The next day was… uncomfortable. The whole entire house seemed completely drenched with residue of anger. Sirius and Severus still weren't talking to each other, Harry felt a little put in the middle, and Sirius was acting rather strangely.

“Snape,” Sirius said curtly during breakfast, “please pass the plate of flapjacks.”

Purposely avoiding Sirius's eye, Severus picked up the plate and rudely thrust it towards Sirius, who snatched it while avoiding Severus's eye, as well.

“You know, Harry,” Sirius said loudly, putting a generous amount of flapjacks onto his plate, “I honestly have no idea why Snape's angry with me. We were practically fine until I burnt the food, and then suddenly he's completely furious over the Pensieve thing…”

Harry thought desperately for something to say, and opened his mouth to speak when Severus suddenly addressed Harry just as loudly, so he quickly closed his mouth shut.

“If it isn't palpable with Black— as I'm not surprised it is—the burning of the food was the last straw.”

Sirius's mouth fell open, staring at Harry. “Did Snape insinuate that I'm thick?”

Severus snorted into his teacup as he took a sip, but said nothing.

“Are you two ever going to talk to each other again?” Harry asked quietly. He barely touched his breakfast. It seemed that Sirius and Severus's bickering made Harry lose his appetite.

“That's hardly likely!” Sirius said, putting a cut up piece of a flapjack into his mouth.

Harry looked over at Severus desperately. “But you guys live together. Wouldn't it be loads better if you tried getting along again?”

“Black and I never got along,” Severus said briefly, taking another sip.

“I find that hard to believe. It seems you may not be the best of friends but… close friends, at least,” Harry tried hopefully. “You two raised… Harry… together, you live together, so you couldn't have achieved that without, maybe, a little respect for each other?”

“I'm not moving out!” Sirius exclaimed suddenly, finally staring at Severus. “I helped pay for this house!”

Severus stared back coldly. “No one said that you were.”

The words were spoken so harshly, so coldly, that even Harry remained quiet for a while. Sirius seemed to fade back into his strange, austere attitude.

“What are you doing today Sirius?” Harry asked cheerfully, trying to overcome the awkward, uncomfortable silence that enveloped them again.

“I think I'll go out for a while,” Sirius said tersely. “There's a jolly good game of golf commencing around noon hour, so I thought I'd make a show.”

Severus nearly choked on his tea. Harry looked over at the Potions master worriedly, wondering if he was okay. Severus set the teacup on the table, coughing briefly and saying in an unusual voice, “Excuse me.”

Harry looked back at Sirius, who was scowling. Had Severus noticed the way Sirius began to talk, too? 'Jolly good', 'commencing'… golf? Golf certainly wasn't a game Sirius would take interest in… was it? By Severus's reaction, Harry didn't think so.

“You play golf?” Harry hoped he sounded casual.

Sirius gave his head a short nod, trying daintily to pick his own cup up and take an equally dainty sip. “Indeed. I took it up not too long ago. Very relaxing. Tranquil… serene…” Sirius trailed off, obviously searching for another word to describe it.

“Peaceful?” Severus suddenly spoke up, his eyebrows raised.

Sirius scowled again, raising his cup to his lips. When he set the cup back onto the table, he spoke again.

“No. I was finished.”

Severus didn't look convinced, but he didn't bother saying anything.

“What about you Harry, old chap? Anything utterly enchanting planned?” Sirius' enthusiastic, strange attitude returned.

Harry stared blankly at his godfather. “W—what?”

“I believe Harry and I have plans today,” Severus said, causing Sirius to scowl once more. “I am to tutor, if you will, Harry in Potions.”

“Harry, chap, wouldn't a nice, clean game of golf be so much more refreshing than a Potions lesson?” Sirius scoffed. “What do you say?”

“Erm…” Harry faltered, staring down at his plate as his cheeks turned pink. What could he say? He didn't want to hurt Sirius's feelings, since he'd much rather do Potions than play golf.

He looked up at Sirius, trying to begin again. “You see, Sirius, I really need to do good in Potions. I'm completely lousy at it—it's my worst subject—and now that I have this opportunity to try and maybe get a little better, I think I might take it.”

