch slightly at Snape's harsh tone, "Of course not, Professor. Malfoy was always your favorite student."

Snape completely missed the sorrow that flitted through Harry's words in his amazement. The boy really hadn't understood what the Death Eater had been implying. Snape wasn't sure if he should be grateful or angry. Surely even Harry wasn't that naive at fifteen years old!

"Don't tell me you are too stupid to comprehend his meaning,"Snape said incredulously.

At first Harry looked angry, but Snape knew the moment realization hit him as his face changed to a wider expression of shock and his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Y-you mean he thought - thought we were..."

"Lovers," Snape finished frankly for the shocked boy.

He watched Harry's face turn red and glow purple as he blushed and idly hoped he wasn't turning red as well. At least the boy wasn't totally ignorant, anyway.

"EEEEWWW..." Harry finally said.

Severus almost chuckled in amusement at his reaction, but couldn't help the rise of indignation at the boy's obvious disgust at the thought of being with him.

"No offense, Professor, but..." Harry said, finally remembering Snape's presence. "I can't think of myself with a GUY, let alone my - my -"

Snape raised an eyebrow at the words, but was inwardly relieved. At least the boy didn't hate him. He didn't feel anything remotely romantic toward the boy, but his heart would be shredded if Harry had rejected him on any level.

"I find I must agree with you, Potter," Snape told him gruffly. "Now, let's continue before any more earth-shattering miracles occur."

Snape heard Harry chuckle behind him as he continued through the maze. He made care to keep Harry within a reasonable distance in case something should happen for the boy to need him again.

As he swept down the corridors, he rubbed his arm where the scar from his sacrifice for Harry's cure still showed and wondered what had gone wrong. His brain became so preoccupied, in fact, that he never noticed the small figure creeping through the labyrinth corridors after him.



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Wormtail watched Harry and Snape make their way through the maze. It seemed to him that Snape stood a better chance of surviving the maze than he did, and he was still a Death Eater.

He followed them at the top of one of the walls and allowed the other Death eaters to catch sight of him, knowing it would still be a while before they reached the professor and his dead student. The two had reached a very dangerous part of the labyrinth, though not the most dangerous, and the Dark Lord would have Wormtail's head if he led the others straight into the mouths of the dark creatures that inhabited his arena of death.

Somehow, that didn't worry Wormtail, though. He knew that if he could deliver of Harry's connection to Snape through some sort of potion, he would be rewarded. The Dark Lord was always looking for new ways of lengthening his life span and this would be news worth mentioning.

After the labyrinth.

Before and Wormtail might be taking his life in his hands.

A claw wrapped itself around Wormtail's middle and he squealed before he could stop himself.

'Where had that come from,' he wondered as he struggled.

His struggling proved to be in vain, as the creature simply held him and made its way towards the teacher and ghost walking below.

'So, I'm just dessert, huh," Wormtail thought, his struggles ceasing as he hoped began trying to gnaw on the claws that held him. They didn't seem to notice this either and held him just as tightly.

The creature continued stalking Snape down the corridor and Wormtail wondered if he'd have the chance to give You-Know-Who his information. Briefly, he was glad, before his normal cowardly nature took over his senses and he began to fight insanely for his freedom.



Next Chapter: ??? (Can't think of my title at the moment)