Dull sunlight began to spill through the window of the cold and cluttered bedroom, as Harry Potter began to stir awake. It seemed he managed a few more hours of sleep after his unsettled night, but as he opened his eyes, he was blinded by a dull headache which caused him to immediately shut his eyes again. It took him several moments to recall the events of the previous day, and he barely managed to register that he was finally back at Grimmauld Place.

What the hell happened yesterday?

His lack of sleep made him feel like he had far too much firewhiskey in his system. Yesterday felt like such a blur and he was so emotionally charged from it, that he now seemed completely sapped of whatever energy he had left. Recalling his argument with Snape the previous evening, made him all the more driven to just stay in bed for the day. Facing the possibility of confronting the man again at some point, he created a bit of a conundrum with himself.

Did he go too far? Where did Harry draw the line? Was he really being unreasonable?

And yet everyone just seemed to want to convince him to give the man a break. The Gryffindor did have a measure of sympathy for him – Harry wasn't heartless. He knew that. But his trust in him still felt severely broken, and he found it difficult to trust anyone again a second time. So many people have let him down in the past and constantly kept important things from him. Constantly. Everyone was always stepping on eggshells around him, and that annoyed him to no end.

He genuinely wanted to have some sort of truce with Snape. But he found that difficult when he realised both individuals had a difficult time trusting each other. There was no respect between them, and Harry knew that. Deep down, he really wanted it to work. If not only for his sake but at least for his mother's memory.

Both Harry and Snape needed that peace – They both deserved that much.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Harry yawned, as Ginny entered the bedroom, "Barely."

"Trouble sleeping again?"

Harry sighed, "Every night is the same."

Ginny sat down on the bed next to Harry, as he sat upright against the headboard, "Don't tell Ron that, or he'll offer to knock you out."

"Honestly, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Harry grinned, as he reached out to clasp Ginny's hand, "Did I miss anything?"

Ginny sighed, "Yeah, but we wanted to let you sleep. Snape's downstairs dealing with the mess in the basement. He seemed very worried about what was being brewed down there, but he wouldn't tell us. I wish you were there to hear him swear when he arrived. Quite humorous, actually."

Harry let a groan, knowing he'd have to deal with Snape at some point that morning, "Any ideas as to what it may be?"

"Hermione seems to have an idea, as always. She looked worried, too, " Ginny held Harry's hand in both of hers, "Also…There have been two more victims."

The color drained from Harry's face, "Oh no…Who?"

"…The Diggory's."

Harry closed his eyes briefly, giving him time to register what he had heard. His heart twisted in his chest, as he struggled to draw in breath. That poor family. They lost their son Cedric, which already tore their lives apart. And now this…Absolutely devastating. The war is still ongoing, and the thought of that made his stomach do backflips.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I know it's not what you want to hear."

"It's not, but…Thanks for letting me know."

Feeling like he had procrastinated enough that morning, Harry gently peeled off his bedcovers as soon as Ginny left the room and made a detour to the bathroom to freshen himself up. He was afraid to look into the mirror at the monstrosity looking back at him, but a quick glance was enough to leave him feeling repulsed. His pale face appeared alarmingly gaunt – dark rings evident under his eyes. His hair was a mess and in desperate need of a wash. Untameable stubble all over his chin, left unshaven for a short while, leaving a scratchy mess on his skin. His once bright emerald eyes now had a dull glow, leaving them looking eerily hollow. He only got as far as dousing his face with cold water, not caring about the rest of his appearance. He lost the will to deal with that a long while ago. What was another day?

Eventually, he threw on one of the few shirts and pants in his possession and grumpily made his way downstairs to see what fresh hell was in store for him that day.

He made his way to the kitchen to find Neville and Luna having a conversation with Kreacher over freshly made scones and pots of coffee. Luna was wearing her Spectrespecs and a strange handmade necklace adorned with what looked like an actual starfish and multi-colored hand-painted shells. Upon his entry, the trio glanced in his direction.

