Disclaimer - I own nothing/make no profit/would love Severus for Christmas if anyone's offering :D

Written for the Disney Character Challenge - Faline.

Written for the Hedley Song Challenge - 15. Never Too Late.

Written for the That's You Competition - Sammy

Written for the Off The Block Competition - Backstroke - Medium

Second Chance

Harry smiled to himself as nine o clock struck and the sign on the shop door changed to 'open.' The Christmas holidays were upon them, which meant lots of business. At twenty four, he was very happy with his life, and as his first customer came through the door, he grinned. Christmas, and more importantly New Year, was a brilliant time for him.

"Hello Sir, what can I help you with today?" he asked politely. The man was new, and looked rather nervous.

"I was told, ah, this was the place to come for a, ah, for a date?"

"Certainly Sir. If you'll just fill this form out, I'll take a look over it and see what we can do."

Harry smiled kindly as he handed over a form and gestured to the desk area where there was an assortment of pens and quills. As the man took his seat, the door opened again and Draco came through it, a sheepish look on his face.

"You do realise this is the third time you've been late this week, and we're only on Thursday, don't you?" Harry said conversationally, as Draco took his coat and scarf off and hung them up.

"It's only ten minutes."

"And yesterday it was twenty minutes, and on Monday it was forty five minutes. Really Draco, you're a wizard, you can apparate, you have no excuse for being late."

"Yes boss," Draco snorted, wrinkling his nose. Harry laughed, throwing a scrunched up ball of parchment at him.

Draco had worked for Harry for almost two years, and he was very good at his job. When Harry first had the idea for the business, Draco was one of the only people to support him. Many of Harry's friends had been disgusted with the very idea of a 'dating' service, and even as Harry tried to explain that he really wasn't running a brothel, a lot of them had turned their backs on him.

AccioDate, as Harry had decided to call his business, was purely a dating service. Harry had strict rules in place for the people who worked for him, the most important of which was 'no sleeping with the clients.' Should one of his staff break that rule, it led to an instant dismissal and blacklisting of the client in question. When he first opened, there were people, staff and clients alike, who thought they could get around such rules, but they were sadly mistaken. Harry did monthly Veritaserum checks on his staff, to make sure they were staying honest.

When the Wizarding World realised that, no, Harry Potter hadn't opened a Brothel, his friends came running back, full of apologies. Harry had accepted the apologies graciously, before turning away from them and continuing his life happily. He still spoke to them on occasion, but they would never be close. He had been happily running his buisiness for three years, and he hoped it would continue for many years in the future.

Hermione, Neville and the Weasley Twins were the only people he had been friends with in school who he was still close with.

The man sat at the desk finished the form and moved back to the counter, where he handed Harry the form back. Harry took it with a small smile, before glancing over it.

"Christmas Eve, and New Years eve. Would you prefer the same date for both, Mr Jones?" Harry asked, reading the name from the form.

"Yes, please."

"Draco?" Harry called through to the back where the blonde had disappeared to make coffee.

"What?"

"C'mere a second."

Draco came back holding two steaming cups of coffee, handing one to Harry.

"Can you take Mr Jones here through to the back, and show him the pictures and bio's of Mandy and Amelia, please," Harry said, handing the form over and smiling at Mr Jones.

"Draco will show you two girls who fit what you need, and you can decide between them. If you'd like to meet them before you decide, just tell Draco and we'll try and arrange something for either this afternoon or tomorrow."

Mr Jones nodded, and Draco gestured for him to follow as he led through to the back room. Harry sat down behind the counter, pulling out his client file. Opening a new page up, he put the form he had duplicated from Mr Jones inside, ready in case Mr Jones decided on a return visit. Picking his cup back up, he sat back to enjoy it. Draco always made the best coffee.

The bell above the door rang again, and Harry looked up to see Hermione coming through the door.

"Hey," Harry grinned, leaning over the counter to kiss her on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Here on business today, love. A new client for you, requested you specifically."

"How did you end up as courier?" Harry asked, taking the form she handed over. "And why is there no name on this. Come on, Hermione, you know better than this."

"I offered. There's no name because he doesn't want you to know who he is."

Harry frowned. "I don't really take clients on personally anymore, Hermione."

"Please, Harry. Trust me, you'll enjoy yourself."

"Where and when?" he asked with a sigh.

Hermione cringed slightly. "Tonight, at the Cauldron."

"Tonight?" Harry exclaimed.

"Please?"

The puppy dog eyes that never failed to work on Harry had him softening again, and he nodded wearily.

"No more, Hermione. After this, I'll take on no more clients personally. So don't ask."

With a squeal she hugged him.

"You won't regret it, Harry, I promise. Half seven, alright?"

"Alright."

