Rating: M

Warnings: Slash, swearing, infidelity, ignores epilogue, probably a bit OOC

Pairings: SS/HP and HP/GW

Genres: Romance, Drama, Angst

Summary: Harry's engaged to Ginny, but then along comes Severus Snape. SLASH, SS/HP, POST DH

Chapter Six: The Ball

It was that time of year again. The skies were clear, the flowers in bloom, and half of Wizarding Britain was making its way to Hogwarts for the memorial service that was to be held in honour of those lost during the war.

It was a morning that seemed to stand still, perhaps because the battle was still so fresh in people's minds, even after five years, especially for those directly involved. Harry still felt a stab of rage every time he remembered how the fight had been left to mainly students and teachers, how little help they'd received from the outside…this was a war that had been fought by many young and unqualified witches and wizards…what kind of world left its battles to teenagers? Only at the end had help arrived.

Previously, when Harry had thought of memorials, he'd thought of the ones the muggles held on November 11th, where poppies were worn and church services were held. But this…this felt like a funeral. People dressed in their finest black robes would turn up to lay flowers at the base of the marble monument, would sob away into their handkerchiefs as if the burial was happening all over again. Kingsley would lead everyone in a minutes' silence before reading a speech, one he'd prepared himself, before another silence would ensue, this one of anguish.

Molly would be in floods of tears whilst her family stood around her, strong and supportive. Andromeda would stand motionless, not a tear in sight. Daughter, husband, son-in-law…all gone. Not to mention the sister, Bellatrix, whom Harry was sure no one missed yet was nonetheless painful, if only because she had killed Tonks.

Meanwhile, Teddy would hold tight to Harry's hand, knowing his parents were war heroes but not really sure what to think. He'd be on his best behaviour though and wouldn't even ask for an ice-cream until they got home.

Work was always cancelled on May 2nd. After the memorial, the afternoons were always just as slow, always spent at a friend's house. They would eat and talk, remembering the ones lost. Molly would pull herself together and would dig out her family photo album and, eventually, laughs would be had.

By the time evening arrived, spirits would be immensely cheered. The Charity Ball would be held at the Ministry and everyone would turn up in bright colours with smiles on their faces. They would eat, drink, and dance and, once more, time would prove to be a great healer.

Today, however, Harry did things slightly different. He didn't go back to The Burrow after the memorial. He went to Snape's.

There was a knock on the door and Severus grumbled, marking his page in the book he'd been reading; Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell – a muggle story, but a fascinating read; it reminded him a lot of the corruption within their own Ministry during the war, a war which had ended five years ago today.

Dumbledore, thankfully, wasn't in his portrait. Every year he'd tried to persuade him to attend the memorial service, and every year Severus had refused. He didn't have anyone to pay his respects to, and even if he had he would never do it in such an organised way. No, the best place for him on days like today was at home with a book.

Another knock sounded on the door. Severus got to his feet and crossed the room in strides. What loathsome human being could possibly be disturbing him? No one ever knocked on his door except Harry but he was busy all day, something which Severus hadn't been all too pleased to hear – it was a Friday after all.

Putting his best scowl in place, which wasn't at all hard, he swung open the door.

"Hi!"

Harry stood on his doorstep, dressed in black robes and a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Severus asked, frowning. "Aren't you supposed to be off mourning?"

Harry stepped around him, into the house, and Severus caught a faint whiff of cologne. He shut the door.

"I wanted to see if you were OK," Harry said, looking at him.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you know…Dumbledore…" He trailed off, glancing at the portrait. Severus pushed passed him and took the seat he'd just vacated.

"I assure you," he said, "I'm perfectly fine. It has been five years."

"Six," said Harry, sitting down.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's been six since Dumbledore," he said.

Severus considered him for a moment but didn't say anything. That Harry would skip lunch with his friends to come here, and on today of all days, was quite thoughtful. Severus wasn't used to dealing with such behaviour.

And maybe there was an ache where Dumbledore's absence was concerned; an ache for the loss of a man who had given him friendship and trust. He'd never really noticed just how much comfort he'd gotten out of that friendship until it was too late, until it was gone. And now to have Harry Potter offer a hand, a shoulder even…

Keenly aware of the silence, he picked up his book, wanting to keep his hands busy. He flicked through its pages and bent back a corner.

"It doesn't change anything," he said finally. "I'm still fine."

He wasn't fine, but it was entirely his own fault.

"Are you coming to the ball this evening?" Harry asked.

Severus gave him an incredulous look. "Why, in Merlin's name, would I do such a thing?"

"Because it's for charity," he said. "And because I'm asking you to."

