Harry managed to survive his two days grounded, with Hedwig, Henry, and Azure all three to keep him company. They spent most of their time doing homework...he and Henry did, anyway. Azure mostly just hovered nearby while Hedwig slept. They soon discovered that while their memories were the same regarding their classes this past year, their skills in certain areas had either increased or decreased.

Harry, for example, seemed more adept at Potions than he had before and remembered quite a bit more about Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well. So, he worked on those two classes' summer assignments, while his twin worked on the Transfiguration and Charms assignments, as he seemed more skilled in those two subjects.

"It kinda makes sense," he told Harry, "as you got most of the Slytherin characteristics and I have the Gryffindor ones."

"You know," Harry said, "we still don't know the exact spell that was used on us, or what it was supposed to do. I'm sure whoever cast it hadn't intended on creating two of us."

Henry agreed. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said, grinning.

:Why not ask your uncle?: Azure suggested from where he hovered just above their heads.

They had both gotten used to the winged snake by now, though Harry was certainly more comfortable in his presence than Henry, for the obvious reasons. Henry's personality was most definitely Gryffindor-ish, and reminded Harry a great deal of Ron.

That's probably why we're such great mates, he thought to himself, I hope that's not going to change.

"You think he'd tell us?" Henry asked, curious.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe," he said, "if we ask him at the right time."

Henry snorted. "When is that?" he asked. "He always seems to be busy."

Harry grinned. "I know," he told his twin, "but right now he isn't in his potions lab, so maybe he won't mind if we bother him."

The day Harry had found Azure, Severus had sat both boys down after supper and explained the rules, and consequences, to them.

"Now then, boys," he had said to them, "there are three major rules I will expect for you to obey, and those are: Respect, Obedience, and Honesty. You will show me the proper respect at all times, as both an adult and your uncle. Whenever you are told to do something, you are to do it immediately without complaint or argument. This is also true when you are told NOT to do something (he had paused then to glance at Harry, who had blushed at the not so subtle rebuke). The third and final rule is this: you will not lie to me. Ever."

The two boys had winced at that, hearing the severity in his tone. "Yes, sir," they had answered at the same time.

Snape had nodded. "Very well then," he said, "should you break these rules these are the consequences: being grounded, having your allowance docked, extra chores, and if I deem you actions warrant it spankings-however, I will never use a switch or a belt. A hairbrush, however, is fair game especially if what you have done is risk yourselves or someone else's lives. Do I make myself perfectly clear, gentlemen?"

They had again nodded and answered, "Yes, sir."

"Now," Snape had continued after that, "while we are hear at Hogwarts you are under not circumstances to go into my private Potions lab while I am in there working-in fact, you are not to go in there period. You will always know when I am in there as there is a small globe attached to the door. If it is glowing red, I am busy working and will not be disturbed for any reason short of a nature catastrophe such as a fire. Understood?"

They had nodded a third time.

"When we reach my cottage in Dover," he went on, "I will expect you both to keep your room clean-it isn't a very large cottage so you will be sharing one room as you are now-as well as the other chores you will be assigned to do. Stay out of trouble, do your homework assignments, and complete these chores and you will each receive a weekly allowance-which I have already mentioned you will forfeit should you misbehave. Are we clear on everything, boys. A verbal answer, if you please?"

"Yes, sir," they had answered again.

He had nodded. Seemingly satisfied. "Very well," he said, "you may go play in your room until bedtime-which will be strictly at nine o'clock, here and at Dover-now scoot." He had then shooed them off to their room, where they continued their game of wizard's chess they hadn't finished before supper that night.

"C'mon," Harry told Henry, "let's go ask him. The worst he can do is yell at us."

"That's bad enough," Henry said, wincing.

"You're supposed to have more courage than me," Harry told him, smirking, "or perhaps you have more Hufflepuff in you than Gryffindor?"

Henry glared at him. "Don't be ridiculous," he said, "we don't have any Hufflepuffs in the family, so we couldn't have inherited any of their traits, except for loyalty and that one is in ALL the Houses."

Harry chuckled. "You are so easy," he told him, laughing.

Henry gave him a shove. "Watch it, snake-boy," he told him, "before I show you some Gryffindor strength and kick your scaly butt."

Harry smiled. "Even the biggest lion can be taken down when bitten by a poisonous snake," he told him, "and you're more the runt of the litter than King of the Jungle."

Henry cracked a smile. "Well, so are you," he reminded him.

Harry smiled. "The smallest snakes," he told him, "are the ones with the swiftest reflexes and the most lethal bite."

Henry snorted. "Since when are you an expert on snakes?" he asked. "You still can't stand the Slytherins, even you have their traits."

"True," Harry said, "but those pureblooded idiots aren't exactly true Slytherins if you ask me. I mean, look at Snape. He has more intelligence and cunning in one of his greasy black hairs then Malfoy has in his entire body."

"Why thank you, Harry," a silky voice spoke from behind them, causing them to jump, "I think I'll choose to take that as a complement-despite the rather unflattering description of my hair."

The two boys turned, finding their uncle standing there. He had apparently just come out of the bathroom as they passed it.

"We thought you were in the living room," Harry told him, blushing a bit.

