Harry Potter and the Man Who Lived

Sorry for the delay. This chapter has gone under some heavy editing, so if you read it before I took it down, you're definitely gonna want to re-read it. Thanks everyone!


to karisma - yush~ just for joo.
*giggles* yeah, I rather like Ron's random lines of randomness. eventhough I'd never written him before, he came out rather easily. xD
thankyouthankyou. I appreciate it so much!

to Mie - thank you! I'm so happy everyone likes the Bond. *victory dance*

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okay, so I lied...there is a little bit of smut in this chapter after all. xD enjoy!

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"You know, Draco, you don't have to keep calling me 'Professor' anymore."

Draco's cheeks darkened the slightest bit and he looked down, focusing instead on the grass under his feet.

"Sorry, Prof--I mean...erm..." He trailed off, eyes glancing up quickly at Severus. The older man's lips curved slowly into a small smile.

"Severus will do fine." He said, reaching out to give the young blonde a pat on the shoulder.

The two had been walking around the gardens for the past half hour. They hadn't talked much, but when they had, Severus had found it to be pleasant and comforting. He had never really taken the time to get to know Draco as a person. He only ever knew him as his student, despite the boy being his godchild.

That day the air was warm, but pleasant, and the light from the sun shone down in between the leaves in the trees to create unique, shimmering shadows upon the cool grass. It had been a very long time since he had felt this much at peace. Even the urgency he usually felt to find Harry had faded a bit. It was still there, of course, but instead of being at the front of his mind at all times, it was as if something had allowed it to take a step back and not be his only focus. He wondered if it had something to do with Harry himself. He'd been lead to believe this might be the case because, the previous day the strangest thing had happened.

He had been sitting in the den, reading a book Lucius had been kind enough to send a house elf to fetch from Flourish and Blott's, when an overwhelming feeling of joy suddenly swept over him. It was so intense he wouldn't have been able to ignore it if he wanted to. He knew instantly it was from Harry. It had come so suddenly and completely out of no where that that was the only explanation. He could even swear that he could hear the teen's laughter inside his head. Immediately the book slipped from his fingers, falling open on the floor, and he had to cover his mouth as he began to laugh as well. Obviously, Narcissa had been in another room close by and heard him, because not a moment later, she came into the room, utterly puzzled by the man's behavior.

"Its Harry!" He said through his fit of chuckles, one hand on his chest, "He's...He's happy..."

He'd seen Narcissa's eyes go wide for a second then, she too, burst into giggles. It had taken several minutes before either of them could control themselves. Afterward, Severus' stomach and sides had been sore, but he could not remember a time when he'd felt better. When he was finally allowed to relax, collapsing back into the chair, he let out a breath and turned to smile at Narcissa who tucked a bit of hair behind one ear and grinned back.

"I wonder what he was so happy about..." She said, placing her chin in one hand.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, I have never felt such a powerfully strong emotion before." He answered, a small smile still tugging at his lips.

Throughout the whole rest of the day, he had felt amazing. Not only did he feel happy and content about everything, but the constant, throbbing pain in his neck had lessened. In fact, that night, when Narcissa had helped him change his bandages, she gasped as they were removed and she saw the unbelievable progress the wound was making. It had healed to a point it should not have been to, almost over night. As she'd hugged him she whispered into his ear that it must be because of Harry, and, even though he didn't confirm her words openly, he knew in his heart that it was true.

The Bond was working its magic exactly as it should be. Their souls were gradually merging into one. Soon they would be as one soul separated into two bodies.

He could only hope that the boy wouldn't do anything reckless before they were finally reunited.


"I'm sorry for asking this again, but, when are you going to see Harry?" Draco asked, as they reached the small pond located in the center of the garden.

Severus looked down into the water, watching some tadpoles wiggling around in the reeds. Then he sighed and looked at Draco.

"Soon..." He answered, receiving a set of raised eyebrows before the younger man crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one side. One of Severus' own brows raised questioningly.

"You should have told him that you're alive a long time ago..." He said, looking off to the side for a moment, "You should have let father contact him like he wanted to from the very beginning."

Severus didn't respond at first, but let his eyes fall away from the blonde. He knew Draco was right, and he hadn't even figured out, himself, why he chose to wait this long. It seemed ridiculous, even to him. So, he could only imagine how it seemed to the Malfoys.

