Harry left Snape's house slightly confused. The last two visits had been extremely strange. Twice now, the man had actually laughed. Most of their conversation had been polite and Snape hadn't commented on Harry's cheek ones. He knew the peace between them was most likely temporary, but Harry found himself hoping Snape wouldn't return to hating him. Not only did he want more time with that book, he found that talking to the man wasn't that bad.

The next two days, Harry stayed at the mansion to study the material Snape had handed him. He still had to go to Diagon Alley for his books but his Library turned out to hold many useful text. He read up on the creatures, practiced the spells and spend a few hours flying around and over his house.

For dinner he went to the Weasleys, after which he spend the evenings with Ginny, Ron and Hermione. His two best friends were virtually inseparable these days, making Harry extremely glad that he had made up with Ginny. Most of their time together they discussed news from the wizarding world. Hermione was obsessed with the restructuring of the Ministry and Ron couldn't get enough of the ridiculous rumour that were floating around.

Harry only kept up with the news out of necessity but listened with interest to their comments. Ron and Ginny had a knack for making fun of the rumours. And Harry couldn't help but laugh when Hermione started cursing and threatening Rita Skeeter for the article she'd written about her. The article had revolved around Hermione and her fabulous threesome with The Saviour and The Hero Weasley. Both Harry and Ginny had thought the article was hilarious. Ron on the other hand, was outraged until his new moniker was mentioned. Which Ron considered to be absolutely awesome. That was, until Ginny pointed out that it could easily be referring to any of the others. After all, they had all done heroic things this past year. This led to a discussion on who was the most heroic Weasley that was soon joined by Fred and George.

At that point, Harry tuned out the conversation. He had no desire to get into the middle of Ginny and Ron as that could never end well. He got to talking with Hermione and discovered that she was working on her plan for the DA with Ginny. Who as one of the de facto leaders during the last year, had helped many students and was in constant contact with many of them. Together they had contacted the students and had already started receiving lists of things they wanted to study next year.

After reading the first lists Hermione had decided that there would have to be rules on who was allowed to study which subjects. For the time being, she was going to limit the accepted subjects to those that the student in question should already know. Later, she would discuss options of extra tutoring to those that had O's in the subject they wished to study. They had also decided that they would have to get some older students to give group lessons for the more generally requested subjects.

Hermione tried to convince Harry to teach the Defence groups but he refused. He was already teaching six classes each week, and McGonagall had said they would all be two periods long. That was twelve hours, plus all the preparation and homework checking time, that he would loose from his own study time. He couldn't afford to give up more. Not if he wanted to get all the N.E.W.T.s he had signed up for. Seventh year was supposed to be gruelling, and Harry had convinced McGonagall to allow him to take Care of Magical Creatures instead of Divination. Allowing Harry to stay far away from any more prophesies. But adding to his workload, since he had to catch up with sixth year as well.

Thinking of all the work he would have to do next year was almost enough to resign his teaching post before he'd even started. If it wasn't for both Hermione and Ginny promising to help him check the homework he doled out, he would have fire called the headmistress right away. But both of the girls seemed perfectly happy to help with homework as well as lesson-plans and anything else that might be involved with being a TA.

All of a sudden one of the twins pulled Harry aside while the other one entertained Harry's friends. As soon as they had left the room Fred turned to Harry and asked “How is the professor doing? Will he be returning to Hogwarts?”

Harry frowned, confused as to why a Weasley of all people was asking after Snape. “He's doing better and yes, he decided it would be best to return for at least one more year. Why do you ask?”

Fred grinned and slapped Harry on the back “Snape is a git, but a genius git. We need him to hang around for a while longer.”

Harry gave him a considering look. The twins were op to something, he could practically smell the mischief in the air. “Snape is still recovering, I doubt he's up for a Weasley special.”

Fred made a tut tutting sound and wagged a finger at Harry “We would never do such a thing to our beloved Potions Master.”

“Then tell me what you're planning. If it's not bad, I might as well know.”

Fred sighed in defeat “All right, but don't you go telling our little brother about this.” Harry nodded in acceptance. Bending towards Harry's ear, Fred whispered rather loudly “We have a few potions in development that need some work. Now that our esteemed Potions Master isn't evil any more, we can use his help.”

