The night of Halloween, Harry lay awake in his bed, feeling peculiar and raw. He had gone through the day very aware that everyone was watching him, and waiting to see what would come. Every Halloween before this, something had gone horribly wrong, and it had always somehow revolved around him. He'd been admittedly on edge himself, waiting to hear that he'd messed up in his defeat of the Dark Lord and left some part of the man alive again, or that the remaining Death Eaters were invading the school. Neither happened, but still everyone had continued to watch him with wary eyes. He'd finally grown tired of being exhibit A in Hogwarts' freak show, and had escaped halfway through the feast. His stupid feet had carried him to the dungeons, to the office of the man he wanted more than anything to see. Of course, Severus hadn't been there, and Harry had been forced to come up with an excuse when the new Potions professor had arrived at what was now her office.

"Harry?"

The Gryffindor sat up as his curtains opened to reveal his friends. "What do you want?" He asked curtly.

Ron scowled. "You don't have to be a prat. We just came to check on you."

Hermione smacked her new boyfriend. "That's not how you show concern, Ronald," She hissed.

Harry sighed. "I'm really not in the mood, guys. I just want to go to bed, and pray that tomorrow will put a stop to everyone staring at me like I'm a fish in a bowl."

"But, Harry," Hermione started gently. "You can't just hide away-"

"I can sure as hell try," Harry interrupted. "I'm alright, I promise… just- just leave me alone, okay?"

His friends frowned, but didn't argue. They had long since moved beyond the point in their friendship when they'd have tried to force him to talk. They knew now that he wouldn't, not for anything, and that their friendship was held together with little more than spit and grit these days. Without saying anything more, the couple turned and left the dorm room. Harry sighed as he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them close. He felt so alone.

"You've stopped talking to your friends."

Harry jumped, startled, and turned to the other side of his bed. The curtains parted as Severus sat on the edge of his bed. Harry blushed as the man moved further onto the bed and closed both sets of curtains. He shifted his legs down, crossing them tightly as he stiffly clasped his hands together in his lap. He stared at his fingers, white from the force he was exerting.

"We don't really have anything to talk about anymore," He told the man quietly. "We've been running on empty for a long time. I just got tired of trying to find something to talk about. They won't talk about the war, and the war is all I know. We just…don't have anything in common anymore."

"You talk to me," Severus pointed out.

Harry rolled his eyes. "That's different, though," He answered. "When I talk to you… I don't have to be careful about what I say. Even when everything I say links back to the war, you listen and respond accordingly. They don't do that. If I mention anything that even just might lead back to discussion of the war, they get all awkward and change the subject, no matter what I say. I'm so tired of having to pick and choose what problems or nightmares I tell them about, because they don't want to hear about anything that still plagues me. They don't want my friendship, they want my leadership. They want me to be their problem solver, no matter what's going on with me."

"That is quite unfair of them," Severus scoffed. "I suppose I cannot fault you for feeling the way you do, if that is the case."

"It is," Harry assured him bitterly.

He opened his mouth to say more, but beyond his curtains he heard the door to his dorm open. His mouth snapped shut as the sounds of his dorm mates goofing off as part of their nighttime routine filled the dorm. Instead, he reached out and began playing with Severus' hand, tracing the lines on his palm and dancing his fingers over each calloused, potion-stained pad. Severus shivered under his ministrations, but they each held their silence as the other Seventh Year Gryffindor boys clambered into their beds, chattering loud enough to wake the Slytherins in the dungeons. After several minutes, conversation died down and the lights went out. Harry cast his mild Lumos, and waited with bated breath until he heard the first stirrings of Ron and Seamus' snoring battle. When he was certain his friends were asleep, he smiled shyly up into the black gaze of the Potions Master. Severus smirked back, and Harry looked down at his lap, where he was still playing with the man's hand. He knew he had to say something to break the silence, but damned if he knew what he could say.

"I love you, you know." He said without any forethought. His eyes widened comically as he looked back up into the dark gaze. "I don't- I mean, I-"

"Harry-"

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered immediately, ducking his head as a blush tainted his cheeks.

He couldn't believe what he had just said. He'd managed to hide this change in emotion for two months, and it had just slipped out at the first awkward silence. What the hell was he thinking? Obviously, he hadn't been, or he wouldn't have said it. Gentle fingers on his chin lifted his gaze, interrupting his dark train of thought, and he discovered Severus had moved excruciatingly close.

"Don't be," The Potions Master whispered.

Harry shivered as the man's breath ghosted over his lips. He barely had time to register what was happening as the man leaned closer, closing the distance agonizingly slow. Before their lips could mesh together, however, Severus stopped short, his hand moving to cup the back of Harry's head as he shifted onto his knees to tower over the Seventh Year.

"This is what I was trying so hard to hide from you," Severus murmured against his lips.

Harry felt his breath hitch as the man finally closed the distance, consuming his mouth in a kiss that seemed to rob Harry of his breath and reason. Cautiously, very aware that he was inexperienced and naïve in these matters, Harry reached out and curled his fingers in the thick black robes, using his grip as leverage to lean up and return the kiss as best he could. Severus cupped his cheeks with both hands, and Harry, feeling emboldened, began to lean back, dragging the man down with him in agonizing slow motion. Severus' hands left his cheeks to brace himself on the mattress as Harry laid himself bare beneath him. Without ever breaking their kiss, Severus moved his knees to straddle Harry's hips, one hand slipping beneath his head to draw him further into the mesh of lips, teeth, and tongue. Harry couldn't stop a muffled moan of needy desire as he held himself above the mattress with his fingers still grasping the man's robes.

Severus pulled away. "Harry, we can't." He murmured breathlessly.

Harry shook his head. "We can," He responded pleadingly, wrapping his ankles around the Potions Master's calves. "Please, Severus, don't stop."

"Your dorm mates…"

"They sleep like logs," Harry answered, pulling himself up to place gentle kisses on the man's exposed throat. "The Hogwarts Express could crash through the wall and they wouldn't notice until morning."

Severus hissed as Harry continued to administer his light kisses. He rocked back and forth gently, wavering between pulling away or not. "You are… so innocent," He whispered. He drew Harry into a brief, heart-stopping kiss. "You have no idea what I could do to you."

Harry smirked, slightly dazed from the deep kiss. "Show me," He purred.

Severus growled and leant down, drawing him into a deeper, searing kiss. Harry went willingly into it, trying and failing to raise his hips to meet the Potions Masters. Severus purposefully kept his hips out of reach, even as he continued to consume the mouth beneath his. Harry whimpered quietly as those thin, sinful lips released him and moved instead to trail along his jaw.

"So innocent," Severus murmured again before lightly nipping the lobe of Harry's ear. He pulled away. "No more, Harry, else I will not be able to stop myself."

Harry groaned as he released the man and Severus collapsed onto his side beside him. They were both breathing pretty heavily, and Harry shifted around until he was facing the man. Severus reached out and traced a finger down the side of his face. Unable to resist, Harry leaned forward and captured the man's lips. Severus allowed him to control the kiss for a long moment, until Harry began tackling the buttons at his throat. Long-fingered hands wrapped around his, and the Potions Master pulled away. He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips.

"No, Harry," The man said again.

Harry smiled despite himself. "Spoil sport." He shifted closer until he was curled against the man's chest, their hands still clasped together. "Will you still talk me to sleep?"

Severus released one of his hands to curl his arm around his back. "Of course, Harry," He whispered gently.

The Gryffindor smiled as he began to drift under the spell of the man's continuous speech.