"I don't see why you don't just go ahead and tell him..." Draco continued, putting his gaze back on his former professor, "You're practically healed...what's stopping you?"

Running a hand slowly through his hair, the man didn't meet Draco's eyes. Deep down he knew why. Speaking with Draco just now had made him realize what he had known all along.

...He was afraid...

He was afraid of what Harry's reaction might be to the Bond, and if he would even accept it. How could he expect him to just automatically accept such a bizarre and unconventional lifestyle? Besides the fact that they were both male, there was about twenty years difference between their ages. No teenager in his right mind would want to spend the rest of his life with an older man who was so much older.

Then there was the whole same sex matter. He couldn't speak for Harry, but Severus had known he was at least bisexual since being a teenager himself. During his Hogwarts days, he had been infatuated with none other than Harry's own mother, Lily. But that wasn't the strangest part. The strangest part was that he had also been attracted to Lily's then boyfriend and future husband, James. Perhaps it had been a good thing they ended up together or else it would have been much harder on him seeing his crushes go off with completely different people. But, in actuality, he'd been happy to see them together. He knew they were much better off with each other, than he ever would have been with either of them.

Perhaps it was destiny that he be Bonded with Harry, the son of the two people he'd valued the most during his school days. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He only hoped Harry would be as open to the idea.

"Severus?"

The sound of Draco's voice jarred him from his thoughts.

"I said, why don't you just go ahead and see him?" The teen looked a bit more intently into the man's obsidian eyes, practically pleading with him.

"I will, Draco, just...not yet..."

The boy sighed and then put his hands on his hips, "Why? Are you afraid?"

Severus looked at him, blinking for a second before his eyes narrowed the slightest bit.

"You are, aren't you?" Draco seemed smug about this for some reason, "Severus Snape is afraid."

"Enough, Draco..."

"No, not enough. You need to see him, and if you won't pluck up the courage to just do it on your own, then maybe I will."

"Don't you dare." He lifted his eyes to look at Draco with an intensity that made the teen falter a bit.

"But...Merlin, you're so stubborn..." He looked away and then stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Severus smirked slightly, but remained silent for another few moments. There was a question nagging at him that he wished to ask Draco, but he just wasn't sure how to go about it. Finally he made up his mind and put his eyes on Draco again.

"Draco, I was wondering..." He paused and licked his lips, "I know that you and Harry were never close friends or anything, but...do you happen to know...what he is?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, "What he is?"

"Yes, as in...his preference...his sexual preference..."

The teen's eyebrows then raised and his mouth opened a bit before he pressed them together and held his chin for a moment in thought. Severus waited and attempted to ignore the giant butterflies swarming in his stomach.

"I can't really say for sure..." Draco finally said, "I do know that he was into that Chang girl for a while...course, the only reason she ever paid him any attention is because she was so screwed up after Cedric Diggory died..." He paused for a moment, thinking again, and keeping Severus on pins and needles.

"Oh, Merlin, how could I forget?" Draco said, hitting his forehead lightly with the heel of his palm, "He hooked up with Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, in our sixth year." At these words Severus' heart sank and he suddenly felt like he might need to sit.

"And, do you know if they're still together?"

"Well, the last I heard they were, but I honestly don't know for sure..."

"I...I see..."

Draco bit his lip lightly and took a step toward his ex-professor.

"They probably broke up though..." He said, but Severus could tell he was only trying to make him feel better, "With all the stuff that happened, they couldn't have had much, if any, contact...and then after he killed the Dark Lord, he went almost immediately into that nasty depression..." Despite trying to be comforting, Draco was really only hitting the nail deeper and deeper into Severus' heart.

And it seemed like Draco suddenly realized this. He put his arms back down by his sides and looked away, perhaps attempting to come up with some other brilliant way to comfort the man.

"Actually..." He suddenly said, "I just realized something."

"And what might that be?"

"This Bond thing...it makes you think about the other person constantly, right? You can't think about anyone but the person you're Bonded with..."

Severus nodded, wondering where the teen was going with this.

"Well, if that's true then wouldn't Harry only be able to think about you?"

Staring at Draco, Severus' eyes widened a fraction before he nodded, putting a finger to his chin in thought.

"You're right about that..." He said, but then sighed, "However, I wonder if he has had the presence of mind to end things with the Weasley girl...that is, if they were still together."

