"Hello, Severus."

Severus's mouth hung open as he surveyed the man in front of him. The man before him appeared as a regular Muggle, wearing blue denim jeans and a basic black coat. Snape knew this man though and he felt the rush of adrenaline through his body. He held back the instinct to stun him as he felt his fingertips burn in longing for his wand.

"I thought you'd miss me."

"How could you possibly fathom that idea? Leave here, now."

"So quick to making assumptions." The man let out a soft chuckle. His bright eyes twinkled with menace. "Please forgive me, I do not mean to come here for confrontation."

"I care not if you came here for a cup of tea!"

The man frowned. "Do you not wish to see me, my dear Severus?"

"Do not call me that!" By now Snape had put his hand into his pocket and withdrew his wand. He pointed it directly at the man's chest. The man ruffled his short spiked gray hair in effort to show he was quite relaxed regardless of the physical threat.

"I came looking for you at Hogwarts a month ago but Headmaster McGonagall informed me you had taken time off. She also dismissed me from the grounds. Though, I never much liked the old hag anyways. Remember our years at the school together?" He laughed out loud. "Those were the days. I'm surprised you did not return as Headmaster. You would have kept those little wretched twerps in line."

"I said leave." Snape lifted his wand to the man's face. "Do not give me warrant to harm you. We both know I am the better Wizard and can quickly make you wish you had never wormed your way into my life."

He softly smiled. "Oh Severus. You have really changed. I had only heard, but presumed it not true."

Snape did not say a return. His eyes glared deep into the man.

"Very well. I just came for one question. Will you not answer it?"

"No."

He sighed. "I thought so much." An evil sneer formed on his handsome features. "In case you do not know, I have been admiring you from a distance for some time now. I have been keen to your whereabouts since shortly after my venture to Hogwarts. As much as I would like to say that McGonagall has her strengths, alas, I also have mine. I used my insight to see into her mind and her knowledge of your whereabouts showed me these trees, which I know are central to this area." He paused to smile.

"I came to this region, and after many weeks of feeling hopeless and deprived of a solution, I eventually recognized your eagle-owl carrying the Prophet. It was possibly fate, as I myself did not think such chances possible." He took a step back so his side was turned towards Snape's body. He peered out to the barren forest. "I sent my own falcon to track your owl and sure enough, I was able to locate you eventually. It was much effort, but I assumed you would be thrilled to see me once again."

"Wasteful words. I care not for your monotonous story."

"Oh, but you will." He laughed and turned towards him again. "I also saw a young man, who I very well recognize just like the rest of the Wizarding world. I saw him leave your home today and on other separate occasions. I assume you two are close?" He winked, flashing his blue eyes.

"How dare you?! He is but a fool."

"I thought so much. You are not too different from your former-self then. For I know you would not betray your loyalties to your Dark Lord, even if he is dead. But regardless, I have not come here to inquire on your old self. I have but one question that I would insist be answered."

Snape would have blasted the man away in that moment. But the fact that Harry had been mentioned made him hesitate. "Ask me your question and then go," he sneered.

"That was what I thought." He chuckled. "When I first began observing you, I heard a conversation about our letters brought up between you and that Harry Potter. Coincidentally, that is exactly what I have sought you out for! I need those letters to ensure my secret. But, I heard that they were burned. All but one."

"You know the odds."

"Oh, but the odds are still there. You know Severus, that I cannot allow such a risk. That would be...unprofessional on my part. I need to ensure the letters he found were actually all burned." His eyes gazed directly into Snape's.

Severus felt a pang in his head. "Don't you dare!"

Kirnap frowned. "Ah. You are still very skilled in Occlumency, fortunately for you. I taught you the skill, it was the only way I could figure out your closed off thoughts. Eventually you resisted, and surprisingly grew strong...even to me. You can appreciate me for that."

"I would never think such nonsense," he growled.

Kirnap shrugged. "Back onto subject. I need all the letters Severus."

"There are none. I have begun my reborn life- away from filth like you, and those did not venture with me."

"See, you leave me no choice then. I'm afraid that I cannot take that chance. I do agree you are much too strong for me to fight. Though, it will not take me long to find the whereabouts of the boy."

His eyes instantly became threatening. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, but I would. And you know it."

