AN: Hi all, sorry for the longer wait in updating, but I was having a bit of trouble writing a later chapter and then I wanted to save this for a birthday present to myself. Hope you enjoy...Happy Reading!

"Argh! When will this essay end?" Ron threw his quill down at his transfiguration assignment in frustration.

"It's really not that bad." Hermione said, who, having finished her own transfiguration work hours earlier, was now reading the Ministry of Magic Law 10783 Subsection ER9 on the Control and Containment of Non-Human Beings.

"It really is." Ron huffed. "I never thought I'd miss being on the run. If there was one silver lining of last year it's that I was never asked about how the 'transient properties of a porcupine affect the dynamics of an alternate species transfiguration spell.'"

"Oh, here, let me read it, I'll give you some pointers." Hermione took Ron's parchment from him to read.

"Hermione, you're an angel!" Ron fawned.

"Yeah, whatever."

Ron yawned and lifted his arms above his head, stretching his back out with a click. "Eh, Harry, shouldn't you be heading to your meeting with Snape?"

Harry looked up from his own nearly completed essay and followed Ron's gaze to the grandfather clock which stood imposingly in the corner of the common room.

"Oh shit, yeah I should." He wasn't quite late yet, but he would be if he hung around much longer.

Hermione looked up at her dark-haired friend. "Are you okay, Harry?"

Harry shrugged half-heartedly. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Hermione gave her friend an understanding smile. "Hey, don't stress about it. It's just Snape; you can handle him."

Seamus, who had approached during their conversation, gave Harry a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Yeah, Harry, not like you haven't faced worse than the Supreme Snake Leader before." Harry grimaced. "Besides, he doesn't even force you to say anything."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"He didn't with me. It was mint." The Irish boy gave Potter another pat and a cheeky grin before heading over to the sofas where Neville and Dean were starting up a game of poker.

With the other 8th years out of shot, Harry spoke quietly to Hermione, "I don't know why I feel so nervous." He said honestly.

"Because you respect Professor Snape now." Hermione explained wisely. "And that means that you want him to think well of you." It occurred to Hermione as she said this that Harry probably had little experience of feeling this way. Once you eliminated all the adults who had never deserved Harry's respect, most of the other adults in Harry's life had already been so enamored with the Boy Who Lived that he never had to prove himself to them.

"I guess you're right." Harry said thoughtfully, then looked stricken. "I really had a go at him last week though!" He whined.

"So just apologize. If he doesn't accept it, then that's his problem. But he hasn't seemed angry with you in class since then. If anything I'd say he's feeling just as bad as you are about it."

"You think?"

"Absolutely."

Ron had heard their conversation but remained respectfully quiet as they talked. Now, however, he piped up, "Mate, you're actually gonna be late."

"Shit!" Harry cursed. "See you later." He called over his shoulder as he rushed to the door.

Harry was suddenly grateful that Snape's office was so accessible from their new common room. He ran swiftly down the long spiral staircase which led to the dungeons and then made his way through the corridors to Snape's office.

As Harry approached the office door, he took deep breaths to slow his breathing. With three sharp raps against the varnished oak, Harry knocked on Snape's door.

"Enter." Harry heard Snape's voice from within.

Given that he was a minute or two late, Harry expected Snape to be waiting for him, but when he pushed open the door he was startled to see the blond head of Draco Malfoy opposite the Professor.

"Oh, sorry!" Harry stuttered. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll just, er, wait outside." He began to move back behind the door but was stopped by the Professor's voice.

"It's alright, Mr Potter, you can come in. Mr Malfoy has already finished his meeting, we were merely making small talk while I awaited your arrival."

"Oh, right." Harry could think of nothing else to say.

With refined grace, Malfoy rose from his chair, and turned his body so his back was no longer showing to Harry but he could still see Snape.

Harry stood uncomfortably by the door while Malfoy addressed the Professor. "I'll be going then. Goodnight, Sir, thank you for the tea."

"Not at all, Draco." Snape brushed off his thanks. "And do remember what I said. My door is always open."

"Of course, Professor Thank you." Malfoy gave Snape a respectful nod and then turned towards Harry as he headed to the door.

Harry moved out of the doorway and further into the office so Malfoy could depart.

