If I owned Harry Potter:

-Warner Bros. would cancel any contract they had with the series.

-Scholastic would cancel any contract they had with the series.

-There would be no het fics in the HPdom.

But since none of the above had happened, it is natural to conclude that I have no ties whatsoever with Harry Potter.

If J.K. Rowling is ever reading this, I will first die of humiliation and then ask a favor: Pleasepleaseplease don't let Harry end up with Hermione or Cho. I will seriously boycott HP if that ever happens.

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England

by Galae

"What do you want?"

"I am allowed to be here, right?" Harry asked, brushing past Severus before the older man could do anything but stare. "I mean, all your other students come to you for help. The great Harry Potter might, too, fail the next Potions exam."

Severus locked the door and walked over. Harry had sat down already. "Fine. Harry. What do you need?"

Harry's lips curled up into a smile. "I like hearing you say my name."

Severus sighed, but somewhere near the corner of his mouth a smile glimmered. "Harry, you shouldn't be here. This is too dangerous. You should have had enough mind to leave everything . . . untouched until at least after you graduate. If Draco waltzes by at this exact moment . . ."

"On a first-name basis with him, huh?" Harry said scathingly.

"Mind you, Harry, I did not deal with your father about the helpfulness of Dark curses on a regular basis."

Harry slumped into his chair. Jealousy's a persistent bastard.

"Again I ask, what do you need?"

"You."

"Harry . . ."

Harry drew himself up immediately. "No, you don't understand. It might be all right for you to preen and pose in front of all of them, but you're a hell of a better actor than I am. I hate it. Potions, every single day, watching you teach up there, and it's suddenly like we've never gone to New York. That's it was just one big, great dream."

"Being with me was one big, great dream?" Severus said, his lips twitching again.

"You know what I mean," Harry continued on. He stood up now, circling the armchairs like Merlin losing his mind. "I don't like it. It scares me. Like . . . like you've really forgotten everything." He bit his lip and looked at Severus.

The professor's face was thrown into shadow, as usual. In front of Severus Harry always felt like a painting. That everybody could see him, but he couldn't see anybody.

"I see. You came here to make sure I'm reminded that I spent two weeks in that accursed city. With you, nonetheless."

"I—" It was useless. Talking to Severus sometimes was like talking to a diary. They both take your words and spit it back at you with twice the force.

"Harry. Tell me, then, what I'm supposed to do."

Harry bit his lips. He almost drew blood and he stopped. It wouldn't do to start bleeding in the middle of the Potions office.

"You have your reputation to think about. I have my career. I thought we agreed on this."

"But I didn't know it was going to be like . . . this!" Harry cried. "I didn't know that I was supposed to sit back and watch you fawn over those stupid Slytherins like nothing happened. I'm not an adult, Severus. I never was. I was always just a kid born with too much responsibility and not enough brains."

"You have plenty of brains," Severus said sharply. "It's just that they're all withering on Quidditch!"

"Don't bring Quidditch into this!"

"Oh? Then am I supposed to say that you're a stupid idiot?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this. We're not arguing over my intelligence. We're supposed to be arguing over what . . . our relationship is."

Severus stopped. "What is it?"

"I don't know. I don't know. And that's why I came." Slowly, Harry lifted his eyes to look at Severus. For once, the black eyes were neither stony nor cold. Something stirred inside them.

"Harry." His voice was soft. Severus unbuttoned his collar. Harry watched, mesmerized, as those long fingers drew out a chain.

Severus held out the ring.

For a while neither of them said anything. They both stared at that circlet of gold, the small rubies dancing in the firelight. Then, shaking, Harry took out his. The tiny silver box was warm against his palm.

"See, Harry?"

Harry held out his other hand. Severus leaned forward. Their hands found each other in the glow of the fire and they clasped.

They sat like that for a long time.

~*~*~

Harry was graduating. It was the day that Severus had been dreading and anticipating. Ever since that damned day in New York, when he realized that utterly his life would be intertwined with that boy.

Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter," said Dumbledore. The crash of applause shook the stones of Hogwarts as a couple hundred hands clapped with awe and congratulations.

Severus gazed down from where he was standing. Yes. He looked just the way Severus imagined he'd look. Skin white as moonlight, the dusky rose of excitement tinting his cheeks, mouth slightly open in the signature expression of disbelief. His Hogwarts graduation hat was perched on his head, above the jet-black hair—still unruly, after two different potions and five different spells. Harry was graduating.

He walked up the stairs. Dumbledore was first to shake his hand and say a few words. Then McGonagall, as befitting his House. Severus watched him as he sailed down that row of teachers. Maybe he imagined it, but did Harry actually look . . . like he's searching for someone in particular?

My, my, but his ego had inflated quite a bit in the last few weeks. Perhaps it was all Potter's influence.

