A/N: Back again with a new chapter as demanded by my lovely wonderful fans whom I love that actually read my story. A lot of people have complained about my chapters being short, but it seems to me like recently some of them have been getting longer. Besides I've read stories with shorter chapters and never heard a reviewer complain. Anyways, I don't know what's up with FFN but ever since this past weekend anyone who hasn't left a signed review turns up like user 0, or xing@fanfiction.net .... it's very strange, but oh well, they fixed themselves now so here's some replies to what you guys have been saying.

rhiannon: thank you. i find this story rather interesting myself even though I'm the one writting it but I think that's due to the fact that I'm still not quite sure what all is going to happen. I've got my ideas but they're not fully thought out yet and will work themselves out with a song some day soon.

Lillie Chan: thanks glad you love it....nope no Mpreg this story, but as I said I've been thinking about it so, just for you everyone look forward to Mpreg in the sequal that will be written when this story has ended and it gets written.

Katy999: It's very sad. I don't know where all the sad and even angsty ideas that have been happening in this story are coming from. I'm usually such a happy person. Well actually I am a happy person but I will not be truely happy until I remember to go shopping after work and buy myself some apple and grape juice. Sorry It's just something I keep forgetting to do.

Shuki : you're one of the people who's names didn't show up when I was looking up my reviews to reply to for the last chapter. Sorry bout that but it wasn't my fault after all. Glad you're enjoying it. Ordinary World? For some reason the title seems familiar. I'll have to look it up sometime and figure out if I've read it or not. Yah I know some of the chapters are short, but I swear they're getting longer but it may just be my imagination cause I've been typing them up using a new program since I got my new computer.

frizzy: okay okay here you are i updated

Cloudburst2000: pretty good eh? okay i accept that. I know i'm not great so that's cool. anyways, it's explained, so just read down the page. explanation is grande and sometimes not very explanatory but oh well.

Randomness of the Moraco: Everyone should at least one time in their lives listen to something from Paul Oakenfold.

~
To Love a Master
~
Chapter 22
Hold Your Hand
~

Severus' eyes fluttered slowly open the next morning to hear a tapping on the window. Severus shifted out of Harry's grasp without waking him, and went to the window where an owl was awaiting entrance. He opened the window and the owl perched on the desk lamp on the desk at the opposite side of the room. Severus walked over to the desk, on the way retrieving his boxer shorts from beside the bed. He sat down and took the parchement from the owl and read it

Dear Severus,

I hate to bother you, since you're taking some much needed time away friom Hogwarts, but Harry has disappeared. I was curious if you might know his location or if you'd caught site of him in the muggle world.

Albus Dumbledore

Severs grabbed a blank piece of parchment and a quill and wrote a reply:

Dear Albus,

Don't worry. We'll be back later today. I'll explain later.

Severus Snape

He attatched his reply to the owl and it flew back out the window still open from it's entrance. Severus closed the window, and went back to the bed to find Harry awake.

'Who was the owl from?'

'Dumbledore,' Severus replied. 'He's been looking for you and sent me a letter asking if i knew where you were or if I'd seen you.'

'That's right,' Harry muttered. 'I ran off without telling anyone.'

'We'll leave after breakfast,' Severus told him.

'Then I refuse to eat,' Harry replied sleepily. 'I don't want to leave. I want to stay here alone with you forever.'

'You someday may, Harry, but today we must go back to Hogwarts.' Severus walked to the closet and took out the clothes Harry had remembered him packing in his suitcase. He lyed his set of wizarding robes over the desk chair and placed the other suits at the foot of the bed. He then changed into his robes and packed what else he had brought.

Harry had been sitting in the bed watching Seveus do all this. He finally got up from the bed and put on his boxer shorts. He began to pick up his other articles of clothing from the floor. As he was beginning to put on his trousers from the previous day Severus stopped him.

'You'll not wear dirty clothes that you must have been wearing for the past two days,' Severus said. He went back to the closet and came back with a pair of black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt and placed them on the bed beside Harry. 'I used to be about your size. Luckily I never discarded any of my clothes from when I was around your age.'

Harry put the clothes on and they fit nearly perfectly. He grabbed up his dirty clothes and followed Severus down staris. Severus shrunk his suitcase and put it in his pocket. Harry sat his clothes down on the bottom step of the stairs as he followed Severus to the kitchen.

'What do you want to eat?'

Harry sat down at the kitchen table and looked up at Severus. 'Just some toast and marmalade would be fine.,' Harry replied.

Severus opened a bread box and placed four pieces of bread in a muggle pop up toaster on the counter. He then got two plates and put them on the table.

'You don't have any servants in a house like this?'

'I released them all after my parents died and everything was left to me,' Severus explained. 'I'd never expected to return after that, but when you brought up the subject of my parents, I had nightmares for weeks. Not even a dreamless sleep potion helped me. I knew I had to come back home and pay them a visit and properly appologize to the best of my abilities.'

