Present

“I guess you could say that’s when Dad and my relationship really started to change.  Yeah, we were already sort of friendlier… at least less hostile, there was a lot of baggage there.  Dad still thought of me as the ‘darling, dotted on, Potter-princeling’.  He thought the less pleasant memories were either played up, or were just a rare occurrence.  He didn’t realize ‘Harry Hunting’ was practically a daily occurrence.  He had never seen the memories of me locked in my cupboard for days on end, denied food for whatever small infraction.” At this comment hundreds of hands shot up.  Everybody wanted to know more it seemed.  Harry looked around the room he should have expected that. Oh well, it was too late not.  “I’m not going to talk too much more about my time at the Dursley’s.  It’s none of your business.  I’ve said enough to give you a picture of what happened and that’s more than enough.”  

Harry took a deep breath.  “Dad couldn’t imagine “The-Boy-Who-Lived” ever being treated that way.  From the looks I’m getting from everybody here, I’m betting you guys couldn’t either.”  Harry paused, shaking his head.  “I don’t want your pity.  I don’t want anybody’s pity.  I can’t change what happened, but it made who I am.  Heck, if the Dursleys had treated me like everybody thought I’d been brought up I probably would have been that bullying, conceded prat Dad saw me as.”

Harry let out an uneasy chuckle.  “Errr… so with his new found knowledge Dad figured out not only were the Dursleys really horrible to me, but I was a lot better a Occlumens than he ever gave me credit for.  He realized if I was able to hide this much from him I might do much better with a change of technique.”

Harry shifted a little uncomfortably.  “I guess he also wanted to make sure I wasn’t hiding anything else.  Errr… the next time I went down for Occlumency lessons things were a bit awkward.  I didn’t know how Dad had taken the news or how he planned to proceed. I figured he wasn’t going to use the information against me that was too much like the old Snape…. Still I wasn’t sure he’d treat me any different.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted him too.  Like I said earlier, I didn’t and still don’t want anybody’s pity.”

“I didn’t expect Dad’s pity would look like other peoples’.  He wouldn’t try and drown me in hugs and kisses, say ‘poor dear’ and whatever.  He wouldn’t give me the sad eyes and all that rot.  That’s not him.  I know what.  I didn’t know what form his pity would take, but I knew I didn’t want it.”  Harry said pushing his glasses up.

“When I got down to his class and was greeted with the traditional crisp ‘Potter’, I have to be honest, I was relieved.  It showed me at least at some level things hadn’t changed between us.  True, at that point I didn’t know Dad was already makings plans to make sure I never had to cross the Dursleys threshold again, or he had confronted pretty much every adult in my life up to that point to find out why I been allowed to be treated like that.”

“Like I was saying before, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect when I got my lesson.  Dad greeted me like normal so that’s basically what I was expecting, but that’s not what happened.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1996

“Potter,” Severus greeted as Harry entered the Potions classroom.

“Evening sir,” Harry said cautiously as he set his bad down.

“Do not get comfortable.  We will not be staying here tonight,” Severus barked.

“Sir,” Harry asked cautiously.

“You heard me Potter,” Severus snapped.

Harry nodded and returned his bad to his shoulder.  Seeing this Severus rose from his desk.

“Follow me.”

Not daring to ask any questions Harry followed his father at least until Severus opened the passage to his private quarters.

“We’re going into your quarters sir?”  Harry asked nervously.

“An excellent deduction Potter.” Severus said snidely.

Harry stopped dead.  “That’s alright sir.  I’d rather stay here in your office or the classroom sir.  If it’s all the same to you sir.”

Severus snarled.  Why must everything with the boy be a fight?  “It is not all the same to me Potter.  If it were we would stay here.  However, I wish to attempt to instruct you using a new technique.  Neither the classroom nor my office provide the appropriate facilities, but if you would rather have a classmate or instructor barge in on us, we may stay here.  I would like to see you try and explain what we were doing.  Do make sure not to expose your connection to the Dark Lord or my affiliation with the Order if you would.”

Harry at least had the wits to be embarrassed.  “Sorry, sir.  I just figured you didn’t like people in our quarters.”

Severus took pity on the boy.  “As a general rule, I do not let people into my personal quarters, but as the Headmaster is so fond of reminding me, you are not ‘people’.  You are my son.”

Harry looked up surprised.  He didn’t remember the professor acknowledging their relationship other than when he and Sirius were told about starting his Occlumency lessons.  Severus only pointed it out then to overrule Sirius… and probably take a dig.

“Do not take this as a free invitation to march into my quarters when your heart desires.  You are not to bring your little friends here.  It would be better if they did not know you were ever here, but I don’t believe you capable of that level of secrecy.”

