Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Chapter 2

Harry knew immediately that he had messed up very, very badly.



For a moment, panic left him breathless and dizzy and he could feel the blood rushing through his ears, his heartbeat echoing in a way that made it obvious he was on the verge of blacking out. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the panic away and willing himself to breathe calmly so he could figure out what to do. 


As if there were anything he could do to fix this. 


This was clearly not the same Kings Cross station platform that he had been on moments prior. The time turner had not sent him back a day, a week, or a month. It had clearly sent him back years into the past, and he wasn’t even sure how to find out how many years without sounding like a total nutter. 


The clothing was different. The signage was different. The train was different. The air even smelled different. 


He was relieved to see that there were only a few people on the platform, and no one seemed to notice him appear out of thin air, though he supposed as a wizard it wouldn’t have been too uncommon for someone to aparate to the platform. He moved towards a wall in an attempt to blend in with his surroundings while he figured out what to do next. With a heavy sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and tried to think, but his mind was racing with so many questions and concerns that he couldn’t even do that properly. 


Harry wasn’t sure how long he stood on the platform, trying to wrap his mind around the dilemma he was facing, but before he knew it the platform was bustling with people. Wizarding families in robes, children with trunks, tears and smiles, hellos and goodbyes. It was obviously September 1. 


He supposed that did solve one problem. He was a teenager, the same size as some of this lot, and he knew where this train was going. If anyone could help with this predicament he had found himself in, it would be Dumbledore. With his mind made up, he slipped onto the train among the sea of returning students. He was going to Hogwarts. 


Harry found an empty compartment and sat in the corner against the window, the panic he felt receding a bit as he leaned his head on the cool glass. Dumbledore would know what to do. He had to. Until then, he just needed to blend in and not mess anything up. He closed his eyes, remembering the start of third year when he and his friends had been in the same compartment with Remus and the professor had been asleep. If he pretended to be asleep, either everyone would leave him alone or they would go about their business quietly and leave him be. If he was lucky, he may overhear something that would give him an idea of what year he had landed himself in. 


“Look, we can sit here.” a girl’s voice spoke from the entryway. 


“There’s someone in there.” a boy’s voice retorted, sounding displeased and annoyed, “Let’s find somewhere else.”


“Oh come on, look, he’s sleeping. Everywhere else is full anyway.”


“And if he wakes up?”


“Then we’ll find somewhere else to go. Don’t be difficult.”


“I’m not being difficult.”


“You are the epitome of difficulty; who are you trying to fool?” the girl laughed, “If you weren’t being difficult, I would think you had been replaced by an imposter.”


“I don’t know why I’m friends with you.” the boy growled, though it was obvious there was no malice in his statement, “Gryffindors, the lot of you are mad.”


“Oh, and like the Slytherins aren’t? I think our whole year has gone mad, if you ask me.” the girl replied airily, “Even some of the Ravenclaws are completely mental.”


The boy didn’t reply, and it took all of Harry’s very limited self-control not to open his eyes to investigate who was in the compartment with him. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin as friends felt foreign to him, especially thinking back on his rivalry with Draco Malfoy. He had yet to meet a Slytherin in his timeline that he found halfway tolerable. He idly wondered which one was deflecting from their house and going against the long-stood rivalry between the lions and snakes and how they had even become friends to begin with. 


“Dear Merlin!” the girl gasped, and Harry found himself nearly opening his eyes to see what had captured her attention. 


“It’s nothing.”


“It’s not nothing! You’re bleeding!”


“It was a parting gift from my dear father.” the boy spoke bitterly, “It’s not too bad. When we get to school, Pomfrey will fix it right up.”


“What happened to all of the potions we brewed for you to take home for the summer? Did he take them?”


“No.” the boy replied, his tone indicating she needed to drop it, “It’s nothing. It’s fine.”


“It’s not!” she replied, her voice raised slightly, “And I find it more than a bit concerning that you find it to be nothing or fine. If our positions were reversed, you’d be livid.”


“If our positions were reversed, whoever hurt you would be dead.”


There was an uncomfortable silence, then the girl whispered sadly, “I just worry about you. How many times did we hang out this summer without me having a clue that you were hurt?”


