After dinner Harry said good-bye to his friends, and he and Severus went back to the little side chamber off the Great Hall to Floo back to their rooms. Once there, Severus walked over to a corner cabinet and poured himself a drink. Glancing back at Harry, he asked, "Would you like a butterbeer?"

Harry nodded. He almost wished he hadn't agreed to attempt Occlumency again. Last year's lessons had been just awful. But it would be different this time, he reminded himself. He still might not be any good at it, but Severus wouldn't mentally attack or belittle him now. He knew that much. Maybe that little scene in Potions class had helped him, after all.

The professor came over and handed him his glass. "Don't be nervous," he said quietly.

Harry was glad that he could smile at Severus and say honestly, "I'm not."

The corners of Severus' lips turned up. "Good." He motioned to the sofa. "Well, let's sit down."

They sipped their drinks and after a few minutes of companionable silence, Severus began, "Now, whether we work on Occlumency or not is entirely up to you, Harry. As you know, Albus believes you will be perfectly safe from the Dark L...Voldemort entering your mind again, that it was such a painful experience for him, not to mention being a complete failure, that Voldemort is extremely unlikely to repeat it."

"Thank goodness," Harry shivered at the memory.

Severus looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sure it was horrible for you, too."

"Yeah, it was," Harry answered. "It hurt worse than anything I've ever felt, even more than the Cruciatus curse hurts. I really wanted to die, just so it would stop. But at least it only lasted a little while. Then he was gone."

Severus reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Harry. But I can't help being curious about how you managed to drive him out."

"I don't know that I actually drove him out," Harry admitted slowly, trying to think back to those agonizing, confused moments when Voldemort had tried to conquer his soul. "It was more like he gave up and left."

"That's a miracle in itself," Severus told him. "Voldemort is known to be quite tenacious when he wants something."

"Well, it was like he was in me, and he'd just told Dumbledore to kill me. Actually, I think I was speaking, but it was really him. He was taking me over for a few minutes. Dumbledore said Voldemort was trying to trick him, to make him think he could kill Voldemort by killing me. But Dumbledore wasn't falling for it, and then I thought, the part of my mind that was still me, that I wanted to die so the pain would stop. Then I thought that if I died, I could be with Sirius again."

It still hurt to think of Sirius, and Harry had to swallow before finishing huskily. "And then I was thinking about Sirius and Ron and Hermione, and all the people I love. Then Voldemort was just gone."

"Albus said you were so good, so compassionate and loving, that Voldemort could not bear to remain within you," Severus murmured. "Power the Dark Lord knows not. Albus has said for years that that power is love."

He raised an eyebrow and his tone turned sardonic. "At which point I have always remarked that he'd finally gone senile. But it looks as if he may be right, after all."

"I was kind of hoping for something a bit more tangible," Harry admitted. "You know, some kind of power that could get rid of him, something really strong."

Severus shook his head and his tone was drier than ever. "Harry, I am the last person in the world to wax sentimental over the power of love..."

"Not the last," Harry couldn't help but grin a little bit. "Voldemort would be the last."

"Be that as it may," Severus conceded. "Nonetheless, Albus is wiser than the rest of us at Hogwarts put together, and if he says that love is your great and mysterious power, then it is quite possible that love will play some part in defeating your nemesis." An inexplicable expression of sadness came over his face. "After all, it was your mother's love that defeated him the first time."

Harry wondered about that expression. Why would Severus look so grieved at the mention of Lily Potter? He almost asked, but something stopped him and instead another question rose to his lips.

"Do you really think I can win against him, then?"

Severus considered him, and Harry held his breath, waiting, wanting the answer and yet desperately fearing it, too. He didn't want Severus to tell him a comforting lie, as if he were a child who couldn't face the truth. But if Severus didn't think he could win...well, Harry didn't want to hear that either.

But Severus was nodding. "Yes, Harry. I believe you will win. I have no idea how, but you have proven yourself courageous, resourceful, and talented under the most extreme circumstances. When the time comes, you will be successful."

