Harry burst into the headmaster's office, clutching at a stitch in his side. Outside, the battle for the castle raged on, occasional blasts shaking the office as the duelists fought fiercely. In some part of his mind, Harry recognized that the office remained the same as it had when Dumbledore had been headmaster. The only noticeable difference was that the portraits of the former headmasters and headmistresses were, without exception, empty, their occupants gone to cheer the defenders of the castle on in their fight.

Snape hadn't changed a thing, and some part of Harry understood why. Deep down, the man was still working for the old headmaster, or his wishes anyway. Harry had never been surer of which side Snape stood for than when he saw the office, looking the same as it always did, the sight bringing a wave of nostalgia, comfort, and safety crashing over him in a rush.

Trying, and failing, to shake off the feelings crowding up in him, Harry made for the cabinet that he knew contained Dumbledore's old pensieve. It was of course inside, still glowing as he remembered it, and without hesitation, Harry poured Severus Snape's memories into the basin. As he held his breath and prepared to plunge into the swirling silver, he caught sight of an object on a small shelf just above the basin.

Harry felt his heart stop for an instant as he recognized it to be a very familiar object. A time-turner, the very same one he and Hermione had used to rescue Sirius four years before. It sat there on the shelf, sparkling innocently in the silver light given off by the memories. Unable to help himself, Harry plucked the magical item from its resting place, possibilities racing in his head.

The device's powers were limited of course, he knew that. But with it, he could right so many of the wrongs that had been done just on this day. Tonks, Remus, Snape, all the deaths that happened too soon could be prevented.

Then a vicious explosion rocked the office, and the time-turner slipped from between lax fingers to fall towards the pensive below. Harry scrabbled uselessly for the chain, and watched in mute horror as the object landed solidly in the swirling memories and shattered, the strange contents of the hourglass slipping out to quickly mix with shining silver.

Harry pounded a fist uselessly against the wall, feeling like crying for the first time in a long while. Then a strange sound came from the pensieve. He watched in astonishment as the liquid started to bubble like a kettle that had just been put on the heat. The office rocked under another explosion, and this time Harry heard voices accompanying it.

The door to the room, which had until now been left ajar, suddenly became aglow with green and silver light, before snapping shut with a great speed and melting away, leaving a blank expanse of wall. Seconds later someone pounded against the place it had been. "Damn it! It's sealed itself!" The voice belonged to none other than Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There's no point hammering at it!" came another voice, this one low and gruff. "It's obviously protecting someone, or it wouldn't have closed up."

Then I say we blast it open!" Bellatrix shouted. Harry gripped his borrowed wand as she began a spell. "Bomb-" She broke off in a shriek as red and gold flames erupted from the door space, blazing high and giving off great heat.

"Let's get out of here before it fries us!" Someone else shouted. "Let whoever's in there be, they'll go up with the office anyway!"

"But what if it's Potter?"

"All the better! Now come on!"

As their footsteps faded, a soft trill came from the cabinet. Harry looked up and was startled to see-"Fawkes?" he breathed. The phoenix trilled again and let several pearlescent tears fall into the pensieve.

The now frothing liquid turned a strange shade of light pink, and began bubbling more than ever. The phoenix landed on Harry's shoulder and nudged at the bag around his neck containing the broken remains of his wand.

Harry winced slightly and pulled out the broken pieces. "Sorry about your feather Fawkes." The phoenix simply cooed at him in a soothing tone. Then he nudged the pieces towards each other and cocked his head, obviously waiting for something. Harry blinked, then gently put the ailing wand together. The phoenix leaned over the wand, more tears falling from his eyes to land on the fissure in the wooden instrument. Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry Fawkes, but it can't be fixed."

The phoenix ignored his words. As more tears fell, the wand suddenly began to glow with warm red and gold light, as did Fawkes himself. The heat and light intensified. Then there was a flare of magic from the wand, and a veritable fountain of red and gold sparks poured from the tip, sending a rush of magic skirling up Harry's arm and tingling through his body.

