Chapter Eight: September 22nd

Harry woke, lifted his head, and promptly laid it back down on the pillow as it began to pound.

"Ow," he said with feeling. "Ow, ow, ow."

Clearly the silencing spell that he vaguely remembered casting last night had worn off at some point because Ron poked his head around the bed curtain.

"What's the matter, Harry?"

"Just a headache." Harry tried to sound casual. After a moment to compose himself, he attempted sitting up cautiously, wincing as the movement made the throbbing increase. Other parts of his body decided to join the chorus of pain too. "Ow, ow! Oh shit."

"What?"

"Oh, er, nothing. Just forgot something." Or rather, someone. He reached out cautiously along the bond, but was thwarted by the shield that Snape had put up last week and kept up almost constantly since. Well, at least the presence of the shield meant the man was alive, and moreover had enough energy for it. Harry was glad but he told himself that was only because he wouldn't have wanted all the energy he'd expended last night to go to waste.

"I need breakfast."

"You need a shower first, Harry."

Ah yes, excessive sweating during the night. He pried himself out of bed, every part of his body making its complaint felt, and made for the bathroom.

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Snape wasn't at breakfast. Harry found himself remembering previous occasions when the professor had missed the morning meal, and could help but wonder whether those absences had a similar cause. The thought made a strange sort of shiver run down his spine as he remembered the pain spilling down the bond last night. He wondered what it must be like to go into that situation time and again knowing what would happen.

Damn it, he didn't want to admire or respect the man! And as for liking him…

He didn't have Potions that day and couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse to visit Snape, especially considering the inordinate amounts of time he'd been spending with him recently. Worry ate at him all day as the shield remained up, and even the few looks he sneaked at the man over lunch and dinner didn't tell him anything of use.

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September 23rd

In Potions the following day Harry deliberately tipped too much powdered willow bark into his Analgesic Potion, causing it to thicken into a solid mass at the bottom of the cauldron. Snape took the cue as Harry had known he would, ranting about his ineptness at Potion making, then ordering him to stay behind, clean out his cauldron and make it up again. Harry sighed loudly and began to scrub as the others continued their work. As they finished up their potions, he was just beginning to gather his ingredients for the second time. With sympathetic glances his friends left the classroom, saying that they'd see him at dinner.

When they were gone, Snape muttered a locking spell and swooped down on Harry. "May I ask why you felt it necessary to do that? I know for a fact that you knew what you were doing."

Harry had made a conscious effort to make sure Snape understood that fact through their bond, the shield being weakened by proximity. Not looking up from his chopping, he replied.

"Are you saying that I might possess some Potion-making skills after all?"

"Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I wanted to know how you were. I mean, I felt what you felt, mostly, and it did knock me out as well. You certainly weren't planning to let me know about it."

"I am perfectly well, but you have no business knowing or wondering about it."

"Oh no? If I remember rightly, you got some use out of me knowing about it, while I just got unconscious."

"Very well, then." Snape said with bad grace, sensing that Harry wouldn't give in. "Voldemort felt it necessary to punish me for my late arrival."

"I'm sorry."

"For what? It wasn't as if you were the one pointing the wand at me."

Harry snorted. "Still, I'm sorry. For being snippy, if nothing else."

They were quiet for a while Harry finished preparing his ingredients and began to create the potion and Snape returned to his desk to do something. When it was safe to leave it to simmer, Harry walked up to the desk to resume the conversation.

"So," he began. "Something else happened as well that made me faint, not just the pain."

"Yes." For once Snape didn't make him explain what he wanted to know. "I apologise for the fact that you had to feel the pain, and that the excessive stress caused me to draw on your strength through the bond."

"Not a problem." Harry assured him. "I think I quite wanted be able to help somehow. Actually, I was quite glad not to have to..." feel it anymore, he was about to say, before he remembered that Snape had before and would have to again.

"Quite. But the problem remains – we have to do something about this. The shield is virtually useless at times of stress, and neither of us can afford to be incapacitated by the other's pain, or to be drawn upon without warning."

"What…what could we do?"

"My reading has indicated only one possibly permanent solution. We have to learn to trust each other, and to accept the bond." Snape's expression showed exactly what he thought of that.

"I guess we could do that. I mean, I think I trust you, and well, I suppose that I could accept it eventually."

"Then I suppose you're not the problem." Snape sounded rather bitter. "But, I'm sure you see, trust does not come easily to me."

"Maybe, but you could at least try. Like, not keeping the shield up all the time or something."

"That idea…has some merit. After all, it doesn't seem to be doing much good now anyway."

Harry felt the shield being lowered. A sort of general awareness of Snape's presence returned, but no thoughts made themselves immediately known.

"You know, it could be kind of useful though. Like for communicating and stuff, instead of just leaking. If you had something…information or whatever…that you had to let the Headmaster know quickly."

Snape said nothing but Harry could feel agreement, and a general sort of disgust that he had agreed with two of Harry's ideas in such a short time. He couldn't hold back a smile.

//You…may call me Severus if you wish. But if you do so where others can hear you, I will be forced to take measures.//

Harry's smile widened. The man couldn't even offer a tentative gesture of friendship without turning it into a threat.

"Exactly." He actually sounded a little proud about it!

"The potion!" Harry walked back, just in time to catch it before it boiled over. He strained it into a bottle and placed it on his desk. Snape examined it by sight, texture, smell and taste and eventually, reluctantly, had to admit that he'd done a reasonable job. Not a great one, but certainly good enough to pass if it were for an exam.

"Don't worry," said Harry. "At least you don't have to tell me out loud that I got it right, Severus."

Snape – Severus – glared. "Just go to dinner, Harry." //And let me try to cope with what I've gotten into.//

Harry laughed and went.