Draco seemed to also be deep in thought, but then a moment later, he looked at Severus and gave him a smirk, making the man somewhat nervous about whatever was about to come out of that mouth.

"There's only one way to find out, you know."

"I should have known you'd say something like that."

"Well, its true!"

"I know it is, but I just can't risk anything yet."

Sighing, Draco turned his eyes away, finally defeated. He distracted himself by tossing small stones into the pond.

The rest of the outing was spent in mostly silence, their voices only breaking it, to comment on various random things, which had nothing to do with the situation concerning Harry. He knew very well that Draco was right about everything. His pride just wouldn't let himself admit it, to himself or anyone.

He needed Harry. And he needed him soon...


Stepping out of his jeans and laying them on the floor, along with his shoes and t-shirt, Harry reached behind the shower curtain to adjust the temperature of the water. He felt absolutely filthy. But he also felt amazing. In fact, that day he'd felt so good that he, Ron, and the twins had played Quidditch in the back yard for almost three hours. He'd forgotten how much he missed Quidditch. But, an unfortunate side effect, of course, had been he was now covered in sweat, broom-handle oil and dirt (he'd fallen a few times, much to the amusement of Fred and George).

Finally, once he had the water how he liked it, he stepped under the stream and sighed, letting his eyes fall closed. As the water ran down his sore body it felt absolutely incredible. Never had a shower felt this amazing before. He just stood there for a few minutes, and his mind slowly began to wander. He recalled the conversation the previous day with Hermoine and the uncontrollable joy that had consumed him. Just the knowledge that he wasn't going crazy and there was an actual, explainable reason why he was going through all these strange things was just such a relief. Not only that, but it lifted an extremely heavy weight off his shoulders. He could now go through his day without worrying whether he might need to slit his wrists later that night. Not only that, but the bizarre little ocurances during the day had suddenly become a comfort, rather than an annoyance. They were constant little reminders that, somewhere, Snape was going through the exact same emotion that he was. The man was alive, and they were Bonded. He was so happy.

Then, suddenly, without any warning, Harry's whole body convulsed, causing him to fall back against the wall of the shower, legs trembling and chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

"What...the hell..." He breathed, panting lightly as he placed a hand against his forehead. His entire body trembled and he felt fire burning across his skin. Even with the steaming-hot water pouring down on him, he shouldn't have been feeling quite like this. And it came on so suddenly. He then glanced down, feeling an unexpected pressure. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the full erection he now suddenly had. Licking his lips, he rubbed the tip of his finger over the head slowly, immediately gasping sharply and arching back against the wall. He was already painfully close to his release, and he hadn't even done anything. Not only that, but he hadn't even really been thinking about anything that should result in this sort of reaction.

Leaning his head back against the wall with his eyes tightly closed, he ran his fingers slowly down from his chest to his stomach. They ran over the slick, heated skin before they reached his throbbing length where they wrapped slowly around it. His eyelids clenched tighter and he bit his lip to keep from moaning.

Then, all of a sudden, Snape's image flashed into his mind's eye. The man was lying on a bed, head pushed back into the mattress as he stroked himself, chest heaving with each labored breath. Harry swallowed slowly as he began moving his hand, focusing on the image of Snape in his mind. It seemed that, with every thrust from his hand, Snape's breathing got heavier and faster. His eyebrows were drawn down tightly and his mouth was open, panting as the movement of his own hand increased in speed.

Harry didn't dare to open his eyes. If he did, he was afraid he might lose the image. And he didn't want to lose it. But, as much as he wanted it, he needed it twice as much.

Biting down harder on his lower lip, Harry moaned through it, glad of the muffling sound coming from the shower. Snape, on the other hand, let out a moan of his own, the sound reaching Harry's ears as if the man were there, right beside him. It made him shudder and also made the movements of his hand slightly more frantic.

"S-Severus..." He gasped, finally releasing his lip and pumping himself even faster.

"Harry..."

The teen gasped, back arching almost painfully as one final stroke from his hand brought on his release. Through the bursts behind his eyelids and the convulsing spasms of pleasure that ripped through him, he could still see Snape. The man also arched and thrust into his hand, coming less than second after Harry. The teen could even make out the slight glisten of the man's essence as it fell onto his stomach.

