Harry sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes trained on the clock hanging on the wall. A soft glow from his wand cast enough light that he could see the impossibly slow-moving hands as they counted the minutes away. He'd closed his door so that the light wouldn't disturb Snape...no, Severus across the hall from his own room, but Harry wasn't sleepy and he couldn't give up his old habit of waiting up for his birthday.

Just five more minutes. Five more minutes and he'd be sixteen. Harry hoped fervently that sixteen would be a better year for him than fifteen had been. Fourteen hadn't been a picnic either, come to think of it. Surely he was due for a good year.

If he were lucky, really lucky, maybe he could even go to be with his parents and Sirius before his seventeenth birthday. His parents. Sirius. Harry let himself imagine what it might have been like if he'd been able to grow up with them, and if they were still alive now. If he had a birthday party, with cake and ice cream and presents, to look forward to tomorrow.

He'd live with his parents in a comfortable home in Godric's Hollow, or perhaps they'd have a family estate like Prince Hall for themselves. The Potters had been quite wealthy after all. Or maybe they'd have a townhouse in London like the Black family had had. Harry didn't really care where they would have lived as long as they were together.

He would have a lifetime of happy memories, a long list of old birthday parties with huge cakes with "Happy Birthday, Harry" written in icing and glowing candles on top. He'd remember blowing them out and having his parents, and probably Remus and Sirius too, tease him about making wishes. He'd have memories of playing games with his friends. He'd be able to look forward to another party on the morrow.

He'd have Ron and Hermione there, of course, and the twins and Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be there, too, to visit with his parents and Remus and Sirius. He'd probably have invited Neville and Luna as well, and all the kids would play Quidditch and have broomstick races while the adults sat around and talked about the old days. Or more likely, his dad and Sirius at least would join in the games, and perhaps his mum, too.

Harry let their faces swim before his mind's eye...the images he'd seen of Lily Potter with her long auburn hair falling around her delicate heart-shaped face and her brilliant emerald eyes, and James Potter, looking so much like an older, taller version of Harry with his perpetually mussed black hair and spectacles. Except that James' eyes had been hazel, and he'd always looked carefree and cheerful in the pictures Harry had seen of him.

Harry wondered what they might look like now, if they were still alive. They'd be thirty-seven now. Would they still look much the same, or would they have aged? Harry tried to imagine them looking older, but found it impossible. James and Lily Potter were forever twenty-one and he couldn't envision them any other way.

Not so with Sirius. Harry's thoughts drifted to his godfather. He'd seen a couple of old photographs of Sirius, not to mention Snape's...no, Severus' memories of the teenage Marauders , so he knew what young Sirius Black had looked like...striking, tall and lean with an aristocratic yet rugged face, deepset grey eyes, and well-kept black hair.

But it was the older Sirius that Harry was more familiar with...the man who was gaunt rather than lean, whose once handsome face had become too angular and deeply lined, whose eyes were haunted and whose hair had grown long and shaggy, as if he wanted it to match the fur of his Animagus form.

For an instant, the two images blurred together in Harry's mind and he felt a fierce ache deep inside.

I hope you're happy now, Sirius, wherever you are.

The sound of soft chimes interrupted Harry's thoughts and he blinked, realising that while he'd been lost in his dreams, the minutes had passed. It was midnight. He was sixteen.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," he whispered to himself, remembering one other time he'd wished himself a happy birthday and a few moments later Hagrid had come bursting through the door, to introduce Harry to the wizarding world and to bring him to Hogwarts.

Nothing happened this time, of course. Harry shook his head at his own foolishness. What did he think might happen? Sn...Severus and the elves were all sound asleep and Hedwig was soaring through the night sky. There wouldn't even be any owls from Ron and Hermione this time.

Oh, his friends would surely send him gifts and perhaps birthday cakes, too, since they still thought he was at Privet Drive with the Dursleys who would die before they would acknowledge that July 31st had any particular significance. But anything Ron and Hermione would send would go to Hogwarts first, though Dumbledore might bring them by for him sometime tomorrow.

Harry sighed. He should probably just go to bed and try to sleep. He wasn't really sure why he'd sat up anyway. He'd known there wouldn't be any midnight owls and gifts this year. It was just that he'd always waited up til midnight, ever since he'd been a really little kid and for some reason he'd felt like he needed to do it again this year.

But he really should sleep now. He was getting tired, actually, and he didn't know what tomorrow (today actually) would hold. Sn...Severus did know it was his birthday, unless he'd forgotten since the day he'd asked Harry what he might want for a gift. But when had Sn...Severus ever forgotten anything?

Harry still couldn't imagine Severus giving him a birthday gift, though, even if they were getting along better now. And, if the professor did give him a present, what in the world would it be? A jar of newt eyes? A bottle of runespoor eggs? Or a new cauldron maybe?