“You didn’t.” the boy promised, his voice softer and kinder, “I swear it. I didn’t even run out, really, I just couldn’t get enough empty vials to bring back to school this fall, so I cleaned them out to add to my supplies last night. I didn’t think he’d pull something the morning I was leaving for school.”


“When we’re old enough to do magic outside of school, I’m going to turn him into a toad.”


“That would be insulting to toads.” the boy replied dryly.


Harry felt a pang of sympathy for the kid. It sounded like he had a rough home life, and Harry could relate to that. It made him miss Ron and Hermoine, as they were always his rock when he was having a difficult time, and it was clear that this girl was the same to the boy. The compartment fell silent and Harry started to actually doze off, lulled by the movement of the train and the relief that he was no longer on alert and on his feet. 


Just as he had crossed the threshold into unconsciousness, the compartment door slid open and the Trolley Witch could be heard asking, “Anything off the trolley, dears?”


“Two chocolate frogs, please.” the girl replied, “What would you like?”


“I don’t need anything.” the boy mumbled. 


“Don’t be ridiculous. He’ll take two licorice wands, please.” she hesitated, and then asked quietly, “Should we wake the boy up?”


“No, let him sleep. He doesn’t look well.” 


“He looks familiar.”


“He looks like he could be Potter’s cousin or brother or something.” the boy retorted distastefully, “The last thing we need is Potter’s kin in here with us. Let him sleep.”


Harry’s heart fluttered as he processed what he had just heard. He looked like a Potter. That most likely met James Potter. That meant that James must be a student right this very moment. There was a chance he could see his father! 


Just as elation bloomed within him, it was quickly fizzled out by the realization that he had gone back a lot further in time than expected. 20 years too much, in fact. And on top of that, he was not only messing with time, but with his parents’ time. If he stepped one toe out of line, he could be un-born. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it back, barely able to keep the panic from taking over. ‘File it away, Harry’ he told himself, trying to push the panic into a box and out of his thoughts, ‘Bury it down, don’t think about it’. Slowly, the panic faded and Harry resumed eavesdropping on the unlikely pair. 


“It’s weird that we haven’t seen him before.” the girl mentioned, “He looks big for a firstie, but I know he doesn’t go to school with us. He’s not even wearing robes.”


“Brilliant deduction.” the boy teased lightly, “Sometimes students transfer over in later years, I guess? He’s definitely not a first year, he looks maybe like a third or fourth year. I guess we’ll find out when we get to school.”


Harry struggled to keep a straight face at the declaration that he looked like a third or fourth year. How insulting. The kid raised a good point, though. What was he going to do when he got to Hogwarts? He wasn’t going to blend in without school clothes. He’d be lucky to even get someone to take him to Dumbledore and not to St. Mungos for observation. There had to be a way to make this work. 


Maybe...


Maybe he could introduce himself to his parents. 


Maybe he could talk to them and explain the situation and see if they would be willing to help him. 


It wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t give them specifics about the future, right? It wouldn’t mess up time if he didn’t change anything, right? But his Dad and his mates were good guys, right - they’d help him out in a bind, right?


Except that he was intimately familiar with the way that the marauders behaved in school, he had been in Snape’s pensieve and saw with his own eyes the way that the marauders tortured the future professor and the conceited, arrogant, disgusting way they’d presented themselves as if they were the royalty of Gryffindor. 


His mother, though...she seemed pretty decent, and if she would be willing to die for him, maybe she’d be willing to nick him a robe so he could talk to Dumbledore without being singled out as not belonging. 


Harry’s head throbbed increasingly painfully, and he wondered what it meant. There was no way Voldemort was close, so it was not his scar, but the longer he sat in this train car, the worse he began to feel. 


“Lucky bloke, he won’t have to take OWLS this year, then.” the girl spoke with a slightly wistful tone. 


“Are you already thinking about your OWLS, Lily? It’s September.”


Harry’s breath caught in his throat. Lily. It couldn’t be, could it?


“How are you not?” Lily replied, her voice raising to a slightly higher octave, “This is such an important year for us, it’s never too soon to start preparing.”


