Chapter 13

"Ah, good morning, Severus. How are you feeling?" The headmaster asked as the potions master entered his office. "You're looking much better, I must say. Toffee?"

Snape shook his head to decline the piece of candy as he took a seat. "I'm doing quite well, thank you."

"I pleased to hear it. Now, what is it you needed to speak to me about?"

"It's about Harry…." He paused. "….Potter." He quickly added keeping his eyes on the hands in his lap. "I can not allow the boy to stay with me any longer. It will be fine if he stops by for an occasional visit but he can not live there."

"Is his presence not helping you anymore?"

"Yes, it is helping. That is why I said he should visit me but I can not physically handle him being around me every night."

"Severus, I think I understand your issue with this now. You no longer see Harry as simply a student?" The headmaster questioned as he place one of the toffees he had offered earlier into his mouth.

"Headmaster, you must understand that I have not seen him as a student for quite a long time now. You recall when I told you about the arrangement I had made with him?" The old man nodded. "I asked for two things. One: that he leave me alone. He agreed eventually. And two: I asked for Harry, himself. Obviously I realized that my second request was ludicrous so I decided to withdraw it from our agreement."

"In other words, all of those late night talks with Harry made you see he was a very different person than you had originally thought."

"Something like that, yes. I don't want to be the one to tell him that he has to leave. You know how incredibly heartless I can be."

"If you would like him to go back to his room then you shall be the one to tell him that he has to do so. This is something I shall not interfere in, in any way." The old man offered Snape a smile as the potions master sighed then left his office.

"Harry, mate, you've hardly touched your breakfast. Is something wrong?" Ron said in between bites of toast.

"Ron," He said as he dropped his fork on the plate in front of him. "I have to tell you something about why I haven't been in the dorm for the last two weeks."

"Oh, I already know. You're staying with Snape in the dungeon until he gets better. Hermione told me about it the first night you were gone. Was that all it was?"

"No, that's not all. I'm worried about him." Harry began before taking a drink of juice. "He just hasn't been himself the last few days and I don't know why."

"What do you mean? Has he been laughing or something odd like that?"

"No, Ron, he's been avoiding me. It's like my being there bothers him now. I don't know maybe he's just being Snape…" With another sigh Harry pushed his plate away then stood up. "I'm going to go try to talk to him, I guess. See you later." With that said, Harry left the great hall and headed down towards his potions masters office with no idea of what he was going to say. He pushed the door open and peered around the room. There was no trace of Severus anywhere so he continued into their bed room where he saw the bathroom door partially open. "So the man does bath." He laughed to himself as he walked as quietly as possible over and leaned against the door frame. "Trying to relax?"

The older man didn't move just made a noise that made it sound as if he was irritated by Harrys presence. "I'm sorry, sir. I just wanted to talk to you, but if you want me to leave I will."

"No, you can stay. Just let me get out of the tub first."

"Why? I mean, you seem quite relaxed in there and I think that would make it easier to talk." The Gryffindor said as he sat on s small stool next to the tub behind Snape. Slowly he reached out and began to massage the Slytherins shoulders as best he could which brought a quiet moan from the older mans lips.

"Harry…." The potions master leaned forward slightly making it easier to access his back. "You don't know how bad of an idea it is to touch me right now."

"Severus, did it ever occur to you that I might actually want to touch you if you'd just let me?"

"It's not a good idea for you to touch me."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to touch you back, Harry. Now, please just go in the other room while I get dressed then we can talk." The potions master pleaded which made Harry do as he was told. When Severus emerged a few moment later in his bath robe Harry was standing there in nothing but his boxer shorts which made the older man inhale sharply. "What are you trying to do, Potter."

The Gryffindor didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and took the older mans hands in his own then placed them on his chest. "What makes you think I don't want you to touch me back?"

"Harry, this is…" Snape didn't have time to finish before he found the younger mans lips covering his own. Hesitantly he slipped his arms around the Gryffindors waist and drew him closer, deepening the kiss as he did. When the kiss finally broke Harry simply smiled at him then rested his head on his potions masters chest with a sigh. "To think, I was going to come out here to tell you that you had to move back up to your dorm room."

"I don't think that would happen. You told me that I would have to share every part of me with you and now I'm ready to give you that last part."

The older man closed his eyes for a moment before pulling Harry over to the bed and laying down with him. "I'm an old man, I can't stand there and hold you all day." This drew a weak laugh from the Gryffindor. "However, I can lay here and do so if you desire it." As a response Harry moved around until his body fit perfectly in front of the older mans.

"I think I can handle it."

"Harry, may I ask you something and get an honest response?" The boy nodded. "Alright. Why did you run out of my classroom during our first lesson?"

"I didn't want you to see me cry."

"Why would you cry? Not because I yelled at you, was it?"

"No, it was because of you, though. See, I'd been having nightmares all summer and when I saw you I remembered them all and I couldn't control the pain anymore."

"What were these dreams about, Harry?"

"You….I saw you die and I just sat there and watched it. I didn't try to save you and I don't know why. I just sat there and…." Harry broke off to stop the cries that were building up inside him then buried his face in the older mans chest.

"Is that why you're doing this? Because you feel guilty about letting me die in your dreams?" The Gryffindor shook his head. "Then why are you helping me?

"Because the whole time I sat there watching you in my dream you kept telling me you loved me. Kept telling me that you'd see me again and it wasn't until after you were gone that I realized….."

"Realized what, Harry?"

"That it was me saying it and not you. I was telling you I loved you and that I'd see you again." Harry paused for a moment. "Then, when I saw you in class, it broke my heart to think that you might actually die this year. Then after you killed Voldemort and told me you were going to die I knew I had to do something to stop it from happening. It didn't matter what I had to do because I knew I couldn't let you go, not yet."

Snape shushed him then idley stroked his hair. "No, I think I'm going to live forever as long as I have you around to keep me company." He reassured the younger man with a smile. "I've decided you can stay in my room but you are no longer allowed to sleep on that cot over there. No, you must keep this side of the bed warm for me because I'm just not large enough to warm it alone."

"It's a deal." The Gryffindor said as he moved closer to the other. And that's how they spent every night from then on until the end of Harrys schooling. Then, in the summer, Harry went to stay with Severus at his house which, in Harrys opinion, really needed redecorated. It was nice however, to get away from the muggle home he had been accustomed to for so long. This place was enchanted much like the Weasleys house. There were many differences of course, but Harry hardly had time to pick those out. Not now that he was spending nearly every waking moment with a man he had come to love more than anything else in the world. It was definitely heaven in his eyes and he hoped if he died there would be something this good waiting for him on the other side.

The end