Chapter Forty-Four: Complete

"Do you think you're really going to get trialled as a Death Eater…?" Harry asked from his bed, his head turning to look at Snape. Severus' dark eyes were across the room, his hands in his lap as he was lying against the pillows of his own bed. Madam Pomfrey was making sure they weren't up and running about. Harry was still weak, but having Severus here made him feel stronger.

"And risk your life being bedridden? I highly doubt it," said the Potions master. He looked at Harry, moving himself to the side of the bed, but staying on it when Poppy gave him a warning look. He'd removed his coat now and sat in his trousers and dress shirt—cravat on the bedside table.
"Harry, I apologise for putting you in this position," he said, his hands lowering and sitting between his knees. "I've made you ill… I never intended that—I never intended any of this, really. I'm not stupid and I should have known better, but my temper has proven to be quite… difficult to control whilst I'm around you. And certainly when you're offended."

Fawkes, who was beside Harry on the bed, looked up and watched the Potions master. Harry, on the other hand, lifted his hand to try and stop the other. "Sev… don't blame yourself so much."

"But I am to blame…" said the Slytherin, running a hand through his messy hair. "I knew the risks of getting involved with you and I acted like a child to defend our honour as wizards. In that, I said something I should not have, and certainly in the eyes of the public. I made… another mistake," he admitted.

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. "If you think I'm going to leave you because of what you said-,"

"No, you have proven to me quite well that that would not be the case, that that… would not happen to me again. But it has. You may not be leaving me, Harry, but in turn… I have gotten myself in trouble. I may very well have to leave you…"

Harry leant up onto his elbows. "You won't, though!" he said. "Kingsley will get you out of this…"

"And what if he can't? You must prepare yourself for this. Do you wish to spend the rest of your life sitting in a bed because you're worrying yourself too much?" He moved over to Harry's bed and knelt on the floor, ignoring the look from the two Aurors he got.
"Harry… I'm sorry this happened. I don't want to leave you, and if I was in control—I should have been," he hissed, mentally kicking himself. "It should not be up to the Minister to get me out of such a mess. It was my wrong doing and I have potentially ruined your life. You must prepare yourself for the worst."

At Snape's touch, Harry felt a painful zap, the both of them flinching. "What was that…?" he asked, Fawkes moving over between them. Severus' expression was just as confused. Suddenly, Harry leant up a little, looking at his hands. They seemed to stop feeling to clammy and hot. So did his head…

As Harry leant up quickly, Severus stood up, putting his hand to Harry's shoulder. "Don't force yourself," he said worriedly, which sounded odd. Harry didn't listen, though, sitting himself back up.

"But… I feel… fine," Harry said slowly, looking back up. Actually, he felt brilliant! "Are you okay?" he asked. "I mean, besides the black eye."

The two Aurors seemed to move uneasily closer. Severus kept his eyes on the green ones. Come to think of it… he did feel better. Much better. His headache was gone completely.
Lifting his fingers to his temple, he gently massaged to see if it was really gone or not. Apparently it was. Not even an after-trace of the usual migraine.

"We sparked… Why?" Harry asked, still sitting up in the bed. Madam Pomfrey instantly came rushing over at the sight.

"Potter, what have I told you-,"

"I'm fine… it's gone," said the Gryffindor. As she scanned him, an odd look crossed her face as she looked at him.

"We sparked," Severus informed slowly. The medi-witch seemed just as confused.

"But… you already sparked… months ago, did you not? I thought the bond was…"

Both Harry and Snape looked at one another. "To our knowledge, yes," said the professor. "Either way, what we are does not stop the fact of my actions. I could be locked away in less than a few days if the Prophet is printed."

"It's almost midday…" Harry said, looking at the clock. "They're not really going to take you away, are they!?" he asked, jumping out of bed. Madam Pomfrey twitched at him being up and about but her scans were clean, just like how he felt.
Looking at Snape's black eye, he lifted a hand. "Madam Pomfrey, don't you have anything that could make this clear up?" he said, his fingers hovering over the wound. The least he could do was know Severus was going to get locked up looking better than a punching bag. Actually, maybe a few bruises would make him look more badarse to the others? No, he wasn't thinking like that! Severus wasn't going to get locked away!

