Harry Potter and all the characters involved do not belong to me, they belong to J K Rowling.


"Normal speech"

'Thinking'

Flashback

"Parseltongue"


After one and a half weeks, and multiple attempts to escape on Snape's part, Snape's wound had finally healed. The worst time was probably when Harry had to rescue Snape when he finally managed to escape Harry's chambers and was nearly trampled.

-Flashback-

Harry was once again engrossed in his studies, something which had shocked Snape initially but he was now used to, and Snape saw it as the perfect opportunity to attempt to escape again. It wasn't that Snape hated the boy; he'd grown accustomed to the boy's presence, not that he would ever admit to it, but more that he was getting bored of being cooped up so every so often he would get his exercise by escaping, and going as far as he could before his wound started to hurt or he was caught by Potter. He was getting better though, and was able to go farther, so this time, he was able to get to the corridors, before encountering any problems.

As Snape was slithering down the corridor, suddenly his muscled seized up and he found that he couldn't move, which was rather problematic since walking down the corridor were Minerva, Pomona and Poppy, who were talking about something or the other and didn't see Snape.

Just then, Harry's door opened, and out came a panicked Harry. He noticed the trio of professors walking down the corridor, and immediately spotted Snape, who was going to get trampled. Pulling out his wand, Harry cried "Impedimenta", causing the witches to freeze for a few moments. That was enough time for Harry to grab Snape and start hissing at him furiously in Parseltongue about how stupid and irresponsible he was to go outside when he clearly wasn't fully healed and how even if he hated being taken care of by James Potter's son, he had to put up with it until he was capable of changing back and that he should stop being a pain in the ass and swallow his pride, at least until he was better.

At hearing that, Snape was livid. Who was the brat to tell him how he should behave? Despite how correct Harry might be about how what he did was stupid and could have resulted in further injury, the brat had no right to lecture him, as if he were the professor and Snape a student.

Snape hissed furiously at Potter, giving him a piece of his mind, only to find that the brat wasn't listening to him.

Ignoring the angry snake in his arms, Harry was apologizing to the professors he had temporarily frozen in order to save Snape from being trampled. "I'm sorry for having to do that Professors, it certainly couldn't have been pleasant, but I had to, otherwise you would have stepped on Professor Snape."

"You mean that the snake is Professor Snape?" McGonagall asked.

"It does look like the snake he transformed into on occasion when he needed to spy," Sprout remarked.

"Well, I can speak to him, and I know for sure that it's Professor Snape. Even if it's only because I doubt any other snake is capable of being as snarky as he is." Harry said with a grin as the three witches burst out laughing.

"That's true. No one is as snarky as Severus." McGonagall said.

Harry grinned before turning to the Hogwarts healer. "Madam Pomfrey, could I drop by the Hospital wing later so you can check over Professor Snape? I took him to Hagrid when I found him, but I just want to make sure that he's healing okay. He also seemed unable to move which was why he nearly got trampled, and I'm not sure if that's because of his injury or if he managed to injure himself some more."

"Of course Harry, you're welcome to come by later, just so long as I don't have to treat you. Goodness knows I've seen you in there enough times already. I could check him over now if you'd prefer," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Well, right now he's really angry at me for calling him an idiot because he snuck out of the room even though he isn't fully healed, so I don't think he'd let you check him over. I should probably get this over with and let him yell at me actually, so I'll come by later."

After saying bye, Harry walked into his room and set Snape down on the bed. "Might as well get this over with," he muttered.

Almost as soon as Snape was set down, he hissed angrily "Potter, you have no right to tell me what I can or can't do. I am sssick of being locked up in thessse roomsss with nothing to do apart from sssleeping or talking to you. I am bored out of my mind, and I misssss my dungeonsss. And you have no right to tell me how I ssshould behave, or lecture me asss if you were my professssor. And besssidesss, I am a grown adult, and I can take care of mysssself!"

