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Severus and Zelda were preparing breakfast together when the doorbell rang. Zelda looked at the clock. "What idiot would bother me so early?" she said, "I'll send whoever it is packing. Carry on, I'll be right back."

She looked through the window in the front door, and saw a stranger, a teenage boy with black hair and glasses. When she saw the brilliant green eyes, and remembered what Severus had said, her heart sank. She considered tiptoeing away, but he stared back at her with a confused expression on his face. The lack of immediate aggression in his demeanor reassured her, and she took several deep breaths. As she opened the door, she resigned herself to the fact that her time alone with Severus was at an end.

"Hello," Zelda said, smiling kindly and holding out her hand. "You must be Harry Potter. I'm Zelda Larsson. Please come in. What can I do for you?"

The boy seemed completely taken aback and shook her hand as he stepped into her living room. He said abruptly, "I'm looking for someone called Severus Snape. I thought he'd be here... how did you know my name?" he asked, starting nervously, "Who are you?"

His hand tightened on his wand as he spoke, and the motion drew her eye. "Are you planning to use that here?" Zelda asked sternly. "I'd prefer it if you'd stow it away... there's a good boy. Now, have a seat and I'll explain," she said, wondering inside if she were mad to try this. "Are you hungry? Breakfast will be ready soon."

Severus was in the kitchen, busily preparing ingredients for an omelette. He was also reminiscing about Zelda's idea of a 'sexy shower scene.' He smirked to himself about some magical ideas he had for that, when he heard her call him from the front room, "Severus, would you please come here?"

Walking into the room he was completely unprepared to see Harry Potter sitting on the couch next to Zelda. He froze, a rush of fear and anger hitting him like a shot of ice water. "Potter!" he exclaimed harshly, "How did you come here?"

Harry rose at the sound of that familiar, hated voice. Here was the one who had killed Dumbledore, and whom he was going to kill. He reached for his wand... but Snape looked so different, so weird, that he paused to stare, thunderstruck. "Bloody hell!" Harry snapped impulsively, stunned at the sight of his hated ex-teacher dressed like a Muggle, "What in blazes are you wearing, Snape?"

There was a shriek from Zelda, and both wizards - man and boy, turned, shocked and startled at the noise. She was convulsing with laughter, and gasping for breath. "You... are... both... so funny!" She moaned, shaking helplessly.

Harry stared at Snape, who seemed to have forgotten him. He realized that the greasy old git was gazing at Zelda with an expression of exasperated delight in his black eyes. Harry was dumbstruck. This was most definitely not the way he had pictured himself finding Snape, and he could not understand why the evil bastard should be standing here in a Muggle house, and staring happily at a Muggle woman who was clearly quite barking mad.

Zelda soon managed to regain control of herself, though, and then she carefully eyed them both. Her gaze suddenly reminded Harry of Professor McGonagall, and he had no idea what to expect from her. "It seems to me," she said in a voice still slightly shaky with laughter, "that there must be some misunderstanding between the two of you. You seem like a decent young man, Harry Potter, and I wish you'd refrain from glaring at Severus like that." She added, "He's the best person I know, and if you understood more, you do seem capable of realizing that he doesn't deserve your hostility."

Severus had gone mute, and was fighting the urge to turn and walk out of the room. Potter had discovered him wearing saggy jeans, and the white undershirt, which had seemed perfectly adequate when he was alone with Zelda. But he now realized this outfit left far more of him exposed than anyone at Hogwarts had seen him since his fifth year at Hogwarts, he recalled bitterly. At her words, he found his voice again, saying nastily, "Potter is never wrong, Zelda. Reality itself gives way before 'The Chosen One's' peerless judgment."