The door opened and another voice spoke, “Lily, it’s time for the prefect meeting. Do you want to walk together?”


“Oh, I nearly forgot! Yes, give me just a moment, Remus.” 


Harry listened while his mother gathered her belongings and moved about the compartment, and struggled to keep his breathing even and his eyes shut, the knowledge that both Remus and Lily were right here in the room with him nearly too much for him to handle. He had known Remus was a prefect, but didn’t know his mother was, as well. He was elated to find out another piece of information about Lily Evans, but was disappointed that she was going to be leaving the compartment and would likely not return for awhile. 


“I’ll be back soon, Sev. Please don’t go looking for trouble.”


“As long as ‘trouble’ stays in his own compartment, it’ll be fine.” retorted the boy bitterly. 


Sev. As in Severus. As in Severus Snape. Snape. Harry was flabbergasted, he couldn’t believe he’d been eavesdropping on his mother and Snape, of all people. He was unable to keep his eyes from popping open, having to see this with his own eyes to believe it.


His eyes trailed to the door, which had just shut. Lily’s red hair disappeared down the hallway, and Harry was suddenly acutely aware that he was alone in the compartment with young Snape and he had just outed himself as awake. 


The two boys stared at each other for a moment, both waiting for the other to say or do something. Severus spoke first, his voice softer and less bitter than the older version typically used, “Are you alright? You don’t look so well.”


“Actually, I don’t feel so great.” Harry replied, and it was the absolute truth. The headache that had been bothering him for the last few hours was now worse than ever, causing him to feel a bit off center and dizzy. He felt like he was about to sick up, and his body felt unnaturally hot. How he longed for water or something to drink, thinking it may help with his dry mouth and throat. 


Severus stood, peering at Harry with a look that was a mixture of concern and curiosity, “I’ll find someone who can help. Don’t move.”


That wasn’t going to be a problem, as Harry was growing increasingly sure that if he moved, he would either faint or vomit, and he didn’t plan on doing either one of those things on the train in a compartment he was sharing with Snape and Lily. He could hardly believe this was really happening. 


The door opened up and Lily walked in, concern for the boy she didn’t even know written across her features. Harry was absolutely certain that she must be the kindest person who he had ever met. Remus followed, and both made their way to the boy, Severus behind them. 


“Hi, I’m Lily and this is Remus.” Lily said gently, squatting so she was eye level with Harry, “Sev tells us you aren’t feeling too good? One of the other prefects is fetching a professor, and you’ll be right as rain soon enough.”


Harry was mesmerized by his mother, and he tried to hold on to every word she said because he knew that as soon as he was catapulted back to current times, these would be one the few memories he held of her voice. It was hard to focus, though, and he was growing increasingly embarrassed by the attention he was getting. He wasn’t supposed to be drawing attention to himself, he was going to mess everything up. 


A hand grazed Harry’s forehead and he startled, relaxing slightly when he realized it was Remus. The prefect frowned, telling Lily, “The kid’s burning up. Do you know any healing charms?”


“Not that I’d feel comfortable practicing on a younger student.” Lily replied. She transfigured a sheet of paper into a cup, and then filled it with water and handed it to Harry, “I’m sorry we can’t do more for you.”


Harry gratefully took the water, relieved to have something to cool him off and combat the dryness of his mouth and throat. He had finished half of the glass when he realized it had been a very bad idea to drink so much when he was feeling sick. He struggled to get up, but both prefects pushed him back down into the seat. 


“Don’t move.” Remus ordered, “Someone’s going to come help you.”


“You look like you’re going to pass out.” Lily mentioned, concern evident in her voice, “Do you want to close your eyes for a few minutes and rest?”


“Move, you idiots.” Severus sighed, pushing Remus out of the way and gently moving Lily aside. He took out his wand and quickly transfigured a basin, thrusting it at Harry seconds before the time traveller began to heave. To Harry’s dismay, as the contents of his stomach escaped, so did tears. How he wished he was anywhere but this moment. How more embarrassing could things get?