Harry gave it a wave and was delighted to see a curtain of red and gold trail out from it, as if the wand itself was rejoicing at being reunited with its owner. Clutching it he looked at the phoenix. "Fawkes, I-um, thanks."

The phoenix cooed at him and rubbed his head under Harry's chin like a cat before giving one ear an affectionate nibble. Then he spread his wings and rose gently into the air, and singing a strange melody that was both haunting and bracing, vanished into thin air, though his song continued on, echoing about the room, and Harry was sure, the entire castle.

Unable to help himself, Harry sniffed loudly and dashed a hand across his eyes. Then he drew in a deep breath, and clutching his newly restored wand and concentrating on Bellatrix, thought, "Levicorpus!"

He knew he had succeeded when a distantly muffled screech erupted from somewhere nearby. Harry grinned viciously and lowered his wand. There. Let's see how she likes being at someone else's mercy for a change. Then he contemplated the wand he had taken from Draco Malfoy. Placing the tip of his wand to it and thinking firmly of its owner, he uttered, "Banishio." The borrowed wand sailed out of the office window, and out of sight. He smiled slightly.

Then a loud and bubbly hiss made him whip around. Five years of Snape's potions class had taught him to be very wary of that sound, as it generally meant an imminent explosion.

As it did this time. The substance inside the pensieve was frothing now, a busy mass of pearlescent pink. Then it let out a hiss and blasted up and out of the basin. Harry let out a gasp as he was drenched, and felt the peculiar rush that he was beginning to associate with entering a memory. Then the sensation worsened, and it felt as though he were apparating and portkeying at the same time. After that all sensation melded together, and Harry could make out nothing at all.

Harry came to what seemed like an interminable time later. Rising to his feet, he groaned, feeling very sore. Spotting his wand, he stooped and picked it up. Placing it in his wrist holster, he looked around, feeling very lost.

He was outside, that much was obvious, the wind blowing through the trees and the warm sun wasn't something that could be mistaken. It felt too real to simply be a memory. The feeling was bolstered as he managed to pick up and crush a handful of leaves.

Then he turned around and did a double take. A very young looking Severus Snape was facing an almost carbon copy of Harry, and another Gryffindor.

In a flash, Harry realized what he was seeing. Severus Snape's worst memory.

Then he drew his wand, thinking fast. If this really wasn't just a memory, and it didn't seem to be thus far, then maybe he could do something. He aimed it at the two Gryffindors, who were undoubtedly James Potter and Sirius Black, and muttered a spell.

It was a childish one really, and certainly not one that he'd ever use under normal circumstances. Granted he would tell anyone that asked that his idea of "normal" was undoubtedly rather skewed, given what he had to deal with from year to year.

James Potter and Sirius Black were quite suddenly very naked.

Neither noticed it immediately, but the young Severus certainly did, a look of mingled amusement and disgust crossing his features. Several girls behind Harry started giggling madly. "I swear, I always knew they were compensating for something." One of them said.

Giggling mercilessly, one of the others said, "Black must have done an engorgement charm wrong, it's much too small."

Harry was highly thankful that he was spared from having to hear any more by the sudden arrival of Professor McGonagall, who looked as fierce as ever, though with a few streaks of red in her hair. "Mister Potter! Mister Black! What are you doing?"

The two Gryffindor's jumped and finally discovered their state of undress. Both went a brilliant shade of red and James Potter's wand whisked about very quickly, restoring their robes.

Professor McGonagall, Harry decided, had evidently had a rather large amount of experience dealing with the two of them. After chastising them soundly for their idiotic behavior, she removed a sound thirty points from each of them and threatened to write their parents.

While Black simply looked bored at the threat, James Potter seemed to pale. The two of them practically bolted when she told them to leave.

