"You should get some sleep."

Harry blinked slowly at the street that was still dark, but less so as it grew closer and closer to morning. His eyes burned and his head ached, both from crying and tiredness. Yet, the mere idea of going to bed, of leaving those steps, of letting his eyes close for that long nearly paralyzed him. He couldn't go in that house, couldn't go in that room, couldn't be in that loneliness again.

"Potter?"

"I can't," Harry muttered, tightening his arms around his torso. He heard Snape sigh and felt the man's magic continue to flow lightly around him, feeling the concern still there. He wanted to sink into the emotion, wanted to take what it could give him...

If only he deserved it...

If only it could reach him...

"Very well," Snape said. "Come on."

Harry rolled his head against the railing in Snape's direction even though he couldn't see the man. "What?"

"If you are not going to sleep, we will do something else," Snape said.

Harry felt the man stand behind him and lifted his head to look over his shoulder. "Like what?"

"Occlumency," Snape said and Harry frowned.

"I don't think I'm in the best state for that," Harry said, remembering the shouts of ‘be calm' and ‘clear your mind' from the previous year.

"On the contrary," Snape said. "How you are feeling now, the state your mind is in, will be beneficial for the first steps of learning Occlumency."

"How?" Harry asked.

"We can see the natural form your subconscious takes in an effort to help you process and confront memories and thoughts while also protecting you from trauma," Snape said. "This form is what is then used to accomplish Occlumency."

"Why?" Harry said. "Why are you still doing this? Why are you still here?"

"I believe I told you I can help until you give up," Snape said.

Harry looked at him incredulously. "I haven't? I just tried to leave the wards, knowing I would be captured, begging you to let me die."

"I know when someone has given up," Snape said. "You have not. Not yet."

"How can you tell?" Harry asked.

"Because you did not leave the wards," Snape said.

Harry frowned again. "Because you pulled me back. You stopped me."

"Did I?" Snape said and Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "You have extraordinarily powerful excess magic that responds to your emotions. You broke the lights, but you did not throw me off though you could easily have done so."

Harry's eyes dropped to the stairs and moved to the streetlights that he'd caused to explode. He was confused and conflicted, questioning himself and wondering just what it was about Snape that had him spinning.

"Come on, Potter," Snape said again and, this time, after another minute of hesitation, Harry stood.

The door was opened and he was guided back inside. The house was silent and dark, all other occupants still asleep. Snape lit his wand to help them avoid tripping and waking Mrs. Black, and led the way upstairs. They walked quietly into Sirius' room, Snape closing the door behind them.

"We will use your Pensieve," Snape said, ending his wand's illumination as Harry turned on the lamp and gestured to the silver bowl sitting on the desk.

"How?" Harry asked.

"We will pull your mindscape, as it's called, from your subconscious and place it in the Pensieve for unobstructed exploration," Snape said. "It allows you to manipulate your mindscape without the emotional barriers that exist in the mind."

"Isn't that the whole point of Occlumency?" Harry said. "To control emotion?"

"Occlumency, yes, but not the initial setup and exploration of one's mindscape," Snape said. "This is to get you familiar with the space and identify what exists there."

"Is this needed to do Occlumency?" Harry asked, watching as Snape charmed the Pensieve to levitate next to them.

"No, it is not required as it is highly recommended one does not do this alone," Snape said.

"How come?" Harry asked.

"It is possible to become lost in one's mindscape," Snape said. "As such, until you know your mindscape and have the skills to navigate on your own, you must not do this alone, understand?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir." He watched Snape pull his wand and begin to raise it to him. He was surprised that it didn't make him afraid or anxious to have Snape's wand pointed at him, especially in the context of Occlumency again, considering the previous year.

"There will be some pressure. Just relax," Snape said.

Harry nodded again and tensed just slightly as the man's wand tip came to rest against his temple. Snape began to whisper a string of Latin in a low voice and, as warned, a dull pressure appeared in his skull along with a tugging sensation at his temple. He winced at the feelings, but remained still and kept his breathing even to allow Snape to finish. It only took another minute or so, and Harry was watching a large whiteish-blue wispy ball attached to Snape's wand sink into the Pensieve. Harry turned to the Pensieve and looked at its surface. There was an image, but it was blurred and he couldn't identify anything.

"What will it be?" Harry asked.

"Everyone's is different," Snape said. "It is something that reflects the way your mind works and how you feel while simultaneously a safe place."

