.

Friday afternoon approached and Harry hesitated before leaving the Potions classroom with the other students. Snape hadn't treated him any different this week and had even issued out a detention on the Wednesday when he'd accidentally blown his potion up because he had been day dreaming about the man who was sitting at the front desk. Hermione had been thoroughly annoyed with this, but then realized the man hadn't taken any points so she forgave him for the incident.

"Harry, I was wondering if we could talk?" Blaise said quietly coming up to him as the last students left the room and he nodded although as they left the classroom, Harry looked over his shoulder and Snape was standing behind his desk crossing his arms across his chest.

The sight was slightly warming for Harry but he tried not to think anything of it as Blaise led him out of the dungeons and into the main part of the castle. He was interested in what the boy had to say and as they walked further he started getting a little nervous. They stopped in a quiet part of the castle and taking his hand, Blaise led Harry over to a bench and his stomach knotted again.

"Harry, relax." He said squeezing his hand and Harry smiled shyly at him.

"I-I am." He lied trying to cover it with a smile. "What's up?"

"I thought we could just do with some time to ourselves before the break. Have you got anything planned?"

"Oh, uh no… Not really." He said shrugging, "What about you?" he asked back.

"Nothing either." He smiled warmly at Harry but he frowned back at Blaise, there was something that he needed to say.

"Look, Blaise I'm actually glad we're alone cause I wanted to talk with you as well." Harry said and Blaise looked at him with a new spark in his eyes and fully turned towards Harry, moving so he was straddling the bench.

"Okay, what was it?"

"Well, uh…" This is harder than I thought, "You know how you s-said that you… you know…" Harry said blushing and felt a hand on his cheek pulling his face round before nodding.

"I just don't think I feel the same." Harry muttered quietly and looked up to Blaise's face to see it fall a little and he immediately felt terrible.

"Is there someone else?"

"N-no, there isn't." But even as he said it, Snape came to the front of his mind.

"How do you know then?" Blaise countered, not at all phased that Harry was trying to tell him ne wasn't romantically interested in him.

"Wha – " Harry was stopped when Blaise leaned forward and planted a kiss on Harry's lips.

He had to try and remembered who it was that was kissing him and told himself that he needed to pull away and not to let it go any further, but the lips felt amazing and he briefly wondered if that's how Snape's would feel. His eyes flew open at this thought and it was enough for him to realize what he was doing.

"Did you feel anything there as I kissed you?"

Harry looked at him sadly and shook his head, but Blaise only shrugged and smiled at him. Of course there had been a spark, but Harry felt that his heart was somewhere else, and belonged to someone else. Even as he thought this he knew it sounded ridiculous.

"At least you were honest." He said and cupped Harry's cheek again.

"I'm really sorry, Blaise."

"Look, I know you're new to this and honestly I probably should have realized our chances when I knew this. It's fine, Harry please don't stress about it. I'd still like to be friends though." He countered and Harry felt relief flooding his body.

"Thanks for understanding." Harry said softly.

"Hey, I was in your position once. You want to know how I got past it?" He asked and nodded.

"I did something about it. You really think Malfoy is straight?" He laughed freely and Harry's mouth dropped open.

"Malfoy's gay?" He gaped and Blaise nodded amused.

"I hope that now you know, the next time he harasses you about it call him out. Only a few Slytherin's know, certainly Crabbe and Goyle do." He shuddered as he said it and Harry frowned before understanding fully what he'd meant by that and he threw Blaise a disgusted look that earned a laugh from the Slytherin.

"Come on, if I can't make out with you the least we could do is start our assigned holiday homework." Blaise offered and Harry smiled before standing

"And, Harry, if you ever need to talk to someone about this… you know, I will help you." He continued to smile and Harry nodded his head in appreciated as they started walking towards the library.

"Where did you and Blaise get to?" Hermione asked as they sat through dinner.

"We had a chat." He said loud enough for Snape to hear at the table, but not too loud so he sounded like he was shouting.

"Oh, about what?"

"About being friends." Harry said smiling and looked over to the Slytherin winking at him.

"You sure that's all that happened?" She countered narrowing her eyes as she saw the interaciton.

"Uh, yeah… Why?" He said frowning a little, what had he done or said to make her believe anything else?