Harry put away his wand, grinning, as the young Severus said something to one of his classmates and left.

"Well now, I suppose that is one way to settle an argument." Harry jumped at the sudden voice behind him. Then he turned to find Headmaster Albus Dumbledore regarding him with a hard and curious expression. "Precisely where did you come from?"

Fighting anther surge of emotion, Harry swallowed and said thickly, "A complete and utter fiasco, sir."

The headmaster's expression softened somewhat. "I think perhaps, you had better come with me." Harry could tell it wasn't a request.

Headmaster Dumbledore's office was still the same as ever, minus a few trinkets perhaps. The headmaster seated himself behind the desk, still giving Harry a curious look, though there was less of an edge to it than before.

After a moment, he spoke. "It is not every day the wards inform me there is an intruder who isn't."

Harry blinked, and pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. Then he blinked again. That's odd, I don't think it was that long before. Hermione only cut it two weeks ago.

The Headmaster smiled slightly. "The wards informed me there was an intruder on the grounds, but at the same time they were unsure that you were an intruder. As that is generally not an everyday occurrence, I felt it warranted a personal investigation."

Harry grinned in spite of everything. Professor Dumbledore had evidently been in possession of his sense of humor for a very long time. "I guess that's kind of one way to put it sir. I'm not exactly from around here, but I know Hogwarts pretty well."

The headmaster eyed him sharply, all trace of his usual twinkle gone from his eyes. "Perhaps I should be asking when you are from, rather than where."

Harry felt his jaw drop. How does he bloody do that? He remembered just in time that the headmaster was a legilimens and broke eye contact.

The headmaster smiled briefly. "Let's just say that taking things out of context can indeed occasionally help." Then he tilted his head. "You also seem strangely familiar, though I can't place it. I can only assume that you are the child of one or more of my current students."

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat lost for words. Little wonder Voldemort had always feared the man, if he was this canny. "Yes sir."

The headmaster tilted his head. "Do you have a specific reason for coming to this time?"

Harry licked his lips and shook his head. "Not exactly. It was sort of accidental."

"I see." The headmaster rose and began pacing behind his desk. "Perhaps it might help if you told me just how you got here then. Anything could be important."

Harry bit his lip. "Umm, no offense sir, but I'm not sure I should. It kind of involves you and a couple of people here."

Professor Dumbledore eyed him briefly. "Very well then, perhaps what you feel you can tell me."

Harry smiled slightly. "A time turner, a pensieve, memories, and phoenix tears."

Albus Dumbledore stopped short and stared at him. "I see." Then he sat back down behind his desk with a sigh. "Was the time turner set for any particular number of turns?"

"I doubt it sir. It kind of um, shattered when it fell into the pensieve."

The headmaster frowned. "In that case, arrangements shall have to be made." When Harry looked confused, the old man smiled. "Until it is proven otherwise, we'll operate under the impression that the time turner is responsible for your trip. This of course means that you could be with us for quite some time. "He clapped his hands. A squat bowl on one of the tables sprouted wings and fluttered across the room to land in front of him.

Tapping his wand on the inside of it, the Headmaster said, "Time turners are a very old form of magic." A wispy golden image of an hourglass appeared over the bowl. "They are made using a special form of sand and ancient spells. While the sand is renewable, it is in extremely limited supply, and there is only enough produced to create one time turner a year."

The image in front of them rotated slowly. "What you see before you is one of the first time turners." The headmaster said. Back in those days, they were capable of much more lengthy travels, and could actually be adjusted as needed. Unlike modern time turners, they could also bring you back."

The image shrank. "Unfortunately, as time went on, pardon the pun, the source was overused, and the ability to make larger time turners was lost. This was deemed for the best however, as there have been many disasters with time travel. By now, most of the more ancient time turners have been either destroyed or otherwise ruined. The few remaining are either well hidden, or in very well guarded collections."

