A/N: AAAAAAAAAAH so so so sooooooo incredibly sorry for the long delay, I've had this chapter sitting around for so long but no chance to post it and then when I FINALLY get to the internet I find out this site is being worked on O.o and I can't post it!

Anyway here it is, sorry guys:winces and ducks flying objects:

And thanks so much for the kind reviews! They rock my socks! (and Albus's too)

Warning: Mention of non-con, malexmale, etc, oh yeah and torture… school room torture.

Hope you enjoy it and leave me a note!

SS

The hazelnut tree was a comforting presence behind his back as it had always been. It kept him grounded as his mind whisked him off on an endless maze of suggestions, of calculations and equations which was only broken by the sound of someone calling out to Potter.

"Harry!" Snape turned to tell the person to rack off as Potter was nowhere near the area, before the realisation that the bushy haired girl who appeared over a large root had been calling him.

"Sorry Hermione, got a little side tracked." He smiled apologetically, rubbing the back of his head.

"Side tracked? more like lost." She grinned before plunking herself down beside him, he felt an infectious grin spread across his face. It almost felt like old times, him and Lilly; she had always been able to make him grin or at least smile.

"Speaking of lost, where have you been? You haven't been coming back to the dorms."

Severus frowned, placing on an annoyed mask.

"The headmaster thinks I should have a temporary lodging elsewhere." Changing the tone of his voice as if to quote someone. "It's this big hushed up thing."

"Oh." The bushy haired girl looked curious but knew better than to ask questions. There was a small silence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?." Harry murmured, looking out over the lake. He turned back in time to see a frown form as the girls brows furrowed. She was picking at a small clover patch that grew under the shade.

"It's Draco." Severus's eyebrow rose. Since when were they on first name terms? She saw his look and misinterpreted it. "No, he isn't bothering me, I know you've been worried that what Ron's doing will nullify the… the thing you two have. He's… well he's actually been talking to me."

Severus felt surprise wash through him, as well as curiosity as to what Weasley could be doing and what this 'thing' was between Potter and Draco.

"Talking to you?" She flushed.

"He isn't the arrogant asshole he makes himself out to be and he has this amazing knowledge of potions. You see he asked me about my summer project and we kind got talking." Severus frowned, that summer project, that's what had started this mess. "Hey don't give me that look, you told me yourself that he wasn't that bad." Severus realised she had misinterpreted his frown.

"No, it's not that, I was just thinking about the project." He pulled a face. "Or it's failure." Hermione gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I know you wanted to impress Snape. It's a pity it literally blew up in your face, and you've been working so hard lately."

Severus merely shrugged, how was he suppose to answer that? "So… Draco, did he say anything important, or was it just about potions?" A sly smile tugged at the corners of the girls mouth.

"Is Mr Harry Potter trying to change the subject?" She grinned, looking as if some final puzzle piece had fallen into place, and she was giddy from the sudden revelation. "Is there something he wants to hide?" she looked a little superior as she regarded him. "You know you can't hide anything from me Harry, so just spit it out or do I have to draw conclusions myself from the way you've been trying to impress our beloved potions master, the looks you were giving him recently and especially this morning when he stepped out in that outfit, and the sly way you managed to get him" she coughed out of pretence, "to work one on one with you." A huge grin as she saw the pieces and the accusation fall into places by the horrified look on the the-boy-who-lived's face.

"You're crazy woman!" Severus couldn't help feeling a small possibility that she was right flood his system with something akin to satisfaction or smugness before it was crushed. Potter did not have any school girl crush on him, whether or not he was gay, or had wanted extra lessons with him.

"Maybe I just want to improve my potions skills." Severus felt ridiculous even as he suggested it. "And maybe I just wanted to get my project done, you know I can't do it at home." She winced at the comment and Severus wondered what it meant. "And this morning, well, everyone was staring at him!" She only smiled.

"Hmm, but would you agree he looked hot this morning?"

Severus spluttered, he took back everything he said about this girl, she had lost it. "Absolutely not!"

"Now, now Harry, I thought you knew better than to deny everything when it came to lying. A little truth goes a long way to strengthen a lie. You're usually at least a little better than this." Severus merely stared at her, this girl would have fit so well into Slytherin, he felt a little sad at the loss, but waved it off.

"But it's the truth Mione!" he tried whining instead, this was crazy, Potter didn't even look at him without loathing. A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that the boy had said he hadn't hated him, and that he had been tolerable the last few days, he promptly stepped on it.

