As soon as the memory ended, Snape made his way to the other side of the globe, ignoring Harry. Harry on the other hand couldn’t find the energy to move. He knew he was being pathetic, letting something that happened years ago affect him like this. It wasn’t even his worst memory. But watching Dudley taunting his eight year old self and knowing that his cousin was right, he felt like he was all alone in the world. He remembered what it had felt like all those years ago, wishing that his aunt and uncle cared about him, longing for parents that he couldn’t even remember.
He frowned at Snape, the man was walking past the tree, he kept walking and then suddenly stopped, bringing his hand up and touching free air, pushing on it like it was an invisible wall. Harry looked around him, he couldn’t see any wall or any indication that there was an end to the globe they were in, besides the snow covered ground they were standing on. It was like watching an endless road, but instead of asphalt or concrete it was covered in snow. Harry looked up at the sky, it looked like a normal winter sky. Wasn’t the snow globe supposed to be round? Harry thought, maybe it was like Earth. Earth was round but it didn’t look round from the inside. Harry’s frown deepened, but Earth didn’t look round because it was huge, wasn’t it? Harry didn’t know much about planets. But if he was right, than this wasn’t possible, because, the snow globe was small, he had lifted it in his hands, maybe they had shrunk. If that was the case would they be still small if they managed to get out?
'If they managed to get out'…IF, because there wasn’t a guarantee that they would get out. They had to find a way to get out, but he would have to talk to Snape for that. But, they had both refused to answer each others question after the memory about his aunt Petunia. Harry knew he was being childish by not talking to Snape, but Snape was being a git. All Harry wanted was to-
“Snape, Severus.” Professor McGonagall said.
Harry looked up to where Snape was still on the other side of the globe, now he was standing next to the stool where the Sorting hat was placed.
He watched as Eleven year old Snape sat on the stool and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. The hat slid down on his head covering his eyes. Snape adjusted the hat so that his forehead was visible, but his eyes were still hiding behind dark locks of hair.
Harry glanced at the adult Snape, he was staring blankly at his own younger self. It was unnerving to watch the dour man towering over……well himself. Older Snape’s face was expressionless, while younger Snape looked hopeful and excited.
“Slytherin!” the hat shouted after whispering quietly in Snape’s ear. Harry had expected the hat to sort Snape into Slytherin as soon as it touched Snape’s head, like it had done with Malfoy.
Harry watched Snape and was surprised to see that the younger boy looked horrified. Then Harry felt hopelessness engulf him. He felt like something bad had happened and that he would never be able to fix it, like nothing would ever be okay again.
He watched as the boy made his way towards the Slytherin table where all the students were clapping excitedly. Snape hesitantly looked at the Gryffindor table and Harry gasped. There at the table was his mother turning towards his father in annoyance. He couldn’t take his eyes off from them. He was hit by sudden desperation and hopefulness at the same time as he watched them. The last time he had seen them was when they had somehow emerged from Voldermort’s wand in the cemetery, the cemetery where Cedric- no he couldn’t, he didn't want to think about that.
Harry knew that it was just Snape’s memory, that his parents were just about to disappear, but Harry wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t ready to let them go. He felt so desperate just like he had felt when he first saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised. He felt his whole body shaking, thrumming with magic so strong that he couldn’t control it. The memory seemed to be fading slowly, unlike all the other times when the memories had gone abruptly. Like something was holding on to the memory. He clenched his hands in fists ignoring the pain flaring through his palms. He needed his parents, but the boy and girl in front of him were just children. His mind drifted to the memory of his parents in the Mirror of Eirised. The magic inside him felt stronger. He felt a wave of hope washing over him, warming his whole body, and for a split second he saw the Mirror of Erised in front of him, his parents looking at him through the glass, holding on to a younger Harry. They looked just like they had when he first saw them in the Mirror. Then just like that, they were gone and the wretched Christmas tree was in front of him. The snow falling on him felt a lot more colder than before.
“What was that?” Snape said, walking towards Harry from across the globe. He stared at Harry in astonishment, stopping in front of Harry.
“I..I don’t know, I just..” Harry trailed off, looking up at the man.
“Did you see what happened?” Snape asked, schooling his features.
“Yes sir, mum and dad they were…” he again trailed off pointing around with trembling hands.
Snape nodded, he looked uncomfortable. “You somehow managed to control your memory or rather..my memory.” Snape said, frowning slightly. “You changed the memory so you could see the memory that you wanted to see.”
Harry nodded at the man, he had just wanted to see his parents.
“But changing the memory, it did something.” Snape said thoughtfully.
“What do you mean, Sir?”
“A…light appeared, in that direction.” Snape said, nodding towards the tree.
“A light? But I didn’t see anything!”
“Yes, Potter, you weren’t paying attention.” Snape said softly, his eyes flicked on Harry’s face.
Harry brought his hands near his face. He blushed, his face was wet with tears. He quickly wiped his face on his sleeves.
Snape cleared his throat. Harry looked at him.
“Um, What does that mean, Sir? The light I mean?” He asked.
“I am not sure, but perhaps we could get out of this globe if we found a way to control our memories, the way you did.”
“I don’t know, how I did that.” Harry said, frustrated. He wanted to stay in the globe so he could see his parents through Snape’s memory. But at the same time he didn’t want to revisit his own memories, and if he was honest, he didn’t want to witness Snape as a young boy getting hurt, his face crumbling with pain, both physically and emotionally.
“We will figure it out.” Snape said, softly.
Chapter 6