Apologies to all you awesome readers, but I am back writing this story and the others so keep a look out for the updates.

:)

"Mr. Potter, for the love of Merlin stop before it explodes."

Harry had just been about to pour the vial of Unicorn blood into his cauldron when he heard Severus's baritone voice and he froze looking confused at the situation. He took a closer look at the instructions on the piece of paper and realized his mistake straight away and felt his cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment for being so stupid in front of Severus.

"I uh – "

"Honestly Potter, Madame Pomfrey shouldn't have let you out." Severus continued, this time in a sneer but Harry knew deep down that he didn't truly mean it.

"Mr. Zabini, help him."

"Yes, sir." Blaise replied and stepped a little closer.

"What's with you today, I saw you nearly chop your finger off before." Blaise whispered once the class focused back on their own potions.

"I just feel really lightheaded, must be the fumes." Harry whispered back before they both got stick into their work.

By the end of class, Harry had a thumping headache and had to blink a few times so he could keep his eyes focused. Madame Pomfrey had told him this might happen so he knew that all he needed was some fresh air to clear his head.

After thanking Blaise for his help, Harry said he was going to head outside and caught sight of Hermione and Ron walking out of the classroom so he caught up with them and called out. They were hesitant to stop at first but through better judgment Hermione turned around and faced Harry who was now looking slightly ill and her mothering instincts took over.

"Blimey, Harry you don't look so good." Ron said taking his arm and Harry nodded.

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to you guys." Harry said and his friends nodded before Hermione took his other side and they made their way to the main courtyard.

Once they were settled on the bench with Harry sitting in the middle, he addressed them both and started out by apologizing for his actions over the year. Hermione had huffed originally but surprisingly Ron had made the effort to let Harry have his say before they jumped to conclusions. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that he felt a little bad still for his reaction at the start of the year when he found out Harry was gay.

"I wanted to explain a couple of things to you guys. We've always been a tight group and I'm finding it hard these days when we don't talk to each other. I want my friends back." Harry started and they nodded for him to continue.

"I don't live with the Dursley's anymore… Well I don't actually live anywhere at the moment."

"What?" His friends said simultaneously.

"This is kind of hard to say, so please just keep this to yourselves." Harry told them and they nodded again, Hermione taking on a sad persona and Ron a curious one.

"All my life, Uncle Vernon has been abusing me," Hermione gasped at this but Harry plowed on ahead, "This summer, well it was different and yes I did actually meet a couple of guys the year above us, they showed me a little bit of what a teenager did I guess along with… other…things… But it also landed me in more trouble with my relatives. By that I mean the beatings got worse and I don't know why it happened but Dumbledore had sent someone to check on me…"

He stopped, trying to not let the tears fall, he had been dreading telling them this and dredging up the past because he felt like he'd had those wounds healed. He felt a hand on his knee and looked down to see Hermione's hand resting on it and gently squeezing.

"Oh, Harry…" She didn't really know what to say so Harry decided to continue on just to break the silence that had been cast over them.

"One morning, I woke up and I was here, in the Infirmary. Dumbledore told me that I wasn't going to go back there and he had all my stuff sent here, although Hedwig had gone missing for a couple of weeks, which is why I didn't get your letters."

"That's okay mate, considering the circumstances." Ron chimed in and Harry gave him a small smile.

"This bit… this next bit really needs to stay between us okay? I'm not supposed to say anything but you guys have a right to know."

"You can tell us anything, Harry." Hermione soothed.

"Dumbledore… probably against his better judgment decided that it be best I get placed in the care of a Professor for the rest of the break. Let me assure you I was not happy about it and neither was he when Dumbledore volunteered him but neither of us really had a choice. For the summer, I lived with Snape." Harry blurted the last bit out quietly but it was rather sudden because he didn't know what other way to say it.

"This explains a lot." Hermione muttered but there was no venom in her voice.

Ron on the other hand was coughing and spluttering all over the show and Harry gave him a worried sideways glance, not liking his reaction to the news.

"Why couldn't you stay with us?" Ron finally said after getting over his fit and Harry looked down.

"Please don't be offended, but I just wanted to be alone and be by myself. I didn't particularly feel like being around anyone and if you asked the other Professors I'm sure they'd have said the same. It wasn't all that bad living with Snape though, he was good to talk to." Harry continued on, he didn't want to make this a big issue so he kept his voice light but cautious.

"Oh, that's where these really came from too." Harry said as he pulled out his pendant and pulled his sleeve back to reveal the bangle.