Well, at least he should get to have another dueling session. He hadn't coughed since taking the Pepperup Potion at breakfast that morning (or was it yesterday morning now?) and before they'd retired to bed Sn...Severus had performed another diagnostic spell and had said that the congestion in Harry's chest had cleared up. His lungs were officially healed from being burned too, for that matter. The professor had said that he no longer needed to take the tissue restoration potion either.

Harry slid his glasses off and set them on the night table beside the bed as he thought about dueling with ‘Toby' again. He was going to be ready next time. He was going to get off the first shot and hit the dummy with a Disarming Spell right away. Disarming Spells were Harry's specialty. ‘Expelliarmus' had saved his life the time he'd faced Voldemort in the graveyard near the Riddle House, and it was probably the spell Harry could perform the most quickly. Hopefully he'd be quick enough to win without letting ‘Toby' get in any hits of his own.

He crawled under the blankets and closed his eyes. Within moments, he was asleep.

***

"Happy Birthday, Master Harry!"

The chorus of high-pitched voices woke Harry from a sound sleep. He sat up, blinking, and fumbled for his glasses. Norie and Zan were standing right beside his bed, beaming at him and levitating a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. A tumbler of orange juice floated in the air beside it.

Though he had not joined the elves in waking Harry, Sn...Severus was there as well, standing behind Norie and Zan. He was already dressed in his customary black robes and just watched Harry quietly.

Harry looked from the elves to the professor in bewilderment. "What is this?"

Severus arched an eyebrow at him. "Now, Harry, I expect even a Gryffindor to recognise breakfast," he said almost lightly.

The plate settled right in front of him and the tumbler of juice came to rest on the night table. Harry looked at it and then back at Severus. "In my room? But I'm not sick. You said my lungs were clear and I feel fine."

"But it is your birthday, Master Harry," Norie told him. "We always used to serve Master Severus breakfast in bed on his birthday when he was a boy."

"Really?" Harry looked at Sn...Severus, and tried to picture him lounging about, eating breakfast in bed.

"It was one of the few respites from the normally rigid rules of the house that I was permitted," Severus explained.

"Oh." Harry looked back down at his breakfast and then back up at the others with a small smile. "Well, thanks. It looks really good." He picked up his fork and took a bite. "What about all of you? Aren't you going to eat, too?"

Severus lips turned up slightly. "We ate an hour ago. We let you have a lie-in as you seemed a bit tired."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I was. Thank you,sir...um, Severus." It was incredibly hard to force himself to call the professor by his first name and Harry wondered if it would ever grow easier.

Sn...Severus just nodded. Norie and Zan wished Harry a happy birthday again and disappeared, but the professor remained. He summoned a chair and sat down beside the bed as Harry ate.

"I hope you're feeling rested now, as I have a rather busy day planned," Severus remarked after a brief silence.

Harry wasn't sure exactly how to respond. Severus had planned activities for today? For Harry's birthday? He swallowed a bite of bacon. "Um, yes, sir. I feel fine."

"So long as we're not at Hogwarts, you may call me by name and not as ‘sir'." Severus told him. He waited until Harry was finished and then, when Harry set his empty plate and glass back on the table, Severus raised his wand and a brightly wrapped box flew through the door and across the room to land gently beside Harry on the bed.

"We'll be walking around a bit today so I thought I'd better go ahead and give these to you now."

If Harry hadn't known better, he'd have thought that Sn...Severus sounded a little nervous. But of course that was impossible.

Harry just stared at the box for a moment in stunned silence. It was covered in shiny scarlet paper and there was a big golden bow on top.

Finally he looked back up at Severus. "This is for me?"

"It is your birthday, is it not?" Severus indicated the box. "Go ahead and open it."

Harry hesitated for a couple seconds. Then he grinned and pulled off the bow, slit the wrapping paper and opened his gift. Inside the box were a brand new pair of trainers. Harry stared at them.

"That is not your only present. I realise that shoes are not a particularly exciting gift, but the ones you've been wearing are quite scuffed and I thought..." Severus began, speaking rather quickly for him.

"They're brilliant!" Harry interrupted him without even realising what he was doing. A wide grin spread across his face. "Thank you. I was just surprised. I never got anything before except for..."

Abruptly Harry stopped and busied himself taking the new trainers out of their box and examining them. He hadn't meant to say that last part.

"Except for what?" Severus asked in a low voice.

Harry considered not answering. He didn't want to answer. Sn...Severus had said yesterday that they should start over, but Harry still wasn't sure he could trust the man with his deepest secrets. He was really beginning to want to, but he just couldn't help worrying that something could go wrong.

The professor had seemed like a completely different person these past few weeks. The man at Prince Hall was someone Harry thought he could learn to like.

But the professor he'd always known at Hogwarts had been malicious and vindictive. Snape had kept Harry safe from physical harm, but had relished every opportunity to mock and humiliate him.