"Gee Harry, that surely did convince me and won me straight over to your side of the argument." She rolled her eyes and Severus frowned.

"I don't care, I don't like him in anyway, and there is no evidence you can find that will conclude any differently, you're just clutching at straws."

"Straws that have been handed to me very meticulously, numbered and labelled." She smiled, "but I guess I can let you off the hook for the time being." Severus merely frowned. "Oh come on, it isn't that bad!" Severus gave her a look and she smiled. "You could've chosen someone much worse, like Filch." She giggled and Severus suspected she may in fact be on something.

"You alright Hermi?" She just smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine." Her smile broke out into a grin. "I've just got a study date with Draco tonight." Severus stared at her, mouth gaping, he never would have thought Draco would finally admit to himself that he liked the girl.

"You what!" The blonde haired boy had first come complaining about the know it all a few years ago, and Severus had heard it all, from the small dramas and exchanges to the small victories in intellect over the muggle born. Draco had brushed it off as trying to prove that pure blood were better than muggle borns. Severus had only sat patiently, hoping the boy would come to his senses so he wouldn't have to listen to the boy complain anymore.

"So what do you think?" Severus tuned back in to stare blankly at the girl. "Harry! You weren't listening were you?" He merely shrugged apologetically and she huffed in mock exasperation.

"I was saying that I should watch him, you know, see if he wants to join the order, check him out, find out what he's really like. I think he could be real big help."

"If that's how you want to justify it." Severus smirked and the girl blushed.

"He doesn't even like me, he just wants to discuss some ideas for the project." Severus had to resist the urge to snort.

"Bt you're not denying you like him?"

"Harry! We've already had this discussion and now I know you're just trying to get me to admit it again to rub it my face that you were right."

"Much better pairing than Mr Weasley."

The girl laughed.

"Mr Weasley? You sounded so much like Snape just then! See you are obsessed with him."

"I believe Ms Granger that you have quiet lost the plot." Severus drawled in a cheap imitation of his original voice. The girl laughed and Severus smiled. "Come on Hermi, Transfiguration awaits." He stood, stretching before helping to pull the girl up. The sun warm on their backs as they headed back to the castle and Severus felt the soft warm happiness settle in his chest that he hadn't felt for years.

HP

Draco stared at him, horror in his eyes and Harry saw him try and swallow, turning away to hide the rapid blinking. They were so similar that it amazed Harry they had become enemies. He remembered choking on the acid welling in his throat, the burn of tears and horror in his eyes when he had learnt what had been done to his Godfather, everything Sirius had had to go through. But Harry guessed it would be worse to hear that it had been Severus's own choice, although foolish, and that Draco had wanted to follow in his footsteps.

"You have a choice Draco. I can't make it for you. But I can tell you, nothing will wash the blood from your hands, the screams and please will ring in your ears for years and their faces. Their faces will haunt your nightmares, lingering on the edges of your vision, waiting for you to fall."

"I'm sorry." The boy was shaking, staring at his hands. What Harry was telling him was too much, he was still a boy, where death was a word, pain a theory, rape a story that made you squirm. To have everything revealed in such a harsh light… Harry could tell by his voice that he was trying hard to keep the tears from falling and the sobs from wrenching from his throat. "I didn't know." Harry stood, walking quickly around the desk to gather the boy into an awkward comforting embrace.

"Your father has been spoken to by the Dark Lord and you are to be punished for betrayal to the side of light. If you wish it, I will speak with the Dark Lord, convince him you are trying to enter the side of light to spy for him, and you believed it would be easier for them to trust you if you had not had any previous dealings with you-know-who."

"I can't." The blonde's hand was fisted in the white shirt, but the voice was strong, no sound of weakness or tears in the tone. "I can't." The boy drew back. "But I still want to help, I want to be useful. I want to join the Order." Harry nodded, frowning.

"I know you want to join, but I think you should think it over, process what you've heard tonight, try and find out more about it before you sign yourself over to another master. Your too young to let your freedom be taken away so easily."

"But they're light." Harry merely smiled.

"It's only a name, a symbol. Your enemy isn't an enemy in his own eyes, he is fighting on the side he believes is right. It's a matter of perspective." Harry tapped his wand, glancing at the time it produced. "I think you'd better get to your next class." The boy who had been devastated only few moments ago appeared composed and as aloof as he ever had, as he nodded. Harry wondered how strong the mask he wore was.

