Severus was slowly eating breakfast, sitting at the end of the Slytherin table where no one could bother him easily, when his still sleepy brain remembered that he hadn't seen a certain green-eyed ghost all morning. Eh, it was probably just some dream from fume inhalation. He shrugged it off, chewing on a syrup-coated sausage. As if Lily would ever have a child with that Gryffindork.

His eyes traveled to the Gryffindor table where the 'Gryffindork' in question was fooling around with the rest of his followers and waving around a speared pancake, flinging melted butter everywhere and causing everyone in the general vicinity to cower.

Severus snorted in derision. No, he didn't think intelligent, sensible Lily Evans would ever fall for a lunk head like Potter. But as his dark eyes flicked to where the red-head was sitting, a fair distance away from the flashy idiot, he noted that she was watching Potter, an unreadable expression in her brilliant green eyes. The Slytherin looked down at his food and viciously speared another sausage, intent on ignoring the meaning of that expression completely.

"Mr. Snape." A dark, brooding voice interrupted his thoughts and Severus looked up. The Bloody Baron was staring at him across the table, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"Baron?" the Slytherin asked, more than a little confused as to why the ghost would want to initiate conversation with him. Although he might be the Slytherin ghost, he didn't really interact all that much with the house students.

"I found a ghost wandering lost in the dungeons. He says he knows you." The Bloody Baron replied. Severus raised an eyebrow and sighed inwardly. Looks like it wasn't a dream, then.

"Oh, okay." He muttered. "Where is he?" The Bloody Baron tilted his head in the direction of the doors leading outside.

"Out there. Said something about being too scared to come in. Merlin knows why." He grumbled and floated off, probably to scare the first years sleeping in. The ghost had a strange habit of only appearing often to the earlier years, mostly to scare the crap out of them, but detested anyone over the age of 12. Severus didn't want to think about the reason why.

So the Slytherin left his breakfast and walked outside, aware that his Head of House was watching him as well as the Headmaster himself. I'm not that suspicious am I? He mused as he pushed past the huge doors and looked around, there was no one but a couple first years in Slytherin dress hurrying past with frightened eyes and pale faces. Well, granted, there was that incident the other day with a tongue-loosening potion in a Hufflepuff's drink…but I had no idea he was so…strange. I don't think I can ever look Filch in the eyes again.

"Severus?" a translucent hand stretched out from the shadows and Severus most certainly did not jump and he would never admit to having let out a very un-manly squeak, even if under Veritaserum. But that didn't keep the ghost boy from laughing as he floated out of the shadows, green eyes twinkling.

"Why are you so scared of coming into the Great Hall?" Severus asked abruptly. Harry's eyes widened, startled by the sudden question.

"Er, well," he looked around quickly and dropped his voice, Severus felt like he was about to negotiate the price for a baby liver and had to resist hunching his shoulders and sweeping up the collar on his neatly pressed shirt. "my parents are in there." Then the boy settled back, as though that was all he had to say. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"How boorishly inane and stupid a reason," he muttered, ignoring the ghost's indignant squawk. "They'd see you at one point or another, unless you hole up in some abandoned classroom or my rooms and never leave."

"But, if they know I'm their son…" Harry adopted his 'baby-liver-selling' stance; once again it was hard for Severus to not do the same. His hand twitched at his side and his had to physically restrain it. "Then…wouldn't the whole time/space continuum be screwed over? I-it could mess up the timeline!" he finished his 'speech' with a raised voice.

Severus arched his eyebrow once more, "Please," he scoffed, "for all you know the person who sent you here sent you to a different dimension, where the timeline hasn't been created and thusly can't be disrupted. And really, if time could be screwed over so easily, don't you think they'd place a complete ban on time travel? Really, think about it."

"Did you just say 'thusly'?" Harry asked. Severus stared at him, semi-incredulously.

"Is that all you have to say? Really?" he snorted and turned. "I'm going to go finish my breakfast, being alive I do need my nutrition. If you aren't coming then go get lost again, maybe you'll become fast friends with the Bloody Baron." And he walked towards to the doors.

"Agh! Wait!" Harry exclaimed, Severus stopped and looked back. "Fine, fine. I'll come in with you. Your House ghost gives me the creeps and I have feelings you know. Being dead wasn't my plan."

Severus smirked, it was always good to get started on the daily quota early. "Wonderful, maybe then you'll latch onto your future mum and pops, and not me. Or Headmaster, he'll be delighted to meet you I bet." He noted Harry's flinch when he mentioned Dumbledore, but didn't comment on it.

