Harry felt so warm and cozy when he started waking up. Normally in the tower, the cold still managed to seep through the stone walls, despite the warming charms, but the headmaster's office was nice in the heart of the castle. Not to mention the fire had warmed up the room nicely.

His eyes snapped open as he looked around realising he really was in the headmaster's office, the portraits showing the sleeping headmasters. He heard the faint sound of a quill scratching on parchment and turned his head to find the current headmaster, working on something, already fully dressed for the day.

Memories of the night before flooded into his mind and he blushed darkly looing away, wondering if he could go back to pretending to be asleep… then maybe he could sneak out when the other left the room.

"If you're awake then go back to your tower and get ready for breakfast, after all you still have detention and Madam Pince has agreed to watch over you as you write your potion's essay." He said not looking up from his work.

"Um… what time is it professor?" He asked not looking at him.

"Six thirty Potter." He said simply. Harry was surprised. Six in the morning and he didn't feel tired… what was the world coming to.

Harry sat up and looked at his hands. "I uh… about yesterday…"

"Yesterday? You mean when you came to the headmaster's office in tears because of a nightmare? Yes I remember Potter." He said. Harry blushed.

"Yeah well… Thank you for the potion… I didn't mean to fall asleep but it helped." He said.

"Do not mention it, Potter." He said simply. An awkward silence settled then and Harry bit his bottom lip nervously trying to figure out how to continue or if he should just get his invisibility robe and go. "Out, Potter!" The other exclaimed then and Harry jumped.

"Right! Sorry, sir!" He said grabbing his robe and shoes and headed back out. Snape rolled his eyes as he heard the other trip as he got tangled in the invisibility robe in his rush. He had a whole day without the Gryffindor to clear his mind from this situation that day by day proved resistant to going away.

-o-O-o-

Harry sighed for the tenth time in the last five minutes. Madam Pince glared at him, about to tell him off for it. It was seeing her glare at him that made him avoid asking her for a book about soulmates. But he really didn't want to ask Hermione. And in all the years he'd been here he hadn't quite figured out how to get information for something specific unless someone pointed the book out. Releasing another sigh, he preferred to remain in blissful ignorance as he carried on with the potion's essay.

How Snape managed to make Potions so much harder than all other subjects. Harry shook his head as he wrote the essay. He frowned however as everything flowed easier. Wait… he knew what this meant… He was pretty sure he hadn't known this before. A conclusion later he looked at the essay in confusion.

"Madam Pince!" He exclaimed turning to the woman scaring her.

"Mr. Potter! Do not be so loud in the library!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry…" he whispered changing his mind. He would ask professor Snape. "I finished, I'll go take this to the headmaster." He said taking his things and running off.

-o-O-o-

"Oh, Harry, you look happy." Luna mentioned as Harry passed. Harry stopped turning to look at her surprised. She was currently holding Draco's hand as they sat together in the corridor.

Draco smirked at Harry who blushed looking away covering his face. Did he actually look that happy to be going to find the headmaster? Impossible.

"Hey Luna... how are you?" He asked.

"Oh, I've been wonderful Harry. Draco and I were planning on going Hogsmead later on, would you like to come with the headmaster?" She asked in her dreamy voice. Both young men looked at her as if she were crazy, which according to some was quite accurate an assumption.

"Luna, Professor Snape and I are not together." He said.

"I think that mirror definitely made a mistake Potter, you and the headmaster are the least compatible duo." Draco smirked.

"Well, I think you're both perfect for each other." Luna said happily. "Be careful now Harry. Soulmate bonds are tricky, they can pull you in so strongly that sometimes somebody is hurt." She said.

"Thanks Luna, but really, I was just trying to get this essay to the professor and have my detention over and done with." He said simply.

"Of course Harry, have a nice day." She said gently.

-o-O-o-

Harry was about to enter Snape's office when he saw his black robes billowing around the corner. He followed him.

"Professor," Snape rounded the other corner. "Wait! Professor!" He called rushing after him, the other however seemed to be forever out of reach though. It seemed like the other was heading to the astronomy tower. He would just get to him, hand him his essay and get back in time for lunch. He'll leave the questions for another time noticing the other was in a hurry.

Harry reached the spiral staircases and went up, not noticing the door closing silently behind him.

-o-O-o-

Severus entered the lunch room and noticed Madam Pince already sitting there, along with most of the students, though Potter was missing.

"Madam Pince, has Potter not finished his essay yet?" He asked going towards his seat. She turned to him surprised.

"Of course he has headmaster, he left to look for you as soon as he did." She said.

Mcgonagal frowned hearing this and turned to look at Snape who had yet to take his seat. A lynx patronus arrived then.

'The Carrows have escaped Azkaban, they swore to go after mr. Potter. Keep alert.' It said.

"Find Potter, now!" Snape hissed.

-o-O-o-

"Professor?" Harry asked reaching the tower, not finding any trace of the headmaster. He recalled the other being able to use non-assisted flying and leaned over the bar looking for any streak of black around the grounds but nothing.

He turned around in time to see him standing by the stairs, wand pointed at him. He frowned confused.

"Proffessor?" he asked, his hands behind him, discretely reaching for his want.