Harry thought he handled it a bit well, but Sirius still looked hurt, so he quickly added, “You want me to do good in school, don't you, Sirius?”

“Of course, of course,” Sirius said, waving his hand distractedly. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Well, I suppose I'll go and get a head start. Goodday.”

Both Severus and Harry silently watched as Sirius left, and only Harry decided to speak when he heard the door slam shut. He turned around in his chair to look at Severus in amazement.

“What's going on with Sirius?”

Severus gave his head a shake, clearly trying to make it look as if he could care less, although Harry had a feeling that Severus was wondering the exact same thing.

A thought suddenly struck Harry. What if Sirius was acting this way because of the fight he and Severus had the day before? Harry remembered that Severus had said something about Sirius joking in times when jokes weren't necessary…. Was Sirius trying to prove something?

“What's on your mind?” Severus asked as he studied Harry. “You look thoughtful.”

“I was just thinking about Sirius,” Harry began slowly. He took his fork and absently played with some of the food on his plate. “Maybe he just wants to prove that… that he can be serious—and I'm not talking about his name—instead of making jokes when they aren't necessary. Like you pointed out yesterday.”

Severus looked annoyed, and the look he gave Harry proved it. “If I had known he was going to do something like this, I would've refrained from saying anything in the first place.” Severus cleared his throat, which was usually always a sign that he was about to change the conversation topic. “You're feeling better today, Harry?”

“Oh yeah.” Harry nodded his head enthusiastically. “I'm feeling loads better, thanks. So today, you're really going to help me with Potions?”

“I said I would,” Severus reminded the boy.

“Can we go now?”

Severus eyed Harry's untouched plate of food briefly. “You are not going to eat your breakfast? I thought you just got through telling me that you're feeling 'loads' better.”

Harry turned red. “I guess I'm just not very hungry right now.”

“You will eat half of what's on your plate before we go down to the labs,” Severus bargained. “You've barely touched anything.”

“All right, all right,” Harry agreed, and for the rest of their breakfast, Harry and Severus ate in silence, only causing Harry's thoughts to increase, so he was thinking of different things simultaneously. Two thoughts of his that really stood out were the following: Where was Hedwig and his luggage, along with his wand, that was left behind in his reality? What had happened to them? Especially Hedwig—Harry desperately missed his owl, and he hoped that somehow she was safe. The other thought was whether if Dumbledore, and maybe even Ron and Hermione, were concerned with his not returning?

Maybe on the way down to Severus's lab would Harry voice his thoughts, as well as ask more questions if they came to mind…

--

After Harry and Severus were through with their breakfast, Severus began to lead Harry down the steps that lead to Sirius and Harry's room, along with Severus's study. Harry felt that this was his opportune moment to talk to Severus.

“I was wondering,” Harry started, his voice the only other sound along with their footsteps on the carpeted stairs, “if… well, I want to know what happened to Hedwig and the rest of my stuff, and if Dumbledore's worried with me not returning to my original reality and—there's no way I can tell, is there?”

Severus briefly glanced back at Harry over his shoulder, with confusion in his voice as he spoke. “Hedwig?”

“My owl,” Harry elaborated. They passed Harry and Sirius's room, walking further until they reached the door to Severus's study. Harry began to feel guilty again as he stepped into the study, realizing again that Severus was mad at Sirius for bringing Harry down into this room to show him the funeral.

“Ah, your owl… I'm afraid that I know of no way to get in contact with anybody in your other reality.” Severus sounded apologetic. “There's also no way of knowing whether your Dumbledore is concerned or not over your lack of reappearing in that reality.”

“I figured as much,” Harry muttered. He watched as Severus turned to the back wall, pulling on a handle in the wall that opened a door. Harry was surprised, since it looked as if there was no door there in the first place, but merely just part of the wall.

As Harry walked into Severus's lab, he was immensely surprised to find that it was rather spacious. He'd expected it to be somewhat small. Along the walls were vials of potions already made, along with jars of things that were needed in Potions.

