Chapter 23

"Now what will you do, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus's voice said from behind Draco. The blonde whirled around to see his mentor, slightly pink from his trek across the castle and up to the Astronomy Tower, standing behind him with his arms crossed. Draco narrowed his eyes and turned away, not replying. There was a soft rustle of clothing and Draco felt Snape's hand on his shoulder. He quickly jerked away.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, whirling around to glare at the Potions master. "You don't have that right." Watching Severus flinch away was rather satisfying and brought a tiny, cold smile to Draco's face.

"Draco, listen to me," Severus began, but Draco quickly cut him off.

"I don't have to listen to a single word you say, so you can just go and fuck Potter for all I care." He hadn't meant anything by that statement, it being his former best insult, but when he saw the taller man's face flush all of the pieces suddenly came together. Snape's absence while Potter was in the hospital wing, the strange way Potter was behaving when he ran into him that morning, the way neither of them could so much as look at each other in the headmaster's office without Potter blushing...why hadn't he noticed it before? "Or have you already taken care of that?" Draco added sharply.

Severus paled. "Don't be absurd, Mr. Malf..."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Draco interrupted bitterly before pushing past him and hurrying away. Severus sighed deeply, then turned to follow his student.

Harry's trip down to the dungeons took a slight detour, and soon he found himself in the kitchens surrounded by overly-helpful house elves and enough food to feed four Dudleys for a week. He sighed in his seat at the small table near the door, staring into the murky depths of a glass of milk as if they somehow held the secrets of the universe but were just too stubborn to clear up so that he could see them. Was this never going to end? Just how much fighting would be enough to satisfy everyone? Damn it, Voldemort was barely dead and already someone else felt the need to take his place? How much more would he have to put up with?

And why now, of all times? School would be ending in just under a month. Harry had plans, damn it! Granted, they mostly revolved around doing nothing for at least six months and living off of his inheritance, but no one could argue that he deserved a break! He'd already taken care of one dark lord, and now they expected him to fight off another one? It just wasn't fair! Hell, he had NEWTs coming up! How was he supposed to focus on those if he had to keep beating off dark wizards with a stick?

"Damn it!" he growled, shoving the glass of milk away. "Why can't someone else do this? Why does it always have to fall to me?" He stood and began pacing angrily. "Don't I ever get a chance to just relax and be normal? What the fuck did I do to deserve this aside from being born?" The house elves had all stopped what they were doing and were instead providing an audience for Harry. Harry sighed and slid back into his seat. "And why Malfoy, of all people?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Why now, just when we were starting to get along?" Harry, of course, knew perfectly well that Draco would return to his father's side. Why would he betray his father a second time just to remain friends with Harry Potter? Why would he risk Lucius's wrath? He wouldn't, and Harry knew that. He knew Draco would go crawling back to Lucius, and he would probably be forgiven in a heartbeat - after all, everyone knew how Lucius doted on his son. And then one day he would meet Draco on opposite sides of the battlefield. And Draco would die, because Harry also knew perfectly well that Draco Malfoy was no match for him - not anymore. Not after his "training" with Tom. Harry shook his head. He was sure that the idea that he would have to kill Draco Malfoy should bother him more than it did. With another sigh, Harry stood, thanked the house elves, and left. He suddenly felt utterly exhausted and needed to lie down.

"Draco, I need you to listen to me," Severus was saying after once again managing to corner Malfoy, this time in the library. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it right now. Returning to your father's side now would prove disastrous for you; surely you must realize that?"

"Shut up, Snape! You don't know anything about my father or about me!" Draco shot back angrily. Severus gritted his teeth.

"Actually, Mr. Malfoy, I'm rather certain that I know a great deal more about your father than you do, and I can assure you that if you think he'll just welcome you back into the fold with open arms..."

"Of course he won't! I tried to kill him, and I failed! I'm sure I'll be punished! But it won't be nearly as bad as it would be if I abandoned him now!"