Neville beamed, "Morning Harry! Good timing – I had to try and stop Ron from eating the rest of the scones. "

"Morning," Harry sat down across from them and snatched a warm scone from the kitchen table, and began to lather it with a dollop of jam and cream. It smelled amazing, and his stomach grumbled intensely. That was his own fault for barely eating anything the day before. "How did you sleep?"

"Besides that wretched portrait screaming at silly hours of the night, it was alright. I think she got set off by Snape walking in, " Harry watched as Neville tried to stifle a laugh and ended up smirking instead. Must have been the same incident that had Ginny highly amused. Well, he was glad his friends at least found the man remotely amusing at this time. Harry managed to scoff down the scone in several bites and started pouring himself a cup of coffee. The caffeine and sugar hit should leave him remotely functional this morning, even for a short time. Though he knew he'd have to talk to Snape sooner or later, he pondered and wished he had something stronger.

"I'm glad you made it down in time, " Luna tilted her head to the side, observing Harry a little too closely, "But I daresay you've looked better."

Harry's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Gee, thanks, Luna."

Luna smiled, "I don't mean any offense. You don't look like your usual self these days."

Harry didn't know whether he preferred Luna's brutal honesty, or Snape's. Either definitely could not be avoided at this point. "I'm…working on it." Harry stood up from the table, satisfied enough with one scone. "Will you both be around today?"

"I'm meeting Hannah Abbott at St. Mungo's to see Madam Pomfrey, " Neville explained, "Since everyone got transferred there, we've been assisting the injured. Pomfrey wants to train us as Medi-assistants for now. I think Hannah wants to become a Healer."

Harry smiled. Neville looked incredibly proud of that, and he was happy for him, "That's great! Wait, are you and Hannah – "

"Thanks, Harry – I'm happy to lend my assistance. I never thought I'd be any good at Healing spells, but we've learned a lot. Too bad I'm terrible at potions, though," Neville suddenly looked sheepish, "Oh, Hannah…Well, not really. I do like her, though. I wished I had the courage to get to know her better at school. Better late than never, right?"

Harry was incredibly proud of his friend, "I'm really happy for you. You're both a great match," Harry glanced at Luna, "What about you, Luna? Will you be staying?"

The Ravenclaw witch paused in thought for several moments, until she looked back at Harry with widened bright blue eyes, "I think I might make a pretty shell necklace for Dobby today. I think he'd like that, don't you?"

Harry's heart welled up in memory of his fallen friend, and gave Luna a heart-warming smile, "That's - That's a wonderful idea, Luna. He'd really love that."

"I think so too. Blue suits him rather well."

Harry took a few steps to the door, "Well, hopefully, I'll see you both later. Time to investigate the next problem," Harry waved at his friends and began to make the dreaded trek to the basement to finally uncover what was happening down there.

Admittedly, he has never seen the basement at Grimmauld Place, so he really had no clue what to expect. It was always sealed shut. Besides the vague description by Hermione as to what may have occurred, he was in desperate need of an update on the potions situation, which he hoped Snape can rectify for him. Hermione must have summoned the man quite late overnight, as apparently the toxic fumes were getting worse and needed more magic to contain. Therefore, the arrival of the Potions Master was late, which Harry was not aware of until he awoke that morning.

Slowly descending the narrow staircase to the lower floor, his senses were suddenly overwhelmed by a combination of putrid ingredients. That was not the wake-up call he intended for. Once he reached the final stair, he saw Snape carefully stirring something over a steaming cauldron, with Hermione and Ron beside him, prepping ingredients on either side. That visual messed with Harry's head a little too much.

Hermione was the first to see Harry. She looked slightly flustered, and Harry noticed her gaze dart from his disheveled appearance until she gave him a small smile, "Morning Harry."

Harry eyed the makeshift potion's laboratory, anticipating the upcoming dread. "So, what did I miss?"