“Hey, it’s going to be fine. Don’t cry, kid.” Severus said reassuringly, patting Harry’s shoulder as the boy continued to retch, “You’re really sick, huh? It’ll be over soon.”


It seemed to go on forever, long after Harry had brought up the water and the small amount of food he’d had for lunch hours ago. He was pretty sure that if it were possible to die from embarrassment, he’d be dead by now. At some point, Lily had sat down beside him and was rubbing his back, and Severus had left to see if someone had found a professor yet. 


Remus guarded the door, and Harry wasn’t sure if it was to keep a watch out for a professor or to keep the other students from looking in to see what the commotion was all about. He felt a flood of gratitude for all three of the others who had helped him, knowing that things could have gone drastically different. 


A new voice appeared in the doorway, “What’s going on in here?”.


There was a pause, and another new voice loudly stated, “Ew, is that kid puking?”


“Get out.” Remus said forcefully, “Leave the kid alone. He’s clearly miserable and you lot are just going to make him feel worse.”


“Come on, Mooney, don’t be like that. We aren’t being mean to the kid.” there was a pause, and then the voice laughed, “Is that Evans in there with you? Evans, was Snivellus with you? No wonder the kid’s sick, I feel sick when I have to look at Snivellus’s greasy face, too.”


“Go away.” Lily replied cooly, “We’re busy. Bother someone else.”


Harry trembled slightly, ashamed that this was the first encounter he was going to have with his parents and their friends, and hurt that they were such bullies that they were going to pick on Snape even though he wasn’t even there to defend himself. 


“You’re upsetting him, Black.” Lily said furiously, “Go away before I take points.”


“You wouldn’t!” James gasped from beside his best friend, sounding betrayed, “You wouldn’t take points from your own house.” 


“Watch me.” Lily retorted forcefully, “As a matter of fact--”


Her voice was cut off by the arrival of the professor everyone had been searching for. “Mr. Snape informs me we have an ill student?”


“Yes, Professor Slughorn.” Lily replied, standing up and moving to the opposite side of the compartment, “He was sleeping when we left the station, but woke up feeling sick and he’s been getting sick for the last 5 minutes or so. He feels feverish.”


Horace Slughorn took in the boy’s appearance and frowned deeply, “Do you have any pain anywhere?”


Every instinct Harry possessed was telling him to say no and brush it off as being fine. It’s what he would do if he were in his own time with his own friends and his own professors; actually, in his own timeline he wouldn’t have found himself in a train compartment as sick as he was, he would have retreated somewhere with more privacy before getting to this point. 


Surprising himself, Harry replied, “Everywhere, but mostly my head.”


“Did you fall or hit your head against anything?” Slughorn asked, reaching in his jacket pocket for some potions, “Or has anything else unusual happened?”


Harry wanted to ask him if time traveling back twenty years qualified as unusual, but he lacked the energy to engage in that discussion, so he just shook his head, dry heaving once more and wincing as it caused another stab of pain to shoot through his head. 


“It’s probably nothing serious.” Slughorn said after a few moments of studying the boy, “You’ve been out in the sun, judging by the looks of you. Did you make sure to stay hydrated while outdoors in the heat?”


“I had a fizzy drink...” Harry replied tiredly, “Other than that, I guess I forgot to.”


“That’ll do it, son.” Slughorn said knowingly, reaching into his pockets and pulling out several vials, “Alright, then, I do believe you’re just overheated and dehydrated. Take these and you’ll feel right as rain soon enough. When we get to school, Madam Pomfrey can take a quick look at you just to be sure everything’s fine before the feast.” 


Harry took the potions, grimacing at the taste as he swallowed each one, and then followed them with a hesitant sip of water. When the water stayed down, he visibly relaxed and allowed the professor to banish the basin. 


He looked at the unfamiliar professor, and then at the students who had helped him, “Um, thank you. I’m sorry to be the cause of so much trouble.”


“Don’t be silly, lad - that’s what we’re here for.” Slughorn reassured Harry before patting him on the shoulder and moving towards the door, “If you start to feel poorly again or need anything at all, send someone and I’ll come back.”