Harry thought about that for a moment before he nodded “Snape could probably use a distraction, but you have to make it good. Do you have something non-joke related for him to work on?”

Fred looked affronted for a moment, then proceeded to tap a finger to his chin in thought. “There may be something that would interest the professor, but he may not appreciate it's brilliance and declare it cheating.”

“What is it?”

Shaking his head, Fred turned to open the door to Ron's bedroom again. Looking back he said “I have to talk to George about it. We'll talk later.”

Harry just shook his head in bemusement and went to sit next to Ginny again. He stayed at The Burrow until late in the evening almost every night now, enjoying the company of his friends after spending so many afternoons working alone.

When it was finally Saturday, Harry arrived at Spinner's End to find it empty. Looking around, he noticed that the house was clean and ordered. As if the owner was not expecting to return any time soon.

Taking the flu to Hogwarts, Harry found the Headmistress' office similarly empty. However, her desk was strewn with rolls of parchment. Deciding to wait for McGonagall to return, Harry walked around the room, looking over the bottles lined along the wall. He had a feeling most of the stuff around the room had been there since Snape held the office.

The headmistress entered not long after Harry had arrived. After a quick conversation –in which McGonagall told Harry that she had not seen the professor since the day before last, where he had apparently mentioned something about the library and the ministry– Harry rushed down to check his office and the Hogwarts library. He wasn't in either of those places.

Groaning, Harry returned to the headmistresses office. He couldn't believe Snape, who was usually smart and level-headed, had actually gone to the ministry alone. Had he really expected that they would let him leave without first holding a trial? Harry couldn't believe that, Snape simply wasn't that stupid or naïve. But if Snape had realized the consequences, that left Harry with a whole other set of problems. After all, he had mentioned going to the ministry voluntarily. A man that walked into a cell in Azkaban by choice, was a man that should be on the mental ward of St. Mungo's.

Harry flood directly to the ministry and strode quickly to reception. Much like all the other times Harry had spoken to strange witches or wizards, the two witches behind the desk came running as soon as they noticed him. Both tried to help him and were so insistent that Harry got nothing useful out of them. Instead of waiting for them to calm down, Harry rolled his eyes and turned to the lifts. He didn't even know why he had gone to the reception, he should have known they would be to busy fawning over him to be of any use.

Pressing the button for the Auror Department, Harry went in search for someone who might be able to help. When he arrived, several of the Aurors came up to him. They introduced themselves, shook his hand, clapped him on the back, and thanked him. Unlike the receptionists, these men and women weren't fawning over him. They were sincerely interested and amazed by what he had done, not just because of the stories people told about him. They wanted details about his search, asked about his experiences and one wizard even requested for help with his disarming spell.

It was quite the ego-boost, having so many Aurors interested in his skills. But Harry knew the truth. He didn't deserve all the attention, not yet. He was barely of age and hadn't even finished school. Sure, he'd stopped Riddle, but that was simple prophecy. No, Harry was quite certain he should be the one asking the questions. After all, he still had a lot to learn before he would be an Auror. That was, if he was even still going to be one. He still hadn't decided, and he probably wouldn't until it was time to apply for training.

After a short conversation with the group surrounding him, Harry excused himself and went towards the office of the head Auror. If anyone knew where a suspected murdered was being held, he would be it.

The new head of the Auror office, a wizard called Tiernan Savage, looked up from his papers with an irritated expression. As soon as he saw who entered the frown turned upside down, making Harry grin with the perfect corniness of the man's expression.

Not in the mood for small talk, Harry asked “Were is Snape?”

Savage eyebrows crept into his hairline “I was under the impression you declined our offer to become an Auror.”

“I did.”

“Then what gives you the right to storm into my office asking questions?”

Harry scoffed, was he serious? Seconds ago the man had been on the point of acting like a teenage fan-girl. “You would still be hiding if it wasn't for me. Right now, I have the right to ask anything I want.”

The corners of the man's mouth twitched. Waving towards the chair he said “Sit down, Mr. Potter.”

Harry shook his head “Just answer the question please.”