Snape smiled. "I am as human as you are, boys," he reminded them, "and as such I do have to relieve myself once in a while." He jerked his thumb behind him to the bathroom door, indicating what he was doing in there.

"Okay," Henry said, "that was just a little too much info there, Uncle Severus. We so didn't need to know that."

"That I am human?" Severus asked, smirking. "Or that I had to pee?"

"That's even worse," Harry said, wrinkling his nose.

Snape just chuckled. "So," he said, herding them towards the living room, "you both may discuss your bodily functions in detail with each other but I am not allowed to do the same?"

"That's different," Harry told him, "we're guys!"

"And what I am?" Snape asked. "I can assure you both I am quite male."

Harry blushed. "I mean," he told him, "we're boys. Boys are supposed to talk about needing to go take a leak and stuff like that with each other. Adults aren't."

"Oh, very well then," Snape said, sitting down in his favorite easy chair and propping his bare feet up on the footrest in front of him, "I will try and endeavor not to give out "too much info" again. Now, what can I do for you two?"

For the first time, both boys noticed what their uncle was wearing. Gone were his billowing black robes, and even the dress shirt and slacks he wore underneath them; in their place was a black muggle style t-shirt and a pair of muggle blue jeans. His greasy black hair had been pulled into a tail at the nap of his neck.

"You look different," Henry told him. "You weren't wearing that this morning."

"I wasn't on summer vacation this morning," Snape told them. "I have just finished up all of my end of the year paper work, so I am now officially off duty as Hogwarts Potions Master. So, I changed into more comfortable attire. It isn't my choice of wardrobe that you two have breached the sanctity of your bedroom-that you both have barely left the last two days-to come and find me I'm sure?"

"Hey, I'm grounded," Harry told him, "remember?"

"Your brother, however, isn't," Snape replied, "and you are grounded from leaving this suite of rooms-not to your bedroom specifically. Now, what is on both of those little minds of yours?"

Both boys weren't sure whether he'd just insulted them or not, so they shrugged off the "little minds" bit. "We were wondering if you could explain about the spell that hit me," Harry told him.

"You know," Henry said, "the one that made us-sorta?"

Snape leaned back in his chair. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that," he told them. "Sit down, boys, and I'll try to explain it to you."

They did so, and turned anxious ears to listen.

"The spell that hit you," Snape explained, "is called "Dividus Horrificus" and it is a very old dark curse that has been banned by the Minstry."

"What's it supposed to do exactly?" Harry asked. "We figured the person who cast it didn't mean to divide us in two."

"No," Snape said, "certainly not-or at least not the way it happened to you two. The spell IS designed to divide a person in half, but it means to do so literally. Cutting a person right down the middle usually results in that person's death."

Both boys paled at that and their eyes widened. "You mean someone was trying to kill us?" Harry squeaked.

"Someone like Quirrel?" Henry asked. "Someone who worked for...uh...him."

Snape shook his head. "Anyone like that would have been sensed immediately," he informed them, calmly, "we-myself and Professor Dumbledore that is-believe it was a student who had found the curse in one of his father's "illegally" obtained books and didn't bother read what it did."

"So this person would have killed us without even meaning to?" Harry asked, his green eyes widening further.

Snape nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so," he said, "but I believe it was not this student's intentions to harm you-merely humiliate you in some way. As I said, I don't feel he knew exactly what spell he was casting...just that it sounded humiliating and painful."

"It was Malfoy," Henry said, darkly, "wasn't it?" His fists were clenched in anger and his eyes were narrowed.

Snape was taken back a moment, as the boy looked so much like James just then. "I am not sure," he told them, "I just simply believe him to be the culprit."

"Why that little ferret," Harry snarled, just as angry as his brother now, "he'd have killed me and not even been sorry about it!"

"That will be quite enough of that," Snape growled at both of them. "As I said, I am still not sure it WAS Mr. Malfoy, just that I suspect it was. And I will be dealing with him, not you. You two will NOT go out of your way to pay him back-if you even think of it, you will both feel a hairbrush upside your bare backsides. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

The boys nodded. "Yes, sir," they answered, sighing.

"Are there any further questions you want to know?" he asked, his voice more gentle than it had been a moment ago.

"We're not going to start disappearing or anything, are we?" Harry asked, biting his lip. "I mean, because we're not one person anymore?"

"No," Snape told him, "for whatever reason the spell split you in two instead of killing you-I believe this has to do with your mother's blood sacrifice myself-you are now both separate individual. You share all the memories up til the time the curse split you, but from now on you will each think and act separate from the other. You are, in essence, twins-and fraternal twins at that due to your eye colors."

The two boys nodded and stood up. "Thanks for answering our questions, Uncle Severus," Henry told him.

"You are quite welcome, lads," Snape said, smirking. "Now, you two need to go start packing. We are leaving for Dover in the morning. I'll call you when lunch is here."

The two dark haired Potters nodded, and they went back to their room.

Snape watched them go, a thoughtful expression on his face.

I think I'm going soft, he thought to himself, I'm actually starting to care about those two urchins.

He sighed, and went back to reading his Potions Monthly Journal.