The Aging Potion - Snarry

Chapter 2: Confusion

When Severus came to, the first thing to break through the fog of unconsciousness was the feeling of a wet rag patting his forehead and cheeks. Confused but quickly coming to the conclusion that he must be in the infirmary, for where else and for what other reason would someone be caring for him in this way, he opened his eyes in irritation, an angry retort for Madam Pomffery already on his lips. But the face leaning over him did not belong to the often overly-motherly mediwitch.

No, this face had bright green eyes, unruly black hair, and circular glasses.

And they were in his private quarters.

Severus Snape sat up and was on his feet with his wand pointed at The Chosen One's chest so quickly that they almost smacked heads and the backwards momentum sent Harry Potter falling back on his behind at the ex-Death Eater's feet.

"What the Hell are you doing in my quarters, boy, and how in the Hell did you get passed my wards?" Severus sneered, pinning the younger man to the floor with a deadly glare.

"Severus, what's gotten into you?" Harry asked, his eye brows furrowing in confusion. The younger brunette's eyes flashed in betrayal and hurt, but to Severus's suprise, not fear as he would expect to see due to the youth's current position.

"Answer my question, Potter! How did you get passed my wards?"

" I will answer as soon as you let me to stand and stop pointing your wand at me."

Silence passed for a moment as both men studied each other in bewilderment. Severus had a multitude of questions bombarding his brain, none, of course, making themselves known on his precisely placed mask of coldness on his face. First of all, why were he and Potter in his private living room and not in class, or for that matter, in the infirmary, for the light shining through the crack of the blinds indicated early evening and the fact that he was recently unconscious lead him to assume that he had been previously ill or injured. Secondly, how did Potter manage to pass through his privacy wards unscathed and intact without his knowledge or assistance? Why did Potter even bother with helping his greasy professor or for that matter, how dare he bother? Severus was no damsel in distress, in need of the doting care of others.

And lastly, why did a small part of his fury disipate when he spotted tears threatening to spill from those bright, emerald eyes?

It soon became clear that he wouldn't be receiving answers anytime soon if he left the boy stranded on the floor. So with a huff and a sneer, Severus lowered, but did not re-sheath, his wand, allowing his student to return to his feet. More beats of silence followed as ebony studied emerald, both unsure of each other's motives.

"I'm still waiting for an answer, Potter."

Said Potter seemed to cringe and the mention of his name, giving Severus a case of deja vu that he didn't understand.

"I simply said the password, though it took me a few tries and earned me a couple of electrical shocks, since, for some reason, it was set to one of the old passwords, one of the original ones you had set before I moved in. I also couldn't sense any of my wards, just yours, which didn't make any sense, either. Did I do something to upset you, Sev? Is that why you changed the wards and are acting so strangely?"

For once in his life, Severus Snape was so confused that he couldn't stop his head from cocking to the side and his eyes from squinting. "I can honestly say, Mr. Potter, that I have no idea what you're talking about. I suggest that you start from the beginning."

"Well, I was in my last class of the day, second year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, about twenty minutes before the end of the period, when I suddenly saw a bright flash of light and then darkness. When I opened my eyes, I found myself on the floor of your classroom surrounded by students and with a sore spot on the back of my head." Harry replied, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head. "When I sat up, I saw you and I went to hug you, but you pushed me away and started calling me 'Potter'. You then passed out and I brought you back to our quarters, since I know that you're not a big fan of the infirmary, even when you're sick."

Severus blinked as he processed Potter's words, and he suddenly remembered what happened before he collapsed. The aging potion, Draco's shove, Potter's cauldron spilling onto his robes, the boy's odd behavior that startled him so much. It was then when he noticed that there wasn't a 'boy' standing in front of him, but a man, one easily in his late twenties, and one that was very confused and unaware of his apparent ten-year fall back into time.

He sighed in defeat as he returned his wand to his wrist holster. This immediately made the brunette in front of him look more relaxed, though his eyes held onto the emotions that, for some reason, made Severus's stomach twist in disappointment. He ignored this feeling, however, as he contiplated the best way to rectify the situation.

"Mister P...Harry," he corrected as he saw the flash of hurt pass through emerald eyes. "I suggest that we seek the presence of the headmistress before we discuss anything further. We may need her assistance as we advance farther into this situation we find ourselves in."

"Something bad has happened, hasn't it, Sev?"

"Indeed, Harry, I do believe so."