Title: The Love Potion

Author: Sprinkles

Rating: PG-13 just to be sure…

Archive: Sure, just ask me first.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Snape or anyone else from the Potter-verse. They either own themselves or belong to JKR

Summary: Harry comes to Snape and confesses to being in love with him. Snape in turn believes that Harry is under the influence of a love potion and attempts to identify and cure it.

Harry woke up the next morning, blinked blearily, fumbled for his glasses and almost took a tumble off the couch when a pair of black eyes and an (admittedly) large nose came into focus inches from his face.

Severus Snape had been up since 6:55 (it was his very well guarded secret that he was always up five minutes before Harry arrived so that he could open the door for him immediately) and, with a slight smile on his face, had been peering down at Harry, watching him sleep, for approximately an hour.

Harry shook his head and ran his hands through the hair hanging on his forehead. He looked around the room dazedly. "…the hell?"

"Good morning to you, too." Snape, still smiling, moved away from the couch and began to lay out his instruments for that day.

Harry looked around the room, again. Now, he remembered what had happened – he had been reading about the counter-jinx to – Oh shit! At the moment, he just couldn't bear to look in the mirror.

"Profes – Severus?"

There was a definite smirk in the voice that answered. "Hmm?"

"W-What," Harry steeled himself, "What color is my hair…right now?"

Snape looked over at him, ironic eyebrow raised. "Why, Mr. Potter, your hair is a most extraordinary, vehement, and retina-reducing shade of rose."

"Oh my God, it's still neon PINK!"

Harry flopped back onto the couch and covered his face with a pillow. Then a thought occurred to him.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"About eight o'clock."

"Eight o'clock?" Harry sprang up and dove towards the door. "I've got to get changed! I've got to get breakfast! I've got to go – "

"Like that?" Snape had stopped chopping completely and was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, looking distinctly amused.

"Like wh – "

"Harry." Snape strode forward towards him. "If you go stampeding into the kitchens, as you teenagers are wont to do, with that…fashion statement…I believe the only result will be a group of highly traumatized house-elves."

"Then what should I – " He stopped himself as he saw Snape take out his wand. "You're going to kill me and put me out of my misery?"

"Ha. Ha." Snape glared at him witheringly. "For your information, Potter, I'm prepared to help you not embarrass yourself as you are so apt at doing." He grasped Harry's chin in his left hand and swiftly cast the counter-jinx.

Nervously, Harry patted the top of his head to make sure it was still there before dashing to a mirror to make sure it was black.

"There really are no limits to your vanity, are there, Potter?" Said Snape as Harry walked back towards the door.

"Hey, knowing you and your twisted sense of humor, you normally would have made me bald, or worse, changed the color to green and silver. You must be in a terrific mood today."

"Yes, and you are being ungrateful as you always are. Now go bring me some breakfast before I starve."

"No, kiss goodbye?" Harry batted his eyelashes in an exaggerated way.

Snape froze. Did Harry remember the night before? "I'm not in that good of mood, Potter."

"Just one for the road? You never know: I may get killed on the way and then how would you feel?"

Snape turned around and lifted a long-suffering eyebrow. "Potter, you will be gone all of ten minutes. Even you couldn't get yourself killed in that span of time."

"You want to bet?" Harry ducked another pink-hair hex that was almost carelessly tossed his way. "Alright, alright. I'm going."

Harry came back in nine minutes and fifteen seconds with Snape's breakfast and immediately set into scrubbing his cauldrons. He was amazed at Snape's good mood. The man was tapping his foot to a silent melody and smiling slightly. I wonder if he cast a cheering charm or something.

So, was Snape in a good mood? No. The truth was he was in an inconceivably fantastic mood. Today was he was testing for the last Love Potion and he was determined to make it perfectly so as to leave no room for ambiguity.

Every ingredient he chopped with care and was more exacting than he had ever been in making a potion. He stirred perfectly and sprinkled perfectly. His stomach fluttered, his heart was light in his chest. He almost felt like dancing – almost (he still had an image to maintain, you know), so he contented himself with swooping gracefully around his cauldron on the balls of his feet.

If this last potion was negative – his heart beat a little faster at the thought and he glanced at Harry across the room – No. I mustn't jinx it. His mind knew that such superstition was illogical – but still, he wasn't taking any chances…

He wouldn't even think about the other possibility.

That day flew by for both of them: Harry scrubbed his cauldrons, all the while wondering what had made Snape so happy, while Snape chopped, diced, stirred, measured and timed, soaring in a daydream and high as a kite on hope.

The clock struck nine o'clock; Severus Snape was practically shaking with anticipation.

He had sent Harry back to his dorm an hour ago after an argument about why Harry couldn't stay over night in his quarters again.

"You can not stay here, Harry – I don't have a spare bed."

"I'll sleep on the couch!"

"No. It's not good for your back, and, more importantly, it's not good for my couch."

