Hermione and Ron silently contemplated their friend as he slumbered on slumped in what looked like a very uncomfortable position in his chair.
"Do you think we should wake him?" Ron asked quietly. "He's going to miss breakfast if he doesn't wake up soon."
"I don't know, he looks more peaceful than I've seen him look in a while." Hermione considered the options, and apparently coming to a conclusion, she stepped up to the chair.
"Harry." She said as she gently shook his shoulder. His green eyes slowly opened and looked at her in a puzzled way.
"Hermione? What're you doing in the boys dorm?"
"Harry, you're in the common room. If we don't hurry we're going to miss breakfast." Hermione steadfastly ignored the snickers coming from Ron behind her.
Harry started to stand up, quickly stopping as the muscles in his back and shoulder cramped from a night spent in a very unusual position. Ron tried unsuccessfully not to laugh as he reached forward to help him up.
"That'll teach you to sleep in a chair. Why didn't you come to bed anyway?" Ron asked as they stepped out of the portrait."
"I had a lot to think about. Then Ginny came down to study, and we talked for awhile. She gave me some more things to think about. Harry's eyes glazed slightly as he remembered what Ginny had said.
"Harry, I'm sorry about last night,"Hermione began uncomfortably.
"It's ok. No, really" he continued as Hermione started to interrupt. "You were doing what I asked you to. For some reason I just wasn't prepared to find evidence. Even though we were all looking.
Hermione gasped and grabbed Harry's arm as they continued down the corridor. "Harry, I just remembered, what are you going to tell people when they notice you don't have your glasses on?
"I forgot about that!" Harry groaned, hitting his forehead.
"Do you have your glasses with you?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, but what good does that do, I can't see through them."
"Let me have them, I think I have a spell that will turn them to regular glass. Just don't let anyone else look through them." Hermione muttered some words under her breath, waving her wand over the glasses. "How's that?" She asked, handing them back to Harry. He put them on his nose and looked around.
"Looks fine. Thanks Hermione. Where is everyone?" he asked, looking around as they entered the almost deserted great hall.
"I told you we were almost late for breakfast." Hermione said as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. As they helped themselves to pumpkin juice and food, a small red headed blur threw itself through the door and sped over to their end of the table.
"Phew, I didn't think I'd make it in time!" Ginny panted as she reached for the juice.
Ron surveyed his younger sister in amusement as she loaded her plate with sausages and eggs. "You really left in a hurry this morning didn't you?" he asked with a grin.
"How can you tell?"
"Look at your feet." Ron smirked slightly as his sister swung her feet onto the bench.
"Oh for Merlin's sake." She said in exasperation as she saw the gold fluffy snitch patterned slippers on her feet.
Hermione, Ron and Harry just couldn't help themselves. They found themselves bursting into hearty laughter at the sight. Ginny couldn't resist the sound of their honest merriment, and joined in. The laughter died suddenly as they all heard a self satisfied, sneering voice say:
"Why Weasley, can't your father even afford to buy you a decent pair of shoes?"
Turning swiftly, they saw Malfoy smirking at them from the Slytherin table. Hermione and Harry held Ron back as he started to lunge for him. "Ron, let me handle this." Harry said in a quiet voice. Spinning around on the bench to face his nemesis, Harry thought quickly and felt in his pocket.
"So, Malfoy, why were you watching Ginny closely enough to see what she was wearing?" he asked as he got up and walked casually over to the Slytherin table. He towered over the seated boy, who suddenly became aware that he was the only person at his table. "Got a thing for her?" Harry finished while he unobtrusively pulled something from his pocket.
Draco face turned a deep red, quite a contrast to his blond hair, and spluttered incomprehensibly at Harry.
"What, didn't quite hear you there old fellow. Should I take it that you do have a thing for her? A Slitherin and a Gryffindor? What a terribly shocking thing, what would dear old Dad have to say?" Harry had slowly moved himself so that Draco would have to turn to see him. When he turned away from his plate, Harry quickly tossed some liquid from a vial on his unfinished breakfast.
"Potter, that is the most, vile, the most ridiculous, just get away from me!" Draco finished, almost shaking with anger.
"Fine. Keep your nasty comments to yourself then, or we won't be able to keep Ron back next time." Harry walked back to his side of the room, ignoring the indignant splutters coming from behind him.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.
"Just wait!" Harry said with the cheeriest grin they'd seen in a while on his face. "It should be very entertaining."
Ginny stared unblinkingly at Harry. Feeling uncomfortable under that steady regard, he found himself saying somewhat defensively "What?"