"Yay…" he heard the ghost mutter despondently as he turned once more, with a smirk thrown in for the sake of it. "I love awkward silences."

Severus didn't comment as he pushed open the doors and walked resolutely back to his seat. Silence fell as the ghost floated rather dejectedly after him, the Slytherin couldn't help but be reminded of a kicked puppy, the way his green eyes stared pitifully out from under his brown fringe and his lower lip quivered minutely.

The skinny teen felt the urge to kick it again. But he had to restrain the urge, like he had to for many, because as his mum always said: 'You should only kick the puppy if the puppy has reached level 8 or above on the pitiful look scale. Any lower and you'll be getting in trouble for no reason.' Severus figured that Harry's pitiful look was around a 6 or 7.

-.-.-.-

Harry was rather unnerved by the silence that greeted his arrival behind Severus. He licked his figuratively dry lips nervously, looking around him in darting glances at the Slytherin table where Severus was just sitting down to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, the former staring at him in interest while the latter tittered curiously with one another.

Then his eyes fell onto the Gryffindor table and picked out the five people that meant the most to him in the future, four of them for the righteous deeds they did and one for his absolute betrayal to the light.

He almost fainted again.

But the words of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and a lot of other completely ridiculous things, rescued him from that particularly embarrassing scene. "Excuse me, young man. But I don't believe I've seen you here before, might I ask your name?"

Harry looked up at the head table, where the twinkly-eyed man was alive and standing up to gaze curiously at him. The ghost cleared his throat and when his spoke, a mere whisper, it could be heard in all corners of the room. Evidently he was doomed to attention whether or not he was dead and in the wrong world or not.

"Harry, sir." He said softly, meek for the second time since he'd been transported to the wrong time and perhaps the wrong dimension. "Harry Potter."

The Great Hall erupted into noise, shouts of disbelief and incredulity. Was he really a Potter? Why is he dead? Where'd he come from? Why was he with Snape? Can you please pass the syrup? Were some of the many queries voiced.

Harry looked again at his father, the trio that surrounded him, and his mother who sat a good number of seats over. They were all staring at him in wide-eyed shock. The ghost swallowed and turned away, looking back up at Dumbledore.

Blue eyes twinkled curiously down at him and the Headmaster moved from his seat and before Harry. "Why don't we discuss this further in my office?" he asked kindly. Harry nodded, face carefully blank. He thought he might cry if he said anything.

Dumbledore nodded and, to Harry's surprise, turned to Severus next. "Mr. Snape, if you would come as well? I believe that this may concern you as well, seeing as how you found Mr. Potter first." The Slytherin hesitated for a split-second before nodding rather cautiously and standing as well.

"Oh course, Headmaster." He replied, bowing his head respectfully. Harry was impressed, the first time he'd ever seen the greasy-haired teen ever admit inferiority to another, and the Headmaster no less. He held back the amused snort that disrupted his cool façade and followed Dumbledore as he led the two of them to his office.

"Gaseous Great Grey Grapes." The elderly man told the gargoyle, who slid obediently to the side. Harry saw Severus quirk an eyebrow and smiled faintly, seems the Headmaster was addicted to alliteration in this time.

The ghost let the two living people go first and floated up after them, where he settled into a seat beside Severus, while the Headmaster sat down at his desk.

"So, Harry is it?" Dumbledore began after a couple seconds of awkward silence. Harry nodded.

"Yes sir," he replied softly, feeling a bit cowed by the powerful man, he seemed much stronger now than he did in the future. "Harry Potter."

"Why am I really here, Headmaster?" Severus asked abruptly, leaning forward to stare at Dumbledore, a query in his eyes. "Just because I was the first to find him, doesn't mean I should be questioned beside him. He's a Potter, get his parents." Harry couldn't help but agree, although at the same time he was rather hurt. Unlike the Severus Snape in his time, this one didn't have the same excuses to be prejudiced against him. And he had been almost half-decent the night before…apart from all the cursing and threats.

"In due time, my dear boy, in due time." Dumbledore replied peaceably, Harry thought he heard Severus mutter something along the lines of 'in due time you'll find yourself hexed with blue balls...if they aren't already.' as the teen's countenance darkened considerably. If Dumbldore heard the mutinous muttering, he didn't comment, preferring instead to turn to Harry. "Would you mind explaining to me how you came to be like this?"