"You would be foolish to try. That 'boy' defeated the Dark Lord. You would be but a pesky fly in comparison."

Kirnap laughed. "Oh but fly's, they do seem to react quite quicker than humans. I would predict him, and kill him...if he tried."

The anger that enraged his body took over Severus's control. He had always watched over Potter from a distance, and though the darkness of the world had ceased, he would be damn sure this pathetic excuse for a human was not the one to kill him off in the end. "You leave me no choice," he spat.

Kirnap withdrew his wand and took several steps back into the yard. Snape quickly followed foot all while keeping his wand trained on his opponent.

"Sectumsempra!"

"Protego!" Kirnap shouted merely in time to deflect the attack. "Using your old spell I see. Very well- Crucio!"

Snape flicked the spell away with his wand at ease. Kirnap glared daggers at the man for he could sense that with this taste of their informal duel, he was ultimately at a disadvantage.

Snape was just about to throw a curse at the man when Kirnap yelled, "You will not see the last of me, old friend." Before Snape could reply the man apparated, leaving a twirl of leaves upon the ground to dance in the brief breeze left behind.

000ooo000

Harry lay sprawled out across the couch in his living room. As soon as he had come home, he had felt overly exhausted and flopped his body onto the cushions. It was a relief to the ache in his body, begging him for sleep. In the last week he hardly had the energy to do much, including eating or dressing himself. He had managed to sit in the shower each day, but only if he promised himself the burn from the hot water to distract his thoughts from the memories of Derrick.

Today though, felt like running a marathon.

In the end, he was ultimately thankful to have made his way to Snape's. It made him realize that he was in fact still alive and existed in the universe. The last week had been but a blur, as if he were living in a never-ending dream.

Some sort of nightmare, really.

Waking up each morning made him wish he didn't exist. Before he could even open his eyes, reality brought the realization of what he lost, along with the sharp pang left from Derrick's cheating. Each morning he had the same realization, and each morning he wished for a resolution.

His thoughts constantly drifted back to wishing he would have a chance to apologize.

Earlier this day, he had to force his body from the bed in response to Snape's letter. He never intended to not show up on both occasions. It had just happened. In regards to him arriving so cold, Harry had quickly slipped on clothes for his walk to Snape's. At the time, he hadn't considered the temperature outside, and even as he felt the bitter sting he focused on it. It served as a great distraction, allows his thoughts to clear on the couple-mile journey.

Snape had inquired why he hadn't used his wand to warm himself. It was true that when he was almost to his destination he felt as though he could no longer handle feeling cold.

Truthfully, he wouldn't of used his wand even if he had it on him. He didn't deserve to.

Since the ordeal with Derrick, Harry had decided that as a consequence he was not going to use magic for some time. The letter lay discarded inside the bedside drawer. On top the letter, he set his wand, as a reminder to everything he lost.

After an hour of lying lifeless, Harry moved his head to look at the shelf facing the couch. On one of the middle shelves, sat a still picture of his two best friends. They were newly and very happily married in the photo. Ron's blush was redder than his hair and Hermione looked absolutely happy. How he missed them. A meeting was surely in order. If anything, they would likely have great advice. If not, he could use the laughter.

Upon losing himself in thought, he began to drift off to sleep. Just as he slipped off into the dreams of longing for something lost, he heard a tapping on the glass. The tapping persisted louder and harder, stirring his thoughts from sleep. Eventually he opened his eyes and tried to comprehend the sound. He turned his body over in order to see where the sound was coming from. In the darkness, he spotted an unfamiliar owl holding a letter on his balcony porch, tapping their beak upon the glass door. Rolling off the couch, he slowly made his way over to the letter carrier.

Ever since Derrick had left, Harry had allowed the owls to bring his mail to his apartment. Before, they would deliver it to the mailbox down the road once no one was in sight. To be honest with himself, he enjoyed the presence of an occasional owl. He missed Hedwig dearly and to this day had not bought another pet.

He slid open the door and reached his arm down. The little owl hopped over and placed the letter in Harry's hand. His fingers softly nuzzled under its beak in thanks. The little feather-ball gave a soft hoot and fluttered away.

He shut the sliding door and leaned back on the glass. Sliding down to the floor, he opened the letter.