"Well, Professssssor, maybe if you didn't act so irresssponsibly then I wouldn't need to lecture you," Harry retorted. " Nothing I sssaid wasn't true. You were acting like an idiotic Gryffindor by trying to leave, dessspite knowing that you aren't fully healed. Continuousssly trying to essscape isssn't going to do you any good; you're more likely to reopen your wound and make your injury worssse. Like today, your musssclesss ssseized up and you nearly got trampled on. You may be a grown adult, but right now you're a sssnake with no magic, ssso how are you sssupposssed to take care of yourssself? I know you probably hate me and hate being taken care of by me, but for your sssake, could you just put up with it and ssstop trying to essscape?"

Snape was taken aback. The boy actually seemed to care about his wellbeing. "Potter, are you sssaying you actually care if I am hurt?"

"Er… yeah? I guessssss. After all, you have sssaved me countlessssss timesss."

"Only to have you die on me in the end," Snape muttered. "Damn ssscheming old fool."

"Hey!" Harry protested, "I managed to live in the end."

"Indeed." Snape was silent for a moment, and then he remembered something Potter had said. "Did you admit that you Gryffindorsss are idiotic and charge into sssituationsss without consssidering the consssequencesss?"

"I sssuppose I did, didn't I?"

At Harry's words, Snape smirked triumphantly, or at least as triumphantly as a snake was capable of smirking.

Harry noticed this and glared. "You can't tell me that Ssslytherinsss aren't sssly, ssscheming, sssneaky, cunning gitsss either."

"At leassst being sssneaky and cunning are ussseful traitsss. You can't say the same about the ssso called Gryffindor bravery," Snape smirked.

"There'sss plenty of timesss where my idiotic bravery hasss kept me alive and ssstopped Voldemort."

"Your idiotic bravery isss what caussses you to charge headlong into sssituationsss without ssstopping to think, and resssultsss in me having to sssave you and your friendsss who willingly follow you into danger," Snape snapped.

"What about firssst year when my idiotic bravery allowed me to ssstop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher'sss Ssstone?" Harry challenged Snape.

"Yesss, and were you not an idiotic Gryffindor who chargesss headlong into thingsss, you would have brought a teacher with you, and would not have had to face the Dark Lord alone. Had you brought a teacher with you, they could have knocked out and bound Quirrell, being much more proficient duellersss than an eleven year old firssst year," Snape sneered. "Really, Potter, do think for once."

"I'm not ssstupid! We did go to Professssssor McGonagall to tell her what we sssussspected. It'sss hardly our fault if ssshe didn't believe usss. There wasss no time to try and convince her, and we couldn't go to Dumbledore, ssso there was no option but to go by ourssselvesss. It'sss not like we could've gone to you, sssince it wasss you who we sssussspected wasss after the ssstone. And even if we didn't think it wasss you, you hated me, ssso we wouldn't have gone to you anywaysss."

At this Snape scoffed. "There'sss alwaysss other optionsss. That you didn't ssstop to consider them provesss that your idiotic bravery only ssservesss to put you in danger time and time again."

Sensing that arguing about his first year was like fighting a losing battle, Harry asked "Well what about sssecond year when I killed the basssilisssk and sssaved Ginny."

"Yes, and your idiotic Gryffindor bravery got you nearly killed by Basssilisssk venom," Snape hissed angrily. "Had you brought a teacher with you, you might not have gotten injured."

"I did bring a teacher," Harry protested. "Lockheart-"

"Potter, you know asss well as I do that Lockheart was an idiot and a poor excussse of a teacher. Had you brought a competent teacher, you would not have had to face the basssilisssk alone."

"Well what about fourth year then, when I was taken to the graveyard?"

"You dueled with the Dark Lord, Potter. That alone ssspeaksss for itssself."

"If I hadn't I would have died," Harry pointed out.

"… Then perhapsss there are sssome timesss when Gryffindor foolissshnessssss isss ussseful then. However thossse timesss are few and far between." After some time, Snape added quietly, "And I don't hate you. Not in the way I hated your father. You irritate me incessssssantly with your idiotic foolissshnessssss and your incompetence in potionsss, but I don't hate you."