Hermione flicked some wayward hairs away from her face as she continued, "Professor Snape was able to remove the fumes and clear the room early this morning. As presumed, they were trying to brew Polyjuice potion but were thankfully unsuccessful. As for the other issue…Well…"

Severus Snape eventually looked up at Harry, and the two stood there glancing at each other in silence, resulting in the man narrowing his eyes ever so subtly at the Gryffindor. Harry clenched his jaw, soon realising Snape was analysing the boy's unusually haggard appearance.

Eventually, Snape moved to speak, while still gently stirring the potion simmering slightly in the cauldron, "The fumes were isolated, and completely removed. It could have turned deadly very quickly, had Miss Granger not have immediately contained it, but it was not intended for you. It was simply left to steep accidentally in their mad dash to depart. The odd concoction they were attempting had traces of elemental sulfur and hydrogen cyanide. It was not exactly a potion."

Harry's eyes widened, as he began to internally freak out, "Cyanide? What the hell were they doing with poison?!"

"After careful examination, I determined that the poison is what is known as a blood agent. A poison used and dispersed as a toxic vapor when activated at optimum temperature and conditions," Snape spoke slowly, allowing every languid syllable to reach Harry's mind; hopefully allowing that information to sink in. There was a slight pause, then the man continued his lecture, "Are you familiar with Muggle history, Potter?"

Harry nodded immediately, now overly concerned with the new dilemma, "I do, sir. But why do I get the feeling history is going to repeat itself again?"

Snape softened his gaze as he tediously explained, "Hydrogen cyanide was used in Nazi gas chambers in the 1940s. The sulfur contained in this particular concoction is a natural substance used as a fuel for, most commonly, gunpowder."

Slowly, Harry began to nod in understanding, as he realised what that meant. He swallowed the bitterness rising in his throat, as the idea made him feel utterly repulsed, "They were planning to disperse the poison somewhere, weren't they?"

Snape appeared saddened as he nodded once, "It appears so."

Ron looked mortified, "Sounds bloody horrendous."

"Wonderful, " Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We have to inform the Ministry!" Hermione appeared exasperated.

"And cause mass panic? I don't think that's a good idea," Ron stepped away from the table and placed his hands nervously in his pockets.

"RON!" Hermione looked aghast at Ron, "We have to at least inform the Minister – He is in the Order, after all."

"The Ministry already knows that something big is happening again…I mean, the Diggory's…" Harry threw his hands up in defeat, "How did they even find out?"

Snape pursed his lips, "That was I. " He watched as the man's eyes darted to his briefly. But Harry noticed how uncomfortable he looked throughout the entire conversation. Eventually, he watched as the man drop his arms to his side, and let out a heavy sigh as he turned from the potion now allowing it to cool, "I trailed Death Eaters at Knockturn Alley yesterday evening and uncovered the startling news."

Harry crinkled his eyebrows, "You followed them? Why would you even risk that?"

"You question my methods, Potter?"

"You're supposed to be laying low! You were supposed to be done being a…spy."

"Yes, well, I've been one for years, thus…Like you, I cannot sit idly by. More lives are at stake, " Snape remained cool and passive, as his voice was quiet, yet stern, "You know as well as I that I cannot do nothing."

Harry paused in thought. After a few moments, he looked at Hermione and Ron with a defeated look, "…Do you mind if I speak to Professor Snape alone? Please?"

Hermione nodded, "Of course, Harry. We'll be upstairs if you need us." He watched as she gently clasped Ron's hand, and together, ascended the stairs and disappeared from view to the upper floors. Initially, Harry remained rooted to the spot, dreading turning around to face the man's onslaught. But he knew they needed to sort things out promptly before they even stopped to consider that they needed to work together in unison.