“Snape was taken into custody yesterday morning. He was brought to Azkaban to await his trial.”

“When is the trial?”

“At noon on Thursday.”

“You're planning to keep him locked away with Death Eaters for almost a week?” Harry started pacing furiously “Are you insane? He'll be death before he can get to his trial.” Shaking his head, Harry tried to think. He had to get Snape out of there before it was too late.

“There are guards to keep anything from happening. They can keep him away from the general population if there is a threat.”

“You can't do that to him. He's been through enough, he doesn't deserve to be locked away.”

“That is not up to you to decide.”

Harry glared at the new Head Auror. He really didn't like involving himself with the ministry, but he didn't have much choice. He just couldn't let Snape stay in that place, not after everything the man had done for him. “Do I have to go to the minister with this?”

Savage opened his mouth, but closed it without saying anything. Riffling around his desk for a moment, he handed Harry a form. “This is a custody form. We use them when we need to take a prisoner away from Azkaban. It puts the prisoner under your custody and makes you completely responsible. If he commits another crime or doesn't show up at his trial, you will be held at fault.”

Harry looked over the form, frowning slightly. He didn't mind being responsible for Snape, the man wasn't actually a criminal any more. What he was worried about was the part where he had to fill out a location for the prisoner. “If I fill this out, he's allowed to await the trial at his home?”

“Yes, but you will have to stay with him. Prisoners in custody of an Auror have to stay under the watch of said Auror at all times.”

“I'm not an Auror.”

Savage shrugged “The forms are usually limited to Aurors because they must be validated by me or the minister. We don't usually allow civilians to take custody for a suspected criminal, but there is no law that stated we can't.”

“And you are giving me this form because?”

The Auror scoffed “You're our saviour are you not? You will find a way to get what you want anyway.”

Harry did a great impression of a fish, completely dumbfounded. The man made it sound like Harry regularly used his fame. Yet, he didn't seem to care very much. The thirty something auror appeared completely blasé. Figuring it was in his best interest to keep the man in that state, he dropped the matter.

"Thank you for the forms. Can I just fill them in and take them to the prison?"

Savage waved towards the door "You can grab one of the desks that aren't in use and fill it out there. Come back when you're done so I can validate it."

Nodding in thanks, Harry turned and went to fill out the form. Most of it was simple but Harry wasn't sure what to fill out for destination. He could probably stay at Snape's house for a week, but the place was small and Harry doubted Snape wanted him in his house for that long. Potter Park on the other hand, was huge. Figuring that Snape would be pissed about either option, Harry went with Potter Park. At least there they could avoid each other.

Harry arrived at Azkaban little over an hour later. The Auror at the front desk had given him a curious look when he showed the papers but had not commented. He'd told him to wait and several minutes later, a bedraggled looking Severus Snape was brought out. Snape glared at him but didn't say anything while Harry signed some more papers.

When that was done, one of the Aurors unlocked the chains around Snape before rattling of the rules. Harry had already been informed that Snape was supposed to stay in his line of sight at all times but was slightly taken aback when the Auror handed him a set of cuffs that Snape was to wear if ever he needed to go out in public. Snape had sneered at them for only a moment, all emotion leaving his face when the Auror proceeded. Snape was not allowed to do any kind of magic until his trial, and that included making potions. His wand would not be returned unless and until he was pronounced innocent.

Before they left, they were warned about the consequences of breaking any of the rules and the Auror placed a tracking charm on the professor. During all of this, Snape just glared at them. He didn't speak until they had left the prison and Harry held out his arm. Snape sneered at him "What?"

Harry sighed at the tone, this was going to be a long week. They had gotten along better for a while, clearly that was over. "You have no wand and you cannot be seen flying out of here on your own. No potions means no flying either. You can grab a hold so we can apparate out of here, or you can jump on the back of my broom, your choice."

Snape glared at him for a bit longer before giving in with a sigh. "Do you even have your licence?"

Harry grinned and shook his head "Nope."

Brows drawing to getter, Snape let his hand fall just before he actually touched Harry. "Have you ever done this?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry nodded "Have you ever spend a year hiding in a tent?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It gets boring pretty quickly, we had a lot of time to practise."

