AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I recieved a guest comment that I would like to address. The guest expressed a dislike for my portrayal of Harry. They mentioned that he was pathetic for going back to someone who had cheated on him. I would like to say that in my mind, Harry responded out of lack of experience and a lot of trust. My Harry had never had a previous relationship to accustom him to a breakup. He was happy with Jake and wants to experience that again. He was perhaps too trusting to think that Jake might not be completely sincere in his apology. The guest also mentioned their unhappiness with Harry's response to Snape's feelings. I didn't mean for it to be intentionally cruel on Harry's part. It was more confusion and disbelief that this professor could express anything other than hatred towards him. Hopefully this chapter addresses that issue a bit more. At any rate, I hope this clears some things up. I appreciate all comments and criticisms :)

-Griff

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Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room by himself, staring at the fire that was roaring in the corner. He had just finished his most recent date with Jake, and didn't understand what was wrong with him. The date had been perfect. The conversation flawlessly wonderful, as it always had been between them. But Harry couldn't shake a niggling feeling in the back of his head that something was wrong. He just hadn't felt the connection to Jake that had always existed before their breakup.

As Harry was pondering unhappily the common room door opened to reveal Ron and Hermione.

"Harry? What's wrong?" asked Hermione upon seeing his expression.

"Yeah mate. You look someone just stole your favourite pair of socks," piped in Ron. Harry looked tiredly at his best friends.

"You guys have never been in a relationship. I don't think you can help me," stated Harry. When his friends looked at him with twin 'try us anyway' expressions, harry sighed and continued. "So you know how amazing everything was with Jake? And how he cheated on me and broke up with me?" Ron and Hermione nodded. "Well, since we've been back together things just haven't felt...right. You know?" Here Ron and Hermione shook their heads in denial. Harry sighed. "I knew you guys wouldn't get it. But thanks for listening anyway. I just wish I knew what was going on!"

"Harry," began Hermione tentatively, "I know that I don't have the most practical experience, but you don't think that the problem may be that Jake cheated on you, do you? I mean, that's a rather large breach of trust. Maybe the problem is that things just can't simply fall back to the way they were before..." she finished cautiously. Harry glared at her.

"That can't be right, Hermione! I swore that I wouldn't hold what he did against him! I promised," Harry sighed, putting his head in his hands. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"Uhh...Harry? I don't think that Jake should get to make you make promises. I mean, he was the one to cheat on you, mate," said Ron. Harry didn't respond. After a few more minutes of silence, Ron and Hermione said goodbye to Harry and left the room.

\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\ the next day / / /

Harry had come to a decision. He would talk to Jake about what he was feeling. After all, communication was an important part of relationships, right? But he would have to wait until after Potions class, as both he and Jake had the class right after breakfast.

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way down to the dungeons with plenty of time to spare. They had learned from the past not to be late for a class with Snape. As usual, Hermione wanted to sit at the front and Ron wanted to sit in the back, so the trio ended up in the middle of the room. The usual pre-class buzz filled the air as friends gossiped amongst each other and shared answers to the Transfiguration assignment due later that day. Just as class was supposed to start, Severus Snape came sweeping into the room in his characteristic black robes.

"Silence," Snape commanded. An instant hush fell in the room. "Today we will be creating a Confusion potion. As its name very plainly suggests, a confusion potion temporarily disorients the drinker. The preparation will test your skill at the new slicing technique that was demonstrated last class. Should you fail to slice one of the ingredients correctly, you will create a dangerous side effect when you add it to your potion. Anyone who does this," at this, Snape's eyes drilled into a few of the more incompetent potions students, including Harry and Ron, "will be immediately subject to a week of detention and a loss of 50 house points for the reckless endangerment of others. Are. We. Clear?" A chorus of agreement and vigorous nodding erupted around the room. "Very well. You may begin."

Ron and Harry paired up to brew the Confusion potion while Hermione elected to work by herself. She had figured out years before that she got much better marks when she let Harry and Ron enthusiastically brew their own potions, well away from her own cauldron. As they began preparing their ingredients, Harry's mind wandered somewhere it had not been in awhile – to Snape. In the hurricane of emotions of Jake's apology and his subsequent unease with their relationship, Harry had forgotten about the potion master's declaration. He had assumed when he told the man of his renewed relationship that he would be grateful that Harry hadn't read too much into the kiss. Yet he had been so tender that night out by Hagrid's hut, and back to typical Snape after Harry's apology. Harry didn't understand. Had he upset the man in some way? E had thought after the compassion that Snape had shown him, they might be on better terms in class, but apparently that understanding had not transferred over. If he didn't know any better, Harry might have guessed that Snape's admission had been truthful. But how could someone who had hated him from the moment he set eyes on him all of a sudden declare his affection? And besides, why would a grown man and successful potions master want a boy like him? Particularly when it was against the rules with Harry being a student. It was preposterous.

"It must have been because of my mother," Harry mumbled to himself as he tipped some mandrake root into the cauldron.

"What was that Harry?" asked Ron, turning to add some unicorn hair.

"Wha? Oh! Nothing. Just thinking about what to do next for the potion."

Meanwhile, on the Slytherin side of the classroom, Jake was laughing with his friends. Snape frowned at the volume. He was loathe to punish Slytherins, especially in front of Gryffindors, but if they kept that racket up he would have to. Potions class was not for jokers. Snape watched out of the corner of his eye, and as Harry turned his back to Jake and his friends to slice an ingredient, Jake mimed swooning and crying. The laughter started all over again. A few more times Harry turned his back and Jake mimed different actions or whispered things to his groupies. Finally Snape had had enough.

"Jacob Turvell!" he snapped sharply. The group surrounding Jake slunk slightly away from him. "This is Potions class. It is not a comedy club, a zoo, a circus or any other area in which the disruption you are creating is acceptable. Nor is it an excuse to share your private matters with the class." Jake paled slightly and his friends now snickered at him rather than with him. "And the rest of you! Mister Tadd, Mister Jackson, Mister Pourity, Mister Andrews. You 4 will join Mister Turvell in detention. 10 points from Slytherin for your insolence," thundered Snape. The rest of Potions class finished silently, the rest of the class terrified to upset Snape further and also receive detention. For once, Harry and Ron managed to make what faintly resembled the correct potion, and didn't blow anything up.

"Mister Potter and Mister Weasley," Snape called as the class was packing up. "You succeeded in brewing a potion that, while not achieving the desired effects, would not kill or poison the consumer. Congratulations," he smirked. Harry and Ron mumbled a quick thank you and quickly caught up with the rest of the class.

"I'm going to meet up with 'Mione and go for a walk down to the lake. Wanna come?" asked Ron.

"No. I told Jake I wanted to talk with him after Potions. I'm going to go find him now...I wonder what he was doing that got him in trouble. Snape is usually pretty lax about Slytherin behaviour," Harry replied.

"Well did you hear them? They were making Neville flinch from the other end of the room they were laughing so loud. Snape probably got fed up with it. Git only took 10 points from them," shrugged Ron. When they reached the main floor they split up; Ron to find Hermione and Harry to find Jake.