Both men were left panting and trembling, until finally, still somewhat unwilling, Harry opened his eyes. Very slowly, the world around him came into focus. It was a little back around the edges, but soon he saw the clean, white tile of the shower and the water still coming down on him. Even though he could now see the physical world again, the image of Snape in his mind still lingered. However, as each second passed, it grew fainter and fainter until finally, after a few more moments, it disappeared completely.

"Oh...my God..." He breathed, breathing still not quite back to normal. He ran the fingers of hand back back through his damp hair and waited for the trembling in his legs to stop. He could hardly believe what had just happened. It was just like one of his dreams, except this time, it had been real. He knew for a fact that, somewhere, Snape had been doing exactly what Harry saw him doing. He then wondered if it had been the same for Snape. Had he been able to see Harry in the shower? This thought brought a deep blush to the teen's cheeks. Part of him hoped it wasn't true, but then another part hoped that it was.

Another minute or two passed before he finally went back to his shower. He washed quickly, wishing to get out, get dressed and finally get some well deserved answers.

It was less then ten minutes later and Harry was clean, dried, dressed, on his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey, have a nice shower?" Ron asked from where he was sitting at the table, eating a piece of cake Mrs. Weasley had baked earlier that day.

"I can't take this anymore, Ron." He answered, obviously not interested in idle conversation. Ron blinked, halfway through a bite of cake.

"What are you talking about?"

"This...this Bond thing!" He said, "Just now, in the shower, I could see him!"

"He...was in the shower...with you?"

"No, Ron!" He was almost yelling now, "I could see him in my head...and I think he might have been able to see me..."

"Ew, creepy..."

Harry sighed in frustration and dug his fingers into his hair for a moment before sitting down heavily across from Ron.

"I have to find him..." He said, speaking more to himself than to Ron, "I just...have no idea where--Oh my God..."

Ron looked up from his cake and blinked, wiping his mouth at the sudden look of revelation on Harry's face.

"What?"

A smile broke out on the dark-haired teen's face.

"I know where he is." He said, looking at Ron, who looked utterly dumbfounded, "I just remembered - when I could see him - that in the room where he was, there was what looked like a crest of some sort..."

"A crest? What kind of crest?"

"The Malfoy crest." Harry answered, fingers gripping the sides of his chair in excitement.

"You mean...he's staying with the Malfoys?" Ron asked, sounding as though the very idea would be no better than a death sentence.

"I think so." Harry said, now looking away from Ron before suddenly standing up and heading for the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going there...I have to see him...I can't keep living like this..."

"You mean, you're just gonna go? What if he's not even there? What if..."

"What if what, Ron?" Harry asked, turning around to look at his friend, now halfway to the gate, Ron jogging behind him.

"What if Hermoine was wrong about this whole Bond thing?"

"Its real, Ron! I know what I've been feeling and its not just in my head! I know he's alive and I know that I have to see him!"

He stopped, reaching the gate.

"Wait, how are you even gonna get there?"

"I'll Apparate."

"But...you've never Apparated to the Malfoy mansion before..."

"I don't care...I have to do it..."

Ron bit his lip and gripped the hem of his shirt nervously. Harry could tell he really wanted to stop him, but hoped that deep down, Ron understood.

"Don't worry..." Harry told him, pulling the other boy into a brief, one-armed hug, "I'll be back..."

The red-head nodded hesitantly and stepped back, allowing Harry enough room.

Then, without anymore hesitation, Harry closed his eyes, visualized his destination the best he could and felt himself spin into darkness.

Seconds later he was dumped out on the ground, landing partly on grass and partly on gravel. Groaning, he looked up. Before him was Malfoy Manor. He'd done it. Then, looking down at the ground he realized what he had landed on. His upper half had crashed into part of the gravel walk-way that lead up to the front door of the house.

Slowly getting to his feet, he brushed himself off and rubbed his elbow, which had hit the rock the hardest. Then, before taking even a step toward the mansion, he simply looked at it. Snape was somewhere inside that huge place. Less than an hour earlier he'd been spread across one of the beds, pleasuring himself as Harry had. As the image of the man appeared in his mind again, the teen felt tingles ripple over his body. He was suddenly feeling extremely nervous. His stomach squirmed and his heart beat felt way too fast. Was this a good idea? Hermoine had said that if they didn't come together soon then they'd both start to feel unbearable pain. If that was the case then they definitely needed to come together as soon as they possibly could. Yes, this was definitely what he should be doing...