"You were supposed to be on a mission, not hanging about doing nothing." Snape snapped, sounding more than just a little bit ticked off.

"Just grab my arm will you. We can talk about this later."

Snape did as asked and moments later, they were standing on the lawn of Potter Park. Harry's knees buckled and he sat down quickly. That had taken a lot more power than he had expected. He'd never had that much trouble with Hermione or Ron. But then, he'd never apparated that kind of distance with them. Feeling Snape's eyes on him, Harry took a deep breath and stood up.

As he was brushing his jeans clean, Snape snapped at him "Where are we?"

"Potter Park."

Snape practically exploded "Bloody idiot, have you no sense at all? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You could have killed both of us with your foolishness."

Harry frowned, not sure why Snape was so pissed. What was so dangerous about apparating them here? He'd been doing so on a daily basis. "How so?"

Snape hissed softly but the glare lessened a bit. "This is your family mansion. Only Potters can apparate or disapparate on the property, that includes side along."

Harry blinked a few times. He hadn't considered there were anti apparition wards around the mansion. He hadn't thought about the wards around the house at all. Frowning at himself, he shook his head at his own stupidity. "I'm sorry, you're right. That was some kind of stupid.. I've been living here for weeks and I never even checked the wards." Harry groaned "I can't believe I was that stupid.."

Snape looked at him for a moment before he huffed and started towards the front door. Harry followed and opened the door quickly, not willing to look at the potions master's face. Leading the man inside, he took him directly to the rooms closest to his own. Opening the door he walked inside and turned to Snape "You can stay here for a while. I want you to stay out of the other bedrooms and the nursery. I haven't gone through all the stuff in those rooms and it's all I have left of my family. You're welcome to go anywhere else but please let me know if you find something interesting, I have a feeling that I still haven't found all the rooms." Snape nodded and Harry headed out of the room.

He was just out the door when Snape called "Potter." Looking back, Harry saw the man look at him with his jaws clenched tight. "Thank you for getting me out of there."

It was obvious how hard it was for the man to get the words out but Harry didn't comment. Giving Snape a curt nod in acknowledgement in turned and left to go check out the wards.

Severus couldn't quite believe Potter had actually came to get him out for that filthy prison. He wasn't sure how the brat had done it but didn't really care. It mattered little how. What mattered that he had. Severus wasn't used to people doing things like that for him. The only one who had ever tried to help was Albus, and he'd only done it after Snape had promised to spy for him. He'd never held that against the professor, especially not in the later years when it became clear that Albus did actually care. But it had always hurt, to know that Albus would not have helped him without getting something in return.

Severus had just decided that he needed a shower when there was a soft knock on the door. Assuming it was Potter, he opened the door only to be surprised by Kreacher standing there. Raising a brow at the oddities of an elf knocking on a door as well as the fact that Potter had allowed Kreacher in his house, he asked "Yes?"

The little elf bowed "Master Harry send me to ask if there was anything I could bring you from your home Master Snape, sir."

Severus cocked his head at the elf "You could bring me some clothes. I will be staying for five days so make sure you bring enough."

The elf bowed again "As you wish Master Snape, sir. Master Harry also asked me to inform you that he wished to speak to you in the library at noon, sir."

Severus nodded to the elf and it disappeared with a plop. Looking at his watch, he decided he had time for a shower and a quick rest. He hadn't been able to sleep in that wretched place and he was tiered. Showering quickly and pulling on the pyjama's that the elf had left him, he laid down and closed his eyes.

Some time later, Severus was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder. Snapping upright, he glared at Potter, who was smirking down at him. How the heck had that brat gotten in here without him noticing. He never slept that deeply. "What do you want?"

Potter shrugged "You didn't show up in the library, I came to check on you."

Raking his hair away from his face he scowled at the brat "And you couldn't have let me sleep? Do you know how long it's been since I've had a decent rest?"

"You've already had a month's worth of rest. Besides, you weren't exactly sleeping peacefully."

Severus frowned, trying to remember what he'd been dreaming. He didn't think it had been a nightmare, he usually remembered those. Telling Potter to get out, Severus stood up and dressed quickly.

