Chapter 23

The Boy Who Lived

"Potter!" He said, spitting the word out if it was something nasty.

"Snape," came the rebuff.

"So who is the poor unfortunate victim then?"

Harry Potter smiled despite the sarcasm. He sipped from the can of Coke so kindly given by Professor Snape, grudgingly mind you. He had waved his wand and the drink fell out of thin air dropping onto Harry's knee painfully much to the warped delight of the other man sitting there sneering devilishly.

"So," Harry began. "You still like me then?"

"Like? Like is a contradiction. And you didn't tell me. Who is she? A rejected house elf?" Harry laughed despite the scowl he was given.

"Yea and Dobby is the father of the bride." A small quick smile brushed Severus' mouth but then it disappeared. "It's Jinny."

"Not a Wesley?" Came a snide voice.

"The very one."

"Why on Earth would you want to marry one of them for?"

"Because we're in love?"

"Love," Severus scoffed and looked at his office floor.

"Yes." Harry smiled peculiarly. "Any way how long has it been since we last met?"

"Since your graduation which you were very lucky to meet I might say, Potter.'

An after thought. "Oh I was wrong actually. It appears you paid me a little visit while I was ill. Did you not?" Harry dropped his gaze onto the brim of his can of Coke. It felt like Severus' questioning was like some sort of test or inquisition.

He's changed much, thought the professor as he studied the young man in the chair. His hair was as dark and as unruly as ever, the lightening bolt scar etched across his forehead still remained so did that annoying 'Potter' personality.

Still the same Harry Potter, but the premature wrinkling around his eyes, signs of stress made him appear at least ten years older than he actually was. Harry was taller, leaner and sinewy and quite handsome. He no longer wore his glasses which made his face slightly more reminiscent of his mother's although James Potter was still clearly there somewhere.

At present he sat in a comfortable arm chair positioned in the corner of Severus Snape's dungeon office.

"Well, at least you can't take points off me for no decent reason."

"Huh," said the potions master. "Then I will take points off someone else in your honour when a good enough reason grants for it."

"Oh please don't do that on my account." Harry said.

"Quite the reason. I will very much enjoy it."

"You haven't changed," said Harry.

"No? Nor have you. You've only been in my office for five minutes and you are starting to irritate me."

"My pleasure, sir."

"Any way Mr Potter why have you chosen to visit me? Surely I would be the last person you would wish to visit, let any one converse with." Severus frowned wondering what the sudden change of heart was. Harry Potter hated him, like so many others. He still hadn't got over the shock that Harry had invited him to his wedding. "And I am slightly suspicious to the reason you would wish me at your stupid wedding."

Harry smiled faintly.

Always dubious of a genuine reason that I might like you there because... Harry frowned at himself. Why did he want him there? Did he want to genuinely to know and understand the man who had always been such a mystery and a misery. He had always picked on Harry, always belittled him far more than any of the other students.

Harry knew he had a grudge against his father, James Potter, but surely there was more reasons to it than that.

Harry had left Hogwarts and thought very little of his old potions master. Then one day, while going through the old wedding and school photos that his parents had kept and were now in his possession, he came across several mysterious photos of his mother and a very young Severus Snape he had never seen before.

The first one he came across, the potions master looked no older than eleven, and strangely, much to Harry's surprise he was smiling in the picture. Harry had never known Severus Snape to smile, not a real one. The black haired boy in the photo looked genuinely happy. Harry had never known his ex teacher to be genuinely happy. He was always so broody, or enraged about something or another.

To see that photograph and so many others like them, even one, where they were about sixteen, again smiling happily together, holding hands made Harry start to wonder.

Harry gazed up at Severus and studied his eyes. What had those black eyes seen, what had he known all those years ago. Something inside that he was slightly afraid to even admit to himself wondered whether Severus Snape and Lilly Potter had been...lovers? Harry dared not even to think the possibility until now when he watched the man before him.

The young man shook his head. He wanted answers to those questions.

Even at school, from what Harry had heard about him he had been the same grumpy, enraged Severus Snape. Innocent and young, but neither the less the same.

Time didn't change some people.

Then he began to wonder all kind of possibilities and reasons. Why had the nasty Snape joined the Death Eaters?

Harry realised he was staring too intently for comfort because the man of his observation started to sneer. Those huge inky eyes were squinting at him.

"What?" Demanded Severus eyeing up the younger man with suspicion again.

"Just thinking of old times," came a voice that sounded absorbed with nostalgia.

"Stupid Gryffindor," Harry distinctly heard the elder man mutter.