Once opened, he read:

Potter,

Do not leave your home. I will be by tonight to collect you. I cannot explain now. Keep your eyes and ears open. Do keep your wand close.

-Severus Snape

Confused, he read over the letter many times. Collect him?

He felt his heart beat in his chest. Surely this meant something serious as he was instructed to keep his wand close. With that thought, his thoughts drifted over to his room where his wand lay in the drawer.

No.

He did not feel he deserved to defend himself if anything happened. And was that even necessary? What was Snape playing at anyways?

Frustrated, Harry crumpled the letter and tossed it aside. His forehead found its way into his hands. He was too tired to care. Eventually, his eyes closed in order to relax the aching feeling for desperation of sleep.

000ooo000ooo

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The next thing he knew, he was hearing the beating sound of pounding on his door. His body began to wake and he came to realizing that he had apparently slid on the floor and slept there. The roughness from the carpet burned against his cheek. Opening his eyes, he immediately saw the crumpled piece of paper.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hold on," he grumbled to himself more so than to who was at the door.

Fumbling his way to his feet, Harry finally stood up and found his way to the door. Opening it, he saw Snape at his doorway.

The man looked hostile. "What took you so long?"

"Erm, um...I was sleeping?"

Snape stepped past Harry and into his home. "Did you get my letter?"

"Yes, come inside," he teased softly.

"Did you get my letter?!"

Harry shut the door behind him and stared at the man, wondering whether or not to question his sanity. "Yes, I did. What...why are-"

"You need to pack. Expect a week- at least." Snape walked into the living room area and from his wand conjured two luggage packs. He held a pack out to Harry as if expecting immediate action from the younger man.

"I don't get it, why am I doing this?" Harry questioned, taking few steps forward.

"Pack and I'll explain. We need to hurry."

"Can't you just tell me-"

"Potter, are you not listening?" He came close to the Harry and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Pack. Your. Bags."

Harry felt the man's hot breath on his face, his warning eyes bore into his green sleep-deprived ones. "You know if this is for training, this wasn't what I expected."

"I can assure you, this is not training," he snarled in reply.

Harry sighed. "I can't. I'm not going anywhere. And let go of me!"

The man held tighter. "Your actions will be consequential if you do not come with me."

"I don't care. I need to be here...I don't care about whatever crap this is." He looked away from Snape. "What if he comes to get his things?"

Snape instantly released him. "You wish to mend things?"

It took him a moment to answer, but soon a barely audible "Yes," came from his lips.

"You're no good to your Muggle if you're dead," he snapped.

Harry instantly looked at the man, his own eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'dead'?"

"Yes. Dead, Potter. A fate you have narrowly escaped many times. Pack your things...or I will do it for you myself," he demanded.

Harry sighed. Reaching out, he snatched a bag from Snape, glaring at him as he did so. Without saying a word, he made his way into his bedroom and opened the closet. He sifted through his shirts, deciding which could come versus stay. They would have to be comfortable...and long-sleeved...he quite liked the thermal material...

Before he knew what was happening, Snape's arm flew past his face and began grabbing shirts from their hangers, roughly shoving the clothes into the bag held by his other hand.

"Um...thanks but I can do this." It was odd to have Snape touching his clothes. The shock of him demanding he leave hadn't quite warn off. This was too much. He watched as his closet became a giant mess of discarded clothing upon the floor. "Is this really necessary?"

"We don't have time, Potter!" He finished grabbing a random selection and then opened a drawer of jeans in the bottom drawer of a dresser. He instantly began to seize a few pairs. Harry quickly opened his drawer of underwear and socks in the top, not wishing to question if Snape would be bold enough to help himself.

"I will finish with the clothes, you get anything else which you could not go without."

While Snape finished with his clothes, Harry went and sat on the edge his bed and opened his bedside drawer. He pulled out his books and neatly placed them in the bag. When he looked up, Snape was already standing by his door with a full bag slung over his shoulder.

"You know, you still haven't told me yet. This does sort of feel like kidnapping."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Potter, one could not pay me enough." He looked into Harry's questioning eyes. Knowing he would have to explain the ordeal in order to get the man moving faster, he finally sighed, and then began. "Those letters. The letters you burned. Tell me you really did destroy them all."

Harry almost laughed. "You're honestly worried I'd take them to the Prophet?"