A few minutes later, he stepped outside and went in search for the library. When he finally found it, Potter was lounging in one of the chairs with a book in front of his face. About to sneer at the child for wasting his time with Quidditch book, he snapped his mouth when he saw the title. It wasn't just that he was ones again hit in the face by the fact that Potter wasn't the boy Severus had believed him to be, it was that he'd never thought to see that book again. Striding towards the brat, he grabbed the book and turned it to the first page. There on the first page were the words he himself had written so many years ago. I'm sorry.

Running a finger over the writing he asked "Where did you get this?"

From the corner of his eye he saw Potter shrug "It was in my dad's room."

Closing his eyes, Severus took a deep calming breath. She'd given the book to Potter.. Looking at Potter he quirked a brow "And why are you reading it?"

"I was looking through it out of curiosity and noticed that some of the idea's were the same as yours. I figured it might have some additional information."

Severus nodded slowly and handed the book back. "There are some commonalities but this is much darker. I wrote that book after I became a spy in an attempt to find something good in the dark arts. This one was written in order to convince people the dark arts aren't really dark."

"You've read the book?"

"I was the one to give it to Lily. I was trying to convince her that I wasn't going bad. That I was just trying to learn as much as I possibly could."

Potter blinked a few times and cocked his head "Did it work?"

Severus raked a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to talk about this, he hadn't even meant to have a normal conversation with the brat. Yet here they were, being civil. It was rather unnerving how easy it was to speak to Potter when they weren't bating each other. Wanting to find out how long they could stay that way, he answered instead of telling the boy to mind his business. "No, I don't think it did. Though, I'm not certain whether my own book might have done the trick."

Potter pursed his lip and frowned as if deep in thought. Then he nodded decisively. "I didn't know my mum, I never got the chance. But I have a feeling that she might have been able to accept what you wrote. I just don't think she would have agreed."

Severus thought about that for a moment before nodding "You're mother was exceptionally smart, but also exceptionally good. To her, as to most people, dark means bad. That's just the way things are."

Potter put the book to the side and waved for Severus to sit down. As he did, Kreacher appeared with two cups of tea. Takings them and handing one to Severus, Potter thanked the elf and waited until he was gone. Then he turned to look at Severus, his eyes narrowed slightly. "What in Merlin's name were you thinking? Going to the ministry by yourself? Really Snape, you have got to be insane."

Severus stiffened. Putting the tea on the side table with a rather loud clang, he sneered at the brat. "You really should learn to hold your tongue Potter. We were getting along so nicely, I would not like to change that before I can finally leave this place."

Potter sighed "I'm sorry, sir. That was rude. Then again, so were you when I made an honest mistake."

"I did not nearly kill one or both of us."

"Actually, you did."

Severus stared at the brat, trying to figure out what he meant. Sure it had been rather reckless to just show up at the ministry. But there had been several articles about him and Potter had ensured everybody knew he believed the Potions Master to be innocent.

Potter answered his unspoken question before Severus has a chance to ask for clarification. "New policy in Azkaban. All prisoners are allowed into the yard for an hour a week. Tell me Professor, how many Death Eaters were there in your block?"

Severus' eyes widened before he could stop the impulse. He hadn't known that. The only knew policy he'd heard about was the removal of the dementors. Which was the main reason he had not worried overly much about the possibility of staying in the prison for a few nights. He'd just wanted to get it done. He couldn't stand living with the trial hanging over him. He sighed and inclined his head towards Potter "I see your point. I had not considered that they would actually allow prisoners to mingle."

Potter snorted "Believe it or not, but most prisoners aren't kept in tiny cells for years on end."

"My father was a muggle. I'm well aware of their prison system. It doesn't seem effective."

Now the child was actually smirking at him "That's because they let them go eventually. They haven't changed the laws that much. Just enough to keep families like the Malfoys from complaining about the deplorable treatment of their kin."

"I doubt Narcissa or Draco would even consider such a thing. They care little for Lucius."

The child give him an inquisitive look "Now that you are no longer spying, tell me what you really think of Malfoy."

"Lucius or Draco?"

"Both."