Mustering up whatever ounce of energy he had, he eventually turned around to look at Snape, who was quite evidently watching his every move. They were both exhausted – Tired of fighting. Tired of losing themselves. Tired of losing others. Every hardship caused a piece of their soul to crumble, and with every one of them, made their days so much harder to bare. Harry was already broken enough and knowing that people were risking their lives like this, hurt him more than he cared to admit. Even Snape – The man had done enough for this fight, and Harry knew it. He risked absolutely everything to see the downfall of Voldemort, and yet Harry had the audacity to be the arsehole he wanted to avoid becoming.

Harry felt lost, and he didn't know where to begin. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and stare at the ceiling in self-pity, but he couldn't. This was not over. This fight was not yet over, and he had an obligation to keep going for fear of letting everyone down.

Harry looked directly at Snape, as he began to speak, as softly and as composed as he could, "Look, I realise I was being unfair to you yesterday, but you have to understand that I had hoped we could work together. I'm not eleven years old anymore, Professor. I need you to work with me, not against me. I need you to trust me."

Snape tilted his head, as he listened to the boy's statement. But Harry could tell he was struggling to find the right words as well, "I will not work with anyone who feels the absolute need to blame me for every little thing. I often work alone, Potter. I cannot have you interfering in something so dangerous."

"Like fighting Voldemort wasn't dangerous? I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry for being angry at you yesterday, " Harry was trying really hard to be sincere, but he was stumbling on the right words to say. "You left without us, and…I thought we were going to work together. For once. I genuinely want to help you."

Snape looked exhausted. The Gryffindor watched as he slowly took a seat at the stool by the desk and clasped his hands neatly on his lap. The man appeared paler than usual, with almost a sickly grey tinge to his skin. The Head of Slytherin wasn't wearing his usual billowing traveling cloak; Instead, adorned in the dark purple ensemble he has seen him wear multiple times. Without the cloak, Harry noticed the man looked even thinner in appearance. Well, at least Harry knew he wasn't the only one who had lost his appetite in the last few weeks.

"Potter, we have far too much history between us. However, my actions were only to keep you safe. I still stand by that, even despite the now-fulfilled Prophecy."

"I don't want people risking their lives for me again. Not even you - No matter what our history is - " Harry eventually decided to take a seat next to his old Professor and leaned back against the table. "We're on the same side. Obviously, I didn't know that before. But things are different now. We are different now. Surely you must agree with that. I know we haven't been able to find a middle ground, but we need to work together on this."

"Not everything revolves around you, Potter. Other lives are also at stake, " Snape pondered that statement for a moment, until he gave a curt nod, "Indeed. Everything is different."

"I know that, " Harry drew in a deep breath, "If we alert the Ministry, they'll know you're here. You can't help us if you get sent to Azkaban."

"I am acutely aware of my dilemma. However, remaining in the shadows is undoubtedly, my specialty. Nevertheless, it seems my work is never done. I'm working in conjunction with another to obtain the information that we need in order to prevent this impending catastrophe."

Harry furrowed his brow, "Who is it?"

"I cannot reveal that. For your own good."

Harry let out a small sigh, and nodded, "Fine. If you can't tell me that, then tell me why you left out the asphodel in your antidote. You must have had a particularly good reason, " Harry hesitated, and lowered his head in guilt, "And yeah…I found out what that question meant. Look, I never knew…If I knew that was an apology…Things would have been very different for us. I would have understood, and maybe not have been such a...git."

Snape remained silent, as he closed his eyes in mild defeat. There was a heavy pause between them, and Harry could sense the man's inner struggle, even though he was quite good at keeping his expressions rather passive. After a short while, Snape finally opened his eyes and looked back at the Gryffindor. His expression was now solemn, with heavy sadness now evident in the man's dark, haunted eyes, "I meant that wholeheartedly. It was coded because you were not yet ready to understand. You were far too young to comprehend it. Listen to me, Potter – Harry - It was...an accident. I never anticipated he'd come after your parents, your mother…It was all my fault. Furthermore, I take full responsibility for everything that escalated as a result of that."