He felt goosebumps rise upon his arms. Harry hadn't realized how cold it was in here, much like in the dungeons back at Hogwarts. Severus seemed to notice Harry's involuntary shiver.

“The reason it's chilly in here is because we are in the basement,” Severus pointed out. He walked towards the desk near the back of the room, where a single cauldron sat. “Now, is there any potion you would like to start off with?”

Harry sighed as he wracked his brain. “Well… erm… there's the, uh, Boil Cure Potion, I suppose, that's the only one that really comes to mind right now.”

“Very well. The Boil Cure Potion… for that I would like you to get dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, stewed horned slugs and porcupine quills.” Severus glanced up at Harry distractedly as he prepared the cauldron. “The ingredients are on the right side of the room. The potions I have already created are on the left side.”

Harry walked over to the ingredients, his eyes roaming over each jar as he read the label on the front. Where were the ones he needed—and what were they again? The only thing Harry remembered was the porcupine quills.

Severus looked up at Harry again, noticing that the boy seemed to be having problems.

“They're alphabetized,” Severus said.

Harry looked back over his shoulder. “Can you tell me all the things I need again? Slowly?”

“Dried nettles,” Severus repeated, purposely drawing the words out slowly.

Harry skimmed over the jars, silently reading each one in his head. Asphodel… black beetle eyes… caterpillars… dried nettles! Harry quickly picked up the jar and held onto it tightly.

“Next one?”

“Snake fangs. You'll find that in the 'C's' for crushed.”

Harry's eyes immediately focused on the exact jar, so with his free hand he picked that one up and placed both jars on the nearest desk.

“All right, next one.”

“I believe it was the horned slugs.”

“And the last one was the porcupine quills, correct?”

“Correct,” Severus concurred as he assisted Harry in bringing the jars over to the cauldron. Harry placed the jars before him, surveying each one carefully. “This is an exceedingly simplistic potion, an excellent choice to start you off with. What do you know about the Boil Cure Potion?”

“Well… it cures boils.” Harry blushed. “And—and you have to take the cauldron off the fire before you add the porcupine quills.”

“Precisely. Do you know how much of each ingredient we need?” Severus questioned.

“Not exactly.” Harry watched curiously as Severus walked over to a stack of books piled on top of one another, his finger skimming down them until he reached one near the middle. He picked up nearly a dozen books in his arms, setting them down on the floor, and then retrieved the book he must've been looking for. After setting the pile of books he had picked up back where they belonged, he returned to Harry's side.

“This is a book of potions,” Severus explained, catching the expression on Harry's face. He passed the book over to Harry. “Go ahead. Find the Boil Cure Potion.”

Harry opened the book, glancing up at Severus to ask teasingly, “Is this alphabetized as well?”

Severus narrowed his eyes at Harry and said just as teasingly, “Indeed, I think it is. Now, did you find it?”

Harry flipped through the pages until, at last, he reached the potion. “Four ounces of dried nettles,” Harry read aloud. “Four ounces of—”

“Stop there,” Severus instructed. He motioned to the cauldron. “Water has been put in this cauldron, it's been brought to a boil and now you're going to add four ounces of dried nettles to it. Do you think you can manage such a challenging task, Harry?”

Harry laughed out loud. “Actually I don't think so. I have no idea which one could possibly be the dried nettles, and I'm afraid I don't know how to measure four ounces.”

Severus frowned in mock concern. “Hm, well in that case, I suppose you were right when you said you were atrocious at Potions.”

“All right, all right.” Harry bit his lip as he measured the four ounces of dried nettles, and then slowly added them to the boiling water. “Next is another four ounces of crushed snake fangs.”

“Not quite yet,” Severus said hastily before Harry had a chance to add the fangs. “Are you forgetting that you must stir it slowly in order for the nettles to dissolve?”

“Oh, right.” Harry began to slowly stir the water, glancing up to see Severus's expression. “We made this during our first year. Neville… he messed up on it, and it didn't turn out too good.”