"It's fine," said Snape, taking the younger wizard's hand into his own. "Look, I may only have a small amount of time with you here. Please know that… that I do love you, and I'm very sorry that I made you feel that was different. My sentence as a Death Eater will mean the remainder of my life in Azkaban-,"

"But you're not!" Harry said desperately, Severus just looking at him with those sad looking eyes of his. "You're not a Death Eater! You never would have gone that way if-,"

"Stop making excuses for me!" Severus hissed, moving back to his own bed. He couldn't stand how Harry did that. Why couldn't the Gryffindor just accept that he was not a good person back then? He had! And it had allowed him to move on and become a better person in the end.
"You cannot stop this from happening, and the fact of the matter is what I used to be is still a part of my past. I may not be that person anymore, but it still haunts me."
When Madam Pomfrey came over with some dittany, he leant away. "Poppy, stop it," he fussed like a child. At that moment, Fawkes flew over and landed on his shoulder. Snape's expression was clearly annoyed.
"Bloody hell, if it's not one vulture it's another bird," he muttered, Fawkes gripping his shirt to stay up. For a moment, Severus had no idea what the phoenix was trying to do, his face touching his cheek. And then he felt something wet.
Fawkes rubbed his face against him, and soon he had to shut his eye as the bird was getting his now wet feathers all over it. When there was a cool absence, he opened his eyes up and realised his vision was much clearer than it had been—due to the swelling.

When Fawkes flew back to Harry, the Gryffindor just looked at the now clear and unbruised face of the professor. "Fawkes… you… healed him." But why? Why now? After everything Severus had suffered—Nagini, his Dark Mark and then a bloody arrow to his chest? Why now, when it was just a black eye?

Snape eyed the phoenix. "A black eye? It took you a black eye to cry for me!?" he jeered, annoyed as Fawkes just shrugged his wings. He looked away, folding his arms. "If I knew that was all I had to do, then I would have done it months ago."

"It's not that," said a new voice, all eyes in the room turning to Kingsley as he returned.

"It's not what…?" Harry asked, standing back up as he'd sat back on his bed. "Have you found the person behind this? Is Severus okay now?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Nothing as of yet, but this leads me to believe that whoever this is, is not a member of the Ministry. Severus, you have a lot of enemies out there because of your past as a Death Eater and because of your relationship with Potter. Whoever this is… they most likely have contacts within the Ministry but are not a member themselves. Or perhaps they are using curses to control them. We are having our workers checked—called it as casual work physical."

"That could be anyone…" Minerva muttered as she'd returned with Kingsley.

"Is there anyone in particular that might know of you on a more… personal level?" the Minister asked.

"I didn't make a habit of getting close to others. The Dark Lord was the only one who fully trusted me, besides Albus," Snape stated, having stood back up. "It could very well be anybody." That didn't help, and he knew that.

"What of other loyal Death Eaters who made it out alive?" asked Harry, looking to Severus. He seemed uneasy over the whole thing. He supposed Snape would be. Here they were, bringing up a dreadful past of his and trying to discuss it like it was an open book for anyone. This was his private life and something he was ashamed of.

"Potter, most of the loyal Death Eaters either died in the battle or were locked away for good. If you're looking for someone loyal, they would have no means of contacting me. They certainly wouldn't have friends in the Ministry." Lucius Malfoy would never go there again, either. He knew that for a fact. He was simply too afraid.

Hearing the clock chime through the grounds, McGonagall looked up. "The mail will be arriving…"

For a moment, everyone was silent, as if waiting for something to happen, for an uproar to be heard—even though most of the grounds were quiet. Most of the professors would be returning tomorrow. The rest of the students would come back by the train on the 5th.
Suddenly, an owl flapped into the Hospital Wing and tossed the paper onto the bed before flying back out. "Don't touch it," said one of the Aurors, "Not until we've scanned it…"

Severus just watched, moving out of the way when the two Aurors waved him off from the paper sitting placidly on the bed. Harry moved over to him instantly, and he put a hand on his shoulder, just in case he needed to throw himself before Harry, or move him out of the way.

