Special thanks to "dax33", "lilac lavender", "uzumaki misaki", "themrs", "BladeMaxwell-GoddessofDeath", and "sm1982" for thier review for my oneshot, Point of Love. In reply to all of the requests that I make it longer, I have taken down what was oraginally up and rearranged it into chapters. More to come!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my wild and crazy, overthinking brain that has taken JK Rowling's ideas and background, and made a new story with it.

Chapter One: Re-Meeting

Harry Potter was shaking nervously outside of the office door of Severus Snape. After Harry had left him for dead in the last battle, gone and viewed some rather personal memories of the professor's, Snape had been visited by Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, and been healed of his otherwise fatal injury.

Harry gripped the piece of parchment in his hand that he had received this morning from Snape, asking him to stop by his office that evening. Harry imagined the lecture he was about to get about how he must never share any of what those memories contained, less his stern image be tarnished. After taking one more deep breath, he opened the door.

Severus Snape was sitting at his desk and looked up at Harry with a nod. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Harry said, forcing his voice not to shake.

Snape nodded and motion for Harry to take a seat. "Mr. Potter, in regard to my memories that you saw most recently..."

Harry held his breath, ready for the onslaught of threats indicating why he would never mention them to anyone, so long as they both lived.

"...there's something about them I wish you to understand more accurately," Snape finished.

"Huh?" Harry said, stunned.

"What did you believe I had summoned you here for, if not to discuss what you saw about me that night?" Snape snapped.

Harry glowered. "To be honest, sir, I was expecting a few curses and that you would make me swear never to share what I saw with anyone. Not elaboration."

Severus looked momentarily hurt, that in itself surprising Harry further. "Harry..."

Shock again! Harry thought. He's never called me 'Harry' before!

"...I know I've been horrid to you and your friends over the years, but please try to bear in mind that I acted that way because it was required to maintain my role as a spy. I honestly don't have ill feelings toward you, other that perhaps your dismal potions performances."

It occurred to Harry that, as this was the beginning of his eighth year at Hogwarts, to make up for the lack of a seventh year, he might have to get to know Snape all over again in the coming year. He said nothing in reply to Snape's denial of hating Harry, and after a moment, the professor continued.

"Those memories, regarding my feelings toward your mother, were, well not accurate. I altered them slightly, to make it appear as if I had romantic feelings toward her, because I thought that would be the easiest way for you to understand my devotion to your safety."

Harry shrugged. "Sorry, I wouldn't understand if you did have romantic feelings for her. I don't fancy girls like that at all." Harry had no idea what had caused him to just admit that very personal bit about himself.

Harry looked up, and saw shock on Snape's face, coupled with something else that Harry could not identify. "Do you mean to say that you're gay, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione about that, only Ginny knew. What in the name of Merlin had just made him tell Snape, of all people? "Um, yea," he said slowly. "Only a few people know though. Not even Ron and Hermione."

Snape continued to stare at him, dark eyes boring into Harry. "I should have seen that," Snape finally said. "You must have gone though hell dealing with that on top of everything else."

Harry glared. "What do you care?"

Snape's face returned to his normal glare. "You know, Dumbledore always said that you and I have a lot in common. I never understood him until now. For your information, Mr. Potter, I myself am gay, and therefore, fully understand what that means to a young man, and how difficult it can be. As for 'what do I care', I've always cared about you, more so after you fifth year when we had the Occlumency lessons."

Harry's jaw fell, one shock too many finally collapsed his steady gaze. "You're gay?"

Snape nodded. "As I was about to explain, my love for your mother was not romantic, for that reason among others, but it was deep, because we were very close. She was the first person I came out to, actually."

"You care about me?" Harry whispered, daring to question just what that had meant.

Snape paused. "I care about your well being, Mr. Potter, as I do all my students. Do not read further into that than is necessary."

Harry gulped, mind having already gone where Snape had indicated it should not, and discovered that it was not so repulsed by the idea as he would have thought. On the contrary, if he was really honest with himself. "Yes, sir," he whispered anyway.

"You may go now, Mr. Potter," Snape said suddenly. "I will see you in class."

Severus Snape kicked a chair the moment he could no longer hear Harry's foot falls outside his door. "Just my luck!" he said to no one. Severus cringed, thinking of the last two years of knowing Harry, and caring for Harry, and forcing himself not to think about Harry...that way. Gods no, Severus thought, just because he's gay too does not make him interested, and even if he was, it still made the idea as wrong as it had been two years ago, and last year, and five minutes ago.

When Harry had come to Hogwarts, all Severus has seen in the boy was that – a boy. The offspring of someone he cared for, and someone who was less of a rival than he made them out to be. They couldn't have been rivals, since James Potter was best friends with Severus' first lover, Sirius Black.

They had so much in common, he and Sirius. Both had hard childhoods, both from predominately dark families, both wanted nothing to do with the Dark Lord, and both gay. As teenagers, they'd seen those common bonds as grounds to shag, but neither had realized that love was more than having a few things in common. Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, they came to the inevitable, bad break-up. Sirius had wanted to get married, and Severus knew that his role as a spy would not allow it, and he knew that he was not interested in being committed to anyone at that point in his life.

Loath as he was to admit it, and he never had admitted it to Sirius, Severus was not sure he'd ever really, truly, loved Sirius. Severus knew what love was, because he loved Lily, and often they joked that had Lily been born a man, they would have gotten together.

As Harry got older, and Severus began spending more time with the young man, he realized that Harry was far more like Lily than he'd ever admit, and that Harry was exactly what he'd been looking for in a partner, all these years – a man who could bring him out of his shell like Lily had. Not too much to ask, Severus had always thought.

And so like a punch in the gut, Severus was reminded that exactly what he wanted was right in front of him, incredibly attractive, gay, and oh so out of bounds. "Damn my luck," Severus whispered.