'I'm sorry,' Harry said.

Severus looked over at Harry who was hanging his head. 'Don't be. It was something that needed to happen.'

The toast in the toaster poped up and Severus pulled out his wand and levitated it onto the plates on the table. He then got a jar of marmalade and a spoon and brought it to the table as he sat down. The both of them had toast and marmalade for breakfast. After breakfast was finished Severus cast a self cleaning spell on the dishes and walked into the entry way. He turned back and looked around at the place. He noticed a family picture on the wall from when he was five years old (A/N: the one Harry saw before). He walked over the the wall and took it off carrying it with him.

Harry had picked up his clothes from the bottom stair and followed Severus as they walked into the drawing room and stood in front of the fireplace. Severus reached his hand into a jar above the fireplace and pulled out what Harry recognized as floo powder. He turned to Harry. 'You have traveled by floo network before?'

'Yes,' Harry replied remembering the summer before second year when he'd traveled by floo network and accidentally ended up in a shop in Knockturn Alley. 'Severus?'

'Yes?'

'If you could have just fooed yourself here, or even apparated since you're a full fledged wizard, why did you take the train and the taxi? It sure made it a lot harder to follow you.'

'As the muggles would say, I was trying to prolong the inevitable.' Severus threw the floo powder into the fire shouting 'Hogsmeade' and the flames glowed green as he stepped into them.

Harry took one last look at the drawing room of Severus' house and then did the same.

~

An hour later the two of them were sitting in Dumbledore's office.

'Harry, why did you follow Professor Snape?' Dumbledore questioned him.

'I was curious where he was going. He never leaves the castle,' Harry explained.

'Do you realize the danger you put yourself in Harry. Any death eater could have been walking around the muggle world and seen you,' the old man explained.

'I had my invisibility cloak on,' Harry told him.

'Harry, promise me you will never do something so foolish again.'

He looked up into the headmaster's sparkling eyes. 'I promise. I'm very sorry.'

'It's alright. You may go Harry. I'm sure your friends have been worried about you.'

Harry nodded and then looked at Severus before leaving Dumbledore's office.

'Now Severus,' Dumbledore started.

'Before you start to say anything, there's a confession I have to make. I have to come clean about this.'

'Yes?'

'Albus, my relationship with Harry is more than just professional. The reason he followed me is because he cares about me and wanted to come with me, but I told him no.'

'I see.'

'I'll go pack my things,' Severus replied.

'You'll do no such thing. Hogwarts needs its potions master. If none are the wiser for the rest of the school year about your relationship with Mr. Potter, then I have no grounds to fire you on. You've been very descrete and I pray you continue to do so as long as you see each other. I know nothing more than you are the potions master I have hired to teach the students of this school and Harry is one of your seventh year students.' Dumbledore explained.

'Thank you Albus.'

'There's no need for thanks. I see the way you two look at each other. I've known for quite some time now.' Dumbledore smiled. 'Now if there's nothing else you may leave.'

~

Harry came to Severus' chambers to see him two days later where Severus told Harry what Dumbledore had said.

'He's turning a blind eye to us?'

'Yes, but this doesn't mean anything. We still have to be as discrete as we have been.'

'I know that,' Harry replied. 'I'm just happy that you're not going to be fired and I'm not going to be expelled.'

'Just don't follow me without telling me again.'

'I'm still very sorry about that. Oh that reminds me.' Harry shuffled through the bag he'd brought with him. 'I have your clothes. They're clean and everything,' Harry said handing them back to his lover.

'Keep them,' Severus replied. 'They look good on you, and besides it's not as though they fit me anymore.'

Harry smiled. 'Thank you.'

Harry and Severus commenced in a full out snog session on the couch for a while and stopped for a bit and just lyed on the couch talking some more.

'Severus, you said that someday, I may be able to stay alone with you forever in your house.'

'Yes I said that, and I meant it, but you'll have to wait.'

Harry smiled and snuggled into Severus' shoulder. 'Waiting for that day already seems like an eternity.'

'I'm sorry Harry, but I'm not going to let you leave Hogwarts again until the dark times are over and the world is safe again.'

'I know,' Harry said. 'I just wish so many things that have happened hadn't.'

'Everything will be okay in the end, love.' Severus grabbed ahold of one of Harry's hands and gave it a light squeeze and then kissed his marshmellow soft lips.

~

A/N: There we go....another chapter. *looks at watch* OOOIIIIII!!!! Man, I should have started on my homework hours ago....oh well I'll be waking up at 6am and I don't have to go to school till 12:30 so I'll be alright. Anways drop me some reviews. I'm sure it'll take a little stress off of what my tomorrow will probably be.