Since this story is so freaking long, I am putting up a nice introductory. (because I love you guys, and please take that as innocently or suggestively as you want)

THE SONGS ARE ESSENTIAL IF YOU WANT TO GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS FANFIC! ;D

A handy playlist for you (remember to remove the spaces):

www. playlist. com/ node/ 38071466

You no like yaoi, you no read! It's as simple as that! If you have any questions, either leave them in a review or send me a private message. Thanks!

And you better not forget I love you.

Yes.

You. Sitting there. In that chair. Embrace it.

~ (this squiggly at the top of a chapter means it has been edited [for the better :P] )

While he played, Harry watched the crowd. Every once in a while he would see someone interesting, and he'd just look at them. But eventually, he'd get bored with one person and look around again for another person to focus on. It was out of habit; and it let him lose himself in the music.

He remembered back when they'd formed the band. It was fun then, and it still was, if not more. When they were all around eighteen, except Luna (who was seventeen), the five of them had been in a conversation about Muggle songs and instruments. Out of the blue Luna had mentioned creating their own band, and that had been it. Neville played guitar, Ron was on drums (it gave him an excuse to flip his hair about), Luna controlled the keyboard and sound-effects, and Harry and Hermione switched off between bass guitar and vocals, depending on what voice was needed for the song. What had surprised them the most was that they all latched on to their instruments immediately and, after quite a bit of practice and discussion, their band had officially started. Hermione had been delighted to find that her voice was very versatile, and it was the same for Harry's voice; he supposed not noticing it before had something to do with lack of time due to being the target of an insane undead wizard. Ron had a great knack for beats; they had all known this for quite some time, and Hermione had even gotten so frustrated at his tapping on the Gryffindor Common Room table once that she'd yelled at him and stomped off. Neville had shyly admitted that he'd been playing some acoustic guitar since Fourth Year, but had never played before for anyone. He turned out to be a wonderful guitar player, and he, Hermione, and Harry often sat around strumming on their guitars to random tunes. Luna's skills with sound-effects were particularly surprising; it was thanks to her that they could even play and enhance many of their songs. Despite the fact that they only planned on performing already-written Muggle songs, Ron insisted on an authentic Muggle band name; and thus, Captain Paradox was born. They all loved it except Hermione, who had finally agreed simply because it contained a "smart word", as Ron called it.

The only reason they'd been discussing Muggle songs and instruments had been because they were all sufficiently frustrated with the Wizarding World. Ever since the Final Battle at the end of their Sixth (Luna's Fifth) Year, the Daily Prophet and every other newspaper and magazine had printed non-stop articles on everyone involved. This left everybody from the Bloody Baron to Madam Pomfrey being thoroughly fed up, and Dumbledore had finally closed off Hogwarts from reporters. It had eventually calmed down, but only after their Golden Boy had disappeared into the Muggle world with four of his friends when Luna had graduated. It was now almost three years later.

The Muggle bar they were in currently was rather large and had a lot of fans of modern alternative music. They were in the middle of Misery Business by Paramore, and Harry could tell Hermione was enjoying the lyrics she was singing. He supposed it rather related to the Ron-Lavender situation in their Sixth Year.

Whoa, I never meant to brag
But I got him where I want him now.
Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now.

But God does it feel so good,
Cause I got him where I want him right now.
And if you could then you know you would.
It's gonna just feel so...
It just feels so good.

I watched his wildest dreams come true
Not one of them involving you
Just watch my wildest dreams come true
Not one of them involving...

Whoa, I never meant to brag
But I got him where I want him now.

Harry couldn't suppress a smile as he thought back on the current love-lives of his band mates. Ron and Hermione were happily dating, as were Luna and Neville. Even though Harry sometimes felt like the fifth wheel, which he supposed he was, they all enjoyed each other too much to care. Ginny had married Dean after graduating, and he was happy for them too. Harry usually kept to himself, sometimes smiling at people in the crowds, but never really taking interest in anyone.

He loved how the mood in the places they played would change so suddenly from song to song, and this was demonstrated when a person in the crowd requested Wine Red by The Hush Sound. Harry had eventually gotten over his nervousness about singing in front of other people, but it would never go away completely. In the beginning, before anyone had ever heard him sing, his band mates had begged him for over a week. When they had realised that it wouldn't happen without force, they had tied him up and said they wouldn't let him go unless he sang.

Just as Hermione was singing the first line (Who shot that arrow in your throat, who missed the crimson apple?), Harry spotted a dreadfully familiar head of shoulder-length, shiny black hair in the crowd. Green met black, and Harry's heart skipped a beat.

Severus Snape had been the main, unspoken reason that Harry had been so eager to leave the Wizarding World. It hurt him to no end, to know that he would never have a chance with the man. He'd been in love with him since the middle of his Sixth Year, but Harry had stayed as far away as possible. He'd fallen like a pathetic schoolgirl for the Potions professor. But it wasn't just a schoolgirl crush; then again, Harry supposed he couldn't be in love with him if Snape didn't even know. The band didn't discuss it too often, but they all knew how Harry felt about Snape. It was the reason they simultaneously urged him to find someone and yet didn't push him too far.

A sudden nervousness gripped Harry, worse than the first time he'd sung in front of a crowd.