Still, Harry was troubled. There was one more question he had to ask, although again, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer. Maybe he shouldn't even ask, but it preyed upon his mind, and there was no one else he could trust to give him an honest reply.

"Do you think I'll survive?"

There was no hesitation at all this time. "Yes."

"You do?" Harry himself had doubts about it. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm not going to lose you, too!" Severus said fiercely.

Harry blinked, not sure how to respond, and Severus took a deep breath, looking a little ill at ease. He reached for his glass on the table and drained it before setting it aside again.

When he turned back to Harry, he was calm again. "Well, we've certainly strayed far from my original point, which was that we don't have to study Occlumency unless you want to. You're not in danger of being possessed."

"But it would help with my nightmares?"

"I think so," Severus answered. "It has helped me. But Harry, you should realize, that even if you become a master Occlumens, it doesn't mean that you will never have another nightmare. You just won't have them as often."

"Well, since I'm having them almost every night right now, not as often sounds pretty good," Harry told him.

"Very well, then. Relax, lean back against the sofa, and focus only on your breathing. Close your eyes if you need to, and just breathe in and out," Severus said, his voice low and reassuring. "We'll just do that for a little while."

Harry set his half-empty glass of butterbeer on the table and did as Severus instructed. Letting himself sag against the sofa cushions, he thought only of the rhythm of his breathing. In, out, in, out. At first other thoughts kept flitting into his mind, but he dismissed them and tried to keep focused on breathing. In, out, in, out.

After a while, he felt as if he were about to fall asleep, and he opened his eyes and tried to sit up straight. Severus shook his head and placed a hand on Harry's chest, gently pushing him back against the warm, comfortable cushions.

"You're doing fine," he murmured.

"I'm about to go to sleep," Harry protested.

"And I think you would be unlikely to have a nightmare right now," Severus continued to speak in a slow, soft tone, barely above a whisper. "You're relaxed; you're not worrying or remembering bad experiences. Being in a peaceful state of mind is important."

"It's that easy?" Harry asked. "If I just do this, it'll help stop my nightmares? Most of the time, anyway?"

"It might, at first," Severus answered. "Probably not so much in the long run. This is not true Occlumency, you realize. This is just the first small step. Relaxing and clearing your mind of distracting thoughts."

"What's the next step?"

"Learning to build a wall around your secret thoughts," Severus said. "Then you have to keep the wall intact while someone enters your mind. At first, you can be prepared for it; then you learn to do it even when the intrusion is unexpected or occurs simultaneously with other events."

Seeing Harry's expression, he smiled. Or at least, the corners of his mouth quirked upwards, which Harry had learned was about as close to a smile as Severus ever came. "We will work on simply relaxing and clearing your mind for a time yet."

Harry nodded. "I know I'm really bad at this. It can't be any fun for you trying to teach me. I'm sorry."

Now it was Severus' turn to sit up straight. He frowned. "Harry, what complete rubbish. I told you that you were doing fine, didn't I? I know we did poorly at this last year, but that was more my fault than yours."

Severus reached over to take Harry's hand again, clasping it gently between his strong fingers as he spoke in a pained voice, struggling to admit his own failings aloud.

"I...didn't want to teach you last year. I resented Albus' throwing us together, and I...resented you. I didn't know you then, Harry. Not the real you. I saw only what I wanted to see, and I failed you. I made those lessons unpleasant and humiliating. Of course they were doomed from the start. In retrospect, I cannot blame you for not practicing or caring about them. I can't even blame you for looking in my Pensieve. After all, I stole your worst memories first."

Harry had known all that before, at least the part about Severus resenting him and not wanting to teach him. He wondered why it still hurt to hear it aloud. But he looked at the professor's hands holding his, and the pain eased. He had to say, "Not my worst memories. Not the very worst ones."

"What I saw seemed bad enough," Severus replied softly.