An uncomfortable silence filled the compartment. While Lily was still watching Harry with concern, James and Sirius were silently beckoning Remus to join them in the hallway, while the prefect rolled his eyes and tried to shoo them away. Harry, on the other hand, stared intently at the lot of them.


Only in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d be in a room with his Mum, Dad, Sirius, and Remus. He couldn’t believe that what had started off as such a terrible day had turned into a day where he was being cared for by his mother, while all of those he cared about (and most of those he’d lost) stood about and took the mick from each other. 


He was so absorbed in the moment that he completely missed the fact that Lily was speaking to him until she shook his shoulder lightly. Pulled from introspection, he met her gaze, warmth flooding through him as he realized he truly did have her eyes - though he would argue hers was filled with much more kindness and empathy than his typically held. 


“Are you alright?” Lily asked softly, as if afraid to worsen his headache. “What an awful way to start the term, yeah?”


Harry nodded slightly, embarrassment tinging his cheeks yet again, replying wryly, “Yeah, memorable for all the wrong reasons.”


“What’s your name?”


“Harry. Harry Pot--” he hesitated, his mind racing. He couldn’t very well give the surname Potter, but he hadn’t given much thought to how he’d introduce himself, still in shock that this was even happening. He couldn’t very well tell them right now about time travel and who he actually was, they’d think he was a complete nutter. He gave a slight cough to hide the hesitation, and continued, “Harry Pottingham.” 


Pottingham. Could he have picked a worse name?


“Nice to meet you, Harry. Are you a transfer? You look big for a firstie.” Lily continued, clearly curious about the student she had never seen before. 


Remus had apparently managed to successfully shoo away the rest of the marauders, and he took a seat across from Harry with a kind smile, “Is there anything we can get for you to make you more comfortable? Are you feeling better?”


“I’m fine.” Harry replied, embarrassed by the attention - he’d always hated being in the spotlight, “And yes, I’m new here. I’m a-”, Harry hesitated and thought of what to answer. Technically, he had finished his fifth year already, so he’d be a sixth year student, but what if it took awhile to get the time situation sorted out? He’d want to be in the same year as his parents and hopefully get to spend some time getting to know them and their friends. And, of course, there was the fact that if he had to stay in this time period for awhile, it would be less stressful to take classes he already knew (more or less) the content of. Feeling pleased with his quick logic, he continued, “a fifth year.”


“Oh, brilliant - we are fifth years, too.” Remus responded with a warm smile, “Do you know much about Hogwarts? Where did you go to school before?”


“I know a bit,” Harry replied, feeling more at ease as the conversation progressed, “I was, uh, home educated, I guess you would call it.” 


Harry definitely was not the best at making up lies on the cuff today. 


“I live with my Aunt and Uncle, and they’re unable to oversee my education this year…”


Because they’re twenty years in the future from now. And muggles. And abhorrent. 


“...so here I am.” Harry finished lamely. “Do you guys enjoy it? Hogwarts?”


“It’s my home.” both Remus and Lily said at the same time, causing the two students to look briefly at each other and then look away quickly. 


“You don’t often hear students say that their school feels like their home.” Harry observed, although he felt absolutely the same way about Hogwarts. Just knowing that it was their destination had made this entire surreal experience less terrifying. 


Lily shrugged slightly, “I’m muggleborn, and while my parents are supportive of me and happy that I’m a witch, my sister is pretty awful and makes the summers long and stressful. I can be myself at school without having to worry about anyone’s reaction. And honestly, I really miss magic when I’m away for the holidays.”


“My friends are my family.” Remus said, his eyes lighting up and a grin appearing on his face showing just how much truth was in that statement, “They’re like my brothers and life isn’t the same without them. We’re in the same house, so we get to share a dormitory and spend most of our time together, so when I go home for the summer it can be a bit lonely.”


“I can understand that.” Harry replied, picturing Ron and Hermione and how much better life was when they were by his side. He felt a sudden pang of emotion as he realized that he was completely alone without them, unable to even owl them if he missed them or if he needed to pick Hermione’s brilliant brain for anything. “My mates are aces, I’m not sure how to get by without them.”