It hung heavy on the tree above your head
This chaos, this calamity, this garden once was perfect
Give your immortality to me; I'll set you up against the stars

Harry braced himself. There was nothing different about singing in front of Snape. He was just like another person in the crowd. When it came time for him to sing, he made sure to not let any of his nervousness float into his voice.

Gloria,
We lied, we can't go on
This is the time and this is the place to be alive

He thought, while Hermione sung her few lines, then joined in again.

Who shot that arrow in your throat?
Who missed the crimson apple?
And there is discord in the garden tonight

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

I cut the arrow from your neck
Stretched you beneath the tree
Among the roots and baby's breath
I covered us with silver leaves

Gloria,
We lied, we can't go on
This is the time and this is the place to be alive

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

Harry had always loved the beat to this song; the lights were dim, but he could still see the obsidian orbs glittering in the crowd.

The sea is wine red
This is the death of beauty
The doves have died
The lovers have lied

The sea is wine red (Gloria, we lied)
This is the death of beauty (this is the time and place)
The doves have died (Gloria, we lied)
The lovers have lied (this is the time and place)

Harry was glad the night was almost over; he didn't think it would take much more to send him running scared like a little girl out the back door. Unfortunately for him, the mood was about to change again with the last song of the night, which Harry's stomach dropped when he heard the request. Save Me by Remy Zero. He'd have to sing alone. In front of Snape.

Neville came back onto the stage and picked up his guitar, and Hermione picked up the bass guitar. Harry moved away the chairs and picked up his bass too, letting Hermione know that they would both be playing the part. She knew that this helped him not to feel awkward whenever he had to sing, so she never argued. As soon as the song began and Harry started singing, he mentally cursed the lyrics to hell.

I feel my wings have broken
In your hands
I feel the words unspoken
Inside
When they pull you under
And I would give you anything you want, no
You were all I wanted
All my dreams are fallin' down
Crawlin' round (and round and round)

Somebody save me
Let your warm hands break right through
Somebody save me
I don't care how you do it
Just stay, stay
Come on
I've been waiting for you

Harry tried desperately not to look back into the face of the man that unknowingly broke his heart, the man he still loved no matter how hard he tried not to, and no matter the fact that Snape had no idea.

I see the world has folded in your heart
I feel the waves crash down inside
And they pull me under
And I would give you anything you want, no

You were all I wanted
All my dreams have fallen down
Crawlin' round (and round and round)

Somebody save me
Let your warm hands break right through
Somebody save me
I don't care how you do it
Just stay, stay
Come on
I've been waiting for you

When the song finally, finally, ended, Harry could still feel that breathtaking gaze on him. He kept his eyes everywhere but on that face. He really didn't know if he could take this.

And then Hermione announced the bar they'd be playing at the next night, and in his mind, Harry cursed colorfully. That bar would be a lot raunchier than this one. He hoped Snape wouldn't take the initiative and be there too.

People slowly started filing out of the bar, and Harry packed up his bass and helped Ron with the drums. When the bar manager had given them their money and hurried into a back room, and their instruments were all packed up, Harry turned to see if anyone was left in the bar. There was only one person besides the five of them, who was walking towards them now.

Upon seeing Snape, Harry could feel the discreet nervous glances at him from his band members, as if to see if he would hold up. Hermione ran forward to greet their former teacher.

"Professor! What brings you here?" She asked, shaking his hand.

Harry had his back turned and was shrinking the instruments with Ron and Neville, while Luna joined Hermione in greeting Snape. Neville seemed almost as scared as Harry.

"We will need to discuss this in private," came the voice that Harry had day-dreamed and night-dreamed about for six years, but hadn't had the fortune to hear in four.

A minute later when all the shrunken instruments were stuffed in pockets, Harry, Ron, and Neville climbed off the stage to join Luna and Hermione. Harry's mouth felt oddly dry.

"Albus wishes to speak with all of you. I trust you can all Apparate to the Front Gate of Hogwarts?" Snape asked, looking pointedly at Ron.

They hadn't spoken of it, but everyone in the band knew that it was coming time to make some sort of re-entrance into the Wizarding World. Harry knew that Neville probably wanted to see his parents, and Luna her father. As much as Ron didn't enjoy his mother's fawning, Ron missed her nonetheless. Hermione's parents were no problem; in fact, they had even opted to let the group stay at their house for the past couple years, arranging cots around the multi-roomed basement for them. Still, it was obvious that Hermione was missing being around magic all the time. Sure they used household spells, and even had playful duels every now and then in the Grangers' basement, but it wasn't the same. Harry missed it. They all missed it.

"We can Apparate just fine," Ron retorted stubbornly. They had Apparated to abandoned alleyways near all the different bars they played at, and at the end of the night, Disapparated back to Hermione's parents' house. Ron was no master, but he was pretty good at it now.

"Then I shall meet you there momentarily," Snape finished, striding away and out of the bar.

When he had left, they all avoided meeting Harry's gaze for a moment.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked gently. Harry just nodded, because his mouth was still dry and his throat had closed up. Ron and Neville looked worried, but neither said anything. Luna simply patted his arm comfortingly and stated, "It will be alright, Harry." Then— "I wonder what Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with us about."