For disclaimer & Author's Notes, see chapter 1.

CHAPTER TWO

Harry only had a few days to reflect on the most recent incident with Snape before the children returned to Hogwarts. Then, during the first week back, he was too busy with lesson plans and grading to think any longer about his rejection.

Until Friday afternoon, that is. Harry sat in his office, worrying away. Why had Snape turned him down like that? Insults, he could have handled. If Snape had told him we was straight, that would have been fine, too. Well, maybe not fine, per se, as Harry had several fantasies involving Snape that he wanted to try out. Like the one with the strawberries, chocolate syrup, and feathers . . . Enough about that, Harry thought, before his trousers could become much snugger.

But to just say, "I think not, Mr. Potter" with that odd look in his eyes? That seemed so Un-Snape-like. The more he thought about, the angrier Harry got. What kind of answer was that? Shouldn't he have gotten some sort of explanation, even if it was just something about Harry being too stupid or immature for Snape's tastes?

That was it. He needed to have a talk with the Potions Master. Every professor had a schedule of all of the other professors. Harry consulted it and saw that Snape, like Harry, was done teaching for the day, and would be holding office hours for a little while. Mind made up, though not yet knowing what he would say, Harry left his own office and went in search of Snape's, irritation still bubbling up inside him. It was one of the first times that passing students had ever seen him glaring as he walked the halls.

Snape's office door slammed back against the wall. "What do you mean you think not?" Harry exclaimed forcefully.

Startled black eyes met bright green for a brief moment before Snape's control re-exerted itself. All he said was, "I'm busy, Mr. Potter, and I do not take kindly to being interrupted."

"Tough," Harry said, with a feral grin that was much closer to a snarl. Without looking behind him, he kicked the door shut with his heel, and threw a wandless locking and silencing charm at it.

"Mr. Potter!" Snape growled, rising menacingly to his feet, arms crossing his chest and glare escalating by the second.

Harry took a couple deep breaths, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere if they had a shouting match. Once calmer, he strode over to the nearest student chair and moved it closer to Snape's desk. "Actually," he managed with a tiny smile, "it's Professor Potter. Although I don't know why I bother, since in the past reminding you of that made no difference."

"No, it didn't, and it won't now. Why are you here?"

Taking a deep breath and looking Snape in the eye, Harry said, "Why won't you have dinner with me?"

"Why should I have dinner with you?"

"Because I asked. Nicely, too." He paused. "Look, Professor, back in Seventh Year we were starting to get along, surprisingly enough. I would like to resume what friendship we had."

"Hmph." Snape stared at him for a several moments, then sat back down at his desk. "That's it, then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You could not have said that over a week ago when you first made the request?"

"Uh . . ."

"Eloquent as always, aren't we?"

Bastard. Well, may as well bite the Muggle bullet, instead of just worrying about it. Harry decided to be honest. Somewhat. Snape didn't need to know just yet about the fantasy Harry had been thinking about earlier. "Well, I, uh, I guess I didn't just want to resume our friendship. I thought maybe we could extend it a bit."

"Extend? A bit?"

Damn the man. Surely he knew Harry was uncomfortable. Couldn't he help out at least a little bit? Of course not, Harry answered his own question. He wouldn't be Snape otherwise, and, God help me, Snape is the man I want to be with.

Even so, he said, "You're not making this easy," before going on. "I guess when I asked if you would have dinner with me, I meant it to be more of a, um, you know, a date?" Way to be confident, Harry. He ignored the little voice and added, "I'd like to think that I know you well enough to know you'd have hexed me out the door if you weren't interested at least in what I'm saying. Does that mean yes?"

"It means, Mr. Potter, that perhaps I'll think about it."

Harry felt a flare of annoyance, but pushed it down. He was not going to let the man get to him, and he certainly wasn't going to leave empty-handed, so to speak. Unless Snape wanted to use force, Harry wasn't going anywhere until he had a definite yes or no. "Fine," he said, "think away." He settled back in his chair, crossed his arms comfortably across his chest, and looked at Snape, smiling.

"I did not mean now, Mr. Potter."

"I know you didn't." Still, Harry didn't move. He knew he was taking a risk. Snape could easily throw him out, but something told him Snape didn't really want to fight him on this, at least not yet. He was fairly certain he'd have already been tossed out on his ear otherwise.

"You are the most insufferable, impertinent, little brat." Snape was standing again, and once again the glare was escalating.

"Yeah, yeah, and you're the most snarky, irritable, mean-spirited git. I'm not likely to change any time soon, and I'm sure you won't. So will you have dinner with me?"

"Fine, Potter, I will have dinner with you." It was said through gritted teeth.

Not the most pleasant of acceptances, but Harry would take it. Snape wouldn't have agreed if he was really set against it. He knew not to rub it in the man's face, though, and managed to keep his ecstatic grin inside until he had left Snape's office. Only sheer force of will kept him from practically skipping back to his own office. Now he just had to decide where he would take the man, because he was afraid dinner in his quarters might be too uncomfortably intimate for their first date.

Their first date! Snape had agreed to go on a date with him! Him! The Boy-Who-Lived to Exasperate Potions Masters!

Oh, Merlin, what was he going to wear?

TBC

Coming soon in Chapter Three (or at least an approximation of this):

He had been waiting for this day for over a week, but now he found he didn't know what to say to Snape.

A/N: Hope you like it. Please review so I know if I should continue.