5

CHAPTER FIVE:

Harry strode through the halls of Hogwarts, ignoring the few students that crossed his path. He had learned over the years that if you acted like you belonged somewhere, few would question it, and that held true for the current situation as well. The few students that saw him looked curious, but didn't seem to find the sight of a stranger in their school strange at all. For that, Harry was grateful, though he wished he still had his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. There was a certain appeal to hiding in plain sight, but at that moment he fiercely missed the objects he had used for so long.

Reaching the dungeons, he turned firmly in the direction of the Potion Master's quarters, knowing that he didn't have much time before Dumbledore showed up. The portraits would inform the Headmaster about a stranger's presence, after all.

Rather than a portrait, the Head of Slytherin had a stone statue guarding his quarters - a large snake, coiled as if to strike. Harry had spent much time in the past – future, he reminded himself – talking to the snake, and it gave him a pang to realize that Medusa would no longer remember him. A small smile pulled at his mouth, however, as he addressed the carving, for whoever had named the guardian 'Medusa' had clearly not realized that the snake was male.

Who are you to know my name, Speaker? the snake returned, gazing at him warily.

My name is Harry Potter, Harry hissed in reply, but I come from the future. Might you let the Potions Master know that I have come to speak with him?

Medusa fixed him with a beady look, a moment elapsing before he informed him, The Master comes.

I thank you, Harry returned, longing for the easy conversations that the snake no longer remembered.

A moment later the statue slid to the side, revealing an arched doorway. Beyond it stood Severus Snape, an unreadable expression on his face. "Enter," he spoke curtly, and Harry obeyed without comment.

Once he was inside the Professor's quarters and the statue had slid back into its place, Harry said, "The Headmaster will be here shortly; the portraits will have informed him of my presence." There were, of course, no portraits in the Potions Master's rooms, nor in any other part of the dungeons. The Slytherins, after all, knew of their purpose.

"We need to decide how to present me to the Headmaster," Harry continued, turning to his companion. From the glint in Snape's eye he assumed that the older man realized why he chose not to call the Headmaster by name: His dislike for the man would be evident in his tone if he called him Dumbledore, or even Albus. Better to feign respect.

"I have given it some thought," Severus replied, and Harry simply nodded. He had expected that. "You are fully recovered?" the man asked then, taking Harry by surprise.

He hesitated. "As much as I could have hoped," he replied, and to his relief the other man seemed to understand.

"Very well. I thought that we could simply present your true story – that the war had not gone well for the Light, and that you found a ritual to send you back in time. It seems the proper Gryffindor thing to do," the man sneered. Harry couldn't help but laugh, enjoying the banter he had missed so after the Potions Master's death. Snape looked taken aback, however, and Harry realized once again that he was the only one who remembered those times.

"What did you expect from a Gryffindor, sir?" Harry asked teasingly, turning his back on the older man. Walking over to the couch, he sat with a content sigh in the spot he always claimed. Looking up at Snape, he took in the man's strange expression and realized that he had put the man off balance.

Harry smiled apologetically as he asked, "You have removed the charms and potions affecting you?" Snape grimaced and answered in the affirmative.

"Great." Bringing the conversation back to the most pressing topic, Harry asked, "How would you suggest I act around the Headmaster?"

Snape paused, seeming to understand that Harry didn't actually need the advice. Keeping his thoughts on the matter from his face, the man replied, "The Headmaster will of course expect the spells and potions to have worn off, but it would be advisable to act as though that fact didn't much change your personality. The war will of course have hardened you, but it is best to hide the side you showed before the Dark Lord." Harry nodded – no need for Dumbledore to know that he could quite happily kill now. "I would suggest you act respectful, but not in any way subordinate." He hesitated. "I assume you took charge of the Order after his death?"

"We both did," Harry replied evenly. "It was an equal partnership." Snape's face was blank, betraying none of his thoughts. "After your death I assumed full charge of the Order – not that there was much to take charge of," Harry said bitterly, averting his gaze. A strange silence settled over the two men, one struggling with memories, the other with revelations.

A hissing sound filled the room, and Harry straightened. "Sit," he ordered curtly, only realizing that he had when the order was promptly obeyed. Shooting a shocked and apologetic look at the older man, he hissed for Medusa to let the Headmaster enter. The first sight of the old man had Harry struggling to hide his rage – here was the man who had forced him into countless life-and-death situations, manipulated him and changed his very personality.

Before his feelings could become visible to the entering man, however, a cleared throat snapped him out of it. Inwardly thanking Severus, Harry let his relief show on his face and rose to greet his one-time mentor.

"Headmaster!" he called, almost running over to give the grandfatherly figure his hand. Clutching the old hand in his, he thought of how his first meeting with Sirius would be, and promptly got all choked up. "It's so good to see you," Harry said, his eyes roaming over the wrinkled face.

"My boy, I'm afraid that you have me at a disadvantage," Dumbledore said curiously, a sparkle in his eye as he tried to use light Legilimency on the stranger, who simply laughed.

"Legilimency won't help, Headmaster; Severus taught me well," Harry turned to grin at the silent man, ignoring the sudden tightening around the Headmaster's eyes. No way he'd let that bastard get away with using Legilimency on him. "I'm Harry, Headmaster – Harry Potter."

Harry was reluctantly impressed by Dumbledore's composure - the man only blinked once before schooling his face into quiet concern. "You have come from the future, then?"

It was with a somber expression that Harry nodded, finally releasing the hold he had on Dumbledore's hand. "Come, let us sit – there is much to tell you..."

And thus began the biggest round of bullshitting Harry had ever done – after the scene with Voldemort, of course. He still found it hard to believe that he had escaped with his life.

"I die?" Dumbledore asked, seeming genuinely surprised. Probably never thought he could possibly die, Harry snarked inwardly. Outwardly he showed quite different feelings, of course, and he could feel Severus' gaze on him as he played his role of the Golden Boy to perfection.

"Yes," Harry replied, his voice quivering with suppressed emotion. "It was a cursed ring," he supplied, his gaze dropping to Dumbledore's unblemished hand. "I don't know what it was, or why you put it on... but although Severus did everything he could to keep the curse from spreading..." Raising his eyes back to Dumbledore's, he gave him a look of deepest sorrow. "It didn't take long, sir, and Poppy made sure that you didn't feel much pain."

"I am thankful to our competent Mediwitch, then," Dumbledore replied smoothly, his expression gentle as he patted Harry's hand. Swallowing his revulsion – he assumed it looked like he was swallowing tears to the other man – Harry turned his hand to hold the wrinkled fingers between his.

"You don't know how good it is to see you alive and well, sir," Harry whispered, dropping his head to look at their linked hands. Only because I look forward to the day when I can be the one to put you back in that grave, bastard, he thought in the depths of his mind. After Dumbledore's death Severus had managed to slow down and teach him Occlumency properly, and Harry was certain that he could keep Dumbledore out of his mind unless he forced his entry. Due to the strange link between him and Voldemort he had never been able to fully shield his mind from him, nor was he capable of fully blocking the man who had taught him the mind arts, but Dumbledore - yes, he would be unable to read Harry as he had before.

Dumbledore simply squeezed his hand gently in reply, and silence fell over the Potions Master's living room