"Potter." Malfoy inclined his head in an amicable greeting as he passed.

"Malfoy." Harry returned with the same tolerant regard.

The blond boy gave a small smile and left the office quietly, drawing the door closed as he went.

As the door clicked, Harry turned back to Snape who he now saw was regarding him closely from behind his desk.

"Um, sorry I'm late." Harry said a little nervously, remembering his many detentions with the man who would accuse him of being late whether he was or not.

Surprisingly, Snape waved the apology away. "It's alright, Mr Potter, I don't suppose a minute or two matter in the grand scheme of things, and as there's no meeting after you this evening, it won't matter if the meeting runs over our designated time."

Harry cringed. He really hoped it didn't run over, 30 minutes was quite long enough for him to sit awkwardly in his professor's presence.

"Do take a seat, Mr Potter." Severus urged when the boy made no move to do so. "Would you like something to drink?"

Harry took note of the tea tray on Snape's desk and declined politely; he wasn't keen on tea.

Snape nodded but took time to summon a tall glass with a handle and pour himself a drink. Harry, who had been expecting regular brown tea to emerge from the pot, was a little startled to see a clear green liquid fill the glass before filling the air with a pleasant, mint scented steam.

Harry was quite curious about what the professor was drinking, what it might taste like, but he daren't ask. Instead, with very little input from his conscious brain, he blurted out, "Sorry!"

Severus raised his eyes from the tea tray back to the boy, mildly surprised by the outburst.

"Yes, you have already said, Mr Potter. I assure you, I am not the slightest bit vexed by your tardiness; I have long grown accustomed to it." He drawled with a wry smile, almost teasing.

"No, I didn't mean for that." Severus thought the boy seemed a little agitated, though he covered it well beneath his mask of calm. "I mean for how I spoke to you last week, after class."

"Ah." Snape made a noise of comprehension.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you like I did. I was just annoyed about the situation, but that's no excuse for me being rude and yelling at you, so I apologise, Sir." Potter spoke earnestly.

"Well, it's true that you could have been a bit more respectful, but even at the time I fully appreciated that your attitude was a reflection of your concern for your friend. I had no intention of berating you for the manner in which you spoke, but your apology is appreciated nonetheless." He gave Potter a nod of thanks. "Now, we can consider the matter settled, if you agree?"

Harry thought he was probably in shock, but he managed to pull together enough cognitive function to nod his hand and say, "Yes, Sir."

"Now, I was going to wait until later to discuss this matter with you, but as you brought it up, we might as well do so now." Severus went on. "I have spoken with the Headmistress and we have decided that, for now, as Miss Granger is yet to experience any flashbacks here at Hogwarts, we will let the matter lie. That isn't to say that I don't strongly recommend Miss Granger see some form of professional to talk about her experience, if just for her own peace of mind. But as she is an adult, it is, for now, her decision, provided she continues to attend her meetings here." Potter seemed attentive but unsurprised so Severus concluded that Granger had discussed their meeting with her friends. "I'm sure Miss Granger has told you much of this, though you'll understand that, for confidentiality reasons, I cannot tell you anything else about my meeting with Miss Granger myself." He waited for Potter to nod and then continued. "What I think we should discuss is how you feel now about my taking what you said to the headmistress."

It wasn't quite phrased as a question, but Severus expected a response, and, when all he got was a shrug from the boy, he sighed. "For the sake of making progress in these meetings, I am willing to let a lot of the usual formalities slide. I won't berate you or the other students if you're a few minutes late, or if your language isn't as, should we say, refined as perhaps it should be." Severus' voice became a little firmer as he went on, though his drawling tones were still amicable. "But I absolutely draw the line at shrugging." He gave Harry a pointed look. "You don't have to tell me anything if you do not wish to, but I do ask that you at least respond verbally."

"Right, sorry, Sir." Potter was appropriately contrite.

"Do you understand why I had to tell Professor McGonagall about Miss Granger's flashbacks?"

"I understand why you thought it was necessary, and I respect your reasoning, but that doesn't mean I agree with you."

Snape nodded understandingly. "Very well, we'll leave that there for now. But, Harry," Potter looked quite startled at hearing his first name. "I want you to know that you can trust me in these meetings, or at any other time for that matter. I will only ever share your personal information where it is necessary for your own safety."

