Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. We just like making her characters shag. And if there's anyone who needs a shag after the War, it's Severus Snape. Just sayin'.

A/N: Slight A/U; Snape LIVES (E?WE?) Otherwise cannon compliant (and by cannon-compliant we mean there were many trips to and from the bookshelf). NON CON NECK FONDLING!

He had arrived at The Great Hall early as if that would some how make the evening go by faster. As he took his place at the high table to wait for the feast to start he couldn't help himself from remembering the devastation the room had held a little over ten years ago. Couldn't stop himself from seeing the bodies of his friends laid out on the tables, lives laid down so that he, The-Boy-Who-Lived, could fulfill his destiny. He rubbed his scar absentmindedly though it hadn't so much as twinged in years . His gaze rested instinctively on the spot where Voldermort had fallen, where Harry had destroyed 'The Dark Lord' with a simple Expelliamus, where he truly became 'The Chosen One'. Now he was The-Man-Who-Just-Wanted-To-Get-Some-Bloody-Sleep. The nightmares were back.

The professors began taking their seats around him giving him odd looks. Usually he was running late or just on time. He hadn't realized that the seats had been reassigned until he found himself hugged from behind by the new Transfiguration Professor, Hermione Weasley, who promptly took the seat on his right. He was saved from having to talk much as Hermione's excitement in starting her new job and being back at Hogwarts kept her going a mile a minute. He was happy for her, but still a little unsure of living so closely with her and Ron again. He had grown fond of the solitude he'd found at the school.

The Headmaster walked in and took his seat to the left of Harry only a moment before the students arrived. Harry was grateful he wouldn't be forced to interact with him beforehand. He tried instead to focus on The Sorting. He quickly conceded that he couldn't be asked to do so this year and allowed his thoughts to turn inwards again, to the months that immediately followed 'That Day'. He attended more funerals than anyone should have to in a lifetime. (He now owned enough black robes to rival Severus's collection.) Then there'd been the celebrations, awards ceremonies, and speeches. He knew and accepted that it was important that he participate, but he'd wanted nothing more than to tuck himself away at Number 12 and deal with his grief privately. He made it almost to Halloween before he did just that.

Harry belatedly joined the applause as The Sorting concluded and the Headmaster stood up and said, "Well, get on with it already," and sat back down again. The food magically appeared and Harry did his best impression of Ron at meal times to dissuade Hermione and, more importantly, the Headmaster from engaging him in conversation. He kept his eyes on his plate silently willing everyone to leave him alone. The Headmaster was a master Legilimens, not that he would need it to discern what was wrong with him. He was the only one who knew that Harry still occasionally suffered from nightmares. He was the only one of Harry's friends who truly understood what it was to be haunted by one's past. Everyone else seemed to have buried those demons long ago.

That was possibly the biggest shock he'd received during 'That Time'. Severus Snape did not die on the floor of The Shrieking Shack. Unbeknownst to them, Fawkes had arrived just after he, Ron, and Hermione left. Snape's devotion to Dumbledore was finally rewarded with a chance for a real and free life. Snape spent the first month of his new life under 24 hour guard at St. Mungo's while he healed and his status was sorted out. He was cleared, but not before his wand had been snapped in two. At least there hadn't been any Dementors around to indulge in more irrevocable justice. He saw Severus once during that time. He'd said nothing only offered his hand, which Severus finally shook after a moment of consideration. Then they'd both turned and walked away from each other.

After he was finally able to pull away from the public eye he tried his best to create his new life. His OWN life. He wasn't very successful. He and Ginny gave it a go, but they'd both been through too much and the people they'd become did not quite fit together. Ron and Hermione had lived with him for awhile and they were still close, but Harry had officially become the third wheel and they moved out a month after Ginny. He'd spent the following year trying to figure out what he wanted to do. Nothing appealed to him. He had several offers to play Quidditch, an offer from the Ministry to go straight into Aurror training (an offer Ron had accepted with alacrity) and George offered him a management position at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He'd thought long and hard about all of them, even taking Hermione's suggestion to write out pro/con lists. In the end he'd declined them all and spent his days rattling around Grimmauld Place. His nights were often spent indulging in large quantities of Firewhiskey.

