Echoes from the Past

Chapter Seven: "Golden Memories of Yesteryear"

The vault was huge, bigger than any of the others he'd seen. But the size of the vault, impressive as it was, wasn't what had captured Harry's attention. No, for there, hanging on the wall directly across from the entrance, making him extremely thankful that no one was with him, was an enlarged Wizarding photo of his mother and Snape. His potions professor was dressed in emerald green robes that matched his mother's eyes. Silver and gold trimmings gave the outfit an elegant look and highlighted the matching coloured lace woven into his mother's deep purple gown. She was holding a bouquet of white roses and was smiling dazzlingly, silver jewellery adorned her arms, neck, and ears, sparkling in the light of a fancy, crystal chandelier, while her red hair was curled and pulled into a delicate and elaborate knot on top of her head. His father had one arm around her waist while his other hand was resting on her arm.

Harry simply stared at the picture for several moments in shock. Snape looked nothing like Snape! He looked nothing like what he did now. If he hadn't expected to be seeing a younger and different version of the Potions Master, he would never have recognized him. His skin, though still pale, was a healthy colour instead of the yellowish tinge it had now, his fingers were stainless, his nose not as hooked, his teeth a bright white, and, most importantly, his hair was tidy and clean, gleaming in the soft candlelight of the chandelier.

And he was smiling.

Harry didn't think he'd ever seen the Head of House Slytherin come even remotely close to a genuine smile (unless one counted his malicious ones). Actually it wasn't so much of a smile as a projection of pure bliss. He could practically feel just how happy the Slytherin was just from watching him.

The second fact to penetrate Harry's already overwhelmed mind was the fact that what he was looking at was his parent's wedding photo. He knew that Wizard weddings didn't include the traditional white gown for the bride that Muggle weddings had and Lavender had described wedding halls to him and every Gryffindor who'd listen after she'd attended her elder sister's wedding the summer between their second and third year. The intricately carved wooden wall panels in the background definitely looked like the ones Brown had described. But the greatest clues were the rings on their fingers. His mother had a diamond engagement ring and a gold wedding band with an emerald laid into it while his... father had a matching band only it had what appeared to be a topaz fire gem inlaid into it that sparkled and seemingly altered colours in the light.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the engagement ring as the one his mother wore in the pictures Hagrid had given him. Instead of getting another ring, she and James had used the same one Severus had given her in their illusion. It was yet another piece of evidence that their wedding had been nothing more than an elaborate scam. The wedding band for Lily was different in the hoax, though, but that made sense as Sirius had told him that the Potter family had three sets of wedding rings which were passed down the family line to be used over and over again. If they hadn't used those then people would have gotten suspicious.

Just as Harry started to get over the shock of seeing the photo, its occupants decided to remind him of the fact that it was a Wizarding picture by moving. Snape looked away from the camera and down at his new bride, who looked up at him and leaned close for a kiss. Harry's eyes widened and his breath hitched as he observed the image of his parents. Although he'd had some time to come to terms with the fact that his mother had loved and married his Potions Master, it wasn't nearly enough time to prepare him to see them snog. He was just about to look away when they separated and Lily looked forwards once more. Catching sight of him, her smile grew impossibly wider and she waved at him. Seeing her sudden enthusiasm, Snape looked up as well. His brow furrowed as he regarded Harry and he cocked his head slightly to one side, puzzled.

Harry subconsciously held his breath in anticipation, wondering if his father would snub him even in a picture. His heart was just starting to really pound painfully in his chest when the captured image of his father's former self smiled brightly at him, lifting a hand in greeting.

*Are thossse your parentsss?* Zera hissed from her spot around his neck just as Harry's eyes began to water.

*Yes.*

*He doesssn't look at all like you dessscribed him.*

*I've never seen him like this before,* the young wizard explained as she lifted her head to get a better look at the photo, startling the occupants of the picture.

*I sssee.*

*Hmm,* Harry mumbled as he saw the look of awed shock cross the Slytherin's face as he realized what was transpiring.

Strangely enough, the fact that the man approved of his ability warmed him. He had never known what Snape thought of the fact that he could speak Parseltongue, the older wizard's face had been shrewd and calculating when he'd inadvertently revealed his ability second year and the topic had never come up again. To think that the man who now appeared to be his biological father might approve of something he could do, inexplicably pleased him.

"Um, hello?" he said to distract himself.

Snape's brow furrowed again and he looked at his new wife in confusion. Lily simply shrugged her shoulders and looked at Harry, gesturing.

"Huh?" Harry said, trying to interpret what was being done. "Why don't you just tell me?"

*Can they hear you?* Zera questioned, unable to follow the conversation but seeing that it was clearly one-sided.

*Yes, Wizarding portraits can hear and speak, I don't know why they can't.*

*Picturesss or paintingsss?*

*Eh...* Harry replied, thinking and suddenly realizing that he'd only ever seen paintings talk, never pictures. *You may have a point there.*

The fact that he couldn't converse with his mother and Snape saddened him. Now he'd have to look around for other clues instead of asking questions as he'd hoped to do when he'd caught sight of the photo.

*I'm sssure we'll get anssswersss sssome other way,* Zera reassured him, sensing his change in mood. *There'sss a lot of ssstuff in here.*

*What?* Harry replied as he tore his gaze away from the photo to look down at his familiar.

*Look about you.*

It took the green-eyed boy a second to remember that the vault contained many items besides the wedding picture mounted on the wall. But when he did, his head snapped up and he tried to look everywhere at once.

There were various pieces of furniture strewn about, everything from ornate, old-fashioned pieces which he knew had to be family heirlooms from his potions professor's side of the family, to a few cheap pieces that seemed to have been bought last minute just to display what his mother had chosen to place here. At least the smaller items as some didn't require support of any sort.

A lot of the pieces, though, were trinkets of various sorts which made a lot of sense considering the secrecy of his parent's relationship. The soft sparkling of a crystal paperweight in the dim light emanating from the vault's ceiling caught his attention. Dropping the bag he carried and placing his hat on top of it, Harry walked over to the object and smiled as he saw that it was shaped like a water lily. Pinned partially underneath the crystal was a piece of parchment with the now familiar purple script of his mother on it. Pulling it out, he read the short note.

This particular piece was a gag gift from your father for my nineteenth birthday. He said he couldn't resist once he saw it because I'd recently complained to him that people were always giving me lilies if they didn't know me very well but the occasion merited a gift. This was one of the few such namesake presents that I didn't mind in the least, though only a rich pureblood could or would spend so much on a joke!

Harry smiled as he read the note. He knew from having watched the kinds of gifts his aunt received from Uncle Vernon's business guests when they came over for dinner what his mother meant. He'd long since lost track of the number of times she had gotten petunias of one type or another; everything from the real flowers to pictures or small statues of petunias... anything at all. She'd gotten fed up with it early on as most of the presents were kitsch and clashed with her other decorations and she didn't want to waste any unnecessary space when it could be used to house pictures of her Duddykins instead.

The green-eyed boy picked up the paperweight and examined it, noting the fine cut as he did so. He didn't know much about crystal, but this piece looked to be very nice indeed, with some stunning detail. He could make out the veins on the leaves and even a few carefully placed water droplets that reflected the light.

*That'sss nice and ssshiny,* Zera commented.

*It sure is,* Harry agreed as he put it down on the note once more so that he didn't accidentally blow it away when he walked past the table.

He was at a loss over what to look at next. He wanted to look at all of the pieces at once, as well as find the birth certificate, the marriage certificate, and the details of the spell placed upon him his mother had said would be here. The details of the spell were of particular interest to him. As he glanced around, he caught sight of something he hadn't noticed before. At the far corner of the vault, sitting on a nice oaken desk, stood a shallow stone basin, the sides of which were carved with a type of runes and symbols he'd only seen once before. In the headmaster's office.

Harry's breath caught in his throat and his heart started racing as he stared at the item in shock. A pensieve! It was a pensieve! His mother had left him some of her memories!

*What isss it?* Zera demanded, feeling his increased heartbeat and the sudden tightening of his shoulder muscles. *What have you found?*

Zera's voice was enough to bring the young wizard out of his shock and he rushed over to the desk, ignoring all else. This was better than he'd dared hope for! Sure, it had crossed his mind that his mother might have owned a pensieve, but he didn't know how common they were in the Wizarding world and he hadn't allowed himself to hope for one in case they were rare. But now he'd be able to see what his Mum had seen and perhaps even be able to observe Snape and the way he'd acted back then, around her and his fath... James.

*What isss that?* Zera hissed again, annoyed at being ignored, as she looked down into the watery-gassy surface of the basin and saw the brief images that flitted across it.

*A pensieve,* Harry explained as he gazed at it in wonder. *Witches and wizards can store some of their memories in here for others to see or simply to look at them from a different angle.*

*I sssee. How do you view them?*

*By touching the surface,* Harry said as he watched the changing images, gasping as he caught sight of what had to be his newly discovered father.

Snape looked like he did in the wedding portrait, only younger. He looked nothing like he did now. It was hard to believe that they were the same person, separated by nearly two decades of time. Then the image was gone only to be replaced seconds later by one of his mother. She was wearing Muggle clothing and was sitting outside, leaning against something he couldn't make out. She was obviously talking to someone, but whoever it was couldn't be seen. Then she suddenly threw her head back and laughed.

Harry stared, transfixed, at the pensieve as image after image, memory after memory, formed and dissolved on the pearly silvery-white substance, occasionally interrupted by brief periods of nothingness as the whitish silver liquid-gas displayed its own colours. Some of the images were unidentifiable, others strange, but some the stuff he had been waiting, no longing, for since he'd first read his mother's letter.

*What are you waiting for?* Zera asked.

*I... I don't know,* Harry replied, suddenly apprehensive.

Why did he hesitate? He'd been dying to get here for days, agonized over breaking his promise to Professor Dumbledore, and now he couldn't do it?! What the bloody hell was wrong with him?

It took Harry a few seconds to realize that once he looked into the pensieve, there would be no going back. It was one thing to read of his mother and Snape together, but now he would see them interacting in a way he'd never have thought possible before the letters. He'd get even more visual proof than what the wedding photo had shown. It could conclusively show that his Mum hadn't simply interpreted his Potions Master's behaviour to be better than it actually was. It could, in a matter of minutes, undo all that he thought he knew about the man he'd hated since his very first potions class.

But he had to do it. Somehow.

Just as Harry steeled himself and gathered all of the courage that marked him as a Gryffindor, he noticed the parchment lying next to the pensieve. This time it was in the same green ink as the letter to Snape.

Harry dear,

I put some of my memories into this pensieve for you so that you can see your father if he is indeed dead. It took me a very long time to decide on which ones to include because, even though we were together for only such a short time, we had a lot of good times. But not all of the memories contained within are happy ones as some of our struggles conveyed who your father was and what he had to deal with better than any bright moment could. On top of this, I've also included a memory of one of the big milestones of your early childhood for your father to witness if he's still alive. Please share it with him if he is alive.

