The fifth time Harry tested Severus' control:

Opening his eyes on the ceiling of Hogwarts' Infirmary wasn't ideal for a number of reasons. He should be dead, for one. He'd expected to be, and he would gladly take that over the absolute agony that was his throat right now. More than this, however, he had been looking forward to not having to live in a world without striking green eyes, untamable black hair, and lightning scars. They were the last things he'd seen before descending into the dark, a memory he'd been quite happy to live with for the rest of eternity. Being alive, where other memories would one day dull the edges of that last image of the Boy Who Lived, was the exact opposite of ideal.

Sitting up was a new exercise in pain, but as soon as he had, he was glad for it. The new angle had relieved some of the tension on his neck, reducing the pain with a dizzying blur of his eyesight as blood flowed more rapidly to his brain. As his vision cleared, his breath hitched painfully in his throat to find a tousled head of raven black hair resting on tan arms beside his legs. How the hell? Had Potter failed to do what he had to? It seemed impossible, just as much as believing the young man would willingly sacrifice himself had.

Reaching out cautiously, Severus hesitated. Was he hallucinating? There wasn't a lot documented about Nagini's venom, but Arthur hadn't ever suffered hallucinations when he'd helped cure the Weasley Patriarch. Slowly, he slid his fingers into the thick strands, resting his hand in soft hair and feeling the warmth of the scalp beneath. Warm, alive, but how?

Potter started, sitting up violently, and those startling green eyes he'd never thought he'd see again looked at him with such wide-eyed relief that his heart almost stalled.

"You're awake!" Potter exclaimed in a rush of breath. "Thank God, I-! Oh, let me get Pomfrey!"

Severus grabbed a slim wrist with a confused scowl before Potter could rise from the chair beside his bed. "What-?" His voice cut off as his throat clenched dryly, and he coughed, still not releasing the younger wizard's wrist.

"Happened?" Potter finished for him softly, his gaze softer than it had ever been towards him. He extracted his hand but didn't try to leave again down the moonlit wing, only turned to the bedside table and retrieved a glass of water that Severus sipped at greedily. "It's… well, a lot, but the highlights are you died, I died, Riddle died, and only one of us isn't coming back."

Severus felt his throat tighten again painfully as he forced himself not to choke on the water he'd been swallowing. Potter apparently saw his struggle and took the glass from his hand.

"Him, I mean. Sorry. Thought it was funny…"

Severus shook his head. If he wasn't still struggling to process both of them being alive, it actually might have been. Instead, he looked at the Gryffindor askance. "You- you walked to your own death?" He demanded incredulously, his voice only slightly hoarse.

"Well, yeah, it's what you and Dumbledore said I needed to do. There wasn't another way, right? I guess the old goat kept a lot to himself, but he admitted that there'd always been the chance I'd pull through. Thank Merlin for House Elves, or maybe you wouldn't have," Potter rambled a bit.

Severus grabbed his hand again, shaking his head slightly a second time as he stared into those confused emeralds. "You walked to your death?" He clarified again, still not completely certain he wasn't hallucinating. Potter nodded slowly. "Why?"

The brat had the gall to huff a small laugh, as if anything about self-sacrifice like that was funny. "Well… It wasn't an easy choice to make, but I knew it had to be done, and I've known for a long time I probably wouldn't survive, so… all I needed was something to push me to that point. Once I'd seen everything you'd sacrificed and endured, I- well…" He trailed off before something sparked in his eyes. "I guess you were just what I needed."

It was the final straw. Hallucination, heaven, or perhaps hellscape, it didn't matter, Severus' control snapped like a dry twig. It started with a snort he couldn't stop or cover quick enough. His shoulders shook as he tried desperately to stop the well of laughter bubbling up in his chest, but it was useless. Finally, he buried his face in his hands and chortled, really laughed, for the first time in probably a decade. Air was in short supply as he struggled to breathe past the harsh, quiet laughter, but in face of his absolute elation that seemed largely unimportant.

Potter, of course, panicked slightly, probably thinking him delusional, but he couldn't bring himself to care in this moment. As he shook with quiet laughter, he mentally shook his fist at Lily, who was probably doubled over in the afterlife with tears in her eyes. Nothing in this life could ever convince him that she hadn't been feeding her son song lyrics just to screw with him all this time.

A cautious hand touched his shoulder, and Severus could at least be grateful the brat hadn't gone running for Poppy. He looked up as he slowly got himself under control but couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face. Potter was close, ridiculously close, his bright eyes shimmering in moonlight as he stared at him in concern. Severus thought he'd never looked more beautiful.

"Are you alright?"

Reaching out, the Potions Master decided that there was only one answer. Either he really was delusional to have ever hoped, or he was more than alright, and there was only one way to know for sure. His fingers wrapped behind the younger man's neck and dragged him down into an earnest, if chaste, kiss. Potter froze against him but didn't jerk away in disgust. Instead, after a long moment where Severus refused to let himself think or even breathe, the Gryffindor thawed and leaned into it. The kiss devolved from there, moving swiftly from chaste to impassioned as Potter lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. When they finally drew apart, Severus felt the smile he couldn't hide widen slightly to find the young man blushing.

"I, uh… is that a yes?"

"Yes," Severus told him, cupping his cheek. "You caught me off-guard."

"I know the feeling," Potter muttered, chuckling. "A-are you sure you're alright? I'm not complaining, believe me, but…"

"We can discuss it later," Severus insisted. "Suffice to say I've been wanting do that much longer than you'd expect."

"Really?" The younger wizard choked out. "Because… I mean, me too, actually… though Gin's gonna kill me when she finds out."

"Hopefully not before I get the chance to do it again," Severus murmured, drawing the boy closer a second time.

Potter hummed into the much gentler kiss. "Is it too cliché if I tell you I wanna be your boyfriend?" He murmured.

Severus' head collapsed against the Gryffindor's shoulder as the laughter took him a second time. He really needed to work on the young man's musical education if he hoped to survive the next hundred years with his reputation intact.

Song List!

Fourth Year- Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (so much love)

Fifth Year- The Bitch is Back by Elton John

Sixth Year- Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell by The Stooges (also re-recorded by lead singer Iggy Pop in recent years)

(Year 7)

Forest of Dean- Dream On by Aerosmith

Hospital Wing 1- Just What I Needed by The Cars

Hospital Wing 2- I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend by The Ramones