"Can I come talk to you later tonight?" Harry nodded absently as the boy let himself out.

Glancing at the time again he cursed, he only had a few minutes before the next class would file in. Not only did he have to compose himself, pushing all the darkness he had brought to the fore of his mind, but he had to skim through the material that he would be verbally quizzing this group on. He hadn't marked any papers last night, but he knew that as he had set the pop quiz to be open book, most would be copied straight from the text. He hoped this new verbal way of quizzing would keep the students on their toes.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of half-hearted answers and guesses. It was surprising how this method seemed to weed out the exceptional students from the others, but Harry had to admit most students were probably too intimidated standing up in front of their classmates as well as their potions professor to even function correctly, let alone answer a complicated potions question.

SS

Severus had stopped listening to Mogonigal when she had first brought up the diagrams of a spell which would allow the caster to turn a small pot plant into postage owl, however it couldn't be a magical plant, which rendered the spell rather inpractical as most wizarding pot plants were magical. He couldn't remember the last time he had used the spell, probably when he had first learnt it.

The rest of the lessons passed in a blur of already gained knowledge, repeated in a similar format t hat had been taught years ago. In fact Binns probably used the exact wording he had years ago, Severus hadn't paid attention back then either. The only thing about class that interested him was the fact that in no class did he actually sit beside the red haired Weasley. In fact the boy made it a point to try and sit as far away from him as possible.

The only time he had been caught out by his inattention was in Defence Against Dark Arts. It had earned him a gleefully dealt out punishment which he was apprehensive about. He didn't trust the woman and her seemingly joyful disposition on getting the supposed boy-who-lived on his own. The class seemed to drag as they learnt nothing, and Severus tried to keep out from under the small beetle eyes that followed him everywhere as the woman watched him.

The bell rang in time to numerous sighs of relief as the students hurriedly filed out of the room.

"Mr Potter, you can start your detention now."

Severus was about to open his mouth to complain but shut it with a snap when he saw the glint in the woman's eyes just waiting for him to step out of line.

"Of course Professor Umbridge." He was handed a quill, a piece of parchment and a tissue. Severus didn't bother asking about it, fearing the woman would somehow believe he was being insolent and lengthen his time in her presence.

"Today's sentence is, I must pay attention in class or face the consequences of poor future prospects." She smirked. "And the more often I am forced to give you detention Mr Potter, the longer the sentences will become, as obviously you do not learn your lesson." Severus stared at her, what the hell was writing that sentence down going to do to help him learn his lesson? At least whenever he gave people detention it was either cleaning cauldrons, a useful skill to perfect as a dirty cauldron could lead to numerous dangerous and even fatal accidents, it was an essential skill drilled into any who wished to go for their masters, or sorting and labelling ingredients, which he hoped would later help students identify what they were working with. Although the students tended not to notice the subtle knowledge they gained.

"Well?" She glared at him. "Sit down and get started!" Severus took a seat and started to write the sentence, almost crying out in surprise and pain when the first letter carved itself into his hand. What was this! "Well Mr Potter, it seems you have already forgotten last weeks lesson." She gleefully enunciated the word lesson and Severus stared at her, feeling the disgust and horror well through him. Last weeks lesson? How long ago had this started? He stared at the rich red drying ink, blinking as he realised it was blood. This… this beast was repulsive!

The woman rumbled, and Severus realised she was chuckling. "You look almost as shocked as you did during the first detention. Come now, I haven't increased the pain factor or anything, continue! You have 500 lines to get through before you can go to dinner." Severus tore his eyes away from the woman and stared down at his parchment. His brows furrowed he restarted his scrawl, feeling the words carve into his hand.

He had seen the scars the boy had on his flesh, but hadn't wanted to ask about them. He'd thought it may have been some odd teenage pact thing, he'd seen weirder signs and symbols carved into peoples flesh. The black mark slipped across the back of his mind and he frowned.

A drop of blood obscured a word and Severus realised what the tissue were for. Wiping the excess blood the parchment and some from the hand he realised the scar had been cleared and had changed into the carved sentence he had written. He felt rage swell in his chest. How dare this woman put any child through this! Why hadn't anybody come forward? Did this only happen to Harry? Why hadn't the boy told the headmaster, in fact why hadn't the older man noticed any of this?

"I'm going to see the headmaster." Severus stood, he wasn't going to go through with this. This was ludicrous.

"Now Mr Potter." The woman's voice had drop into a low whisper and Severus glared at her. "I'm sure it can wait until after the detention."