And here, yet again, his mother renewed her request for him to inform his father of the truth. It really had been her greatest wish for them to be reunited if she died and both of them lived.

*Will I be able to sssee the memoriesss asss well?* his familiar inquired.

*I have no idea,* Harry replied. *Since you're around my neck, I would assume so if you're willing to try.*

*Yesss, I would.*

*Well, then, here we go,* with that, the teenage wizard pulled out his wand and reached forward to touch the liquid memories for only the second time in his life.

As had happened before, the surface of the basin's contents began to swirl quickly, creating a beautiful whitish-silver whorl, like some exotic flower.

Then it became as transparent as glass and, when Harry and Zera leaned forward to look, displayed what appeared to be a Muggle backyard below its glossy surface. And there, sitting on a red and white chequered cloth next to a tree were Severus Snape and James Potter. Laying on the ground between them was a Wizarding chess board, a black knight obliterating a white pawn as human and snake watched.

*Thisss isss amassssssing,* Zera hissed quietly.

*I know,* Harry agreed, still as much in awe as the first time. *Now for the unpleasant part.*

*Unpleasssant part?* Zera demanded sharply.

*Well, yes. There's more to a pensieve that just this. As soon as I actually touch the stuff in the basin, with my hand we will be sucked right into the memory itself.*

*Will it hurt?*

*No, but it isn't fun either. Do you still want to try it?*

*Yesss. But won't we alter the memory by being in it?*

*No, we will be there and see everything, including the person whose memory it is, but we can't actually change anything. We can't touch stuff and no one will be able to either see or hear us.*

*Interesssting,* Zera commented. *But it sssoundsss a bit disssturbing.*

*It is at first,* Harry acknowledged. *Well, here we go.*

With that proclamation, the wizard-in-training reached forward and touched the silvery substance with his left hand. The vault gave a sudden lurch and he and Zera were thrown headlong into the pensieve's shallow depths. Zera shivered and tightened around his neck as they were plunged through inky darkness; an irresistible whirlpool pulling them forward relentlessly until it unceremoniously dumped them onto the slightly damp green lawn they'd viewed only seconds before.

*Unpleasssant doesssn't even begin to dessscribe whatever the bloody hell that wasss,* Zera grumbled as Harry pulled himself into a sitting position and then got to his feet as soon as he was sure the world had stopped spinning.

Harry smiled at his familiar's language, about to call her on it as she often scolded him when he used it, but froze when he saw the two teenage boys before him.

"No!" James groaned as Snape's knight moved forward and demolished his second to last pawn.

"That was a stupid move," Severus simply stated, smirking.

"Just you wait, I'll beat you yet!"

"I sincerely doubt it--"

"We'll see."

"--unless, of course, you figure out how to play properly in the next few seconds."

"I know how to play!" James retorted indignantly as he glared at the Slytherin across from him.

"So why do you always lose then?" Severus inquired calmly as he smiled.

"I don't. I only lose consistently when I play against you. In Gryffindor Tower I normally win, especially as of late," James explained and then cut his friend off as he noticed the raising eyebrow. "Don't even think about saying it!"

"Saying what?" Severus demanded innocently.

"That comment about the abilities of Gryffindors that was on the tip of your tongue!"

"But it's true," Severus pouted.

"I highly doubt that," James responded as he turned his attention to the chess board and the dire situation his few remaining pieces were in.

"Well then why have you been improving as of late?"

"Huh? Because I've been playing more."

"Or perhaps because you've been watching me play? And have thus learned something about strategy?" Severus suggested and then frowned as the Gryffindor ordered his bishop forward. "Or not. Queen to E4."

Harry stared in shock as James made a strangled sound at the back of his throat as he lost yet another piece, leaving him with only three others; the king, a pawn, and a knight.

This couldn't be real! There was no way his fath... James and his potions professor could just be sitting there, bantering back and forth over a game of Wizarding chess. It was simply impossible. That was what he and Ron did. It was what really close, if not best, friends did together. Not people who'd once been hated enemies. That was like... was like saying Malfoy and himself would end up teasing each other over chess! It just wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, not in a million years. It was an impossibility.

And yet, here he stood, watching it happen with his very own eyes. Or rather as it had happened almost two decades ago. But... wait a minute, something wasn't right here!

*Where'sss your mother?* Zera inquired, asking the very question that had just popped into Harry's mind.

*I don't know,* the raven-haired boy replied as he looked about. *She has to be here someplace as it's her memory we're experiencing.*

Harry was just starting to doubt that he really was looking at actual events that had transpired-they were unbelievable after all-when he heard a giggle behind him. He whirled around even as his mind told him that it had to be true as his mother's note had said she'd placed her memories into the pensieve. And there, standing behind and slightly to the left of him, was Lily Po... Evans.

She was wearing loafers, white pants, and an emerald sweater that matched her eyes while her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. Her eyes were sparkling with laughter and her right hand was covering her mouth in an attempt to muffle any noise that slipped past her lips as she observed her friend and boyfriend who were bantering once more and completely oblivious to her presence.

Harry's eyes moistened as he watched her, memorizing every detail of her face and the way it moved. Now he'd finally have a good memory of her in life instead of her death and the limited motions of the photos Hagrid had collected for him. This was the greatest gift of all, short of her being alive once more.

*Where are we?* Zera questioned as she looked around.

*Huh?* Harry replied before he reluctantly pulled his eyes from his mother to survey the area. Before him was a brick house somewhat bigger than the Dursleys' with white shutters and, unlike Privet Drive, a decent amount of space between it and the neighbours on either side. Instead of a fence, a neatly trimmed hedge marked the boundaries of the property. *I have absolutely no idea. Somewhere in Muggle England I should imagine.*

The words had hardly left his mouth before he gasped and turned around quickly. Harry couldn't believe that he'd missed it earlier, but neither James nor Snape were wearing robes, both were dressed as ordinary Muggles. James was clad in dark blue jeans with a long-sleeved, Gryffindor red, shirt on, while Snape's slacks were dark brown and his shirt was a deep purple.

Harry stared in shock at the image. He'd never seen the Potions Master in anything but robes, and then only once in ones that weren't black! But here he was, seemingly comfortable in the more constricting Muggle attire. His mother must have bought them for him, or perhaps James had, as his Death Eater parents would never have allowed them. He could still hear Draco's derogatory comments on his and Hermione's clothes when they'd gotten off the Hogwarts Express after their second year. That combined with the inability of the wizards at the Quidditch World Cup to dress as Muggles made it painfully obvious that such clothing wasn't common in the Wizarding world and thus purebloods would be sure to steer well clear of it.

"Checkmate," Severus declared as his tower blocked the only escape route of James' king.

"But...," James started, then stopped and sighed. "I guess you win."

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Very funny, git."

"Hey!"

"James!" Lily objected simultaneously, drawing the boys' attention to her presence.

"Lily, you're back," James said sweetly, flashing her a brilliant smile.

"That won't work on me, James Potter," Lily stated as she approached them.

"What?" James questioned, attempting to appear innocent but failing miserably.

"You know perfectly well how I despise that name calling."

"Ah, come on! It was a joke, Severus knows that. Besides, I have to make sure I don't get into a habit of not calling him names, or Sirius will get suspicious."

Lily, in a gesture that strongly reminded Harry of Snape, simply raised an eyebrow. James looked to Snape for help, but the Slytherin just smirked, clearly enjoying his friend's predicament.

"What is this? Gang up on James day?"

"Yes, didn't you get the missive?" Severus replied as he reached up and snaked an arm around his girlfriend's waist, pulling her into his lap. "Hey Lily, did you have fun?"

"Since when is anything with Petunia fun?" Lily responded as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Point taken."

"So where is she now?" James asked as he cleaned up the chess set.

"Out with Vernon."

"I don't think I've ever seen a more obese human being," Severus declared.

"Nista!" Lily exclaimed, poking him in the ribs.

"What?" Severus said, knocking her hand away as he looked down at her. "It's true."

"You could have said it a little nicer," James stated, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

"And why, pray tell, should I sugar coat the truth?" Severus demanded, scowling. "You know perfectly well how I feel about coddling people."

And there, finally, was the Snape he knew so well. The snarky and sarcastic Head of House Slytherin who never hesitated to say exactly what he thought of people, regardless of how hurtful his words might be.

Yet it wasn't the same, Harry knew. His words weren't quite as spiteful as they were now. And how often had he said less than flattering things about people behind their backs while with Ron and Hermione? Dozens of incidents instantly came to mind, and not only about Snape, but about others as well. Draco, Lockhart, the elder Malfoy, Trelawney, even some of his friends when they were having an argument.

"Boy, do we ever," James replied, letting out an exaggerated sigh which caused Lily to laugh.

"Humph!" Severus muttered, scowling down at his girlfriend.

"Oh, poor Sevvie," Lily teased as she lifted her head to look up at him, her eyes sparkling as his scowl deepened at the nickname. Then, before he could complain, she reached up and kissed him.

"Oh! Ew!" James exclaimed, voicing the feelings Harry couldn't at the moment. "Not in front of me, please!"

Harry watched, unable to look away, as his parents ignored James and only deepened the kiss. It wasn't until it became obvious that there were tongues involved that he managed to turn away.

*Harry?* Zera inquired gently. *Are you alright?*

*I... I don't know,* Harry replied as he tried to process what he'd just witnessed.

On the one hand he was extremely happy that his mother hadn't been completely blinded by love as Snape did seem to be radically different. The interaction between him and James was beyond anything he'd been able to imagine. They seemed to have become far closer than he'd expected or even dreamed possible. It was mind boggling as it seemed so much like his own friendship with Ron, right down to the occasional name-calling. Though their word of preference was 'prat' instead of the stronger 'git'. That they had gotten so far despite the all the bad blood between them due to his godfather's 'prank' and anything else that had occurred. That was an even greater feat than him and Malfoy becoming as close as he and Ron were now. It showed an extraordinary effort on both their parts, a willingness to try. And all for his mother's sake.

No matter how much he wanted to, Harry couldn't ignore what that meant on Snape's part. How much he must have loved his mother as he knew first hand from third year how long the man could hold grudges. Like his mother had said in her letter, it was longer than anyone else he knew save for Sirius.

It also explained the Slytherin's behaviour since he'd known him. If he had loved Lily so much and risked so much to befriend James, their apparent betrayal must have cut extremely deep. Much more so than he'd been willing to admit before now. Yes, he'd known it had, but he'd been minimizing how much the greasy haired man had actually felt towards his mum as he simply couldn't associate him with love. They'd been two completely separate concepts in his mind that simply couldn't mix. And yet they had, as he'd just witnessed.

He was... he was... Harry stopped short as a sudden realization came to him.

This was Severus.

The man he knew and saw in school everyday for the better part of the past four years was Snape, Professor Snape. He was the man people expected him to be due to his heritage, his supposed Death Eater status, and the pain he'd experienced upon his return. The boy he'd just seen was Severus, the individual he himself was. Just like his nemesis at school was both Malfoy and Draco at different times. The images he was currently seeing were of the person behind the stereotypes society cast on the Snape family and upon Death Eaters combined with the belief that his wife and best friend had betrayed him. Here was who his father had been when there hadn't been any need for illusions or appearances and before the tragic misunderstanding. He was himself; he was Severus.