Stung, Harry's face flushed in anger. As he opened his mouth to rebuke the other wizard, Zelda stood up, and walked over to Severus, wide-eyed with astonishment, but with a small smile playing about her mouth. "Is this who you are in your own world, Sev?" she asked him. "Are you usually so completely obnoxious?" His curled lip and complete lack of a verbal response seemed to tell her all that she needed to know. Harry watched astounded, as she stood on tiptoe to kiss Snape's cheek and say, "Goddess, how marvelous you are, my dear wizard. Now, would you please finish making breakfast? I want a word with Harry," she said, "and then I hope he'll be joining us."

Severus glared at Harry, looking at first shamefaced and then smug... and then turned on his heel and left the room.

Zelda turned to the boy. "You've found him," she said slowly, "What exactly do you plan to do now, Harry Potter? Why've you come here?"

She looked into his eyes, and Harry felt as though she could see his rage and desire for revenge. He felt extremely confused. If she was actually a Muggle, he thought, she couldn't surely be a Legilimens... Things that seemed understandable only ten minutes ago suddenly felt different.

Since Harry seemed incapable of speech, Zelda took the opportunity to intervene further, saying sternly, "/You may not attack Severus/, and if you persist in this nonsense, then you'll have to kill me before you can harm him. I don't think you want to do that," she said, "Do you?"

Harry shook his head, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Your arrival is timely," continued Zelda, "I think you and Severus have much that you need to discuss, and you'll learn a lot. But if I catch one glimpse of that wand of yours raised in an aggressive manner, young man, you'll be in big trouble. Do you understand me?"

Harry's green eyes were wide as he nodded, and she smiled at him with a mischievous gleam in her eye, for a moment seeming no older to him than Ginny.

"Good," said Zelda. "Now that we've settled that, let's go see if Severus wants help getting breakfast."

The kitchen was filled with sunshine, and Snape was cutting up onions and peppers for the omelette with intense concentration. Zelda noticed that he had put the Hawaiian shirt on, as a bit of hideous moral support probably. She thought that it actually looked extremely good with his hair and eyes, although he looked like he could use a bit of sun. Having had a brief glimpse of 'Professor Snape,' she felt like howling with nervous laughter inside... even as her heart ached for the loving man she knew, who had been obviously trapped in that hateful role. Harry's face was priceless, she thought. She wondered idly what this whole 'Snape persona' of his consisted of... while trying to keep another smirk off her face. Too late, she realized, seeing that both Severus and Harry were watching her. Her tumultuous emotions became too strong to keep down.

Blushing and trying to collect herself, she snapped, "Harry, please set the table, and then you can make toast. Severus, oh, never mind," she said to the other wizard, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Carry on." She opened the back door and slipped outside.

Severus looked through the window, frowning, as he watched her slide into the old hammock under the oak tree. Turning to Harry, who had been watching the scene with unusual attention, he said, in a preoccupied voice, "You heard her, Potter. Set the table."

Harry, still stunned, opened Zelda's cupboards, searching until he found the dishes. When the table was set, he found bread, and turned his complete attention to the toaster. Finally, he could not contain his curiosity, and turned back to Snape... whom he discovered had been watching him, a hint of an ironic smile on his thin lips.

"Right on schedule, Potter. You could not contain your rampageous curiosity another second, could you?"

"Professor," he said, then stopped, startled. Since when did he call Snape 'Professor'? A sardonic gleam in Snape's eye showed his amusement at Harry's confusion.

"Do not be surprised at yourself, Potter," said Snape ironically. "It is Zelda. The woman projects an aura that confounds all of one's previous notions. Your mother was rather like her in that respect."

Harry was stunned that Snape would speak to him without sneering, that he would mention Lily... his mother... and that he was even here at all. He was living like a Muggle, wearing one of the most hideous Muggle shirts he'd ever seen... and all that whilst the entire wizarding world was searching for him. Though Harry did not want to admit it to Snape, he was bursting with questions, but didn't know where to begin. However, Snape was staring intently out the window again and said abstractedly, "I will answer your questions Potter, if it is possible, but not now. Finish making breakfast, will you please?" and then walked out the door.