Taking out their wands, both Aurors scanned the paper. "It looks clean… No signs of any magic on it. Just a regular old piece paper," the shorter one said. He picked it up and opened it, a small sliver of parchment falling to the floor. "If anything… it seems Muggle…"
Leaning down, he picked it up and read it, looking at Snape. "It's for you…" he muttered.

"Well, obviously," Snape said, rolling his eyes. The paper was given to him, not anyone else. He stepped forward and took the parchment.

"Paper is clean, too…" said the larger Auror. "Nothing about the incident at all… Guess whatever they have to say is on that piece of parchment."

All shoulders seemed to loosen at the sound of that, but Severus read the letter, quite nervous of the happenings. He, of course, was very good at hiding it. "The paper will be clean today," he stated, looking up at Kingsley. "Perhaps they were frightened away with you in the print room?"

Kingsley took the parchment into his hand and read it. "I doubt it. Not to mention they are threatening that if you don't stand down as Potions master they will print it. And the amount of Galleons they want from you…? I wouldn't miss that if I were you."

"Why would his teaching career be an issue to anyone?" Harry asked, though looking at Severus. His stomach tightened at the thought of Severus standing down. What the hell would he do?
"Wait, what about Professor Desiree!? She loathed you! She pretty much wanted you gone when she was sacked…"

"You really think she is capable of that?" asked Minerva, looking between the two.

"She was pretty pissed…"

"Potter," Snape muttered. "Be that as it may, she is no Death Eater. She knows nothing of my history besides what others would know. Why follow me until I let some racial slip come out?"

Kingsley stepped in. "Why was I not informed of this before?"

"Not everything at Hogwarts is a crisis involving Potter…" Snape scoffed. "She was merely the substitute whilst I was recovering. I make no illusion to know that the Ministry still spies on Hogwarts. Professors, students, even. Yet how Skeeter has gotten in here after everything she's done? And then Desiree? I'm getting potentially tossed into Azkaban for a racial slip, and yet Skeeter gets away with squatting in a school full of students."

Kingsley didn't say anything about the spies. "Even so, if there is a suspect, I would like to know. As for Skeeter, she knows many people. We have been keeping tabs on her but she does have powerful friends. Sometimes she slips from the radar. Even when she was in Hogwarts… we tried tailing her. We've tried registering her, too. Yours and Potter's relationship was only a matter of time before it got out."

Severus just glared.

"I can give you the information on Desiree," Minerva said, not even wanting to start on Skeeter and the amount of rules she has broken in her past and most likely her future. Kingsley was right, though, she had powerful friends. Friends that the Ministry would rather not have to deal with.
"In the meantime, I think it best if you two read through this." She handed the other professor a scroll of parchment. "And you may return to your room if Poppy sees fit."

Harry looked curiously at the papers, wondering what they could be. When Madam Pomfrey nodded to the both of them, they grabbed their belongings and headed back to the dungeons and sat inside Snape's office—Fawkes tailing them. When they finally got in, Harry couldn't help but exhale loudly.
"Do you really think it could be Desiree?" he asked. Sure, she had been a bitch and had clearly threatened them, but honestly? She didn't even end up writing anything about them in the papers! Snape's threat seemed to have worked. But maybe she'd just been so bitter about the whole thing it was swallowing her whole? Maybe she finally got an idea? Or perhaps this was her plan all along? To stalk them. But how would she even know they were there!? Mere coincidence?

