Chapter nine

Harry walked along the corridor on the seventh floor towards the wall that led to the room of requirement. He just passed the wall three time, the door appearing when he hear his name, his name Brian. He turned and saw Snape hurrying towards him. Even though Harry knew the real Snape had been helping, he still felt like grabbing his wand.

'All this, what you were saying, I would like to continue talking to you. It's the weekend tomorrow, so I don't have classes. Do you think we could talk for a while tonight?'

Harry stared at the younger Snape, 'I suppose, but why?'

'There's something I never told Albus, I never told anyone, so I would like to tell you but not here. I don't want to take the chance at being overheard.'

'Sure, come back to my place, but make one sudden move and you just might see how good I am with a wand.'

'I won't, you have my promise Potter, this is important though.'

'Alright,' Harry opened the door and Snape followed him through the large room, 'Remind me to speak with Dumbledore about that vanishing cabinet before it gets used like it did in my world,' Harry opened the portrait and gestured for Snape to go in first, he wanted to keep Snape in front of him.

The two men walked in silence until they came to the trapdoor, Harry gestured to Snape who opened it and climbed up, Harry closed it and gestured for Snape to follow him into the kitchen and to have a seat, then he made them both coffee.

'So what is it you want to tell me?'

'Some of the things you said, I dreamt the same things, but I was older in my dreams and to be honest, I did not like myself in those dreams, even my looks were different.'

'Your soul was connecting to your alternate self and sorry to say, but your other self was a bastard even if he was helping.'

'Like I said, I did not like that other person and I don't want to become like him. But I should explain something else, just know I don't think that way anymore.'

'I'm not sure I like the sound of this, but go ahead, tell me.'

'Yes I was good friends with…Lily, up until a few years ago, I love her, she was my only friend, the only one I could talk to about certain things, personal things. I realised I was falling for someone, someone I knew couldn't return my feelings so I lashed out. That is the reason I said that to your mother.'

'Well, we both know she's not my mother in this world, so for now let's just call her Lily. Okay, in my world, James and Sirius were having a go at you, Lily had a go at James. You told her you didn't need help from a mudblood, you were hanging upside down by your ankles, a spell you actually invented but James used on you. Is that all the same?'

'Yes, exactly the same, it was right after our O.W.L.s.'

'Yeah, it was. You or you're other self was teaching me occlumency, I ended up breaking through into your mind, I saw what happened that day, until you pushed me out. From what Sirius told me, then Remus, you and James were always at each other, from day one. Sirius said you and he was as well.'

'We were and there is a reason for that.'

Harry gazed intensely at Snape, 'This person you had feelings for, it was one of them, James or Sirius?'

'James, then I realised he was after Lily so between my feelings for him and how he felt about Lily that's why I lashed out. I knew it wasn't Lily's fault, I also knew it wasn't James' fault that he didn't think of me in that way.'

'So you're gay?'

'Gay? I'm not sure I understand what you mean by gay.'

'Okay, maybe that's different. Alright, men in our world that fall for other men are homosexual or gay. Women who fall for women are lesbians or gay. Men and woman that fall for the opposite sex are heterosexual or straight, I'm gay, I like men, not women.'

'Oh then it is different here, we don't have categories like that. Men and women go with who they want, sometimes changing their sexual partners as they wish, go from men to woman and back again.'

'Oh, so no gay or straight everybody is bisexual, okay, well, that makes things better. Being gay isn't really accepted on my world, muggle or magical so I never told anyone I was gay, not even my closest friends. So apart from the dreams, why are you telling me something so personal about yourself?'

'After hearing you I knew you were someone that keeps things to himself, you've had no choice, so I knew I could trust you. There's another reason though.'

Harry again gazed intensely, 'I look like James, is that it?'

'Partially, but I got over my feelings for him a while ago. I figured if you found out you might believe I would try something on you as you are identical to James, apart from Lily's eyes.'

'Oh, so you don't find me attractive then?'

'I didn't say that,' Severus said quickly then flushed.

'So you do find me attractive but you aren't seeing me as James, is that it?'

'Yes, so I thought since we will be spending time with each other, we could get to know each other, maybe go on the odd date?'

Harry wasn't sure how he felt knowing this was Snape but it wasn't his Snape, he had to keep reminding himself of that fact. He admitted that this younger other Snape was cute, to Harry he was cute. He also realised that this Snape's nose was different, not hooked at all which meant the other snake must have had his nose broken. But since Harry thought he was cute and Snape admitted he found Harry attracted maybe they could see each other.

'You know what…Severus, maybe we could. Even though I never liked the other Snape, I always thought your eyes were gorgeous. I never told anyone that before,' Harry chuckled.

Severus smiled, 'Lily actually said I had nice eyes, I always though Lily had nice eyes, you're eyes.'

Harry smiled, 'You have got nice eyes, but now, you said apprentice, how does that work because that is different in my world?'

'Each teacher will take on an apprentice, then when the time comes the apprentice becomes the master or teacher in that subject, sometimes not for years later, but they are trained to take over, they stay as an assistant until their time comes to take over. I left Hogwarts as a student four years ago with perfect N.E.W.T. scores, but my potions was always best out of all the students, so I was taken on as the apprentice by Horace.'

'Even though I know you're not him, he was brilliant at potions, so that seems to be the same. Tell me this, was my mother good at potions, I was told she was but I don't know anything about my parents.'

'You're mother or Lily was brilliant at potions and the only reason she is not a potions apprentice is because she wished to start a family straight away, or almost straight away.'

'Are they married in this life?'

'Yes, married two years ago. I'm twenty one which makes them the same age.'

'So I'm born then. This is all so strange because they died at the age of twenty one, I was fifteen months old.'

'You said you were known around the magical world, were you adopted?'

Harry sighed but shook his head, 'No, because Dumbledore always knew Voldemort would return and because my mother sacrificed herself for me, I had a blood protection that would keep me safe as long as I stayed with her blood. Petunia, a muggle who hated me, hated magic, hated my father and her sister, but she took me in so I had that protection until I became of age.'

'I do remember Petunia, but the way you sounded just then makes me believe you never had a good life with them.'

'No, I didn't, it was a terrible, hard life. Maybe I'll tell you about it one day.'

'I'd like to hear about your life Brian. Even though it was hard and sad by the sound of it, you seem to be a very nice man, so you must have had some good people around you.'

'I did, a lot of good people,' Harry sighed, 'They would be grieving for me right now. I hate doing that to them, but knowing what my life was going to be like after the shit it already had been, I couldn't stay. So I want to make a new life for myself now I'm here, maybe that's with you,' Harry smiled at Severus and received a smile back, something he never thought he'd ever seen on his old potions master's face.