Severus looked down at Harry in surprise. “Neville Longbottom? I have to say, that's surprising, considering Longbottom is actually quite good at Potions.”

Harry gaped at Severus, completely forgetting about stirring the water. “Are you kidding? How good is 'quite good'?”

“Enough to impress me,” Severus admitted. “Though I've only taught him this last year, he's hardly 'messed up' once.”

“Wow.” Harry began to stir again, staring down at the cauldron in amazement. “You've got to tell me more. Is Malfoy still absolutely unbearable? Or do you like him, favor him…?”

Severus's brow furrowed briefly. “Well… I hardly favor anyone, and I can't say if he's unbearable or not, considering this-Harry was friends with Draco.”

Harry's mouth hung open, staring at Severus in disbelief. “Now you've got to be kidding! I'd never be friends with Malfoy—never!”

“You've been friends since you were very young,” Severus informed Harry. “You're not the best of friends, and even if you were put into different Houses, you still remained rather close friends nonetheless.”

Harry shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Now you can add the crushed snake fangs. All right, now, stir until that dissolves as well and we'll let it simmer.”

“Next I bet you're going to say that Crabbe is the most smartest and skilled wizard you've ever met for only being in… well… second year, I guess,” Harry muttered as he stirred the potion. He glanced up at Severus, to see that the older man was looking as if he didn't know how to respond to that. Harry gasped. “You're joking! He's not!” Harry stared incredulously. “Is he?” Severus still never said anything, which caused Harry to shake his head, unable to form a proper sentence. He looked back up at Severus in amazement.

“What is that look for? I never said anything,” Severus said, trying to look innocent. “You're mind is working wonders, I must say.”

Harry frowned. “So he's not?”

Severus smirked, looking amused. “What do you think, Harry?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders carelessly, peering down into the cauldron. The fangs seemed to have dissolved, so, he stopped stirring. “I'm in a different reality. Anything's possible.”

“Well, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that Crabbe is as much of a dunderhead as he must have been in your reality.”

Harry gave a little laugh. “So, do you think it's time to add the horned slug? The color looks like it's turning brown.”

“I believe so,” Severus agreed. “Now, are you going to add all the horned slugs in at the same time?”

Harry bit his lip and hesitantly shook his head. “A little bit at a time, right?”

“Right.” Severus watched silently as, bit by bit, Harry added the horned slugs. “You shall start stirring, then we'll let this sit for ten minutes, and finally, we'll add the porcupine quills.”

Severus sat in a chair near him. Harry looked around the room for an extra chair that he could sit in, and as soon as he found one, he brought it next to Severus and the cauldron and sat down.

“So… are you and Sirius ever, do you think, going to start speaking to each other again?” Harry asked after a moments hesitation. Severus's eyes narrowed.

“I have no plans, at the moment, to start speaking to Black again.”

“But I mean ever,” Harry said. “You know Sirius is only acting this way because of what you said.”

“Do you believe I was wrong when I told Black that he should not make jokes when they are unnecessary?” Severus questioned, staring at Harry blankly as he waited for an answer. Harry flushed, clearing his throat.

“Well, I mean I haven't known Sirius for a long time… he does make a lot of jokes, but maybe he does that to lighten up a situation,” Harry suggested, giving his shoulders a small shrug. “I think he's kind of amusing.”

“Amusing,” Severus repeated in disbelief. “Annoying would be more fit! Naturally, you have not had the pleasure of living with and enduring Black for so many years, of which you should be thankful and relieved for.”

“He's not so bad,” Harry said. “I bet he's feeling really horrible, Severus, about everything.”

Severus snorted. “Highly unlikely. Your potion should be ready for the porcupine quills. Take your cauldron off the fire—that's it—and add the porcupine quills one at a time.”

Harry did as he was told. “Do you think, by the end of the summer, if I get loads better that I could try an advanced potion?”

Severus's eyebrows rose. “We shall see how you progress. It is now a green color, which is expected, so now you must stir counter-clockwise four times.”

“This wasn't so bad,” Harry admitted as he stirred the potion the way he was instructed. “I'm much more relaxed when you're like this. You know… you're easy to talk to.”

