14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

Harry woke up the next day feeling pretty okay with life. After returning from the bank he had promptly destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup and gone to inform Severus of the developments, thanking him for his support earlier that day. Severus had simply given him an inscrutable look and said, "Trust a Potter to only think of heroics instead of using his brain," leaving Harry laughing. He laughed a lot more now than he had in the future – he had rarely had the energy for it then, just as Severus had eventually lost most of his biting humor, resorting to retorts that required less effort. Harry felt a far stronger connection to this younger Potions Master, who was so similar and yet so different from the man he had come to know. He felt that they were almost friends, and that made him inexplicably happy.

"Dobby! Breakfast please," he grinned at his friend. Why not have breakfast in bed for once, after all? The last time he had done it was on his nineteenth Birthday, when Daphne had-

Harry promptly got out of bed, his smile but a faint memory. She's alive here, he remembered, and realized in the same breath that she would never be his. He was too different now. If she ever was Daphne Potter-Black again, it would be because she married his counterpart.

It was a far more subdued man that sat down to breakfast.

OoOoO

A knock on his front door had Harry looking up from the rest of his breakfast; he had only eaten half before starting to push the rest around his plate, sinking into memories of another time.

"Who is it?" he called, standing and walking to the door.

"It is I," came the smooth voice of the Potions Master, and Harry opened the door before he could fall into the old routine of asking a question to check Snape's identity. "I have brought the potions you asked for," he said, and Harry blinked once in surprise. What potions? Showing the man into the living room, he sat down at the newly vacated seat, eyeing the potion vials curiously.

"I did not intend to interrupt your breakfast," Severus said then, remaining standing. "I can return later-"

"No, no," Harry waved his hand, "I was done eating anyway; please sit. What potions are these?"

Sinking down onto the free seat across the table, Severus placed the vials on the table. "Nutrient potion, Strengthening potion, Blood-replenishing potion and Dreamless Sleep," he said, pointing to the vials in order. Harry immediately understood their purpose: Strengthening and Blood-replenishing potion for before and after the goblin ritual, Nutrient potion because he was far too thin, and Dreamless Sleep because even though he hadn't given it a single thought yet, Severus had realized that eventually his horrific nightmares would return. He was still sleeping off the fatigue from the future, but once he began sleeping normally nightmares would be omnipresent.

"Why Severus, one could almost think you care," Harry teased gently, knowing that Slytherins tended to prefer thanks and apologies wrapped up in unrelated remarks. Looking up to meet the dark eyes, he hid his surprise at the warmth in them as Severus smirked and simply replied, "Indeed."

Reaching over the table, Harry snagged the vial of Nutrient potion and downed it in one go, knowing that it should be drunk after each meal. "The vials are charmed to refill when stoppered," Severus supplied, and Harry shot him a thankful smile.

"Brilliant. You're a genius," he said, letting his Gryffindor nature shine through. Severus smirked once more. "Another thing I had never expected to hear from a Potter."

"Oh? What was the first thing?"

Severus hummed. "Yesterday Potter apologized for the past few years. It was... unexpected."

"Ah yes," Harry laughed, "our Gryffindor side typically rears its head when it comes to apologies and thanks. We're not conditioned to the Slytherin apology-wrapped-in-an-insult," he grinned, and to his surprise Severus chuckled.

"And yet I think you could manage it if you put your mind to it," he drawled.

"I do my best," Harry smirked. "Can I offer you anything? A cup of tea?"

Severus hesitated. "A cup of coffee perhaps," he conceded. "I only have a few minutes to spare before I am required to go teach the bumbling idiots." Harry chuckled as he asked Dobby for a cup of coffee for Professor Snape.

"If you could do anything at all, without having to worry about money or responsibilities or what others would think, what would it be?" Harry asked curiously, fixing himself another cup of tea. Looking up, he found Severus earnestly considering the question.

"I believe I would begin by traveling the world, visiting libraries, potions conferences and vineyards, eventually settling down to work on potions development. Indeed, I do not know if I would ever settle down in one place; it would appeal to me to spend varying amounts of time in different places, taking my research with me wherever I go." Severus accepted the cup of coffee from Dobby with a nod, blowing on it to help it cool.

"Alone, or with company?" The truth was that Harry found Severus' wish quite appealing; he had long wanted to see more of the world.

"…I would not be averse to company," Severus replied carefully, raising his cup to his lips. A few days ago he would have told anyone who asked that he preferred solitude over anyone's company, but something about this man intrigued him, and his presence was somehow… gratifying. He was also the only person who laughed at his remarks, which was… pleasant.

"Once this war is over I would love to go see a bit more of the world," Harry smiled. "Is there any particular research you'd like to do?"

"I would be interested in developing a potion that enables the drinker to speak Parseltongue," Severus replied, gratified when his companion oohed.

"That would be awesome!" Harry enthused. "Bill once told me that a lot of Egyptian tombs have Parseltongue inscriptions or wards that make life very difficult for curse breakers. I'm sure they would pay large amounts of money for such a potion; Bill was forever trying to get me to promise to go into curse-breaking after the war," Harry laughed, though a hint of sadness colored the sound.

"Weasley may have had a point," Severus said, contemplating the young man before him. "I think you may be well-suited for curse breaking. It can also involve a lot of traveling," he said, not quite teasing, but almost.

"No way," Harry laughed, "Severus Snape, agreeing with a Weasley? Unheard of!"

"Perhaps I shall have Poppy check my mental health," Severus agreed with a smirk, draining the last of his coffee to the sound of Potter's laughter. Standing, he tried to keep the regret out of his voice as he said drily, "Unfortunately, the bumbling idiots beckon, and I must be off. Perhaps the next time you will join me and I will introduce you to real coffee." In other words, 'thank you for the coffee, and I invite you to join me in my quarters soon,' Harry translated with a mental smirk. Slytherins.

"It would be my pleasure," Harry replied, standing and giving Severus his hand. "Don't treat the 'bumbling idiots' too harshly," he grinned.

"I will endeavor not to make any of them cry this lesson," Severus deadpanned, releasing Potter's hand and making his way to the door. For some reason the sound of Potter's laughter behind him raised his spirits, and he could still feel the man's warm hand in his when he finally reached the Potions classroom.