"Thank you," Severus mumbled under his breath, and sat quickly, just so James would seem him sit, but then jumped up as soon as the homeowner left the room.
Standing near the door of the sitting room, he waited for the sounds of tea being prepared before daring to venture out. Once he felt sure James was occupied, he knew he had at least five minutes, he smoothly moved to the stairs and quietly ascended. At the top, he paused for a moment, getting his bearings. He had only actually been to this house once before, right after the newly weds had moved in. James had not been home on that occasion and Lily had given him a complete tour. He went to the door immediately to his right, and was surprised to open the door onto a room that oozed with the muted, calming pastel colours you would only make someone couldn't defend themselves sleep in.
Severus just stared at the oak cot, the rocking chair, the plush toys, the walls that had been sweetly painted by all of James' friends, the table already stocked with nappies and powders and ointments. It all made Severus feel a little nauseous.
This was all for Harry.
The simultaneous current experiences and memories of his older self had become so familiar that Severus sometimes found it difficult to differentiate between what he already knew and what he was just learning, or put his finger on just what the differences are. But every so often he knew something, and it was painfully obvious that he shouldn't know. Like that Lily and James would have a boy, and it would be named Harry, for instance.
There was a noise from downstairs, a cabinet slamming shut if he wasn't mistaken, and Severus jumped. Cursing himself for wasting time on a nursery, he moved across the corridor and opened the door to master bedroom. Trying not to think about what went on in this room, or on the bed he had to look under, Severus resentfully knelt down to peer beneath.