At least the Severus that had existed at the time. Did that Severus still exist or had he been permanently replaced by Snape? Had he been ousted by the pain of loosing his wife to another and the pressure dumped upon him by the Wizarding world after his supposed 'escape' from justice after the Death Eater trials?

Had the mask become reality?

Harry fervently hoped not, because he didn't want his father to be like Snape. All else aside, he'd rather have James as his father, but... but if that wasn't possible, than he'd rather be stuck with Severus than with Snape. If for nothing other than the simple fact that rejection would cripple him emotionally. He'd waited far too long, and longed too much, for his parents to be alive for the rejection of one of them, whether he was James or not, to do anything else.

He hadn't wanted to see that at first, lying to himself instead, but it was the cold, hard truth. And he couldn't see Snape accepting him. Severus, who had always wanted a child, however...

*Harry! It'sss changing!* Zera hissed frantically, her coils tightening around his neck to ensure that she got his attention.

Harry opened eyes he hadn't even been aware of closing and looked about. The Muggle house and yard were rapidly fading into darkness. He whirled around to look at his parents and Sn... James, but they were nothing more than dissolving wisps of smoke.

*Don't worry,* Harry reassured his familiar, recalling from Dumbledore's pensieve what was transpiring. *That was just the end of the memory. We should see another one soon.*

*They ssseemed to get along.*

*Yes, they did,* Harry agreed, suddenly realizing that the little snake couldn't understand what had been said. *Very well, actually.*

*He isss different from how he isss now, isssn't he?* Zera asked.

*You have no idea. Just wait until you meet him.*

*I can't wait.*

*You won't be so excited after your first meeting.*

*He sssired you, didn't he.*

Harry paused at the statement, not knowing what to say. He was saved from responding, however, when the darkness began to fade and a new memory simmered into being around them.

It was Hogwarts, he'd recognize those halls anywhere. It only took him a few seconds to realize that they were in the hallway near Gryffindor Tower that led to the stairs as he had travelled it several times a day for the better part of four years. The next thing he realized was that everything was fuzzy and slightly distorted, but in a very familiar way.

*We're in Hogwarts under an invisibility cloak,* Harry explained before Zera could ask. *Probably James' as Mum said he lent it to her to go meet Sn... Severus.*

*Ssseverusss?*

*Yes,* Harry responded, preferring to separate the two aspects of his father lest he forgot that Severus was not Snape.

At least not anymore. And it would be very tempting to forget that little titbit if he wasn't careful. The last thing he wanted to do was blend the old Severus with the current Snape in his mind only to get a nasty shock when he returned to school to discover that there was nothing left of the boy he'd just seen but an empty shell.

Not wanting to ponder that possibility any more than necessary, Harry turned his head and found his mother next to him under the cloak. Unable to resist, he reached out towards her, but his hand passed right through her and she simply continued sneaking down the stairs, heading towards the dungeons. He suppressed the sorrow that welled up inside of him. He'd known from the moment he'd laid eyes on the pensieve that it wouldn't allow him to interact with his mother or James, simply observe them, but it hurt nonetheless. He tried to distract himself by keeping track of where they were as he followed his mother deeper and deeper into the castle's dungeons but he soon lost track as they entered corridors he'd never seen before.

Finally they stopped before a thick oaken door with an old iron handle. Lily reached a hand through the front of the cloak, opened the door, and stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind her. The room they'd entered had an old, musty smell to it and was filled with desks whose surfaces showed clear signs of wear. There was a discoloured patch of stonework in the middle of the left wall where a chalkboard had once hung but which had long since been removed. A large stone hearth stood across the room from it while the far side of the room was cast in shadow as only the torch next to the door was lit and its meagre light wasn't nearly sufficient to ward off the darkness that filled the room.

"Nista?" Lily queried softly.

"Mieta," Severus replied as he emerged from the shadows at which Lily quickly discarded the invisibility cloak and ran into his arms.

*Mieta?* Harry hissed in Parseltongue, more out of habit than an intention to communicate with his familiar.

*What?* Zera questioned.

*He called her Mieta after she said Nista.*

*Perhapsss it isss hisss nickname for her?*

*Probably,* Harry agreed, wishing he knew the origin of the names. If Hermione was able to translate Nista, then Mieta would probably be in the same language.

"Sorry that I'm late, but it took me a while to get away from my friends," Lily apologized.

"That's okay, I brought a book with me," Severus replied before he took out his wand and lit the rest of the torches and warded the door with both locking and silencing spells.

Now that there was better illumination, Harry could see that the far wall of the room was bare except for a ratty old blanket that hung as a makeshift curtain across part of the wall. He could faintly make out movement through the holes in the material, but he couldn't see enough to identify what it was. Standing before the curtain, angled so that it faced both it and the hearth, stood a blue couch.

"You're too paranoid," Lily stated as she moved toward the hearth and spelled a fire into existence to ward off the dungeon chill.

"You can never be too careful," Severus simply replied as he pulled back the curtain to reveal a large window overlooking the grounds of Hogwarts and the lake, all of which was covered in a thick blanket of snow and more was falling in large flakes.

*I thought we were underground,* Zera commented as she looked at the night time scene. *It's smells nice and damp.*

*We are underground, quite deep too I would think,* Harry replied, puzzled as he walked over to the wall to inspect the window. As he reached out and touched it, he felt rough stonework instead of glass and his hand seemed to go straight through the moonlit lake and disappear. *It's an illusion. One of them must have charmed the wall to display the outside, just like the ceiling in the Great Hall. It was probably Mum as I was told that she was very good at charms.*

Not that everything he'd been told was turning out to be true. But with that he wasn't being fair to the people who'd told him lies as they hadn't known they were lies.

"That's my Severus," Lily said with a smile as she sat down on the couch and curled up against the Slytherin when he joined her.

"I take it James isn't coming tonight?"

"No, he's serving detention with Filch, remember?"

"Ah, yes, I'd forgotten about that," Severus smirked, intercepting Lily's hand before she could poke him.

"Forgotten about it? You're the one who got it for him!"

"I have other things on my mind, and I only did it to keep up appearances."

"Are you saying that you didn't enjoy it just a little?" Lily inquired, giving him a searching look.

"Who, me?" Severus questioned, his face a mask of innocence before it melted at his girlfriend's raised eyebrow. "Alright, I did enjoy it."

"Well, beware, James has sworn revenge on you, and Sirius has decided to help him."

"Let the mutt try," Severus declared, his entire face darkening as he scowled.

Harry winced at the harsh tone and saw his mother do so as well. It was amazing how quick Severus' mood could change, almost as amazing as his acting skills. It was no wonder to him how the man managed to last so long as a spy with the way he could portray whatever emotion he wanted too. If his mother hadn't been insinuating that Severus had been involved in getting James his detention, then he wouldn't have been able to tell from his facial expression. In fact, if he didn't know the history between the two, he'd have assumed Severus innocent.

"How did your day go?" Lily asked, changing the topic.

"Oh, you know, classes and homework, nothing really special."

"You seemed to be bored in potions."

"You know me and potions, I taught myself how to make this one last Christmas."

"Could you walk me through it sometime? I know how to do it, but I'm not sure why everything is done the way it is and knowing the Ministry, that is what they'd ask for on the theory part of the N.E.W.T.."

"Sure, I'll bring my textbook next time and we can go over it," Severus replied. "Unless you remember what it was specifically?"

"Not everything, but I do remember being confused as to why we needed to add unicorn hair to the potion when we later added crushed snake fangs. Don't the crushed snake fangs cancel out the medicinal effect of the unicorn hair?"

"No."

"But Professor Higgleton said it did last year!"

"It often does, but it is by no means a rule. In fact there are a lot more potions that require the inclusion of both unicorn tears or hair and snake parts than most people realize," Severus explained calmly before he sneered. "The only reason Higgleton even said what he did is because of a mistaken notion that snakes are closely linked to the Dark Arts, and that inclination has flourished ever since Salazar Slytherin chose a snake as his familiar and possessed the ability to speak Parseltongue."

"I'm sure He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's affinity with them doesn't help matters much either."

"No, it doesn't. But, as I was saying, there are plenty of potions that require ingredients from the two animals, both Light and Dark ones."

"How can Dark potions be created with unicorn ingredients?" Lily inquired, puzzled.

"There are a number of ways, but the most common one is when a unicorn's blood is necessary as those potions were invented by Dark Lords in their seemingly eternal quest for immortality and generally require such a great amount of blood that the unicorn is killed in the acquisition of it. You'd be surprised how many ways the previous Dark Lords have found to extend their lives with the use of this ingredient. And the current Dark Lord has used each and every one of them."

"I take it he's seeking the path to immortality as well?"

"Yes, and I'm sure he'll have me look into the matter once I've attained my mastery."

"Let's just hope he isn't around anymore at that time," Lily stated as she shivered.

"We'll see," was all Severus said, a distant look in his eyes.

"So how do the crushed snake fangs and unicorn hair interact with each other and the rest of the ingredients?"

"The main effect, as you know, of crushed snake fangs is to act as an enhancer in the presence of asphodel, which is why the two are often used together and why they are often used in Dark potions. In this case, though, it simply increases the effect of the unicorn hair so that we only need to add one hair instead of five. Which is a very good thing considering how much unicorn hair costs."

"Yes, I remember seeing it in the apothecary when I went to buy my supplies for this year. I'm glad Hogwarts provides it as it's expensive. I'm surprised you had any to make this potion."

"When it comes to improving my potion skills, my father provides all that I need," Severus explained with a pained expression before it was wiped away to be replaced by an emotionless mask. "At least ever since the Dark Lord's former potions maker was killed on a raid."

"Oh, Severus," Lily said as she straightened to look at him.

"No, it's probably a good thing," Severus stated, shifting uncomfortably. "It can provide me with more standing, keep me out of the more dangerous raids as he wouldn't want to lose me like he did Stuart, and potentially even get me into the inner circle as I'll be the most naturally talented Death Eater he has for making potions."

"Don't call yourself that!"

"Why not?" Severus demanded as he got up and started pacing, startling Harry who'd never seen his professor so visibly show his anxiety and frustration. "I've got the mark, Lily! I am a Death Eater. I do all those horrible things you hear of them doing. In fact, that's not even the worst of it. The Ministry must be trying to cover it up."

"Severus!" Lily exclaimed, jumping to her feet and moving towards him. "You're a spy, you have to do it, all of it, in order to survive. There's no other way. You've saved dozens of people by passing information on to Dumbledore and the Order. Not to mention those you've helped by sabotaging some of Stuart's potions."

"By killing them!"

"What?"

"More often than not, the only way to alter the potions without making it obvious that they've been tampered with is to turn them into poisons."

"What would they have done otherwise?" Lily asked, a little pale.

"Melted their internal organs, stimulated every single pain cell in their body, kept them awake when they would have passed out... I've altered all kinds of potions."