"What's yours?" Harry asked, looking up from the Pensieve.

Snape stared at him for several moments, obviously debating whether or not to reveal something Harry was starting to realize was personal.

"A labyrinth," Snape said eventually and Harry felt the man's magic tighten almost defensively. He gave another small nod, somehow understanding why Snape's mindscape would be a labyrinth; it made sense though he wasn't sure how, given how little he actually knew the man.

Harry turned back to the Pensieve, watching the swirls of blacks and greens and browns and blues that still didn't make a clear image. "You're coming with me?" He couldn't explain why he was nervous, why he was afraid.

"Yes," Snape said quietly.

The tightness of Snape's magic loosened, softening back to what it had been on the steps. Allowing himself to feel the magic, Harry took a deep breath and entered the Pensieve. He landed gently on his feet a few seconds later, Snape next to him, and gazed around. They were stood at the edge of a large lake surrounded by a forest, paths breaking up the trees. It was dark aside from the blue glow that tinted everything as though dripping with soft moonlight. He watched the constant circles rippling slowly across the lake's surface and spotted the coloured fog that seemed to sit at the end of the paths. His eyebrows furrowed as a green and black mist swirled around, creating a thin veil over much of the area.

"Fitting," Snape said and Harry's lips twitched, having felt the same about Snape's labyrinth.

"So, what does it all mean?" Harry asked, gesturing around the space. "The colours, the fog, the ripples?"

"That is up to you to discover," Snape said.

"What, like self-reflection or self-confrontation?" Harry said, looking at the many paths and their respective fogs.

Snape gave him a small smirk. "Something like that."

Harry huffed. "Should've just gone to bed," he grumbled.

Sighing at the amusement he could feel rolling off the professor, he began walking around the lake to the paths, Snape following. They walked up each path until they reached coloured fog that seemed to be acting as a barrier to whatever lay beyond. In each path, he reached out to the fog and it wrapped around him, swirling around his arm and up to his torso. Each gave muted feelings - happiness, pain, belonging, loneliness, fear, love, loss - telling him what was hidden behind the fog, the parts that made up his life.

"Why is the fog here?" Harry asked. "If this is where I process things, shouldn't all my memories just be...around?"

"In your mind, yes. When we do Occlumency, we will see your mindscape as it exists in your mind while in action," Snape said. "Here, as I said, emotional barriers are removed to allow for unobstructed objective exploration."

"Then, what's the green and black mist?" Harry asked, gesturing to the mist that could still be found everywhere, even drifting through the paths' fog barriers.

"Something that is a part of you," Snape said. "It seems to affect every part of you."

Harry frowned at the mist, brushing his hand through it and watching it wrap around his hand. "Remember the green strands we saw in my core?"

"I do," Snape said.

"This reminds me of that magic," Harry said. "Do you think they're connected?"

"It is possible," Snape said.

Harry sighed and dropped his hand, gazing around his forest again. He knew why his mindscape was a forest with a rippling lake. He was lost in a dark world that was so much larger than him with paths he couldn't take. He was drowning in the rippling despair that made his purpose, his future, his very life unclear.

"Do you understand your mindscape?" Snape asked.

Harry nodded with another small sigh. "More than I'd like, honestly."

Snape hummed and they left the Pensieve. Harry blinked at the sudden brightness, realizing they'd been in the Pensieve for at least a couple hours and morning had come. He rubbed his eyes aggressively under his glasses, the burn and ache having increased. He moved and collapsed on the bed, suddenly completely exhausted.

"Get some sleep, Potter," Snape said, putting the Pensieve back on the desk. "I will give some explanation for your absence."

Harry nodded and watched the professor walk to the door. Just as the man put his hand on the doorknob, Harry felt his anguish and loneliness from the steps flood back, heart and gut restricting painfully.

"Professor," Harry said and Snape looked at him. "Will you stay...just for a minute?"

Snape considered him for a moment, seeming to look for something, before turning away from the door. He waved his wand at the desk chair and it slid over to be beside the bed where Snape settled into it. Harry slipped under the blanket, ignoring the fact that he was still fully dressed, and pulled off his glasses. He didn't know what it was about Snape, couldn't explain it, but, in that moment, he felt safe and seen, and he drifted off.