Severus sat at his desk. The writing was not handmade on the parchment, he could tell that much. It was from a self-writing quill, which meant there wasn't a way to trace it back. Most of the quills had a very simple charm on them so they all looked similar. Right now, it was in Kingsley's possession and he figured the two Aurors were inspecting everything they could.
"I would not underestimate a scorned witch, Harry," he said, his hands going to his desk. "Professor Desiree was quite cunning and I would not underestimate her ways of revenge. Being part Veela, you must realise that if she is doing this, she would most likely have a man with her. Perhaps even Muggle. They wouldn't stand a chance against her charm. It could explain why a Muggle captured what happened and why it was on such an instrument."

Harry wanted to roll his eyes at the thought of her. Professor Desiree might have been a gorgeous witch, but she was still wrong in the head. What she had done to the both of them, getting into their business? It was wrong. And then trying to get Snape's job? Wrong again. Was this some kind of personal vendetta against Severus, or did she just desperately want his job? Or was she really a Death Eater all along and no one knew? Would she seriously go this far just to rid Severus?
"Do you know anything about her? About her before she taught?"

"I haven't seen her before in my life, Potter, and I've seen many witches and wizards. I don't even know what her intent would be to lock me away. My job? Why is Hogwarts' Potions professor so important to her?"

"Well, you never saw her arms… She always wore sleeves… kinda like you."

"Are you insinuating that she was a Death Eater and that I swear long sleeves simply to hide my Mark?" Severus stated, raising a brow. That was ridiculous. "Harry, since the war, there are… certain tests you must go through to become a professor here. Including scans that can tell if you were previously a Death Eater or not. Or a prisoner of Azkaban." They were all numbered and marked.

Harry just looked at Snape. "Th-then why are you still teaching…?"

"Well, I thought my loyalties would have been obvious," said the Potions master, his eyes going flat. "A former Death Eater could very well have turned sides like I had, but it would be difficult for them to prove their loyalties had changed. Most didn't and will not. The Dark Lord became religion to them.
"Now, I was unconscious for several days after the war, but going back to teaching, I was informed of the changes of rules at the start of the year. I may have a grim past, but my loyalties have been true for years here under Dumbledore and Hogwarts. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be working here today."

"And former Death Eaters?"

"I am the only one," Severus said, looking up. "If Professor Desiree were a Death Eater, I would have known. The Headmistress would have informed the staff. As prejudicial as it may be—I know from firsthand experience—there are precautions that are in place. However, due to laws, it is against the law to say no to someone due to their… differences."

"Like Lupin, you mean…" It was not a question.

Severus nodded. "We may be witches and wizards, but we are still taught to tolerate. Not that I showed that with my actions previously…" he muttered.

Harry looked down. "It's my fault, Sev. I knew you wouldn't get along, and I knew it was a bad idea. I wanted to go by myself but the school rules… I didn't want anyone else to come with me. It would have been even more awkward."

"More awkward than it already had been?" asked Snape, a small scoff coming from him. "Harry, you are not to blame for what happened between myself and your aunt and uncle. I cannot take back what I said and I don't wish to. I am not fond of what is left of your family, but for you, I would have stayed if necessary."

"Then why did it end up the way it had?" asked Harry, a sceptical brow lifting.

"I never said I'd be polite. I said I'd stay," Severus said with a smirk. "I won't apologise for wanting to protect you."

Harry just moved over to the desk. "What are we supposed to be reading, then?" he asked, wanting to move on from what had happened. At least, for now, they knew that today the papers wouldn't have anything in them. It wouldn't make it anymore easier to deal with, but it did give them time. Right now, that's all he wanted. Time with Severus.

Taking the parchment, Severus laid it onto the table, brow soon furrowing. Kingsley had had this all along and didn't decide to tell them!? If Kingsley wasn't the Minister and trying to help him, he would have marched back to the Headmistress' office and given him a piece of his mind.
"I think you best read this," he murmured. There were two copies, and he handed the other to Harry, the Gryffindor adjusting his glasses and reading.
On the paper explained some of the information on the bond that they could never get a hold of. Kingsley had known this all along and had kept it from them? When they were both in the dark and confused, trying to figure out what this all was, and potentially escape it? It was with the Ministry all along…

Harry looked back at Snape… "Wait… so all this time…? You…"

"Apparently not…" Severus stated.