Severus thought for a moment. Malfoy Senior was easy. "Lucius is a manipulating, arrogant little prick whom I would dearly love to curse into oblivion. He is a power hungry idiot but he does care for his family, in his own way. It did not surprise me when I heard he had spirited them away before the end."

Potter nodded slowly "And Draco?"

"I cannot tell. I neither had the time nor the energy to waist to pay attention to him during the past year. Before that.." He shook his head "I will answer that question another time." Severus had come to realize that his role as a spy had been colouring his worldview more than he had thought. He needed some time to re-evaluate things.

Instead of pressing the matter as Severus had expected him to do, the boy shrugged and changed the subject. "I checked on the wards around the house. I didn't recognize all of them but you were right about the family ward. There are blood-wards surrounding the property that most likely kill anyone not related."

"Most likely?"

"Everything I know about wards I learned from books. And there isn't much information on blood-wards in my library."

"How did you get us through?"

"I don't know but it took a lot of magic."

"Have you let anyone in through the gates?"

"No, everybody uses the floo."

"Keep it that way until someone has checked out the wards. I can take a look at them after trial if you wish."

Potter smiled happily "I wish." Frowning a bit, the boy stared at Severus for a while before saying "You can do magic in the house, the ministry can't tell who did it and I don't care.."

He snorted at that and shook his head at the boy. "You will never learn to follow the rules will you?"

The brat grinned "Nope, not going to happen."

Rolling his eyes, Severus changed the subject. "Explain how you got me out of Azkaban."

Potter sighed and started explaining how Savage had given him the papers. Severus had never heard that Aurors could take prisoners out of jail but wasn't at all surprised Potter had used the option. He suspected that if there hadn't already been a way to get him out, Potter would have one. The child was just that annoyingly inventive.

He wasn't completely at ease with fact that Potter got him out. He didn't like being in dept to anyone. But he was thankful for what the brat had done. The fact that Potter had come to get him as soon as he heard of Severus' predicament was hard to wrap his head around. For some astonishing reason Severus didn't understand, Potter seemed to have taken an interest in his wellbeing. It was disconcerting to think about.

When Potter was finally done with his explanation, Severus asked him what he was planning for the trial but the brat refused answer. Not willing to get into a row when they had to spend several days together, Severus changed the subject and asked about Potter's fourth year.

Most of what the child had to say he'd already known. Unlike so many others, Severus had known the child hadn't put his name in. At the time, he'd simply refused to believe the brat was smart enough to circumvent the headmaster's precautions. Now though, he had a feeling the child might have found a way. He just didn't believe Potter had actually wanted to compete.

He was somewhat surprised to learn how much of Potter's troubles were caused by his lack of knowledge. Severus had a feeling a lot of things wouldn't have happened if they hadn't treated Potter like a child. The brat had been more involved in the war than everybody else, and that include himself, and yet everyone had tried to keep him away.

Severus had always been the first to complain about the special treatment the child got. It was annoying to learn that maybe he himself should have treated Potter differently. Not that he should have coddled the boy like the others, clearly that had been a mistake. But someone should have been there to help the child instead of shielding him. It was more than a little aggravating to realize that Potter had been the only one who had understood that being ignorant would be dangerous.

When the child was finally done with his story, Severus didn't say anything for a long time. To absorbed in his own thoughts, he didn't notice when the child stood up and left the room. He did notice when the house elf dropped a tray with some food on the table but decided to ignore it in favour of perusing the library.

The child returned about an hour later, hovering a pensive in front of him. Putting it down, he pulled two small flasks out of his robes and put them next to the pensive. Pointing at the vial on the left he said "That's the battle at the ministry, the other one is the cave. I've told you about my first four years at Hogwarts and I'll tell you about the rest but I can't deal with those two.."

Looking at the memories closely, Severus noticed the strands of memories were extremely entangled. "How long have they been in there?"

The brat shrugged "I put them in the flasks when I assembled the memories I gave you."

"And you didn't show me these before because..?"

"I didn't want you to see them."

Frowning, Severus picked up the ministry memory and poured it in the pensive. About to touch the surface, he hesitated. Potter had given him the memories because he didn't want to speak of the events. But if the brat didn't want him to know, Severus should respect that. No matter how curious he was. Glancing at Potter he asked "Why didn't you wish me to see these?"