"No. It can't." He turned to the door.

"We wouldn't want to you walking out and about in your current condition would we? And I can't escort you as I have other things to do. What if you were to have another attack, maybe do more harm to yourself or to another? The ministry regards the safety of students as their top priority and would be rather displeased if anything happened to anyone of our little darlings."

Severus almost gagged on the hatred that burnt in the back of his throat. This woman had manipulated the boy by playing on his fears of harming others.

"Not only would legal action have to be taken against you Mr Potter, but as it was common knowledge that you could present a danger to the student body it is also the responsibility of the professors and especially the headmaster. It would be a pity if he couldn't justify the reason of keeping you on the premises, he has potentially placed many students in danger. He does seem to have a long history of doing that."

Severus seethed. No wonder the boy didn't say anything, not only was he blackmailed on a legal and political basis but also emotionally and morally.

"So are you sure you don't want to wait until after the detention?" She asked sweetly and Severus sat back down. He knew she had power, and if he pulled any kind of stunts he could potentially trigger a major train reaction that would place Umbridge just were she wanted to be, enabling her to break the school down and replace it with a power hierarchy directly under the Ministry of Magic.

"Good." She glared. "And for interrupting and wasting my precious time I believe another 20 lines will have to be added." Severus glared at the paper, grit his teeth and started scrawling the sentence over and over. The burning pain mixed with the anger and frustration that stormed within him.

His mind was whirling with thoughts, ways he could out manoeuvre her, cheat the system, somehow undermine her and have her lose face in front of the ministry. He would have her job pulled out from under her feet, the power and prestige she had built up and pulled around herself rebel and work against her as the ministry took it all from her. He could see her fall, a slow decadence as her world crumbled and she was left with nothing but the knowledge that she would never have the power she had worked, manipulated, cheated and swindled for.

The burn in his hand had worked itself into a numb ache which he could ignore as the words now flowed instinctively out of his pen as he thought over how he would approach this. Looking back over all the had written he curse under his breath as he realised he had only written 115 lines.

And now having noticed the number of lines left and the numbness in his hand he also realised the cramp, and the way that very time he scratched a letter it would seem to dig deeper into his hand. This set up a new reaction of pain as he tried desperately not to concentrate on the new burn and the way it pierced through his hand sending a deep ache into his bones and up his arm. Each word seemed to drag as he tried not to think, not to concentrate as he cleared his mind.

Starting another line he leapt to save his work as he almost spilt the ink pot as the door was slammed open.

"Umbridge." The voice hissed and Severus looked up to see himself seething with rage. The woman looked shocked and Severus smirked at her reaction. It was wiped off as soon as the dark eyes turned to him, concern almost drowned in rage as the man in the doorway took in the ink, the bloodied parchment.

"What is this?" he asked as if seeing it all for the first time.

"It's just detention." The woman frowned standing, trying to use her extra bulk to intimidate the man.

"If you recall Mr Potter was due to have his detention with me for the remainder of the week."

"I didn't believe you'd mind if I had him just before dinner."

"He is on detention for the remainder of the week." The man repeated as if the woman was plainly an imbecile. Severus watched as the boy snarled in his direction. "Mr Potter is on detention in between classes, during his frees and meals. He is to report to me of his whereabouts at all times so that I may administer the proper punishment. This is not be interrupted by other engagements, as it is crucial the boy learns his lesson. Potter. With me."

Severus stood quickly, ignoring the head spin over the loss of blood as he gathered his things. He picked up the parchment of his bloodied writing, he hoped the boy hadn't left the parchments behind during his detentions. Blood could be used for so many things.

"What are you doing boy?" The woman's voice grated along Severus's nerves.

"But Professor Snape said-"

"Not that. The parchment, you know you are to leave it here," Severus's blood ran cold at the words, and the possessive look she was giving the piece of paper rolled up in his hands. Shooting a quick look at Harry he swallowed and opened his mouth.

"No." Severus jumped as the more powerful voice of his former self cut through the woman. "As this was done during my detention time the parchment is to come with me." He snatched it out of Severus's hands. "I will go over it and see if I wish for it to be continued, however I find this method of punishment a discredited method. It teaches nothing. But each to their own. Potter."

Severus raced out of the door as Harry slammed it shut behind them, noticing they had made their escape before the woman had time to retort or protest.

"To our rooms." Severus hissed and Harry nodded as they split up to go to their separate entry points to the room.