"Foolish boy, it will be worse!" Snape's frustration with the situation was growing exponentially. "Don't you see? If you go back to him, he'll kill you, or at the very least put you into a situation that not even you could escape from. Think, Draco! Do you truly believe that Lucius could be that forgiving?"

"I am his son," Draco replied coldly. "My loyalty lies with him, and him alone. It may have wavered once, but never again. If you want someone to protect, then go protect your little whore, Potter." Severus winced. "But leave me alone." That said, Draco pushed past Snape and stalked out of the library. Severus's shoulders slumped in defeat. He'd well and truly failed Draco this time, and there was nothing more that he could do about it.

Harry was laying on his bed, lost in thought when Severus returned to the dungeons, an air of sorrow surrounding him. He said nothing as he disappeared into his private workroom without closing the door behind him. Curious, Harry sat up and listened carefully for any clues as to what Snape might be up to, but he couldn't hear anything at all, not even the soft scuffling of shoes moving across the floor. He frowned. He wanted to go and see what Snape was doing, but at the same time he also was certain that the man really didn't want to see him right then, especially after what had happened earlier that morning. His curiosity won out in the end, though, and he quietly shuffled over to the open door to peer in. The sight that greeted him shocked him to the core.

Severus Snape sat on a stool behind his lab table, his elbows resting on its surface, his forehead resting in his hands, and a very troubled look on face. Harry swallowed hard before approaching him, unsure of what to do.

"Harry," Snape said suddenly, stopping Harry in his tracks. "What is it that you want from me?"

Harry looked at his professor in confusion. "I...nothing, sir. I just wanted to see if you were all right..."

"That's not what I meant," Severus stood, facing away from Harry. "You kissed me earlier. Why?"

Harry flushed deeply. "Oh, that was...um, I just..."

"I have no desire to turn you into a catamite, Mr. Potter. I will not make you into my...'whore'," Snape cut him off, his fists clenched at his sides. "And so what happened earlier must never happen again, do you understand?"

Harry frowned. "No, I don't understand, sir. I don't see how my kissing you would somehow make me into a whore," he replied, a hint of anger in his voice. Severus spun around and pinned him with an intense look.

"Don't you see? Don't you understand how it would look to the rest of the world if I were to allow...this?" He gestured between the two of them. "You would be seen as nothing more than a convenient boytoy, a plaything for a much older man. In other words, a whore."

"I don't care," Harry replied defiantly. "Let them think whatever they want, they'll do it anyway. I stopped caring ages ago."

Severus snorted. "Well, perhaps you don't care, Mr. Potter, but I will not allow you to become my whore."

"Good," Harry replied. "I don't want to be your whore, either."

"Well, then I guess that's settled..."

"I want to be so much more than that."

Severus looked at Harry incredulously. "You don't know what you're saying. You're just feeling...gratitude, or..."

"No," Harry objected forcefully. "I know exactly what I'm saying. I know exactly what I'm feeling, and I know exactly what I want, and that is to be with you." He crossed his arms and stared across the small room at Severus, as if daring him to argue. "I don't know where you got this whole 'whore' thing from, but wanting you doesn't make me a whore. Neither does being with you." His expression softened. "It makes me happy."

Severus swallowed hard. "Don't make me start something if you have no intentions of following through..." He took a deep breath. "You say you want to be with me, but for how long? How long until the novelty wears off and you get bored? How long before you toss me aside for someone much younger and more attractive? How long..."

"I don't get 'bored' with people, and I don't just toss them aside like rubbish. I'm in this for the long haul," Harry replied. "I have every intention of following through with this, Profe...Severus. I want to be with you."

A long silence passed between the two of them before Severus sighed. "Very well," he said, and the smile on Harry's face could have lit up a room. "However," Severus continued, and Harry's smile faltered ever-so-slightly, "no one can know about this, do you understand? You're still my student, and there are rules against this sort of thing." He looked at Harry warily. "You're sure about this?"

Harry crossed the room in four strides and threw his arms around Severus's neck. "Positive," he whispered before softly pressing his lips to his professor's.