"Professor Snape gave them to you?" Hermione was a little dubious at this but Harry nodded positively.

"This was a birthday present," Harry said point to his neck, "And this was for over the Christmas break so that he could keep an eye on me. I just haven't really gotten round to taking it off but I guess if I had of taken it off then he wouldn't have saved me in time the other night."

"Wait, how does that work? You rode the train with us at Christmas." Ron said mildly confused.

"Dumbledore thought it best if I did, Snape came to collect me once everyone had gone." Harry shrugged.

There was silence for a good few minutes and Harry was starting to suffocate on what he thought to be tension from the others. He was wrong however and soon Hermione broke the silence by turning to him and taking him in for a side hug.

"So all this time, the sneaking around and the excuses… Was because you didn't want to tell us this?"

"I thought you wouldn't understand and both Dumbledore and Snape had told me not to." Harry tried but she shook her head.

"I may not know explicitly what it's like to be in your situation, Harry but I'm always willing to try and make sure you're okay. I'm sorry by the way, for acting as I have because I really did think that something was going on between you and Professor Snape."

"He's more like a guardian, Hermione and I may be gay… but Snape? Really?" Harry said as a way of defending his actions and she simply nodded.

"I understand that but I also think that you're letting it get far more personal than you should. Remember that first and foremost he is a Professor. I think you need to be careful, but I can understand if you feel more comfortable talking to him than Professor McGonagall."

"I can't," Ron started and Harry's head whipped round to see his friend sort of smiling, "but I guess I can still be here for you too, you know, if you ever wanted to talk about things." He offered and Harry smiled.

He felt the tension from the whole day leave his body and his head felt immediately calmer and clearer now that he had got that off his chest. He smiled, relieved and his friends stood with him as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I have one question though." Ron said and Harry turned to him as they all walked towards the main entrance.

"Where did you go last night?" He continued and Harry swallowed a lump suddenly in his throat.

He wondered if he could get away with being honest with his answer to this question and realized quickly that any other excuse was going to be dubious. He sighed and cleared his throat before telling them that he stayed in a bedroom that had been specifically set up for him over the summer in Snape's quarters. He waited for the onslaught of accusations and a number of school rules he'd broken but none came and when he looked at both their faces they didn't seem to mind his answer which he found odd but didn't let it bother him as he led the group to the library.

By dinner that night, Harry was exhausted and almost fell asleep at the dinner table, narrowly missing the mashed potato on his plate. He was jolted awake though when he felt a tingle on his wrist and he peered down to read the message from Severus.

Are you okay? You look very tired. Your friends know about everything?

Harry didn't reply, he felt that it was too soon to be acting as though he was communicating with the man and he had just caught sight of Hermione peering at him so he decided to leave it and glanced up to the head table instead.

He found Severus's eye already on him and he quickly had to look away, suddenly feeling the weight of what he and Severus were doing behind closed doors and he found his throat going a little dry. It was almost as if someone had turned on an emotional tap in Harry's head and he found himself questioning everything that he had been doing with the man, every time coming to the conclusion that if they were caught, something bad would happen.

"Harry, you're looking ill again." Hermione noted and Harry nodded before he stood suddenly and felt his world spinning.

He grabbed onto Ron's shoulder to catch his balance and his friend jumped up to take his arm and helped him from the Great Hall. Ron had basically finished his dinner anyway so Harry didn't feel too bad and before long they were staggering through the portrait to the Gryffindor common room and Harry sagged into the couch, closing his eyes as a wave of nausea washed over him.

"Shouldn't you go to the Infirmary?" Hermione said but Harry shook his head.

"Madame Pomfrey said this would happen, just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine." Harry replied and she nodded.

Sure enough, half an hour later Harry felt fine and he managed to sit up and take in his surroundings properly. He had received another message just before and it made Harry's heart beat ever so slightly faster but he had refrained from replying again and justified to himself that he would answer when he went to bed, which judging by the time it wasn't too far away. So standing he said goodnight to his friends he slowly made his way up the stairs and within a couple of minutes he was tucked up in bed and gripping his wrist to send a message back.

Sorry for not replying. My friends took it well but we will have to be careful. Hermione doesn't like it.

He thought honesty was best but once he sent it he knew it was the wrong thing to say and he felt his stomach knotting. Feeling a reply come through he set his eyes on the bangle and sighed in relief.

We can talk about that later, how are you feeling?