She sighed and claimed that she didn't know and left it at that. Harry on the other hand could feel the intense feeling that someone was glaring at him and his suspicions had been correct when he looked over to Snape and saw his impassive face looking at him, before his eyes darted to his plate and Harry did the same. This can't just be me imagining things can it? He asked himself and he played around with the food on his plate. His nerves starting to get the better of him as he thought about the next day when he'd be going to Snape's house, his house, he still couldn't believe it and the anticipation was killing him. He smiled to himself though as he thought about this, he was going to be spending time with him, what he'd been after since the term had started. Wish granted, he snorted and Hermione looked at him as if he was made.

"You guys did something." She commented and he looked up at her.

"Yes." He said not thinking about it and then sighed as he realized what he'd said.

"He's not the guy for me. Friends." He said stiffly, aware that Snape was sitting rather close to them and he wasn't convinced his hearing had decreased in the slightest.

She smiled warmly at him and as soon as dinner was finished they made their way back to the common room, Hermione asking him what his plans were for break. He shrugged and mentioned about his relatives which meant that if she didn't hear from him that she wouldn't need to panic and that Dumbledore was going to be watching over him.

It was late by the time he went to bed, he Hermione and Ginny had spent hours chatting and then getting into some chess to let off steam from the tests that they'd had. Harry was happy that Ginny wasn't all over him and he suspected that Hermione may have said something about him being gay or even that she wasn't his type because she'd certainly been trying to get his eye for a while until a few weeks ago. He sighed loudly as he crawled into bed and rolled onto his side to tightly hold his necklace.

That night, his mind was starting to work overtime and this led to a rather steamy dream which involved Snape and a very naked Harry laying stretched out on a black fur rug, Snape straddling him and pressing their hips together. Once he woke up the next morning he'd again been incredibly hard and the only way it was going to disappear was to run to the showers and relieve himself before heading down to breakfast before the train arrived to take them back to London.

Feeling rather embarrassed about what had transpired in the shower, he flushed red as he looked up and saw the man sitting at the head table, his mug stopping mid air as he regarded the blushing Harry and it had him intrigued.

"Harry, you're seriously going to have to tell me what has you in a bother." Hermione stated as she pushed him down onto the bench, not in his usual spot, more like the middle of the Gryffindor table.

"I have no – "

"I'm not blind, Harry." She said stiffly and he rolled his eyes. There was seriously nothing that got past her but he refused to indulge her with any information.

The rest of breakfast was uneventful although now Harry's butterflies were starting to wake in his stomach and anxiousness was starting to grow steadily as he stepped onto the train with Hermione and it started to speed off towards their destination. Harry was starting to get antsy halfway there and he ended up having to go for a walk to try and calm himself, the cool air helped a little but his mind wouldn't stop thinking about Snape. He thought he was going to be sick when he heard the whistle blow and the train starting to slow down as it meant that he was minutes away from seeing Snape, he was that nervous about the whole thing.

"Bye, Harry. Have a great Christmas. I'll miss you." Hermione said as she hugged him and gave him a smile before finding her parents and going off with them.

"Write to me okay?" Blaise said as he smiled and gave Harry a hug as well.

"I'll try, hope you have a great Christmas." Harry smiled back and the boy nodded before turning and leaving.

Harry waited around the platform and looked around as he waited for Snape to appear, his trunk had already been sent to the house so all Harry had to do was find him and they'd be off. However he couldn't see the man at all and was starting to worry about the fact that maybe he was going to be left all alone in London with no place to go and no means of getting anywhere if he did.

He sighed as he watched parents and grandparents picking the rest of the students up and the hope he had, had vanished completely and he sat there on a bench looking at the side of the Hogwarts Express regretting the decision to ask to stay with Hermione. He looked around the platform again as he looked for the man but it was completely clear and one of the train drivers gave him a sympathetic look before boarding the train and it disappeared off into the distance leaving just Harry and literally no one else.

He stood, put his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and walked towards the barrier between the platform and Muggle Kings Cross. However before he managed to cross the threshold a voice stopped him.

"I thought I told you to wait here." Snape drawled coming closer and Harry turned around to look at him.

"Thought you'd forgotten." He shrugged and Snape frowned.

"Why would I do that?" He asked completely confused and this unguarded emotion was a surprise for Harry.

"No reason." He lied and the man raised an eyebrow.

Of course, Harry had been referring to the time that his relatives had left him at Kings Cross for hours on end because they'd forgotten to come and get him. If it hadn't been for an insistent Hermione who demanded she stay with him until they arrived he'd probably still be standing there.