"Well, then, see," Lily said, even paler than before, but grasping her boyfriend's chin and forcing him to meet her gaze. "You saved them from a lot of pain and suffering."

"But--"

"Would they have been killed if you'd done nothing?"

"Yes," a whisper. "Eventually."

"There, you see. I'm sure they were grateful to be saved from that. I know I'd be. You didn't kill them, Severus, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did when he captured them. You simply made it easier for them the only way you could without blowing your cover."

"I..." Severus began but then seemed to sag in on himself, letting the redhead lead him back to the couch and pull his head down onto her lap, to stroke his hair soothingly. "There's going to be a meeting the evening school lets out for the holidays. A Christmas 'party'," he spat the word. "I think it's going to be bad, Lily, really bad. Father seems very excited about it but won't tell me anything so Dumbledore can't do anything to prevent it other than warn the Order to be alert."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Severus shuddered, looking at the fire before squeezing his eyes shut.

"Okay, but if you ever do, about any of it, I'll be here."

Harry stood still, his eyes wide as he watched the scene unfold before him. Never had he seen the Head of House Slytherin so vulnerable before. Never. He always seemed strong and normally in control of the situation even when he got angry. And when he wasn't in full control, he fought tooth and nail to resist, letting only the headmaster tell him what to do. Well, Voldemort too in the visions he'd had but he was never vulnerable there. Submissive, yes, but not vulnerable. Even after he'd been put under the Cruciatus he somehow managed to maintain his dignity and elegance, often refusing to cry out at the start of it. But here he was vulnerable.

A scared boy caught up in a dangerous game of lies and deceit where weaknesses were deadly and there was no room for failure or hesitation. He knew. He'd seen the way Voldemort operated, the way he treated his followers. To know the fine line Snape waltzed upon at such a young age was staggering. Yes, he had faced off Voldemort himself, several times in fact, but that was entirely different from what Snape did. It required completely different talents and abilities. He wasn't sure if he could keep his cool enough around the Dark wizard to lie through his teeth and never give away that he was doing so or to mask his reactions at what he would be required to observe and participate in. It took a whole different kind of courage and strength to willingly go through that on a regular basis.

To see the effects of this stress, to see Snape like this, was strange. It made him far more human. Did his professor still suffer these same insecurities now that he'd returned to spying once more? And, if so, who did he go to for comfort? Dumbledore? Somehow Harry just couldn't picture the man doing that, or going to anyone else for that matter. Did that mean that he just kept it all to himself, bottling it up inside? He'd hoped not because he didn't need to be a psychologist to know that wasn't healthy.

*Isss he alright?* Zera asked as silence blanketed the room.

*I don't know. He's just got a lot on his shoulders.*

*Like hisss ssson.*

*Yes, like me,* Harry agreed as he sat down on the arm of the couch to wait.

Since the room hadn't faded out yet, there had to be more to this memory that his mother had wanted him to see. He now knew what she had meant when she said that not all of the memories would be happy ones but that they'd all provide insight into his father's personality.

"So where do you want to live, later on?" Lily finally questioned, breaking the uneasy silence.

"I don't have much of a choice, I have to go back to the manor."

"No, I mean afterwards, once this war is over."

"We don't even know if we'll win."

"Humour me, Nista," Lily pressed.

"Fine," Severus sighed as he sat up, pulling her back into his arms. "If we win, I'm definitely never going back to the manor again if I can help it. I may go to one of the other family estates, though. There is one on the cliffs of Dover that I've heard is very nice but we never went as my great-aunt lived there after her husband died and she and my father couldn't stand each other. I think I'd like it out there, it's supposed to be isolated and the nature is gorgeous. Or I may build a new place somewhere out in the country where it's nice and quiet."

"That sounds nice, I've always liked the sea, though I've never been up that way before."

"I'll take you then, after the war, and we can explore the place together."

"That would be great."

"My turn for a question," Severus stated. "Do you want children?"

"Yes," Lily's instant reply made Harry smile even as tears came to his eyes, wondering if they'd ever gotten to Dover after their marriage or if they'd put it off.

"How many?"

"I don't know, two or three maybe. What about you?"

"I definitely want children, but not until after the war," Severus declared. "I don't want any of them to have to suffer through this Darkness. And I am not letting my parents or any of their 'friends' near any child of mine. I shan't have them grow-up like I did."

Harry's eyes widened at the rage and determination behind his... father's words. He obviously felt very strongly about this. For the first time, he felt a pang of regret about not having grown up with the man. Sure, he'd considered what it would have been like in the time since he'd received the letters, but it wasn't until now that he truly regretted not having been raised by Snape. His imagination had dredged up a dark, dreary place, not unlike the Slytherin dungeons, and he'd supposed Snape to be as hard and mean a father as he was a professor. But now... now he wasn't so sure anymore. He now saw a house perched on the cliffs of Dover and a reasonable man who felt strongly about ensuring that he wasn't cruel and abusive. Even if he wasn't like Ron or Hermione's fathers it would definitely have been better than the Dursleys.

It just wasn't fair. Fate, life, destiny, whatever you wanted to call it was downright sadistic. Having him born in the middle of a war despite his parents' attempts to prevent that, having him prophesized to be the one to defeat a Dark Lord over fifty years older than himself, losing his mother while everyone believed his father dead (including his true father), being raised by wizard-hating Muggles, meeting his father only to be ignorant of it and to establish a hate-hate relationship with the man, and only then to discover the truth. Oh, and he was the one who had to break the news to his father.

Harry winced as he thought of this last. He still hadn't come up with any better way of approaching his professor in order to talk with him. The best he could come up with was to find a trinket that was unique and that Snape would recognize instantly so that he could listen to what he had to say.

"How many children do you want?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, I'd like to have one of each at least, a boy and a girl."

"What about twins? Do you want that?"

"I don't know," Severus replied thoughtfully. "Not for the first one, though, as I think it'll be enough of a challenge without there being two of them."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Speaking of two, thanks for the help with the duplication charm, I got it right in class today."

"It was a pleasure," Lily replied with an amused smile. "Good to know you didn't entertain everyone like you did me."

"Charms doesn't come as easily to everyone as it does to you," Severus scowled. "You should have seen Rosier's results."

"You should remember that the next time someone makes a mistake in potions class."

"Some people are just hopeless dunderheads. There's a difference between having trouble and being incompetent."

"I think you should teach."

"Me? Teach?" Severus demanded incredulously.

"Yes, you'd make a very good professor. Definitely better than Higgleton. You explain things very clearly."

"I don't have the patience for it."

"Sure you do," Lily insisted. "Remember how long you spent with James at the end of last year, helping him study for the final?"

"Malfoy didn't find my aid all that great several years ago."

"Yes, well, he was studying for his N.E.W.T.s and you weren't even at your O.W.L.s yet. Besides, knowing him, he probably demanded you help him and we all know how well you respond to demands."

Harry watched Severus smirk before the scene began to fade out in wisps of smoke and darkness. The last part of their conversation had been strange, and enlightening. From how Severus had explained the combined use of unicorn hair and crushed snake fangs earlier, it was obvious that he could explain potions clearly and in a way that was easy to understand. So why didn't he do so in class? Why did he simply put the instructions on the board and expect them to be able to make it with minimal explanation? Was it to keep up appearances for his role as a spy? What was expected of him as a Snape and a supposed follower of the Dark Arts?

As the darkness faded, it was replaced with a blinding whiteness and both Harry and Zera were forced to close their eyes against it. Only by slowly opening them again to slits were they able to adjust to the abrupt difference. When he did so, the young wizard saw that the white was actually a snow covered landscape. Large, fluffy flakes were falling steadily from an overcast sky and gently floating their way towards Earth. He stood on what would normally be a large, sweeping lawn but was now a field of snow marked off by frosted trees.

Behind Harry was a sprawling mansion whose light grey stones almost allowed it to blend into the scenery. Standing before him and hiding behind what seemed to be a large statue covered in a blanket of snow was his mother, her red hair making her stand out. She was wearing a thick grey and green sweater, brown pants, black gloves and boots, and a green hat. Next to her lay a small pile of carefully constructed snow balls and even as he watched, she launched the one she was holding to the left. Following its path, he turned to find James laying a short distance away behind what may be a hedge but now simply looked like a large pile of snow. A little more to the right and closer to himself, Severus was crutched behind what appeared to be a bench.

Unlike his mother, both boys were clad in thick winter robes and their school scarves. Severus' robes, predictably enough, were black while James' were a dark blue. Laughter rang through the air as the three continued to throw snowballs and taunt each other, occasionally catching someone off guard. Harry noticed that his mother seemed to be able to escape being pelted as her hiding place was tall enough to provide better cover than that of the boys.

They also seemed to notice this as Severus began to motion towards James, indicating that they should team up and approach her from different angles. Peaking over his cover to look at his fellow Gryffindor, James hesitated for a second before giving Severus a thumbs up. When Lily ducked to collect another snowball, the two leapt from behind their hiding places and rushed forward. Lily cried out a protest when she looked up and saw them coming. Looking back and forth between them, she threw her snowball at James, forcing him to duck before she grabbed another one and took off, knowing she couldn't stay where she was.

James and Severus immediately took off in pursuit of her, ducking when she threw her last snowball at them. Despite this they both gained on her and when he was close enough, Severus tackled her, causing both of them to fall into the snow. Shrieking with laughter, Lily twisted about, trying to get out of his arms, but Severus held on tight, determined not to release her. Catching up, James took advantage of the situation to poke her in her ribs.

"No! James stop it," Lily exclaimed as she tried to slap away his arms. "No. No fair!"

"Ah, now you know how I feel when you two gang up on me," James replied, not relenting in the slightest as he grinned at Severus.

"James!" Lily yelped as her turning pressed her face into the cold snow. "Severus, please!"

"You're the one who started it," Snape simply said. "You shouldn't have thrown that snow in my face if you didn't want to end up covered in it."

"Nista, please," Lily begged as she looked at him pleadingly.

"Oh no, you don't," James stated, seeing the Slytherin begin to cave in. "Take that!" he added as he used the opportunity to shove some snow down the neck of his robes.

"Hey!" Severus cried out as he instantly released his girlfriend and reached out towards his friend, managing to catch one of his boots as he turned to run.

By holding on tight, he tripped James when he tried to pull free, causing him to fall down face first into the snow. Sputtering, James pushed himself to his elbows, sending a glare at his laughing friend. Lily, meanwhile had pulled enough snow together to form another ball which she launched at James from where she lay. Harry could only watch in amusement as the scene dissolved into another snowball fight though none of them got up from the ground and their aim was off due to the fact that they were laughing the entire time.

"Let's head in," James suggested as he got to his feet when they finally stopped laughing. "Grandmother said she'd have some hot chocolate waiting for us."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Severus replied, helping Lily up.

As the three headed towards the mansion, Harry moved to follow but stopped when the scene rapidly darkened and faded away into wisps of white.

*They ssseemed to be having fun,* Zera declared.

*Indeed they did,* Harry agreed, still smiling at seeing the three of them act so carefree. It was good to know they'd managed to just have fun despite the war.

