It took Harry a while to fall asleep that night. He kept replaying everything—over and over again.

They had kissed for what felt like hours, but was likely only a few minutes. At first they were urgent, as if to make up for lost time, but soon their actions turned languid, cherishing each moment.

"What now?" Draco asked.

"I'm good with this," Harry had answered.

Draco had laughed. "You know what I meant," he said. "What happens now?"

Harry caressed Draco's face. "Like I said, I'm good with this," he answered. "Me and you. Right here."

"We can't tell anyone," Draco said.

"We can't tell the public," Harry replied. "There are some we can tell."

"You know what I mean."

"I do," Harry said. "And I can live with that. So long as we both leave this room knowing where we stand."

"I'm yours."

"And I'm yours."

Harry nearly forgot to clear his mind before falling asleep. He didn't want to, not this time. But he knew how important it was. He didn't want any visions to cloud this night. Still, when he drifted off to sleep, he did it with a smile.

The following morning, Harry told Neville and Hermione what had transpired. Well, he may have given them a bit of an abridged version. But he also shared a warning Draco had given him.

"The Inquisitorial Squad?" Neville asked. "What can they do exactly?"

"Everything Prefects can and more," Harry explained. "They can dock house points. And it's all the Slytherins we hate. Spread the word, and try not to piss them off."

As Harry tried to keep his own advice, he was waylaid by Filch. He was brought to Umbridge's office, where he pretended to drink tea and lied to her face. Well, mostly lied.

"Where is Albus Dumbledore?"

"No idea," Harry answered truthfully.

"The two of you have been in this together since the beginning," she insisted. "I know you know of his whereabouts."

Harry laughed and watched as Umbridge's face blotched red with anger. "Dumbledore and I may be on the same side, but that doesn't mean we're in this together," he said, still laughing. "Anyone who knows me knows well enough I can't stand the man."

She pursed her lips. "Where is Sirius Black?"

Harry nearly spilt his cup of tea. "I don't know," he answered quickly.

"You can claim to hate Dumbledore," she said. "But you know where Sirius Black is. Tell me."

"I don't know," he insisted.

"Very well," she said, unsatisfied. "But know that all channels of communication in this castle are monitored. The floo networks, the owls, the—"

BOOM!

"What the?" Umbridge asked. "Dismissed Mr. Potter." Harry dumped out the tea when Umbridge wasn't looking and eagerly followed her. Seeing Fred and George's handiwork brightened his day. He even had a moment alone with Draco later that evening to rejoice in it together. Draco regaled Harry with Umbridge's struggles clearing up the fireworks. As a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, he had been given front row seats.

Once more, Harry went to bed thinking of Draco's lips, and in all the excitement, skipped one crucial step.

He was once again in the dark corridor. The door opened at his touch and he found himself standing in the circular room lined with doors…he chose one and it opened as easily as the first…he was in a rectangular room filled with mechanical clicking…he couldn't stop…he went through the next door…he was in a dimly lit room with towering shelves…he knew where he wanted to go…there was something here he needed….if he could just make it…

BANG! Harry awoke immediately. He could hear laughter and the sounds of his dorm mates marveling at another one of Fred and George's fireworks. He was angry at the timing, but he knew he shouldn't have seen what he had anyway. It appeared as if he was going to need another occlumency lesson.

Harry glumly made his way to Snape's office. He had been able to get notice to his professor, who had instructed him to come down that very night. He had just been confronted by Cho. They had remained on good terms after he had turned her down, but Marietta's betrayal had raised contention. He had also been unable to meet with Draco this evening. He knew walking into his lesson with so much on his mind was not ideal, but he really couldn't find the energy to care.

"You're late," Snape said.

"I know," Harry answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry." He plopped himself down in a chair. "I had another dream last night."

"I assumed," Snape replied. "What was it?"

"I saw the corridor that leads to the Department of Mysteries again," he explained. "This time I made it in though. I went through a couple rooms to a one with a bunch of shelves. It felt very urgent, but I woke up before I could find what I was looking for."

Snape's face had grown more severe as he talked. "I don't like the sound of that," he replied curtly. "That sounds an awful lot like the Dark Lord is making you see these things."

"Wouldn't that mean he's aware of the connection?" Harry asked.

"Yes it would," Snape said standing up. "I will see what I can find out, but in the meantime, your lessons are more important than ever."

"But—"

"No buts," Snape interrupted. "Wand at the ready. We're going to practice hard tonight. Ready, let—"

Snape was cut off as his door banged open.

"Professor Snape, sir...oh…sorry…"

"It's alright, Draco," Snape said. "Potter is here for remedial potions."

