Scene Eighteen (Chat with Friends)

"Oh Harry, it's so romantic!" Hermione gushed.

"What?" Harry blinked, eyes wide in bafflement

Ron snorted around his mouthful of food.

Harry had just spent weeks gathering the courage to tell Ron and Hermione everything (after Mione had demanded to know why he was 'apparently' moping around the burrow) Harry had expected looks of pity, a good berating for his poor life choices maybe; instead, he was rather shocked that Hermione thought it was all so bloody lovely. Harry thought her research material for this must be tied up in one of her cheesy romance novels.

"How the hell is being a naïve, moronic dickhead, who nearly kills his fucking ex-boyfriend, and takes forever to realise that he has a crush on a man twice his age – who, I might add, probably thinks I am nothing more than a stupid arrogant arsehole just like my father – romantic?"

Hermione twat him over the head with the book she had with her.

"OW! What was that for?" Harry complained, rubbing his head.

"You're so oblivious, Harry!"

Ron laughed around a bite into his sandwich.

"Oi, you can laugh!" Harry turned on Ron. "It took you seven years to grow a set and ask Hermione on a date."

Ron choked on his sandwich, his face turning the same shade of red as his hair. "Hey! I thought we were talking about your faults, not mine."

They chuckled, especially when Ron realised what he had just admitted, and started stuttering as he tried to take his words back. Hermione returned to the subject of Severus when they had finished laughing.

"Harry, Severus is always asking about you, even though he sees you in person at least once a week. When we finally had to admit we hadn't seen you in ages, it concerned him."

"Yeah, mate. I was shocked when he approached me to ask when I last saw you. When I said that it had been ages, he went all mysterious and just said that I should talk to you, that it was important."

"There is no doubt in my mind that he genuinely cares about you," Hermione added. "I believe he is simply too afraid to admit he has feelings for you. Severus has gone through so many personal changes and tribulations, and I believe he is still coming to terms with the war's end. I wouldn't be shocked if he had PTSD or psychological trauma. I know he has social issues with relationships and comradeship. Have you noticed how shy and unsure he is around other people?"

Harry made a shaky motion with his head. "No. No, I haven't."

Hermione and Ron saw Severus when he came into the ministry to assist with matters involving potions or dark artifacts. As time passed and Severus became less hostilely accepted in England, he found himself with increasing employment requests and appeals for assistance (particularly from the different departments in the Ministry, and from St Mungo's Hospital).

in Harry's defense, he hadn't seen Severus outside of the flat he'd lived in with Malfoy. However, Harry had spent much of that time either staring at Severus or being too embarrassed to look at him. Harry's observational skills had been overtaken by his growing crush.

"Severus is actually younger than Dad." Ron suddenly added, obviously remembering Harry's previous comment about age.

"Oh, and that makes me feel so much better!" Harry said, rolling his eyes.

While contemplating his infatuation with the older man, he'd also been thinking about their age gap. Severus was born the same year as Harry's own parents (James and Lily Potter), making Harry and Severus 20 years different in age. The idea of Severus being seen with someone so young seemed impossible to Harry.
Why would an intelligent man, like Severus, want to be sullied by a childish idiot like him?

Hermione tutted. "Don't be a dunce, Harry," she murmured, reading his thinking, "you're just looking for excuses now. Severus likes you, and you like him. I don't see what the problem is. You're both consenting adults." Hermione paused, but then another point in her argument occurred to her, and she proceeded. "That man has been protecting you for years, and yes, he may have been a complete arsehole about it back then. I'm sure he has his reasons – reasons you could question him about – but he has never stopped protecting you. He kept an eye on you even after the war. And you know what, if it hadn't been for Severus, you'd still be suffering with that evil ferret!"

"Oh, yeah, I totally see the romantic part now." Harry nodded, being completely sarcastic. "Mr. Tall Dark and Billowing swoons for the idiot that has just proven to be a complete failure in relationships, and was such a shit as a child that he needed constant saving–" Hermione twat him in the arm with that bloody book again, interrupting him – "OW! Seriously?" Harry complained

"Yes, seriously! I really don't know why you have to make this so hard. Your Mr. Tall, Dark and Billowing, as you put it, Harry, is your Hero in Black." Hermione smiled unrepentantly, her eyes swooning at her perceived prediction of a new romance on the horizon. "Severus has always been there for you. I bet he will still be there when you take your head out of your arse long enough to put the poor man out of his misery and invite him out for a damn coffee!"