Severus paced in the confines of his rooms, nerves on edge. He had just about enough of everything and was going to do something that he would regret if everybody didn't shut up. And it had only been one day!

The news about Harry had not gone away and was now the talk of the school. As it was common knowledge for over eager students and people with good intuition, which of course applies to everyone in this school, that he was a vampire the questions were coming thick and fast.

He had to get away from it all before he broke his own rules and began snacking on the students. The only good news he had heard was that Harry had made friends with Dean and the visits from Ron and Hermione was keeping him from being completely alone.

Sighing, he went to the door to go out to the dungeons and go visit Harry. Like most other times he had tried this, he stopped before he got too far. He was not certain yet whether Harry had been in a rage from what he had been going through or if he really did hate him. He knew the latter was a stupid thing to think, but he couldn't help it.

Spying a book on Transfiguration Hermione had given him to give to Harry, he growled, picked it up and decided to just get this over and done with.

His mind set on it, he found himself in front of the door into Harry's room and was about to knock, but froze when he heard strange sounds coming from inside.

Forgetting to knock and barging right in, he was shocked at seeing his son with his head in a book on Charms, doing what looked to be homework. He was hissing every now and then. Beside him, Severus could see a snake. He let out his breath that he didn't realize that he was holding. He had thought Harry was in trouble and had forgotten the fact that the boy was a Parseltongue.

"Where did the snake come from?" he asked, trying to sound the tiniest bit civil instead of the bundle of nerves he seemed to be at the moment. Harry looked up at him, before quickly looking back down to his studies.

"Present." Harry replied. Severus just nodded and went to sit next to Harry on the floor. The snake hissed at him and he scooted further away from it. Harry chuckled. "He wants to know who you are."

"Oh. Well, are you going to tell him?" Severus eyed the snake to see if it decided to bite him or not. He looked over to Harry when the boy began to start hissing. The snake hissed back and laid his head back on the ground.

"He won't bother you if that is what is scaring you."

Severus snorted. "What makes you think I'm scared?" he asked.

"I can smell it. You should know that by now. After all, you have been a vampire for far longer than I have."

Severus winced at the sharp tone that Harry used. "I told you that might happen, but did you listen? No. You are just as stubborn as your."

"My father? Yes, you do seem to be right there."

"I deserve that. I have been a bit of a prat lately."

The last thing Severus was expecting was laughter, but yet it was the first thing that graced his ears. "Of late? Are you joking? I swear you always have been the awful slimy haired git that you seem to love being."

Harry was sure he was going to get yelled at for that last comment, so when he looked up to see an unreadable expression on Snape's face, he realized he might have went too far. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm still a little mad at you. Everything's changing and I am trying to do schoolwork for my O.W.L's cooped up in one room. It is kind of lonely you know."

"Yes. I do. You are lucky you have Hermione to give you your schoolwork. The Weasley boy too, Ron, he is a good friend I suppose. Like I told you before I had no friends in school. You think you are lonely? Pretend that Granger and Weasley don't exist and they hadn't bought you the snake. That Dean was a normal human teenager and you had nothing but your studies, your room and your thoughts. Not pleasant is it?"

Harry looked back down to his book and shook his head. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"I wanted you to know that despite having to be in this room for a while, you aren't as alone as you think."

Harry squirmed on his place on the floor, before moving closer to his father and hugging him. "Do you have any idea how much I have wanted to have a parent, a father? Now I find out that I do and you know what. I'm actually kind of glad it is you."

Severus looked closely into his son's green eyes that remind him so much of Lily. "I thought you hated me." He whispered, before hugging the boy back.

Looking up from his place on the floor, Arien looked up at the two and hissed in delight. Finally his owner was happy.