Then, two years almost to the day after Voldermort's demise, Harry had received an offer from a man he'd never expected to hear from again. Harry had heard rumors that The Board of Governors had finally persuaded Severus to return as Headmaster, but he'd never imagined that Severus would then turn around and offer him a post. The fact that said offer was couched in a challenge and a vague death threat (Snape had referenced Quirrell) hadn't dimmed Harry's excitement one bit. It was like getting his 1st Hogwarts letter, only better; this time he knew he was going home. That it was one final triumph over Tom Riddle had been icing on the cake.

That thought made him realize that the cake that had been in front of him a moment ago was now gone and that Severus had stood up to begin his start of term speech. Harry knew that it would be a good one, as always, but he didn't hear a word past the introduction. Instead he thought about how much had changed between him and Severus. Their first two years back they'd behaved with cool civility towards one another, and if they didn't out and out avoid each other, they succeeded in spending very little time together. That changed during the third year. One afternoon, completely out of the blue, Severus asked him to tea. They chatted for quite awhile. After that they began stopping in the halls or after meals to have a quick word. That eventually led to more teas and the occasional drink. They became closer still the fifth year when he became Deputy Headmaster after McGonagall really and truly retired. Having known each other for almost twenty years by then, they were finally friends (a fact from which Dumbledore derived far too much delight) and there was little he didn't feel comfortable discussing with the older man, though by unspoken agreement the past was the one subject that never came up. There was nothing more to say about it, really.

As the speech wore on he also thought about what hadn't changed. Having sensed his impatience, Severus had decided to go on a bit this year. It wasn't until Hermione's attention began to flag that he relented and ended his speech. Harry applauded and then slipped out a side door as soon as he was able to politely do so. He knew that Severus was expecting him in his office for what had become the traditional start of term drink, but he just didn't have it in him tonight. He was exhausted and Severus's solution would be to talk him into taking Dreamless Sleep. He'd taken it in the past, but now he was much too aware of the downsides. It was addictive, easy to build up a tolerance to, and when taken for extended amounts of time left him feeling no better than if he'd tried to drown himself in Firewhiskey.

It took him twenty minutes to reach his chambers undetected. He could have been there in five, but he'd gone out of his way to ensure he wasn't seen. He'd even managed to avoid Peeves whose favorite lyrical inspiration was still Potter, though the lyrics had improved since Severus had inferred his earlier attempts were mediocre. He breathed a sigh of relief as he entered his rooms, until he realized someone was already there. He figured it was Hermione, but drew his wand anyway before entering the sitting room. Sitting in one of the chairs by the fire reading a book was Severus, who made it look as if it were something he did all the time. Then again, Harry couldn't be sure that it wasn't something he did all the time. It would certainly explain a lot.

"Put your wand down, Potter, and pour yourself a drink." Snape said indicating a bottle he'd clearly brought with him. "Elf made wine, I believe you might find it to your liking." Realizing arguing would be pointless he divested himself of his teaching robes, sat down in the matching chair, and poured himself a drink. Severus waited for him to settle before raising his own glass in salute. "To the start of a new year."

They toasted and Harry finished his glass in one go. He expected to be questioned, but Severus just continued reading.

Severus knew that his continued silence annoyed Potter, but he really could not help himself, especially not when Potter still made it so easy. He didn't ask what was bothering him because he already knew. That was, in fact, why he'd taken the time to break-in in the first place. Surprisingly, it had taken some time. Harry took his personal security just as seriously as Severus took his own; he had only just gotten settled himself before Potter walked in. Severus idly turned the page he wasn't really reading and waited for Potter to engage him. It was something he knew the younger man would not be able to resist.

"Do you do this often, sir?"

Severus casually marked his place in the book and placed it on the table between them. He looked up at Harry. "Do what, exactly?"

"Break into other people's quarters just to ign-, annoy them."

"Am I annoying you?" Severus drawled. "My apologies. I meant only to pay you a visit as a friend to confirm you're feeling well."

"I don't see how you're going to accomplish that by reading a book, and what would you call someone who broke into your quarters only to read in front of you if not annoying?"

Severus fought a smile as Harry poured himself another, rather liberal, glass of wine. This would certainly be an interesting (though highly illegal) experiment when all was said and done. He hadn't thought Harry would accept the drink so readily, nor that he would drink as much as he seemed to be inclined to this evening. He considered warning him, but opted instead to answer the question. "Intellectually curious."

"And just what is it that you're so curious about?"

After a sigh, Severus picked up the book and held it up for Potter to see. It was the new Herbology textbook. "Alright, so I was killing time until you got here. Then you came in, took a seat and ignored me until inquiring about my habits. 'Do you do this often?'," Severus mocked. "No greeting whatsoever."