Harry closed his eyes and thought about his reply this time before sending it.

Tired, was a little light headed before but I should be okay for tomorrow.

There was a couple of minutes before a reply and Harry was getting drowsy.

Don't over exert yourself, I will see you tomorrow. Sleep well.

Harry smiled at the message and sent his goodnight wishes back before he made himself comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

A whole week had passed and Harry had almost caught up on all the work that he had missed whilst he was in the Infirmary. Severus's class had been the worst to catch up on because the man hadn't let him brew anything since the incident in class where he'd nearly blown the classroom up. Currently however, Harry was packing his books away at the end of their last class on Friday, Potions when he heard Severus calling his name, so he made his way over to the front desk.

"Yes, sir?"

Harry stood in front of the man's desk and fiddled with the straps on his bag. Harry hadn't gotten round to seeing the man out of classes since he came out of the Infirmary and for some reason he was feeling a familiar pleasure filling the pit of his stomach. He looked up at the man and could see Severus's gaze was just past his head but he didn't dare turn around, he didn't have to because he knew it would be Hermione and Ron waiting for him.

He truly did love his friends, but considering Harry was still hiding a massive secret from them he found it annoying how they were always hovering around him. He couldn't say he blamed them, the couple of days when he was out and about he had had continual dizzy spells and they were concerned about him.

Harry looked up again when he heard Severus clear his throat and locked eyes with the man.

"You need to catch up on the Potion's that you have missed over the past week. You will start now." His voice was laced with a little annoyance and sarcasm, which oddly filled him with joy.

"N-Now, sir?" Harry stuttered, aware that his friends were behind him somewhere.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Potter. Perhaps you would prefer to do them in detention after dinner then?"

There was no time for Harry to reply before the man turned quickly and then stalked from the room but not before muttering 'perfect' sarcastically as he went. Harry had followed him with his eyes and when he turned to face the door, Hermione and Ron were in fact standing there so Harry shrugged his shoulders as he made his way out of the room.

"He seems to have reverted back to his usually bat-like self." Ron muttered as they walked up the stairs.

"Tell me about it." Harry replied halfheartedly.

"Have you spoken to him since you left the Hospital wing?" Hermione asked curiously and Harry shook his head.

Well, it was almost the truth because he had only messaged him a couple of times since then to ensure that he avoided suspicion.

"No and quite frankly if this is his attitude, tonight isn't going to be pretty." He lied as they walked into the main entrance and they bumped into Ginny.

"Oh hey you lot, say Harry are you keen to get back into some Quidditch?" The red head asked and Harry's eyes lit up, he had completely forgotten about his favourite sport.

"Oh, yeah I'd – "

"You have homework remember?" Hermione interrupted.

"Let the man have some fun." Ron then chimed in pulling on Harry's arm and dragging him up the stairs with Ginny following closely behind.

"Well it won't be my fault if you fall behind, just don't get hurt." Hermione called from in the entrance way them but at this moment Harry didn't really care, he wanted to spend some time with his friends.

As they walked towards the Quidditch pitch, Ginny and Ron were discussing something related to future games but Harry wasn't listening as he took in the fresh air and familiar grassy smell. He couldn't wait to get up into the air again, so without delay he jumped on his broom and sped off towards the pitch with the faint voices of his friends fading into nothing as he soared high into the sky.

Harry wasted no time in twisting and turning through the stands and went high enough that he disappeared into the clouds and out of view. He came to a stop when he couldn't see anything around him due to the white puffs and allowed himself to enjoy the solitude.

"Hey!"

Harry jerked to the side and held on for dear life as Ginny suddenly burst through the clouds giving him a fright and as he righted himself he heard her girlish laugh.

"That totally isn't funny." Harry said trying to sound put out.

Ginny simply laughed again and playfully punched him as she came closer before yelling, "you're it," and disappearing again.

Smiling for what Harry thought seemed like forever, he shot after her and they were soon joined by Ron as the darted through the sky and weaved between the stands.

By the time they were done outside, they had recruited several other students from Gryffindor and were playing a mock game of Quidditch before it became too dark and they headed back towards the castle. Harry hadn't felt this happy for a few weeks and as they entered the common room he continued to laugh and joke around with his friends not even feeling a tingling feeling on his wrist.

Harry and Ron mucked around for another half hour before Harry looked over to see Hermione furiously writing at a desk in the corner and he remembered that he had work to complete, so quickly jumping up and getting some of his homework from the dorm, he went over to join her. She didn't seem to acknowledge the fact he was there until she looked up and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm here, Hermione. I just needed a break." He reassured her and she smiled a little before they both got stuck into their work.