Harry didn’t say anything, but frowned slightly.  Why did his dad have to be such a prat?

“I won’t tell them sir.  Honest,” Harry aid quickly at Snape’s quirked brow.

“Perhaps,” Severus proceeded down the passage Harry obediently in tow.

“Sit down over there,” Severus instructed gesturing to as dark leather sofa across from the fireplace.

Harry set his book bag by the door keeping only his wand before crossing the room as instructed.

Severus watched his son’s actions.  There were fraught with unease.  He knew the mistrust between himself and the boy was well earned.  What hadn’t expected was the guilt from it.  Severus removed the heavy teaching robes and hung them on the peg by the door.

He took a moment before crossing the room summoning a chair to sit across from his son.

“From this point forward, at least for the foreseeable future your Occlumency lessons will take place here in my quarters.  You will meet me in the classroom.  If there are other students present you are to work on your homework assignments until they are dismissed.  If I am not present for whatever reason you are to wait there.  You may check my office if I do not appear within five minutes.  You are NEVER to enter these quarters unless you are in my presence.  Is that understood?”

Harry nodded.  “Yes sir,” Harry added as the professor’s eyes narrowed at his lack of verbal response.

“We are to work on a new method of controlling your shields when you Occlude your mind.  Up to this point you have been reacting only as I attack your mind.  This strategy will never provide an adequate offense to the Dark Lord’s powers.  You must have minimum shielding of your mind at all times.  You must not allow the Dark Lord to see into your mind.”  Severus strained.

“How am I supposed to do that sir?”  Harry asked nervously.  His previous session hadn’t been particularly pleasant, or very affective.  He wanted to show his father he wasn’t a complete dunderhead.

“Remove your shoes and lay back on the sofa,” Severus instructed.

“Sir,” Harry asked surprised.

“Harry, just do as you’re told for once.” Severus snapped.

Harry shocked at the sound of his given name set to undoing the laces of the scuffed work shoes.  A moment later he was lying on his back staring at the stone ceiling of the professor’s quarters.  It was surreal.

“Potter, concentrate,” Severus snapped at the boy.  It was obvious Harry had missed his last instruction.

“Sorry, sir.  What did you say,” Harry moved to sit up.

“Stay there,” Severus snapped.  “I told you to remove your glasses and close your eyes.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry agreed laying back.  He plucked the glassed off his nose and fumbled to place them on the nearby coffee table.

Losing patience with the boy’s struggle Severus summoned the glasses and set them on then on the table in front of him.

“With your eyes closed, but relaxed, I want you to count backwards from ten.  When you reach one I want you to picture a detailed image.  It needs something that you know all parts of.  It needs to be something complex, but something that can be easily be broken down.  This image will form the basis of your ability to Occlude anything you wish to hide from the Dark Lord or any other Legilimens.”

Harry bit his lower lip.  “I don’t understand sir.  What sort of image am I supposed to use?”

“Any image that is complex, but one that you know all the details of,” Severus replied.

Harry sat up.  “Err… so like the Quidditch pitch?”  Harry asked unsure if he was on the right track.

“Probably not.  The Hogwarts Qudditch pitch is comprised of only a few parts.  The image should be slightly more complex.”  Severus explained.

“What do you use sir,” Harry asked curiously.

“I use a potions cupboard.”  Severus said plainly.

Harry fought back a laugh.  He should have expected that.

“What is so funny Potter?  Did you expect it to me a map of Europe?  Honestly, if is a perfectly logical choice.  The cupboard is stocked with many ingredients.  All are categorized in accordance with the system.  From here I can tell if there has been an attempt to tamper or break into my memory as this would leave traces in my mind.  This would show up as misplaced, broken, or knocked over bottles depending on the level of intrusion.  Does that make thing any clearer?”

Harry nodded.  “Yeah, that makes things a lot more sense.  So like think about Hogwarts would work?  Instead of potion bottles, I could use doorways or something?”

Severus thought about it for a moment.  “That sounds like a plausible suggestion.  Why do we not try it and see?”  Severus offered.  “Lay back and count.  Tell me when you are ready.”

Harry laid back down and closed his eyes again, “Ten, nine, eig-”

“You need not count out loud.”  Severus said softly.

“Oh, sorry,” Harry offered.  A moment later he said, “Ready when you are sir.”

“We will not test your shields immediately.  Rather we will work on organizing your mind so you will be able to pull or hide memories as need arise without losing precious time.  I take it from your previous inquiry you were planning on using Hogwarts as your image.  Describe it to me.  Are you using the image provided to you by your fa- James’s map?”