He shook his head and glanced at the man sadly, "Why didn't you apologise to me in person? Back then…"

"Because even after all this time, the guilt still destroys me. You asked why I left out the asphodel...that is my reason. Ironic, really."

Harry's heart grew still, yet incredibly pained. He simply could not believe what he was implying. "You…Still want to…?" He couldn't finish those words.

Snape remained silent, as he looked away. They sat there together in silence for what felt like an eternity; Both overcome with guilt and past suffering. Heartaches beyond measure. Their relationship was complicated, but Harry was relieved deep down that they were technically no longer enemies. It definitely accounted for something, and that was important to the Gryffindor. But he could not, for the life of him, understand how the man welcomed his death sentence so casually. Like, he could throw it all away. Harry obviously could never understand the true extent of the man's pain, but his own ran just as deep. Everyone keeps disappearing from his life. Every adult figure he has ever had in his life, either treated him horribly, kept secrets from him – often both – and the ones who genuinely cared for him and protected him have now since died for the cause. Only a few adult figures remained in his life. Snape kind of fell into the center of that.

He felt abandoned, and he didn't know how to tell him that.

"You have to keep fighting. We've both lost too much. I want to give up, too, but…I can't. My friends need me," Harry spoke quietly.

"Yes, well, Potter, I am absent of those."

"I know we're not friends, but you have allies. Proper allies, now. You don't have to pretend anymore."

"It's not that straightforward," Snape said, tight-lipped. "You need support, but I do not know how to efficiently provide that. I cannot promise you anything, however, I will do my best to be a little more…dependable. If you so wish."

"I-I don't know. I'm scared to really depend on anyone, because everyone that I've ever put trust in, or cared for, leaves me. Or dies. I don't want to lose anyone else," Harry shamefully choked through those last few words, feeling wrecked with his looming sadness. He removed his glasses and quickly rubbed his tear-soaked eyes. He felt embarrassed and ashamed of himself; he has never been open about this before. Not even to Hermione and Ron, least of all Severus Snape. Hastily placing his glasses back on his wary face, he tried to avoid the man's gaze. He really was a mess. "You are the last proper tie to my mother. We can at least keep fighting for her."

Severus Snape hesitated, as he began to register exactly what the boy had said. In a way, he understood. The only person he really could depend on was Lily - And he messed that up entirely. Snape tilted his head slightly, as his thin lips curved to a small smile, "I suppose in the end, what we both did, we did for her."

Finally, their middle ground.

Despite each of their own moral problems they both faced, at least they could try and see reason with each other. Both were ultimately afraid for vastly different reasons. On one side, Harry had difficulty accepting the losses in his life, and no matter how hard he tried, people kept leaving him. Either metaphorically in the dark, or permanently. He sacrificed his childhood fighting an enemy far greater than he could have ever imagined because people were relying on him to. But the fallout from that fight stole too much of his spirit and will, and that shattered his heart in so many painful ways. On the other side was Severus Snape – Already still consumed with guilt from his past mistakes, who not only has a personal dilemma regarding his own life but an unforeseeable duty to keep protecting Harry at all costs, despite the Dark Lord's downfall. He gave up fighting for acceptance and trust, in the midst of his own self-loathing, while battling his own will to live. A part of him wanted to give up entirely – end his suffering quickly. But the other part of him wanted one last chance to do the right thing and help a boy thrown into the center of his dismal life who clearly needed guidance and direction.

They both desperately needed purpose.

"Potter – your arm…" Harry's thoughts were disrupted by a slightly panicked Snape. He felt a gentle hand wrap around his right wrist, and it wasn't until those few seconds, did he finally look down to find a trickle of blood oozing from his wound. During the entire duration of the conversation, Harry didn't realise he had been picking at it from under the bandage, in all his anxiety and worry. He lifted his left hand to find it smeared with fresh blood, which had also caked under his thin fingernails. Immediately, Snape removed the now-bloodied bandages and transfigured a blank parchment on the table into a cloth. He held it against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Harry watched as he tended to the wound carefully, and eventually sealing it as best it could using magical and Muggle methods. His arm was still heavily scarred, which will never heal completely, but it was now a matter of avoiding touching it out of habit and stress.