A week later, Harry had just finished a duelling session with Snape and was in the kitchen with the twins, Charlie, Moody, and Kingsley, talking about the extra course options while eating the lunch Mrs. Weasley had made. Harry had been comforted to find that, despite Ron's continued anger and resentment and Hermione's quiet fear and disappointment, the rest of the Weasleys had not changed towards him. The twins constantly found reasons to talk to him and hang out whenever they weren't at their shop, and even Bill and Charlie had started interacting with him more. He was eternally grateful that they all did their best to talk to him about anything other than Sirius or Voldemort or the war, making him feel relatively normal for at least those moments spent with the redheads.

"I already knew I wanted to work with dragons so I was thrilled when I got Exotic Creature Care as an option," Charlie was explaining. "Not a common option, from what I understand. They brought in an actual magizoologist for the whole three of us that were in the course."

"What about you two?" Harry asked the twins, fascinated by the other options he hadn't received and so hadn't known about.

"Experimental Magic," they said together and Harry looked at them in surprise.

"Really?" Harry said in disbelief, making Fred and George chuckle.

"Mum was not pleased," Charlie said, taking a bite of his cucumber sandwich.

"She was not," Fred said.

"But, apparently, not everyone thought-" George said.

"-our passions were useless-" Fred continued.

"-namely Snape-"

"-and McGonagall-"

Harry blinked at those two particular professors apparently being supportive of the twins' chaotic ways.

"Or they just wanted you to be supervised so you didn't blow yourselves up in the bowels of Hogwarts," Charlie interrupted with a grin as the twins gave each other dramatically thoughtful looks.

"Dear brother makes a point," George said.

"That he does," Fred said with a nod.

"And we thought we'd gained their faith-" George said, tone getting more wistful.

"-their respect-" Fred said, echoing the tone.

"-but, alas-"

"-‘twas not to be-"

"-or ‘twas it?"

Harry glanced at Charlie who had rolled his eyes and met his with a grin while shaking his head.

"Could find out," Fred said.

"Could," George said, nodding.

"The dear sir resides here-" Fred said.

"And the good lady visits almost every day," George said.

"We could ask-"

"-inquire-"

"-interrogate if we must."

"Must we?" George said.

"We must," Fred said seriously.

Harry chuckled as Kingsley snorted and Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Good luck with that," Charlie said deadpanned. "I will certainly enjoy the show."

"What about you, kid?" Kingsley said as the twins devolved into conspiratorial whispers. "Have you decided yet?"

"I've definitely decided on Animagus Training," Harry said, finishing off his chips. "I'm leaning towards Duelling for my second course, but I'm not sure yet."

"Why the hesitation, Potter?" Moody grumbled.

Harry went to explain, but was interrupted by an angry voice. He looked up with the others to watch Ron enter the kitchen and sit at the far end of the table.

"Could be because he's already getting special training from the bat," Ron said, glaring. "Or maybe because he knows he doesn't have to fight if he's got human shields."

"Watch yourself, boy," Moody growled.

"Why should I?" Ron said. "If we have to fight for him, I'd like to know how to fight. I'd like to live."

"Don't act like you're involved because of Harry," Charlie said.

"You've chosen this side-" Fred said.

"Because our family chose this side," George said.

"Didn't know it meant dying for him," Ron snapped. 

"We chose, Ron, and you chose to be his friend, to do everything you've done," Charlie said. "Harry didn't."

"Whatever," Ron said, turning his glare back to Harry. "Take all the special treatment you want. Nothing ever stopped you before."

"It's not special treatment. He's helping," Harry said, moving his own glare from Ron and sighing at the looks the others were giving him. "My core cracked from what happened at the Ministry and I've got excess magic. Snape's teaching me to control it and duelling helps exhaust it."

"Freak," Ron muttered only to yelp, a red welt appearing on his cheek. "What the hell?" he demanded angrily at Fred and George.

"What Mad-Eye said," Fred said.

"Watch yourself," George said.

Ron glared and, snatching an orange from the bowl, stormed from the kitchen. Harry sighed sadly, dropping his eyes to his empty plate.

"While not delivered in the best way, Ron could have a point about learning to fight," Kingsley said and Harry looked at the man curiously.

"Things will get worse before they get better," Charlie said, nodding in agreement.

"Duelling competition sound good to anyone else?" Kingsley said and Harry perked up.

"Sounds bloody brilliant," the twins said.

"And who're you ropin' into this, Shacklebolt?" Moody said.

"You, for one," Kingsley said with a grin as Moody grumbled. Harry glanced at the three Weasleys, immediately nervous about facing Moody and seeing the same expressions in them. "I'll ask around. With the amount of people here on a near daily basis, I'm sure we can make quite the competition."