"Charity," he said with a snort. "Yes, of course. You know I can't resist a good charity event."

"It's for a good cause," Harry told him.

"A good cause?" he repeated. "What is it this time? Helping reformed Death Eaters? Please don't tell me it's for the people made homeless by the war because I know for a fact there aren't any left. Wonderful thing magic; builds homes in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, and they cost a fortune as well," Harry pointed out.

"Whatever," said Severus, waving it aside. "The point is, there aren't any homeless people in our world. So what's it for that could possibly be worth it?"

"Schools," said Harry.

"We already have a school, and a rather fine one I might add."

"It's for Primary Schools."

"Primary Schools?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling now. "You know, somewhere for magical kids to go before Hogwarts, somewhere where they can learn the basics."

"Such as?"

"Maths, English, Geography…"

"But aren't children homeschooled up until the age of 11?" Severus asked.

"Exactly!" he said. "Think how much time parents would be given."

"And this is what's supposed to make me want to go to the ball?" he asked. "Schools? Potter, I'm not going."

"But why not? Forget that it's for charity," he said. "Haven't you been hiding away long enough?"

"Hiding?" The word struck a cord and he slammed his book down and glared at Harry. "I have not been hiding, Potter! I have been getting on with my life!"

"Oh, come on, Severus!" he said, fixing him with a cynical look. "You write under an alias. You communicate with work via owl. You're not even registered as living here! Please," he said, before Severus could reply, "I'd really like for you to come. I know there are people who would love to see you."

"I'm sure," Severus grunted.

"There are!" Harry assured him. "McGonagall and Sprout and everyone! They'll be there tonight and I know they'd love to talk to you."

"And what about everyone else?" he said. "All the others who think I should be locked up or dead?"

Harry stared at him, his expression almost amused. Severus felt the urge to throttle him.

"You mean you care?" said Harry. "You, Severus Snape, actually care what people think of you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "I simply don't want to cause trouble."

It was the truth. Sort of. He didn't care what they thought of him, but it did annoy him that they all thought horrible things without giving a single thought as to what Severus had been through. What made them all think they had the right to judge? Therefore showing up at a party would, most likely, cause trouble.

"You won't," said Harry. "Really," he added when Severus looked dubious. "Look. It's at the Ministry and it starts at 7. It's formal wear. The buffet's free but you'll need money for the bar."

"I'm not going, Potter," he said again. He picked up his book and flicked it open to the bookmarked page.

"Well," said Harry, "if you change your mind…" He got to his feet and headed for the door. Severus tried to focus his eyes on the words in front of him. He heard the door click open. When it didn't close, however, he looked up.

"I'd really like it if you were there," Harry said, and he looked sincere. "I know a lot of people would. I think it'd be good for you to see them again."

With a small smile, Harry stepped outside and the door closed.

I think it'd be good for you…How dare Potter assume what was good for him! As if he knew anything at all about Severus! Haven't you been hiding away long enough? Ha! This wasn't hiding! This was how he lived his life.

He was suddenly reminded of one of the many reasons why he'd hated Potter at Hogwarts – he always thought he knew best; despite a lack of knowledge, understanding, and experience, he always believed his way was the best way. And just look at all the messes that had led to!

Severus preferred being alone. Sure, it got tiresome, and there were days when he craved the company of others, but that's what Fridays were for; Harry Potter, his conversation fix. Just because he enjoyed it didn't mean he wanted more, and a ball at the Ministry was very much out of his comfort zone.

And yet…the idea of seeing people he'd once called 'friends' was a very appealing one. Minerva, Pomona, Filius, Poppy…It couldn't hurt, could it? Maybe he if just stayed for half an hour and made arrangements to meet them elsewhere at a later date?

And Harry wanted him to go. Why on earth that entered into all of this he didn't know, but for some reason it just seemed important. Maybe he wanted to shut the brat up? Prove to him that he could do this, that he wasn't hiding away? Well, he was Severus Snape and, damn it, he wasn't afraid of a silly, little ball!

The moment polite introductions were out of the way, Harry headed straight for the buffet table. He'd skipped lunch and his stomach was growling. It was still quite early in the evening but already the Atrium seemed full. All over, people were sat eating or stood talking, the mood a complete contrast to that of the morning.

Ginny joined him in the queue and together they loaded their plates with chicken legs and sausage rolls, crisps and dip, before heading for one of the many tables that stood around the hall. They sat down and ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, listening to the noise around them.