"I wasn't sure what the appropriate greeting for a trespasser was," Harry said before tipping back half his drink.

Potter was intentionally being a brat and it amused him to no end that he could still, even after all these years, get under Potter's skin. Severus topped off his own drink. "It looks like I should get some of this while I still can," he remarked. "No matter. For the greeting I mean. How are you sleeping?"

"I'm not as you bloody well know," Harry said before finishing off his drink and pouring another.

Severus looked on, amused. "I could help you with that you know," he said, watching the young man avidly as he began his third glass.

"You know how I feel about those types of potions."

"Indeed. Yet you seem to have no problem drinking yourself into a stupor."

"It's just a few glasses of wine, this will hardly lead me into a stupor." As if to prove the point he finished off his drink with a flourish. Then he promptly passed out. Severus retrieved the glass from his limp fingers and placed it on the table. Pulling out a journal and quill he made a few quick notes before getting Harry to bed.

Harry woke up the next morning still exhausted and wondering how and when he'd gotten into bed. He also tried to remember when he fell asleep. He remembered getting back to his quarters, sitting by the fire, having a glass of the wine Severus brought. That thought brought him up short. "Snape, that lousy git," Harry thought angrily, "No. Severus respects me more than that. He wouldn't dose me. Not now anyway." He realized he was dying for the loo and got up to take care of business. Pulling himself out of bed was harder than he would have imagined. He felt slow and heavy. "I didn't drink that much," he thought to himself as he stumbled to the en-suite.

Business taken care of he made it half way to his bed before he glanced at the clock and saw what time it was. He'd slept through breakfast and his first class. If he hurried he might just make the last half of his second class. That was easier said than done. He was aided by an adrenaline kick when he thought of what Severus would do when he found out he'd overslept on the first day of term. He got dressed, throwing on the first things that came to hand. Grabbing his teaching robes, he walked as quickly as he could manage to his classroom on the fourth floor.

He paused outside the door realizing he was slightly dizzy. He took a deep breath and put on his teaching robes before joining his class. He'd anticipated pandemonium. What he found was Severus giving a lecture on The Unforgivables.

"Professor?" Severus said interrupting himself.

"Thank you for covering my class Professor Snape, but I can take it from here." The last bit came out a little slurred as he stifled a yawn.

"I appreciate your dedication, but I assure that won't be necessary. Please take the day. You are clearly unwell." Severus gave him an appraising look and Harry wondered if he looked as bad as he felt. He also wondered what else might have lain behind that look. "Now who can tell me about the Cruciatus Curse?" Severus asked, addressing the class once more.

"May I have a word with you Headmaster?" He put just enough emphasis on the last word to ensure cooperation. Severus still hated it when Harry feigned his respect. Really, one would think he would have grown out of that.

"Very well," he responded curtly. Harry just smiled at him, as well as he could when he was stifling yet another yawn. Severus strode towards the door gesturing for Harry to precede him. Seveus closed the door directly upon entering the hall just as Harry was casting a Muffliato.

"What can I do for you Potter? I'm very busy."

"And I am in the unique position to alleviate you of one of those burdens."

Severus smirked at that remark as Harry swayed a little on his feet. "Are you?"

Harry looked at the man in front of him who did not seem at all surprised at his condition; if anything he was amused. "You dosed me?"

Severus raised his eyebrow in mock astonishment. His uncharacteristically pursed lips betrayed his flippancy. "That's quite an accusation, Professor Potter, one you should take care to consider seriously before you make. The repercussions of such an action are quite severe. I don't generally let these things go easily." Harry swayed once more on his feet, grabbing the door frame to steady himself. "I suggest that you retire to your chambers before you pass out in the hall and embarrass yourself completely."

"This isn't over, Snape." Harry scowled at him once more before turning on his heel and heading back to his rooms. He kept himself going by thinking of what his next move would be. Over the years he'd embraced his Slytherin nature, learned that there was, in fact, something to be said for not rushing in and reacting. Not that it always stopped him. Some habits were hard to break.

His thoughts didn't get much further than that, but it got him to his couch before he passed out again.

Severus retired to his chambers much earlier than usual that evening. Teaching Defence to imbeciles was far more exhausting than he recalled. How Potter tolerated it day in and day out remained a mystery.