The image faded as the headmaster gently shooed the bowl away. "Now, there is in fact, one of the ancient time turners within the school. However I would not recommend attempting to return to your own time with it."

Harry stared at him. "Why not sir?"

The headmaster frowned slightly. "First of all, they can be highly unpredictable. It would be far too easy to overshoot your mark. Secondly, two time turners should never counteract each other. "

"Why?"

The headmaster smiled again. "The results can be very unpleasant." he said cheerily. "People tend to explode across the time stream."

"Explode across the time stream?"

The headmaster waved a hand airily. "Oh yes, a bloody arm in the twentieth century, an eyeball in the seventeenth century, that sort of thing." He gave Harry a conspiratorial wink. "And those muggle Americans wonder what happened to Amelia Earhart."

As Harry digested this rather disturbing insight, the headmaster clapped his hands briskly. This time it was the sorting hat that responded, leaving its shelf to float into the headmaster's hands. "Now then." He said. "It stands to reason that you are best suited to remain here in the castle." He paused. "How old are you, by the way?"

"Seventeen sir. I was born in July."

The headmaster frowned. "Hmm…You look fifteen." Ignoring Harry's answering frown, he said, "That works out splendidly then. You'll have up to two years you can effectively hide on campus." He held up the sorting hat. "That just leaves us with which house you'll be in."

He held out the sorting hat invitingly. Harry grinned and took it, placing it on his head. He couldn't help laughing as it fell all the way over his eyes again, just as it did in first year. Godric Gryffindor must have been a big man. He thought.

"Nah, he just had a big head. One too many spells to the face during the wars back then." The sorting hat sounded as grouchy as ever, and it brought another wave of emotion crashing down on Harry. He was grateful that the brim was over his eyes, as it absorbed the few tears that actually did manage to escape.

Harry got a distinct impression of a smile in his head. "Ah now, don't worry. You'll find it's pretty hard to get rid of me. But dry those eyes eh? You'll salt my sweet disposition." Harry gave a laugh that hid a hearty sniffle. "Much better. Now let's have a look and see where you go."

The hat was silent for a long moment. Then it said softly, "Well, I can see Gryffindor was your home before, but do you think you'd do better in another place?"

It sounded as though it was an honest question, and Harry gave it a moment of thought as the hat waited patiently. Finally, he thought to the hat, I think I fought against something that could have helped make everything so much better. I think maybe If I had gone where you wanted to send me the first time, everyone else wouldn't have lost so much.

"None lost so much as you." The Hat's voice was quiet. "None faced as much darkness and sadness in their time as you, that I can see. Yet it is you who came out strong and true, you who fought on, knowing what you faced. Those are the elements of true Gryffindor courage shining in you."

I wanted a better world for everyone else. Harry thought. And I knew I could do it. I knew I had to do it, if anyone ever wanted to see peace.

"And that-" the hat thought with satisfaction, "would be the truest elements of cunning and ambition shining out again, the elements valued by Slytherin!" Harry realized abruptly that the last word had been shouted.

The hat lifted off his head to reveal the headmaster's smiling face. "Well then, that's decided!" he said brightly. If he saw any indication of Harry's emotional moment, he tactfully made no mention. "Shall we go to your common room and introduce you to your dorm mate?" He paused. "Oh, but first, we need you to be in uniform." He pointed his wand at Harry, and there was a disorienting swirl of fabric. It settled a moment later into a somewhat short uniform.

Eyeing it critically, Professor Dumbledore said, "My apologies at the length, but clothing was always the area of transfiguration that I was least practiced in."

Harry shrugged. "That's okay sir." He grinned. "This is actually the first time something's been too small for me, rather than the other way around."

The headmaster's eyes narrowed, but all he said was, "Splendid! If you'll come with me, then we'll get you introduced to your housemates, and get your rooming squared away." The he paused and put both hands on Harry's shoulders. "But remember! Don't tell anyone where you're from or what's going to happen!" He paused. "Unless you're supposed to, in which case for the love of Merlin, don't not do it!"