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what" he asked, trying to look as though he had no idea what she meant.
"You know what I mean." She snapped. "Why did you ask him if he had something for me?"
"I was trying to get him mad, and that was the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment that might work. I'm sorry." He finished.
"Just don't use me like that again, ok?"
As Harry opened his mouth to agree, there was a sudden surprised squawk from the Slytherin table. Turning quickly to see what had happened, everyone in the hall burst into laughter at the sight of a large purple chicken running around in Draco Malfoy's robes. Squawking loudly it ran out the door.
"What did you do to him!" Ron gasped, doubled over in laughter.
"It's a new potion George and Fred are working on. They gave me some to use as I saw fit to make up for what happened at the beginning of the year. I hadn't really had an opportunity to use it, and forgot I'd kept it tucked in my pocket until now." Harry grinned at the others. Feeling eyes on him, he looked around. Professor Snape was regarding him from the head table with an inscrutable look on his face. Harry met his direct stare with a raised eyebrow, refusing to be cowed. Snape looked away as Professor Sprout leaned over to say something to him. Harry couldn't help but feel that he'd gotten the best of the encounter. It wasn't until they left the room that he realized that the head of Slytherin house hadn't taken off any points for what he'd done.
Harry continued to think of Ginny's advice off and on during the day. Maybe she was right.
Monday morning as the three fifth years sat together during breakfast, Ron voiced what all three had been thinking about.
"We've got potions first this morning. Are you going to say anything to Snape?"
"Honestly Ron, what could he say?" Hermione asked, clearly frustrated that for once there was no book to give an answer to the situation.
"I suppose I could go up to him and say 'so, I hear you and my Mum were an item, are you my dad?''in front of the whole class, but I have a feeling he'd turn me into a newt or something." Harry said lightheartedly.
"What's gotten into you?" Hermione asked, clearly concerned that he'd lost his grip on reality while Ron choked on his breakfast, spraying crumbs everywhere.
"I've been thinking about what Ginny said to me the other night. I think the ball is in Professor Snape's court now, I'll wait and see what he does." Harry said quietly.
"What did she say to you?" Ron asked curiously.
"She said it's something your Mum says. Something about looking at what another person must be feeling."
"Oh yeah, that one. I'm not sure I see how that fits with this situation though." Ron said in a puzzled manner.
"We better move if we're going to make it to potions on time." Hermione interrupted. "The last thing we need to do is give Snape a chance to give us all detention."
They ran through the halls to the dungeons intent on reaching the door before the tardy bell rang. They slid into their seats just in time.
Professor Snape banged into the room in his normal manner, scowl firmly in place, eyes glaring malevolently at the students. He strode up the aisle between tables spitting instructions as he went. By the time he got to the front of the room the students were frantically writing, trying desperately to get down the list of ingredients and instructions for the healing syrup they were to make today. There was a mad scramble to the student supplies table as each student procured the ingredients needed, and then silence settled as they concentrated on preparing the concoction. Snape hovered over the students as they mixed and stirred, awarding points freely to the Slytherins and deducting them freely from the Gryffindors. Most of the class passed without incident, in fact, most of the class had managed to concoct the difficult potion correctly and were busily decanting it into bottles for transport to Madame Pomphrey when an ominous rumbling sound began to build on the far side of the room. Everyone turned just in time to see a fountain of mysterious, lime green colored goo explode out of Neville's cauldron and cover him. Snape immediately swooped over to berate and belittle Neville, finally sending him to the hospital wing. As the rest of the class got ready to leave, Snape stopped by the table where Ron, Hermione and Harry were working.
"Mr. Potter, I believe we have some unfinished business. I expect to see you in this classroom at eight tonight to do the detention we had scheduled at the beginning of the year."
"But sir, I have quidditch practice tonight!" Harry burst out, stung by the unfairness of having to serve detention.
"The Gryffindor team will just have to do without their 'star seeker' tonight. Maybe they'll actually learn to play this evening." Snape strode away with his sneer firmly in place.
Harry watched him in disbelief, finally coming to himself when Ron punched him in the arm, saying "Hey, mate, it won't be that bad."
"How can you say that?" Harry asked, torn between being angry with his friend, and curiosity at what in the world he could be thinking.
"At least this won't be hanging over your head anymore!"
"Ron, it wasn't hanging over my head in the first place! I thought he'd forgotten about it, I know I did!"
Hermione listened quietly to them banter back and forth as they raced through the halls toward transfigurations class. She couldn't help but wonder what would come of the meeting tonight.