Perhaps Potter's foul mood was the result of such experiences. After all, he'd responded to an act of kindness with a very public display of ingratitude. By no means were Potter's actions any different than they would've been when he was a boy and Severus expected nothing else, especially after his display the night previous. Decorum and privacy, however, he'd have thought a person of twenty-eight years would have learned to appreciate. Apparently not.

By his third glass of Meade, Severus was completely certain he handled the Potter situation fairly. After all, he'd followed Potter out of the room before he questioned Potter'sauthority over a Headmaster's decisions. Mutual insolence wouldn't do for either of them, particularly in the wake of the event that had altered his feelings in favor of Potter.

As he finished his Meade, Severus stared absently at the fire crackling before him. He often visited the Pensive to relive with pristine clarity the precise moment he realized how much more there really was to Harry Potter. It sometimes helped him to sleep at night, to learn that there was someone else in the world on his side (which at the time was particularly astonishing as he and Potter had managed to avoid dealing with each other beyond what their positions demanded of them, and then only perfunctorily.)

The event itself was … uneventful.

Though it was hardly his responsibility, everus still found himself lurking in the corridors, seeking misbehaving students. In truth, he was more interested in their gossip and behavior than he was in whether or not they were wandering halls at hours deemed unacceptable by people like himself. So between classes he silently eavesdropped on everyone.

Pervertedly, he still enjoyed handing out the occasional detention, though he knew them to be virtually useless as a form of punishment. What did it matter if they were wandering the halls, anyway? The war was over. Hogwarts remained secure. If he wanted, he could lock himself in the dungeon and experiment all day long and everything would operate equally smoothly; he was a presence, not an administrator. He liked it that way. He knew he deserved the break.

His pace slowed as the teachers corralled the last of the students into the classrooms. He heard chuckling around a corner and hid behind a pillar. "I heard he's a poof," came a first male voice.

"He's a right git is what he is. A greasy, filthy . . .."

"Gentlemen," an older voice interrupted. Severus immediately identified it as Potter's. "Whom are you talking about?"

The first boy began to stammer. "It was . . . we . . .."

"I hope it wasn't Professor Snape," Potter said in a warning tone. Severus peered around the pillar in time to see the guilty glance the boys shared. He knew that look well enough to know that he was, in fact, who they were discussing (not to mention he'd never heard of any of the other professors referred to as greasy, though he often wondered how their hair would fare if they were locked in a dungeon all day brewing potions with dunderheads.) Harry seemed to be following the same line of reasoning.

"So it was Professor Snape."

The more foolish of the two took this opportunity to speak up. "Why do you even care? Everyone knows you hate Snape."

"Professor Snape may not be my favorite person, nor I his, but he is one of the best men I know as well as one of the best Headmasters this school has ever seen. You would do well to remember that in the future and behave accordingly. 100 points from Gryffindor."

Severus remembered how difficult it was to wrap his mind around Potter standing up for him, let alone taking points from his own house. More difficult was understanding how much further he went.

"But Professor! You don't understand . . .."

"A piece!" Potter insisted. "Good luck in the common room tonight, Messrs." With a smirk he bowed the students out of his presence before continuing on his way.

Severus pulled himself out of the pensieve. That had been the turning point in their relationship. That was the day Harry did something Severus had never expected of him. He had truly and utterly surprised him. After that, Severus began going out of his way to learn more about his D.A.D.A Professor. What he learned only fed his respect and interest in him. True, Harry would never be the intellectual that Severus was, but he was smarter than he'd previously given him credit for. He also had a very unique way of looking at things that made him invaluable as a sounding board, often pointing out avenues that he himself wouldn't have considered. He was also one of the few people that would still play chess with him. Most became frustrated with never winning. Potter just became more determined to succeed where so many others had failed. As a result Severus now had a partner whenever he fancied a match.

He looked at the time. It was early yet and he wondered if the young man was still too annoyed with him to play a match now. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen him at dinner. Was he even awake? That he might still be feeling the effects of the sleeping potion was a slightly disturbing thought. Then again he had, however unwittingly, taken quite a large dose. Severus had never taken that much and he still had almost a foot on Harry. "Perhaps I should go check on him." He thought to himself, "Or maybe I could get Professor Weasley to do it. Of course then I might have to explain exactly what might be wrong with him. No, best to do it myself." With that he got up and went in search of Potter. He'd hand out a few detentions to make up for the inconvenience.

