Chapter 4

Harry had been working weeks on making a list of every possible female and male that his potions master could be interested in. He split it up into two columns. One for the girls and one for the boys. He made comments by every name and was able to rule out over seventy-five percent of them. "It's time." He said to himself one morning as he was sitting in the Gryffindor common room looking over the piece of paper.

A few minutes later Ron and Hermione came down from their rooms and sat next to him on the couch. He took a deep breath and considered how to ask knowing that Hermione would most likely protest him interfering in Snapes personal affairs.

"Hermione?" Harry asked after she had gotten settled into a seat and opened the book she brought with her.

The bushy haired girl looked up from the pages with a small smile. "Yes, Harry?"

He took another deep breath. "I want you and Ron to help me with something. That is if you want to." Harry looked between the two of them and they nodded which meant they were willing to help. "Good. See I know this person and I am trying to figure out who they are…..um….interested in."

Ron let out a laugh and Hermione simply sat there waiting for him to continue.

"Anyway," He said after giving Ron a playful punch in the shoulder. "I want you guys to help me go over these names that I haven't yet decided to be improbable, ok?"

"And whose personal life will we be diving into this time, Harry?" Hermione as her eyes fell back on the book in her hands.

"I don't really want to say. I think he would be upset with me if he found out." The green eyed boy folded and unfolded the piece of paper in his hands a few times before handing it to Hermione.

"Well, don't you think it best not to meddle in his life if it might upset him?" She gave the boy one of her famous looks of disapproval before speaking again. "Besides it will help us decide whether or not the people on this list would catch his interest if we knew who it is."

"Alright, but you have to swear right here, right now that you will never let on to him or anyone else what we are doing." He looked to Hermione who nodded once more to agree and then to Ron.

"Wait, let me see if I understand this, mate. You want us to gather personal information, such as what turns Snape on about another person. Want us to go poking around in his private life, for what reason exactly?" The redhead said in a tone of disbelief.

Harry hadn't thought about that question. He thought for a moment and unfortunately no good answers came to him. "Because it will be fun. Yes, for the fun, the thrill, the adventure of trying to figure Snape out."

"You've gone nutter, Harry." Was all Ron said before taking the list and looking it over. He read over the names and laughed when he finished. "You know you put guys names on here too?"

"Yes, I know I did." Harry replied. At this Hermione took the paper from Ron and read over it as well.

"So you think he likes a guy, do you?" Ron held the laugh in this time.

"I suppose it's possible, Ron." Harry said.

"So these are all the people you think he might like, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, all the people that I thought he might find appealing." The green eyed Gryffindor said as he took the paper back from them.

"Hey!" Ron interjected all of a sudden. "My name isn't on there!" He grabbed the page from Harry. "Is it?" After quickly scanning the composition he breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, don't you go thinking that that greasy man could ever like me." He chuckled as he threw it back to Hermione.

She too scanned the page for her name then also let out a quiet sigh a relief after not finding it there.

The trio followed their potions master around for the next few days gathering random and seemingly pointless information. He was aware of their presence but cared less about what they were doing or why. He went about his normal business everyday of preparing lessons and all other responsibilities his teaching career entailed.

One night, however, he was not pleased to find himself being followed by Harry hidden by his invisibility cloak. "Potter." He said as he stopped in his tracks and turned to face the unseen being. "Might I ask what exactly it is you think you are doing following me around?"

"I'm not following you! I'm just breaking the rules by being out past curfew again." The Gryffindor said with a smile on his face. He had realize that recent encounters with Snape hadn't been as bad as in the past and figured he would take full advantage of this. "Why, do you want me to be following you?"

"I…" He started but didn't have time to finish as he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor toward him and the boy. "Get back around the corner and don't move or make a sound." He said as he waved Harry away from him.

"Good, you're here. I was hoping I wouldn't have to wait for you again tonight like the last time." Came a voice that Harry recognized immediately to belong to Lucius Malfoy.

