Severus and Harry reentered the dining room, Harry looking sheepish. “I’m sorry Sal,” he muttered reluctantly, sitting back down by the Founder.

The man nodded. “It’s alright. I understand, I suppose I shouldn’t have pushed you,” he admitted, carefully avoiding an actual apology. “At least you got calmed down,” Salazar winked at Severus.

(right up to the day before Harry is leaving, in the afternoon)

It seemed like ages ago that Harry had had bad manners and an unpredictable temper, but in fact, it had only been a few days. Salazar had worked wonders with the help of Severus and Jerome. Currently, Salazar was sitting in the living room with Jerome while Severus and Harry walked over to the greenhouse.

“So why in Danu’s name are we coming over here exactly?” Severus grumbled.

“I just wanted to see it, you know,” Harry answered placidly.

In a moment, they did see it, and it was nothing like Severus recollected. It was clean, and when they stepped inside, all the plants were carefully groomed and organized as they should be. Severus paused in the doorway before turning a dark eye on Harry.

“Did you do this?”

“Sal and Jerome helped,” Harry blushed.

“Whatever for, boy?”

“To say thanks. You’ve done a lot you didn’t have to do, Sev. I still don’t get why you changed so much just for my benefit.”

Severus nodded, allowing a ghost of a smile play across his lips. “I accept your thanks, and give you mine. So, today, you get to pick whatever you desire to brew in the potions lab, as long as it’s not that accursed nightmare potion of yours. That thing was vicious.”

Harry grinned. “Aww, Sev, were you a wittle fwightened?”

Severus glared. “Careful, boy, or I’ll show you frightened. Let’s get up to the house before your mouth gets you in trouble.”

Harry smirked and pushed through the door into the house. “Sal, Jerome, I showed him the greenhouse,” he called as he entered the living room.

“And?” Jerome glanced up from the game of chess he and Salazar were playing.

“He’s letting me brew whatever I want in the lab today.”

“And already beginning to regret that decision,” Severus added as he came in, looking surly.

Harry beamed. “I absolutely adore getting on his nerves.”

“So what did you decide on?” Salazar asked in a bored tone. “Checkmate, Jerome.”

“The Heritage Potion,” Harry said. “It makes the drinker write down their entire heritage, all the wizards and witches anyway. I always wanted to know what founder I’m originated from, if any.”

Severus shot Sal and Jerome a look of dread.

The next day, it wasn’t until Harry was about to leave that Severus shoved a flask into his hand. “That’s the potion,” he explained. “I already checked it; it’s correct. Take it when you get over to Grimmauld Place; we don’t have time now. Make sure you have parchment, ink, and a quill at hand when you take it so you can write it all out.”

Harry nodded and dropped the potion into his pocket before turning to say good-bye to Jerome, Salazar, and the centaurs, who had come up to the manor to say farewell. “Bye all you guys,” he muttered. “I’ll come back and visit, Chryseis, Ajaria. Jerome, Sal, I expect to see you two at Hogwarts often. Since Sev’s given me permission to call you out of your portrait, Sal, I expect training won’t change overly much.” He turned back towards Severus. “And Sev, you’ll be my potions teacher for yet another year, still acting like a grumpy git, so I won’t even say good-bye. I’ll probably see you at Grimmauld Place anyway.”

The teenager stepped into the fireplace with a handful of floo powder. “Number 13, Grimmauld Place!”

A few ashy spins later, Harry was falling into the familiar kitchen of Sirius’ old home. No one was in the kitchen, so he quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and some writing utensils. He wanted to do this quickly, before everyone else was all over him.

He swallowed the potion and immediately his hand started dragging across the paper. First, himself, Harry James Potter. Above and right, Lily Evans Potter. Above and left, not James Potter… well not just James Potter… the name Harry expected was written, but beside, was written “legal.” And above that, was written “Severus Alistair Snape, biological.”

Harry blacked out just as Ron and Hermione walked in.