Harry was still brooding as he walked into the Gryffindor common room. As soon as he went in, Fred, George, Ron and Seamus started clapping for him. Harry grinned and sat down.

"I can't believe Professor Snape was so mean to you," Hermione said. "No professor should ever act that way."

"It's okay," Harry said. "I was just trying to get out of doing his homework."

"I felt sorry for you," Neville said. "I was scared to stand up for you, but felt that I should."

"It's okay," Harry said again. "It went exactly according to plan."

"You did all that to get out of homework?!" Hermione looked astounded.

"He was going to make us write two rolls of parchment!" Harry exclaimed. "I don't have time for that! There's a quiddich match tomorrow! Besides, that's not even what Lupin asked him to do."

"How would you know?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Lupin was good friends with my dad," Harry explained. "In class, we pretend we don't know each other from before, but sometimes I visit him in the evening. He mentioned that he had an appointment and that Snape would be subbing. He said that when he offered Snape a lesson plan, Snape said he already knows what he wants to teach and that there will be two rolls of parchment for homework. I couldn't let that happen, so without telling Lupin what I was doing, I lent Fred and George my cloak and told them not to get caught. I also said that if they do get caught, I will spend the whole class blubbering about my cloak so that Snape can't teach."

"You shouldn't do that to a teacher," Hermione reprimanded.

The rest of the class was thrilled to be getting out of homework.

"What did Snape do to you?" Ron asked.

"I have detention tonight after dinner," Harry said. "I have to scrub caldrons without magic."

"That means you can't practice tonight," Oliver said.

"I could practice now instead," Harry told him.

After a hard practice, Harry walked into the great hall in time to see all the Slytherins laughing and miming crying into a blanket.

"You have a blankie, Potty," Pansy sneered.

Harry grinned at her and walked to his table. He tried to ignore the sneers he got from the Slytherins. After dinner, Harry went to Snape's room for detention. Scrubbing caldrons was mindless work, but it took Harry time to get them all clean. When he finished, he went to Snape's desk.

"Sit down," Snape said. "Do you understand why you had detention?"

"I was very rude twice," Harry said. "What I said last night was completely inexcusable."

"Why did you say it?" Snape asked.

"I wasn't ready for my occlumency to be attacked," Harry explained. "My brain felt scrambled and I lost my temper."

"I told Professor Dumbledore what you told me last night," Snape told me. "He confirmed your story although he doesn't think you will ever get possessed since you got rid of the dark lord. He also thinks you know a lot more than you're telling us."

Harry didn't say anything.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were just like your father," Snape continued. "You look just like him and hexing a teacher the first night of school is the type of thing he would do. After seeing you attack Sirius, I realized you have a lot of your mother in you too. However, neither of your parents would have been willing to do what you just did for Lupin. Your dad would have hexed me and pranked me until I agreed to drop it, while your mother would have yelled at me and eventually hexed me if I didn't listen to her reasoning. Who do you really take after?"

"I take after myself," Harry said.

"Who taught you to take abuse for other people?" Snape wanted to know.

"Do you know how I lived for the ten years after my parents died?" Harry asked.

"I'm trying to decide if you deserve another punishment or if I should tell you about your mother," Snape said thoughtfully. "My original plan was to have you scrub the bedpans in the hospital, but considering your motivations for today's behavior, and my concern that you will need my help if Bellatrix ever gets her hands on the horcrux, I'll tell you about your mother instead."

Harry listened as Professor Snape described growing up in a muggle neighborhood. He mentioned his excitement at discovering that Lilly was also magical and described some of their early experiences together. He talked about their excitement for going to Hogwarts and how disappointed they were to be in different houses. He mentioned how Lilly always stood up for him when he was being bullied.

"That's one way you're like your mother," he said. "I do get annoyed when you constantly stand up for your classmates during my class, but your mother would have done the same thing if she was there."

He mentioned the fight they had at the end of their fifth year, taking all responsibility for himself. He was upset and said something he shouldn't, and Lilly got angry at him. Unlike Harry, she doesn't forgive easily. Snape was devastated at the loss of his best friend. After losing Lilly's friendship, his only friends were his fellow Slytherins, most of whom were planning to join the death eaters. He joined too, craving a sense of belonging to a group.

"I did lots of bad things," Snape said. "I never really thought about wrong or right. The event that made me stop happened when the dark lord suggested I try to get a teaching position at Hogwarts to spy on Professor Dumbledore. I didn't get the position. I knew I would be in big trouble if I came back with no job and no information on Dumbledore, so I had to get information. He was interviewing another teacher, so I listened at the door. I heard Professor Trelwaney make her prophecy and told it over to the dark lord. I didn't realize at that time that your mother was expecting a baby. I was devastated when I found out that the prophecy referred to you and begged the dark lord to spare your mother. When he refused, I told Professor Dumbledore everything I knew. He asked me to be his spy instead and tell him all of the dark lord's plans. I agreed on condition that he keeps your mother safe. You asked if I changed at all since my death eater days. The answer is yes. I realized that I always loved your mother, and I will do anything I can to protect her son, no matter how annoyingly arrogant or cheeky he is."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said. "I appreciate knowing that even though you detest me, you will still help me if I'm in danger."

"Do you believe that I changed?" Snape asked.

"Would you like an honest answer or a polite answer, Professor?" Harry asked, not sure how to answer the question.

"You won't get in trouble for being honest," Snape told him, "as long as there are no students around, and you will keep everything I just told you a secret."

"Actions speak louder than words, Professor," Harry said. "Thinking about your actions today and yesterday, as well as the way you treat students, do you think you changed since leaving the death eaters?"

"I said you won't get in trouble, Potter," Snape said. "But I don't like your answer. Next time you get detention, I will be testing your occlumency."

"I'll try to stay out of trouble," Harry said.

"No," Snape told him, "Practice."

As Harry walked back to his common room, he felt as if life just got a lot more confusing.