At Harry's somewhat confused nod, they were off. It was a short, but informative trudge through the castle. Harry found himself looking over everything as they walked.

The headmaster chuckled as they started down into the dungeons. "Not what you're used to seeing?"

Harry grinned. "Not exactly sir. It's a treat just seeing everything quiet and in one piece."

Looking ahead, harry missed the elder man's expression, and therefore the false casualness of his next question. "Bit of construction was there?"

Harry snorted. "Hardly. Everyone was fighting for their lives against Voldemort and his Death Eaters." He winced and stopped short. "Oh shite! I mean…"

The headmaster waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. I'm in no position to be taking points for a stray word." He winked. "Especially when I've been known to let a few of them slip myself."

Harry grinned for a moment before sobering. "I suppose I should tell you anyway. Voldemort was defeated and came back years later, during my fourth year. Before long, he'd captured most of wizarding Britain. When I left my time, Hogwarts was making its final stand against him and his followers."

Dumbledore tugged at his beard thoughtfully. "What year did you say you were from again?"

Harry shot him a look. "I didn't." To his relief, the headmaster grinned again. "Professor McGonagall is a hell of a fighter by the way."

The headmaster smiled. "Indeed she is. It's one of the reasons I hired her. A better duelist you'd be hard pressed to find."

"Except for Professor Flitwick."

"Well he was once freestyle champion, but really, who do you think taught Minerva?"

The ensuing dueling spell discussion lasted all the way to the dungeon.

In what seemed to be no time at all Professor Dumbledore was giving the blank wall that served as the Slytherin common room entrance the password, (Saturn, something Harry found rather ironic.) and steering the time traveler inside.

Once inside Harry was subjected to stares from what must have been almost the entirety of Slytherin house. Must have been a house meeting or something, Harry thought.

The Headmaster excused himself and rustled over to Horace Slughorn, who was standing at the front of room, looking mildly amused. As the two of them spoke about something, Harry took the opportunity to look around.

Other than the stares, the common room didn't seem much different now than it did in his time. One of the differences was that the windows were highly reflective. Snape must have made them transparent when he took over, Harry mused. It made sense in a way; Horace Slughorn was a vain man, whereas Snape was not. At least not where physical appearance was concerned, at any rate.

He stepped forward to examine one and stopped dead as he took in his reflection. What in Merlin's name? No wonder they were staring! The robes looked like something out of the nineteen hundreds. Harry plucked at one of the lacy sleeves distastefully.

Fortunately, one of the few things he could do wandlessly and nonverbally was minor alterations of clothing. It had been very useful for disguises while he had been on the run. Aloud he said, "If this is his idea of current, I'd hate to see what he thinks archaic is." Then he snapped his fingers and made a pulling motion, rather like someone undoing a zipper.

There was a sharp crackle and a blinding flash of magenta that started at his chest and traveled outward. When it cleared, he was dressed in a much more current uniform; one that was thankfully devoid of lace and ruffles.

Ignoring the astonished stares he was getting, Harry tugged the sleeves down over his wrists and headed back towards the headmaster.

Seeing him approach, Dumbledore curtailed his conversation with Professor Slughorn and turned to him. He smiled briefly as he took in Harry's new uniform. "Well now, feeling more in touch?"

Harry grimaced. "Yes." He said shortly. "I didn't realize your fashion sense was stuck in the early nineteen hundreds."

Several students gasped and winced, but the headmaster just chuckled. "You remember best what you grew up with."

"That explains a lot." This time both the headmaster and Professor Slughorn chuckled.

"At any rate, allow me to show you to your dormitory." The headmaster said. As he led Harry down a hall, he placed a hand on his shoulder. In a low voice he said, "I feel I should warn you about Professor Slughorn. You see he likes to-"

"Collect things." Harry finished. "I know. I met him in my sixth year. I can't say I was really all that impressed. I mean, I know he's a potion master, but he…" Harry trailed off, a little lost for words.

