So thanks for all the reviews guys! I'm going to Dublin and then London for a few weeks, so I thought I would update everything before I go! And really thanks to everyone that has read. Hope you enjoy

"Thank you for seeing me again professor." Harry said, being extra-polite, he had something important to ask today. Really important.

"It's all right Harry." Harry couldn't help but smile. Occasionally, Snape did call him that. And although Harry had never called him Severus, it was nice to know that he was on better terms with the man his mum had trusted so highly. He wandered over to his usual chair and sat, feeling a little nervous. Severus was usually nice to him when they were like this, but not always.

"would you like a drink?" Well that was new. "Yes, please, sir." Severus frowned slightly all though Harry had no idea why. If he hadn't wanted Harry to say yes, why did he offer?

It was a bit ironic, Severus thought, he had tried for years to get the brat to call him sir, and now that…well, now that he didn't mind so much, Harry absolutely insisted on it. He had hoped Harry would get the hint when Severus called him by his first name, but apparently not. He could be really thick sometimes.

The thing about Severus was that he really didn't let people in. Ever. But when he did, he had a hard time not getting attached. He had spent more personal time with Harry in the last few months than he ever had with his colleagues, and he had known them for years. He kinda liked it…the truth was he was lonely.

"tea all right?" he asked. Harry nodded, a bit too afraid of mucking anything up to say that he didn't really like tea.

The thing was, Severus desperately wanted to move off of the subject of Harry's parents, but he was just so bad at small talk. Severus gave him the tea and sat down on the couch, resigned to digging up the past again.

"would…my parents have been okay…" he cleared his throat. "With me being gay?" An odd mix of emotions ran though Severus. Pity, as well as hope that they would fucking move on subject wise, and a sort of camaraderie, Severus was gay too, and maybe something else, he didn't have time to look too closy.

"well…you're mother would be. Um, she would be okay with it. Defiantly." He took a sip of his tea. "and my father?" Harry asked eagerly. one out of two, that was good, maybe-

"well…he…okay, he hated me, he really did. And I'm gay, but I think he probably just took advantage of every little thing about me to…be horrible about really. Not to sound overly sensitive." For the first time Harry noticed a blush creeping it's way up Severus' neck.

"but…I know he cared about you. And I think he cared enough to change his mind."

Harry nodded, sighing. His father sounded…well, he didn't know really. Severus shifted.

"so…you're gay." God that sounded awkward even to Severus. "Yeah." Harry said, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. "I think at least…I mean it's not like I've done anything. You know with any one. Any one else I mean. I mean I've done things but not like thing, things You know, yeah…" Harry was so red in the face by the time he was done, Severus almost chuckled. Oh to be that young and innocent...

"it's all right, god I remember when I came out for the first time, that was tough." After a pause Harry finally got the guts up to ask; "what happened?" Severus licked his lips, he was glad they were off the subject of the past, but this wasn't really what he had in mind…but it was better than nothing.

"oh god. Well it probably wasn't that bad but it felt pretty awful at the time. There was a boy in the year above me. I very much thought he was gay. Asked him out, gave him some long rambling speech about how I liked him. Turns out he wasn't at all gay. Punched me in the face and told the whole school about it."

"ouch." Harry said, wincing. " I can't even imagine asking another bloke out. I mean how does that even work in gay relationships?" This time Severus really did laugh. Harry had a nack for making him laugh or smile and he was doing it more and more.

"it…can be tough, yeah. It really depends on the gay community where ever you are. Some are really open and stuff, but others, like here. Well there isn't one here, at all, so it's really rare when it happens. You kind of just have to feel it out."

"oh. Great." Harry said, voice thick with sarcasm.

But Severus suddenly jumped up, a stream of curses falling from his lips. There was a gulf of purple smoke coming out from under the door to his office.

"wait here a moment." And he disappeared into the room. When he came out, he looked ready to kill. "fucking thing." He hissed. "What is it?" Harry asked, making Severus jump, as if he had forgotten Harry was still there, he took a few deep breaths and sighed.

"a potion. I'm trying to create a cure for AIDS, I've been working on it for years and this particular version for months. And I've just ruined it." He threw himself back on the couch and ran his hand threw his hair, making him look…so different. Not his professor. But…just a great guy.

