Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form, nor am I making any money from this story. I do, however, own the plot and any characters that appear in the story that are not apart of the original series.

A Different Reality

By Constellations

-In Which Severus Returns to Hogwarts-

"I wasn't going to Severus. I hope you have more luck than the rest of us have had," said Albus. "And take as long as you need, I'm sure Cyne can survive without your assistance for a few weeks."

With a quick nod Severus left, giving silent thanks to Dumbledore as he returned to the dungeons in order to prepare for his expedition.

§-§-§

Severus Snape had spent the last two weeks searching across the English countryside only to find no trace of the boy. It was almost as if he had vanished into thin air. No one he had talked with had heard of anyone finding a child Harry's age. In frustration, Severus had actually gone to visit the Dursleys himself to try and gain a possible lead that Albus may have missed. But much to his dismay, he hadn't been able to get any straight answers from them. With no leads or clues to follow, he was beginning to give up hope of ever finding the child.

He had spent a few more days looking for any sign of the boy, yet in the end it was of no use. Harry Potter could simply not be found. Dejectedly, Severus gathered up his energy and apparated near Hogwarts' wards.

Walking towards the wards of the castle he felt its ancient magic surround him. The magic was so dense here that at times you could see it lightly shimmer in the air around the ward areas. Presently Severus came to an abrupt halt and found he could go no further. He smiled slightly and rolled his eyes, it was always like this. The castle knew him all too well, but one of its favorite things to do seemed to be making him wonder if it would allow him to enter the grounds or not. As if hearing his thoughts, a faint laughter could be heard in the air as the white swirls of magic circled around him.

The first time this had happened, Severus had been scared out of his wits. It had been the beginning of his fourth year at the time and he had missed to the Hogwarts Express (much to his dismay, though it really hadn't been his fault). Arriving instead, by broomstick, he had been surprised to find that he was stuck mid air. After eventually being freed, a distraught and confused Severus had gone straight to Dumbledore and explained to the Headmaster what had happened to him. Though slightly surprised, Albus had taken it all in stride and had half jokingly, half seriously informed him that Hogwarts must have had taken a liking to him. After explaining to the poor boy what this actually meant, Dumbledore had conjured up a plate of food (Severus had missed the welcoming feast because of the castle's little 'display of affection') and sent him off to the Slytherin dorms.

To say the least, Severus had gotten to know the castle's layout quite well after his fourth year (to the great disappointment and confusion of the Marauders♦). By the time he had graduated from Hogwarts, Severus knew the castle like the back of his hand, which was why he was so talented at finding students wondering around past curfew (This had become something of a hobby for him. He had found during his apprenticeship it was a good way for him to relieve stress.).

Severus was brought back from his thoughts as Hogwarts released its grip, making him stumble slightly as he regained the ability to move. Shaking his head at the castle's antics he made his way slowly up to the fortress. Once inside, Severus made his way straight to his chambers in the lower dungeon regions, which were located several floors below the Potions classroom and Slytherin common room and dorms. Lost in his thoughts he missed the entrance to the chambers. Stopping suddenly mid-step, he corrected himself and back tracked a few meters so that he now stood directly in front of a large wizarding portrait of Hogwarts grounds with Salazar Slytherin in the foreground.

The picture happened to be one of his favorites since he had attended Hogwarts as a student. He had discovered it in an abandoned room filled with old paintings while trying to escape from Black and Potter. Albus had kindly let him use the picture to guard his chambers upon returning to Hogwarts as a Potions Apprentice.

"Severus, do you plan on entering or are you just going to stand there admiring the scenery?" the portrait of Slytherin drawled.

Startled, he snapped his head towards the Founder and glared at him. "Siege Perilous."

"Fine, be that way… What has you in such a bad mood?" asked Salazar. "How did that 'quest' of yours go by the way? Any luck?"

Severus shot another piercing glare at the portrait. But since there isn't much that flusters portraits in the first place, the threatening glare did little good. Seeing that his glare wasn't getting him anywhere Severus demanded to be let in.

"Fine, fine … I'll take that as a no then," said the Founder as the portrait opened, revealing a slit of the chambers it guarded.

Refusing to respond, he swept through the doorway and closed the portrait entrance swiftly behind him. Finally alone in the seclusion of his chambers, Severus let out a sigh and sank into his forest green armchair. Thoughts of all the 'what ifs' surrounding Harry's disappearance swirled inside his head as he stared blankly into the roaring fire. Conjuring an old bottle of red wine, he poured himself a glass and raised it to his lips, ready to drown away his sorrows when suddenly…

"You really shouldn't drink that you know… you and alcohol never have mixed well…plus it's bad for your liver." drawled a voice from out of the shadows.

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Notes:

♦Severus had born the brunt of the Marauders' tricks, pranks, and overall mischievousness the previous three years. After 'the incident' at the beginning of his fourth year, however, the castle helped him quite a few times to escape from the Marauders' plotting. Severus' sudden evasiveness and knowledge of the castle's layout confused them to no end, James in particular. This, among other things, was one of the key motivations for the creation of the Marauders Map… which is another story entirely that involved many long hours put in by Remus Lupin, and some effort by the other three (Lily also happened to be dragged into the project towards the final stages of completion since she was the top of their year in Charms (Of course the only reason she did it was so that James Potter would stop nagging her about it… but that's besides the point).

And of course…thank you to everyone who has reviewed…your comments, criticisms, etc are always helpful (and appreciated!)