Severus looked fairly surprised at this unexpected statement. He took a moment or two to answer. “I don't believe anyone's said that to me before.”

“I mean, when you're sort of fun like this,” Harry added quickly. “Since I doubt you act like this when you're teaching actual Potion classes….”

“How do you know?” Severus frowned. “This could be the exact way I act when I'm teaching classes.”

Harry laughed at the thought. “I really don't think so!”

“It's like you said before,” Severus reminded Harry, “you're in a different reality. Anything's possible.”

“True,” Harry admitted. “Severus… if I'm here to stay, what is the wizarding world going to be told of my reappearance? I've been wondering that… and, well, I'm a little nervous about how everyone's going to react.”

“The wizarding world,” Severus began slowly, “is going to be told the truth.”

“The truth?” Harry echoed. “But… I'm going to be asked so many questions!”

“Don't answer them.”

Harry sighed. “People are going to be weird around me since I'm from another reality. Oh, and Ron and Hermione! How will they react? Severus, do they still act like the same Ron and Hermione?”

Severus gave Harry a look. “I wouldn't know how your Ron and Hermione acted.”

“Oh, right,” Harry drew out the last word in realization. He paused. “When is Dumbledore going to tell everyone that, well… Harry's back?”

“Before Hogwarts begins again,” Severus answered.

Harry nodded silently.

Suddenly, from up above them, a door slammed shut. Harry immediately knew that it was Sirius, and apparently, so did Severus, since the professor shifted in his chair.

“Maybe you should go talk to him,” Harry suggested softly.

Severus looked away, a scowl appearing on his face. “I think not.”

“Se-e-ev,” Harry drawled with a grin. “Come on, just come up and talk to Sirius about it? You and I both don't want Sirius to keep acting like this.”

Severus, with a relinquished sigh, stood up after what seemed like the longest wait to Harry. With a sour look, Severus said, “I'll go up and speak with him if that will assist Black in giving up this absurd…” Severus trailed off and let out an aggravated sigh, as he could come up with no word to fill in the blank.

Harry, feeling very satisfied, followed Severus out of the lab, out the study, down the small hall and up the stairs with a smile on his face. Maybe, if Severus and Sirius just tried to calmly talk things over, then Sirius wouldn't be acting so strange and there would no longer be an uncomfortable feel in the house.

Then, just as they were walking up the stairs, a thought struck Harry. He had the sudden urge to ask Severus, but he felt uneasy asking it. Gathering up his courage, Harry let out a breath, asking, “Severus, I want to… well… what… what exactly were your parents like?”

Severus froze on the top step, startling Harry, who felt his face start to burn. Would Severus feel comfortable answering such a question, or would he get angry at Harry for even asking it? Harry had absolutely no idea why he thought of such a question—but, now that he thought about it some more, he also began to wonder if they were even alive. If they were, did this-Harry when he was alive like them? Were they nice? Did they live close by?

“Well,” Severus started slowly, his back still to Harry, “they were… fine people.”

Harry wasn't too convinced, but he didn't want to pry too much. “Just fine?”

Severus finally turned around to look at Harry, an expression crossing his face that Harry couldn't describe. “My father was a muggle, my mother was a witch. They hardly got along, and my father… was not the kindest man.”

Harry swallowed, glancing down at the carpeted stair that he was standing on. “Are they still alive?”

Severus coughed. “My mother died many, many years ago and my father was left to raise me. He died quite a while ago of alcohol poisoning.”

“Hello, gents.”

Severus turned back around to see Sirius standing in front of them, standing straight and tall. Usually, when Sirius would greet a person, his head would be tilted to the side as he spoke, and he would never speak in such a… formal manner. Severus waited for Sirius to step back until he walked off the last step to stand face-to-face with Sirius.

“Your golf game is over so promptly?” Severus questioned coolly.

Sirius frowned. “I came back quite a bit early. Is that a problem?”

“No, no,” Severus said, his face unreadable. “How was it?”

“Fine,” Sirius answered stiffly. “I didn't bother keeping score.”

