Hey Guys. Standard disclaimer, you know the drill. I don't own anything you recognise and all that blah.

Welcome to my latest story. This is going to be a five chapter mini-multi-chapter. It's already written, and apart from a little bit of editing, it's all done and waiting to be posted. I wrote this for Lucy's Harry and Who challenge, for the final round, which by the way had some of the hardest prompts I've ever seen.

Not many warnings needed, there's no smut, erm, no graphic violence.

There is some bad language, because Harry's a naughty boy who needs his mouth washing out with soap, hence the rating.

I hope you enjoy, and please drop a review. I'm using no beta for this, so any mistakes are my own, and feel free to point them out.

The prologue is more to give a little bit of background, otherwise, the civility between our favorite boys will make no sense.

On with the story.

Word Count For This Chapter Minus A/n - 1711

Prologue

Harry sat beneath the old oak tree by the lake. Hermione and Ron had just left, to the library apparently, though Harry knew they were really going for some private time. As happy as he was for them, Harry was also slightly envious. He wanted someone for himself the way they had each other. The only person he dreamed of, well, they were unavailable, to say the least.

Often he wondered if there would ever be anything like love in his life, and more often than that, he wondered if he would even live long enough to have the chance to find that kind of love. Dumbledore was supposedly looking for something to help, but Harry didn't hold out hope that they would find anything. All Harry knew for certain was that every day that passed was one day closer to his inevitable show down with Voldemort.

Checking his watch, he sighed. He had a meeting with Snape to get to, much as he would rather avoid it all together. The two of them had been getting on marginally better than before, but there was still an undercurrent that made every interaction with the Potions Master that left Harry feeling tense. Picking his bag up, he set off back to the school, to the dungeons.

He thought longingly of Graduation, when the majority of the students would be leaving the castle to continue their lives, free from the pressures of being the 'chosen one.' He would be remaining behind, safe in the halls of the only place he had ever called home, or so Dumbledore said anyway. He wondered if he would ever be free. In only two days time, his friends would be sharing the last train ride to London on the Hogwarts express. He would more than likely be sequestered away in a corner of the library, pouring over book after pointless book, looking for a way, any way, to defeat Voldemort.

xxxx

Harry stood in line waiting for his name to be called. Hermione had given a speech, apparently at Hogwarts whoever graduated top of the class gave the speech, and of course there was no doubt that it was going to be Hermione. Harry had zoned out for most of it, looking over the crowd, sadness clouding his mind. Proud parents sat everywhere, smiling up at their now adult children. What he wouldn't give for his parent's to be here, to be smiling up at him, proud of his graduating.

He knew he would never feel a thing of course. If he ever did manage to fulfill his destiny, his parent's wouldn't be there when he got a job. If he ever got married, there would be two empty seats where they should be sitting. He heard his name being called and stood up, walking to where Dumbledore stood holding a diploma, and shook the Headmaster's hand.

Walking along the wall where his teachers sat, he shook each of their hands, thanking them as he went. The last teacher he came to was Snape. Of course it was. He shook the mans hand, gasping when a spark of electricity seemed to pass through their hands.

"Congratulations, Potter. You didn't end up quite the train wreck I imagined you would." Harry chuckled as he walked away. Compliment indeed from the dark haired man.

xxxx

Harry sat in the library. It was about half way through the summer holidays, and apart from the occasional letter from his friends, he had been alone most of the summer so far. He wondered briefly if he would be allowed out of the castle for an idea, before disregarding the idea completely. Deciding to take a walk, he placed the books back on the shelves, and left the dusty library.

Wandering aimlessly around the castle grounds, Harry saw a flash of light on the fringe of the forest. Pulling his wand out, he edged toward where he had seen the light. The sight that greeted him was one he hoped he would never see again, though he knew it would be engraved on his brain for the rest of his life regardless.

Severus Snape, seemingly unconscious and full of blood that Harry had a horrible feeling was his own, was slumped over. Harry run forwards, turning the professor onto his back. His face was full of cuts, and he was shaking with tremors that only prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus curse could bring. Harry quickly cast a patronus, sending a message to the Headmaster, before he conjured a stretcher underneath Snape. Carefully levitating the stretcher, Harry moved as fast as he could back towards the castle.

Dumbledore met him as he reached the Entrance Hall, and led him straight to the infirmary. Poppy Pomfrey came running from her office as Harry placed the stretcher onto an empty bed.

