AN: This story was meant as a one-shot. It was rather more popular than I had expected, though, and I do have a few more ideas. Not for a complete multi-chapter fic, but enough for a few more related scenes.

Harry was happy when Hermione finally stopped nagging him about his Occlumency lessons and Ron started renting on about Marietta Edgecombe. It gave him the chance to think about what had happened earlier, what he had seen in the Pensieve. He felt as though the memory was eating him from the inside. He had been so sure that his parents had been wonderful people that he had never had the slightest difficulty in rejecting Snape's aspersions on his father's character. So many people had told him how great his father had been and how much they were alike. He felt disgusted and disappointed and… defeated. Snape had been right. His father had been an arrogant, horrible person. A bully. And even worse, Sirius and Remus were the same.

Harry felt lost. He had lost faith in the people that meant the most to him. At least Lily had intervened. His mother had been decent, Harry reminded himself. But the look she had had on her face was disturbing. How had Lily and James ever ended up together? Once or twice he even wondered whether James had forced her into it…

He felt tired and miserable. He had lost his source of comfort and inspiration. He had to talk to Sirius.

Harry could hardly sleep and awoke early the next day, feeling anxious. It was not only the prospect of breaking into Umbridge's office and using her fire to speak to Sirius that was making him feel nervous, though that was certainly bad enough – today also happened to be the first time he would be in close proximity with Snape since Snape had thrown him out of his office, as they had Potions that day.

Snape seemed to have decided to act as though Harry were invisible. Harry was, of course, used to this tactic, as it was one of Uncle Vernon's favorites, and on the whole was grateful he had to suffer nothing worse. In fact, compared to what he usually had to endure from Snape in the way of taunts and snide remarks, he found the new approach something of an improvement and was pleased to find that when left well alone, he was able to concoct an Invigoration Draught quite easily. At the end of the lesson he scooped some of the potion into a flask, corked it, and took it up to Snape's desk for marking. He had just turned away when he heard a silent "Come to my office tonight, Mr. Potter!" from behind him.

So it wasn't over, he thought. He gulped but nodded, and left the classroom. Panic was welling up inside of him. Was Snape going to kill him? It seemed like a reasonable possibility, and Harry had to admit that he would feel the same way if someone had watched his worst memories.

Snape had treated him horribly since he came to Hogwarts and Harry hated that old git. He thought he was more of a spy for Voldemort than he was for Dumbledore, and he had called his mother a mudblood. Still, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. Not right now. Not when the picture of the younger Snape being tortured and humiliated in front of his peers for no reason was still so fresh in his memories. He pitied him and he felt ashamed for intruding his privacy like that. He was scared of what Snape might do to him but he felt as if he deserved some kind of punishment.

The career counseling with Professor McGonagall distracted him for a while but when it was time to speak with Sirius the memories came floating back and he felt horrible once more.

The conversation with him and Lupin hadn't gone so well. They had no excuse for treating Snape the way they had. Harry wasn't exactly angry with them but he was still disappointed.

After Fred and George's flight to freedom, he felt a little bit better and strong enough to actually knock at Snape's door and face his punishment.

"Enter," came Snape's voice from the other side of the door and reluctantly Harry obeyed. His stomach cringed and he breathed heavily.

The classroom was empty besides Snape, and Harry could feel the potion's master looking at him but he couldn't bring himself to look into the man's direction. He felt tired, miserable and guilty. And he was scared. He was contemplating apologizing again and maybe even ask for continuing their Occlumency lessons like Lupin and Sirius wanted him to, when Snape spoke up.

"I feel I have to apologize, Mister Potter. I might have overreacted the other day. We will continue our Occlumency lessons as planned."

Harry's jaw dropped. Had he been looking at the professor he would have seen him struggle through his apology. He couldn't believe it. After the look Snape had had on his face after the incident with the Pensieve, Harry had been sure the man would kill him. Not only did Snape not kill him, no he even apologized to him!

Snape turned around. Obviously the conversation was over. Well at least for him it was; Harry felt he needed to say something.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Snape frowned.

He didn't turn around. He had a feeling that he wouldn't get out of this that easily. Maybe apologizing had been a mistake but he felt he had to after what he had seen in the Pensieve. Maybe not for his treatment of Harry the day before; he felt it had been appropriate. But for everything that had happened since the boy had come to school. For him not being there for Lily Evan's son. For failing Lily again. For letting her get killed.

Harry didn't know any of this. And Snape was glad he didn't. He wouldn't be able to recover if anyone knew.

"You don't have to apologize, sir. I shouldn't have done what I did and I'm sorry. I did not find it amusing, and I didn't tell anyone about it. You were right all along. My father was a horrible man…" Harry whispered, lowering his head. That was it - Snape had won.

Snape turned around to look at the boy. He had finally been able to destroy the idealized perfect picture Potter… Harry had of his father. Although he had been looking forward to this moment since the day he first saw the image of James Potter on the first day of school. But now that he knew and didn't see James in the boy anymore… it didn't feel right. The boy had nothing and now he had taken this away from him too. He saw how tired and miserable the boy looked. How defeated. Lily would kill him if she knew.

But how should he talk to the boy? He had hated him for more than four years and only recently had he painfully realized his mistake. It was hard enough to speak to the boy without any venom in his voice.

"Harry," Potter flinched at the professor's use of his first name, "do not let what you saw destroy your belief in your father..." Snape trailed off. This was hard. He had accepted that Harry Potter was not the arrogant toerag he had believed him to be. But the same could not be said for James Potter. "We both know how I feel about him, but he did fight against the Dark Lord, and died protecting you and your mother." He had failed, of course, but far greater wizards had lost their lives to the Dark Lord. This, he could not hold against him. And no matter how much he despised James Potter, he knew he had truly loved Lily.

Harry gasped. This day was full of surprises. First, the person who probably hated him most apologized, then he used his first name, and now he was even defending the actions of his father, the only person the professor seemed to hate more than him. And surprisingly, these few words made him feel better than the whole speech Remus and Sirius had given him earlier.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" the man asked after studying the flabbergasted teenager for a while.

Harry had so many questions on his mind but he couldn't bring himself to articulate them. Snape had been almost nice to him and had taken much of the pain he felt since the incident from him. They would even resume their Occlumency lessons.

"Ehm… I was wondering… " He tried to phrase one of the questions that were flowing around in his head. But then he shook his head. He didn't want the man to become angry again. "No sir. Good night sir." If their lessons continued... and if Snape remained civil... perhaps another opportunity to ask would present itself.

"Good night, Mr. Potter." Snape said and Harry left with many questions in his head and something of an smile on his lips.