“What are you going to do today?”

Startled at the sudden question the next morning, Harry nearly dropped his cup. For the longest time it had been quiet between Harry and Snape, other than a "Good morning" when he'd first woke up. Blushing, Harry cleared his throat.

“I'm not sure. Maybe—maybe I'll talk to Dumbledore about helping me get back. You'll help me with that… won't you?” Harry hesitated, staring at Snape across the table. Harry's toast lay on his plate, untouched. He wasn't really hungry that morning.

Snape didn't answer right away; he looked torn between saying no and yes. Finally, after what seemed like hours to Harry, Snape finally said, “Yes, I will.” Though, he didn't look too happy.

A grin slipped onto Harry's face. “OK, good.”

Harry picked up his cup again and took another sip of juice, giving Snape an odd look as he found the Potions Master staring at him.

“What?” Harry asked, frowning.

“Why aren't you eating anything?”

Harry glanced down at the toast on his plate. “I'm not very hungry,” he said as he looked back up at Snape. He began to fidget a little under Snape's gaze, until—

“You feel uncomfortable, don't you?” Snape said, tipping the teacup to his lips. His face remained blank.

Harry stared in surprise. “N—no I don't.” After staring silently at Snape for several minutes, Harry let out a sigh of defeat. “I'm just… still getting used to… y'know. This. It's different and… confusing. Sir, if you don't mind, I'd like to know everything that, well, happened. Here.”

“I'll tell you everything,” Snape started slowly, “On two conditions.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed, hesitating. “What conditions?”

“One would be that you eat something, and second would be for you to desist with calling me 'Sir'.”

Harry slowly nodded. “What do I call you then? Professor?”

“We're not in school yet,” Snape pointed out. “Considering the circumstances, I'm sure Severus will do fine.”

“Okay,” Harry said, although he wondered if he could manage it. Calling Severus Snape, no matter which Snape it may be, by his first name would take some getting used to. “So you'll tell me?”

“As soon as you eat something,” Snape said, his eyes briefly flickering to the plate in front of Harry.

“Oh… right…” As Harry picked up his toast, he could feel Snape's eyes on him. Did he really want to know what happened? Everything? Harry decided that he did. It'd at least quell his curiosity.

--

“All right,” Harry started uncomfortably after he had finished his breakfast. “So… here, or… where?”

“Where would you be most comfortable to talk?” Snape questioned.

Harry hesitated. Just being here wasn't comfortable; not only in Snape's manor, but in this body that wasn't familiar to Harry. In this time. Finally, he suggested the lounge. After all, whenever Dudley Dursley had ever talked to his parents about something—like when he talked to them about buying him a new computer, or other types of presents like that—it would occasionally take place in the lounge.

So that's where they went.

“How's your head? Does it sting any?” asked Snape. Harry shook his head in response as he sat down on the couch.

“Not that much anymore,” Harry replied. Then something dawned on him. “Oh, my wand,” he groaned, closing his eyes. “It snapped in two when I fell.”

“Did you fall on it?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders. “I'm not really sure anymore. I might've.”

“You know,” Snape started slowly, looking almost as if he regretted saying what was coming out of his mouth. “Your wand—here—is somewhere in the house—”

Harry quickly shook his head. “I couldn't do that, S—Severus.” Harry inwardly winced as he almost slipped with, “Sir.”

“No, no, quite right,” Snape agreed quickly, looking relieved. Harry could tell that Snape wasn't that ready to part with the wand, since it was this-dimension-Harry's wand. “What is it that you wanted to know, Harry?”

“Everything,” Harry answered. “Start at… well, start at the beginning.”

Snape hesitated, but said nothing. Harry wondered if the Potions professor was trying to come up with a way to start explaining what Harry wanted to know, about what his life had been like here.

“Tell me… tell me how you came to raise me,” Harry said. “What happened to my parents? Or… to my mum and James?” Harry wasn't sure what to call them here.

