Harry was lying groggily on the floor, a mess of tattered clothes and crimson stains. He raised his head a few centimetres off the ground as he tried to focus on the flash of black he’d seen behind his uncle. He sank back down, almost drifting out of consciousness again. He remained curled up sheltering his head although on some level he was becoming aware that the beating had stopped.

The next thing that happened was he felt a warm tongue on his cheek gently licking away his blood streaked tears and Padfoot was between him and his uncle.

Severus watched the memory impatiently. How much more of this would he be forced to watch before the boy threw him out?

Potter had managed to throw him out of his mind on three separate occasions to date but only when Severus didn’t try to resist him. They’d agreed he would do his best this time and the brat had even had the audacity to grin at the challenge this presented. So now Severus was forced to watch what could only be the sequel to that memory.

‘Ten minutes Harry... then we’ll go, I’m going to sort this once and for all.’

Sirius was back in his human form now but itching to go after Vernon, even as he looked down at his godson. He gave Harry a brief pat on his shoulder, very gently so as not to hurt his injuries and headed for the door where the muggle had bolted.

Severus could feel Harry shift the memory slightly, but not enough to move him by any means.

Harry tried to pull himself up to standing using the kitchen chair, he saw the kitchen window was wide open- that must have been how Padfoot got in...

He staggered and clutched his ribs, falling back to floor. He coughed, breathing with evident discomfort and wiping a mixture of blood and saliva away with a shaking hand. Painstakingly he tried to stand again...

The memory was knocked again and even swivelled but there was no real power behind Harry’s defensive gestures. Meanwhile Severus was growing more and more irate.

It took several minutes for Harry to limp his way out of the kitchen, still holding onto his side in agony. He could hear the sound of blows, groans and muffled cries from the lounge. Slowly he managed to open the door, clinging to the handle for support.

Sirius was kicking the crap out of Vernon. Harry saw this and felt... choked...the man certainly deserved every blow...but behind him he could see Dudley restraining his aunt from trying to intervene. The look of pure, unadulterated fear in his cousin’s eyes cut through Harry like a knife.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let Sirius do this...

‘Sirius.’ He croaked.

His godfather ignored him, raining down blows. He’d obviously decided to avoid alerting the ministry to Harry’s situation and therefore hadn’t drawn his wand. He didn’t need to, muggle methods of inflicting pain were immensely effective after all.

Harry staggered over to his godfather and caught hold of his arm with a bloody hand.

‘Please. Sirius. Enough.’

Sirius hesitated. It wasn’t enough. It never could be. The rage he felt within him made him want to kill this grotesque muggle. When he thought of what he’d seen when he’d leapt into the room. The way that bastard was beating Harry while he was passed out...

‘We need to go. Now.’

And it was Harry who was the strong one. Harry who led his godfather away despite his own weakness...

And eventually Harry succeeded in flipping the memory in a bewildering swirl of colour and sound knocking Snape out of the memory.

He looked up at his professor reluctantly. That had taken ages and Snape looked like he was positively seething.

‘Of all the idiotic, incompetent, fools of a wizard!’ Snape thundered and Harry cringed beneath his disapproval.

‘What in Merlin’s name was the mutt thinking of?’

Harry was shocked to realise Snape was referring to Sirius and not berating him for taking so long to defend his mind properly. For a moment he was almost indignant, yes it was horrible but didn’t Snape realise his uncle deserved at least some comeback for what he’d done to him? Then he realised, this was Snape. The man hated him. He probably thought Harry deserved as good as he got. He probably thought Sirius was well out of line...

Which made Harry suddenly panic. ‘You’re not going to report Sirius are you?’

Snape looked at him strangely for a moment before scoffing. ‘Idiot. I was not referring Black’s actions, rather his lack of them.’

Harry looked back at him at a complete loss.

‘Don’t you think the mutt should have healed you before dealing with your uncle?’ Snape snapped impatiently.

‘Oh.’ Harry registered this.

Of course Snape would find something to criticise Sirius about. They hated each other.

‘I don’t think he thought about it.’ He said defensively. ‘He just got caught up in the moment, he was so angry.’

‘Well he should have thought of it.’ Snape replied heatedly. ‘That fool never thinks, that’s how he always ends up causing catastrophic problems.’

Harry didn’t reply. He wanted to defend his godfather, but didn’t see the point in having a full blown argument with Snape. In any case, he thought guiltily, he had to admit the man had a point to some degree. In the past Sirius had nearly caused a scenario where Lupin had almost killed Snape.

Over the next few days Harry and Snape practised occlumency relentlessly. Without verbalising it both of them realised that they were on the brink of a real breakthrough, although Snape still worried that Harry’s eccentric defence was too haphazard to amount to much.

Harry was improving but he still couldn’t push Snape out of his mind when the professor resisted him. The next day after Snape had allowed Harry to push him out of his memories a couple times he told him critically: ‘It’s not enough, you need to use real strength in forcing me out.’

‘I got you out though didn’t I?’Harry asked unable to restrain the huge grin which covered his face.

‘It was feeble.’ Spat Snape. ‘This time you need to force me out properly.’

Harry nodded, his eyes sparkling. Now that he finally felt he was making headway he actually found himself enjoying the occlumency lessons.

‘Legilmens.’ Snape entered Harry’s mind, not harshly but with more force than he’d been using in recent days.

As soon as Snape entered his mind Harry could feel him. He knew that he was getting much quicker at sensing where he was and how to catch him off guard. The memory this time was of Sirius and Harry lounging around one evening sipping glasses of fire whiskey (two years before he ought to be doing so in Harry’s case). Harry concentrated his efforts on causing the memory to shift dramatically to the side before tilting his mind backwards in a split second. Snape felt like he’d been knocked off balance before being thrown backwards. It was similar to the feeling you might leaning back on your chair, a sickening rush of adrenalin as you lose your bearings. It was also remarkable effective.