It didn't take long to get to Potter's quarters, but it did take longer to get into them that night. Not only had he remembered to charm his apartment for intruders, but he'd made some improvements as well. He made a mental note of that to add to his observations. Being able to maintain mental faculties even under 'the influence' so to speak, was a definite plus and a vast improvement over Dreamless Sleep, which was akin to being in a coma. That was a promising development indeed.

Severus did get in, eventually, and when he did it was to find Potter passed out face down on the couch. He breathed a sigh of relief as it was apparent the young man was still breathing, and very deeply at that. Erring on the side of caution, Severus checked his pulse as well. All was normal. He thought about waking him, but wasn't terribly inclined to learn what his reception would be so, instead, he once again put Harry Potter to bed.

Harry woke in his bed just before dawn, wondering for the second morning in a row how he'd gotten there and dying for the loo. "Perhaps Hermione stopped by sometime yesterday," he thought. He suddenly realized he was feeling better than he had in a long time. Even when he didn't have nightmares he was a light sleeper and usually didn't manage more than six hours a night, another habit left over from the war. This morning he felt refreshed and eager to start the day. He jumped out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

After taking a long shower he headed to The Great Hall early. He hadn't eaten for over a day and was starving. Luckily breakfast was the longest meal time due to the extreme discrepancies in everyone's schedules in the morning. Early though he was, Severus was already finished with his own breakfast when he took his seat.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better as I cannot excuse you from classes today," Severus drawled as he stood up. "Enjoy your breakfast, Professor."

"Stupid git," Harry said to himself as Snape walked away. He began once more to plot his response to Snape's machinations. He had thought of and disregarded a number of ideas and moved onto his second plate of food before Hermione joined him. Ron must still have been on assignment.

"Where were you yesterday? Professor Snape said you weren't feeling well when I asked, but he didn't elaborate. What happened? I can't imagine what would have kept you from attending your classes, especially on the first day."

Harry had let her go on amused by the obvious influence of Molly Weasley on his best friend. She'd make a wonderful mother one day. "I spent yesterday asleep on my couch and then in my bed. As to what happened, I'm not sure I could tell you." It wasn't strictly the truth, but he was disinclined to tell her exactly why he'd been asleep for thirty six hours. "As you can see I'm much recovered and ready to attend my classes."

"'Much recovered'? When did you begin speaking so formally?" she asked looking slightly puzzled.

"Severus's influence I suppose, I hadn't really noticed it myself," Harry replied, smiling at the face Hermione made at his use of Snape's first name. No one questioned now that he had been a hero, but not everyone had warmed up to him the way Harry had over the previous six years.

"Is it wrong that I'm still somewhat weirded out at the thought of using his first name?"

"Only if he's given you leave to use it." Harry laughed as she blushed. Clearly Severus had extended that courtesy to her. "Give it awhile, you'll get used to it. He's not the same man he was when we were students."

"I know, I just keep thinking about how much harder we made his life back then."

Harry took Hermione's hand in his own. "Let it go love. He has."

"Speaking of letting go, why don't you let go of my wife's hand?" Harry stood grinning at his friend and gave him a hug.

"I thought you were still on assignment."

"Got back last night," Ron said, taking the seat on the other side of Hermione and loading up his plate with more food than Harry had managed on two. He and Hermione shared a look before bursting out into laughter. "What?" Ron said before taking a huge bite of sausage.

"Just like old times," Harry said rising from his seat. "I'll catch you two later. I need to go over my lesson plans before class." They said goodbye and Harry left the Great Hall, excited at last about starting a new term. Every year became slightly more challenging as the older students, the ones who remembered the war and it's impact on their families and the wizarding world in general, matriculated out and younger students took their places. They didn't remember and felt no loss from the deaths of family members they hadn't been old enough to know.

He got to his office to see that Severus had taken it upon himself to tidy up, knowing it would annoy him. He had a system and it worked for him no matter what anyone else thought of it. He felt better once he reached his desk and realized that the man had also left him detailed notes on the subjects he'd covered with each class and what homework he'd assigned. Something else that never changed - only Severus would assign foot long essays on the first day. Harry thought back to his own first day in Severus's class and smiled. That had given him an idea.

Classes flew by that day, but during the breaks Harry meticulously worked out the details of his plan. He spent lunch in his chambers getting everything ready so that he would be able to strike that night. It was a risky plan, but Harry was confident that Severus would take it in stride. After all, who else would be brave or foolish enough to do what he was going to do? He finished his day in an even better mood than he'd started.