Harry wandered the corridors of Hogwarts but took his time to enjoy the soothing night air and the odd sense of peace that the vacant corridors along the path to the library provided. It was almost a week until Halloween and while everyone else in the castle were looking forward to the celebration feast, he of course, wasn't.

Normally he did enjoy the nice food and common room parties, however the date was also a painful reminder of how his parents had died trying to save him from a monster known as Voldemort.

Harry knew it was unavoidable to be thinking of such things while he strolled casually along a peaceful corridor. After so many years he had come to tolerate it and had turned his sad longing into a fond acceptance. Instead of missing his parents too terribly, Harry would honor their memory by being proud to be their son because of their love and bravery...he was alive because of them, in so many ways.

Ron said he'd mellowed over the years while Hermione said he'd grown up, but really Harry had just forced himself to calm his temper and to realize that losing his parents was a curse yes, however the occasion shouldn't be thought of as such. It was a long and enduring journey of his inner battle and he had finally won.

Previously he had always been moody because he felt life was always kicking him in the shins and it was a hard habit to break. The only true key to his victory was the room he was heading to now; the library.

Harry sighed as he stepped into the large room and smiled contently at the shelves upon shelves of books that filled the entire room. It was inside this room that he had realized how much he loved reading and how easy it was to vanish into another world that took place inside its pages. At first he had perused the rows of fiction and adventure but soon gravitated towards interesting factual books and even an odd textbook or two.

He had never borrowed any of the books of course, since Madam Pince was quite a fright and he was too paranoid about returning with even the smallest of mark on any of her treasured books. He didn't mind though. Not borrowing them enabled him to realize the sanctuary that the library was. Harry found it amusing that he had previously rolled his eyes at Hermione when she gushed on about the wonders of the library and now he understood that she was perfectly correct. He had even taken to doing his homework there on odd occasions, much to Ron's displeasure.

Harry turned towards the row dedicated to the magical theory of rare plants and their properties in potions, and winced as he saw a very familiar and yet entirely unwelcome sight...Snape. What was he doing here?

Harry had never seen a teacher spend time in the library like the students did unless you counted the time when McGonagall searched shelves for the books Fred and George had read through as she tried to find out what exactly they done to a Slytherins classmate back when Harry had been in second year.

Harry's peace was crushed as he glared at the professor who was sitting at a large table directly in front of the books Harry was interested in. The man was certainly not studying and didn't have any books with him as he scribbled notes on parchment and appeared to just be using the library as a place to work.

Harry was annoyed further by this. He had come to consider this place to be his sanctuary and the one place Slytherins didn't bother him at or where he never ran into trouble. It was just typical of Snape to ruin that too! Scowling over the fact that Snape was sitting at the exact table he wanted to sit at right by the shelves he wanted to read. But he wasn't going to let the dark Slytherin professor to win. No, Harry wasn't going to turn around and leave. He was going to be the brave Gryffindor he was supposed to be and just endure it.

Harry inhaled and stood taller as he walked over to the shelves and searched the rows for the books of interest. He clutched them under his arm and walked to stand across from Snape before he dumped the books on the table and sat down. He winced when the thump of his books had accidentally caused quite a bit of sound and if Snape hadn't paused with his writing the moment he'd spotted Harry's shadow than his ink would surely have smeared.

'Obnoxious as always, Mr Potter.' Snape stated without even glancing up from his parchments that were somewhat scattered on his little area of the table.

Harry almost asked how Snape knew it was him but bit his lip to hold back his comments. Instead he flipped open to the first page of his large book and was determined to ignore the man altogether.

 He had been foolish to think that such a thing would be possible. How could Snape be ignored? Besides, it wasn't a common occurrence for either of them to sit across from each other in any situation, let alone in the library at night.

Harry recoiled as he remembered exactly who he was with and felt the need to pre-defend himself.

'It's not curfew.' He said and glanced at a wall clock to be certain. Indeed, it was barely seven and the library closed at nine, which was half an hour before curfew.

'Your ability to determine the time astounds me.' Snape sneered and continued to avoid giving Harry any attention other than simple, verbal responses.

'Hmph.' Harry huffed and lowered his eyes to his book again. It was really hard to focus on anything other than the bizarreness of the situation and he simply couldn't remain quite nor would his curiosity rest.

'Cease your childish staring, Potter.' Snape glared at him. It made Harry jump at the sudden eye contact and sharp tone directed his way.

'Sorry.' Harry gasped out and quickly looked back down at his book to avoid the glare.

'Might I ask what absurd reason you have to seating yourself at this particular table of all available locations? I assume you are aware that the library has more than one seat available to its students?' Snape asked with obvious annoyance because it wasn't as though the library was packed and there were plenty more seats around...yet Potter had chosen this one.