"I assume he was not very pleased with what you brought him last time, Lucius." Snape replied.

"He said it was enough to allow you another 2 weeks before he would ask for another sample." He straightened his cloak. "That was all I was sent here to tell you."

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Severus said to the blond mans back.

"I should have. It was a rather stupid thing for you to do. Telling Potter you loved him just to break the connection. The poor boy is going to be all confused about you now." Malfoy flashed a semi-evil smile and walked down the hall and out of a side entrance that Harry had never known about.

The potions master started down the hall to his room without even caring that Harry was still standing a few feet away and heard everything. He opened the door to his office and went inside without closing it knowing that the cloaked young man was right behind him. "Close the door." He said in a flat tone as he moved toward a small cabinet behind his desk.

"Well, 2 more weeks is good, right?" The boy asked as he pulled off his cloak.

"Not really, Potter, but seeing as how you don't pay attention in my potions class you wouldn't know that." The dark haired man poured himself a large glass of amber liquid and took a long drink. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Would you like a drink, Potter?" He asked pulling out a second glass.

"Um, no thank you, Professor." He replied as he pulled out a chair to set himself in. "So, you haven't had any luck with the potion I take it?"

"Is it that obvious?" Snape snapped back at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry." Harry said as he got ready to run out of the room just in case.

"It's not you, it's this." He muttered as he motioned to a large stack of papers on his desk. "I just don't get what I'm missing or doing wrong." The potions master placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Oh well, if this is going to be the reason I die at least I died doing something I enjoy."

"How can you enjoy potions?" Harry uttered more to himself then the man standing in front of him. "I personally hate the subject and anything that has to do with it."

Severus frowned slightly at this statement. "So, you do hate me. I knew it."

The boy just stared straight ahead for a moment…Was that sarcasm he asked himself. Harry blinked a few times to bring himself back to where he was. "I don't hate you. I never really liked you much tho." He said as that same stupid smile came across his face.

"Very well, if that's how you feel I want you out of my sight and don't want to catch you or your friends following me anymore." The older man replied with an expression that Harry could only describe as amused.

"What makes you think that I, or my friends, want to follow you around? Be careful your egotistical side is showing." The Gryffindor said with a laugh.

"The three of you have made it all to obvious that you are trying to learn what makes me who I am. Why, I haven't figured out yet, so honestly it doesn't bother me." He sat down with his glass and took another long drink from it.

"Do you always drink like that when you are worried?" Harry didn't know where that question had come from.

"Do you always question the activities of people you hate?" Was the answer he got. Snape set his glass down on the desk and pushed it towards the young Gryffindor in front of him. "Go on, take a drink."

Harry reluctantly picked up the glass. He didn't know why but he was going to drink this. Perhaps because Snape had been drinking it before, therefore it wouldn't be lethal. He slowly raised the cup to his lips and took a small drink nearly choking on the taste. "That's terrible. How can you stand to drink it?"

"One gets used to the taste and strength of such drink when they indulge themselves in it frequently." The dark haired man said as he finished off what was in the glass. "So, enlighten me as to why you have been stalking me the last few days."

"They are helping me…figure out…something." He stuttered out while concentrating on his shoes.

"Figure out what?" The older man asked.

"Totrytofigureoutwhoyoulove." He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Severus leaned a bit closer.

Harry sighed knowing there was no way out of this. "They were helping me figure out who you love."

"I see. Well, have you guessed who it is yet?" He asked leaning back in his seat.

"We've narrowed it down to 4 people." Snape quirked a brow at the boys response. "You want to know who they are?" The potions master nodded. "Okay, there's Draco Malfoy…." This name was met with a cringe so Harry noted to take that name off. "Then there's 3 others who I'm not telling you."

"Fine keep your secrets. I could careless about it." Snape looked down at the papers and pretended to be interested in something they said.

"Who is it?" Harry asked hoping to finally get and answer.

"Go to bed, Potter." Was all the teacher said and Harry did as he was told.