"Oh, Potter, killing you this quickly seems almost like a sin." Snape said. Harry pulled out his wand, blasting the other back, the elder wand vanishing the polyjuice effect from Carrow.

"Confringo!" His sister screamed, having been hidden on the side. Harry hardly had time to react, as he threw himself over the tower, the blast making the astronomy tower explode.

"Accio Broom!" Harry yelled, seeing the ground quickly approaching. He heard screams from those students that had witnessed his fall. Instead of feeling the force shatter his back he suddenly felt it somewhere else, as a black mass slammed against his side, grabbing onto him. They were so close to the ground that Snape's spell faltered and both rolled on the ground several metres before coming to a stop.

Harry faintly managed to see his broom calmly settle beside them, having arrived late to the action. Harry groaned against Snape's chest, surprised to catch a faint scent of peppermint.

"Don't move, Potter." Snape growled pulling away from him to look him over.

"I'm fine." He mumbled.

"You almost crashed to your death, Potter. Now, what hurts?" He said.

"My side... I think you broke my ribs." He groaned as it hurt to breathe.

"Did you see what you did to the astronomy tower?" He growled picking him up carrying Harry towards the infirmary.

"That wasn't me... it was the Carrows." He groaned in pain, the other moving him uncomfortably as he took him back inside.

"And you just decided to go to them unaided? Typical Gryffindor heroism. Maybe next time you'll think twice to prevent you getting thrown off the Astronomy tower!" He yelled angrily.

"Nnh... what is this professor? You actually care?" Harry asked mockingly.

"Of course I do Potter." That was a surprise, Harry looked up at him but the other kept looking straight ahead. "If something happens to your scrawny self the wizarding world will have my head." He scoffed.

"Oh." Harry frowned, not understanding why that annoyed him.

"Don't sound so disappointed Potter. I'm sure my detentions aren't pleasing. I can't be losing my touch so soon." He said. Harry laughed, the sharp pain cruising all through his side making him whimper feeling the pain from his ribs. "I should make you laugh more often." Harry simply placed a hand over his eyes to try to put up with the pain until he arrived at the hospital wing. But despite the pain, he felt pretty comfortable in the other's arms.

He thought back about the other, He was always there, from the moment his parents had been gone. He was the one who took him from Godrick's hollow.

Harry winced feeling a different kind of throbbing in his chest, his heart racing painfully against his injured ribs as he thought of all the times the other had saved his life. It was the same feeling he'd had when he realised he was falling for Ginny, and the same dread spread through him of the complicated future ahead should he choose to accept these feelings.

Severus arrived at the hospital wing and lay him down, Harry groaning, his hands gripping hard onto the other's arm and shoulder, tense as his body tried to minimise movement. Poppy stormed in through one end and Mcgonagal and Slughorn down the other.

"Let me see the damage Mr. Potter." Poppy said, Harry trying to pay attention to what Severus was talking to the other teachers about.

"The Carrows have escaped…" Slughorn said.

"Not just the Carrows." Lucius Malfoy called, walking into the hospital wing also.

"What do you know Lucius?" Snape asked.

Harry winced as Poppy started mending his ribs. She'd mentioned she could mend broken bones in a heartbeat… she never mentioned there were exceptions to the rule, and fixing his ribs seemed to be one of those exceptions.

"I informed Shacklebolt, that if he were to wait for the effects to wear off, he would realise that the remaining deatheaters have all been replaced by mere muggles." Lucius said.

"But that means…" Mcgonagal started.

Poppy snapped one back into place and Harry screamed from the surprise, wincing as the other fixed it, but the throbbing still remained. When he looked back all teachers and Lucius were looking at him.

"It appears that mr. Harry Potter has once more become the main target for retaliation." Lucius said. "The Carrows were just the beginning, not to mention they couldn't have done it on their own." He said. Snape looked at the ground as if thinking.

"What should we do Severus?" Mcgonagal asked.

"Increase security measures, Minerva. Potter must not go anywhere unsupervised, all students should remain in groups of three or more." Snape said simply. "And make sure to warn the eldest students, if they want to go on their flimsy dates then they should not go alone but with another couple." He said rolling his eyes at the concept of dating.

Finally Poppy finished and Harry was able to sit up, though he was still scratched and would very much bruise where his ribs had been broken.

"Well, now that you have been warned, I must go find my son. Good day Mr. Potter." Lucius Malfoy said and Harry nodded.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy." Harry said, still surprised that the other had changed so much.

The teachers left to inform the students and set up the increased security whilst Snape turned to Harry and crossed his arms over his chest looking down sternly at him. Harry blushed remembering his previous thoughts and looked away, avoiding eye contact.

The other stretched his hand towards Harry and the teen looked at the other confused, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"Your essay Potter."

Harry looked at him shocked and scoffed, taking the blasted scroll from his robes and slammed it onto the bed, storming out of there.

"Watch your attitude, Potter." Severus snapped but Harry didn't care. He was going to find his friends and have lunch.

Severus watched him go, scoffing at the insufferable attitude of the other before reaching for the scroll and then groaning, realising that Potter had just gone off on his own.

"How I kept him alive all this time I'll never know." He grumbled.