Summoning his courage, Harry took a deep breath and began walking up the path to the house. Reaching the front step and then the door, he paused before knocking. It'd be just his luck that nobody would be home...

After he did knock, however, it was only seconds before he heard footsteps coming toward the door. He held his breath until it opened, and when it did, he was met with a pair of surprised, silver eyes.

"Harry..." Draco whispered.

"Let me in, Draco, I have to see him."

"S-see who?"

"You know who!" Harry stepped up closer to the door to try and get past the other boy, "Now let me in!"

"What is all this?" Came another voice before a second Malfoy appeared behind Draco. Lucius' eyes also went wide like his son.

"Potter...what are you doing here...?"

"I came to see Snape--I mean, Severus..." He answered, staring with intense determination at the eldest Malfoy.

"This is entirely improper, Mr. Potter." Lucius answered, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder to usher him back so he could stand between the two teenagers, "You cannot just come to my house, uninvited, and start demanding things."

Harry's eyes narrowed. He was not going to let anything come between him and what he came here for, not after all he'd been through.

Without warning he lunged forward, pushing roughly past Lucius and Draco, finding himself in an enormous entrance hall, faced with two grand staircases. Behind him, Lucius was trying to figure out what had just happened, but quickly recovered his composure and went after Harry.

"Potter, I may no longer be a Death Eater, but I will not tolerate this sort of behavior in my house...even from you!"

Harry was already halfway up the first set of stairs, and completed the second half in seconds. He was now faced with a long hallway with doors on either side.

"Potter!" He heard Lucius call behind him. Harry turned and looked at him.

"Where is he?" He demanded, marching straight up to Lucius and grabbing the front of his shirt to yank him down to his level. Lucius seemed genuinely surprised by this, but reacted immediately.

"As I said before, Potter, I will not tolerate this behavior!" He said as he grabbed Harry's wrists and pulled them away from his chest.

"You won't have to anymore if you just tell me where he is!" Harry shot back, the fire in his eyes burning brightly.

"I'm right here."

At the sound of the voice, Harry's heart felt like it had stopped. He was staring at Lucius, but not even seeing him. Slowly, he turned, eyes finally coming to rest on the form of the very man he was so desperate to see. There he was. Just standing there, staring at the three other men. However, he looked quite different than the Snape Harry remembered. He looked healthy, not nearly as pale, and his hair no longer had that greasy quality that it had been known to have. Not only that, but his body looked amazing. Harry himself had told Hermoine that he wasn't gay, but taking one look at Severus standing there, almost converted him instantly. The man was slender and well toned. Harry could tell beneath the thin, white material of the button-down shirt he wore that his arms were strong and leanly muscled.

"Well, are you just going to stand there staring, Harry?" Severus asked, gazing at Harry in a way that made the teen's skin tingle and his heart do little flips. Behind Harry, Lucius turned to Draco and motioned for his son to go back downstairs. He gave Severus one more glance before following, leaving the two alone.

"I thought you were dead..." Harry whispered, now taking a few steps toward his former professor. As he began to close the space between them, he could feel that string tugging again. But this time, he could feel it getting shorter and shorter the closer he walked to Severus. Until, finally, it felt like it wasn't there at all.

"Well, as you can see...I'm very much alive." He said, looking down into Harry's eyes when the teen finally stood right in front of him.

Both men went silent for a second or two before Harry, finally overcome with emotion, took the last few steps forward and pressed himself against Severus tightly, fingers clenching desperately in his shirt. To his relieve and delight, the man's strong arms went around him, pulling him in as close as he could. Harry trembled slightly, burying his face in Severus' chest. He felt one of the older man's hands go up and push his fingers into the long, mess of hair on his head.

Despite the boy's actions, Severus was feeling slightly hesitant. Harry may be acting this way, right now, because of the Bond, but he still couldn't be sure if this was what he truly wanted.

"I m-missed you...so much..." Harry whispered, pressing tighter. Severus was surprised to feel the tiniest bit of moisture seeping through his shirt from Harry's tears. He held him tighter, resting his cheek on top of the boy's head, slowly inhaling his scent as he did so.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner..." Severus whispered, now moving his fingers gently against the teen's head to stroke his hair comfortingly.