"Professor Slughorn covets his connections." The headmaster said simply. As Harry nodded emphatically, Dumbledore continued. "By the same token however, those connections have helped many deserving students get a leg up into a place they are happy and well suited for. I would suggest that you don't dismiss them, or indeed Professor Slughorn, out of turn."

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

Dumbledore smiled. "Good lad." He stopped in front of a door that was all the way at the end of the hall. "This will be your dormitory. I trust I need not go over the castle rules?"

Harry grinned. "Is there a list of banned joke items?"

The headmaster chuckled. "Indeed there is. It's rather long too I'm afraid." He paused. "By the way I don't believe I caught your name."

Harry blinked, caught off guard. "Oh it's Harry sir, Harry um, Hilfiger."

Professor Dumbledore raised one eyebrow. "Interesting name."

"This coming from Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

The headmaster burst out laughing. "Well, I suppose you have me there. Did you have any other questions?"

Harry frowned. "Yes, actually. What am I going to do about supplies and money?"

Professor Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Ah. Well, not to worry. We can set up a special visit to Hogsmeade for the robes and various supplies, until then you'll just have to use the spares the classrooms have. I think Horace has a few spare Slytherin robes lying around, though I have no idea what condition they're in. As for money, the school has a fund set aside to provide pocket money for those who have no way of obtaining any. I'll stop by later. For now I'll let you get settled in."

He gestured at the door. Harry eyed it with some trepidation before he finally opened it.

Harry leaped back as a wave of items cascaded into the hall. "What in Merlin's name?" He whipped around, only to find that the headmaster had vanished. "Crafty little coward." Harry muttered.

Eyeing the mess that was spilling into the hall, he sighed and shrugged. "Well, I've seen worse from Dudley. At least I don't have to do this by hand." He drew his wand and gave it a sharp jab. A jet of magic shot out and hit the trash on the floor, causing it to fly up into the air and hover there. Holding his wand so that it emitted a continuous stream, Harry advanced into the room.

After he was sure all the garbage was off the floor, he gave the wand a flick, creating a miniature cyclone in the middle of the room that sucked all the floating offal into it. After it was finished, Harry vanished the garbage and sent the cyclone to clean off the obviously unused bed.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Harry glanced up and found himself deciding that fate must clearly dislike him. He was face to face with the young Severus Snape. He eyed him for a moment, then said, "Liberating my bed. I have no intention of sleeping in a trash heap."

"I- your bed?"

Harry frowned at the tone. "yes. My bed. Congratulations, you now have a roommate."

"Roommate?"

Harry grimaced. "My, you are articulate aren't you? I hope all our conversations aren't as monosyllabic."

Snape flushed. "Since when are you my roommate?"

"Since about five minutes ago. You can thank Headmaster Dumbledore for that one."

Snape said nothing, which was probably just as well. Harry was in no mood for arguments.

"Great Merlin, this place is a disgrace!" He jabbed his wand at a pile of clothes, sending them rocketing off the beds and into a nearby hamper. "How do you expect to find anything in here? I mean, I know there are house elves, but really!"

Snape gave a haughty sounding sniff. "I know perfectly well where everything I need is." Then he frowned. "And I don't let the house elves in here, they might upset my potions."

Harry frowned at him. "You brew in here?' He paused. "Well, I suppose I can't say as much about that one, my friends and I once brewed a Polyjuice in a girl's bathroom." Upon seeing the look on Snape's face he said, "It was haunted. It seemed like the safest place, since no one really cared to go in there if they could help it." He gestured around him. "But still, if you won't let the house elves help, then you really need to clean up after yourself." He waved his wand, sending a pair of trainers hurrying across the room.

Snape let out a snort. "And why should I do that?"

