As Harry approached Snape's office, he felt his breathing grow thin and quick. He had this horrible feeling that he was heading to his doom; that by now Snape had figured out how to kill him and get away with it. The last week had proven humiliating for them both, as the students continued to be outright mean. Acceptance of the lie, apparently, was not an acceptance of the relationship, and there were a lot of students with sharp tongues or jealous eyes.

Harry hesitated as he drew up to the door. This was suicide. He'd barely survived the week, he couldn't imagine Snape had fared better, and the man was bound to blame him for starting this mess in the first place. Snape had been right, following his cues had been cake. The most they did was occasionally smile privately at each other across the room, and Harry thought it actually helped that he couldn't make himself stop blushing when they did. The fact that this small action proved the relationship so well merely meant that the students were, for various reasons, disgusted, angry, or just plain jealous, of both of them. Steeling his nerves, he raised his fist to knock.

And withdrew it immediately to run through his hair. He turned away as if to leave, then turned back. He could do this, he had to do this. He raised his fist, then froze when he heard giggles down the corridor. He looked and paled upon seeing a tight group of younger Year Slytherins watching him agonize. Finally, he knocked. He had to. Snape immediately called for him to enter, and Harry did so almost furtively, just to escape the eyes on him. The Potions Master continued to work as Harry moved into the office, forcing himself not to scuttle out of sheer nerves. Finally, the man looked up. Harry relaxed a little as the man wore a dashing smirk.

"I wondered if you would ever knock," The man teased lightly.

Harry closed his eyes with humiliation as he remembered Snape's wards. "I, um… well, I didn't think you'd want to see me at this point. I assumed you had been catching it way worse than I had."

"You can be assured of that," Snape told him, his smirk never faltering. "However, I find my dull life has gained my renewed interest with this scandal. Believe it or not, Mister Potter, it can be quite boring to be constantly feared or hated."

"And," Harry said, bantering back. "The word you're looking for there is 'and'." He smiled, relaxing a little further.

"Quite," Snape agreed. The Potions Master stood, gathering the parchment he'd been working with, and began to lead Harry to his quarters. Harry didn't follow, his nerves bristling.

"Couldn't we just… sit in here? I don't want to invade your space after everything else."

Snape smirked over his shoulder. "No less than three students, not only Slytherins, will likely find a reason to knock on my door tonight. They will be hoping to see a glimpse of you, or of where you are. If we have been seeing one another, as you have claimed, for near to three weeks, then to keep our relationship relegated to my office would be highly suspicious."

Harry blushed as he realized the man was right. He swallowed his bedraggled nerves and followed him into his quarters. Harry waited nervously by the hidden door, fingering the strap of his school bag, until Snape gestured to his couch in invitation. Harry moved to it and sat on the edge of the seat, at the middle. Snape sat in a chair off to the side, and Harry let himself relax again, just a little. He felt like an intruder in this sacred space, but this did not stop him looking around curiously. He'd been too frantic to really see it before. There were small mementos and art on shelves and tables around the room, which was decorated tastefully in earth tones that met the mood of the dungeon's natural chill. Harry looked at Snape, who was all-but ignoring him as he studied the papers before him intently.

Harry finally convinced himself to relax completely, and he began pulling out his homework as Snape took over the other end of the coffee table with his own work. They worked in silence, and Harry lost himself in the strange comfort he felt. He couldn't do this with his friends. He'd managed it once or twice with Hermione, just silently enjoying each other's company, but Ron was usually around to ruin it. And Snape… Harry found not a trace of his anxiety remained. Snape had always made him wary, but after a week of pretending to be in a relationship with him, defending him nearly constantly, he felt a closeness to the man he'd never suspected possible. It had taken saying it aloud, but he'd begun to realize just how much he and the Potions Master had in common. There was a lot, the least of which being their involvement in the war.

-Break-

Harry was walking down the corridor from the library a week later. The corridor was empty, most students in class, but Harry was in the midst of the only free period he had without Hermione. Ron was disgusted with him and had ceased talking to him under the caveat that Harry stop seeing "that slimy git". Harry, who had already had two attempts to attack him fail, was glad every day that he'd made this choice. Snape, being older, better, and a professor, was practically untouchable by would-be student enemies. Harry, however, had no such protections. As he'd hoped, everyone's focus was on him. Not only from Slytherin, the would-be assassins automatically saw him as a weaker target. Eventually, someone would get bold and attack Snape directly, but Harry was sure he could stand guard even then.

Not everyone had bought Harry's claims, however, and there was also a small sect of students who looked to harm him in some way because of Ginny's claims. The girl still spoke frequently of his supposed attack, the plot growing more elaborate each time she told it. Ron and their brothers knew she was full of it, but that didn't stop a portion of Hogwarts from believing her.

Harry caught the sound of muffled footsteps behind him and smirked. Another attack. At this point, there was no telling how skewed the points were going to be. There were already three students in detention until Christmas, and sans privileges for the entire term. Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor. Harry readied to turn to face these new challengers but was interrupted before he made it more than halfway. From the darkened alcove he'd paused in front of came the heavily robed figure of the resident Potions Master. Harry backed against the wall instinctively and flinched involuntarily when Snape leaned close. The man smirked, leaning down and speaking quietly.

"What are you doing out alone, Mister Potter?" The man asked in a sultry voice that Harry knew was carrying down the corridor to his attackers.

Harry, trembling with adrenaline, reached out and wrapped his arms around the man's neck. "I had it handled." He whispered quietly.

Snape's smirk twitched threateningly. "There are five of them, and you had your back to only three."

Harry glanced to the side and did indeed spy two more students further down the corridor, too far away to see their House badges. He shrugged. "I still could've handled it."

"Of that I have no doubt," Snape murmured, sliding his arms around Harry's waist. "You are as stubborn as your mother ever was. However, this sends a message that I am a constant threat, unseen but always present. That should stop the bulk of the threats against you."

Harry smiled. "Leaving only the worst. And, of course, you'll have to catch me 'alone' at least a few more times for the message to get sent."

"Are you suggesting, Mister Potter, that I have better things to do than torture you in an effort to protect you?" Snape said, nuzzling Harry's neck. As if to prove the point, Harry flinched again. "I assure you, I do not."

Harry chuckled, ignoring his own reaction. "Liar. But thank you. Eventually, someone was going to get lucky when I wavered under the sheer volume."

Snape drew away sharply when one of the group that had been behind Harry scuffed their foot against the floor while trying to back away. They both looked appropriately guilty at being caught, and Snape gathered himself before scowling at the students who had "caught" them.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Snape demanded of the Gryffindor and two Hufflepuffs.

Harry cleared his throat, slipping away as Snape began to berate the Sixth Years. He ran his fingers along the back of Snape's hand to sell the parting and turned at the next corridor, even though it would take him the long way back to Gryffindor. Best to avoid the other two students, who couldn't follow him now without drawing attention to themselves.