When the darkness finally faded away it was replaced with a tastefully decorated living room. A quick glance around was enough for Harry to confirm that it was a Wizarding home because, despite the presence of a television and a VCR, there were a few scattered paintings and photos that moved. Also, standing on the coffee table in front of a floral print sofa was a Wizarding chess set. It looked to be the same one from the first memory.

"Lily, you look gorgeous," James stated, drawing Harry's attention towards him.

The brown eyed man stood next to a high backed seat with a similar pattern as the sofa. He was wearing a loose fitting blue robe and his hair was in more of a disarray than Harry's normally was. His mother, in comparison, looked stunning. She was wearing a pastel yellow dress-like robe that was highlighted with pale, sea-green, lace. Her flaming red hair was pulled into what Ginny called a French braid and was decorated with baby's breath. Silver jewellery adorned her ears, neck, and wrist.

"Thank you," Lily replied, twirling. "Do you think it will be good enough?"

"I dare say that Narcissa Malfoy herself will be hard pressed to draw attention away from you," Severus declared from the doorway, startling Harry along with James and Lily.

"Severus!" Lily exclaimed, rushing towards him. "I've missed you, Nista."

"Me too," Severus stated before he kissed her.

Harry didn't even have time to turn away before they had already separated. He laughed with James when he caught sight of his father's lips once more.

"Oops," Lily said, smiling herself.

"What?" Severus demanded as he glanced back and forth between her and James.

"You've got lipstick on you now," James informed him, causing Severus' hand to fly up to his mouth.

"Here, let me," Lily said, taking out her wand and spelling him clean.

"Good," Severus stated before he looked back at James. "Did you bring the robes?"

"Yes, Lily put them in the bedroom so that you can change in private. What do you need from me? A hair as usual?"

"Any body part would make the Polyjuice Potion work, but a hair would be preferable," Severus replied as he approached the coffee table and took a few small items from his pocket. "Finite Incantatem," and with a swish of his wand the items returned to their normal size.

Harry quickly approached the table and saw that Severus had brought along stacks of books. Most of them looked old and worn, as if they'd been read and referred to often, but others looked almost brand new. Peering at the titles, he found that most of them seemed to be written in Latin. But the titles he could read sent shivers up his spine.

"A Thousand Untraceable Curses"
"The Perfect Revenge: Incurable Curses and Potions"
"Essential Hexes and Curses for the Dark Wizard"
"A Guide to Illegal Magicks"
"Little Known Dark Spells and Potions"

*What are thossse booksss?* Zera inquired.

*Dark Arts,* Harry replied, shivering. Why was his father bringing those books with him here?

"Those are the books?" James asked as he approached, holding out a few strands of his hair to Severus.

"Yes. I highly doubt that some of these will even contain any information on the curse, but I decided to bring them just in case. Besides, it will make it harder for my parents to uncover what I'm doing should they notice the books are missing."

"I'll try to get through them as soon as possible," James promised as he reached out to pick one up, only to have his wrist caught by his Slytherin companion.

"You have to remember that these are Dark Arts books," Severus stated warningly. "Many of them have curses and spells on them so treat them carefully and don't do any magic while touching them. If you can't read it, put a translation spell on it when you aren't in contact with it and then wait a few seconds before handling it to ensure that the spell has been accepted. Also, put an untraceable charm on yourself before you begin so that no one will be able to see that you've used them if they check later on."

"Merlin, how on Earth do you live like this, Sev?" Lily asked.

"Habit, though it has gotten worse since I started spying."

"No wonder you acted so paranoid in school," James stated, a little pale. "I'll do my best to ensure that you get them back soon so your parents don't start asking questions."

"You may want to go through the ones that don't specify in rare curses first as I doubt they'll have anything on the Gatyal, but it's always better to check."

"I'll do that."

"Do you need these back after tonight?" Lily inquired as she skimmed the titles and shivered. "Or can James keep them until he's done?"

"It would be best if I took them home again and we arranged another meeting later," Severus said. "Just in case my parents do notice their absence as they wouldn't like the idea of my loaning them out to anyone."

"What, no sharing among Dark Wizards?" James quipped, surprised.

"No, better to have potential rivals know as little as possible. Besides, some of these are quite valuable books, and great evidence should my family ever be put on trial. They'd be hard pressed to explain away some of these."

"Ah, I see," James said, startled. "You Slytherins really do have to make things more complicated, don't you? Can't even loan a few books to a friend without seeing danger and doom in it."

"Fiducia nemo•," Severus stated. "Trust no one. Family motto."

"Your family is really morbid at times," Lily commented as she hugged him.

"Uh, ... welcome?" Severus replied, pulling at something around her neck that Harry couldn't see.

"No regrets," Lily declared fiercely as she caught his face and looked directly into his eyes.

Harry blinked in confusion for a second before he remembered what his mother had said about how they'd hidden their wedding rings and her engagement ring. So they were already out of school and married by this point. Which meant that this was probably his mother's apartment. So there probably weren't many more memories for him to see. Sadness welled up in him, but his mother had most likely been pressed for time. Besides, most kids didn't get to relieve moments from their parents' past, so he should be glad.

But to see them so happy, at least at times, was addicting. He wanted more. Harry suddenly realized that no matter how many memories his mother could have put into the pensieve, it wouldn't have been enough. How many could a pensieve hold anyway? Perhaps his mother had stuffed it as full as possible. The silvery liquid had been close to the bowl's edge and his mother's note had talked about needing to chose the memories carefully.

"I'm going to go change and take the potion," Severus said.

"Okay," Lily replied before she moved to look over James' shoulder at the book he was busy with. "Oh, dear Merlin!"

"Frightening, isn't it?" James agreed as he inspected the index page, trying to ignore the wizard on the opposite page demonstrating various curses on a hapless child. "No wonder Severus knew so many Dark curses as a first year. If his parents have books like these laying around I'm surprised he didn't know more."

"They probably wouldn't have let him look at all of the books," Lily reasoned as she looked away, unable to look at the animated illustration any longer. "A child is too likely to let it slip that he knows highly illegal Dark Arts spells and curses."

"And yet he still knew enough for it to be highly suspicious if an adult had bothered to look closely."

"Maybe on some level he was hoping someone would take note of it."

"You're talking Muggle psychology here, aren't you?" James inquired.

"Yes. You know Severus, how careful he can be and how well he can keep secrets, and yet he used some questionable curses on other students," Lily replied as she smoothened her gown.

"You've got a point there," James acknowledged before he blinked as the door to the bedroom opened and Snape walked back in. "Wow. No matter how many times we do this, I'll never get used to seeing you like that."

"And I'll never be comfortable being you," Severus replied in James' voice, tugging at the red dress robes. "You're too short."

"Hey!" James exclaimed. "It's not my fault you're taller than me."

"Still, you could be taller. Do your children a favour and marry a tall woman when you break the curse."

"This is just unreal," Lily said, voicing Harry's thoughts as she looked back and forth between the two identical men bickering with each other.

At least when he, Ron, and Hermione had taken the Polyjuice Potion, the people they'd been imitating hadn't been in the same room as them. This was just weird. It was like... watching James arguing with an enchanted mirror version of himself, only one that was wearing different clothes.

"Yes it is," James agreed wholeheartedly. "But you two better get going or you'll be late."

"Yes," Lily said as she picked up a matching yellow purse. "Do you have enough potion with you?"

"More than enough," Severus replied. "Invitations?"

"Got them. Bye, James, and thank you."

"No problem," the Gryffindor replied. "Besides, it's not like I don't get something out of this deal."

"Don't expect us back before midnight," Severus declared. "And good luck."

"Thanks, have fun."

Harry cast a quick look at the man he'd thought his father for so long before he followed his parents out the door into the hall of the apartment complex. The couple made their way to the stairwell where the Slytherin-in-disguise quickly checked the area before he pulled the redhead close and with a pop they disappeared. Briefly the world swirled around the young wizard and his familiar before it set itself once more.

Confused, Harry looked around and, upon spotting his mother and what appeared to be James, he realized that they were still in the same memory.

*How did they vanisssh like that?* Zera asked.

*It's called apparation,* Harry explained. *Qualified witches and wizards can disappear from one location and reappear in another.*

*How?*

*I'm not entirely sure. I've yet to learn how to do it.*

*I sssee.*

"Well, here we go again," Lily whispered as she pulled away from her husband.

"At least it's me this time."

"True. Kissing you with the Polyjuice is weird enough, but when it really is James... it just feels so wrong."

"That's exactly what he said," Severus replied as he took Lily's arm and led her out of the apparation foyer of St. Mungo's and they followed the other arriving guests.

"He did?" Lily asked as she smiled at acquaintances.

"Yes."

As he followed them, Harry glanced at the other people who were all as dressed up as his parents were. Floating signs indicated the way to the room where the charity auction and dance was being held. Apparently it was for the benefit of children injured in the war. Now that he thought about it, the little time between his mother's graduation and her death with his... James were the months where the fighting and fear had been at its peak. With this knowledge, he looked around once more and quickly spotted a few Aurors. Most looked bored or uncomfortable in their official robes, but he thought that they were probably glad to have been assigned guard duty here instead of being out facing Death Eaters.

*What'sss going on?* Zera hissed.

*A party to raise money for the hospital.*

*Ah!*

"Lily, James," Harry quickly looked up in the direction of the voice and saw a vaguely familiar looking couple approaching, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen them or why. "You look fabulous."

"Alice, Frank," Lily said as she turned towards them and smiled. "Thanks, so do you. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected in these times," Alice replied as she hugged Lily while the two men shook hands.

"I know, the attacks are horrible and just keep coming."

"Yes they do," Frank sighed as he greeted her. "So, James, you managed to get the night off after all."

"Herberts decided I could do more good donating money here tonight than guarding the event," Severus explained pleasantly. "Even by giving me the night off he knows that I'll be here if needed."

"True indeed," Frank stated as they began to walk towards the double doors the signs led to. "I heard Sirius got lucky and had the night off by chance just like me and Alice."

"Yes, though he doesn't think it was lucky," Severus said. "He calls it bad luck as it is something he feels compelled to attend on his night off."

"He'd see it that way, wouldn't he," Alice commented, shaking her head. "So, do you know who he's going to bring with him this time?"

"He said it'd be a surprise," Lily replied.

"That probably means it'll be someone new again," Frank declared. "Why can't he keep a girlfriend for more than a few weeks?"

As he observed the two couples interact, Harry wondered how Snape knew the relevant information about his godfather. He doubted the two saw each other except perhaps at meetings of Dumbledore's Order his mother had mentioned. Whatever that was. He assumed that it had something to do with the 'old crowd' that the Headmaster had asked Sirius to contact. He'd have to see if he could learn more about it. For all he knew they didn't have traditional meetings. Either way, he knew Snape and Sirius wouldn't talk about what they were planning to do if they did encounter each other. Which meant that Snape and James had to spend time together before each swap so that the spy would be up-to-date on everything.