Harry smiled against the man's chest before lifting his head slowly to look into his eyes.

"Its okay...you're here now..." He said as he slowly slid up one hand to place it against the man's cheek. As he caressed the smooth skin, he watched as the man's eyes fell gently closed and he leaned into the touch, his own hand coming up to rest over Harry's.

As Harry stared at him, he suddenly felt those butterflies return to his stomach. He knew what he wanted to do, but...should he?

"S...Severus...?" He whispered, feeling his heart skip as the other man opened his eyes to meet his. There was such intensity in those eyes. It was enough to make the teen's knees tremble.

Harry swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

"M-may...may I..." He said, voice shaking, but he just couldn't get the words out. Then, as if Severus had known exactly what he'd been thinking, the man gently took the back of his neck and leaned forward, bringing their lips together tenderly. Harry immediately closed his eyes and sighed softly, tilting his head up to deepen the kiss. It was amazing. He felt lighter than air, and as if Severus's arms were the only things holding him up. The man's lips were so soft and warm, exactly how he'd imagined them to be. It wasn't long before he found himself moaning softly and parting his lips, wishing for it to deepen even further. Severus took the hint, parting his own lips and letting his tongue run along Harry's lower lip, savoring the taste he was met with. He'd wanted this for so long, and now that it was happening, he could hardly believe it.

However, a moment or two later, he gently pulled away. As he did, he pulled Harry's lower lip slightly, pressing one more brief kiss before breaking the contact completely. Harry was left panting slightly, cheeks flushed and his hands trembling.

"How did you know I was here?" Severus finally asked, going back to stroking the teen's hair.

Harry didn't answer right away. Instead his cheeks turned pink as he recalled exactly how he knew where the man was.

Finally he took a shaky breath, but kept his face well hidden, "I saw you..." He whispered.

The movement of Severus' hand paused.

"What do you mean you saw me?"

"Ear-earlier today...I s-saw you...in my head..."

Severus then took Harry's shoulders and pulled him back so he could look at his face.

"You saw me? How?"

Harry bit his lip and tried to keep from blushing worse than he already was.

"I was in...the shower...and I saw you...you were on a...a bed..." He then stopped and looked into Severus' eyes pleadingly, "Please don't make me say anymore..."

Harry saw Severus' eyes widen in realization.

"You were able to see me?" He asked, obviously amazed by what Harry had just told him. Then, the man's eyes lowered for a moment and he licked his lips, "I should tell you...I was able to see you as well..."

At those words, Harry couldn't speak. The whole world felt like it had just screeched to a halt. Snape had seen him, just as he had seen Snape? Oh God...

Unable to look into the man's face, Harry pulled away, only to find Severus's arms tighten around him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Severus asked, holding onto him even though the boy was trying to pull away. He wasn't about to lose him now.

"Please...this is so confusing...I don't...I don't want..."

"You don't want what?" Severus asked, frightened of what Harry's answer might be.

The teen didn't answer. His body was tensed, as if he might try to pull away again, but he remained in the man's arms.

"You don't want us, is that right?"

Harry's eyes then shot upward at that, shocked by Severus' words.

"Its not that..." Harry said, biting his suddenly trembling lip. Tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes and he was finding it hard to maintain his gaze with the man.

Severus' eyes suddenly softened and he leaned down, pressing his lips lightly against Harry's ear. It caused the teen to tense slightly, but then instantly relax as strong, but gentle hands slid smoothly up and down his back.

"Its okay..." Severus whispered against his ear, "I know its confusing...but, you have to trust the feelings you're having...if you fight it, it will only become harder..."

Harry listened, comforted by just the other's voice. He knew, deep down, that this was right...this was how it was supposed to be. But, how could he have a relationship like this with his former professor?

Closing his eyes tightly, he rested his cheek against Severus' chest.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, "I do want you..."

He could feel the man smile against the top of his head.

"But...I'm just not sure if I..." He trailed off, knowing what it was he was feeling, but having no clue how to actually get it out, "I'm sorry...you must think I'm just a stupid teenager..."

There was no sound from above him, but the arms never loosened.

"I don't think that..." Severus whispered, his arms actually tightening protectively, "I think you're just confused and you need some time to sort out your feelings...we both do..."

Harry's eyes lifted slowly, "Why is this happening? I don't understand..."