Harry went to the window after Snape left and stared through it in disbelief, as he watched him kneel by the hammock to kiss the woman. Then, even more strangely, he pulled her to her feet and embraced her. Snape... Snape!!... The greasy git first spoke to her, and then... seemed to be wiping her eyes, and then, arms around each other, they walked slowly toward the house... Harry wondered, fascinated, what Ron and Hermione would think if they could see Snape right now, snogging this odd woman. She was rather pretty, for an older person, though not hot like Madam Rosmerta, he thought. She still seemed quite mad to him, though. Of course, any woman who could find Snape attractive must be mad, he thought. The man, after all, was mean, ugly, and creepy. Sirius had told him how obsessed with the Dark Arts he was, and...

The door opened and Zelda walked in, followed by Snape. Her eyes looked red, and she seemed to have been crying. She met his gaze unflinchingly though, and smiled. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said, "I didn't expect you to turn up, and although I believe it's good that you're here, I can't pretend Severus isn't leaving any longer."

Severus noticed that breakfast preparation had come to a halt with his departure. He also knew perfectly well that Potter had been staring out the window at them and couldn't resist saying coldly, "For a brilliant Potions student like you, Potter, was it really too much to ask you to finish making a simple omelette?"

Harry flushed and said, "Sorry, Professor," and then turned away, confused and annoyed at his inadvertently respectful behavior.

Severus turned to the stove and resumed cooking, relieved to have a reason to keep himself out of the way. He was intrigued to see what Zelda and Potter would make of each other. Zelda took the orange juice from the refrigerator and put it on the table, and motioned Harry to sit down with her. She smiled warmly and asked Harry brightly, "Are you a brilliant Potions student, Harry?"

A snort came from the direction of the stove. Harry twitched nervously, but replied, "Not really. The potions book I used this past year was one that Professor Slughorn lent me. It had been left in the classroom cupboard."

Harry grew more relaxed as he told the tale to this sympathetic listener. "The... um... former owner wrote everywhere in it, all kinds of shortcuts and great hints, and spells I never heard of before," he explained. "Hermione, my friend, was pretty mad because I got better marks in Potions than she did all year, and some of the spells were great. Professor Slughorn didn't know about the book though, and he kept telling people I was a genius or something." He squirmed, realizing that he was talking far too much, and remembering suddenly that the Half-Blood Prince himself was listening whilst cooking their breakfast, Harry fell silent.

Zelda, watching him closely, said gently, "Tell me more about the book."

It seemed like an innocent question, Harry reflected. She really didn't seem to know. With Snape standing in the room with them, he didn't know if he could say it, but he looked at Zelda, and found himself saying, "Well... erm... it was his... Professor Snape's book, I mean, from a long time ago. I didn't know it was his, it was just an old book that Professor Slughorn lent me, but it was so good I kept it and turned my new book back to him after I got it."

Zelda laughed gently, and said, "Ah, so it was your book, Severus? And so good that Harry didn't want to return it. What a fascinating coincidence."

Severus tried to glare at Potter, but his eye caught Zelda's, and it was all he could do to keep himself from smiling at her.

Harry was emboldened by an absence of enraged response to his confession, although he knew that Snape already knew about the book. He asked impulsively, "Professor Snape, why didn't you write a better Potions book of your own, or something? That Advanced Potion Making book was rotten."

"Potter, did you ever know me to teach from a textbook?" Severus replied caustically, "I do not need a better textbook. Writing one is both time consuming and unprofitable. Unless one follows the Lockhart method and produces sensationalized rubbish."

Severus divided the omelette in three parts, and served it. He sat down at the table with them, thinking that he could not conceive of a more unlikely situation, than himself sharing a breakfast with Harry Potter and Zelda, but he could see that Zelda seemed to be on a roll, so he planned to maintain an attitude of amusement at the very least.