"Call me after?"

"I'll take you to dinner tomorrow instead, okay. I'll meet you at Hogwarts at eight."

With a nod and a wave Hermione was gone, and Harry laid his head in his hands, a groan escaping him.

"What's up?" Draco asked as he came back into the main shop area, Mr Jones following him.

"Later. Mr Jones, have you made a decision?" Harry asked, plastering a smile to his face quickly.

"I'd like to hire Amelia for both nights, please."

"Not a problem. Sign here, here and here please," Harry said, pulling out another form and pointing to the separate lines. "Oh, read it over first, of course."

When Mr Jones had signed and handed the form back, Harry arranged to contact him on the twenty third to arrange the finer details and the man left with a new spring in his step.

"So, what's up?" Draco repeated, pulling himself graciously up to sit on the counter. Harry slapped his leg, but handed over the form Hermione had fetched in.

"There's no name," Draco muttered, and Harry nodded.

"I know. That's what I said, but you know Hermione. She always get's her own way with me."

Draco chuckled. "I'll come to the flat when we close up and help you get ready if you want."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." Then he groaned again. "I really don't want to do this."

xxxx

Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron at twenty past seven, weaving through the other patrons to get to the bar.

"Hey Tom. Can I have... I think I'll have Elf-Made Wine tonight, please," He ordered when Tom moved toward him.

"I'll set up a tab, Harry?"

"Sure, thanks," Harry replied, taking the offered drink and sitting down on a vacant stool near the end of the bar.

Looking around the bar, he wondered if any of them were his mystery date. As he sat pondering why it had to be so hush hush, he felt a familiar presence behind him, followed shortly by a wand being pressed into his back.

Reaching a hand back, Harry muttered quietly, "Either get your wand out of my back, or I'll snap it."

"And here I thought you would be happy to see me, Harry," Severus said as he moved from behind Harry to sit on the stool next to him. "I'm glad to see you can still look after yourself."

Harry stared at Severus for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

"I do hope that you aren't the 'date' Hermione arranged for me, Severus," he said with a wry smile.

"Hmm. Why is that?"

"Because you needn't have gone through so much trouble. You know I always have time for you," Harry replied, the last sentence said so softly, Severus almost missed it.

Ordering another drink for himself, and a firewhiskey for Severus, Harry gestured to one of the empty booths.

"Shall we?"

"Lets."

Once they were seated comfortable, Harry glanced up at Severus.

"Why are we here?" he asked, half curious, half worried.

"Because I hired you to be here."

"Severus, if you're here to play games, I'm leaving now. You know I don't take personal clients any more."

"Then why are you here?"

"A favour for Hermione, which I can assure you, I'll be having words with her. You only booked to see if I would come, didn't you?"

"If I did?"

"Then it proves you were right to break up with me two and a half years ago. Good night, Severus."

Harry walked away from the booth, refusing to let the tears in his eyes drop to his cheeks. He knew Severus was following him, but with the bar as full as it was, there was no way he could cast a shield on his back.

Exiting the bar, Harry apparated quickly, only hearing the beginning of his name coming from Severus before he was gone.

xxxx

"Why would you send me there, to meet him, Hermione?" Harry raged into the phone, the sound of Hermione apologising doing nothing to calm him. "You knew how I felt about him, how I still feel about him."

"Harry, I'm sorry. He said he wanted to apologise, that he still loved you. I thought it would make you happy!"

"Look, I'll take you to dinner next week instead of tomorrow alright. I love you, but I'm really annoyed at you right now. Good night, Hermione."

Harry put the phone down before she could reply and turned it off. He slumped into the chair in front of the fire and sighed to himself. Maybe it was time for a holiday.

xxxx

Draco was waiting for him the following morning when he arrived at work. Harry chuckled.

"See, you can be on time when you want to," he muttered, taking his coat off and turning up the heating a little. Draco handed him a coffee, and they settled in front of the till, just as the clock struck nine.

"Hermione phoned me last night," Draco said quietly.

Harry winced.

"She told me what happened."

"Yeah. I really don't want to talk about it."

"I'm here though, you know, if you change your mind."

Harry smiled. He stood up, patting Draco on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

The bell tinkled, and Harry paled as Severus walked into the shop.

"I'll be in the back if you need me. Try not to need me," Harry whispered to Draco, walking into the back of the shop.

"I want to see Harry," he heard Severus say.

"He doesn't want to speak to you, Severus, so unless you're hear to book a date, you need to leave."

"Fine. I'll book a date with Harry."

"Harry doesn't take clients on any more. Hasn't done for a while now."

Harry heard the door again, and winced when he heard another voice. He would have to go to the front now, he couldn't leave Draco with Severus and Mr Wilkes on his own.