"Because you won't like what you see and you've been through enough."

Sighing Severus nodded. He had expected that it wouldn't be pleasant to see, especially the brats memory of the cave. But he needed to know. The war was over but it hadn't sunk in yet. He had a feeling it wouldn't for a while yet, but maybe knowing more would help. With another glance at the child, he put his finger in the liquid and was pulled into the memory.

The memory started in Umbridge's office just as he entered the room. Looking at himself, he was slightly disconcerted at his bearing. This had only been two years ago and yet, he couldn't remember the last time he'd looked that healthy. At the time, he'd already been pale and his hair wouldn't stop being greasy unless he stopped making potions. But he'd had muscles, his ribs hadn't been protruding and his face didn't have the lines it carried these days.

He watched the memory play from the sidelines. More than a bit amused when Potter and Granger led the toad directly into a giant's territory. He listened to the children argue with Potter and was slightly impressed by the loyalty the brat inspired. He'd seen it through the years, the way not only his two best friends but most of the Gryffindors were completely loyal to the boy. He'd thought it to be nothing but false hero worship but now he was starting to reconsider. Without the hatred he'd felt for Potter senior, even he felt some loyalty towards the boy.

The scene changed from the children getting on the thestrals to their entry at the ministry. Severus looked around the rooms of the Department of Mysteries with interest. Very few got a chance to see what happened in the department. Even with the chaos going on around him, Severus couldn't help but be intrigued. When they got to the prophecy, Severus looked on as Potter picked it up and Lucius appeared. He couldn't help but sneer at the man. Once upon a time, Severus had called Malfoy a friend. He'd been one of the few that hadn't completely shunned him because of his friendship with Lily. Severus hadn't realized what kind of a monster Lucius was until after he had become a Death Eater and it was too late.

As the battle started he followed the brats, smiling every time one of them got of a well aimed spell. He would have to remember their performance for his classes next year. If they could perform this well under pressure, they should do even better during Defence classes. Once they arrived in the room with the veil, he wished he could tell them to get out of there. He might not have liked Black, but he would be more than happy if he could have stopped the rest of the memory from occurring. The man's death was partly Severus' fault, and he really didn't need any more deaths on his conscious.

Soon enough, Black and Potter started fighting Lucius together. They fought well. Of course, Severus had known Black was good at duelling. He just hadn't expected Potter to do so well. Everything Potter had told him of his first four years, had depended on the brat's continuous lucky streak. Well that and the boy's exceptional detective skills. This was the first time he saw the child in a real duel and he was doing an impressive job. If the child had some more training, he might even hold up against Severus. Though, when he thought about it, the child had already done that.

The brats high pitched scream pulled Severus out of his thoughts. He watched Potter as Black fell through the veil and couldn't help but feel bad. If only he'd been a bit more patient during their Occlumency lessons, if only somebody had told the brat why he needed the lessons, maybe Black would still be alive. Maybe they could have prevented the child from feeling that kind of loss at such an early age.

He followed Potter as he ran after Bellatrix. Potter fired a Cruciatus that made her stumble and fall. Potter stood over her, wand pointed directly at her heart. Severus watched the boy struggle to make a decision, saw it when he decided she wasn't worth it. When Riddle turned up, he sucked in a breath. He'd known Albus had fought Voldemort in the Ministry but he hadn't known Potter had been alone at first. Letting out a relieved sigh when one of the statues stepped in front of the killing curse, he followed Potter to the side of the room and watched the battle. As he looked on, he couldn't help but be in awe of the headmaster. The man hadn't just been powerful, he was well trained and extremely skilled. Even if Albus had less magic, he would have been a formidable opponent.

The battle ended and for a moment, Severus was relieved. Soon the minister of magic would barge in and the memory would end. Then he heard Potter scream and his relieve vanished. Running over to stand next to Albus, he watched as the boy screamed and screamed. Severus had seen and felt the Crucio more times than he cared to remember, yet he had never seen such agony. Minutes went by as the boy screamed, struggled and whimpered. As the child stilled, the memory ended.