Harry shrugged, feeling small whisps coming off his body at the motion. "Sure, I suppose." he took an unnecessarily deep breath before he began, noting the sarcastic snort from Severus and reminding himself to do something prank-ish to the Slytherin later. "Something happened back where I came from, something that cost me my life. But I guess I wasn't supposed to die then and the person who was supposed to send me back, as a ghost since my body had already been cremated when the mistake was realized, wasn't good at their job and sent me here instead of the right time and place."

Dumbledore nodded and stroked his silvery beard idly. "Interesting, quite interesting." he murmured thoughtfully. "What do you think, Fawkes?" Harry started as a melodic trill answered the aging man. He'd forgotten all about the phoenix! He looked to where the stand had been in his time and saw it still there, with the magnificent fire bird perched delicately as he appeared to speak to Dumbledore, the old man nodding and 'hmmming' occasionally.

Harry looked back at Severus, who was sitting stiff in his chair, back upright and eyes staring stonily forward. The ghost sighed and crossed his arms. This is really boring. He commented silently, like it needed to be said. Does it really take this long to discuss a short explanation? He looked over at the Headmaster and the bird, the former listening intently while the latter trilled on and on and on. It really didn't seem like they were going to be done anytime soon, so Harry settled back and looked around the office.

It was almost exactly as he remembered it, trinkets littering every available surface, an endless game of chess on a side table beside Dumbledore's desk, a small bowl of lemon drops Harry had always suspected were laced with calming draughts, and sheaves of paperwork in haphazard piles that would be attended to hopefully sometime in the near future. Although it was rather unlikely, knowing the Headmaster and what he preferred to do when he sat in his office. (Planning his next great meddling in the lives of his insanely loyal pawns.)

Harry was disrupted from his examination as Fawkes fell silent, preening his feathers, and the Headmaster leaned back in his seat to chuckle lightly over his interlaced fingers. "Well then, Mr. Potter," he began, nodding to Harry then Severus, "and Mr. Snape, Fawkes and I have come to an agreement on what shall be done."

"What then?" Harry asked, leaning forward eagerly, in the corner of his eye he saw everus adopt the same stance rather reluctantly but with a more sullen expression afixed on his sallow face. Dumbledore looked at Harry, a question in his eyes.

"Would you be wanting to return to your time, Mr. Potter?" he asked, Harry didn't pause before he shook his head vehemently.

"No way, Headmaster," he said, "there's nothing there for me to look forward to, not anymore at least." he ignored the sharp glance that earned him from Severus.

Dumbledore nodded wisely. "I see, then I'd like to extend to you an offer of becoming one of the Hogwarts ghosts." he said grandly.

"Really?" Harry stared at him in shock he didn't bother to try and conceal, beside him Severus choked on soemthing, the elderly man nodded. Harry furrowed his brows. "But...wouldn't that screw up the timeline? I mean, we don't know if I'm from a different dimension, so wouldn't it be best to put caution to the wind?"

Dumbledore nodded, a knowing twinkle to his powder blue eyes. "We've considered that possibility," he replied rather loftily, "Fawkes assures me that the Fates would ensure that you were in the right place at the right time if they'd already messed up once."

Harry sat back in his seat, mind blank. Was that all it took? Him becoming a ghost and suddenly all his wishes were coming true? His parents alive and young, Sirius alive, Remus happy and, dare he admit it, Severus alive as well? It seemed almost too good. Harry felt a spike of uncertainty through the cavity where his heart once beat. "I-I don't know." he admitted honestly, looked down at his see through hands. "I mean...is it that easy? It doesn't seem right, really. I feel like I'm going to wake up any second now in the Hospital Wing, a bludger to the head from a Quidditch match."

He looked almost desperately up at the Headmaster. "How do you know if this is the right choice? What if this is another mistake?" those blue eyes twinkled at him again, this time in a reassuring manner. Beside him Severus arched a brown and snorted softly, probably wondering why he was still there.

"I assure you, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore replied, his voice soft and comforting. "that it's perfectly okay. Fawkes knows what he's doing, you have no need to fear and repercussions."

Harry nodded weakly and managed a smile. "I-I guess I will then," he said finally. "accept your offer to become a Hogwarts ghost." Dumbledore clapped his hands ecstatically and beamed at him.

"Wonderful my dear boy!" he exclaimed exuberantly. "Simply wonderful!"