Dinner was a too short affair as far as Harry was concerned. Detention with Snape was only one step above detention with Filch. He sat in a corner of the common room with Ron, trying to concentrate on a game of wizard chess and keep an eye on the clock when he felt something loom over him. Looking up with a start he saw Fred and George standing next to him with unusually direct looks on their faces.
"So, Harry," Fred started "we hear that you've got detention with Snape tonight?"
"Unfortunately."
"Well, we just wanted to say," George continued "that if you want to talk at all afterward, we'll be around." They regarded him solemnly for a minute before walking to the portrait and going out with their brooms under their arms. Harry and Ron watched them go, neither saying anything for the moment. George popped his head around the portrait just before it closed to say "Ron, we'll expect you at practice when you can get there."
"They know something." Ron said without any question in his voice.
"Harry, it's almost 8:00, hadn't you better be going?" Hermione and Ginny regarded Harry through worried eyes.
"We'll wait up, mate." Ron said in commiseration.
Harry walked quietly out the hole thinking about all the information he'd gotten over the last few days. He stopped in front of a door, and looking around, realized that his feet had taken him to the potions classroom without his being aware of it. The door was open, and he peeked around the corner, wondering if he should just enter or wait outside for Snape.
"Well, boy, don't lurk. Come in." Snape's voice came impatiently from the storage closet next to the classroom. Harry entered Snape's lair with trepidation. Somehow this place was more intimidating than normal without anyone else around. It felt darker and more confining than usual.
"Tonight you will be scrubbing off the table tops and sinks. Without magic Mr. Potter. And I expect them to gleam when you are done. You will find brushes and buckets in that cabinet." Snape settled himself at his desk behind a pile of papers. He began marking them with a red tipped quill as Harry pulled a bucket and brush out of a cabinet crammed full of cleaning equipment. He wondered how many students had been required to do this task before him. He looked over the cleaning agents for a few minutes before deciding on an all-purpose powder he recognized from Aunt Petunia's house. Fancy her being useful!
As Harry began cleaning the tables, something that he found was very close to chores he had done in his Aunt and Uncle's house, he slowly became aware that Snape was glancing in his direction often. Hoping to avoid another diatribe against him, he decided to ignore Snape.
Severus found his eyes constantly straying to the form of his son as the boy steadfastly scrubbed away. He was somewhat surprised to discover that Potter seemed to have an easy time with this task. Most of his purebred wizard students had no experience with personally cleaning anything, and were horrified to have to serve in that way. 'Skills he must have learned at his Aunt's house' he thought with a curl to his lips. As the hours ticked away and Harry was close to completing his task, Severus found himself staring at Harry, wondering how in the world to tell him about Lily's letter. He knew he might not get another chance to catch him alone, so it really was now or have Dumbledore tell him. As Harry finished scrubbing the last sink and straightened up, Severus tensed, preparing to address Harry when he found himself being interrupted.
"Sir," Harry said, staring levelly at his professor. "I've been wondering since the twins, well, you know. Well, I've been wondering if what you said was true." He finished bravely.
Severus stared in shock at Harry, amazed that he would have the courage to actually ask the question. Harry, growing uncomfortable under the unblinking regard, decided that he'd better go before he got himself into more trouble. "Um, sorry professor, I'll just go now, I've finished everything." Harry finished softly, looking at the floor.
"NO! Wait!" Severus said as Harry started toward the door. "Why do you ask?" His dark eyes were penetrating as he looked down at his son.
Harry turned slowly toward the professor, relieved to see that he didn't seem to be angry, only curious. "I um, well, I've changed a lot the last few months." At Snape's quirked eyebrow, he flushed and continued. "I know that you change as you grow up, but I've changed so much that my best friend's didn't recognize me after summer. And yesterday, after the game, I noticed I don't need my glasses anymore, Hermione enchanted these into plain glass." He said taking off his glasses and looking at Snape.
Severus continued looking at Harry, apparently thinking. "Anything else?" he finally asked.
Harry was curiously reluctant to mention the pictures Hermione had found in the yearbook, but was unable to stop talking now that he had started.
"Hermione found a book, a yearbook in the library. And you were, um, standing next to my Mum in one of the pictures. So, are you?" He finished bravely, raising his eyes to meet his professor's.
Snape looked at Harry quietly for a minute, and then said "Trust Miss Granger to find something that obscure. Yes, I am."
Harry stared in shock at Professor Snape. Somehow hearing the simple statement was too terse, too unexpected. He turned and ran out of the room, leaving his father yelling after him to stop. Snape stared after his son, cursing under his breath. Now what?