Draco looked towards Harry in confusion. "Occlumency," Harry said. Snape looked up sharply, but Harry cut him off. "It's okay Professor. Draco's on our side."

Draco nodded. "Yes sir," he said. "It's true."

"Well, then," Snape responded. "What is it?"

"They've found Montague, sir," Draco answered. "He's jammed in a toilet on the third floor."

"Very well," Snape replied. "Potter, we shall resume this tomorrow evening. Make sure you practice."

"I can help him, sir" Draco offered.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You're good, but you're not that good." He turned to Harry. "Tomorrow Potter."

With that, he swept from the room. Rather than follow him, Draco turned towards Harry and smiled.

"Remedial potions?" he asked with an infuriating smirk.

"Shut up," Harry replied, moving forward to kiss him. He was glad they would have this small moment.

"I guess we do get to see each other today after all," Draco said, echoing Harry's thoughts.

"Wish it was longer," Harry said with a sigh. He touched his forehead to Draco's. "You should probably head back up there."

"Yeah, I know," Draco murmured. "In a moment." He gave Harry a soft kiss. Harry was the one to pull away. There would be questions if Draco didn't reappear.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Draco's hand and tugging him towards the door. As he turned to leave the room, something sparkly caught his eye. He turned and saw what looked like Dumbledore's pensive sitting on Snape's desk.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"The pensive," Harry answered. Confusion crossed Draco's face, but only for a moment.

"Oh, because of the occlumency," Draco responded. "He did that for me to." It was Harry's turn to look confused. "When you do this, there is a chance you could enter his own mind. He makes himself vulnerable by opening up with us. Of course, he's much stronger at kicking us out, but still, I guess there are things he doesn't want us to risk seeing."

"I saw some once," Harry said, walking closer to the pensive. "Childhood stuff. Just fleeting glimpses."

Draco looked from the pensive to Harry. "What, you want to know all of our professor's dark secrets?"

"Just one," Harry mumbled, fingering the edge of the silver bowl.

"Which one?" Draco asked, watching closely.

"The adults are keeping information from me," Harry explained. "Information about what Voldemort is doing. I've pieced together small parts, but I want the whole. And they'll never tell me."

"It would be wrong to view his memories without his permission," Draco pointed out.

"I know," Harry said. "I shouldn't. But I don't want to see just any memory. I want to see what I have a right to know about." He looked up at Draco. "He's seen my moments. All my private moments, while I was helpless to stop him. I just want some information. That's all." Draco still looked skeptical. "You don't have to stay. Go, help them with Montague."

"And leave you here to get in all kinds of trouble?" Draco asked. "I don't think so." He grabbed the hand Harry had let go in his distraction. "What you see, I see."

Harry nodded. He turned towards the pensive. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three." Both boys took a deep breath and plunged their heads into the silvery liquid. Within moments, they were no longer in Snape's office, though the scene was quite familiar.

"We're in the Great Hall," Draco said looking around at all the students scribbling furiously at their desks. "It must be exam time."

Harry looked down at the student in front of him. A lanky, scrawny boy with oily black hair and a large noise was bent over his paper so much so that his noise almost touched it. "This must be Snape," he said. Draco started to say something about their young professor, but Harry wasn't listening. He had just realized, if Snape was here, so were his parents. He looked up. The red hair he found easily, several rows away, also writing furiously. In another few seconds, he had located his father. Before Draco realized what was happening, Harry had left his side and was standing in front of James Potter.

Harry wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him, but he knew that wasn't how memories worked.

"It seems everyone was right," Draco piped up from behind him. Harry turned in confusion. "You do look just like him. It must be like looking in a mirror for you." Harry looked back at his father and studied the young boy before him. What Draco said was true. With the absence of green eyes, the young man before him could have been his twin. "This isn't the memory you were looking for Harry."

"I know."

"We should leave," Draco insisted. Harry couldn't find the words to reply. He looked at Draco helplessly. Draco must have seen the desperate longing in his eyes. The blond sighed. "Alright, we can stay for a bit. But we can't stay here long Harry." Harry nodded and turned back to his father.

As they waited for the exam to finish, it appeared the students were nearly out of time. Harry looked around for other familiar faces. He pointed his mother out to Draco, and then Sirius. "He looks so handsome," Harry said. "I mean, he's still handsome, but Azkaban really messed him up."

"It'll do that," Draco said quietly. Together they found Remus, and then Peter. Harry clenched his fists.

"This is the rat who got my parents murdered," he said angrily.

"I know," Draco said, squeezing Harry's hand. "But there's nothing you can do about that now." Soon, the moderator called time and collected the papers. "We'll have to follow Snape if we're staying Harry. It's his memory."

