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A/N: Lookie! It's an update! Now now duckies, #has been watching Teen Titans with Mad Maud# don't get all excited. Yes this is an update. Yes you have been waiting forever for it, yes I am yakking standing in the way of your story...#notices you all holding bat-terangs and sonic canons#...duckies!

BOOM!

Oblivion

Chapter 14

The next day found Harry going down to breakfast with something like an honor guard. Ron obviously hadn't told their dorm mates why Harry needed protection, or they'd be swarming around him asking how he was, who did it, what was going on and such, bothering him, but here they were. They had stayed behind for some reason, while Ron and Harry were getting ready to leave. They were walking down with them for that same reason, and clumped around him at Gryffindor table Dean and Seamus boxing him in with Neville across from him, assuming for that same reason.

Hermione was next to Seamus and Ron was next to Dean, with Luna and Ginny on either side of Neville, finishing his little box of friends.

"I wish you wouldn't do this." Harry said quietly.

"Now you mention it Harry," Seamus lilted, pulling a plate of kippers to himself. "Why're we guarding you aga…oww!" Seamus gave Ron a glare while Ron ignored him for a roll.

"You guys all know Voldemort's alive now and Harry…needs more protection than ever." Hermione gave Harry a furtive look.

Ron suddenly gained interest then. "So that's why we need one of you to be foll…that is, be with Harry as much as possible." He about-turned mid word.

"Isn't this rather 'locking the stable door after the horse is long gone'?" Harry said bitterly under his breath. Ron looked rather confused but Hermione looked affronted.

"We're just trying to protect you!"

"Did you guys hear something about Voldemort we don't know about that you have us tracking Harry?"

"No they didn't they're just being over protective!"

"Harry! You told us…!" Hermione looked around at their other friends and flushed. "Look, people here are…dangerous."

"I told you he's not dangerous!" Harry pushed up from the bench and shouted at Hermione. He finished trembling and then looked around to find people staring at him. He started shaking again, staring down at her. "I was fine 'til you started up on this again." He whispered. "It's over…and the person…who hurt me is gone. Just leave it alone."

Harry made his way out of the Great Hall, ignoring everyone until he made it to the foyer, then stopped when he realized who was just walking towards the staircase.

"Potter."

Harry swallowed and smiled weakly. "Professor. Snape. Sir…" He flushed. The Professor's face remained impassive though an eyebrow arched questioningly. "Sorry. Awkward."

The Potions Master nodded looking around. "I believe you are heading upstairs. I too have somewhere to go there. If you would…" he gestured to the stairs, leaving Harry blinking in surprise.

"Uhh," Harry replied breathlessly. "I, have to, get my bag to…come back down…for your class!"

The Professor smirked. "If you're late I'll only take ten points. Seriously, I, we require a talk."

Harry glanced back at the Great Hall before sighing and started up the stairs reluctantly, the Professor climbing slowly next to him, his usual long strides cut.

"I regret having to…impose my presence upon you, what with…," Harry cringed. "what happened. We must talk about it. And you did agree to the meetings. That's why I wanted to talk to you. As Tuesdays and Thursdays are Occlumency, I would appreciate it if the other perhaps…Friday and Mondays, we could do that talks?"

"Mondays are Quidditch practice." Harry said softly, unaware he was edging as far away from the Professor as he could.

"Wednesday and Friday then?" Harry flinched as the dark eyes turned to him. "If we are to…really succeed at getting over what has happened we must do this. You can't even be on the same corridor as me without walking practically on the wall." The green-eyed boy flushed realizing he was jammed against it. "If you are to even be in my class without giving the secret away you must become used to proximity to me again." Harry looked scared at the thought. "However it's much too soon. I believe Professor Dumbledore will allow you to miss this one class as our first meeting is tonight. We will deal with that."

Harry let out a shuddering breath. "I can do it. I'm fine, I really don't think I still need…"

"Yes you do. Unless you usually yell at your friends during breakfast." Was lowly sneered back at him.

Harry straightened his spine, stepping away from the wall. "When they start poking their noses into my business yes!"

"They simply care about you." Snape said offhandedly. "Perhaps…if they had been with you when you came to…"

Harry shook his head. "I never told them what I saw in your penseive."

They had stopped in the middle of the hallway looking at each other. Harry was getting more and more uncomfortable as the man kept staring at him.

"Go and prepare for your next class. I will see you tonight."

"Thank you sir!" Harry took a step back before turning slowly and backing the man, walked away, flinching every step. He got to the next step of staircases, no Confunduses having hit him in the back and sighed in relief, before heading up to the Gryffindor common room.

At the knock on the door of his office Severus stood and opened it before stepping aside.

"Mr. Potter."

The shaggy raven head nodded demurely before Potter hurried to sit himself in the chair across from his desk. Severus shut the door and turned back to face the boy's back in the chair.

"Would you rather we just jumped straight into this…?"

"I wouldn't." The boy whispered, head down.

Severus sighed wearily. "Tea then." Potter blinked and lifted his head in surprise as a conjured tray landed gently on the table before him. "I'm sure you haven't been eating properly since the start of term."

Potter flushed. "I…"

"It's not because you're such a good actor no one noticed. We just all assumed it was for, one reason or another." Severus said shortly whirling into his chair.

Potter picked up a biscuit then and nibbled at it.

"Since this is sort of like, therapy, is there anything else bothering you that isn't in connection with…" Severus took a breath. "Your rape by me."

"It wasn't…" Potter started.

"It was! By accident or not. As soon as you accept that then we can't work on the problem. If, I can say it, admit that I did such a thing. You should be able to admit it happened to you."

The boy breathed in harshly. "I don't want to admit it happened. I mean…can you say 'useless savior'? Can't save himself…but is supposed to save hundreds of people!"

"Pretend, since you like acting, that you like playing the victim." Severus muttered.

Potter looked up, green eyes sharp. "You should know from last year I'm not really like that. What you think I am. That's…my father when he was young and stupid. Not me."

"So everyone says…" The Potions Master gritted his teeth. "Since I'm not our on my ear yet considering what I did to you, I suppose there is some merit to the belief."

Potter snorted. "That's your way of saying 'I'm wrong' without actually saying it!"

"I can still take points Potter!" Severus said warningly.

"I'm feeling ever so relaxed here already." He grumbled throwing down his biscuit.

There was a lull in conversation then as Severus breathed heavily and slowly through his nose.

"Sorry." Potter grated out. Severus nodded back sharply and they fell quiet again.

"Well, since we're here to talk…the only other thing that's bothering me…besides…the rape," Potter hurried on. "Is that Sirius is dead. And you can't help me there. So can we just…can I go? I'm not flinching anymore so…"

"No. You will stay here until we talk about this. You may leave at ten. It's eight thirty-five." Severus sneered. "So get used to me walking around you. Get used to me breathing down your neck. Get used to my voice. Get used to being here."

Potter picked back up his biscuit. "Joy." He deadpanned, and bit in.

Yeah. Okay, in other news. I'm sort of back on track. I'm updating, flipping over all my stories again so they don't get stale. But it's going slowly. I have to get back in the groove again. So for a bit there won't be a Runespoor everyday, I thinkI already said that in Runespoor itself. And my other updates won't be as...flowing as usual. I'm trying to flip over really old stories like Nella, that's been really neglected to me,but I'm working on that far back. So bear with me people! I'm here! I'm just really really slow!