He also found it to be strange because Snape was sitting where he always used to sit as a student and Harry had taken up to occupying Lily's favored seat. Snape had asked the question that had been nagging him since Potter had slammed his books in front of him, however he wasn't prepared for the answer.

'This is my favourite seat. I always sit here.' Harry frowned and crossed his arms over his open book.

'And this is the closest table to the books I wanted to read, sir.' He grumbled to himself because it wasn't as though Snape was using any of the books and merely took up valuable space at “his” table.

Snape raised his eyebrows and turned around in his own seat to glance at the books behind him although he already knew exactly what they entitled. He glanced back at Harry with a glower.

'And you expect me to believe that to be your honest reason, Potter?' Snape scowled. 'As your Potions professor who is constantly disappointed by your barely satisfactory grades, I find it astoundingly difficult to believe that you would be interested in such topics during your free time.'

Harry frowned back at the irritating man. 'Well, we don't cover these particular plants in class, sir. Surely you would know that?'

'Why you-' Snape did not appreciate the boy's cheek but quickly regained himself and settled with narrowing his eyes instead.

He refused to lose his composure but he had been spending hours in the library feeling like he was fourteen again and had forgotten himself. until Potter showed up and made it painfully aware how empty “Lily's” seat was.

'Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek.'

Harry growled and sank lower in his seat as though it would cause him to become invisible and someplace away from the annoying man. Way to ruin the sanctuary, Snape!

'You claim to have read these texts before?' Snape raised an eyebrow. 'Tell me than, Mr Potter, what are the three main differences in appearance between a Flameroot and Flarevine?' He quizzed.

Harry tried to keep the smug expression off his face; it proved to be quite difficult. 'Actually sir, there are four differences. The leaves are pointed at the tip of the flameroot leaves whereas the flarevine leaves are rounded. People often mistake them for the same plant because they both have a red stripe down their leaves but if they look underneath the flarevine stripe is on both sides but not on the flameroot.' He recited and was pleased that Snape had chosen a subject he had read just that previous day.

'Also the flarevine lives in shaded areas but the flameroot needs a lot of sunlight. The last difference is the powered stuff on the stem of the flameroot, it's a bit purplish and absent on the other plant. I think it's poisonous too, so it's not a good idea to get too close.'

'Explain to me, Mr Potter, how you manage to so dramatically fail my class?' Snape asked in a dull tone although the surprise was evident on his face despite how he clearly still seemed so sour towards the situation.

Harry frowned at that question. 'If I tell you sir, you'll take points and give me a detention.'

He wasn't about to explain how Malfoy always messed with his cauldron or how Snape gave him so much grief that he couldn't concentrate and than he was put off the entire subject and left his homework (and by then he HAD to do it), to the last minute as a result.

Snape eyed the boy and realized that he was probably right and nodded before he returned to his own writing.

--

Silence fell over them once again. Harry felt that he was able to read a bit more and was getting oddly used to having Snape there.

A few more minutes passed and he couldn't stand the silence he had so eagerly sought out because it seemed too unnatural when he was around such a man.

'Sir, um, I was wondering...' Harry fidgeted. 'Why are you here? I mean, you're not using the books and I didn't know teachers even came here.'

'Which is likely to be the reason behind why so many students tend to populate the library at certain times of the day.' Snape muttered but glanced up to answer the annoyingly curious teenager.

'For you information, Mr Potter, as a member of the staff I have the unlimited privilege of having access to every aspect of the castle, unlike trouble-causing students who cannot even obey the rule of silence within this very room.'

'There's no such rule!' Harry hissed with agitation towards being told off again.

'Madam Pince says we have to be quiet and keep our voices low but silence would be stupid because there are study groups here too.'

'Your knowledge of the basic purpose of the library is alarming.' Snape drawled and ignored the fact in the boy's words.

'And pray tell, what is a delinquent such as yourself doing in the library so close to Halloween?' He thought bitterly upon that awful date and glanced down at his writing to conceal his anguished face more effectively.

'I hate Halloween.' Harry said lowly.

'I find it hard to celebrate the night my parents died.' He glared at Snape. 'I doubt you'd understand that, sir. You may not like my father much but he died to save his son, regardless of what you think of me also. My mum too. She loved me so much that she refused to stand aside, she wasn't going to let Voldemort kill me and for that I think she's the bravest person in the world.'

Snape visibly flinched at Voldemort's name but his heart sank as he listened to the boy he had vowed to protect and yet also to hate. Lily had loved her son that much, and perhaps more. It was that love that got her killed and yet he found it difficult to blame Harry for it as Snape infrequently had from time to time in the past.

'What do you do on Halloween, sir?' Harry asked and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

'Do you stroll around and scare people? I imagine you're rather good at that.' He mused and wondered where all his daring came from as surely his words were placing himself into a great deal of danger.

