As Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, he was astounded with what he saw. There, on HIS couch, in HIS house, was Severus Snape, sleeping rigidly. Harry's jaw dropped in shock as his eyes took in what was before him.

'Snape! In MY house!' he was able to register. He was shook out of his reverie by a quiet snort from his sleeping professor.

'Okay, think...think...' Harry thought, trying to think of the most logical sequence of events which would not result in death of either party or anger inspired by the other person in question.

After having decided not to blow up at Snape because it probably was NOT his fault he was here, he gently shook the Professor's shoulders.

"Professor, wake up," Harry said in a soothing, hushed voice. The Professor shot up immediately and swiftly pulled out his wand, like it were a reflex.

"Sorry to startle you, sir, but I don't know how you got here, and I don't exactly think my couch is the most comfortable place to sleep," Harry explained to the drowsy man. In return, Severus just looked blankly at Harry as if he didn't know what was going on.

"Where am I, who are you, what am I doing here, how did I get here, why am I here, and when did I get here?"

That was not the reply Harry had been expecting. So, he answered in the best way possible - truthfully.

"You're at my house, I am Harry Potter, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, and before I got here," the boy said.

The Professor raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Just as they both sat and tried to think of what to do, Harry saw Dumbledore's face in his fireplace.

"Ah, just the people I wanted to see," the old man said kindly. Harry's eyes flared with annoyance and suspicion.

"You KNEW he was here?" he asked. The Headmaster looked down in a somewhat ashamed manner and nodded.

"Yes, I did. And before you decide to break something, I sent him here because he has nowhere else to go. His home was recently destroyed by Death Eaters due to the fact that his spy work has been discovered. That is part of the reason why Severus was in such a dismal mood earlier."

Then, Severus cut in.

"I am here, and I still am in a 'dismal mood'," he said dryly.

"Ah, yes. So, Harry, I must ask that you allow Severus to stay here. Like I said, he has nowhere else to go and his safety is very important to me." The man looked as aged and weary as he was, just as he looked whenever he was to ask a dreadful task of someone.

"Please let him stay here. I know you two aren't best of friends-"

Here, the other two snorted in disbelief. 'Aren't best of friends' was the best way to put their relationship. 'He is the bane of my very existance and I wish he would die' was a better explanation.

"Will you? Please?" Albus Dumbledore then summoned every ounce of patheticness and helplessness that he could muster from his being into his face, also trying to make sure he looked as tired as he could be.

Harry sighed, and though he knew of the man's so callled 'cunningness', he gave in.

"Fine."

The Headmaster's face crinkled into a very image of glee.

"I knew you would agree! I assure you it will be very beneficial to you if you have Severus here..."

At this point, Harry and Severus looked at each other and made a silent agreement that Albus Dumbledore was indeed a manipulative old coot and deserved to be made to dance naked with gorillas.