"Then why did you get so sick?"

"Because your magic was still bonded to me. It was why I felt effects from you. Not my magic, but yours… We were still bonded, just not… completed."

Harry looked down at the paper. "And Fawkes? Why he finally cried."

"I suppose he could tell that the bond completed when I touched you…" All this time, he couldn't believe it. He hadn't even fully bonded to Harry. It had all been the Gryffindor—and… well… his own feelings. And the passion shared between them? All Harry. Well, his magic would have had a part in it, but not like bonded magic. He had to have still part-way bonded to Harry just because of his feelings, but not completing it? He knew he'd been confused, but really?
He looked down at his desk. Was this a good thing? Was it a bad thing? He didn't know. Either way, it was Harry who had bonded to him first, and due to his magic clinging onto his, things had intensified between them. But for all this time? He knew they had a connection somehow because his magic had been playing up as well. They were still bonded, or at least attracted to one another. His magic just never completed the bond until now.
It took all this time? Why? He thought that bonds could only happen if their magic was compatible to begin with. That was it, not a waiting period between them. Clearly it was in the end if they had both finally bonded, but… why? The document said that his magic would have played a part—clearly—but it just hadn't fully accepted the bond (until now).

"How long have you been questioning your feelings for me?" asked Harry, Fawkes making a soft chirp in the background. He put the parchment into the desk and stood in front of the seated professor. "I knew things were difficult for you to-,"

"It's not like that," said Snape, standing back up. He made his way over to Harry and stood before him. "Harry, I think we both know how confusing it was for the both of us to accept these feelings. Years of hating one another and determination to get on each other's nerves? It was not easy for either of us to come to terms with this relationship."

"Yeah, but… why did I bond to you first? Why not at the same time? I thought that's how these things happened. That's what Hermione always said. It's what convinced me that you did have feelings for me. She said that you had to have if there was a bond."

"I'm afraid magic does not always make logical sense," said Severus. "If it did, this whole mess would have been sorted out months ago. What Miss Granger said was part-way true. I did have feelings for you. With your magic already connected to mine, it still has an effect on the waiting partner.
"The document stated that bonds only form to those who are meant to be together. If we truly hated one another, it would not have happened. Clearly something in us had bonded and it simply took me this long to finally accept it all. I am older than you, and much more in control of my magic… I suppose that affected my half of the bond."

Harry tried to nod. "What do you mean by 'sorted out'?" he asked sceptically.

Severus got the feeling Harry was not taking this the way it should be taken. Their bond was complete now! If anything, this was good news for the both of them!
"This is good news, Harry. Out of everything that is happening, this is the best news," he stated. "It explains everything. Why we sparked previously in the hospital-wing. It was signifying the finalisation of our bond. Why Fawkes allowed his tears to heal my wounds."

"But what does Fawkes have to do with any of this?" the younger wizard asked. Of course he was more than happy to know that Severus' magic had finally accepted the bond but he was wondering why it took this long! Why did he always question things when they had already done so much together? Shared so much together within just a few months of their lives and relationship?

Severus looked at the phoenix, who was perched on his post. "Because he knew all along. Creatures are not like us, Harry. They can sense things before they happen. They can see things we cannot. Fawkes knew the bond was happening. His 'loyalty' to me was a constant reminder of Albus, and in turn, a constant reminder of you. His presence was here to… trap my thoughts. His loyalty has always been to you, and in doing that, he wants you happy. He wanted this. For us to be together." It was all coming together now—as manipulative as it sounded.

This time, Harry looked at the phoenix. Somehow, in a crazy way, it was all starting to make sense to him as well. "It's why he never cried for you… isn't it?" He shook his head, looking back at Snape. "Because he was loyal to me, and only me. But… when the bond completed… he… he became loyal to you, too."

That was the only way of explaining it.

"But, then why didn't he cry when I wanted him to? To heal you when you were suffering?"

