Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

A/N: For Torina, who was enraged at the fic the way it was and demanded a sequel. Only for you, darling.

*

It began...slowly.

Harry did actually come back the next night, shuffling his feet, eyes mostly on the floor. In his shock, Severus welcomed him into his rooms with open arms and a ready bottle of the Scotch Harry seemed to like so much.

He had a sip, graded his papers in an awkward silence and left almost as soon as he had come.

Severus showed him out, then finished the bottle, cursing himself for being such a fool.

Harry continued to sit next to him at mealtimes, but there was a silence between them that Harry, to his credit, tried to fill with the normal chit-chat that would have been between them had Severus not opened his big mouth.

In the next few weeks he saw less of Harry in his rooms than he had before, though he did still come. The awkwardness was less, but still present and Severus hated it.

One day, several weeks later, he overheard chatter in the break room about Harry's new flavor of the month–some Ministry employee named Kevin or Keith or something ridiculous like that.

But the skip in Harry's steps was even shorter than usual this time around, though Severus was no longer forced to hear of Harry's failed romances.

And thank Merlin for that.

Their after-dinner grading sessions were beginning to grate on Severus, Harry's presence in his rooms only serving to remind him of the easy camaraderie and friendship he had lost.

And it was lost. Even if Harry was still physically in his rooms, the comfortable, warm feeling that had existed between for two years now was gone.

Several months later, and after two more failed romances, Severus finally got it into his head to tell Harry that he no longer had to appear in his rooms. Yes, he loved Harry–still loved Harry–but he did have some pride and would not allow himself to be pitied.

Severus took off his teaching robes and put on some comfortable black cotton pants a few minutes before Harry was due to arrive. He closed up the bottle and put away the chair Harry normally used when he was over and waited.

Steeling himself at hearing Harry's knock, he rose and strode to the door, ready to push away the still-only good thing in his life.

He opened his mouth and the door, ready to issue some scathing insult that would have Harry fleeing...

...only to see the man in question looking up at him with a face far more nervous than he had ever seen before.

"Hi," Harry said tentatively.

Severus just stood there for a moment, then nodded his greeting.

"I don't actually have a lot of grading to do tonight. Do you?"

Absentmindedly, Severus shook his head as he now took in the fact that Harry wasn't wearing his teaching robes either. He was wearing black, fitted slacks and a blue collared shirt with the button at the top undone.

"Well, I was wondering if, instead of staying in tonight, you'd like to go to the Three Broomsticks...with me?" Harry said, trailing off at the last.

Severus had no idea what to do, how to react, and so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm not dressed," he said, pointing down to himself, Harry opening his eyes wide and looking as though he had never seen him before.

"I can wait," he said quickly, looking up at Severus again as though he would wait all night.

Without even a thought to deny him, Severus went back to his bedroom, put on his slacks and shirt, then, with an unsteady hand, pulled out a casual dinner robe that he had not worn since...

Well, it had been a very long time.

Something began that night, but Severus was unsure what it was exactly. Harry still came over to grade, but there was something...new, something delicate about the way he would act around him now. Almost as if he was unsure of his welcome.

A part of Severus liked that. He wanted Harry in his life, but he'd be damned if he was going to make himself so very available to a man who had nearly destroyed him.

But as much as Severus wanted to turn down the offers to dinner and drinks or the occasional weekend out, he found he never could. Harry never lost that frightened quality when he was asking: always red in the face, with his eyes on the floor, then looking up through his fringe to ask and Severus could do nothing but nod.

Besotted really didn't suit him.

To the casual observer, nothing appeared to be different, and yet Severus knew something had changed. The easiness had not returned, but in its place was something so new and so tender...

Severus could not allow himself to hope, but it felt like what he thought love was.

Not that he would know.

One night, several months into their odd arrangement, Harry walked Severus to his quarters as he always did after their nightly excursions, only this time he did not say goodnight at the door. Severus stood there staring at him, wondering what he should do. At his silent companion's prompting, he opened his own door and stepped inside, turning so Harry could come in after him.

A hand on his arm prompted him to turn back around, and then another hand was placed on the back of his neck and soft lips were kissing his.

A soft gasp was pulled from him before he had any idea of how to respond and then he kissed Harry back, his lips dry and chapped, the kiss no doubt incredibly sloppy, but it was a kiss.

It was his first kiss in...a very long time and Severus lost himself in it, in how soft it was and how Harry seemed to draw him towards himself.

A soft moan startled Severus from his thoughts and he pulled himself away from Harry, holding up a hand when he tried to come closer to him.

"Severus..."

"I should not have allowed that," Severus said, wiping a hand across his mouth. "You– You've made your feelings for me very clear..."

"No, I haven't. I was an idiot," Harry said, his eyes wide and hopeful. "I was an idiot to tell you what I did. I should have seen what I had in front of me, but I didn't."

Severus shook his head, but remained silent, not wanting Harry to know how his words had so destroyed him.

"Severus–" he said, putting a hand on his arm.

"Don't," Severus said, jerking it away. "Why would you do this now after I made an utter fool of myself? After I allowed you to..."

"To hurt you," Harry said, filling in where Severus had left off. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It hardly matters."

"It does! It matters to me! You were my friend and I shouldn't– I should have told you that I'd think about it or that we could have given it a shot, but instead–"

"Instead you chose Kevin or Calvin or whatever ridiculous little boy you dated between now and then."

Harry shook his head. "I didn't think... I really hadn't thought of you like that, but...dating Keith and then Michael... Well, they were never enough. And I just kept wanting to be down here with you, or out with you, but just with you."

Severus closed his eyes as his heart fluttered. He did not want to believe Harry's words, but he had never lied to him before. Not since their friendship began.

"It took me a while, but... I want you, Severus. I'm an idiot for not seeing it sooner and I understand if you turn me down, but... If you still want me, you can have me."

He knew he should say no. He should curse and swear and throw Harry out of his rooms, ripping his heart in pieces the way Harry had done to him. He squared his shoulders, threw back his hair and opened his mouth to do just that...

But then Harry looked up and green eyes pierced through the black fringe and Severus found he could no sooner throw Harry out of his rooms than his heart.

Severus sighed and hoped that losing one battle would mean winning the war, that succumbing to Harry's charms would mean the relationship he had hoped to have months ago would be within his grasp. He allowed himself to think of it, to hope for having Harry in his life...

"Make sure I do not regret this decision," he said, his voice sounding strong and resolved even as he held his breath.

Harry's eyes lit up with joy and he almost threw himself on Severus, peppering his face with kisses.

"Yes, yes, yes. I will. I promise." Strong arms wrapped around him and a voice in his ear whispered, "Thank you."

"You will make it up me," Severus said, trying to keep his voice firm even as he wrapped his arms around Harry. Eyelashes tickled his cheek as lips began to kiss their way up to his ear.

"Yes. Even if it takes a hundred years."

Severus smiled and said nothing. The silence settled between them, and he allowed it to fill up the broken places, welcoming it at last.