Harry hung his head through the silence that followed and looked away. He struggled to even look at him. When the professor finally re-bandaged his arm, he felt Snape's gaze over his face. But he also realised that Snape had kept his hand lingering on Harry's wrist for a few moments after he was finished, before finally releasing his grasp.

Harry began to cradle his injured arm and shot an appreciative glance at Snape, "…Thanks."

Snape looked concerned, as he leaned forward resting his elbows onto his knees, with his hands clasped firmly. He spoke softly and reassuringly, "If you are comfortable – and only if you are - I'd like to suggest staying here to oversee and assist with further operations. I realise you had already previously suggested this as a safe house, but given our situation, I did not want to further complicate things. Having already treated you unfairly recently, I can offer you this. This is purely your choice. I understand if you don't want me here. Regardless, either decision does not inhibit my ability to protect you."

Harry nodded slowly, realising the importance of such a request, "We still have a lot to do here, and we could really use your help. Though, I don't like the idea of you risking yourself as a spy again."

"I may not have any other choice in the matter. We need more information, and this is the only way to do it," Snape leaned back in his seat, slowly crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think we should round up the remaining Order for an urgent meeting. Professor McGonagall, and the Weasleys…I also have a few DA members who want to help," Harry explained, "Strength in numbers."

"You will oppose my next piece of advice, but it is imperative that Minister Shacklebolt shall be informed of these meetings. He is, after all, Order as well. Now that we have a good man in charge of the Ministry, we can be assured that he will do what is necessary. "

"But he'll know you're here – "

"I'm afraid I will not be able to keep a low profile with him for long. Perhaps I can negotiate my assistance to the cause in exchange. It is imperative that I speak with him directly about what I know, " Snape finally stood up, wincing in slight pain from the brief strain in his neck, "I will discuss this option with Professor McGonagall immediately, but Kingsley must be made aware so he can take action. We need heavy assistance if we are to track down and prevent this oncoming attack. They could strike anywhere, that is, if we are assuming there will only be one."

The color drained from Harry's face with the thought of such a thing, as he also stood up from his seat, "Yeah, I suppose so. Are you sure you are making the right decision? You know – Giving up your freedom?"

"Whatever gave you the impression that I was free? Now - " Snape raised his eyebrow, "I will discuss this with the Headmistress. Meanwhile, I suggest you take extra care of yourself, Potter. And I mean that in a personal sense. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll try…Thank you. I really mean that."

Snape nodded, with a hint of a smile on his face, ever so delicately as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it. He lingered there for a moment, without a word, before disappearing up the staircase and onto the main floor to depart from the residence. Once it was safe to do so, Harry smiled in return, reveling in the display that no one else could see. Oh, he was absolutely relieved. The conversation he was dreading for a while, was now finally over, and it went better than he had hoped. There were no arguments, no hurled insults…He never thought he'd ever talk with Snape like this. In all his years of being the terrorized student in his class, did he ever foresee something like this. He could only imagine what Remus and Sirius would make of it, but frankly, he only wished that they could have been civil with him as well. Remus at least had a little more understanding for the man's situation, but had Sirius still been here, would have told Snape that he deserved the hatred that he received.

The more he thought about it, the more he was glad he didn't do the things his father did. Sure, Harry was a notorious Hogwarts rule-breaker with a tendency to be sharp with his words. But he knew deep down that he wasn't like him. He loved his father, but knowing he really was more like his mother, made him relieved.

Oh, what he'd give to see her again –

With that thought as realisation hit him, he reached into his pocket and retrieved the small object that he found in the Forbidden Forest a few days ago. The glittering dark jewel in his palm.

It was the Resurrection Stone.