Mr Wilkes was one of the most awkward customers they had, and Draco had sworn after the last time he was in, that he would never deal with him again. Bracing himself, Harry walked back to the front of the store.

"Ah, Mr Wilkes, what can I help you with today?" Harry asked, ignoring Severus as he moved to stand beside Draco.

"Harry, I need to -"

"Excuse me, Mr Snape. Mr Malfoy here can see to any dates you would like to request. Now, Mr Wilkes, how about we go through to the back and you can take another look through our Bio's to see if there's anyone new for you?"

With a nod, Mr Wilkes led the way through to the back room, Harry following behind him. He glanced at Draco, who was staring stonily at Severus, and smiled slightly. No matter how much they bickered, Draco was a damn good friend.

Forty five minutes later, and completely irritated, Harry showed Mr Wilkes back through to the main shop, surprised to see Severus had conjured up a seat and was sat waiting for Harry.

Harry sighed. Once Mr Wilkes had left, Harry turned to Severus.

"Well, Mr Snape? Have you filled the form in?"

Severus looked puzzled for a moment, before recognition settled in.

"You think I'm here to book a date?" he asked, shock evident in his tone and on his face.

"The only reason you have to be in my shop is to book a date, so either fill out the form, or get out."

"Harry, We need to -"

"No. We don't. You need to fill out a form, or leave."

"Fine, give me the form then."

Draco handed over the form, and Severus moved to the desk to fill it out. When he finished, he purposefully handed it back, straight into Harry's hand.

Harry read it over, snorted, and looked back at Snape.

Harry handed the form to Draco. "Mr Snape, if you'd like to follow Draco into the back room, he'll show you the pictures and bio's of the people who best match your tastes."

Draco gestured to Snape to follow him and looked down at the form.

Name - Severus Snape

Day Of Date - Every day and every night for the rest of my life.

Preferred Age Range - 24-24

Preferred Eye Colour - Emerald Green

Preferred Hair Colour - Black

The form continued in the same vane, describing Harry perfectly. Pulling the book out, Draco took a seat and waved a hand for Snape to do the same. Flipping through the book, he got to the last few pages.

"This is Andrew Phifer, he's twenty four, with black hair and green eyes. He's a qualified Defence instructor, takes an interest in Politics and scored an O on his Potion Newt. Judging by your form, he would be perfect for you."

"Draco, you know full well that I don't want to date any of these people. Just show me Harry's bio so I can choose it and I can leave."

"Harry doesn't have a bio, Severus, because he doesn't take on clients anymore. He only did it to start with because he needed to get a clientèle base before people wanted to take jobs here."

"He was telling the truth? I mean, before we broke up. I thought he was using it as an excuse to cheat on me. That's why I ended things in the first place."

"I don't know what to tell you, Severus. Harry hasn't done any client dates for a long time now, and even when asked, he always declines. The only reason he agreed to date you was because Hermione asked and he thought she was setting him up on a real date."

"I made such an arse of it all last night. When I asked Hermione to arrange a date for me with him, I wanted to sort everything out, to start over, but when he actually met me through the business, I thought it meant he had been lying to me about not doing the dates any more."

"Go on and apologise to him then. He's been listening since we came in here, so I'm fairly sure he'll hear you out this time."

xxxx

Harry sat wide eyed at the counter as Severus poured his heart out to Draco. He didn't know what to do. He knew he still loved Severus, as much as he did when they were together. Did he want to be with him again? Of course he did. Could he be with him again? Was it worth a second chance at getting hurt? That was the question Harry didn't know the answer too.

Severus and Draco came back through to the main shop, and Draco left, telling Harry he would be back in twenty minutes with something to snack on.

"I'm sorry, Harry. Truly I am."

The words were so softly spoken that Harry barely heard them, but he did. He flicked his wand at the sign, changing it to closed, and locked the door.

"Me too. I could have reacted better, I guess."

"No. This is on me, and I accept and acknowledge that. Is there anything I can do to fix it?"

"I... I don't know."

Seeing Severus' shoulders slump, he rushed to reassure him.

"I still love you. I never stopped. I just, can you trust me? I won't give my business up, Severus."

"I trust you. I should have never doubted you in the first place. I know you better than that, or I should have."

"Then...I, ah, Would you like to go on a date, Severus?"

"With you?"

"Of course with me, you dolt, and no, I don't mean through the shop either. Would you like to go on a date?"

"I'd love to."

"Tonight?"

"I'll pick you up from your flat at eight?" Severus replied, a small smile on his face.

"Sure. Now get out, you're inturupting my shop," Harry said with a chuckle, unlocking the door and changing the sign back.

Severus walked to the door, turning just before he opened it.

"Harry?"

"What?"

"I love you too."