"He must have known I wouldn't pass," Severus muttered. "The pain was obviously worth it in the end. It was only your magic that ceased the pain. It was only you being there beside me that made it a quick recovery. Your magic is strong, and all this time I thought it was the both of ours. Fawkes didn't heal me because, in the long run, he knew it was what pushed us together—my suffering being a sacrifice I had to take."
He lifted his hand, pushing Harry's fringe from his eyes. "Harry, this couldn't come at a worse time. If I am put in prison and the bond is complete… I don't know what will happen. We were sick because the bond wasn't complete and because you were fretting. Now that it is complete, those effects are going to be very raw."

"But the information said that it would make us stronger," said Harry, his hand motioning to the parchment on Severus' desk.

"And weaker…" Severus made clear. "The bond is fresh. It will need time to settle. If you rip it apart now, it would be like reopening a recently healed wound."

Harry felt his gut tighten at all this new information. This would have been useful ages ago when things had started out. Why had Kingsley hidden it from them? He gathered he didn't trust Snape. Or maybe he knew that Snape hadn't accepted the bond and that was enough to think he really was in it to kill him and was still a loyal Death Eater. Wasn't the fact that they were sharing the same bed enough information for others to know that they were serious about this relationship? Or did people really see Severus as some kind of wild animal in the sack?
"What's going to happen if you… if you get taken away?" he asked, looking up to the other wizard. He swallowed hard. He was trying to keep calm over all of this but he could feel his heart pounding beneath his ribcage. He'd never been known to keep his cool in situations.

Severus shook his head. "I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair for a moment before walking back over to his desk and picking up the documents. It would have been nice if Kingsley didn't hide this shit from them but he had a sneaking suspicion why. He didn't trust Severus, and in turn, Severus didn't trust him. But Kingsley did have his reasons. His past was not clean and he knew that. He was sure, if anything, it was to protect Harry.
There was a knock on the door and both of them turned. He dropped the papers and headed over, opening it. At the sight of the Auror, he mentally rolled his eyes.

"Didn't think I'd be letting you go so easily, did you?" said the Auror.

"Wouldn't dream of it…" Severus muttered sarcastically, though allowing the other wizard in.

At the sight of the Auror, Harry's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" he downright seethed. He hated that this was what people would think he'd be like when an Auror. He would no way beat a helpless prisoner.

"Mister Snape has still committed a crime, Mister Potter. He will still be charged."

"What!?" Harry asked, though the Auror putting his hand up. His teeth gritted as his jaw tightened.

"Under orders, you are to be under surveillance, just in case someone really is threatening to harm you, or you wish to make a run for it. Don't fret, Mister Potter, Severus will just be given a fine for his actions. A warning to not do it again—at least in public, anyway."
When the younger wizard didn't say anything else, he grabbed a pad from out of his pocket and wrote up a ticket, handing it to the professor. "Here. Unless you wish to go against it in the Ministry Court."

"I'll just pay it," Snape muttered, snatching the paper and putting it into his pocket. He then watched as the Auror scanned the surroundings and closed the Floo network to his fireplace.

"I will be outside. If you need anything, I will escort you… personally."

"What about me?" said Harry.

"You are free to go. You are not who I am here to watch."

"You really should apologise for hitting him…" said the Gryffindor. The Auror just looked at Snape for a moment before returning to him. "You know, for an Auror, you really don't need to show your strength by hitting someone who is already down. Not very manly of you…"

The Auror's hands clenched and Severus snorted. "Like I'd want sympathy from an oaf like that. Just leave it, Potter," he stated. "Now, get out of my office. As far as I'm concerned, you needn't be in here. And I'd like for you to collect the ingredients you so viciously let go astray in the Forest."
The larger man didn't say anything to Snape's satisfaction and left the room, closing the door behind him. He mentally scoffed to himself. Damnit, he really needed those ingredients back to get into the potion he was brewing.

"I'll stay with you," said Harry, moving forward. "If you have to go away… I want as much time with you as possible, okay? And Hagrid's got your ingredients… We picked them up after…"

Severus looked at the green eyes before him. He could tell they were sad without even having to read Potter's mind. Harry was trying to be strong and calm, but inside, he knew it was turmoil. But he nodded, letting the Gryffindor take a seat. He didn't think he'd enjoy being alone right now, anyway.

