~Always~

Draco

Harry made his way back slowly to Gryffindor Tower, still troubled, confused and heartsick. Part of him longed to turn around and return to the dungeons, knock on Severus' door and tell the professor that he had changed his mind and he did want to accept his offer. But the other part of him, the wary, judgmental, worried and distrustful part, warned him of the potential heartache that lay ahead. If Severus did become his guardian, then he could ruin the perfectly good relationship he already had with the professor. The last thing Harry wanted was for things to deteriorate back to what they had been before the attack, and he was afraid that if Snape had to live with him as well, he might begin to resent Harry for being in the way constantly, like the Dursley's always had. I'm really sorry sev; please understand. I know you said you weren't mad, but how could you not be? I mean I'm angry at myself for letting my cautious side take over instead of just being impulsive and trusting you, I do want to take the offer, and I do want to believe you...but....

Harry's thoughts were still circulating through his mind by the time he had reached the common room, which was surprisingly busy for what the time was. It wasn't until, he'd heard a yell from across the chamber, which instantly snapped him back to reality.

"Harry! Mate, how did your detention go?" Harry saw the familiar red hair bouncing towards him as Ron pushed his way through the crowd towards Harry, Hermione following closely behind.

"Well, I don't think that I can feel my hands after scrubbing all of those cauldrons." Harry began, he rubbed his bright red hands together in hopes of relieving the pain. He decided that he would not tell his friends about the offer Snape had presented, afraid of what they'll think and their reaction.

"And what about Malfoy? Did he try anything?"

"Well, he got in a lot of trouble after he nearly killed Snape's owl." The entire common room became silent before an eruption of voices emerged, and every student was talking over the top of someone else.

"That slimy Git." one fellow Gryffindor remarked.

"I'm Surprised that Professor Snape didn't kill him on the spot."

"How dare he!"

"I would love to be a fly on the wall during that conversation."

The chatter had become increasingly loud, so much so that McGonagall had emerged from her quarters to hear what all of the fuss was about and why her Lions were still in the common room so close to curfew. She had figured that it would be the Weasley twins pulling one of their infamous pranks on an unsuspecting student. However, she was apparently mistaken when she had finally entered the common room and impatiently asked what the commotion was all about.

"Would someone kindly explain why so many students are awake when it is past your curfew?" McGonagall asked somewhat harshly. Every student at once tried to explain the situation at the same time, and after a few moments, McGonagall had heard parts of different conversations to pick the underlying issue that was causing the shouting. Calmly she continued. "This is all a matter you can be discussing over breakfast tomorrow, for now, you must go to bed. immediately." Minerva gave the students a strong glare which indicated that arguing was beside the point and utterly helpless. One by one students began to climb the stairs into their dorms.

The next morning as Harry awoke, the gossip from the previous night hadn't died down yet, and Gryffindor's were still muttering about it by the time everyone had made it to breakfast. Harry looked towards his plate, not feeling the slightest bit hungry, but he knew that the potions professor was watching his eating habits closer than a hawk, to say it was intimidating was an understatement. Harry then noticed the small bottle full of his medicine was indeed beside his plate, in one swift movement Harry downed the entire bottle before sipping some pumpkin juice. The nutrient didn't taste horrible, but Harry certainly preferred the taste of pumpkin juice. He then proceeded to take a slice of bacon, and in an adventurous mood, he took a pancake that was drenched with butter and maple syrup. Instincts must have taken over harry's body because he found himself meeting eyes with Snape, in hopes to gain his approval on the amount he had eaten.