'Despite the rumours, Potter, that is not my main hobby.' Snape frowned and hated that he wasn't angry towards the brat at this moment. Curse the library and its calming effect on people.

'I do not enjoy Halloween either.'

'Oh.' Was all Harry could say to that.

'Wow, I never in a million years excepted us to have anything on common other than our erm, dislike for each other.' He smirked.

'Indeed.' Snape replied with a sigh. 'I find that to be quite unsettling.'

'Yeah!' Harry laughed but kept his tone low, wary of Madam Pince and her scariness. 'Maybe we have more in common...perhaps we could test it just to make sure it wasn't a fluke?'

'I have far more progressive ways to spend my time, Mr Potter.' Snape glared. 'Playing “twenty questions” with you of all people is not my idea of amusement.'

'Hm. Well, I already know something else we have in common, unless you took muggle studies.' Harry smirked.

'Twenty questions is a muggle game, sir. So you're not a pureblood either, are you?'

'That is none of your concern, Potter.' Snape growled. Lily had been the one to introduce him to that stupid game as a way to get to know each other better. He was becoming very unnerved by the irony in Harry doing the same as he sat in her favourite chair and mischievously watched him with those same eyes.

'I'll start.' Harry was eager to see further uncomfortable expressions on the man's face and considered this to be his payback for all the past agitation the man often caused him.

'Let's see...despite the connection to Slytherin, I do quite like the colour green. What about you, sir?'

'I refuse to partake in this ridiculous activity.' Snape contemplated just getting up from his seat and leaving the room altogether but wasn't going to allow Harry that satisfaction.

'We could wager on it.' Harry suggested. 'If you play, I won't bother you for a whole lesson.' He didn't know if he could do that but it was certainly worth a try.

'I won't show up late, I'll hand in extra homework and I'll even stay completely out of trouble for that entire day.'

How tempting. Snape glared at the boy and liked the idea of a single day of peace. Taking the man's silence as an agreement, Harry continued.

'Most liked colour?' He questioned.

'Green also, naturally.' Snape sighed with deepest irritation and self-loathing for giving in to the game.

'See? That wasn't so hard.' Harry was becoming far to casual around the man and it unnerved them both although the teen tried to hide it. 'You get to ask one now.'

'My vague participation in this ridiculous activity is enough for me to endure. I shall leave the duty of coming up with the inane questions to you.' Snape said.

'Okay, um...what's your favourite thing about Christmas?' Harry asked and Snape couldn't help but roll his eyes as the questions were rather pathetic, in his opinion.

'Peace and quiet.' Snape answered.

'Hm, mine is the way the snow makes even Hogwarts look like an ice palace.' Harry shrugged.

'You thought I'd say presents, didn't you?' He raised an eyebrow.

Snape said nothing as he had expected more of a “spoiled brat” suggestion such as presents and the glorified attention from loved ones.

'Okay, no score there.' Harry mused. 'Hm. Well what is your favourite time of the year? Mine is September, because it's good to see everyone again and I do miss Hogwarts during the holidays.' He said and knew it was an understatement.

His more real answer would be that he got to escape the horrible Dursleys who hated him and barely let him eat at all, but he wasn't going to tell Snape that.

'July.' Severus replied and glanced at Harry as if he was daring the teen to guess why.

'Oh, because it's the holidays and there are no students here?' Harry rolled his eyes. 'That's almost an opposite answer to mine.' He frowned.

'Perhaps the painful similarities are only in relation to colour preference and our dislike towards October 31st?' Snape drawled and prayed it to be the case.

'I doubt it.' Harry said with determination.

'We just need to dig deeper. Okay, let's see if you have anything at all in common with this...I live on a street where all the houses are basically the same; I get up early every morning because I have unavoidable tasks to complete; my two best friends are a redhead and a brunette; my favourite subject is also the one I am best at; I did not end up in the house the hat originally wanted to put me into; I would rather an owl than a cat; my favourite time of day is night; I had a bully before Hogwarts as well as at Hogwarts and I believe that there is only so much you can learn from a book.' He gasped out ten possible things and doubted they had even one of them in common.

 Harry also hoped he hadn't given too much away to his hated professor but it was hard to come up with so many options as quickly as possible.

Snape was silent for a moment as he mentally thought over the list, having a gifted ability to recall such things perfectly and in order.

'What?' Harry asked when the man growled and glared at him instead of saying they had nothing in common there or only one thing.

'Nine of out of ten. Impressive, Mr Potter.' Snape wondered if the boy had been prying into his life or if there was another form of cheating involved. There was no way they could have that man random things in common, could they?

'Which one did I miss?' Harry asked in shock.

