AN: It's been more than a year since I've updated, I'd like to apologize to all my avid readers and confess to suffering a bit of a writers block concerning this chapter and the following ones. The end was written a long time ago but I just don't know how to get there from chapter 17 onward. The fact that I've been working fulltime for the last year has also put a damper on my writing. The fact that I've written another fic almost halfway (almost 30 000 words) didn't help with the matter. But excuses are always excuses.

As a final tribute for the coming Deathly Hallows I've tried to write everything before its release, I've failed spectacularly but hopefully I won't take such a long time to update next time. Enjoy!

(And like I've said before dialogue really isn't my strongest point.)

Chapter 15. Screaming Matches

Severus copied the last few notes from the board as class drew to a finish.

"Now remember to return your essays on 'The effects weather patterns have on the density of your Spell work' by next Monday. This is vitally important for your NEWTS, ladies and gentlemen. So no dilly dallying." reminded Professor Rumson, a substitute teacher for Charms.

Professor Matthews was regularly away as his double mastery of Charms and Healing meant that he would be called to assist Madame Pomfrey in more serious injuries that occurred with the Hogwarts Hospital Wing routinely taking the left over injured when St. Mungos was full.

Severus knew that Harry was called sometimes to help with the more power draining Healing techniques. He could siphon magic from his core to others, a power only routinely found among fennsey. Rarely found in other wizards. A fact that should the Dark Lord ever find out would make Harry his number one target to capture. Severus sometimes worried that Harry took too much on himself. His duty as a fennsey was a heavy one and schoolwork, their friendship and romance had to have an effect on his health, mental and otherwise. Harry's seeming endless energy had to run out sometime and Severus worried that the power needed to heal the dying was taking strength that he didn't really have to spare.

War within the British Isles had been steadily quieting down for the last few months. Severus couldn't be a hundred percent certain but he had a sneaking suspicion that the items that Harry had gathered and quietly destroyed were the reason for this lessening of the overpowering force that the Dark Lord yielded. He'd heard from some of his darker associates that the Dark Lord was appearing weaker magically than before. A marginal difference that even the Aurors had noticed. Internal strife was also the leading reason for some of the more powerful of the Dark Lords Death Eaters vanishing. As Voldemort lost some of the power that so many of his followers were attracted to, he began to lose the hold he had on his little empire. The fact that the war had dragged on for so long was also a factor in his hold lessening. Death Eaters had lost just as much to the Aurors as the common people had to the Death Eaters and even blood fanatics got tired of the blood and death after years of non-stop fighting.

Severus' Potion Apprenticeship was fast approaching and he wanted the war over before he'd have to commit to a Master. Old Law dictated that if his Master swore in the service of the Dark Lord he'd also swear in Severus as well. A fact that few knew. His Magic would ensure that he'd serve Voldemort if it came to that.

Old Law was an ancient scripture that detailed close to a hundred different laws that every magical community on Earth had to uphold. The fact that most of the laws that the Wizengamot had proposed rested rather heavily on the Old Law was mostly hidden from the common populace in the British Isles Magical community. Old Law were the words written by Merlin himself and because of this they were all magically upheld. The fact that you could lose your magic breaking these laws was a rather closely kept secret among the purebloods of Greater Britain. It had been used sometimes as a control mechanism for the muggleborns in the Middle Ages. A way for the magical world to monitor who would be trusted to maintain the secrecy needed in those dark times.

Harry as a fennsey had almost immunity by Old Law from any crime committed by him. This didn't mean that he was above the law, in fact he had another chapter of do's and don't do's. A fact that supported the rumour Merlin had been a fennsey. Realistically Harry was expected to uphold the Law if it ever came to that. Meaning he'd have to sentence himself to prison if it ever came to that. Magic would ensure that the power gained as a fennsey couldn't be abused.

Slowly time went on and their NEWTS were just on the horizon. Both Severus and Harry were short tempered as the stress of the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests neared their year. Their relationship suffered by this quite a bit as neither had the time nor the will to really notice the other. Severus worried about his Potions Apprenticeship more now than ever. Harry's stress over his NEWTS, his exhaustion over siphoning power to the healers, his little side projects that seemed to all come to an end at the exact same time, were all taking every drop of energy he could manage. Fights broke out among the two and neither made the time nor the effort to reconcile properly after some nasty pouts of screaming. As time went on both started to doubt the others commitment in their relationship and the fighting started to escalate. By the time Christmas arrived they spent more time in each others troaths than kissing or even talking.

Things came to an end on a Sunday in the Slytherin common room after a three hour screaming match between Severus and Harry. Severus' vicious tongue and Harry's biting insults were not helping the matter one bit. Finally both had said things that could never be taken back nor forgiven. Severus' dig on Harry's finances and lack of family and Harry's words on Severus' lack of looks and personality were some of the issues brought forth by both parties. Harry stormed out of the common room yelling as he left.

"Fine! If you don't want to associate with such an imbecile than it's over! Done! Finished!"

"Good riddance!" Severus screamed at Harry's back as the common room door swung shut.

Breathing heavily Severus started to really think through his anger and hurt. 'Why were they fighting? Why couldn't they just be together like before? Didn't Harry love him anymore?' Severus wailed inside his shattered being. 'What was done was done, no use crying over spilled milk', he tried to convince himself. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then with quiet dignity stomped to their dorm room.

Late at night their dorm room door opened. Severus heard Harry's quiet footsteps and then a small voice heavy with tears started speaking:

"Do you really want to break up?"

Severus slowly turned and looked up to Harry. His eyes were red from crying and to be truthful he looked a fright. Severus had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"No! – I just… It seems like all we do now is fight and hurt each other."

"Oh, - I thought you were getting tired of me, you never have time for just me anymore. I just thought…" Harry stammered haltingly.

"It's not like you have time either." Severus snapped.

"Can we not fight? Please" Harry wept silently.

"I didn't mean to forget about you, Rus. I've just been so tired and everything seems to be up to me and I can't handle it if you would leave me and you do know that I love you and that…"

"Oh, Harry. I think we should maybe just take some time to cool down, it won't mean that I don't love you that we won't be together. I just think both of us have been putting so much pressure on the other to be there for us even if we won't support the other in the same way."

"Severus, that didn't make any sense, you do know that, right?" Harry giggled quietly having stopped crying some where around the words I love you.

"Oh, you know what I mean. I expect you to support my Potions ambition and then don't support you in your interests and you do the same with yours."

Harry started nodding slowly "Yeah, I guess it's been like that. Do you think we'd be better off as friends,- I mean I love the cuddling and the kissing but maybe we should just take it easy till the NEWTS are over and then talk again. What do you think?"

"Just what I've been saying. I do love you, but I can't be there for you right now, just like you can't be there for me right now. But when this is over and we're back to our non-violently frustrated and exhausted selves, we'll talk more and see how it goes. Okay?"

"Okay." Harry stated firmly. "We'll talk then."

They stared at each other and then started smiling stupidly at each other. They weren't over and everything seemed to be alright for the first time in ages.

TBC…