They worked up until dinner time and Harry had to go and retrieve his bag with all his potions gear ready for his night lessons with Severus. It wasn't until now that he looked down at his wrist and saw the fading message from the man who was taunting him for being outside when he should have been studying and it made Harry frown. He wondered if the Slytherin head of house had been spying on him but thought that was ridiculous as he fell into step with his friends descending the stairs towards the Great Hall.

Dinner was a quiet affair for Harry and he glanced up at the head table a couple of times, his eyes catching Severus's as he did and making him feel giddy. He couldn't understand why but he was excited to see the man, it had been too long for him even though it had only been a week or so since they were last together. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked away as he felt the tingle on his skin.

I hope you're ready for brewing.

Harry frowned as he thought it strange for Severus to say such a thing. Sure he wanted to be with the man but he knew that at some stage he was going to have to catch up with the students.

I am, I have my bag.

He replied and then poked at his now cold meat before sighing and pushing the plate away. He couldn't really explain how he felt at this moment and it was confusing him slightly so he decided to just push everything to the back of his mind and try to focus on the conversations happening around him.

"Here he comes mate." Ron whispered to Harry and he turned to see Severus stalking towards them.

Severus simply raised an eyebrow at them and didn't say a word as he passed expecting that Harry would follow him. Getting the hint, Harry huffed to show his friends he wasn't happy before standing and waving goodbye to them.

Once he was out in the corridor he hurried so he could catch up with the man and fell into step with him. He looked over at him and smiled but Snape seemed to ignore him and he frowned again, looking straight ahead and remaining silent for the rest of the journey.

Harry walked into the Potion's classroom and saw a cauldron and ingredients all set up at the front table so he made his way over to it and set his bag on the floor. He looked at the items in front of him and immediately felt a weird sort of tension in the air as Severus started to walk towards him. It was weird because Harry hadn't felt something so electric between them and he felt like their was a weight crushing his heart, a heart that suddenly felt like it exploded right out of his chest when Severus started speaking to him from behind.

"Nail Growth potion. We will start with this one and over the next few weeks complete the rest."

"Okay." Harry responded quietly as Severus came to stand on the other side of the desk, sitting and watching him.

"The longer you take now will mean less time together later." Severus suggested with a twitch of his lips and Harry smiled after nodding and got to it.

Harry seemed to be doing pretty well, there were only a couple of things Severus corrected him on but other than that by the time he had finished his potion was looking almost perfect he thought. He smiled at his achievement as the man inspected his potion and gave a curt nod before standing and going over to his desk where he pulled some parchment out and scratched down Harry's results.

"I dare say that this is almost perfect, Mr. Potter." He said looking up from the parchment to see Harry's face fall and his confident demeanor change.

He stood up straight and went over to his Gryffindor, standing in front of him and taking the boy's chin with his forefinger and thumb to pull his head up. There was an odd current of something shoot through the spot where he was touching Harry and his heart started racing a little faster. He could see in Harry's eyes that the boy had felt it as well so wasting no time he picked Harry up by the back of his legs, enticing the boy to wrap them around his waist as he pulled him over to his desk at the front of the room and sat him on the edge.

In a couple of blurry seconds, Severus was crushing his lips on Harry's with an urgency that he realized Harry was returning. It had been too long for them to be doing this, it was almost as if time had been testing the two of them to see if they should truly be together and Severus knew that with this urgency that his feelings towards Harry were true even though they were completely illegal.

Harry was writhing for touch, his heart was beating at dangerous levels as Severus seemingly attacked him with kisses and he found himself clawing at the man's black robes to pull him closer. He had missed the man, but until this moment he didn't know that he had missed the man quite this much and with idea that it was Severus that who had the lapse in self control made his already furiously beating heart flutter with hope and happiness.

Severus suddenly pulled away and Harry whined at the loss as he took in the flushed features of his Professor. The man lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek, which Harry leaned into and smiled lazily as they locked eyes.

"My apologies, Harry." He said almost breathlessly and Harry smiled.

"Don't. I'm not." He replied softly.

"Come, let's go somewhere that is more comfortable." Severus suggested and Harry nodded, he quickly picked up his bag before following the man out of the room and looking both ways as they walked down the corridor.

Okay things will be getting steamy soon. Just hang in there!