Harry paused and turned to face him, wand aloft. "General cleanliness for a start. I don't care what potions you come up with, it's still no replacement for keeping things clean." He waved his wand again and levitated to allow the tornado, which was now much smaller, pass along underneath him as it vacuumed up dirt and debris. "Secondly, imagine if your friends saw this mess. I'd certainly be embarrassed."

"My friends never come to my dormitory."

Harry shrugged. "I can see why."

Snape shook his head. "It's not that. Most of them are in other houses."

Harry blinked. "Oh."

"What, you find that hard to believe?"

Harry stared at him, well aware that he looked like some sort of demented fairy godparent floating in midair. "Well…yes. I was under the impression that Slytherin didn't get along too well with the other houses."

Snape's sour expression cleared somewhat. "Ah. Well it is true for the most part. But there are exceptions."

"I see. I'll bear that in mind."

Snape smirked, a strange expression to see when it wasn't sardonic or dark. "What about you? Where are you from?"

Thinking fast, Harry said, "I'm a transfer from Beuxbatons. I moved to their area when I was little, and we just moved back now in something of a hurry. I still have to get robes and supplies."

"Why in Merlin's name would you come back here? There's a war going on in case you haven't noticed."

Harry grinned as he drifted down to settle on his bed. "Well, yeah. But Voldemort isn't personally recruiting near you right now."

Snape, to Harry's interest, didn't flinch. Though a noticeable shudder did pass over him. "You-know-who doesn't exactly go recruiting people himself on a whim. What could be over there to interest him?"

Harry shrugged and watched the miniature cyclone start dusting the windows. "Search me." He said distantly. "The man's a power hungry megalomaniac. I think very few people can possibly guess exactly what goes on in what passes for his mind."

Snape eyed him. "You say that as if you've encountered him yourself."

Harry shrugged. "He was near my home just before I left." Then he grinned. "Besides, everyone knows Dumbledore's the only one he's actually afraid of." He watched as the cyclone dissipated. "Merlin, there's still a lot of clutter!"

Snape watched mulishly as Harry cast a glance over the piles of clothing, parchment, and vials that littered the room. "It's is not clutter!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. Disorganized chaos then. He leveled a glare that would have done the adult Snape proud. "Call it what you like, I refuse to allow any room I stay in to look like this."

"Then switch rooms!"

Harry grimaced. "The Headmaster decided this arrangement, for whatever reason. I doubt he'd change it just because I asked."

Snape just grunted.

In an effort to placate him Harry said, "Besides, I'm sure everything would be a lot easier to find if it was all in the same place. Especially if you needed it in a hurry."

Very slowly, The other teenager nodded. "I suppose so." Rather grudgingly, he pointed his wand at various piles, which floated up and began shuffling together.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Harry turned and opened the wardrobe next to his bed. Then he took an involuntary step back as the glare of hundreds of vials shone into his face. "I don't suppose you'd let me have the wardrobe back? Or some of it at least?" When Snape gave another grunting reply Harry flicked his wand, causing the multitude of vials to levitate and stream out. "Merlin! You've got all kinds of potions here!" He watched several bottles file by before adding, "And ingredients."

Snape actually smirked. "It behooves me to keep well stocked."

"Stocked is right." Harry eyed the ingredients as they went past. Then he froze. Grabbing one out of the precession, and therefore stopping the line cold, he whirled angrily. "Do you have any idea just how horrid this is?"

Snape eyed the silver liquid impassively. "It's only an ingredient."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "No. It's not. Unicorn blood is not something to take lightly! When it's taken by force like this has, there's no good potion or spell it can be used for!"

Snape actually blinked at this. "How can you even tell?

Harry felt his lip curl. "The great potions master doesn't know?" As Snape's expression turned a mix of angry and confused, Harry sighed. "When freely given, Unicorn blood is gold, not silver. It's also about ten times more powerful in potions and ritual work. Blood taken by force turns silver, and has no applications that can be used for anything other than the darkest magic. Freely given blood has all kinds of uses. This-" He shook the vial of silver liquid. "This is heinous! It's a horrid crime just to kill a unicorn, let alone take its blood. They're creatures of purity. What would your friends say about that?"