'I did not have a brunette friend.' Snape said simply and felt he had revealed too much simply by saying that because who didn't have a brunette friend unless they had very few friends...like he had.

'Wow.' Harry thought of his options again and wrote them down on a spare piece of parchment from his bag.

'Let's see...' He frowned. 'Okay so, you live on a street were the houses are almost identical. Where's that?' Harry wondered.

'I refuse to inform you even the slightest of my home address.' Snape narrowed his eyes as though he expected Harry to flaunt it and show up to disturb his holidays.

'As if I would.' Harry grumbled as he knew what the professor was thinking. 'You get up early...oh yeah, you would as a teacher. He read through the list.

'Two best friends...ah, so you had a redhead friend but not a brunette one?' Harry thought for a moment.

'But I thought brunette was more popular than redheads?' He shrugged and moved on while secretly feeling surprised that such a sour man had any friends at all, even back then.

'You're best at your favourite subject, no surprise there.' Harry chuckled. 'I bet it was potions?' He smirked.

'Hm.' Snape glared at him.

'Wait, the hat didn't origionally want to put you in Slytherin?' He stared up at the professor in surprise, thinking he was pure Slytherin.

'What was the first option?'

'Ravenclaw.' Snape replied although it was actually a toss up between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor but he would rather die at the torturous hand of Voldemort than admit such a thing to Potter.

'Yourself?'

'Er...Slytherin.' Harry blushed and quickly stared back down at his list, missing the surprised and thoughtful expression on the man's face.

'You'd prefer an owl over a cat. Of course, owls are more practical because they deliver the mail and cats are more fuss, plus they get into things and shred stuff.' Harry reasoned.

'It seems you do have more brain cells than your father after all, Mr Potter.' Snape drawled with an annoyed sigh.

'Your favourite time is night, still no surprise there. I kinda expected that one.' Harry ignored the previous comment about his father.

'I have to admit, I can't imagine anyone bullying you, sir.' He glanced up and actually appeared to be rather sympathetic.

'I'd have thought you'd just beat them up as a kid and than hex them at Hogwarts.' He shrugged. 'But I guess that doesn't always work for some, does it?'

'No, it does not.' Snape answered although his “before Hogwarts” bully was his father, not another pesky child such as James Potter.

He could guess that Potter would call Draco Malfoy his bully at Hogwarts, he wondered about the “before Hogwarts” one as well because no way a Potter would let anyone get away with such.

'And the book one, yeah that's obvious...some stuff like spells have to be practiced as well because even if you read everything about them it doesn't mean you can use them during a duel.' Harry nodded.

'Wow, we have heaps in common!'

'We do not.' Snape denied. 'And I wish to partake no further in this little game as I have far more important tasks to complete.' He stood but Harry quickly copied his actions.

'Okay, but just one more, please?' He asked and Snape wanted to just storm off as he waved his wand and his work vanished to his quarters.

'One final question, Mr Potter. You are trying my patience.' He growled.

'It's the last one, I promise!' Harry nodded.

'Um, could you tell me something involving me somehow that you don't want anyone else to know and it's got to be something no one could guess either.'

'What absurd reason would I have for revealing such information, assuming of course, that it exists at all.' Snape narrowed his eyes.

'Because if you do...I'll do the same for you.' Harry said with determination.

'To ensure that you will keep you word, you may state you piece of information first.' Snape informed him and couldn't believe he was even considering it.

'You promise you won't back out of the deal?' Harry asked with distrust written all over his face.

'You have my word.' Snape crossed his arms and waited, so sure that the information he would receive would be something he could have guessed anyway.

'Potions was my favourite class in first year and to this day I still find it to be very interesting because of the way you talk about it. Even if you're not very encouraging in class.' Harry admitted.

Snape had to confess, he really had not expected that answer at all. His anger tamed and he saw a glimpse of Lily's curious expression shining through those green eyes for a brief moment and realized he should give the boy something worthy in return.

'My redheaded friend during school was your mother.' Severus answered and turned to leave the library.

Harry stood there, shocked and full of disbelief that he almost forgot to breathe as he realized that there was no way Snape would ever lie about such a thing.

They had been friends...what had gone wrong? Perhaps that incident during fifth year that Harry had unintentionally seen last year? A Gryffindor and a Slytherin; his mother and his hated professor...friends?

'I guess I can honestly say that you are indeed unpredictable.' Harry sighed as he thought of Snape and the last few hours (had it really been hours?!).

A realization and understanding spread through his mind as he offered the now-vacant doorway a small smile. He may not feel much fonder towards the professor but he respected him, he understood that Snape too was actually a human being underneath all his blackness and sour attitude. Snape had been a child once, he had gone to Hogwarts, learned lessons like everyone else and he had been friends with Harry's mother.

And maybe one day...he could be friends with her son too.