Harry wanted to do as Sn...Severus had said and start over. But how could he when he didn't know which Snape was the real one? What if Harry told him his weaknesses and confided his secrets? What if Harry told him that the only gifts he'd ever received before were from Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione? What if Harry told him about the Dursleys?

What if Harry told him everything, and then in September Snape ripped him apart and told all Harry's secrets to the school?

Harry shook his head as he stared at the trainers with unseeing eyes. No, he couldn't face that. It was best to remember to keep his guard up. He'd be polite. He might even let himself like Sn...Severus a bit as long as the professor was being this mysterious new self. But he couldn't take a chance on letting the professor into his heart.

Even if he wanted to.

Harry swallowed hard and said softly. "Please, sir...Severus. I don't want to talk about it."

There was a silence and then a small sigh. Harry glanced up in time to see Severus' shoulders droop, just for an instant.

But then he straightened and said calmly, "Very well then, Harry. If you're finished, I'll leave you to dress. Call me when you're ready and I'll tell you the plans."

He left and Harry stared after him, wondering if he'd been wrong. Maybe he should have taken a chance and confided in Snape...no, Severus. The professor had seemed almost hurt that Harry had refused. But that couldn't be, could it?

Harry sighed too and pushed those troubling thoughts away. The only thing he wanted to think about now was picking out clothes to wear and wondering about Severus' plans.

He dressed in a plain white T-shirt that had a small orange Chudley Cannons logo on the top left side and jeans. Then he quickly selected socks and tried on the new trainers. They fit perfectly and they were the newest brand from Gladrags, one of the most exclusive clothing shops in the wizarding world. Harry smiled as he tied the laces, but his smile faded as he remembered Severus' disappointment.

Well, maybe Harry could make up for it the rest of the day. He'd thank Severus again and he'd try hard to be really appreciative of whatever activity Severus had planned, even if it was brewing potions. But the professor had said they'd be walking around, and brewing potions didn't require a lot of walking, did it?

Harry hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair before going out to the hallway to call Severus.

The professor came out of his own bedroom and if he were still disappointed in Harry, he didn't show it. He was carrying two silver flasks and handed one to Harry.

"I thought you might like to get out for a while, and I did plan to buy you some more gifts besides trainers. So, if you like, I've planned for us to take a trip to Diagon Alley," Severus said.

Harry caught his breath. "We could really go to Diagon Alley? You mean it?"

Severus' lips quirked upwards and Harry felt suddenly very glad to see that Severus had apparently decided to forgive him.

"Yes, we can really go to Diagon Alley, and yes, I mean it. Of course we'll need to take precautions. We don't you to be seen wandering about. For that matter, I don't wish to take any chances on running into certain former acquaintances, either. So..." Severus held up his flask. "We shall have to dose ourselves with Polyjuice potion."

He gave Harry a good-natured smirk. "I believe you are already familiar with its purpose."

Harry smiled back. "Yes, si...Severus." Suddenly shy, he added. "But I didn't steal those ingredients from you, I promise."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Mmm, one of your compatriots then."

Harry couldn't deny that but he certainly didn't want to get Hermione into trouble so he just dropped his eyes and didn't say anything.

"Ah, well, we did agree to start over, didn't we? I suppose there's no reason to fret over it at this point. There's enough Polyjuice Potion in each flask to last for five hours. We'll take five swallows now and that will be enough for the first hour."

They tipped their flasks and once again Harry tasted the sickening Polyjuice Potion. An instant later his insides writhed and burned, but fortunately it only lasted for a moment. Then he felt the strange but not uncomfortable feeling of being stretched taller. His hands and feet grew and widened, and then the strange feeling faded away, leaving Harry feeling...if not looking...like himself.

Beside him, Severus had changed too. He was about the same height as he usually was, but stocky and with very fair hair and blue eyes. It was rather disconcerting, standing next to someone who appeared so different and yet knowing that it was really Severus.

"Can I see me?" Harry asked, very curious now about his own changed appearance.

Severus nodded. "It's your day, Harry. We can do what you wish."

So Harry ducked back into his bathroom to find a stranger staring back at him from the oval mirror that hung over the sink. A boy about his own age, but taller and more muscular, with the same blond hair and blue eyes as Severus now wore. To be honest, they looked a lot alike. Anyone seeing them on Diagon Alley would assume they were father and son.

Harry shook his head. What a strange thought...Severus Snape and himself as father and son. He rolled his eyes at himself and went back to join Severus in the hall.

"Do you approve?" The professor asked dryly.

Harry smiled at him. "Well, no one would ever guess it's us."

"I certainly hope not. Now, we'll go to my sitting room and Floo into the Leaky Cauldron. Make sure you keep your flask with you," Severus instructed.

Harry nodded and they went to the fireplace and stepped in. Severus tossed a handful of Floo powder down and called out their destination. The green flames roared harmlessly about them and then Harry and Severus were whirling through space, heading for London and the Leaky Cauldron.