Silently, Harry watched as she worked over Snape, the occasional comment to her Headmaster as she did. All Harry could think was, 'no, he can't die, he's Snape.'

After what seemed like an eternity, but could have been mere minutes, Harry saw Snape's chest settle into a regular breathing rhythm, and Poppy and the Headmaster both breathed out sighs of relief.

"He'll be okay," Poppy said, noticing that Harry still looked worried. She left the wing to go back to her office after casting an alarm over the bed so she would know if Snape woke up or if anything changed.

"He's been found as a spy, hasn't he, Professor?" Harry muttered, sitting down in the chair beside Snape's bed.

"It certainly looks that way, dear boy, but we'll find out what happened when Severus wakes up. Why don't you continue you're walk, Harry? It's going to be a while until Severus wakes."

"I'd rather stay here, if that's alright, Sir. He deserves a friendly face when he wakes up so he know's he safe. Even if that face is mine," Harry added as an afterthought.

Dumbledore chuckled. "That's very kind of you Harry. Be sure to send your delightful Patronus to me when he wakes up, won't you?"

"Of course, sir."

xxxx

Harry was asleep in the chair when Severus woke up. Disoriented, Snape wondered what on earth Potter was doing sitting in a chair by his bed, when he realised he was in the hospital wing.

Right. Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord was aware of his... deception.

Poppy appeared at his bedside, carrying two potions with her. He recognised them as soon as he saw them of course. One was a dreamless sleep, the other a potion that helped nerves after a long bout of Crucio. He glanced questioningly at Potter.

"He's been there since he brought you in, refuses to move," she whispered, helping him drink the Crucio potion.

"He fo... found me?" Severus asked quietly, his heart going out to the boy, though of course he would never admit that. He imagined he had scared Potter terribly.

"Yes. Two days ago, at the edge of the forest."

"He's been there for two days?" Severus questioned, confusion evident in his tone and his voice.

"Yes. Poor dear must be awfully stiff, but like I said, he's refusing to move until you wake up."

"I'm awake now, send him to bed woman," Severus snapped, sounding much like his usual self.

"This is the first time I've seen him sleep properly. Leave him be, I'll tell him you've been awake in the morning."

Severus wanted to argue some more, but when he opened his mouth, Poppy tipped half the vial of dreamless sleep into his mouth. He was asleep again before his head hit the pillow.

xxxx

Harry woke up, stretching. Sleeping on the chair had not be the brightest of idea's, he admitted to himself. He felt much like a box of broken biscuits as he tried to stretch his muscles out.

Poppy walked into the ward carrying a breakfast tray. Handing it over to him, she told him of Snape waking up.

"So, he'll be alright?" Harry asked, ignoring the food even though he was starving.

"Yes, Harry, he'll be fine. He'll likely be awake again shortly, so eat up your breakfast."

Harry did as instructed and had just placed his tray on the nightstand when Snape stirred. Before Harry could call for her, Poppy made her way over to the bed, running a diagnostic over Snape as she did so.

"Ah, good morning, Severus. Feeling any better?"

"No. Merlin, why are you so cheerful in a morning woman?"

"Yes, yes, as soon as you take your potion, I'll send for a coffee off the house elves for you."

Severus held out a hand for a potion, downing it blindly and quickly, holding the empty vial out for her to take. She chuckled as he did the same with the next potion, calling for an elf. Coffee was there within seconds, and Severus sighed as he had his first mouthful. She took it from him, placing it on the table as she helped him sit up further.

Taking the coffee back off her, Severus turned his attention to the patiently waiting Harry.

"I hear I have you to thank for being able to enjoy this," he said, holding up the coffee.

"It was nothing sir, just luck that I felt like a walk."

"Hmm. Just luck that you sat by my bedside until I woke up?" he questioned, though to Harry's surprise, there was no nastiness in the tone, just pure curiosity.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, Sir," Harry replied awkwardly. He couldn't even explain why he had stayed, just that he knew he had too. He stood up.

"I'll leave you to rest in peace, Sir," he said, edging towards the door.

"Yes. Potter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Thank you."

"I'm just glad you're going to be alright, Sir," Harry replied before leaving the hospital wing. Sending a Patronus to Dumbledore, Harry walked the familiar path to the library. Time to get back to his research.