‘Better.’ Severus admitted. ‘But it still needs to be quicker.’

‘How much quicker can I be? You were barely in there a second!’ Harry protested.

‘If your occlumency is to serve any sort of purpose it needs to be instantaneous.’ Severus replied. ‘In fact I should not be able to get in at all- that is the actual point, after all.’

‘Ok.’ Harry sighed. ‘Let’s try again.’

And they did, over and over until eventually Harry could block Snape most of the time. Then his professor moved the goalposts again. What good was a defence which required a conscious effort? Harry needed to be able to occlude subconsciously- all day long and at night when he slept.

As far as Harry could see this just gave Snape an excuse to pounce on him and legilmise him without warning throughout the day. The git seemed to take perverse pleasure in attacking him at the breakfast table before he was fully awake and then just as he landed his broomstick in the evening... but Harry didn’t truly mind. His competitive streak reared itself as he became determined to beat Snape.

On the evening of the seventh day of Harry’s stay Severus waited for Harry to take his first bite of his meal before subjecting him to an impromptu occlumency test. This time Harry almost negligently brushed the attack away.

‘Try again if you want.’ Harry offered.

Severus focused his efforts to no avail although causing Harry to do a slight double take from the intensity of the attack.

‘Ok, come on -try your hardest this time.’ Harry said carelessly.

 ‘Brat.’ Severus spat although there was no real venom in the insult. ‘That was my best effort.’

‘Really?’ Harry’s eyes widened.

‘Do not become complacent. I still remain unconvinced about your ability to occlude during your sleep or under stress. It is all very well being able to occlude during practise sessions when you’re relatively relaxed but that is not why you need this skill.’

A few days earlier Harry would have taken issue with Snape saying he was relaxed living with him, but he realised to his surprise it was true, somehow they were getting along and the occlumency was helping him sleep better. He felt pretty good. There was only a week to go before he went back to school and he no longer dreaded the rest of his stay.

That evening while Harry was slouched on the sofa flicking through his occlumency book,Snape suddenly stood up abruptly setting aside the potions journal he’d been reading.

‘What’s wrong?’ Harry asked.

‘You don’t know?’

Harry shrugged.

‘I’m being called.’

‘Oh.’ Harry’s hand flew to his scar automatically. ‘I don’t feel anything.’He said in wonder.

Snape looked at him closely as if trying to gauge if Harry was telling the truth. ‘Good.’ He said briefly.

He transfigured his clothes into the Deatheaters robes, causing Harry to start slightly. For years he’d been convinced Snape was working for Voldermort and truly evil. Now it seemed so out of place seeing him in that outfit. He supposed it was nothing to his professor. All in a days work, make a potion, teach a occlumency lesson, go to a Deatheater meeting.

Harry sighed. ‘See you later, then.’

Snape nodded slightly and apparated.

******

That night Harry realised Snape was right about one thing. He didn’t always occlude in his sleep.

‘My right hand man.’

They were stood in a semi-circle facing Voldermort. Severus was in the middle, inclining his head respectfully to the Dark Lord.

Voldermort pointed his wand at Severus and accio’d his mask wordlessly. He studied the wizard silently for a few moments. ‘When did you last see Dumbledore?’ He asked quietly. Drawing his occlumency walls up as high as he could Severus looked his master in the eye.

‘Two days ago, my lord.’

‘And what did he tell you?’

‘Nothing of any importance, my lord. The Order are concentrating their efforts in recruiting more members, they are finally beginning to comprehend how weak they are.’

Their gaze was locked and Voldermort was obviously testing the truth of his words.

‘Crucio.’ He said at last.

Snape fell to the ground in agony, his scream caught in his throat. He lay there for a minute or so after it finished until the tremors stopped and he could stand again. He was genuinely shocked. The Dark Lord, hadn’t broke through his barriers. No one was able to do that.

‘You’ve disappointed me Severus.’

‘My Lord?’

‘What good are you as a spy Severus if you do not find out pertinent information? Potter has left his relatives. Left the protection of that house. Why did you not bring me this information? Well?’

Voldermort through a hex at Snape unlike any Harry had ever seen, it was a a bolt of purple light which turned to liquid on impact with his skin, becoming some kind of acid if Snape’s reaction was anything to go by.

‘I need you to tell me where Potter is being kept.’ Voldermort hissed at Severus as the wizard clutched his face, breathing erratically.

‘Go and find out.’

Harry woke up in a cold sweat and could hear movements below him. He stumbled downstairs in his pyjamas to see Snape staggering into his lab scrubbing at his face with the robe of his sleeve. Harry could barely breathe. Seeing Snape, who was always strong and immensely proud, weakened and in obvious pain was horrifying.

‘Are you ok?’ He asked stupidly.

Snape reached for a potion and drenched his face with it before turning around to face him.

‘So much for your skills at occluding, then.’ He said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Harry stared at his professor, all down the righthand side of his face it was a furious red and covered in blisters.

Snape turned away from him. ‘Go back to bed.’ He said shortly.

‘I...can I do anything to help?’

‘No.’

Harry began to turn towards the door but hesitated.

‘I...was really worried tonight.’ He admitted in a small voice.

‘POTTER.’ The angry snarl made Harry back away from his professor rapidly.

‘I hardly think you needed to worry.’ Snape sneered back at him nastily. ‘Even under crucio, I was hardly going to admit where you were, you imbecile. Having you as a guest in my home is hardly going to endear me to the Dark Lord is it?’

‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ Harry muttered leaving the room rapidly.

Lying back in bed, Harry blinked back tears and breathed deeply trying to get control of himself. Eventually he calmed down enough to concentrate on occluding.