But severus was still talking. "the problem is I know exactly what I need, in theory, it's just that the ingredients are honestly impossible to get."

"what do you need?"

"Basilisk blood." Severus sighed again and looked utterly dejected. "And they go for literally millions of galleons per vial, there's no way I can afford that-"

"I, however, know where there is some going, for free. I think." Harry said, smirking.

"what? You cant." Severus, despite his protests, looked as if his dreams might have come true.

"well…i might." Harry offered, suddenly worried that it might not be there or anything.

"explain." Severus ordered.

"it's a long story." Harry warned. "Explain." Severus repeated, not in the mood to faff around.

"Okay, but…it's very long. And…I don't know how to say this…but…I may have broken….a rule or two. Maybe." And the look Harry shot Severus was so teasingly innocent, so sweetly naughty that Severus felt like he was being physically being pulled closer to Harry.

But he wasn't and instead he just rolled his eyes and fought back a smile. Harry defiantly noticed. "Tell me." Severus just had to know.

"oh come on. You know it wasn't just me, if I tell you, you can't, you know take revenge on anyone. And there is one thing you will be…pretty pissed about. I do need total immunity for myself AND others involved. Think of it as the price for the blood."

Severus bit his lip. Was he really willing to do that? Really willing to totally pardon everything and anything Harry told him? It was either a mark of how much he wanted the blood or how much he liked Harry, Severus didn't want to think about which one it was, but finally he said; "all right then."

And with that Harry launched in to the story of him and the chamber of secrets. At first Harry tried to cut corners, but the story was so interwoven that that just didn't work, and Severus wanted to know the full story anyway.

He told Severus about dobby, about the flying car, the voice in the walls, moaning myrtle, and finally he came up to the part he was really dreading;

"And so, obviously, we thought it was Draco Malfoy that was the heir of slytherin, and attacking everyone, but we needed to be sure. So, we thought it would be best to make some…polyjuice potion-"

"where did you get the instructions? And the ingredients?" Severus interrupted for the first time.

"well…Hermione conned Professor Lockhart in to getting a book out for her from the forbidden section."

"of course, he was a fool." Severus muttered.

"right. Well, we did that and figured out it wasn't him so-" Harry said, desperately wishing he could skate over the rest of it.

"hang on. Where did you get the ingredients?"

"you really want to know?" "yes." Severus said sternly. Harry took a deep breath and started. "you remember one class, where you fished out a firework out of some cauldron?"

There was a slight pause and then; "YOU STOLE FROM ME?" God this guy should be a detective, how did he figure it out? "you…figured it out then?" Severus looked like he was about to breathe fire. "you stole from me." He repeated, his whole body tense, hot anger raging through him. "I'm really sorry." Harry said, looking sincere. When Severus didn't respond he bit his lip and looked honestly repentant. Now that did something odd to Severus, sent another wave of heat though his body, which wasn't anger.

He took a few deep breaths and said "continue" "are you sure?" Harry asked. "it isn't going to get any better…"

"good god Potter, what have you been doing?"

He deicide to just jump right into it. "well, we took the polyjuice and snuck in to slytherin common room."

Severus gaped at him. "you just have NO respect for rules do you? None at all? You…good god. I have no idea how you continue to surprise me, but you do."

Harry grinned cheekily. Severus gave in.

By the time Harry finished the entire tale it was well past midnight and he was flagging.

"You know what? I don't actually believe you. That's just too impossible. You battled a basilisk? You went into the forbidden forest? In your second year? And you lived?" Severus said.

Harry couldn't help but crack a smile. " I should so be dead. I know. And that was just one year, god I should tell you about my fifth year sometime, that was really insane. And how siri got away in my third year. Totally crazy."

Severus just looked at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"But as I keep saying, I really have had a lot of help along the way." Harry blushed and looked at his feet. "especially from you actually. I-I know that I've never thanked you, and I should have. You've done a lot for me." Severus had no idea what to say and so said nothing. No one had ever really said that to him, and so he didn't really think that he deserved it. It made him feel a bit awkward, but it also made him like Harry just a little bit more.

Harry broke the silence. "I'm so exhausted. I'll show you in the morning, yeah?" Harry offered. "what? No, now." Severus pouted, actually pouted. It was…pretty convincing actually. "well, all right then."