“The Dark Lord killed Lily and James Potter," Snape started, practically spitting out the word. "I assume that's how it is in your reality as well?” Harry nodded wordlessly. Snape continued, looking rather uneasy. “I… went to where they were staying and found you. So… I took you.”

Harry nodded again, opening his mouth to say something. Then, as if Snape had read his mind, he said, “I was teaching Potions at Hogwarts a month or so before… before what happened. At first I tried taking you to Hogwarts; getting anyone that could to look after you whilst I taught. It wasn't working out as gratifyingly as I had hoped. You were too young at the time.”

“So, what did you do?” Harry asked.

Snape curled his lip in disgust. “I had somebody look after you, out of Hogwarts.”

Harry paused. “Who?”

Lip still curled, Snape replied, “Sirius Black.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “Who?”

“I don't know about your reality,” Snape said, as though he disliked the word. He probably did. “But Lily had made friends with Potter's best friend: Sirius Black. They made him your godfather, though I never liked him.”

“My godfather,” Harry repeated, dazed. He wondered if, back home, there was a Sirius Black who was his godfather, too. “What happened?”

“I thought that Black had betrayed them, as did everyone else,” Snape admitted. “Barty Crouch was going to send Black to Azkaban without a trial; I, however, wanted to know the truth. Who had caused Lily to die…”

“Did he?” Harry asked softly.

“No.”

“So, what happened to him then?”

“Well, they used Veritaserum and he didn't go to Azkaban. Instead, he was free; the Ministry eventually caught Peter Pettigrew—who was the one that had betrayed Lily and Potter.”

“Where is he now?” Harry asked.

“Ever since you—rather, the otherHarry—ever since he… ever since he passed on, Black hasn't been around as much as he used to. Of course, I'm complaining. Though, it is partly his house, too.”

“Oh,” Harry said softly. “So, while you were teaching at Hogwarts… you let Sirius Black take care of me?”

“Indeed,” Severus answered. “Though I ended up beginning to miss you more than I had thought I would. That's why I had created two extra rooms in my chambers for you and Black. That way I was closer to you, and you were also a little older. Much easier to look after at Hogwarts.”

“Why for Sirius, too? I thought you didn't like him?”

“It seemed as though Black had grown attached to you, just as I had.”

“And then… this Harry died when he tried to save the Philosophers Stone,” Harry said, though it wasn't a question. “That's the only really bad thing about this place.”

Snape raised his eyebrows. “The only bad thing?”

“Sure,” Harry said, nodding. “This Harry had a family, and what seems like a pretty nice life. Then he died trying to do something that I actually did, except… I didn't die.” Harry sighed, and then decided not to say anything more. He felt guilty for making Snape look so… hurt.

“So it seems as if there's one thing in each reality that isn't quite fair,” Snape said, elaborating at Harry's brief, confused look. “For one, you didn't have much of a family that loved you, did you?”

Harry shook his head. “No.” He saw what Snape was saying now. “I think I want to speak to Professor Dumbledore now, Severus.” The name sounded rusty and unusual coming off his tongue.

Snape looked thoughtful, but only for a brief second. “No.”

Harry stared at Snape in surprise. “I—I'm beginning to hate that word. I thought you said that you'd get Dumbledore for me, so I could talk to him?”

“Oh, I did,” Snape agreed lightly. “I just don't feel like getting him right now.”

“When will you feel like getting him for me?” Harry watched, eyes wide and Snape stood up.

“Hm. That's a good question,” said Snape, before he walked out of the room.

“I guess I'm just going to have to write to him myself, aren't I?” Harry called after him. Snape didn't reply. Then Harry realized that he didn't have his owl, and he doubted that Snape would let him use his, if Snape even had one. Harry also realized that he didn't have anything else that he brought with him from the Dursleys. They must've still been back in the other reality.

Harry sat, staring into space. Snape wasn't going to make this easy for him.