Removing one arm from around Harry, Severus ran the backs of his fingers gently down his cheek, savoring the incredibly smooth skin as his fingers passed slowly over it.

"The Bond chooses pairs whom it deems a perfect match...no matter their gender, sexual preference, or any other factor. Its a deep, deep magic..." He then paused, realizing Harry might not even know what the Bond was. But he felt the teen nod his head and something told him he already knew all he needed to.

"I just...can't believe that it chose us...of all people..." Harry said, running his finger tip over one of the buttons on Severus' shirt.

The older man took a moment to contemplate Harry's words. He couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Why them? Well, why not them? Obviously, the Bond had a good reason for choosing them. They didn't have any choice in the matter. They just had to accept it...Harry had to accept it...

"I cannot say for sure, Harry..." He said, continuing to rub the teen's back, "Two people don't even need to like each other to be Bonded. Basically, the Bond does all the work for us. As I'm sure you know already, certain feelings have developed inside you that did not exist before hand. Its the same for me. We are Bonded now and there's nothing we can do to change it..."

He went quiet for a moment, allowing the silence to fall in around them. Feelings and desires burned inside of him that he couldn't deny any longer...

"However...I can only speak for myself of course when I say that, I don't want to change it. I wouldn't dream of changing it..." He paused and looked deep into Harry's eyes, fingers now caressing the side of his neck, "I want to be with you, Harry...truly and deeply..."

Harry stared at Severus, both his breathing and heart beat stalling as those words echoed over and over in his mind. No one had ever spoken such words to him before, and they had certainly never been spoken so sincerely and with such passion. As soon as he heard it, he knew it was the truth. There was no doubt in his mind.

Bringing up a hand up to slowly wipe his eyes, he nodded in understanding before leaning against the larger, stronger, comforting body of his Bonded. Protective arms wrapped securely around him, holding him in a way he never, ever thought he would feel.

There were words hanging in the back of his mind. Words he felt he should say, but just couldn't bring himself to. The feelings in his heart conflicted with the feelings in his head. Even hearing Severus confess his feelings didn't change the way he felt. He was confused and everything his heart told him was right, his head screamed at him that it was wrong.

Perhaps he would say those words...eventually...but, this just wasn't the time...and he hoped Severus would understand.

However, he didn't get the chance to find out how he felt about it, for in that moment, they both looked up as footsteps came toward them. Lucius had returned, but without Draco this time. Glancing at Severus, Harry slowly pulled away, stepping back and rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"Its time for dinner..." Lucius said, motioning down the stairs. Severus nodded, but his attention was on Harry. He couldn't deny that it hurt him for the boy to not return his feelings right after he'd confessed his. But, as much as it pained him, he wasn't going to pressure Harry. He would do nothing to risk losing him.

"Harry, you're free to join us, of course." Lucius then added, but Harry immediately shook his head and began to walk toward the stairs.

"No...thank you...I told Ron I'd be back..." He stepped past Lucius and started the decent, forcing himself to keep his eyes forward and not turn back to look at Severus. He knew what he would see in the man's eyes. He knew there would be pain and betrayal. But his feelings were so confusing at the moment that he didn't want anything to compromise the decision he knew he would eventually have to make.

Lucius' eyes turned questioningly to Severus, but the ex-professor shook his head, allowing Harry to leave. His heart felt like it'd been ripped in two, but he knew it had to be this way...for Harry...

---

kay, so now that they've met and everything's out in the open, I literally have no clue what to put in the next chapter...sooooo...I'm gonna let you guys decide! whatcha think about that? so, basically, if you want me to update then you gotta review and tell me what to write. whatever happens to Snapples and Boy Wonder is completely up to you!
once again, many, many thanks to everyone who takes the time to read! love you all!

to Jilliane - don't know if you'll see this, but...when did I ever say that this was the end of the story? in my note, when I asked for suggestions, it was intended to be strictly for the next chapter...basically, I wanted to know if they should go ahead and have sex or not, cause I'm still undecided about that. in no way was I asking for my readers to come up with the end of my story. hell no. its my story, why would I want other people to give me an ending? this story is still very much a work in progress. I've had the idea for months, and just started writing it this past weekend. I only had the idea for the beginning and a few of the events after that, but other than that I'm sort of making it up as I go along. that's just how I work. believe me, this story is far from over.