Harry wondered what Sirius would say if he knew that his nemesis had been getting routine updates on his activities. He wouldn't be pleased, that was for sure. He'd always been told that his godfather had been very popular and handsome, so he'd wondered why the man hadn't gotten married or been steady with anyone when he'd gone to Azkaban. Or at least he'd assumed so as neither Sirius nor Remus had ever mentioned anything about it. The fact that he'd been fooling around explained it all.

The Boy-Who-Lived was pulled from his thoughts as he passed through the double doors as his father and Frank handed their invitations to a guard and they entered a large room filled with people. Close to the door, witches and wizards milled about, dressed in a plethora of colours, styles, and fabrics. They talked to each other or were helping themselves to drinks and snacks from tables along either wall. On the other end of the room an orchestra was playing for the couples that were dancing in the middle of the room. Various doors led to other rooms, presumably where the auction would take place. Aurors were interspersed along the walls.

"Longbottom, there you are," a new voice called out and Frank smiled at the man.

Startled, Harry took a second look at Frank and Alice, suddenly remembering that those were indeed the names of Neville's parents. Could it be that this was them? Mr. Crouch had said in Dumbledore's pensieve that Frank had been an Auror and this man was one. And they did kind of look like his housemate. It had to be them. If he ever managed to tell Snape the truth and he still had the pensieve, he'd have to see if he could show his friend just the part of this memory with them in it so that he too could see his parents as they once were. If his grandmother hadn't already done so, that is. Yet even if she had, this should be a new memory as the grandmother didn't seem to be present.

"Come, you wanted to dance, didn't you?" Severus said to Lily as the Longbottoms attention was drawn away from them.

"Yes," Lily agreed and allowed him to led her onto the dance floor just as the orchestra started up a slow waltz.

Harry bit his lower lip as he watched them dance while trying to avoid being walked through by the other guests. Both were very disconcerting. From the smiles on his parents' faces he could clearly see why everyone had thought that his mother and James to be so happy together. They really appeared to be a perfect couple, and very much in love. Having it be James' face he was looking at only made it slightly easier to see as he knew it was his potions professor underneath. His joy for his mother only increased with each new proof of Severus' love for her as he really did want for her to have been happy, but that didn't make it any easier for him to accept that he'd believed a lie for so long. Or how he'd been treated by his true father. If only his mother had sent the package a few years earlier, before he'd attended Hogwarts! Then he could have revealed the truth to his father before their first class together. It would have made so many things a lot easier.

With a shake of his head, Harry dismissed the thought. It would have been better but it didn't happen. He couldn't afford to start down that road as it would only led him to despair. Especially with everything he wished could have gone differently. Instead he was better off enjoying his parents happiness while they had it. When the waltz ended, they smoothly followed the rest of the couples into the next dance. When that one ended, Severus must have stiffened slightly as his mother frowned at him.

"What is it?" Lily whispered.

"Look who just entered," Severus replied as he brought James' mouth into a distrustful frown. "Fashionably late, of course."

Like his mother, Harry looked towards the entrance and caught sight of a couple with very pale blond hair. Although the man looked younger that he had just hours ago in Diagon Alley, there was no mistaking Lucius Malfoy. And standing next to him in a stunning pale blue robe with silver accents was who had to be his wife, Narcissa. He could definitely see some of his school nemesis in her. Or rather what Draco had inherited from her.

"How dare he show his face here?" Lily demanded, infuriated.

"Keeping up his cover," Severus stated, taking her arm and leading her towards the refreshment tables. "Remember, no one can pin anything on him yet and the majority of the Ministry either worship him or fear him too much to dare speak out against the Malfoy name."

"Well someone should."

"No, Lily, promise me that you won't do something stupid," Severus demanded urgently, but quietly. "They're too powerful."

"Se... James."

"No, promise me. You're already more involved in this war than I'd like."

"And you're not? You know I can't just sit by and do nothing when I can help."

"I know," Severus sighed. "But could you do so without attracting so much attention?"

"I'll try."

"Good. Now, I need a drink, what about you?"

It was with a start that Harry realized that his... father meant he had to take his potion. Had it already been an hour?

*Here we go again,* Zera complained as the world dissolved into coloured wisps around them.

*Don't you like it?* Harry asked, hurt.

*The memoriesss themssselvesss, yesss, the in-between bitsss, definitely not.*

*Yeah, well, there's nothing I can do about that.*

*I know.*

*What's this?* Harry wondered aloud when a baby's cry broke through the fading darkness.

"Didn't you just feed him fifteen minutes ago?" James' voice asked as the world slowly materialized around Harry and Zera.

"Yes, he can't be hungry," Lily agreed as she put down the scarf she was knitting and got to her feet.

This time they were again in a living room and while some of the furnishings were the same, the room was different, larger. James was sitting in another chair next to the fire, reading a book. It took Harry a second to realize that the infant cries he was hearing were his own. Meaning that Snape was supposed to have died already and James and his mother's sham wedding had already taken place. This was one of the memories included specifically for Snape.

As he followed his mother out of the room and up a set of stairs, Harry took a good look at her and was shocked by what he saw. She looked years older, years and yet he knew it couldn't be more than a year, maybe two, at most, since the last memory. And she was sad. He wasn't sure if he saw it or just felt it coming from her, but she was very sad.

Why hadn't anyone seen this? It wasn't like it was a gradual transition. And right at a time when she shouldn't have been able to be much happier, what with getting married and having a child. But no, he was thinking like a Muggle again. If she and James could fool everyone about his parentage, it should be nothing to make her look better. Especially since she was so good at charms.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Lily said as she approached a closed door along the hallway at the top of the stairs, startling the teenage version of her son by her side.

As his mother entered the room, Harry took a second to compose himself before he followed her. A vague sense of déjà-vu instantly hit him and was followed by the sound of his mother screaming and a flash of green light.

With a startled cry, Harry stumbled backwards, tripped and fell to the floor. Breathing heavily, it took him a few seconds to realize that what he'd seen and heard was from is own memory and not that of his mother.

*Harry, Harry, are you alright?* Zera demanded worriedly.

*Yes, I just had a flashback. It is in that room that my mother died and I got my scar. I have some vague recollections of that and it hit me all of a sudden.*

*I sssee, I'm sssorry.*

*Me too,* Harry stated, getting to his feet before he looked towards his mother who was now leaning over his crib.

"What's wrong, Harry? Huh?" Lily questioned, drawing out the words unconsciously as she picked up the crying infant. "Not a wet nappy? No, that doesn't seem to be it."

*That'sss you,* Zera declared, flicking her tongue in and out rapidly.

*How do you know?*

*It sssmellsss like you.*

*There are scents here?* Harry questioned incredulously as he watched himself calm and become quiet in his mother's arms.

His mother also lost some of the sadness he'd sensed before as she held him. Stepping closer to get a better look, he decided that he hadn't been a pretty baby. Though if Fred and George were to be believed, Ginny had been an ugly baby too and yet their parents had kept going on about how pretty she was. Maybe it was a parent thing.

*Yesss, mossst definitely.*

*That's interesting. But I guess that's why a pensieve is so useful, it allows you to relive not only what you consciously remember but also what you subconsciously took in.*

*It ssseemsss to do more than that asss we can sssee the perssson whossse memory it isss,* Zera replied.

*I hadn't thought of that.*

"Do you want to come downstairs with Mummy, is that it?" Lily cooed as she rocked her son back and forth. "Come, lets go sit with James."

As she walked down the stairs, baby Harry reached up and grabbed a lock of her hair in his small hand.

"Yes, that's Mummy's hair, it's red," Lily stated, entering the living room once more. "And look, there's James."

"Lily," James said with a sigh, putting down his book in favour of giving her a significant look. "Much as I hate to say it, you can't keep calling me James in front of Harry."

"Just for a little while longer," Lily protested, though Harry could see it was done without any real force behind it. Like it was a battle she knew was already lost but didn't want to admit to just yet. "He won't be talking for a while yet."

"It'll go faster than you think," James replied as she sank back into her chair. "And won't we have a hard time explaining why he won't call me papa or dad? He may not be speaking just yet, but he's probably learning to associate sounds with us already."

"I... I know," Lily whispered as she seemed to deflate. "It's just that... I..."

"Shh," James said as he got up and moved to hug her as best he could as she started to cry. "You don't need to say it, I don't want him to call me papa either, but for now he must."

Harry felt tears run down his own cheeks as he watched his mother grieve while the younger version of himself, oblivious, continued to gurgle happily.

As the world faded out, he wondered why his mother had chosen to include that particular memory in the pensieve. With the limited room he'd have thought she'd chose a better one, a happier one. Or was that the point? Was it meant to reinforce the fact that she hadn't moved on without Severus? From the way she had begged him to believe her in the letter to him that could just be it.

When the next memory formed around him, Harry quickly noted that he was once again in the living room of what had to be Godric's Hollow, though that fact confused him. He'd been under the impression that his parents... that his mother and James had only moved there when they went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. Or could the charm be applied to an already known location? It had to be either that or people could come and go as they pleased without disturbing it after it was cast as his mother had placed memories of Godric's Hollow into the pensieve.

"Come on, Harry, come on," James said as he kneeled on the floor and reached out towards the young boy that stood supported by his mother's arms a few steps away. "Come here."

*Not too good on your feet yet, are you?* Zera laughed as she watched the little Harry wobble in place.

*Very funny,* Harry replied as he observed the scene closely.

He could already guess that he was about to see his first steps and why his mother had chosen to include this particular event.

"Papa," little Harry said as he reached out with one hand to the man he was now starting to resemble while his other hand remained firmly clamped to his mother's. "Papa!"

"No, you need to walk to Papa," Lily said gently, voice trembling slightly at the last word. "Come on, you can do it," she urged as she tried to loosen his fingers from her hand.

"Papa," the child insisted, clamping his free hand to his mother's other hand when she managed to loosen the fingers of his first hand.

"Yes, Papa," James stated as he got a little closer. "Come to Papa, come on Harry."

"Go on," Lily urged as she got her other hand free and quickly moved both of them to his armpits so that she could continue to hold him until he was ready.

"Papa," little Harry said once more, glancing between both parents before he took a small step forwards so that Lily still had her hands on his back. A brief moment of hesitation before he took two more steps, holding his arms out to the man before him. "Papa."

"There you go!" James exclaimed as he quickly reached forward and picked up the toddler as he wobbled. "There's a big boy. You're walking now! Pretty soon you'll be running about."

"We're going to have to keep an even closer eye on him now," Lily said as she smiled.

"Yep," James agreed, making faces at the gleeful child in his arms. "Because this little squirt is always up to no good."

"And I wonder where he learned that."

Harry laughed as James tried to look innocent and failed miserably.

"It's from his father's side," James finally declared. "You know how he could never behave himself."

Imitating the absent man, Lily merely raised an eyebrow. "You'll spoil him rotten if you keep it up."

"But of course, that's my job as godfather. I'll make a Marauder out of him yet."