Harry looked up hopefully. "If you're really all that fussed, I can sleep with you in your bed…"

Snape gave him a deadpan look. "Your subtlety leaves something to be desired, Mr. Potter. Now, go to your own dormitory and sleep in your own bed."

And somewhat disappointed, Harry slouched off.

Truth be told, Snape didn't care how the couch affected anyone's back, and he certainly was not 'all that fussed' if Harry wanted to sleep with him in his bed, but in case tonight's test produced an embarrassing emotional scene, (unlikely, but still it is always best to be prepared) he wanted there to be no one present to witness it.

The room was silent except for the crackling flames under his cauldron. Taking a deep breath he ladled out a cup of the potion and set it to cool on the counter-top. He retrieved the vial and dropper full of Harry's blood, and held it over the cup. Snape steadied his shaking hand and closed his eyes.

He heard the sound of his heart beating in his ears and the sound of the drop falling into the cup of potion and his mantra: Let it be green, let it be negative, let it be green…

He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. He opened his eyes.

The potion was blue.

Positive.

Oh God.

Snape staggered, he couldn't breathe. His heart was racing far too fast. Blood pounded in his ears. Pain lanced through his chest; his hands shook. Taking in an unsteady breath, he turned away; he couldn't bear to look at that horribly blue cup of liquid any longer.

Cold fear paralyzed him…It can't be positive, it just can't…

Desperate, he seized his book on Love Potions. The ingredient that day's potion tested for was a non-magical menthethanol, a kind of mint-alcohol, sometimes used as a flavor enhancer in other potions, but only in small quantities.

Snape closed his eyes in pain as he glanced down the list of potions it was used in: it appeared that Love Potion forty-eight was the only potion that used menthethanol in large quantities.

Essence of Moonstone

Illumination Draught

Buttermalt Extract

Forgetfulness Potion

And the very Love Potion that he had tested for today.

Not one of them was common. In fact, a person had to search far and wide to find them.

Snape covered his face with his hands. He was still shaking.

Of course it was positive, Severus. You didn't think that Harry in his right mind would actually want to throw his life away with his greasy, old potions master, did you?

Snape winced sharply. Of course not.

Snape got up and cleaned his tools, but left the cauldron in the corner for Harry to clean. Harry. The name sent another blast of pain shooting through his chest.He was suddenly exhausted.

He glanced at the book again. The potion wore off in sixty days.

Snape took a deep breath and screwed his eyes shut to stop the sudden stinging that had arisen in them. Casting one last hopeless look around the room, as if Harry might jump out and say it was all a joke, he seized a stiff drink and knocked it back.

Clenching his jaw to steady his breathing, he stalked to his bedroom and lay down on the bed. He simply lay there, trying to think of anything but Harry. And as he stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come, he reflected on the fact that the alcohol burning in his throat and stomach felt good – it sort of dulled the pain in his chest.

It convinced him that his heart wasn't breaking.

For a second.

Almost.

As soon as he walked into Snape's office the next day, Harry knew that Snape's good mood from the other day had vanished. Snape, having no more Love Potion tests to brew, was replenishing the supply of antidotes and curatives in the hospital wing silently and automatically, as if he had done it a thousand times before and didn't even need to think about what he was doing. This was not the dancing daydream of yesterday, but a hopeless state of existance.

His hair hung lank around his face, his eyes had ceased their twinkle (and didn't even 'glitter maliciously' any more) but simply stared dully at something far off. He no longer stood up as straight as he used to and instead, sort of slouched over his counter and his cauldron.

Every so often he would look over at Harry, and brighten up a little, only to look harder at Harry's adoring gaze and wilt again.

Snape had spent days trying to think of a reason that Harry might have menthethanol in his bloodstream, and every reason had been disproved. He had asked the house-elves in the kitchens if they had ever used it in their food. They hadn't. He had even gone so far as to check if anyone in the area was ordering it. No one was.

No. The test was positive and what's more, it was accurate.

He had debated whether or not to brew a cure for Harry, and admitted to himself that he was ethically bound to do so…but every time that he looked over at Harry, he couldn't even bear the thought of it.

He'll only be here for a few more days before the Potion wears off…why hurry it?

But secretly, he was afraid to remember what his office had been like during past holidays – silent, lonely. He could vaguely remember going through days and weeks without talking to a single soul. Harry had changed that.

Snape straightened, clenched his fists and held his head higher. Enough! I have done it before and I can do it again!

But as he would look over at Harry, he would smile at the memory of the scrubbing, the teasing, the pink hair. Then he would remember that as soon as Harry came to his senses, he would leave – and another little part of Severus Snape would break.

Snape lost all sense of time. The days flew by in a haze of potions and silence and memories. But the day came late one the afternoon when Harry stood up and told Severus that he had finished scrubbing his cauldrons and doing his menial labor – for good.

Severus had been contemplating the results of the test of a few days before. Could there be some other reason that he had not yet thought of? Could there perhaps have been something wrong with the test?