“We can introduce you to our mates and hopefully you will find where you belong at our school.” Lily said enthusiastically, “There are so many different personalities and interests, I’m sure you will find someone who is the perfect match for you. What do you like to do for fun? What’s your favorite subject?”


“I like Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Harry replied, “And Quidditch. I played Seeker on my team before coming here.”


“You’d probably like my mate, James, then.” Remus acknowledged, “Those are his favorites, as well. He plays Chaser for our house team.”


“And he never lets anyone forget it.” Lily added, rolling her eyes slightly, “You’ll be able to spot him instantly in any crowd. He’ll be the one chatting up the girls; messing with his hair and regaling everyone with tales of his latest game or prank.”


“He’s not as bad as Lily makes him sound.” Remus promised, although the mirth in his eyes indicated there was some truth to her analysis. 


“He has delusions of grandeur.” Lily scoffed.


“Don’t most 15 year olds?” Harry questioned, thinking back to his previous school year. The majority of his classmates hovered on the line of arrogance, especially in whatever field they seemed to be excelling at. 


“Touche.” Lily replied, “You make a fair point, Pottingham.” 


“Please, call me Harry.” Harry replied, still in dismay that he hadn’t come up with a better surname for himself. 


There was a commotion in the hall, and Remus stood to investigate, “Lily, why don’t you stay with Harry here, in case he starts feeling ill again. I’ll see what’s going on this time.”


“It’s probably James and Sirius.” Lily retorted, rolling her eyes, “I was hoping that with you being made prefect, they would calm down some.”


“If anything, they think it gives them more leeway to break the rules.” Remus replied dryly, “Ever the optimists.” 


Remus disappeared down the hallway, and seconds later, Severus walked in once more. “I thought he’d never leave.”


“You didn’t have to wait for him to leave to come back in, Sev, honestly.” Lily sighed. 


Severus’s eyes rolled to the ceiling, and he said plainly, “I don’t like him.”


“Sev...you don’t like anyone.” Lily giggled, nudging him with her arm, “I suppose I’m lucky you tolerate my presence.” 


“It’s barely tolerable, at that.” Severus replied, deadpan, which caused Lily to laugh even harder. 


Lily settled after a moment, then turned her attention back to Harry, “Harry, this is Severus Snape. Sev, this is Harry Pottingham.”


“Pottingham...I’ve never heard that surname before. Are your parents muggles?”


“My parents are dead.” Harry replied, annoyed that Snape was bringing blood into the conversation, “But I’m not muggleborn, I’m a halfblood.” 


“Don’t look at him as a pureblood elitist.” Lily told Harry, shooting Severus a glare that showed her opinion on the way the conversation was turning, “He’s a halfblood, too.”


“Lily--”


“No, we’re not going to talk about this any further.” Lily said firmly, “I’m so sick of the blood lineage focus and discrimination. You and I have the best potions marks in our year, and neither of us are purebloods. Magic is magic. It’s what you do with it that makes you powerful or influential, it shouldn’t be who you’re born to.”


Severus looked like he wanted to argue, but he apparently suppressed the urge and instead stared moodily at the wall. 


“So your parents are dead?” Severus asked Harry, muttering under his breath something that sounded like ‘lucky you’, which earned him an elbow from his childhood friend. “Was it recent?”


“No, not recent.” 


“How did they die?”


“Sev!” Lily gasped, “You can’t just ask--”


Harry was not offended, though. He’d dealt with adult Snape, and this moody teen was nowhere near as intense as his adult counterpart, “They were murdered by a dark wizard.” 


“Oh.” 


An uncomfortable silence fell over the train car, and Harry looked out the window at the passing scenery, the excitement of talking to those he had only previously known as adults vanishing rapidly. He was tired, his head still hurt quite a bit even with the potions, and as they got closer to school Harry was starting to wonder what he would do when he got there. He couldn’t very well join the Gryffindor table and go with the flow, and he had laid out an intricate web of lies about his background, so immediately coming clean with Lily and begging for help was now out of the question. 


The more he contemplated how he would possibly pull this off, the more his head hurt, so he closed his eyes and tried to stay calm while he brainstormed a solution. 


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