"Professor."

One simple word, and Severus was looking into the face of the one whom he had loathed and loved.

"Harry Potter."

Harry looked up. Despite seven years, Severus still topped him by a good two inches.

Black eyes. Gosh, so black. Before they had been inscrutable, but now they were . . . not so inscrutable. There was something in them that Harry didn't even recognize. Warmth.

Severus smiled a little. Just a tiniest bit of a smile that could have been passed off as a twitch of the lip. In that instant, everything was said and done.

"Harry Potter," said Severus, loudly so that at least all the teachers could hear. "Congratulations. Your accomplishments had said much about your character. Succeed you will with what you have. Good luck."

Simple words. Without thinking, Harry grinned and said, "Same to you. Professor."

They shook hands stiffly and Harry walked down the stage.

Severus smirked as McGonagall and all the others turned to gape at him. Let them ponder that for a while.

~*~*~

Oh damn. He should have expected this. Severus mentally smacked himself for letting himself get so illogical.

But it was Harry's graduation. Severus girded himself up for some tough mind-reading.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk with a pile of papers in front of him. This he expected. What Severus did not expect was Harry sitting in one of Dumbledore's stuffed armchairs, talking animatedly with his (former?) headmaster.

But they both looked up as Severus grunted to signal his entrance.

"Ah, Severus!" Dumbledore exclaimed. If he didn't know better, Severus would have believed that he was going to be congratulated. "How kind of you to join us. And right on time as well! Come, come, draw up the other chair. And then we'd begin."

Severus walked across the room awkwardly, trying not to meet eyes with hi—with Harry. Harry, however, didn't seem to notice anything awry and gazed at him for a second before turning his attention back to Dumbledore. You'd think that, being sent to the headmaster's office so often, the boy would have learned how Dumbledore operated.

"Tea?" Dumbledore asked. His tea set immediately slid over the desk and the teapot began to fill itself.

"Yes, thank you," both said at the same time. An uncomfortable silence. But the headmaster didn't seem to notice, but instead he went on pouring the tea and passing out the two cups cheerfully.

"Albus," Severus said as soon as Dumbledore sipped his own cup. "What exactly are we here for?"

Dumbledore gave him one of his rare flashing looks. "I think you know, Severus."

Oh hell. Severus groaned and prayed to Merlin that the rug would swallow him right then and there. He'd rather face Salazar's basilisk than to look at Dumbledore. At least the giant snake would give him some credit for his "Head of Slytherin" position.

"What? Know what?" said a nonplussed Harry, darting looks from Severus to Dumbledore, and back again.

"Think, Harry, think," Severus sighed. "What could Dumbledore possibly want to talk to us about?" And as soon as he heard himself speak, he shut his mouth. He was such an idiot.

"Well," said Dumbledore, much to Severus's discomfort, "I'm glad that you two have finally resolved your differences."

"I—" Harry started to say.

"However, I must comment that it is somewhat clear . . . you have gone a little ways beyond the arbitration table."

Severus now looked very, very uncomfortable.

Harry turned pale.

"Would you care to explain, now?" Dumbledore asked, gazing at them both.

"Damn it, Albus, it's all your fault!" Severus exploded.

"Severus?"

"It's all your fault. You sent us to New York together. You should have known."

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm flattered to be thought of as a good wizard, but I assure you, Severus, that Divination was not one of my better subjects."

"Then why did you send us to New York?" asked Severus miserably.

"Because you're the only teacher I wouldn't sleep with," Harry blurted out. Then he shut his mouth rather quickly. That definitely was not supposed to come out.

Silence.

"Um," said Harry, looking at his feet. "That was, um, Ron's explanation."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As interesting Mr. Weasley's, er, justifications may have been, I assure you, Harry, that that was not the case." He sighed a little. "Harry, Severus, I sent you both to New York because I've seen the enmity between you two. It was somewhat unsettling for a Hogwarts teacher and a student to treat each other as you treated one another. It wouldn't do for the reputation of Hogwarts, much less your personal futures. I've tried countless times to bring you to tolerate each other somewhat—as I'm sure you've noticed—but to no avail. At the time I received the news for the Atlantic Exchange, there were five more weeks left of school. I simply thought that I should try one last time."

"Oh," said Harry meekly.

"But—but—"

"Yes, Severus?"

Severus gave up. "What do you want?" he asked tiredly.

"I assure you first, Severus, that the contents of this conversation will remain strictly between Harry, yourself, and I," said Dumbledore. There was somewhat of a look of amusement on his face. "Now, I have explained myself and you still have not done the same. Severus. Harry. Is there something I should know?"