*****
It was late, and Severus had removed his robes, lying on the bed with his boots off. He rested a hand beneath his head, his other on his chest. He was trying not to think about Azkaban, but it was near impossible. If this did print, and they claimed he was a Death Eater, he could be spending the rest of his life in prison if everyone voted that way in a trial. For one, simple slip, and because someone wanted some serious revenge and money in their hands.
Harry hadn't asked about the money and it was something he was trying to avoid. He was sure Potter would eventually ask when it all came up, but the younger wizard was trying to be calm—for his sake, no doubt. It was a sweet notion, to try and not worry, but the fact of the matter was that his life was basically on the line here. If he was locked away, there was no telling what could really happen now that the bond was completed and fresh.
As the bathroom door opened, he ignored Harry as he walked out from having a shower. To be honest, most of the time they showered together if they were both in the room, but he hadn't felt like moving much. Or perhaps he just didn't want to touch what he could possibly be losing. It wasn't fair to do that to himself or to Harry. To spend a night together, to have that taste and then have it torn away? He couldn't do it.

"Severus…?" Harry asked, adjusting his pyjamas. Snape just looked away. He swallowed softly, venting a sigh as he moved towards the bed.
"Kingsley will find the person behind this, okay?"

"We won't find that out until the morning," muttered Snape, turning onto his side and away from Harry. He closed his eyes, wishing it would all just go away. He'd already been through so much. He knew his life would never be easy—it never had been—but with Harry? Things had changed. He thought for the better. Here he was, feelings some of the most amazing feelings, and yet… when he finally had something to live for, it could be stripped away from him.

Harry put a hand on Snape's shoulder. "That doesn't mean tonight has to be bad. Or lonely. I'm here," he said reassuringly. "You're not going to go through this alone."

"Trust me, if it were just me, I wouldn't care," said Snape, his back still turned. He felt movement on the bed and Harry had moved behind him, the warmth from the shower against him.
"Many times I told myself I belonged in Azkaban for my actions towards your family. Towards Muggle-borns and Muggles."

"Yeah, but you're not like that anymore… Anyone would be a fool to believe those things. And if not for your sake, then mine. I wouldn't love a racist Muggle hater."

Severus looked over his shoulder, giving Harry an odd look. "People don't care for the positive, Potter. They feed on the tragedies of other people's misfortunes. They don't care about you, and if they did, it would simply be because of your Death Eater partner now that the Dark Lord is gone."

Taken aback, Harry just looked at Snape. But he knew he was just being snippy because deep down he was worrying himself to death over the whole thing. He leant in a little closer. "Sev, if this is our last night together, please don't make it difficult. The last thing I want to happen is a fight."

Brow furrowing, Severus looked back over his shoulder, mentally sighing. He moved onto his back, his hands on his chest. "You sound certain that this would actually be the last night I spend here."

"Look, I don't really know how all this justice stuff happens, to be perfectly honest. But Kingsley is certain it won't go down that path. I'm just worried…"

"I'd have the right to a trial either way," Severus stated. He looked at Harry who was now lying beside him. "I wouldn't be put in Azkaban right away. I'd be put in a holding cell."

"You've gone through this before, haven't you?"

"Albus was able to persuade the Ministry that I was not a Death Eater… There was little of a trial. When Karkaroff gave me up, well… you saw—Albus informed me."

"You have no idea what Azkaban is really like from the inside, then, do you?"

Severus shook his head. "Just the stories. Some brutal and beyond what I could physically endure… I wouldn't last long, Harry." He looked back to those green eyes and pushed himself up. "If this truly is the last night as a free wizard I will spend with you, then I wish for it to be peacefully."

Harry nodded, moving himself across the Slytherin's thigh. He clutched his arm around it, as if not wanting to let go. Their night was silent, but a thousand words were shared between them.