"Can show us this new magic of yours," Moody said to Harry.

"But, that wouldn't be fair," Harry said.

"Sure it is," Charlie said with a shrug. "Learn to use what you've got."

"Fair doesn't exist in war, kid," Kingsley said.

Harry just sighed again.

It didn't take Harry long to realize he was in a vision and seeing through Voldemort. He'd had enough of them to know by then and he knew Voldemort had control over their connection now. Whatever was happening, he wanted Harry to see. Harry wanted to look around, but Voldemort was keeping his eyes down at the white bone wand laying across his lap. Harry could see movement just out of Voldemort's periphery and could feel the brush of magic as people - Death Eaters - arrived around him.

Harry turned inward, searching for a way to control the vision. Voldemort was learning more about their connection, maybe he should too. What else could he do, could they do? Maybe he could even find what the connection was. It was the key to everything, he knew that, but he just didn't understand how.

He looked around or did whatever the equivalent was while existing as just consciousness in someone else's mind. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was doing, if he was doing anything at all. He continued, though, trying to identify the edges of what constituted his consciousness within Voldemort's. He didn't know how long it took - time seemed different, suspended in a way - but he soon became aware of...something. It felt like Voldemort, the oppressive, dark magic, but it also felt like him, as though it were something shared between them, made of both of them. He reached for it, whatever it was, hoping to make it visible somehow, only to suddenly be looking at a large room filling with robed and masked Death Eaters. He blinked, trying to understand what he'd done. It seemed, somehow, he'd managed to separate his consciousness from Voldemort's, despite the entire vision coming from Voldemort.

He didn't understand, but pushed his confusion aside and gazed around to find out what was happening. They were in what seemed to be a huge ballroom made of white and black marble, a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a throne-like chair on a raised platform at a far end of the room in front of a large fireplace occupied by Voldemort. Tall, black iron candle holders with twisted candles lit on top made a large circle around the room from one side of Voldemort to the other, enough space between each for someone to stand. As the Death Eaters arrived, they moved, taking up their spots in the circle.

Harry moved around slowly, trying to recognize anyone through the silver filigreed masks, not bothering to wonder how he was capable of moving in a vision created by Voldemort. He frowned as he felt a strange buzz when he approached each Death Eater, unsure what he was feeling or if it was even him; it could be something Voldemort felt while in proximity with his followers. He continued around the circle as it filled, finding a mask here and there that he recognized from the Ministry, his jaw tightening with each one. He froze and was filled with an all-consuming rage when he found the mask hiding Bellatrix. Her mask he would never forget.

He looked away from her as another Death Eater took their place a couple spaces away from Bellatrix, directly to Voldemort's right, briefly feeling a flash of very familiar magic alongside the buzz. He moved to stand in front of the Death Eater, gazing into the dark eyes of Snape through the mask. It wasn't the first time he was seeing Snape in a meeting, but it was the first time he was separated from seeing the man through Voldemort. It was different to see the man from this perspective without Voldemort's emotions impacting his.

Harry turned away from Snape as Voldemort rose from his throne and every Death Eater turned their heads in unison to look at their master. It was unsettling. It was looking at Voldemort that made Harry notice the two empty spaces in the circle to Voldemort's left and he wondered who was missing.

"Welcome, my friends, to a special and long-awaited evening, a cause for celebration," Voldemort said. "Tonight, we receive the first of the new generation. Lucius."

Harry whipped around as all the Death Eaters also turned to the opposite end of the room. The large, dark brown double doors swung open and a masked Death Eater walked in with Draco Malfoy beside him. Harry recognized Lucius' mask and stiffened again with anger from the Ministry. Draco was in a black suit, the darkness highlighting just how pale the teenager was. Harry could see the tightness, the strain in the blonde's face, could see the way the grey eyes darted around with clear fear. Dark circles sat under Draco's eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed with thick swallowing, and Harry spotted the tightly clenched fists just barely hiding the Slytherin's trembling. It all added up to something Harry had never seen before.

Draco Malfoy was terrified.

Harry watched as the two Malfoys walked across the circle and stopped in front of Voldemort. Lucius instantly bowed, but Draco took a few shaky seconds to follow.

"Is he ready, Lucius?" Voldemort said, and Lucius and Draco straightened.

"Yes, my lord," Lucius said.