Godfather?! Harry froze at James' words. What was this? Wasn't Sirius his true godfather? Had his mother and James altered that piece of information on the fake birth certificate as well? Though it made sense if he thought about it. If his mother wanted James to be his godfather, they couldn't very well list that on his fake birth certificate as he was listed as his father. And he couldn't really see his mother naming Sirius his godfather considering the hatred between him and Snape. So why had they chosen him as his godfather on the fake certificate?

Because he and James were so close. It didn't make any logical sense for her to pick anyone other than a Marauder given the fact that James Potter was supposed to be his birth father, and of the four Marauders, James had been closest to Sirius, so it would have looked suspicious if they'd chosen anyone other than Sirius Black as his fake godfather given the illusion they were trying to create. But that didn't make it any easier to accept. Now, instead of having a live godfather, he had a dead one whom he didn't possess any memories of other than what his mother was currently showing him.

What would Sirius say when he heard? Would he care, or would he just continue to treat him as before? And what would he say when he discovered that he wasn't truly James' son but that of Severus Snape, his hated enemy? Would he be able to look past that? Harry really hoped that it wouldn't alter the relationship they had as he really didn't want to loose Sirius over something he had absolutely no control over. The man had to be able to see that, shouldn't he? Not wanting to even consider the situation any more, he turned his attention back to the scene playing out before him.

"James!"

"All right, all right. A good little Slytherin Marauder, is that better?"

"I believe that's a contradiction in terms."

"Yeah, you're probably right," James agreed before he turned his attention back to his best friend's son as the child began to pull at his unruly hair. "Hey!"

Harry saw his mother laugh at the brilliant smile that crossed his face at James' protests and attempts to flatten his hair. He could see how the untameable hair would provide amusement for a small child.

*Sssomethingsss bothering you,* Zera declared as her tongue grazed the skin at his neck, making him shiver.

*Yes,* Harry replied, amazed that she'd picked up on it. *James just made a comment about how I would probably be in Slytherin because of my father.*

*Weren't you almossst placed there?*

*Yes, but I convinced the Sorting Hat not to do it. Now I wonder if things would have been different if I'd been placed there. Or why James thought I'd end up there, or could have. Most Slytherins aren't very nice at all.*

*And yet your birthfather came from that house and he was a friend of James.*

*True.*

When the family scene faded out, Harry expected another memory to take its place, but none came. Instead, only darkness remained.

*What'sss happening?* Zera questioned.

*I think we've seen all the memories my mother could put in here.*

*Ssso how do we get out?*

*I don't know,* Harry admitted, suddenly realizing the foolishness of his actions. To use a magical device he didn't fully understand could be quite dangerous as Ginny's encounter with Riddle's diary had proved.

*What do you mean?*

*The last time I got pulled out.*

*How?*

*The Headmaster came in, took hold of my arm, and said we had to go.*

*Did he have hisss magic ssstick out?*

*His wand? No, he didn't,* Harry said as he thought back to just what Dumbledore had done.

Unable to come up with anything, he thought of the pensieve itself to see if he'd overlooked anything. The moment he did so, Harry felt himself begin to rise in the air as if he'd become weightless and then he began to rotate out of control before his feet suddenly hit something with a jarring impact and he fell onto a hard stone floor.

*You did it,* Zera declared. *How?*

*Huh?* Harry said, taking a minute to get his bearings before he looked around. And, indeed, they were back in the vault again, next to the table with the pensieve. *I just thought of the pensieve.*

*That'sss sssimple.*

*Yes, it is,* Harry agreed as he got to his feet with the support of the desk.

As soon as he was steady, the young wizard let go of the desk and walked around to the other side where a stack of photos lay. Like the wedding photo, the people in most of them moved about, waving happily at him, though some seemed to be Muggle photos. Most were of his mother and Sn... Severus, but a few also had James, the rest of the Marauders, and people he assumed to be his mother's girlfriends. Flipping through the stack, he carefully looked at each picture before moving on. The ones he really liked, he put aside to take with him. He paused as he reached a Muggle photo of his father in school uniform. The boy had a thoughtful expression on his face and wasn't looking directly at the camera, making him wonder if Severus even knew that the photo was being taken.

Towards the end of the pile were a series of Muggle pictures of his mother from when she was young. In a few of them he was shocked to see his aunt, she looked better than she did now, though not by much. What made him pause, however, were the pictures of what had to be his grandparents. His grandmother had blond hair like his aunt, but the startling green eyes he recognized from the reflection he saw every morning in the mirror. His grandfather had hazel brown eyes and deep auburn hair. They looked to be a happy couple who loved their children.

Sadness welled up in Harry as he studied the pictures, wondering what had happened to them. He knew for a fact that both had died before he was born, but he didn't know how or when. His aunt didn't like to talk about them in general and he suspected that it had something to do with the fact that they were proud to have a witch in the family. Or so he'd been told. If only they hadn't died, then he might have grown up with them instead of his aunt! Putting the pictures in the pile to take with him, he went on and when he was done, he carefully stacked the two piles neatly before turning his attention to the last set of items on the desk.

It consisted of a stack of parchments held down by a stone paperweight engraved with a crest. The crest was outlined by a snake biting its own tail, a symbol of eternity. Just inside it was the family motto, Fiducia nemo•, in an arch along the top. In the background was a crossed wand and dagger, while a peculiarly shaped stone was towards the left in the foreground, with a strangely curved object next to it. Beneath the paperweight was a parchment with familiar purple ink. As he reached for it, though, he frowned as he felt a slight tingling on his hand. It was a sensation he sometimes got when he handled magical objects, but why would a stack of parchment contain magic?

Dear Harry,

Below you will find a series of legal papers. Included are your authentic birth certificate, Severus' and my marriage certificate, the true copies of James', Severus', and my own wills (the ones we left in public records naturally left off data due to the required secrecy of the entire situation).

Harry stopped reading, startled and horrified. Wills were something his mother hadn't mentioned in her letters and he hadn't expected to find something like that here. The very thought of reading his parents' wills sent chills down his spine.

*She left their death wishes here,* he explained before the little snake could ask.

*You don't want to read them?*

*No.*

*Then leave them for later.*

*That would probably be best,* Harry agreed.

He couldn't do anything with what they said now anyway as he had to inform his father of the situation first. And the wills could only be publicly cleared if the man wasn't spying anymore as otherwise it would blow his cover. But at least this explained the magic he sensed. Legal documents in the Wizarding World were probably laced with magic to test their authenticity and all of that.

In addition to these legal documents, you will also find the information I have collected about the Aspectus Commutatus• spell. And I have included all James and his family learned of the Gatyal curse, hopefully it can help someone else find a way to break it someday.

So James hadn't broken the curse. In a way, Harry found that better than if he had. Because then he would have died soon after finally being free to do what he wished. And then the whole scam marriage would have hindered him from moving on with his life.

With a sigh, Harry put the letter face down next to the stack of parchment. He froze when he saw what was underneath it. It was his birth certificate. He'd known from his mother's letter that it would list him as a Snape, but it felt strange to see it actually written out. And his first name! It wasn't Harry, but Harold. Sure, Harry was a very common nickname for Harold, but his aunt had always mentioned how his name was such a common and improper one (not that he thought 'Dudley' to be very proper even if it was uncommon) and he'd never been called anything but Harry so he figured his fake birth certificate said Harry instead of Harold. He was glad to see that at least part of his middle name remained the same. James. It made a lot of sense, though, after all the man had done for his parents, it was a small token to name their child after him. But he also had a second middle name as well that he'd never heard of before.

*Harold James Lucien Snape,* Harry hissed in Parseltongue. *That's my real name.*

*It sssoundsss very dissstinguissshed,* Zera commented.

*Yes, it does,* Harry agreed, scanning the rest of the document, stopping as he came to the section naming godparents.

Just as James' proclamation had said in the pensieve, the document listed James Potter and not Sirius Black as his godfather. So it was true. Not that he truly doubted what James had said, but it was one thing to hear it and another to see it definitively written down. Swallowing, he still refused to consider the ramifications of those two words, and instead he skimmed the rest of the document, glad that he didn't see any other surprises.

Done with the document, Harry placed it on top of the letter and turned his attention to his parents' wedding certificate. Like his birth certificate, the parchment was a creamy colour and very fine, yet firm. Both also seemed to hum with magic, making him wonder how his mother and James had falsified the birth certificate currently on public record. They must have done some complicated magic to have it pass as authentic. Or they'd gotten it from a black market source. If so they'd probably used some contact or trick Severus had shown them as he couldn't see the two of them knowing how to do that otherwise. Although James might have known a thing or two of it from his Marauder days if the group had been anything like the Weasley twins. But then he remembered that his mother had said that the fake certificate wouldn't stand up to any tests, so it probably wasn't a black market copy.

The actual writing on the document was pretty much what Harry expected it to say with only a few exceptions. The first was the fact that, upon marriage to the Snape heir, his mother had received the title of 'Lady' and all the official privileges and honours that went with it.

Harry stopped reading to frown. Did this mean that his father was a lord? Lord Snape? Lord Severus? He crinkled his nose at the thought. That just didn't sound right. But if it was true, then he'd become Lord Harry or Lord Harold. He snorted at the idea. Malfoy, he could see with that title, junior and senior, but him and Snape? His humour vanished as another thought struck him. What would Ron say if it was true? That wasn't exactly something he wanted to think about. Not with Ron's track record.

The wedding certificate then went on to say that the marriage was a magical union as well as a physical and spiritual one. That wasn't so surprising to him as it was a Wizarding wedding, but the wording of the sentence seemed to indicate that this wasn't necessarily a given in all Wizarding marriages. He'd have to ask someone if the opportunity ever arose.

The last thing that caught his attention on the document were his parents names. They were written out in full, including their middle names. For his mother it was very simple as she only had one, Rose, but his father! He had three, making his full name Severus Sceptimus Salazar Seralus Snape! What in the bloody hell was up with that? Was it some pureblood tradition to give one's children so many formal sounding names? Perhaps based on ancestry? Or was it a Wizarding tradition in general? He officially had two middle names as well.

Unable to decide, Harry skimmed the rest of the certificate before moving on to the next item. Unfortunately it turned out to be his mother's will. Nervously he picked it up, feeling the magic crackle along his fingers as he did so. Inspecting it, he found it to be a sealed parchment bundle not unlike his mother's original letter. Yet, try as he might, he couldn't find a way to open it. Figuring that it had probably been magically sealed for safety, he set it aside with a sigh of relief. Below it was James' will which looked exactly the same except for what looked like the Potter family seal underneath his name. It consisted of crossed swords and a vertical wand in the background with a griffin in the foreground. Above the griffin were the words Honor, Amor• and below it was Familia•. Below that was Snape's will with the same crest as on the stone paperweight.

Underneath that lay a stack of parchments that had been clipped together with a paperclip. Smiling at the use of a Muggle device, Harry skimmed it and saw that it appeared to be the information of the Gatyal curse. Some of it were personal observations from James, his father, and grandfather, while some of it was the information they had managed to collect but none of it looked like it could have been used for a cure.