Harry thought of some of the things he had somehow managed to hide...living in the cupboard, being starved for food whenever the Dursleys decided he didn't deserve to eat, Uncle Vernon beating him with a belt across his back the time Dobby had ruined the dinner party with the Masons...

Thinking about those things caused a painful, aching lump to come to his throat. He told himself he was stupid to care so much, even now. The Dursleys had always hated him, and always would, and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't even want to do anything about it anymore, did he?

But there had been a time, long ago, when he'd have done anything if only he could have earned their love and been a part of the family for real, instead of being only an unwanted burden that they despised and feared.

Harry didn't realize that tears were sliding down his cheeks until Severus reached to gently brush them away. He pulled Harry close and wrapped his arms around him.

"Shh, child. They won't hurt you again, I promise." Then he paused as if realizing that he didn't know for certain why Harry was crying, and perhaps fearing that it was over the past Occlumency lessons, added painfully, "I won't hurt you again, either."

Harry leaned against him, the side of his face resting against Severus' chest. "I was thinking about the Dursleys," he said in a small voice. "I told you they never wanted me. They're really afraid of magic, and they hate me because I'm a wizard. Course when I was little, I didn't understand that. I just knew they were always angry with me, and I could never please them, no matter how hard I tried. Usually they'd find some way to twist everything around and make it look like I'd been bad so they could punish me. It was a really long time before I understood that it wasn't all my fault, that they were the ones who were messed up. I think it was being around the Weasleys that helped me see that."

"How did they punish you, Harry?" Severus asked softly.

Harry hesitated. He'd never told anyone the worst things the Dursleys had done. Ron and Hermione knew a little bit, but even they didn't know most of it. And he didn't think he could tell Severus all of it either. Not yet, at least. It was too painful, and he'd kept it to himself for so long, he couldn't just open up all at once.

But maybe he could tell Severus some of it. Severus had been mistreated as a child, too, after all, so he'd understand, wouldn't he?

"Sometimes, if I didn't finish all my chores, or if it wasn't done perfectly, they wouldn't let me eat for a few days," he admitted.

"A few days!" Severus sounded appalled.

"Well, usually only two, but once in a while it was three days, if they were really upset." Glancing up at Severus' face, Harry saw that his explanation hadn't helped the professor to calm down. Severus' face was a mask hiding his feelings, but his black eyes blazed with fury.

But that rage wasn't directed against him, Harry knew. Severus' arms kept holding him close, and Harry was nestled against him, warm and safe. He sighed and relaxed, feeling that lump in his throat slowly dissolve.

"And approximately how many times over the course of the summer did you go without food for two or three days at a stretch?" Severus asked, and his voice was quiet and dangerous.

"Um, I'm not sure, actually," Harry murmured. "Maybe once a week or so. Sometimes more, or less."

Severus had to take several deep breaths before speaking again. "Were you at least allowed to have normal meals during the times you could eat?"

Harry's hesitation seemed to be all the answer the professor needed. He began to swear at the Dursleys in a cold, furious tone. Harry had never imagined Severus losing control enough to swear, but he did enjoy hearing some of the creative terms the professor came up with. In spite of everything, he found himself smiling as he looked up at Severus again.

"Can I borrow some of those phrases?" He asked when Severus finally seemed to run out of words.

Severus took a few more deep breaths, and then raised an eyebrow at Harry. "You may when you're thirty-six."

The clock on the mantel chimed, startling them both.

"Well, I suppose we should head on to Albus' office," Severus remarked. He looked back down at Harry. "If you feel up to it, that is. If you'd rather, I can explain to Albus that we've had an emotionally-draining evening already and see if he could meet with us at another time."

But Harry shook his head. "I'm all right, Severus, and I'd really like to see what Dumbledore is going to teach me. Or us, rather. But thanks."

"You're welcome, Harry. And it's Professor Dumbledore."

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry agreed as Severus stood and offered him a hand up. He let Severus pull him to his feet and together they stepped into the fireplace. A moment later they were flying through the Floo to meet with Dumbledore.