So far he hadn't seen Severus. His insides squirmed slightly as he thought back to their conversation earlier in the day. Snape had seemed quite uncomfortable – he hadn't meant to make the man feel uneasy; he'd wanted to help him, to encourage him to get out more, to show him that the world wasn't his enemy. He'd thought he'd been doing the right thing but Severus had grown quite annoyed at him. Maybe he actually liked living in solitude? Or maybe he just didn't like admitting how much he hated it. Whatever the reason, Harry hadn't meant to push.

He tried to put it to the back of his mind. He wanted to enjoy himself tonight. As much as he hated Ministry functions, the Charity Ball was something he looked forward to – for starters, there was a point to it. And it wasn't just for Ministry employees and their partners either; it was open to everyone, including children.

"Ron, Hermione, over here!"

Harry looked up at the sound of Ginny's voice. Ron and Hermione had just stepped out of the fireplace and were making their way over towards them.

"My round," said Ron, looking over at the bar. "What do you guys want?"

They gave him their orders and he disappeared into the growing crowd as Hermione sat down.

"I like your robes," she said to Ginny. "Are they new?"

"Yes," she said, adjusting them slightly to show them off, "Harry got them for me yesterday. The finest money can buy."

Hermione grinned at Harry, who rolled his eyes.

By the time Ron had rejoined them with the drinks, music had begun to play. These events always started the evening with classical numbers for the more experienced dancers, or elder couples, to dance to, although there were always a few people clumsily waltzing their way around the floor.

Harry pushed his now empty plate aside and took the drink Ron handed to him.

"George should be here in a bit," Ron said, taking his seat next to Hermione. "He said he's bringing a date."

"I didn't know he was seeing someone," said Ginny, looking at her brother.

"Neither did I," said Ron. "Apparently he's been dating her for a few weeks now."

As Ron and Ginny continued gossiping about what various family members were up to, Harry's thoughts strayed from the conversation. McGonagall and some of the other teachers were amongst those on the dance floor, stepping and twirling gracefully as if it was something they did everyday. Hagrid was over by the fireplaces talking to Aberforth, and a flash of green flames alerted Harry to the entrance of Molly and Arthur.

Would Severus turn up? Harry hoped so. He hadn't been lying when he'd said there were people who would love to see him.

It was strange to think that he was friends with Severus Snape, yet Harry thought it made complete sense. Who else alive knew of the things Severus had gone through during his childhood, or of how friendships and events at Hogwarts had shaped his life? Harry understood, could even relate to a few things.

In a way he did feel guilty for all the things he'd once accused Snape of, but that wasn't why he wanted to be friends with the man. At first he'd been simply curious, and then he'd wanted to help – Snape, so brave and strong, had seemed quite lost and vulnerable. But now, almost three months down the line, Harry actually enjoyed Severus' company. He was completely different to his other friends, different to anyone he'd ever known, and there was something in that that Harry found very comforting.

"Harry?"

He looked up, almost surprised, and saw Ginny staring at him.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, bemused.

Harry shrugged and downed the rest of his drink.

"You wanna dance?" he asked her, getting to his feet. She smiled and nodded and he led her out onto the dance floor.

It was a waltz. Luckily, Bill had taught him and Ron the steps a couple of years ago and so Harry was able to pull off an acceptable performance before the music died down and a faster, more modern track began to play. They were joined by Ron and Hermione as more people got up to dance and it was a good twenty minutes before they decided to take their seats again.

By now their table was almost full. Molly and Arthur had joined them along with Bill, Fleur, and Victoire, Andromeda and Teddy, and George and his date, who turned out to be Harry's old Gryffindor teammate Angelina Johnson.

"But…but you used to date Fred," said Ron, staring at Angelina.

Harry excused himself to the buffet table and loaded his plate once more, and by the time he returned to the group, all arguments seemed to have been settled – that was, until Ginny turned and said, in a rather nasty voice, "What the hell is he doing here?"

The eleven of them followed her gaze over to one of the Apparition points. There, in plain black robes, hair as greasy as ever, stood Severus Snape. It was a few seconds before he caught sight of them all staring and when he did he narrowed his eyes, sneered, and made his way over to where McGonagall was currently sitting. Harry was pleased to see that she literally welcomed him with open arms. He snickered at the look on Severus' face.

"Well?" demanded Ginny, turning to look at Harry.

"Well what?" he asked. He was glad to see that most of the table looked happy to see Snape; Molly had already toddled off to greet him.

"Why is he here?" she asked. "Did you invite him? Couldn't you bear to miss one of your precious Friday meetings?"

"Meetings?" said Ron. "What meetings?"

"I don't believe you, Harry," she went on. "It's the anniversary of the end of the war and you bring him here, of all places! After what he did, after he attacked George!"

"How many times, Gin?" he sighed, annoyed. "A Death Eater was aiming for Remus, Snape aimed for the Death Eater, he missed and hit George. By hitting his ear he made it look like a failed attack. It was an accident."