"Ah . . ." Harry said, shooting another look at Severus. He received an exasperated go-on-and-get-this-over-with look. "Um, Se—Sna—" No, that just sounded wrong. "Professor Snape and I . . . we . . ."

"Are you in a relationship?"

"I think so." Harry bit his lip.

"You think so?" Dumbledore furrowed his brow. "Severus?"

Severus took a breath and looked at Harry. "I think so, too."

"I see. I hope it doesn't sound too intruding to ask why I did not get a simple yes or now answer?"

"We're not really sure. Yet," added Harry. "I mean, we haven't exactly got everything done to a science."

"Obviously," said Severus dryly.

"Did this association begin in New York?" Dumbledore asked.

"Strictly speaking, yes," Harry said.

Dumbledore looked at them both for a long while before settling back into his chair. "Did it occur to one of you that there may be some Hogwarts rules pertaining to this kind of activity?"

Harry squirmed a little at the last word.

"Well, yes," Severus admitted. He failed to say anything else.

"If it was anyone else but you two, I would have given strict chastisements," said Dumbledore. "And seeing as to it is you two, I think I should be giving even stricter ones. But I confess that I see nothing truly . . . worthy of censure. I think that you are both aware of the consequences of any actions and thus have conducted yourselves with dignity. That, I assure you, I am very grateful for."

Dumbledore pulled his chair closer to the desk and placed both hands on the tabletop. He continued, "And because Harry had graduated today and is no longer a Hogwarts student, I have no more complaint." He smiled. "You seem to have impeccable timing. Severus, I spare you of any admissions to the rest of the staff." Severus paled a little at this, but then returned to his normal color—which was still very, very pale. "Although I think that perhaps Minerva should have a few words. And—"

"Were we really that obvious?" Severus choked out.

"During the ceremony? Not really. But Minerva did give me a little look."

"Oh, sodding Merlin," said Severus. "That means everyone would know."

"Minerva has become quite fond of the word 'privacy', Severus," Dumbledore articulated. "Since Harry is no longer a student, that means that your personal affairs is no longer of our concern, either. The only reason why I called you both down today is because I wanted to make few things a little clearer."

"Such as?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I support you wholeheartedly."

"Dumbledore?" Harry said slowly. They have been sitting in his office for over an hour now. But still he had not asked the question. "Um, how did you find out?"

"I think that is a question both of us would like answered," said Severus.

"Well," said Dumbledore, clearing his throat. "You see, in all the years that I've known you, Severus, you have never said 'good luck' to a graduating student."

"Yes, I have," said Severus defensively. "Malfoy."

"Malfoy!" Harry scowled.

"Draco Malfoy?" Dumbledore arched an eyebrow. "If I recall, you said 'good riddance.'"

Severus turned chalk-white again.

"Fortunately for you, Draco believed it to be very funny. He obviously thought that his professor finally received a sense of humor."

"That bastard," Severus snarled. "I never joke."

"Anyways, I coupled that interesting comment with the fact that Harry visited your office quite often in the past three weeks, and decided that there was something between you two."

"How did you—" gasped Harry.

"The Marauders were very clever," Dumbledore said, winking, "and I pride myself on knowing everything that they did. Someone had to keep the school in order when they were around."

"Argh." Severus shifted uneasily.

"Speaking of which, I think you can imagine the obvious deduction from that, am I correct?" By the tone in Dumbledore's voice, he had been waiting to ask that for quite a while.

Severus said evenly, "Albus. I can assure you that nothing—inappropriate—had occurred between Mr. Potter and I. It rather weighted well on my conscience that we did not permit anything to happen."

"That is certainly nice to hear," said Dumbledore. His eyes flickered over to Harry, who grinned. "You could imagine what I would have had to do if you said contrary. But I knew that I have not judged you wrongly, Severus, when I hired you. You have said that Harry's character is much revealed in his accomplishments. That is true of you, also."

If Severus knew to blush, he would have made a Weasley look untalented. But instead he sucked in his cheeks, which made him look gaunter than ever. "Thank you," he said stonily.

"And you, Harry—" Harry looked up suddenly. "—I thank you for your conscientious decisions, as well. It was wise of you."

"Well . . ." Harry said, a bit uneasily. "I didn't really . . ." Good Merlin, why was he telling Dumbledore this?

"Harry, a person's decisions are sometimes made outwardly, but I find that most of it comes from your subconscious mind. You might have not realized it." A final glance at Harry. "Now, I believe everything has been cleared up between the three of us?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Yes, quite," Severus said. "May we go now?" He realized that he sounded much like a naughty boy finishing his punishment. Severus fought to keep that thought from arising again.

"Ah, if my presence is so unsettling, I suppose so . . ." Dumbledore sighed.

Severus swept out the door.

End Chapter 1

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And note: US History should die and go to hell, where it belongs.