As Harry put that aside, he found the information his mother had collected on the Aspectus Commutatus• spell. He skimmed the first part as it listed the wand motions and incantations necessary for the two charms as well as the ingredients and directions for the potion. His heart sank as he read the information his mother had found on it. Not only did the hair of the donor whom the subject would look like need to be fresh, but the spell could not be recast on someone. The rest was a textbook style explanation of the theory behind the spell that he couldn't understand as it was way beyond anything he'd learned at school.

Not that it mattered. It couldn't be redone as he'd hoped despite his mother's comments. Unless one of his professors could modify it. Professor Flitwick could, potentially, do so in ways his mother might not have thought of. Or perhaps the key lay in the potion. Though he doubted Snape would be willing to research that possibility. Disheartened, he glanced at the last few paragraphs and saw that they were on how the spell would or could break down. It seemed like there was a lot of variation in how it did so depending on the subject. But they all seemed to have completely worn off fifteen and a half years after the casting of the spell.

*Anything new?* Zera hissed.

*Not really,* Harry replied as he restacked all the parchments as they'd been, except for the Aspectus Commutatus• one, and placed the stone back on top. It was best not to take any of the documents other than the explanation one out of the vault lest they ended up in the wrong hands. *Now what?*

*That table,* Zera decided, using her tail to indicate a small decorative living room piece upon which stood small trinkets.

*Okay,* Harry said and approached it.

Closest to him was a small wooden lion standing proud and tall with a large snake wrapped around its body from the left hind leg to its neck where the serpent held its head above the feline's mane. It appeared to be hand carved from a single block of wood and Harry couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship. The eyes were delicate, not to mention the serpent's forked tongue and fangs. He reached out and picked it up to get a closer look but dropped it in surprise when the statue moved and the lion roared.

"What in Merlin's name!" Harry exclaimed as he stepped back a pace, watching the lion that now lay on its side twist until it managed to right itself while the snake hissed and moved.

*What isss that?* Zera demanded, trying and failing to understand what the wooden snake was saying. Although it sounded similar to her language it merely mimicked the sound with none of the meaning.

*A statue that's been spelled to be animated,* Harry explained as he watched the lion pace back and forth while the snake continued to slither back and forth across its back. *I think the snake was made to sound like a snake by someone who can't speak Parseltongue.*

*Ah, ssso that'sss why it makesss no sssenssse?*

*Yes,* Harry agreed as he watched the snake briefly put its head on its companion's head before he raised it once more and both of them froze. *That's strange, it must be made to only move for a certain amount of time after being touched.*

Carefully, Harry reached out and picked up the statue once more, placing it on his left palm. The lion began to pace once more, taking two steps before turning and taking two steps in the opposite direction. It also began to purr loudly.

*It hasss been spelled not to walk off an edge,* Zera noted as she uncoiled herself enough from his neck to slither down his arm to get a better look.

*So it would seem,* Harry said as he watched the two wooden beings. *The choice of animals is interesting.*

*Gryffindor's lion and Slytherin's snake,* Zera stated. *Like your parents.*

*Exactly,* Harry said, placing the statue on the table and holding his arm still as his familiar completely uncoiled herself from is neck and glided onto the table. *Careful, some of the other items may be animated as well.*

*Okay.*

As Harry tried to decide what to look at next, a gleam of silver caught his eye. Figuring it was as good a place as any, he moved towards where it lay and saw that it was a necklace with a pendant. His first thought was that it was one of his mother's, but then he saw that the pendant was in the shape of coiled serpent. It had small green stones as eyes and its mouth was open, displaying tiny fangs. The necklace itself was also a thick chain, a bit more masculine than the necklaces his aunt always wore.

Could it have belonged to his father or James? He couldn't quite picture either of them wearing jewellery, but he had noticed a few of the male students wearing rings or necklaces. Perhaps in the Wizarding world it was more accepted for males to wear jewellery than it was in the Muggle world? And if he had to pick a pendent for Snape, this would definitely be it.

*There'sss another piece of parchment here that sssmellsss like your mother,* Zera hissed from the other side of the table.

*Huh?* Harry replied before picking up the necklace and walking towards her. *Let's see.*

Upon reaching the little red snake, Harry saw that there were another note on the table. Putting the necklace down for Zera to see, Harry skimmed the parchment. As before, it listed a description of the various objects on the table, where they'd come from, and their significance.

*Wow, Zera, that statue we saw, apparently father made it himself.*

*Impressssssive. Did he animate it?*

*Yes. It says here that he made it as a graduation gift for mother.*

*What about thisss necklace?*

*Uh... just a second,* Harry said, looking for the information. *Ah, here. It was a gift mother bought for father's seventeenth birthday. She got it as she knew he was proud of his house and because it was something that he could wear without being questioned as it is the type of jewellery a Slytherin would wear. She says that he loved it and hardly ever took it off.*

*Then why isss it here?*

*I don't know. He must have taken it off before going to Rowena's Glade or else it wouldn't be here,* Harry reasoned as he picked up the necklace once more. It was a beautiful piece. On impulse he put it on.

*It looksss nice on you.*

*Thanks. Just help remind me to hide it before we get back to Privet Drive or Aunt Petunia will have a fit.*

*Why?*

*She considers it abnormal for men to wear jewellery.*

*I ssshall remind you then,* Zera declared, her tone indicating her disapproval of his relatives. *Doesss the parchment sssay what the panther ssstatue is for?*

*Panther statue?*

*There'sss one on the table.*

*Ah, um, it says that it was a present to Mum from Severus for her birthday as it is her favourite animal.*

Harry continued to read the list, stopping occasionally to locate the objects mentioned. When he was done, he decided to put the lion-snake statue along with two other mementos with the stuff he was going to take home, even though he was sorely tempted to include all of the other items as well. However, the magic bag aside, he'd have a hard time keeping too much stuff hidden or explaining it away if someone else accidentally found it.

That done, Harry picked up Zera before approaching a chair that had two large stacks of parchment on it. When he got close to it, he saw that while some of the parchment seemed to be loose, two of the large stacks were actually bound together with thick string. Collecting the various loose pages together to see what the larger volumes were, he noticed that one of the parchments contained the information on the concealing charms his parents had used to hide their wedding rings.

Harry put the parchments aside and looked at the two stacks in surprise. They were books, or at least early versions of them, not yet a finished product as they had neither a hard cover nor nice binding. But what stunned the young wizard the most was the fact that his father, Severus Snape, was listed as the author of both books!

*Father wrote books,* Harry whispered in shock.

*Like the onesss you ussse to do your night work?* Zera asked.

*My homework?* Harry questioned as he looked at the titles.

The first was titled "Brewing Potions: A Student's Guide" and was clearly intended to be a textbook to be used at Hogwarts and other magical schools. The second was different, it was titled "A Thesis on the Unexpected and Inexplicable Boilings and Flashpoints of Iruen Potions" and seemed to be aimed at a different audience altogether. Whereas the first book had a cauldron, a knife, potions ingredients, and flasks with coloured potions on it, the second one had an archaic drawing of a cauldron and a bundle of monkshood, silverwillow, and lavender in the foreground with a wand trailing sparks over it in the background all encircled by a wreath made up of hemlock and nightshade intertwined. He didn't need to be a great potions student to know that those ingredients were common ones in the more deadly potions and poisons. He shivered and wondered why his father had chosen that to be the cover of this book.

*Yesss.*

*One of them is, the other one looks to be some other type of book,* Harry said as he picked up the second homebound book and flipped through it.

The table of contents immediately confirmed his suspicions of the book being intended for an older audience than students. Most of the words he didn't even recognize, much less understand or even be able to pronounce. It looked highly specialized and theoretical. At the bottom of the page, written in ballpoint pen on a yellow sticky paper was a note in his mother's handwriting.

Sev,

As I told you, I don't think I was truly able to do more than catch spelling mistakes or grammatical errors for this book. I did make notes where I felt that something was a little confusing, but it may simply be my lack of knowledge in the subject. What I was able to follow sounded very intriguing.

Mieta

"Huh," Harry said as he paged through the volume.

As stated in the note, various sticky notes were stuck throughout the book. Putting down the book and picking up the textbook, he found that his mother had gone through it and made comments there too. Only here they seemed to be about the material as well as spelling and grammatical corrections. As he stopped to read a section, Harry was surprised to find that not only did he understand what it said, but it was well written so that he only had to read it once to know the material instead of the forty-five minutes he sometimes needed to comprehend what his current potions book said. Looking further, he noticed that while the material at the start of the book covered first year information, there was also stuff from the other years in the book. It looked to be a reference book that could be used up through the Potions O.W.L.s.

If everything was like what he'd read, he really could have used this book the past four years! So why hadn't this book been on their required or suggested textbook lists? Hadn't his father published it? Harry put the book down and looked at the parchments he'd put aside and found another note from his mother.

Harry, dear,

These are two books your father wrote. He gave them to me to go over before he approached an editor. As you can see, I never got them back to him before he died. Due to the secrecy of my position, I was unable to get them published for him with the necessary corrections, though I would have loved to do so. If your father is dead, could you see if someone, perhaps your potions professor, is willing to go through them and update the books so that they can be published? It would have meant a lot to your father and I would like to give them a chance. I think they could make an impact, especially the textbook as I always found our potions books to be lacking.

your mother,
Lily

*What isss it?* Zera asked as Harry snorted.

*Mother wants me to see if my potions professor is willing to go through these books and get them ready for publishing!*

*Well, perhapsss he'll be interesssted.*

*If he hasn't already published them.*

*True,* Zera agreed as he picked up the books and parchments and placed them next to his bag and hat.

Harry stopped to look at some of the other mementos as he collected everything he'd decided to take and put it on the floor next to his bag. As he did so, he couldn't resist adding a few more items to his collection, much to the curiosity of his parents who watched from their wedding photo. Carefully he packed the bag after taking out the makeup kit first. He was just finishing up when his stomach growled, loudly.

*What time isss it?* Zera inquired.

*I have no idea,* Harry replied, suddenly ravenous now that he was reminded of his earlier hunger. *Several hours must have passed at least. Let me look around a little longer and then we shall go.*

*Can we eat then?*

*Yes, and I'll buy some stuff for you so that you can eat whenever you want to.*

*Thanksss,* Zera replied as she shifted into a more comfortable position around his neck.

Harry quickly walked around the vault again, looking at some of the items he hadn't seen yet, but now that he was aware of his hunger, it gnawed at him. In a corner he spotted the chess set he'd seen in the pensieve and discovered that it was one that James had given to Snape. He longed to take it but knew that he couldn't. When he was finished looking around, he returned to the bag and rolled up his right sleeve.

*It's probably best that you stay out of sight for a while. I'm not sure what the goblins would think of you or if I'm even allowed to bring you in here.*

*Very well. Wake me when I can come out once more.*

*I'll do that,* Harry promised and waited until she was securely around his arm before pulling the sleeve back into place.

He then put on his hat and picked up the bag. At the vault entrance he stopped and turned, looking back at the room and to smile at the waving photo of his parents before he stepped over the threshold. Carefully closing and locking the vault behind him, Harry walked towards the tracks and whistled.