Harry stood so that he was facing both Sirius and Severus, his eyes following each person as they spoke in such a cold, brief way. He waited impatiently for one of them to say something, since after Sirius spoke, the house became unbelievably quiet.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Harry decided to speak, hoping that when he did, Severus and Sirius would stop glaring at each other. Before he could get a word out of his mouth, however, Severus said, “Whatever point you're trying to prove, Black, I wish that you would give it up!”

Sirius's mouth dropped open. “You think I'm trying to prove a point?”

Severus gave Sirius a dirty look. “Aren't you? This whole new attitude you've acquired is simply irritating!”

“Well what if I am?” Sirius yelled. “You're the one who said I should stop making jokes! That's what I'm doing! Trying to be Mr Non-Jokester. Mr… Mr Imposing…-Respected-Person!”

Severus, for the first time since he began to talk to Sirius, looked amused. “You're hardly imposing.”

“Why thanks a lot, Snape,” Sirius responded sarcastically with a scowl.

“I never said that you should stop making jokes altogether. I merely said that you need to stop making jokes when they aren't essential,” Severus reminded the man in front of him. “You are just the drama queen, aren't you, Black?”

Sirius's mouth fell open in protest. “I'm not a drama queen, thank you very much!”

“You certainly went overboard with this,” Severus informed. “Harry, do you not agree?”

“Well—” Harry faltered. Both men had now turned their attention towards Harry, looking expectant. His eyes flickered from Sirius, to Severus, until Sirius broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Snape, I know Harry's just uncomfortable with the fact that he has to disagree with you! He agrees with me, that… you were right before… I was just proving a point—that I can be just as—” Sirius bit his lip, his eyes wide as he searched for the right word. “—just like you are! Strict, using big words, etcetera! Hardly a jokester at all!”

“I highly doubt Harry was going to say that! You never let the boy speak in the first place, Black.”

Sirius glowered. “I know Harry well.”

“Have you forgotten yet again it's a different Harry?”

“I still know this Harry well! Him and I—we have a deep connection! One you couldn't even understand,” Sirius insisted, looking over at Harry to beam at him. Severus rolled his eyes.

“A deep connection? Please, do not make me laugh.”

Sirius ground his teeth together, looking angered. “Snape….”

“Black,” Severus said nonchalantly.

“Snape.”

Severus's brow furrowed, and he now looked puzzled. “Black?”

Sirius threw his arms up in the air, turning away from Severus to pace around the kitchens. “I don't know, this is silly. Can't we just go back to being…” Sirius trailed off, and for a moment, Harry was certain Sirius was going to say, “friends?” But, when Sirius finally spoke again, he said, “…Living companions? And raising-Harry companions?”

Severus looked exhausted. “Never disobey me, Black, do you understand? Another stunt like the one you pulled with my Pensieve and you'll be out on the streets.”

 To Harry, it sounded as if Sirius was being scolded by his father, and the thought caused Harry to bite back a smile.

Sirius nodded his head, looking just as exhausted. “I understand completely, and I'm also really sorry, Snape, honestly.”

Severus nodded his head.

And it was silent again.

Harry finally let a wide grin play across his face. “I'm glad you two are better now. I never want to be put in the middle again, all right?”

Sirius had the decency to blush. “Sorry, Harry. I think we got a little carried away.”

“Like you did with your attitude?” Severus smirked. “Golf, Black? Did you truthfully go out and play golf?”

“Not really,” Sirius admitted. “I went out and walked around the entire town eight times. Sometimes I ran, or jogged, too…”

Harry shook his head. “I still find it funny how, after all these years, you both still refer to one another by your last names.”

Sirius glanced up at Severus. “We aren't that friendly, Harry. Although, I do sometimes call Snape Sev… or Sevvy… or lovebug… or honeybear… or even—”

“All right!” Severus interrupted loudly, causing Sirius to quickly stop talking. “That is enough, Black.”

Sirius looked over at Harry, smirking, as Severus turned and walked away from the two, looking almost annoyed. “You know he's just embarrassed, that's all.”