Harry looked around in panic, but it was short lived. Fate was on his side as his mother walked ahead of Snape with some friends, and his father's group a short way behind. They all ended up on the lawn within range of the other. Harry and Draco left Snape to his own devices, hovered over his exam notes checking answers, and placed themselves by the Marauders.

He watched eagerly as his father interacted with his friends. James Potter had a bad habit of running his hand through his hair. He sat and busied himself playing with a stolen snitch, much to Peter's enjoyment. He looked at his godfather and Remus.

"They mustn't have admitted their feelings yet," Harry whispered to Draco. He knew they couldn't hear him, but he didn't want to disturb the peace nonetheless. "They figured out they were gay because they had feelings for each other. Look how they're sitting." He pointed between them. "Barely any space, leaning towards one another."

"They're practically shouting it to the entire school," Draco agreed as they watched the two young men exchange small, secret smiles. "Everyone else must have known." He then looked at Harry with a teasing smirk. "Then again, if you get your cluelessness from your father it was probably quite the shock to him."

Harry playfully shoved the blond. "Ha, ha, ha," he said. He made to stand up. "Come on. We should go. This isn't what I came to see." He stood up, and then offered Draco a hand. Right as they turned to leave, Harry heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey look who it is Prongs," Sirius drawled. "Snivellus."

Harry and Draco watched helplessly as the Marauders went after their professor, who had done nothing to provoke such an attack. Anger filled Harry's stomach as he saw how quickly Snape had reacted upon hearing their voices. It was useless, as he was four against one. They watched as James and his friends dangled Snape upside down, exposing him to the entire school.

Harry felt sick to his stomach. "That's my dad," he said in disgust. "Everyone's always told me how great he was, but he's not great at all."

"It's just one day," Draco insisted. "One bad moment."

"Do you really believe that?"

"No."

"I didn't think so," Harry said. He watched on in horror. He was momentarily soothed when he saw his mother come to Snape's rescue, only to be disappointed when the potions professor called her the worst insult imaginable.

"He was under distress Harry," Draco said. Harry glanced his way before turning back to the spectacle. "People say things they don't mean when they are under distress."

They watched a few moments more, as James threatened to take off Snape's pants. Harry was just about to exclaim he had had enough and wanted to leave, when he heard the worst sound possible.

"Having fun," a familiar voice growled from behind them. The two boys barely had enough time to look at each other in shock and fear before their collars were yanked backyards and they found themselves sprawled in Snape's office, with the professor in question towering over them. Harry thought he had never seen the man so furious.

"Prof…" Harry began.

"Get out," he snarled through clenched teeth.

"No," Harry said.

"No?" Snape exclaimed. "NO! You little—"

"I'm not leaving," Harry yelled over him. "I want…I have something to say, and I'm going to say it whether you like it or not." Before Snape could respond he turned to Draco. "Go. This was my fault. Go and let me deal with it."

"You sure?" Draco whispered. Harry nodded. Draco through one last small glance at their fuming professor, before giving Harry a peck on the lips and a quiet "good luck."

"How dare you?" Snape growled after Draco had left. "The insol—"

"I know," Harry interrupted. "It was wrong, and I shouldn't have. I was looking for information about the Department of Mysteries. I never meant to see what I saw. But that's no excuse. You can punish me as you see fit, but I saw what I saw, and I have something to say about it."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yes," Harry responded. He took a deep breath. "I wanted to say I was sorry, and that I understand."

A look of surprise flickered across the potion master's face. "What?"

"I'm sorry for the way he, they, treated you," Harry explained. "And I understand why you hated me so much. I look just like him, and I guess I've been arrogant and insolent at times. But I sincerely hope I've never been as bad as he was." Harry looked down at the floor. "Have I been?"

Snape had deflated has Harry spoke. He was still seething with anger, but he seemed to have it somewhat under control. "Today yes," he said. "Today you were just as bad."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut against the words. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Most days," Snape continued. "Most days I see a great deal of your mother in you." Harry looked up in surprise. "You can be arrogant, and you have a serious disregard for rules and authority. But no, you haven't been as bad as your father." Harry's look of surprise turned to gratitude.

"Really?"

"You fight when you are provoked," Snape said. "I have rarely seen you attack or cause harm when there was no cause. Your father didn't need a cause. He was the cause."

Harry blinked back angry tears. "All anyone has ever said was that he was good," he said. "I never believed you when you said otherwise."

Snape nodded. "You never knew him yourself," he said. "You wanted to believe the best."

"Did he…did he do things like that often?" Harry asked quietly.

Snape sighed, and threw himself into a chair. "That was one of the worst I think," Snape answered. "But yes, he did things like this often. To Slytherins. To me."