"He's right Ginny," said George. "Just leave it, yeah?"

"How can you say that?" she asked angrily. "What about Fred?"

George shook his head. "He wasn't involved in that."

"You're singing a different tune," she said. "You used to hate him for it."

"I was angry back then," he told her sadly. "It was easy to blame Snape."

"Well, I don't care what you say," she said, turning to glare at Snape, who was now greeting Professor Sprout; "He's a horrible human being. You and I are having words when we get home," she added to Harry. Harry ignored her and led Hermione out onto the dance floor.

By the time midnight came, people were starting to head home. Those with young children had already left and the place suddenly seemed considerably emptier, although there were still over a hundred people in attendance.

Ginny was still in a mood. Harry was ignoring it. Experience had taught him that that was the best way to deal with it. She wouldn't dance with Harry and that was perfectly fine.

He'd received a bit of a lecture from Ron and Hermione for not telling them about his meetings with Snape. Hermione was proud of him for making such an effort to extend the hand of friendship. Ron, however, thought he was crazy; like his sister, he still had issues with Snape, although he wasn't angry at Harry for inviting him to the party.

Snape, meanwhile, had spent the evening on the other side of the hall. He'd been surrounded by old friends and colleagues all night so Harry hadn't had the chance to talk to him yet. He was pleased that things had worked out well though; Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted Severus to shut himself away and neither did Harry. Perhaps now Severus could start living the life he wanted, and not the one he'd ended up with.

As his eyes followed Harry across the hall, Severus saw his chance. Getting up from the table he'd been occupying with his former colleagues, he announced that he was going to get the next round of drinks. He weaved his way through the small crowd of people and headed for the bar. At the sound of his approach, the young man turned.

"You came," Harry smiled at him; he looked tired, but joyful nonetheless.

"I did," Severus replied, with a small smile of his own.

"And are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.

Yes, Severus thought, but he couldn't tell Harry that – he wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

He averted his eyes and gazed, uninterested, around the busy room.

"It's bearable I suppose," he answered, sighing. His efforts were in vain, however – the obnoxious grin on Harry's face said it all.

"I told you they'd be happy to see you," he said, bumping his shoulder playfully against Severus'.

"Is this the part where you gloat?" he asked, tersely.

"Not at all," Harry replied. "I'm happy for you."

He looked at Harry, who was smiling brightly, and momentarily felt a rush of gratitude. Loath though he was to admit it, getting out and coming here, seeing his old friends, had been quite a pleasant experience. He never would have even considered attending the Charity Ball had it not been for Harry's persuading. It was the sort of thing Albus would have done.

And yet, thankfully, Harry was far from being Albus.

The rush of gratitude he'd felt disappeared. A sharp pain rose swiftly in its place. Despite everything, despite all the secrets and manipulation, Albus Dumbledore had been one of two people close to Severus' heart. He regretted a lot in his life, but losing Lily and Albus without fully appreciating what a friendship meant was always going to haunt him.

More to cover up for the silence than anything else, he glanced over his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the Weasleys.

"Your wife doesn't seem overly pleased to see me," he said, looking at the redhead; she currently had her back to them but Severus had caught her glaring at him more than once that night.

"Fiancé," Harry corrected. "And yeah, she's…well, she has some issues. I've tried talking to her but…" He waved a hand vaguely and gave a small shrug. "So, are we still on for next Friday?"

"I have no other plans."

"Great," Harry said happily, then he looked at Severus and faltered, adding in a rush; "I mean, it's great that you're free, not great that you have no plans. Well, of course it's good that you have no plans because that means you're free to meet me." Severus raised an eyebrow. "But if you did have plans, well, I wouldn't be angry because that would mean you were happy. Not that you're not happy if you don't have plans. I was only asking in case you'd arranged to meet one of the teachers or something. I wouldn't mind if you were."

He looked at Severus (who had both eyebrows raised by now and was watching Harry with a bemused expression) and smiled weakly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you next week," he murmured, and he turned and made to head back to his table.

"Harry," Severus called after him.

Harry spun round. "Yeah?"

"Your drink," he said.

"Hm?"

"I assumed, seeing as how you were standing at the bar, that you wished to purchase a drink."

"Oh! Oh yeah."

He made his way back towards Severus, stumbling slightly over his own feet. By the time he reached the bar a light flush had found its way into his face.

Severus smirked.

A/N: So sorry about the wait. I was so sure I'd have it ready before I went on holiday. Thanks for being patient. "The Hardest Thing of All" should be updated this weekend, I just need to put some final touches to it.