"Take your place," Voldemort said and, with another bow, Lucius took the empty spot directly beside Voldemort on his left. "Draco Malfoy, our newest member and first legacy."

A murmur ran through the circle of Death Eaters as Draco tried not to flinch at being addressed. Harry couldn't help but frown at the other boy, odd emotions stirring deep within him.

"Draco," Voldemort said, taking a step closer to Draco who Harry saw stiffen. "Tonight, you join us. You will support our cause and eliminate any enemy that seeks to undo our work. Are you prepared to dedicate your life to the purity of the wizarding world?"

Harry watched Draco swallow hard, eyes darting again as though searching for a way out. Sufficiently trapped, Draco looked back at Voldemort.

"Yes." Draco's voice was barely audible.

"Let us begin," Voldemort said and Harry jumped at the movement around him. The candlelight turned lime-green and the Death Eaters began to kneel, raising their left arms and pulling back their sleeves to reveal the Dark Marks. Harry looked down at Snape who he was still next to, eyes drawn to the deep black skull and snake that was lightly waving across his skin.

"Kneel, Draco," Voldemort said.

Draco fell hard to his knees as though he couldn't fully control himself in his fear. Harry could see the shaking the blonde couldn't hide and felt a stirring in his gut at the Slytherin's very obvious terror.

"Your arm," Voldemort said.

Draco slowly raised his left arm, his trembling obvious now to everyone. Harry watched as Voldemort stepped even closer to Draco, immediately in front of the teenager now, and pulled a vial from his robes filled with something deep red in colour.

"Tonight, you join our great world order, pledging yourself to our future," Voldemort said. "Your father has failed repeatedly. It is up to you, Draco, to not only prove your worth, but the worth of the Malfoy name. Will you fulfil your assigned task no matter the cost?"

Harry frowned slightly, wondering what Draco's task was.

"Yes," Draco breathed.

Voldemort said nothing. He reached out and grasped Draco's raised arm around the wrist. Harry saw Draco flinch and frowned deeper when he felt the strange buzz increase. He looked down at Snape's arm, finding the Mark moving more insistently. He moved his eyes back to Voldemort and Draco just as Voldemort tilted the vial, pouring the red liquid onto Draco's bared forearm. Harry took a few steps forward so he could see what was happening.

Rather than dripping off Draco's arm as would be expected, the red liquid was moving around in thin ropes. Harry's eyes widened as the ropes settled into a familiar design: the Dark Mark. It glowed darkly against the pale skin, the green candlelight glinting off its shiny surface. Harry gasped and raised his own arm, shoving back his sleeve as he felt a sting in his forearm. He frowned, seeing nothing there, and looked back at Draco, confused. He watched as Voldemort pressed his wand to the center of the Mark and black tendrils leaked from its tip, moving to copy the design under the red liquid. 

Seconds later, the Mark began to glow a violent red and pain exploded across Harry's forearm. He cried out, hearing it echoed by Draco, and looked at his own arm again, only to still see nothing there. He looked back to Draco with wide eyes, seeing the red liquid sinking into Draco's arm, making the black tendrils more visible. Tears were in the blonde's eyes and he was clenching his jaw, obviously holding back pained cries.

Harry heard the smallest of groans next to him and looked down at Snape. He could just barely see the man's arm tremble and saw the Mark had become a darker, deeper black, if that was even possible, and was writhing on the skin. Glancing at all the other Marks he could see, he found the same thing happening with all of them. He looked back at Draco just in time to see the red liquid disappear into Draco's arm, leaving behind the black lines that made up the Dark Mark, the skull and snake writhing. Harry and Draco cried out together again as Draco's Mark flashed lime-green briefly, causing horrible pain in Harry's arm.

Draco was left with a brand new, pure black Dark Mark, the white skin around it an inflamed red. Draco was staring at it with huge, tear- and terror-filled grey eyes as he shook. Voldemort pulled his wand away and the circle of Death Eaters rose to their feet, making Harry jump again.

"Let us welcome our first legacy, the beginning of our future, to our ranks: Draco Malfoy," Voldemort said and another murmur rang through the circle. "Now, your task. You know the consequence for failure."

Draco finally looked away from his branded arm, gazing up at Voldemort in fear.

"Yes," Draco whispered.

"There is a Vanishing Cabinet-"

Harry didn't get to hear anything else as he was suddenly torn from the vision, pulled back to his bed in Grimmauld Place where he awoke sweating and breathing hard, his arm burning.