"Answer me!"

Harry shook his head chuckling, ignoring the man's insistence. "I did, I burned them all. I'm sorry I told you that...it seemed like a good idea at the time to...you know...get under your skin."

Snape instantly felt frustrated. The young man had no idea what jar of flubberworms he had opened that day.

"There is a man...the man you mentioned in the letters- Kirnap Crowell. He was not an honest person and he discussed many of his darker secrets to me...in those letters. I cannot tell you everything now, but I can inform you that he is very dangerous, manipulative, and determined. He came by earlier to inform me that he had overheard you say that you still retained a single letter... the one you threatened to blackmail me with. He is worried the secrets of his will be released to the world and he means to be sure that will never happen."

"So? I'll just tell him I really did burn them all."

"You naive fool! Kirnap Crowell won't believe you! He will try to kill you if you deny owning one. Regardless of that, you saw the letters. What if you unconsciously read something he didn't want anyone to see? The only reason I am still alive is because he knows I am too strong for him."

"I killed Voldemort."

Snape shook his head. "It matters not. I know him well enough to remain alive. You, Potter, do not know him. If you stayed here, you would surely be dead by next week. I insist you leave...with me."

Harry considered everything Snape had said. It seemed impossible to him that he was already delving back into trouble after just few years of being without it. "What sort of things was he involved with?"

"That is not important in the present moment." His eyes scanned the window over Harry's shoulder. It was already dark outside, and as much as Snape tried, he wouldn't be able to see in the woods surrounding them. "I insist you finish quickly."

"I still have a right to know. You cannot just expect me to leave without explanation."

Snape knew Potter was right. He was no longer a student-a child-and Snape could not simply force him to leave for the sake of his own protection. Potter was, in the end, in charge of where and what he did. Though, he really did not have time to explain this. "Potter, you must trust me on this this. I promise to explain everything when we are safe-at my home."

Harry stopped packing the last of his things and stared at the wall. "How long will this take to sort out?"

"I will need to contact the Ministry. And that, I am afraid, will solely depend on how they handle it."

Unconsciously, Harry bit his lip while he considered leaving. Really, what did he have to lose by going with Snape? The very walls confining him constantly brought memories of heartache. And Snape was right. If he risked staying then there was a chance he would never apologize to Derrick. If he even came for his things... "Alright. Fine."

He stood up and threw the bag across his back. With his hand, he softly shut the drawer, leaving behind the painful reminder of his actions.

000ooo0000ooo

Thanks again for reading guys! Yep, Snape's ex-lover has returned. I hope it doesn't surprise anyone that Snape would of taken interest in his past with someone having evil-tendencies. And if depressed Harry by chance is annoying anyone, please don't be annoyed. Someone like Harry would love with all his heart, and after being betrayed in such a way I think he would be solemn for some time. At this point, it's only been a week since the incident. Eventually he will snap out of it, but I don't think he is ready just yet. He will snap out of it soon, with turn of events and will be very soon feeling affection from Snape. His anguish is working towards things later in the story.

UPDATE 11/08/13: I have received many reviews regarding this chapter not being up to PAR compared to the others. I have to admit I was rushed when I posted this, but realized after several reviews that I made several mistakes. I went back today and tried to fix what I could in a short amount of time. This chapter does feel rushed but I will make sure to not do that again. Thank you for my reviewers who let me know. I appreciate the constructive criticism. I am also working without a beta-reader at the moment. If anyone would like to receive a finished chapter to over-look then you can surely PM me, as I would appreciate the extra help.

Asphodel21: Thank you for you reading and keeping up with reviewing each chapter! Snape did implant some insight for Harry in order for him to move on. It'll be a little bit of a process, but Harry will get there.

Griffincat: Thanks for coming back and reading :) I love that you are becoming addicted! I have so much coming up between the two which will pay-off to your need to read this ;)

Angel-Miyu: Yeah, Harry will need to realize that Derrick was a douche. I don't want him to come off as a helpless Harry who is dependent on love (you know... the people who will date after being cheated on) so I don't foresee him dwelling on it for much longer. He is a strong person, just a little hurt at the moment. Snape will continue to be great towards Harry, once he gets past his stubborn side :) Thank you for reviewing with your thoughts :)