"Did you ever start it?" Harry asked hopefully.

"In the later years yes," Snape replied. "Eventually, you come to expect the attack, and you respond before it comes." Harry looked crestfallen. "We both did our fair share of horrible things. And I own mine. But I can't look you in the eye and say we were even."

"And my mother?" Harry asked.

"I don't want to talk about that," Snape said curtly.

Harry looked up in surprise. "But—"

"But nothing," Snape said standing up. "This conversation is over. I'll grant you a pass, just this once. If you ever do something like this again there will be hell to pay. And 20 points from Gryffindor."

Harry nodded glumly. He started to walk towards the door, but something in his face must have moved his stone of a professor.

"She was kind," Snape said. Harry looked up at him. "Your mother was one of the kindest people I've ever met. And I did her a disservice that day, calling her what I did."

Harry nodded, and gave Snape a grateful smile. "Thank you. And really, I'm sorry professor." Snape nodded, and the two parted without a word.

Harry's head was spinning. If you had told him first year that there would be a day when he sided with Snape over his own father, he would have laughed until he cried. But today he faced a dilemma. What was the truth about his father?

Yesterday he would have answered with confidence. Today he was no longer sure, but he knew just who to ask.

He walked briskly back to his common room, not stopping for anything. He brushed off his friends, and went straight to his empty dorm room. He fished out his two-way mirror and sat on the seat by the window.

"Sirius!" he called. "Sirius! You there?"

"Yeah," a voice called back. "Give us a mo'." Harry heard the sounds of shuffling, and then both his godfather and Remus appeared in the mirror. "Hey there kid. Got into any more trouble lately?"

"Depends on what you define as trouble," Harry replied. "Draco and I are together, but that's not why I called."

"There's something going on that's more important to you than Draco?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "Do tell?"

Harry recounted what he and Draco had done, and what they saw. "Why didn't anyone tell me he was like that?" Harry demanded. "How come every keeps telling me how great he is?"

The smile had been wiped off of Sirius' face as Harry had talked. He and Remus exchanged nervous looks. "Look, Harry, you have to understand, your dad and Severus didn't get along from the start," Remus said. "They got under each other's skin. Your dad wasn't like that all the time."

"Yeah, and Snivellus is a Death Eater anyway," Sirius added. "Your dad wasn't going around attacking random people."

"It doesn't matter who it was!" Harry exclaimed. "If we lower ourselves to those kinds of acts, we're just as bad as the other side! You can't just treat people that way!"

"You're right Harry," Remus said. "But—"

"No buts Remus!" Harry interrupted. "You can't just dangle someone upside and expose them to the entire school. That's not okay. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he didn't even do anything to you! He was minding his own business! You attacked him because you were bored!"

Sirius sighed and Remus looked guilty. "I understand where you're coming from Harry," Sirius said. "But you can't judge off of just one incident. There's so much more to this rivalry."

"I don't care what kind of animosity is between you guys," Harry countered. "Nothing gives you the right to do what you did to him."

"It's not as if he was perfect!" Sirius exclaimed. "As I remember it, he called your mother a mudblood during that incident!"

"He was under distress," Harry said. "He was being humiliated." He remembered Draco's words. "People say things they don't mean under those circumstances." Sirius went to speak, but Harry kept going. "And, he was sorry. He felt bad about it! Did my dad ever feel sorry for what he did?"

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. "Your dad never liked Snape, and that didn't change," Remus explained. "But he did calm a bit once he started dating your mum."

"I don't see why my mum would have chosen to be with someone like that," Harry said.

"He was very persistent your father," Remus said. "And he did calm as the years went by."

"What do you mean by "calm down a bit"?" Harry asked.

"Well, he started dating your mother and…well…"

"Stopped doing it in her presence?" Harry asked. "That's not changing. And that's not being sorry."

"We know Harry," Remus said. "But there was so much more to your father than this."

"I don't know that there is anything that can make up for this kind of assault," Harry said.

"I personally think that's a bit harsh kid," Sirius said.

"This coming from the man who tried to kill Snape," Harry protested. He was fuming. He had called Sirius in the hopes that his godfather would make him feel better about the entire situation, but he only felt worse.

Sirius looked like he had been slapped in the face. Remus looked ashamed. "Harry…" Sirius began.

"Save it," Harry interrupted. "I don't want any more of your excuses." With that, Harry got up, and proceeded to shove the mirror all the way to the bottom of his trunk. He slammed the lid and kneeled in front of it blinking back tears. It felt like his entire world was crumbling. Snape had said he took after his mother, but how much of his father did he have? He had violated a man's privacy tonight in a big way. Was he capable of more?