Requited Love

Alarm bells sounded around him, but Harry Potter stood like a rock in a raving river of students pushing past him. The reflection from the fire behind him stung blood red on to the walls, and people jostled and hit into him as they passed. The alarm bells may have been loud enough to shock the other students away from the acrid smell of billowing smoke and into the dark night, but there was silence, a strange calmness inside Harry's head.

Someone tall and dark in the crowd around him saw he wasn't moving, and Harry only turned when he was pushed ahead by the darkly-caped man. He didn't look down, nor did he show any sign of compassion. The crowds around them both were too preoccupied with getting out safely than with the teacher pushing the seemingly dazed student in front of him and through the rings of teachers and various Ministry workers fighting to put out the fire, water jets shooting from the tip of their wands.

"It's not working," Harry pointed out quietly. The older man looked down on him in antipathy.

"Of course it's not working, Potter, it's a charmed fire. The sooner they figure that out the better." Snape finished, finally stopping about a hundred metres out on to the Quidditch pitch and looking back at the burning building. Harry's mind suddenly emerged from the dazed hole it had been residing in and he perked up at this information. /How would he know it was a charmed fire? Harry thought.

All too quickly, the temporary fire-fighters stopped and looked at Dumbledore, who shook his head. The people from the Ministry melted back into the darkness and a sudden silence enveloped the crowd as Dumbledore spoke above the raging of the fire.

"We know not of what has caused this mischance of evil tonight, but Hogwarts has been attacked by an arsonist. The fire is charmed-" At this point Harry glanced up to see Snape looking pleased with himself. "- and so the only thing we can do is wait it out. Some of the faculty have managed to salvage some Muggle tents and we will be using these as temporary accommodation. Obviously a raging fire is not the safest of neighbours, and I will be asking you to find a partner to be with during this hazardous time. Thank you," Dumbledore said. Around him already students were scrambling to find partners, and Snape looked up to see Dumbledore approaching him. "That means staff too, Severus."

Snape's expression changed immediately. He scowled and looked around for another member of staff, but they were all paired up.

So were the students.

Except one.

Potter.

Snape ran two fingers down the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He muttered something incomprehensible and when he opened his eyes, the dark, pools of blackness stared at him accusingly.

"I refuse," he announced. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Nonsense, Severus. It will be a good chance for you two to sort out some differences," Dumbledore said jollily, and bounded off. Snape looked at his employers back distastefully, then turned to Harry.

"I'm not going to enjoy this, Potter," he reminded him, despising the way the teenager looked up at him innocently. He leaned closer. "And I'm damn well going to make sure you don't either," he snarled, a fist curling around the back of Harry's collar. Harry looked towards Ron and Hermione in alarm as he was dragged away from the main crowd.

As they went around the corner he could see an avenue of flickering candles, along which people clambered into tents almost in complete silence. The roaring fire behind them cast an eerie acquaintance with the candle lights. There was a yank on his neck as Snape stopped suddenly.

"Get in," he ordered, motioning to a tent in front of them both, his long fingers letting go of the boy's collar and shoving him in the back. Harry stumbled forwards and into the tent, and the teacher followed him.

"This is pathetic," Snape decided, once inside. It smelt of damp canvas and was tiny, only enough room to move and coated in a bizarre half-light. There were two sleeping bags beside the door. Something inside Harry snapped, and he glared at Snape. It was only a few more weeks and he'd be leaving school - he had nothing to lose any more.

"Why don't you just shut up and stop being so bloody miserable, you greasy sod?" he snapped, expecting the other man to be taken aback. Snape didn't even flinch.

"Ten house...." Snape began coldly.

"Ten house points this, ten house points that. It's all you ever do to defend yourself, Snape. It's pathetic. Can't you just grow up and think of something interesting to say?"

Snape's eyes widened slightly. "It's the house points cup coming up within the next month, Potter," he reminded him.

"So?"

"And you have a problem with my decisions on deducting ten house points? With that in mind, maybe I should take off fifty," Snape growled.

"You're not very creative," Harry reprimanded

"Detention," Snape shot back, his eyes darkening.

Harry shrugged and nodded towards the light source outside the tent. "No school, no detention." He smirked and looked towards the older man, whose expression had darkened considerably. There was murder in his eyes, and triumph in Harry's. For the first time in his life, Harry was winning.

"You're just a sour git with nothing other to do than terrorise first years. What's the thing with that, Snape? Were you abused as a child?" he accused sarcastically. Suddenly a fist was flying towards him and his face exploded in pain. He fell backwards against the ground canvas and Snape leapt on top of him, pinning his wrists above his head.

"My childhood has nothing whatsoever to do with you, Potter. Maybe it's because you didn't grow up with parents you don't know the meaning of respect. It's true you will be leaving - thankfully - but until then you are under Hogwarts' care and therefore my rules. If you ever threaten me like that again, Potter, you will find yourself on the receiving end of a Crutacius curse. Do you understand me?" Snape hissed. With the teacher's face inches away from his, he had no choice but to nod frantically. Seeing a tear roll down the boy's cheek, Snape sneered and pushed himself away from him.

"After all that heroism you're still nothing but a child," he derided. Harry hid his face and climbed into the sleeping bag. He avoided the other man for the rest of the night.