"Right, well…" He cleared his throat and held out his arm. "Take my arm." He said stiffly and Harry walked up to him placing a tentative hand on the man's forearm and they apparated away with a loud crack.

Again when they appeared, the first thing Harry did was lurch forward and lose his footing only to have Snape grab his waist and pull him back flush against his front and Harry held his breath at the contact. The hands were removed from his waist and Snape came to walk forward and opened the door to inside and looked back at Harry expectantly. Harry hadn't moved because his mind was still reeling from the sudden close contact and was also looking at the exterior of the house.

If he was honest it looked like a dump from the outside, the dark wood paneling were worn and a couple of weatherboards were bowing, not to mention the glass was incredibly dirty and the garden an absolute mess. He wondered why Snape would let his house become this derelict, but his immediate thought after that was wondering how in Merlin's name Dumbledore allowed him to stay in such a place.

"Are you coming or are you going to stand there and gawk all day?" Snape huffed and Harry plucked the courage to follow the man inside.

He gasped as he walked in and heard the door shut behind him. It was nothing like the outside and Harry immediately realized it was a glamour, or the reverse of a glamour on the outside of the house because inside was nothing like he'd ever seen before. Even though the dominant colour was dark browns and blacks all the furniture was polished, the windows spotless, and wooden floors glistening. Harry looked to his right and saw a kitchen that seemed to have all the basics plus a smallish dining table. To his left there was the living area with two high backed arm chairs and nestled between them a couch with a coffee table in front of it. Harry could see the walls were covered in books and he frowned wondering how a man could have so many books, had he read them all? Stepping forward he saw that there was a giant fire and he smiled as he noted there was a plush looking black fur rug in front of it.

Looking straight ahead there was a staircase and Snape told him to follow him as he was taken upstairs where they came to a landing that had four doors within the square area. He pointed to the first door on the left and told him it was his room, the bathroom was the next door on the left, then on the right, the first door was Harry's room and the other was a study.

"Same rules apply here as they did at Hogwarts, absolutely no entry into my room and I would appreciate it if you could leave the study alone for now. If you need somewhere to read or to laze about you may use the living room or your own bedroom. Again, you are not a prisoner in here, Harry and this is your space as well however please respect this space."

Harry nodded, not quite able to find his voice.

"Downstairs through the door by the stairs is the door to my personal lab, again I would appreciate it if you stayed out of there, however if you knock when I am in there I will not turn you away."

Harry nodded again as Snape walked towards Harry's room and opened the door for him, the room was much the same as the rest of the house, dark. It felt comfy however with the large queen bed in the middle of the room with a closet and a set of drawers on the opposite wall and a desk along one of the others. His trunk had already been delivered and he walked over to the bed, sitting down on it and looking around the room in wonder.

"Now, in terms of going outside. This house has many charms placed on it for good reasons. This is first and foremost a Muggle township so if you do end up venturing into the town then I suggest you keep your wand concealed and letting me know where you are going. I have a house elf, her name is Karsha, and so if you need her she will tend to your needs. Meals as well are flexible but I generally stick to the same times as at school."

Harry looked over to him and nodded.

"Any questions?"

"No, sir."

"Very well, I will leave you to it." Snape said and left the room, closing the door gently as he did so.

Harry let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and glanced around the room. So this is Snape's house, he thought in wonder and stood to start unpacking. Opening the wardrobe he noted that it was reasonably sized much like the drawers so he began getting his clothes out and putting them away. He dumped his books on the desk before walking over to the large bay window and looking out over the grounds. The house had a pretty spacious garden and the neighbour's were several meters away giving them some privacy. There wasn't much to look at however and Harry sighed before glancing around the room again and settling himself at his desk. He wanted to keep his mind occupied so he decided that he would start on his homework that had been assigned.

Harry jumped when he heard a pop and flung his chair back, spinning round to find a little elf standing not too far away from him. With wide eyes he put his hand on his chest and tried to control his breathing.

"You're Karsha right?" He said quietly and she nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. My name is Karsha, serving the noble house of Snape." She replied bowing low.

"It's a pleasure." He said, not really knowing what to say and she stood back up to look at him.

"Karsha is here to inform you that dinner is ready, Mr. Potter." She said politely and when he nodded she popped away and Harry looked over at the time.