"I know." Potter replied earnestly. "I do trust you, Sir."

Severus was somewhat stunned by the boy's declaration, his bright green eyes so trusting behind the metal frames of his glasses.

"Thank you, Mr Potter, I greatly appreciate that." Severus cleared his throat. "Now, perhaps we should move on to less intense conversation topics. How are you finding your final year so far?"

"It's alright." Harry shrugged offering no extra information.

"Alright?" Severus pushed.

Harry scratched the back of his neck distractedly. "It's a bit weird I s'pose."

"How so?"

"It's just –" Harry looked for a way to explain. "Everything seems so normal."

Severus knew exactly what the boy meant, but by questioning him the Professor allowed his student the opportunity to express what he felt about being back at Hogwarts.

"And normal is weird?" Severus questioned again as though genuinely bewildered.

"No – yes – I don't know!" Potter almost whined. "So much has changed since we were last here that it seems like everything should be different than it was before. But somehow it all seems just the same, you know?" He asked rhetorically. "We go to classes and write essays and play Quidditch, just like nothing's even happened. But it has."

"I imagine you must be pleased to be playing Quidditch again." The Professor steered the conversation in an alternate direction.

"Yeah, I've missed it." For the first time Severus could perceive some life behind Potter's eyes. Quidditch clearly gave the boy a release of some kind.

"The Headmistress told me you declined the Gryffindor captaincy." It wasn't phrased as a question but Harry knew he was supposed to answer.

"I kind of figured that I had enough to be getting on with this year, studying for NEWTs and –" He waved his hand about airily. "Everything else. Besides Ginny's a great captain and it's her last year too. I'd rather just stick to Seeker; that way I get to play but it won't affect the whole team if I miss the odd practice."

Snape nodded. "You won't miss leading the team?"

Harry practically snorted. "God no! I think I've done enough leading people to last me a lifetime. It isn't all it's cracked up to be."

The corner of Severus' lips quirked. "I can imagine."

When Harry said nothing more, Severus moved on. "And your lessons? Any problems there?"

"Nothing in particular." Severus thought the boy seemed more relaxed now. "It's a bit tricky getting back up to speed. Take a year out of school and you start to forget all that stuff you've learnt."

"Well your Professors all seem pleased with your standard of work since your return so it doesn't appear that you've forgotten much."

Potter gave a wry chuckle. "Well Hermione made sure that we didn't waste our summer."

"Ah." Snape nodded, understanding. "Did the three of you spend all summer together?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And how did you spend your summer? Aside from the studying that is. "

Potter shrugged. "Nothing much. There were the trials of course." Snape nodded. "And we spent some time with family."

"Family? Did you see your relatives at all?" Severus asked pointedly and then observed the shutters come down in Potter's expression.

"I had a phone call with them once I made sure that the Order returned them to their home."

Severus knew instinctively that he shouldn't push the matter. "And before the battle?" He continued. "Were the three of you together all that time last year?"

"Pretty much." Potter replied shortly, becoming increasingly reticent.

Severus nodded. "I can see that you would rather not discuss that period with me. You can relax, Mr Potter, as I said before, I won't force you to tell me anything that you do not wish to." He thought he saw Potter's shoulders sag slightly. "Nonetheless, I do think you might find it beneficial to talk about your experiences with someone. You may not wish that person to be me, but my offer will remain open regardless." Severus tried to convey his sincerity through his expression. "You may talk to me at any time, about anything you wish."

Harry's expression appeared at first suspicious and then accepting. "Thank you, Sir."

Severus held the boy's gaze for a moment before nodding. "Very well, I think, perhaps, we should leave it there for tonight."

"Good." Snape's eyebrow rose. "Er, no, not 'good'. I mean, just, okay." Harry stumbled to correct his error.

Severus rolled his eyes to hide his amusement. "Fortunately for you, Mr Potter, I do not take offence easily." He drawled. "Now, unless there's something else that you would like to discuss, you may return to your dormitory and we'll meet again in a fortnight's time."

"Sure." Potter stood. "Goodnight, Professor."

"Goodnight, Mr Potter."