Snape blinked owlishly. "Considering one of them acquired it for me? Not much."

Harry closed his eyes for a moment. "I sincerely doubt that all your friends from other houses are completely unscrupulous. There must be some who would have a thought about this.

To his surprise, Snape actually blushed. "Well, I suppose so. She'd certainly be none too impressed." He said at length." Then he shuddered. "And he wouldn't either."

Harry blinked a bit at the reactions but nodded all the same. "There you are then." He held the vial out to the other teenager. "Sorry. I guess I overreacted a bit, but I've actually seen someone kill a unicorn and it's a horrible sight."

Snape took the vial a little gingerly. "And what am I supposed to do about this?"

"Return it to the forest." Harry said simply. "Possibly with an apology. Unicorns are understanding, you didn't take it yourself, so they'll likely forgive you." Ignoring the rather confused look Snape gave him, Harry rapped his wand sharply on an end table. "Alright you lot, get moving, please." Obligingly, the line of ingredients, which had been hovering silently, rattled into motion.

His roommate winced. "You are unnecessarily careless with your wand."

Harry frowned at him. "Wands are more resilient than you think. And I show plenty of care. I just know how forcible I can be. Do you honestly think witches and wizards would still be using wands after all these years if they weren't resilient? Mind, I have a theory that they get strengthened by their magical cores. I've never heard of one breaking except under duress."

Snape tapped his lips thoughtfully. "That actually makes a good deal of sense. It would certainly explain a few things about them."

Harry grinned and resumed watching the vials filter past him. "Sunflower seeds? Those are an interesting ingredient."

Snape coughed, face slightly red. "Those are roasted and salted; they aren't any good as ingredients. They're better for something else."

Harry laughed. "I suppose they make good study fuel. Mind you, I wouldn't keep them in the ingredients if I were you; goodness knows what they'd pick up."

Snape just grunted again. Harry rolled his eyes as he watched the flying trail of vials change over to actual potions. "Wow, quite an assortment you have here. " He leaned closer and read some of the labels aloud. "Good luck, good health, good reflexes-" He paused. "Good gravy and good heavens?"

Snape smirked. "Good gravy is a potion I sell to Zonko's Joke Shop. It's meant for practical jokes."

"And Good Heavens?"

Snape eyed him. "Do you need a map to the answer?"

Harry closed his eyes. "Never mind." He turned as the last of the vials left the wardrobe, finally revealing the back. He sighed as a smallish cauldron was revealed on the bottom, bubbling away merrily with bluebell flames crackling underneath. "Why am I not surprised? The bluebell flame is nice, but I'm amazed they don't catch."

"How-how did you know what they're called?" Snape demanded. "My friend hasn't even got it published yet!"

Thinking fast, Harry snapped, "Well look at them! What other color would you call them, periwinkle, heliotrope? Honestly."

Snape reddened slightly and grumbled, "Heliotrope is a pattern, not a color."

Harry shrugged. "And this is magic. The line tends to blur."

Though his face was still red, Snape's face twitched into the barest hint of a smile. "You sound like my friend, she says things like that all the time."

"Smart cookie, this friend. Is it safe to move the cauldron? I don't think it's really all that wise to have it in such a confined space."

Snape nodded. "Just use a levitation charm on the flames, they'll support the cauldron."

Harry did so. Watching it glide by, he said, "Your friend sounds like quite a person. What's her name?"

To his interest, Snape flushed the reddest he had seen yet. "Lily Evans."

Harry almost lost control of his levitation charm in his shock. As he set it down on the other teenager's bedside table he could only think, Mum was friends with Snape? He nearly groaned aloud. Fate really does have it out for me.