HP

Harry let his feet guide him to the dungeons and the hidden entrance to the rooms he shared with the potion's professor. His mind spun as it tried to make up excuses, lies to cover up the punishments and the detentions.

Snape knew too much.

He had experience so many of the things Harry had tried to keep hidden, he'd seen them first hand, had come to conclusions. Harry's stomach rolled as he thought about the man at the Dursley's, how the potion's master would survive the worst nightmares the Dark Lord could send. Disgust, fear, self-hatred, shame flicked down his spine as Harry braced himself and opened the door to their rooms.

"Explain Mr Potter."

He swallowed as the man stood in the centre of the living room, arms crossed glaring. Harry wondered if he had had time to clean the wound and bandage it.

"Er, it's just a kind of detention and I don't think it's that effective." He tried to joke but the man glared.

"I meant the outfit, and why on earth is that ribbon in my hair?"

Harry blinked and stared at him. Why wasn't the man questioning him about the detention? A wave of pain and slight defeat swept through him. The man didn't care about Harry, he only cared for his reputation.

"I found it in your stuff, a lot more comfortable." He mumbled, not looking at the man. Why did he feel like he had been rejected? Why did he feel hurt? He should have expected something like this from the other man, why had he ever thought any differently. "The ribbons Hermione's."

He didn't see the brief shock and sudden loss that blossomed in the green depths before it was crushed.

"Congratulations Mr Potter, but keep your nuptials out of my hair."

Harry stared at him blankly. What on earth was the man going on about?

"Huh?"

The green eyes blinked at him, and Harry saw the disbelief they held in them.

"Do you understand the significance of that ribbon Potter?"

"I don't know, I thought it was just another of Hermione's mysteries. She gave it to me for my birthday."

Harry saw relief flicker in the eyes and other emotions that slipped away suddenly to be replaced by a calculating coldness.

"It's a proposal ribbon. She probably knew you had no idea about them. She has access to your parents vaults doesn't she?" Harry blinked in surprise. How did this all link? How did the man know that? He had first given her free access to the vaults when he had found Gringotts stored more than just his families money. The Potters, being an old wizarding family had vaults full of rare books, dark items, art, archaeological pieces, heirlooms and all other things. They had spent days exploring the vast vaults, and Hermione had fallen in love with the Potters family library, one of the reasons she had free access.

"Er, yes." The man nodded, stepping towards Harry.

"May I?" Harry frowned, but nodded, what was the man planning to do? He tensed as the green eyed boy stepped closer. It was his body but he could feel Snape's presence radiating from it, he didn't know how nobody hadn't found them out yet. Swallowing he almost jumped when the boys hands rose towards his face.

Merlin they were going to kiss!

Harry wasn't sure if he was going to pass out or not. He didn't even think twice of resisting, but when he felt Snape's hands tangle in his hair he forced himself to bite back a whimpered.

"There." A curtain of jet black hair fell forward to cover the flushed cheeks. Harry blinked as the other stepped back presenting the black ribbon that had been moments ago holding the strands back away from his face. Harry felt disappointment in every one of his skipping heart beats and shallow breaths. He tried to instantly deny what he had just felt, the intense suspense, that he had never felt with Cho, or with the thought of kissing anybody else.

"I don't understand." Snape was giving him a calculating look before it turned into a 'you are wasting my time' glare.

"This ribbon is a Potter heirloom, heaven forbid you didn't even know that. Imagine what your father would have thought had he seen Severus Snape wearing the Potters proposal ribbon put their by his son." A sneer, "If he wasn't already dead he would have had a heart attack right there and then."

Harry stared at him, and then at the ribbon.

"We're not married are we? I mean it's just a dumb ribbon, it doesn't even have any markings." Harry could tell he was on the verge of panicking.

"Merlin no!" Snape sounded outraged at the mere suggestion. "Not unless you had the full intention of marrying me when you trussed up my hair, although you would need my approval and acceptance before anything was final. And that would happen just as soon as I bed you dogfather, and I'd have to be dead and buried before I'd be forced into such an action."

Harry winced. Severus hated him that much? Was he really in par with his godfather?

"As for the markings, there are none at the moment as it is not active. Had you been wearing it in your body with the intention of finding a partner it would present your family crest as an eligible sign. It is also drenched in magic, so no it is not just a ribbon."

Harry stared at the strip of velvet. Well… he most certainly hadn't expected that.

But it still was the only thing he had to tie back Snape's hair with.

Harry couldn't help the small grin that slipped onto his face.