Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with a huge sigh and idly picked up a piece of toast covered with orange marmalade. Hermione Granger looked up from her book with an annoyed expression at being interrupted, but quickly realizing that Harry was extremely upset, she put her book down carefully.

"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked, leaning over to catch the goblet of pumpkin juice that Harry had sent teetering when he sat down.

Harry looked at the toast with a sour expression on his face and threw it down on his plate. "Everything, Hermione," he complained. "Everything! Do you know what I saw last night? It was so disgusting!" he made a face at the thought.

Thoughts of curses gone wrong or badly brewed potions sprang into Hermione's head. "Oh no! What happened, Harry?" she asked with alarm.

"Well, you know I had that detention with Snape last night? I went to his office and I saw…I saw…" Harry stopped and took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as if trying to fight off a terrible image.

Hermione sat, wide eyed, waiting for Harry to get control.

"I saw Rose and Snape…kissing!" Harry spat the last word out as if it were a filthy swear word. He couldn't believe his ear though…was Hermione actually giggling?

"Hermione! Why are you laughing? This is NOT funny!"

"Oh Harry, I am sorry. But I thought that maybe you had seen a Canker Sore Curse, or something truly awful," Hermione giggled softly.

"This IS awful! How could Rose have anything to do with that slimy git?" Harry complained, waving his arms wildly, threatening to knock over the stack of toast on the table, along with the same goblet of pumpkin juice that Hermione had saved earlier. "I mean, I saw her talking to Professor Lupin the other day. If she wanted to snog somebody, why couldn't she have snogged him?"

Hermione burst out laughing, this time loud enough to make a couple Gryffindor students further down the table look over. "Harry," she gasped between breaths. "You can't control how you feel about someone, or who you love, or want to kiss. It just happens," she looked wistfully towards the entrance of the Great Hall, where Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend, was making his way slowly towards the table.

"But Snape…ugh! I already have to deal with the Dursleys! Can you imagine Snape in the family too? It's just too disgusting to even imagine!"

Hermione picked up her book again, but looked up at Harry with a small smile. "Well, why don't you go find Rose and see what she has to say about this?"

Harry had already gotten up from the table. "Yeah, I think I will," he said distractedly, waving a hello to Ron as he walked out of the Great Hall.

"What happened? What's wrong with Harry?" Ron asked sleepily as he sat down next to Hermione.

Hermione sighed and looked over at him. "Ron, you always seem to be the last to know anything!" She gathered up her books and left Ron sitting there with a confused expression on his freckled face.

Rose wandered around the grounds of Hogwarts in a daze after her soul-searing kiss with Severus. Her fingers kept touching her lips as if she could keep the taste of him there. She felt as if she had been sucked through a whirlwind and turned inside out. She couldn't match what Remus Lupin had said about Severus to the man she had kissed. The Severus she knew, although extremely intimidating and seemingly cold, was a tortured soul, but a soul that had depth and feeling, she was sure of that. Severus was a man who had been hurt deeply in both his childhood and adult life, and Rose thought that maybe he found a way to heal through her. Maybe it was because of Lily, and if that was the case, Rose thought, if Severus was drawing close to her because of her sister, and with some notion of redeeming himself, then so be it. Rose wanted to help Severus heal, and even if he was only drawn to her because of her sister, then Rose was ready to accept that. She was interrupted in her musings by a loud shout. Turning around, she saw Harry striding towards her and he didn't look happy. Uh-oh, she thought to herself.

Harry stopped in front of her, panting and out of breath. "How could you? How could you do it?" he gasped.

"What do you mean Harry?" But Rose already knew…somehow Harry knew about the kiss.

"Snogging Snape in full view…almost out in public like! How could you do it Rose?" Harry pleaded with her, as if willing her to say he was mistaken in what he had seen.

Rose noticed Harry had not called her Aunt, as he had been doing, but didn't comment. "Well, I don't know what you mean about being in public view," she said coldly. "We were in his office, and the door was shut. Maybe you shouldn't eavesdrop on people if you don't want to see things you don't like!" Rose felt terrible as soon as she had said this. She covered her mouth, as if trying to take back the angry words. "I'm sorry Harry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's OK, you're right, I should have knocked, but I was down there for detention and I just wanted to get it over with. But Aunt Rose…Snape!" he said this as if the mere thought of it made his stomach turn. Which, in Harry's case was close to the truth.

Rose sighed. How could she explain her feeling for Snape to her 16-year old nephew? A nephew that she barely knew, and a nephew that hated the very sight of the man she had feelings for.

"Harry, I know you don't like Snape," she held up her hand to stop Harry from talking. "No, let me finish, please. I know you don't like him, and I know that he hasn't done much to endear himself to you." Harry made a rude noise at this comment. Green eyes met green eyes, and Rose continued. "But there is a depth to Severus that you don't see, Harry…there's a depth that I don't think anybody has seen, or even looked for, in a very long time. I can't even explain it Harry, and maybe it's only because of Lily that I feel drawn to Snape. He loved her deeply, you know."

Harry shook his head. "How could he have loved her? She tried to help him, and he called her names and treated her horribly! And she was just trying to stick up for him!" Harry didn't mention that Lily had done this because his father, James was teasing him.

"Yes, I know. Severus and Remus both told me about their time at Hogwarts…and about James and Lily also. But Harry, Severus did love your mother, and I think he feels terrible about the way he treated her. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it now…but I truly think he feels remorse and shame from his actions."

"So now he's using you to try and make him feel better! Get a clue Rose, Snape doesn't feel anything but disgust at being associated with Mudbloods, and that includes you!"

"Harry! Please try to overlook your anger and hatred for Severus and see the person under that cold exterior…I think you may be surprised at what you'll find."

"The only thing I'm surprised at is you being so stupid as to fall under his spell. He is a very skilled Legilimens you know. He can see into your mind, read your thoughts, and say what you want to hear. Oh, but I forgot, you wouldn't know about that, not having been brought up as a witch!"

Harry strode off, leaving Rose feeling as if she had completely and utterly failed at her attempt to reconcile the two most important men in her life.