Harry shock his head.  “No, I’m in the castle.”

“Where are you now?”  Severus asked patiently.

“I’m in the entrance way, by the Great Hall.”  Harry said.

Severus rubbed his chin in thought.  “I see.  Here or the Great Hall would be an acceptable place to store your most innocuous memories.”

“Innocuous?” Harry asked puzzled.

“Harmless, Potter.  Really you’d think spending so much time with that insufferable know-it-all your vocabulary would have improved past an inbreed troll.” Severus scolded.

“Sorry sir,” Harry said lamely.

“Now draw up some of your least interesting memories.  These are to be stored in these rooms.  They can be placed in suits of armor, behind tapestries, anything along those lines.” Severus instructed.

“Memories of what sir?  Is there anything in particular I should hide here, or just stuff like what I had for breakfast?”  Harry asked.

“Nothing specific, routine, boring memories will be stored here.  Your breakfast is an appropriate example.  You may store as many here as you desire, though, fill no need to hide things in every knock and cranny.  We need to be getting on.”  Severus instructed.

Harry took a few minutes to hide memories of going shoe shopping with his aunt, eating breakfast in the Great Hall, doing chores during the summer holidays, and a few other uninteresting memories.

“When you are ready we will proceed.  As we go deeper into the castle the more powerful the memories stored there should be.  Your most powerful memories should be kept in one of the most defended parts of the castle.  Where you choose for this place is up to you.  I would recommend either the Headmaster’s office or the dungeons.”  Severus advised.

Harry frowned.  “The dungeons I guess.  The stuff in Dumbledore’s office is always changing, and I’ve only been there a couple of times.  At least dungeons don’t move.” Harry explained thoughtfully.  “What about the rest of the castle sir?  Shouldn’t I have memories stored in the Gryffindor Common Room or something?”

Severus considered this.  It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to have his memories spread over a large area.  See as the boy was in Gryffindor searching for things in the boy’s mental common room would be more likely than the dark depths of the gloomy dungeons.

“You may.  However, I would advise these be only moderately powerful memories at the most.  You might want to store a few, stronger thought, unimportant memories in those spaces.  If you ever need to mislead someone.”

“What do you mean by that?”  Harry asked shifting on the sofa.

“Times that would carry strong emotions, but would tell the intruder very little in terms of what they are looking for.  The death of a pet as a small child, something like that,” Severus explained.

Harry frowned.  “I never had a pet until I got my letter.  Aunt Petunia hates animals.”

Severus snorted, “Some things never change.  Very well, I’m sure you can think of some such moment in your life Harry.  Now, tell me when you are done.  The next stage will be by far the most important.  Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Potter.”  Harry placed the memory of the glass vanishing at the zoo, Ripper chasing him up a tree, and the time his aunt had practically shaved his hair off around the room.  He thought these were what the professor meant.  He’d find out later he guessed.

“Alright, I’m done.  So I’m in the dungeons now.  This is where I hide any of the really bad stuff right?”  Harry asked almost cheerily.

Very seriously Severus said, “That is correct Mr. Potter.  You need to hide any memories with strong emotions connected to them here.  This would be the events in the graveyard last year.  The experience with the basilisk and so forth.  This needs to be were you contain the depth of our relationship.  If the truth were discovered I need not explain the consequences for such a discovery.”

“Yeah, I know,” Harry said.  He took his time hiding away his memories: the graveyard, Cedric dying, the dementors by the lake in third year, Quirrell, his uncle locking him in his room and the bars on his window, reading his mother’s letter, Dumbledore telling him about the prophesy.  They were all stored behind different doors in the dungeons.  It was a good thing there were so many doors down there.  I think that’s everything.”

“You may sit up,” Severus said.

Harry righted himself, for not doing much he was awful tired.  His head hurt something terrible too.  He rubbed at his eye feeling round the table for his glasses.  Severus held out his hand palm up offering them to Harry.  

“Thanks.” Harry said putting them on once again.

“You are welcome.  The next step is to test you shields.  As I said before, we won’t do that this evening.  We have already put a great deal of strain on your mind already.  It would not be unexpected for you to experience headaches for the next day or so.” Severus explained.

“Yeah, I’ve got one now.” Harry said rubbing his eye once more.

“Accio Head-Ache Drought,” Severus called out.  A small vial of aqua potion flew into the professor’s hand.  “This will help.  If it returns, see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Thanks sir,” Harry said downing the potion.  He grimaced at the taste.

“That will be all for tonight.  He a good evening, Harry.”  Severus said dismissing the teenager.

“Ah… yeah, good night sir.”  Harry rose collected his bad and left in a slight daze.