Severus chose that time to interject. "So then, why am I needed?" he asked and stood up from his seat. "Seems like everything was sorted out just fine without me. Can I leave now? I'm late to Charms already." The Headmaster waved at him to sit back down, waiting to speak once he had complied slowly.

"This is actually where you come in, Mr. Snape." he said cheerfully. It was Harry's turn to quirk an eyebrow in question, the old man wasn't making sense in this time either. "See, when one becomes a ghost of Hogwarts, one is usually bound to a house."

"So then bind him to Gryffindor," Severus snapped. "That's where his bloody parents are!" Dumbledore ignored his language and Harry stared at him, a seed of worry implanting in his mind. Where was the Headmaster going with this?

"Ah, but you see, Mr. Snape," the Headmaster continued, his calming tone doing nothing to ease the agitated Slytherin. "There can only be one ghost per house."

Severus crossed his arms obstinately and Harry felt dread wash over him. The Headmaster wasn't about to suggest what he thought he was about to suggest, was he? "I still don't see where I fit into everything, bind him to the kitchens or something. You don't need me."

"Alright, well, there can be more than one," Dumbledore corrected himself. "But it's never happened before. But that's not where I'm going with this, I thinking that Mr. Potter could be a ghost of all the houses, if you are agreeable to that. You won't have ties to any of them so you can root for whatever team to win in Quidditch and you may associate freely with any house member." Harry shrugged, he didn't really care about the details.

"Still don't see where I tie into this." Severus grumbled from the sidelines. Dumbledore chuckled and sent him an amused look.

"Don't worry, Mr. Snape," he told the teen. "You're part in this will be revealed, right now in fact: See, I need someone to be able to show young Mr. Potter the ropes around Hogwarts and you know the most out of near everyone I could consider." Severus looked at him suspiciously.

"But he already knows about Hogwarts, I'm pretty sure he was a student before everything that happened to him well...happened to him." he replied stifly. Harry sighed.

"I'm right here, you know." he muttered, Severus shot him an irritated look while Dumbledore smiled blandly,

"Yes, I'm sure that's true," the Headmaster replied. "However, there are merits to interactong with each other." Severus snorted.

"Don't you dare go spouting nonsense about house-unity, please." he snapped.

The Headmaster looked rather hurt. "I understand that you are still sore over your rather heated argument with Ms. Evans, Mr. Snape," he said soothingly, "However, that is no excuse to not aid a person in need. And Mr. Potter here is in need of your help, correct?" he looked over at the ghost in question and Harry couldn't help but nod hesitantly when those blue eyes focused on him.

"Er...yes?"

"There we go! Now that that's settled, I'll just key you into the Hogwarts wards and you can be off." Dumbledore practically bubbled. Harry smiled weakly over at Severus, who glared at him and turned away. A sudden jolt hit the ghost and Harry looked over at the Headmaster, who was brandishing his wand and looking wuite proud of himself.

"Huh?"

"There we go!" the elderly man announced cheerfully. "All set! Off you go then! Be sure to stay with Mr. Snape, Mr. Potter, and I'm sure you'll be just fine!"

Harry nodded, a bit blown away by the sudden turn of events. "Ah, okay..." he trailed off then jolted out of the chair when Severus stood and walked quickly out of the office. Harry followed as quickly as he could, hearing Dumbledore call one last thing to him before he was completely out of hearing.

"I'll be checking in on you to see how things progress! And Good luck, dear boys!"

Then they were past the gargoyle, which slid back into place, and Severus was storming off down the corridor.

Harry floated hurriedly after him. "Ah! Wait up, Severus!" he called, "Don't leave me behind!"


There you have it! Chapter four! Finally...sorry about that, by the way. I've been amazingly busy with school work(AP classes are deadly) and was banned from my computer for a week. But there you have it! Although, I must say I wasn't expecting it to turn out this way. But I suppose it's set itself up for what I've got (loosely)planned for it! :D So that's good.

I don't think this story will have much of a plot, it'll be mainly just Harry getting to meet his parents and co. in a setting where the timeline can't be screwed over and getting closer to our favorite Slytherin!~

Tell me if you think it's worth pursuing!(Bit late for that...inn't it? :D) Oh yes, almost forgot: Thank you so much to those who reviewed! It made me feel all bubbly inside that people like what I write! Hopefully I'll write up to your expectations, but you never know! 'Til next time my lovelies!

~Witty