Potions and Snitches :: Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Summary: A portal from another universe opens up, and a still-living version of James, Lily, and Harry Potter pop out. All is well...until the other Harry turns out to be a jerk and James the instigator. Sirius (and Remus?), of course, becomes quite attached to James and our Harry is feeling left out.

What's worse, is Harry's friends don't like the alternate Harry, and are worried that his opinions (Ron is nothing more than a side-kick, Hermione is an annoying know-it-all only useful as a homework cheat-sheet, Ginny is a prize to be won, etc.) reflect the the original Harry's, causing quite a bit of tension as they start avoiding both.

Seeking refuge, Harry retreats to the Grimmauld place library, which already has an occupant- Professor Snape. Snape, who is recovering from a recent illness and at Dumbledores insistence, is staying at Grimmauld place and has been watching from the sidelines.

At first they simply enjoy mutual silence, but then (whether after multiple visits or later in the same one) Harry is especially frustrated and Snape, without his usual venom, discusses the sitation with Harry, who is feeling robbed of Sirius but selfish for needing him when he's doing 'so much better', and worried that everyone thinks of him like he thinks of the alternate Harry (stuck up and selfish), and feeling like a failure for not being more like James, but not wanting to be.

After this, they build a mutual respect relationship, with Snape standing up for Harry after everyone wants to know why he's been absent so much recently, how he's not 'appreciating the once in a lifetime opportunity', etc.

Harry likewise defends the professor when the others accuse him of stealing Harry as revenge against Sirius and James. The alternate family can have a younger sibling or two, or no. The alternate Harry can be the Boy-Who-Lived in his universe or not. Can be set anytime after GOF, including after OOTP where Sirius survives the ministry.