His eyes went wide again when he'd realized it had been four hours since he'd arrived and he wondered where the time had gone. He left his books where they were, and righting the chair he moved towards the door and headed downstairs. When he arrived down stairs and walked into the kitchen he saw Snape already sitting at the dining table looking rather relaxed and had a goblet of what appeared to be red liquid in his hand. His heart stopped for a brief second as he observed the man who had taken his heavy outer black robe off and was wearing a white button up shirt that had the top two buttons undone, exposing a little of his chest. Harry saw the other place setting that was directly in front of Snape and could feel the man's eyes on him as he went to sit at the table.

His mouth watered at the sight that was in front of him as he eyed the creamy pasta dish that appeared and a glass of juice that filled itself in front of him. Looking up at Snape he saw the man sit up and put the goblet down before reaching for his fork and digging in. He couldn't help but watch the elegant hands that moved the fork around the plate and looked away when he realized he was about to watch the man put the fork in his mouth. He blushed and closed his eyes as if to berate himself for such lack of control, but he'd never been this close to the man eating before so the whole experience was quite intriguing.

Snape wasn't stupid, nor was he blind and he saw Harry watching him with almost awe in his eyes, but that changed into what appeared to be a wave of shame or was it embarrassment? When he realized he'd been staring. He was beginning to think that Harry was looking at him for more than just support and just the thought made something stir within him that, at this moment, was completely inappropriate for the dinner table.

They both ate in silence until they were both finished and Karsha whipped their plates away before Snape stood, taking his goblet and walking through to the living area, leaving Harry sitting there, not really knowing what to do. Although as he sat there, he gave a big yawn and it wasn't until now that he realized his four hours of studying had taken it out of him, especially when coupled with a stressful day. So he stood and glancing over at Snape who was now settled on the couch, he walked over to the rug in front of the fire and lay down, letting the warmth soak through his skin.

It didn't take him long at all to fall asleep in front of the fire, likewise it wasn't long before he fell into another erotic dream about the man who was sitting a meter away from him on the couch. As he lay facing away from the man, his legs started twitching as he felt himself running in his dream; however where he was running to was unknown but he knew that he had to get wherever his legs were taking him fast.

Dream Harry stopped in a field and turned to see a wrecked house in the distance, his curiosity getting the best of him he started walking towards the house with its derelict weather boards and dirty windows. As he walked into the messy garden he cut himself on a thorny bush and he hissed, looking down at his bleeding leg. Presently, Harry rolled onto his back and made a noise of discomfort that gained the attention of Snape who glanced over the top of his book.

In his dream, Harry continued till he was at a door and he knocked on it before it opened in front of him by itself and he walked in. Inside, the house looked old and unused but Harry thought he knew better and kept walking until he came to the living area and the fire roared into life. He felt safe here, something about the space was making him relaxed and he smiled before turning around when he heard a floorboard creak. His jaw went slack and his eyes went wide in disbelief when he saw Snape standing at the bottom of the stairs on only a towel wrapped around his waist and he moaned at the sight. Not only did he moan in his dream, but he moaned out loud in reality and Snape put his book down as he watched Harry obviously having a dream.

He put his book aside and leaned forward as he studied Harry's face and he saw a look of pleasure flit across it before he rolled over and put his face into the fur rug, moaning again but not loudly and Snape raised his eyebrow in interest. He was curious to know what Harry in such a state, especially when Harry flipped back over so he was laying on his back and Snape saw the bulge in his pants. Snape felt that he himself wanted to moan at the sight and he had to do his best not to touch himself as the boy lay in front of him.

Suddenly he picked up his book and opened it to a random page as Harry gasped and moved into a sitting position. Harry was about to groan but remembered where he was and looked to his right where Snape was sitting in front of him, clearly engrossed in his book and this he was grateful for. His dream had had him in the throws of pleasure and if he made any sound at all whilst he lay on the rug he would be mortified. Looking down at himself his eyes grew wide and Jade was laying on the rug in less than a second as he transformed and then slinked from the room. He needed to sort something out, and he wasn't going to do this down here.

After Harry exited the room, a flushed looking Snape sat on the couch, letting his book fall beside him and his head hit the back of the couch. He knew there was only one reason for Harry to act that way, and if his own arousal was anything to go by he knew what the boy would be doing right about now. No, don't think that, he berated himself and he closed his eyes before placing a hand on his tightened pants. He sighed and looked over at the time, it wasn't too early so he decided to head to his room as well.

Hope we are all still enjoying this story.

I don't want to give a spoiler or anything, but chapter 23... ;)