Abruptly Harry turned his gaze away and looked around the room. It had barely changed from when he had last seen it. The walls and cupboards were still lined with books and slimy things in jars and various scrolls littered the desk.

I'm not your student any more you know, Harry thought looking back up and meeting the stern black gaze in front of him. He shifted his position and thrummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Will you stop doing that. You are annoying me," said the potions master getting up. He strolled over towards his desk and opened a draw.

"Sorry, Professor," came Harry's voice as his eyes narrowed and he jerked his head to peer at whatever the Slytherin was doing.

"Here." Severus flung the small package at Harry who grinned in alarmed surprise. He held it in his hands and just stared at the small paper covered object. "Well? Aren't you going to open it and let me revel in the misery of you gift?"

"A present for me?"

"It's a Wedding gift you stupid fool."

"Perhaps I better wait until I see Jinny. She may -"

"Haven't you got a mind of your own? Or are you going to let a stupid woman walk all over you for the rest of your life?"

The door banged open.

"I heard that," said an annoyed female voice. Taya glided into the room dressed in exquisite green satin.

"Ah, Miss Matterson, this is Harry Potter. I'm sure you have met him before." He scowled at her strangely. Taya smiled anyway and offered her slender, creamy white hand to the younger man. She beamed when he kissed the back it and noticed Severus flinch awkwardly.

"I remember you from school," said Harry.

"Yes. I saw you win the Quidditch cup a few times."

"To many few times," muttered Severus. Both ignored him.

"You are the new Defence Against the Dark Art's teacher aren't you?"

"New, I suppose," she said. I've been here since January."

Severus pushed in. "If you don't mind I have things to do. Please continue conversing in my office," he added sarcastically then strolled to towards the door. "Oh, and you never told me when this 'Wedding's taking place?"

"You'll come?" Harry looked delighted.

"Don't count on it. I'll have to check my schedule." The younger man turned his head and fixed a bemused glare at Taya who laughed loudly. Severus made a sound that clearly expressed his indigence to the situation.

"August the twenty third. Next year."

"You are here early enough aren't you? Knowing the youth of today I assumed it to be next month."

"Aaaaaaaaa, I see" said Harry with sudden understanding. "The present you gave me. Did kind wonder why."

"You got them a present, Severus?" Chirped in Taya. Again Harry frowned noticing the strange way Miss Matteron was leaning over Professor Snape's shoulder as if without a care in the would. She didn't seem at all intimidated my him and he didn't flinch. "How thoughtful."

Harry frowned.

"So what are you still doing here?"

"I live here." Harry Potter scrubbed at his tousled black hair, confused and bewildered.

"What?" Professor Snape looked as sour and as flustered as he had ever appeared.

"Didn't they tell you? 'I'm the new potions assistant."

"You're what? Then all hell broke loose.

"Headmaster sir, I am not having him assisting me. Even if I asked for an assistant in the first place I wouldn't even consider Potter the slightest bit competent-"

"You need some time," said Dumbledore.

"Time," Severus snapped. "Time. I've been as good as dead for two weeks shut up in hospital. I've had enough rest. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Dumbledore picked up his wand that lay on his desk and sighed.

"Because you needed time to re-adjust."

"Re-adjust? So, I'm virtually blown away by the fact that Potter not only took pity on me because of my... and is now not only living here but is my bloody apprentice. Why?" He slumped down into a soft chair and bored his eyes at the headmaster's demanding an answer.

"Harry has been through a bit of a time with it as well, lately. He spent two years in Bulgaria fighting in the gnome wars as an Auror. He came home exhausted and jobless."

"So the little bugger came pestering you for a job," he declared.

"No he didn't, but visited me to let me know his fabulous news."

"The Wedding?"

"Indeed Severus. Quite right. He was waiting for the Ministry to sort his affairs, however long that would have taken, so naturally I offered him the job."

"I didn't even know the 'job' existed."

"Nor did I until last week," said Dumbledore smiling. "Now go home. Sleep and let Mr Potter take away some of your responsibilities."

Responsibilities, my wand, he thought as he made his way down to the dungeons. Severus stepped into the empty classroom and found the person he didn't want to meet sitting at his desk.

"Hello Professor," said Harry looking up. "Just preparing tomorrow's lesson."

"With all respect Potter, I've already done it. If you took the time or the mentality to look in the second draw of my desk you would have found a schedule."

"Maybe I could, sir, but it was locked." Severus would have slapped himself in the face. Harry Potter had won an argument yet again.

"Be sure you don't blow up my classroom then. Oh, and if you think you will be able to gain free access to my office, Potter you can think again," he said quickly then walked out.