Chp 2

(Severus pov)

The door of Dumbledore's office burst open when Snape marched in.

"Good morning Severus! What brings you here this early? Have you settled down nicely? Or was there something in the news that caught your eye?" Dumbledore exclaimed with a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

Taking a few strides, he was facing the older man, who was now lazily stroking Fawkes, his phoenix. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts he finally managed to mouth between gritted teeth: "Tell me why the Prophet says Potteris coming back to school when it's obvious he isn't?"

"Why are you so sure he isn't coming back Severus?"

"Well you told him he could skip his last year at school if he wished to do so, am I correct?" When Dumbledore nodded, he continued: "So why would he be coming back to school? I mean, he would have to take classes with younger students and face the scenery he last saw during the war. The place he watched people die, some rather close to him I expect."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about him. But I believe it is wise to not even suggest such a thought." Dumbledore said in an amused tone, as if guessing Severus' reaction to the statement.

"Yes, it isn't wise to even think of such." Severus managed to answer with a tone of venom in his voice which clearly stated that if Dumbledore ever mentioned it to anyone, Snape would hex him so badly he wouldn't remember if Saturday was a day of the week or something you eat after lunch.

"But I must say Severus, you are mistaken this time. Harry himself informed me two days ago that he, Miss Granger and Mister Weasley will be returning to Hogwarts alongside all the other students on the train tomorrow."

"Just like them to ruin my year. So much of the peace and quiet…"

"I see." he replied shortly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Harry mentioned something about having a long conversation with Miss Granger and Mister Weasley. He wrote that they had come to a conclusion that they would return to Hogwarts in order to complete their studies.

"Typical. The Now-it-all most likely forced the other two to come back…" Severus thought, but kept his mouth shut once again and only nodded.

"But now that this is settled there is another matter I'd like to speak to you about…"

(Harry pov)

Harry knew he had acted like an ass towards Hermione earlier and had to apologize to her. After trying to plan beforehand as to what he would say, he decided it was best to just face the situation and hope it would go well. After all, this tactic of planning beforehand wasn't really working for him; it was just making him more and more nervous. He just hoped the right words would leave his mouth at the right time.

With that decided he took a deep breath and left the solitude of the bedroom he shared with Ron during his stay at the Weasley's. The solitude mostly worked because he had locked himself in but he was happy that they had mostly left him alone after, probably by Hermione's request. Harry was glad she understood that he wanted to get his thoughts straight before facing everyone else.

Walking into the living room of the Weasley house, he spotted Hermione reading a book on a couch next the window. He knew Hermione had heard him walk in but she still had her back to him and was reading on. "Hermione?" he whispered quietly.

"Hmmm…" was the answer.

"Harry sat opposite from her and waited patiently until she finished her page, marked it and set the book aside. Turning her gaze to him, he could see that he had hurt her feeling earlier but it was concern that shone the brightest in the depths of her eyes.

"Hermione, I- I'm sorry about how I acted back there. I overreacted. I love you like a sister and I hate myself for hurting you. Please forgive me." Harry stated hanging his head low so he wouldn't have to look at her in the eye.

"It's okay Harry, I understand. It hasn't been easy for you lately, even though the war is over." she said with a small smile.

Sighing Harry looked out of the window where Ron and the twins were playing Quidditch. "My life wasn't meant to be easy in the first place, you know that. It's just how things were meant to be and I accept it, I guess..."

"But Harry, you things won't always have to be that way. The war is over. Your part is done and you are free to live your life as you please now. No more battles and fights to face."

"You know that's not true Hermione. I am and always will be the savior. And even though Voldemort is gone, doesn't mean the war is over. Resistance still exists and most likely always will. Many still want me dead." Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt but Harry silenced her by raising his hand. "All I'm trying to say here is that we can't let our shields fall down now that Voldemort is gone. We are not safe yet and probably never will be completely. The Malfoy's are still out there and I know Lucius wants revenge. I would never forgive myself if you, Ron or anyone else would get hurt because of me. They're coming after you, just because you fought with the light. Just because you fought by my side." Harry said with the sound of defeat in his voice.

"But Harry, we did it because we chose to do so. You never forced us, rather more tried to push us away. We always made the decision by ourselves. You are my brother and I will NEVER leave your side." she said in a tone that told him that there was no point in arguing this issue any further, they had discussed it many times before in any case.

Standing to leave he smiled a true smile down at her and she smiled back at him. Talking to Hermione had made him feel much better, even though his nightmare still haunted him slightly. "I'm going to go pack now." Harry said all the while wondering what had he done to get such marvelous people as friends. It was something he didn't deserve.

"Okay, I think I'll have to force Ron to do the same too soon if he doesn't yank himself off that broom in an hour." Hermione said with a devilish smile. She had formed a liking of making Ron do chores the moment he tried to have some fun.

Shaking his head Harry turned to the staircase and started to walk up the stairs.

AN: I know, I know this was a really boring chp! Don't worry it'll get more interesting within the next few chps. A special thank you to those who reviewed! Truly appreciated! If you see any grammar or other mistakes, I'd be grateful if you'd inform me. And I know that Snape and Dumbledore should be dead, but well, they're not!

Oh and sorry if you expected the news Severus found out to be something bigger than this…

Btw, hopefully you like the way I spaced the paragraphs. They are pretty spacious but I feel it's nicer to read that way. And I suck with commas so there might be some in the wrong places…