Sitting back in one of the old-fashioned armchairs, Severus led out a long, steadying breath. Potter had been right, part of him wished he hadn't seen that. A week ago, he had still been under the impression that the brat was only just above average. He hadn't hated the child, not since he found out about the connection to the dark lord. He wouldn't have wished that on anybody. The fact that Potter had bore it without whining, had impressed him even then. But that had not changed his mind about the boy. After all, Potter wasn't the only one dealing with that mad man.

It hadn't been until he'd seen those memories that he understood how much the boy had to deal with. His life had been one problem after another. His childhood had been ruined, his school-years had been fraught with danger, and for the rest of his life he would have to live with fame he didn't want. Severus had ridiculed him for all of it. Taunted him about being the pampered golden boy. To learn that the boy had had such a hard time with his home life, his school life, and his fame, had made Severus feel like a jackass.

Seeing more of the hardship the child had endured, seeing him go through that kind of emotional and physical pain, was more than he'd bargained for. He sat and stared at the boy for a long time. Potter was reading a book, or at least pretending to. Sighing, Severus leaned over and took the book out of his hands. "You know none of that was your fault right?"

Potter nodded slowly "It was just as much my fault as it was yours and Dumbledore's. I don't blame you so I can't blame myself. In the end it was Sirius' decision to come after me. Bitchtrix killed him and she paid for it in the end."

Severus' eyebrow raised "What happened to her? I never heard."

Grinning madly, Potter told him of Molly's duel. When he finished, even Severus was smiling. Bellatrix had definitely gotten what she deserved, smashed into little pieces. Thinking of smashed into pieces, he remembered what had happened to the headmaster's office after that trip. Narrowing his eyes at Potter he asked a little harsher than intended "You were the one that smashed Albus' office, were you not?"

Potter's cheeks flushed as he mumbled "Yeah... I was a bit pissed."

Nodding in understanding, Severus waved towards the pensive "You should put that back in your head. Memories degrade if you leave them in those kind of bottle for too long."

The brat sighed but did as he was instructed. Putting the strand back, Potter closed his eyes and grimaced. With a shudder, he sat back while Severus put in the second memory. After one more glance at the boy, he touched the surface and was pulled into the memory.

He appeared inside a cave where Potter was arguing with the headmaster to led him drink the potion. Albus would have none of it though. Moments later, Potter was holding some of the potion in front of the headmasters mouth. Albus drank it, his face contorting in pain. While the headmaster cried out, Potter moved back to the basket to scoop up more poison. Albus screamed and begged while Potter cried softly. When the potion was finally gone, the headmaster asked for water and Severus was pulled out of the memory.

He sat back, closed his eyes and tried to forget. That had been part of Albus' last hour, and he had suffered greatly. Albus had told him that he would be doing him a favour, preventing the man from dying because of the agony of the curse. But all he did was give the man a reason to do something stupid. Had Albus not known that he would die that night, he would never have drunk that potion himself. Or Severus didn't think he would have, one could never be sure were the headmaster was concerned.

Potter was still sitting there, looking rather forlorn. Severus couldn't stop himself from asking "Even without that memory in your head, you can still feel it can't you?"

Potter head snapped up, his eyes wide. Then he seemed to realize something, sagged back and muttered something that sounded very much like a yes to Severus.

"It never helped me either. Some memories leave scars so deep you can never erase them, not even Oblivion will work."

Potter gave him a strange look. "You tried to Obliviate yourself?"

"I was young and stupid. Accepting the dark mark was not my only mistake."

Potter glanced down at his arm "Is it gone?"

In lieu of answering, Severus moved his sleeve and showed his now smooth skin. He was still surprised every time he saw it. Not willing to dwell on his own past, he turned back to Potter. "Do you think I should be punished for killing him?"

The boy looked surprised at the question "No." He paused, biting his lip "You did the right thing. You did what he wanted so it wasn't your fault." Potter frowned for a moment, then chuckled a bit. With an odd look at Severus he stood up and started out the room. Before he left the room, he turned his head and added "Thank you, Professor. I needed to hear that. Doesn't make it better, but it helps. Breakfast is at half past eight, don't be late. Kreacher hates it when you're late."