You know that there was nothing wrong with that test! Thought the sensible part of his brain. The whole reason that you were so careful with that test was so you could have clear unambiguous results. Now you do: Potter's infatuation, as you knew from the beginning, is completely false.

Don't give up yet. Act on your feelings! Thought the insensible part of his brain. (Snape, at this point, refused to call it his heart.) Who's to say that he won't feel something for you after the potion wears off? Maybe he truly loves you underneath the potion! Are you really going to give up this chance at happiness?

Are you insane? The boy has his whole life ahead of him! Do you honestly think that he wants to be tied to a Death-Eater old enough to be his father?

Everyone deserves happiness, even ex-Death-Eaters. And who better to protect him from his enemies than one as skilled as you?

The test was positive. What more do you need to know?

…I don't know…

"Severus?"

It took a moment for Severus to realize that Harry did not yet have a voice residing in his head. Snape looked up silently.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am, Potter."

"Harry."

"Harry." Snape repeated feigning normality. "Why?"

Harry smiled slightly. "Well, you sort of have that look you get when you've argued yourself into a corner."

Amazingly accurate. "I was just…elucidating." A pause. "Did you need something?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. I wanted to tell you that I've figured out that I don't need to scrub cauldrons anymore." There was silence as Harry smiled his ironic smile. "I'm free at last, so to speak." Another pause. "So…I guess I'll be… taking my leave of you…"

For a moment everything was silent, as Snape took in the full reality of what was happening. Then:

The potion's worn off! God help me, he's leaving! No, please -

Snape forced himself to speak over his roaring thoughts. "Yes…I – I appreciate…all the work you've done…for me." He took a deep breath. "It was…agreeable…having you around.

Harry cocked his head to the side then said in a businesslike tone, "Don't mention it. I was happy to help you." He headed to the door.

At that moment, Snape's voices began screaming.

What are you doing, you fool? Why aren't you running after him and begging him to stay? Why are you letting happiness slip through your fingers? Go after him! It's not too late.

Stay still! He's obviously gotten over whatever artificial infatuation he had for you and worked the potion out of his system. Now he will go off to enjoy his life without some greasy Potions master holding him down.

No. Run! Stop him! You have one last chance…

But Severus Snape, ignoring the last plea of his heart, did not run after Harry. His legs, icy with cold, stayed still as Harry opened the door and looked back.

"Goodbye, Severus."

Please, don't leave! Please - "Goodbye, Potter."

"Harry."

"Goodbye, Harry."

More quietly: "Goodbye."

Goodbye, presumptuous brat…

The door clicked shut.

"Oh, God…"

A/N: dives to the ground to avoid the hexes, curses and just plain sharp objects that are thrown at her. Alright guys – I know I've made a few enemies (those of you who are not in a depression now) but as Yogi Berra said, 'it ain't over till it's over.' There are still some surprises to come…(As always, please feed the author. You wouldn't want her to leave you hanging here would you? JK:)) – XOXO Sprinkles

And onto the thankyous –

Chrissy – YAY! You have no idea how happy I am to find someone whose pet peeve is incorrect use of the English language. There aren't enough of us out there. If Snape and Harry were pouring over their books, then they are either doing something exceptionally dirty, or it's a Lockhart book. I agree with you. I hope JKR changes Harry's character a little in the next book: God. The kid had more PMSy scenes than I do! Thank's for sticking with me!

Munku-JGSPTV – Yeah. Snape and Harry play off of each other so well. Thanks for reviewing!

Tonitrus – Snape's thoughts aren't so happy this time around though dodges tomato . Don't give up on me yet! Thanks for reviewing!

TheSpaz – (I love your user name). Thank You!

Xikum – Ch! As if Harry ever had a chance against Snape, eh? Yeah. I'm a big believer that Snape is a gentleman, especially after seeing what the Death Eaters to each other. Thank you!

Wan is Wan – I love my Severus too. And come to think of it, so does…Whoops. Almost let that one slip. Thanks for reviewing!

Anime Monster – not so H & H in this chapter, was it. Sorry, Monster. I had to shake things up a little. But all is not lost! Thanks!

Tanith Lilitu – If you thought I was horrible last chapter, what do you think of me now? LOL. Thanks!

Dark-Lady-Devinity – Thank you!

Willowtree16 – Hmm…perceptive. But perhaps there is more than at first glance, eh? Thanks for reviewing!

King Mana – Thank you!

Seabiscuit0810 – If you don't like the pairing then you should be happy. I just broke them up, right. What's this? You're thinking of converting? Really? No? Ok then. Your loss! He does seem heartless in the books, I agree, but the fifth book was actually the first book that I truly felt sorry for the guy. (And I thought Harry was an ass.) Thanks!

Lady Darkness13 – mAyBe, just MaYbE, he does! Time will tell. Thank you!

And THANK YOU to everyone who read this!